Blind date: ‘We didn’t talk about star signs, which is rare for London gays’

Adam, 26 (left), assistant museum curator, meets Bron, 29, news reporter

What were you hoping for?
I try not to have any expectations, but I was excited and intrigued.

Avocados that refuse to ripen? Turn them into fries

Avocado fries can turn an under-ripe avocado into an unexpectedly delicious party piece

The avocado has a large carbon footprint and extremely seductive texture, so no wonder it has become such an infamous commodity, especially considering it’s often wasted due to a short shelf life. If you’re a climavore who wants to eat for the planet, but avocados are still a must, eat them less often, as a special treat, and use European-grown and organic ones whenever possible.

Most importantly, though, don’t waste them. Avocados labelled as “ready to eat” cost more and are often overripe. That said, it can be tricky to ripen them yourself at home, but if you ever find yourself landed with an inedible, rock-hard avocado, it can still be saved – try ripening it alongside a banana, say –the ethene released by the banana will help ripen any fruit by converting its starches to sugars – or turn it into avocado fries, which are an unexpectedly delicious surprise that can convert an underripe avocado into a fun weekend dish or party piece.

Video of Tyre Nichols' violent arrest released by Memphis police

Four videos released by the city of Memphis show different angles of Tyre Nichols being pepper sprayed, kicked in the head while being restrained, punched and struck multiple times with a baton.

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach will not return to "GMA," network says

ABC News has not announced who will replace them.

Flybe: all flights cancelled as airline ceases trading

Customers advised not to go to airport and to contact their booking agent

Regional airline Flybe has ceased trading and all its scheduled flights have been cancelled, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has announced.

“All Flybe flights have now been cancelled. Please do not go to the airport as flights will not be operating,” the authority said in a statement early on Saturday.

CBS Evening News, January 27, 2023

Police release video of Tyre Nichols' violent arrest; Wife who lost husband to Alzheimer's wants to inspire other caregivers

Cyprus needs two-state solution, claims head of Turkish-occupied north

Ersin Tatar, president of unrecognised Turkish republic, says north will otherwise become more dependent on Turkey

Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus will become ever more dependent on Turkey, and the hydrocarbon reserves surrounding Cyprus could be left unexploited, unless a solution to the 50-year dispute over the partitioned island is reached soon, Ersin Tatar, the president of the unrecognised “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, has said.

Speaking from his presidential palace in the divided city of Nicosia, right by the UN-policed green line with Greek Cyprus, Tatar is trying to find ways to persuade others to “think out[side] the box” and join him in advocating for a two-state solution for the island.

New Zealand flooding: three dead and one missing as Auckland hit by record rainfall

Emergency services facing huge number of callouts as wild weather sparks landslides and forces closure of country’s largest airport

Torrential rain in Auckland left three people dead and another missing, police said on Saturday, after widespread flooding hit New Zealand’s largest city.

Two were found dead in Wairau Valley on Auckland’s North Shore – one in a culvert and a second in a flooded car park – and a third body was found later after a landslide hit a house in the city centre.

‘I’m just trying to go home’: Tyre Nichols heard pleading in released video

The grisly footage, released in four parts, indicates an ambulance did not arrive for more than 20mins after the vicious beating

• This article contains description of physical violence

A group of Tennessee police officers punched and kicked Tyre Nichols –delivering at least a half-dozen blows – as he languished on the ground, crying out for his mother, during a 7 January beating that would result in his death, surveillance footage released Friday night revealed. The deadly attack on Nichols reportedly unfolded about 80 yards from his mother’s home.

The disturbing video, which was released in four parts by the Memphis police department, included both body-camera and street lamp-mounted camera video. While Nichols’s injuries were clearly severe, and his physical condition in obvious decline, the video indicates that an ambulance did not arrive for more than 20min after the vicious beatdown.

‘It’s put a damper on me’: Usain Bolt fires business manager over fraud case

• Usain Bolt fires business manager over Jamaica fraud case
• Bolt’s attorneys claim athlete’s account is down to $12,000

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt told reporters Friday that he is baffled over how $12.7m of his money has gone missing from a local private investment firm that authorities are investigating as part of a massive fraud that began more than a decade ago.

Bolt also said he has fired his business manager, adding that it was not an amicable split.

Protests erupt across the country after the release of the Tyre Nichols footage

The National Guard is already present in Atlanta. Other protests shut down a major highway in Memphis and Grand Central Station in New York City.

Police release video of Tyre Nichols' violent arrest

Horrifying video of Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols was released to the public Friday. The incident is being compared to the vicious beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police in 1991. Elise Preston reports. Warning: This video contains violent and disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Billy Packer, NCAA basketball broadcaster, dies at 82

College basketball broadcasting legend Billy Packer has died at the age of 82. He spent 34 years on "Final Four" broadcast teams — 27 of them at CBS. He was beloved for his iconic calls and outspoken passion for the game.

Former Memphis officer on SCORPION unit, cops charged in Nichols' death

"I never thought this would happen," the former officer told CBS News.

Investigators testify in Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was emotional in court on Friday as jurors heard him describe his dead son to investigators the night of the murders. An investigator testified that Murdaugh told her he had tried to find the pulses of his wife and son at the gruesome scene, yet she did not see any blood on him. Nikki Battiste has the details.

A wife remarried her husband after Alzheimer's took his memory

"I want people to continue to find joy, and really focus on being present with their loved ones," Lisa Marshall said of what she learned from her loss.

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 339 of the invasion

Fresh wave of Russian attacks in east and south Ukraine kill at least 10 civilians; troops locked in ‘fierce’ fighting for Donetsk town of Vugledar

• See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage

A new barrage of Russian shelling has killed at least 10 Ukrainian civilians and wounded 20 others in a day, the office of Ukraine’s president has said. Regional officials said towns and villages in the east and in the south that are within reach of the Russian artillery suffered most. Six people died in the Donetsk region, two in Kherson and two in the Kharkiv region, the officials said.

A day earlier, Russian-fired missiles and self-propelled drones were reported to have hit deeper into Ukrainian territory, killing at least 11 people.

Ukrainian troops were locked in “fierce” fighting with Russian forces on Friday for control of the town of Vugledar, south-west of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Both sides claimed success in the small administrative centre, a short distance from the strategic prize of the village of Pavlivka, Agence France-Presse reported. “Soon, Vugledar may become a new, very important success for us,” Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. But Kyiv said the town remained contested.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described the situation on the frontline as “extremely acute”, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia is stepping up its offensive. The Ukrainian president reported major battles for Vuhledar and Bakhmut, to the north-east. Local Ukrainian officials reported heavy shelling in the north, north-east and east.

Ukraine’s army claims to have killed 109 Russian soldiers and wounded another 188 in one day during fighting around Vuhledar. Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian armed forces’ eastern operational command, said the death toll was recorded on Thursday, adding: “Fierce fighting is ongoing. The enemy is indeed trying to achieve an intermediate success there, but thanks to the efforts of our defenders, they are unsuccessful.”

Poland will send an additional 60 tanks to Ukraine on top of the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has already pledged, the Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has told CTV News.

A total of 321 heavy tanks have been promised to Ukraine by several countries, Ukraine’s ambassador to France said on Friday. Vadym Omelchenko told French TV station BFM that “delivery terms vary for each case and we need this help as soon as possible”, while not specifying the number of tanks per country.

Belgium announced an additional €93.6m ($104.7m/£84.5m) package in military aid for Ukraine in what the Belgian prime minister, Alexander De Croo, said was – including previous spending – the largest of its kind Belgium had ever given another country.

Ukraine says it is setting up drone assault companies within its armed forces that will be equipped with Starlink satellite communications, as it presses ahead with an idea to build up an “army of drones”, Reuters reported. Commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi signed off on the creation of the units in a project that would involve several ministries and agencies, the general staff said.

Ten regions of Ukraine are instituting emergency power outages due to a power shortage in the network after Thursday’s Russian attacks, Ukraine’s state broadcaster has reported. Repairs to damaged facilities are continuing.

The Kremlin claims Joe Biden has the key to end the conflict in Ukraine by directing Kyiv to settle but has not been willing to use it. “The key to the Kyiv regime is largely in the hands of Washington,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. “Now we see that the current White House leader ... does not want to use this key. On the contrary, he chooses the path of further pumping weapons into Ukraine.” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Washington of engaging in a “hybrid war” against Moscow.

The European Union wants swift accountability for “horrific” crimes in Ukraine, EU justice ministers have said while meeting in Stockholm. But the member states differ over how to bring prosecutions, seek evidence or fund war damage repairs. .

Hungary will veto any European Union sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy, the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, told state radio on Friday.

Russia is violating the “fundamental principles of child protection” in wartime by giving Ukrainian children Russian passports and putting them up for adoption, the head of the UN’s refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, has said.

"CBS Evening News" headlines for Friday, January 27, 2023

Here's a look at the top stories making headlines on the "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell," hosted by Major Garrett.

Security ramped up for release of video showing Tyre Nichols' violent arrest

With protests expected in cities across the U.S. in response to the arrest video of Tyre Nichols, police departments have been beefing up security in several major cities. The Memphis police chief said she could only stomach watching the video once. Jeff Pegues has the latest. Warning: This video contains violent and disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Pence takes "full responsibility" for classified documents found at his home

Documents marked as classified were found at the vice president's home in Carmel, Indiana.

Biden speaks with Tyre Nichols' family, says he is "outraged" by footage

President Biden said he was "outraged and deeply pained" to watch the footage of Tyre Nichols' violent arrest.

Video of Paul Pelosi attack released, shows suspect swinging hammer

News organizations petitioned for the release of the material, which had been played in open court during a preliminary hearing.

Nancy Pelosi reacts to newly released video of husband's attack

Rep. Nancy Pelosi spoke to reporters after several video and audio clips from the night of the attack on her husband at their San Francisco home were released Friday.

PHOTOS: See protests unfold across the country after release of Tyre Nichols video

Memphis authorities released body camera footage depicting the 29-year-old's killing on Friday. Demonstrations unfold in cities across the U.S.

Eight Israelis killed leaving synagogue in East Jerusalem

Benjamin Netanyahu promises immediate action after gunman opened fire on people in worst terrorist attack on Israelis in years

Eight Israelis have been shot and killed as they left a synagogue in East Jerusalem, in the latest episode of spiralling violence across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories over the past two days.

A gunman in a car waited on Friday night until Shabbat prayers ended at a synagogue in Neve Yaakov, a neighbourhood of Israeli settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, before opening fire on people as they left the building, a preliminary Israeli police probe said. The attack came on International Holocaust Remembrance day.

Bat out of Hell: The Musical review – incoherent Meat Loaf extravaganza saved by spectacular music and confetti cannons

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
With a barely-there script of stereotypes and shortcuts, the story is no longer the point. Everyone is there for the music – and it is glorious

• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

Musicals, with their complex marriage of narrative and music – not to mention movement, design, and other technical needs – can take years to develop. Hamilton was written over seven years. The Music Man took nearly a decade. Bat out of Hell, composer and record producer Jim Steinman’s passion project, however, had been in the works since 1968.

It spun out of a musical called the The Dream Engine – a show he created at university about outcast youths clashing with authority figures – which was slated for early development by the Public Theatre in New York. The show contained early fragments of songs that would later dominate the rock charts but never quite came together. Steinman was pulled on to another musical project at the Public, and met the performer Meat Loaf.

Former Vice President Pence talks about classified docs found at his home

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he had been previously unaware classified documents were at his Indiana home but that "mistakes were made" and he takes full responsibility.

Amazon to start charging delivery fees on Fresh grocery orders under $150

Amazon said it is adding fees to some orders so that it can keep prices low, according to a notice sent to customers.

CEO quotes Martin Luther King in email announcing layoffs

PagerDuty CEO Jennifer Tejada quoted the civil rights in an email a critic called an "all time classic bad layoff announcement."

GOP-led committees plan to issue subpoenas in Biden probes without consulting Democrats

The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee and select subcommittee on the so-called weaponization of the federal government plan to adopt a rule that will allow Republican members to issue subpoenas without consulting Democrats days ahead of time, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors in Alex Murdaugh murder trial play recording of his first interview after bodies of his son and wife were found

On the third day of the murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh, prosecutors showed the court video of Murdaugh's first interview with authorities after his wife and son were found killed.

More than 2 dozen hurt in pileup on Wisconsin highway

Wisconsin State Patrol officials said snow, ice and whiteout conditions were factors in the crash.

Moisés Caicedo asks to leave Brighton for ‘magnificent opportunity’ elsewhere

• Arsenal have bid £60m for midfielder also wanted by Chelsea
• Ecuadorian player urges club to accept ‘record transfer fee’

The Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo urged the club to allow him to leave in messages posted on social media on Friday, after Arsenal submitted a £60m bid for the Ecuadorian who has also interested Chelsea.

Graham Potter’s side had a £55m verbal proposal for the midfielder rejected this month and Brighton appeared intent on keeping the 21-year-old this January. With Arsenal pushing for a deal and negotiations at a key juncture, the player appears set on a move away from the Seagulls before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

House Speaker McCarthy spoke with Musk about making Twitter 'fair on all sides'

McCarthy also confirmed to reporters on Friday he had convened a meeting in his office that day with Elon Musk and several top Republicans.

Kentucky Trader Joe's becomes third store to unionize

The unionization effort at Trader Joe's comes amid a larger wave of organizing largely led by younger workers.

Capitol rioter who assaulted Brian Sicknick gets near-seven year sentence

Julian Khater pleaded guilty to using chemical spray to attack the Capitol police officer who died on 7 January

A man who admitted using chemical spray to assault Brian Sicknick on January 6, a day before the Capitol police officer died, was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison in a Washington court on Friday.

Julian Khater, 33, from Pennsylvania, was also fined $10,000.

British army serviceman, 21, charged with terror and explosive offences

Daniel Abed Khalife charged over incidents in Staffordshire in August 2021 and January 2023

A 21-year-old member of the British army has been charged with terror and explosives offences over two incidents in Staffordshire in August 2021 and January this year, the Metropolitan police have said.

Daniel Abed Khalife, of Beaconside, Stafford, is accused of eliciting or attempting to elicit information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism in August 2021.

What to know about George Santos and his campaign finance issues as questions grow

Rep. George Santos began his third week as a congressman with an array of questions still swirling around the New York Republican's personal and campaign finances.

Looking to get hired? These are the best months to try.

U.S. employers typically finish their annual budgets in January and start advertising for open roles soon thereafter.

Jan. 6 rioter who admitted spraying Officer Brian Sicknick sentenced

Sicknick died of what the medical examiner found to be natural causes a day after defending the Capitol during the Jan. 6 assault.

Suspect in stabbing of Indiana University student has history of 'severe mental illness,' says defense attorney

The woman accused of stabbing an Indiana University student "has a long history of severe mental illness" and was "seeking help managing her condition up to and including the day of the alleged attack," according to her defense attorney.

Jan. 6 rioter who assaulted Capitol Officer Sicknick sentenced to 6 years in prison

Julian Khater pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon in a D.C. court last September.

Peru’s beleaguered president urges congress to bring 2024 elections forward

Dina Boluarte calls for vote to be held in December after weeks of anti-government protests since overthrow of former president

Peru’s beleaguered president, Dina Boluarte, has urged Congress to bring forward elections scheduled for April 2024 to the end of this year as anti-government protests and blockades intensify across the country.

Boluarte, who has refused to step down despite furious nationwide protests calling for her to resign, said on Friday that elections should be brought forward to December in an attempt to ease the seven weeks of unrest that has claimed 57 lives – mostly civilians killed in clashes with the security forces.

Police body-camera video of Paul Pelosi hammer attack released

Footage shows husband of former House speaker opening door with intruder in home and pair wrestling over hammer

Police body-camera footage released on Friday afternoon shed more light on the brutal hammer attack last October against Paul Pelosi, the husband of Democratic congresswomen and then House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The shocking video shows officers arriving at the front door of the Pelosi residence in San Francisco and knocking loudly on the door.

GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel wins party leadership vote

The Republican National Committee chair won her bid to lead the GOP for two more years, prevailing in an election that highlighted fierce internal divisions.

CDC urges people with weak immune systems to take extra precautions after Covid subvariants knock out Evusheld

Evusheld was a key antibody treatment taken by people with weak immune systems as an added layer of protection.

Many more single women than men are homeowners. Here's why.

Single women own about 10.7 million homes compared to 8.1 million for single men, according to a LendingTree analysis.

FDA proposal would allow gay men in monogamous relationships to donate blood

The FDA said the policy would shift to an individual assessment that evaluates an individual's risk regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Manchester City edge FA Cup battle of title rivals as Nathan Aké sinks Arsenal

If the quality was dialled down in this heavyweight collision, there were still enough feints, jabs, punches and counters to fascinate. Manchester City administered the knockout blow. They were close to ineffectual before the break, then came out and took the tie to Arsenal. Pep Guardiola can be snarky about the timings of his substitutions but his introduction of Julián Álvarez on 58 minutes was a masterstroke. It was the forward’s 20-yard effort that presaged Nathan Aké’s winner: it crashed into a post and then Jack Grealish took over and weaved his magic.

A twist and a turn in the area bought time and space for an offload. Who knows why the defender was goal-hanging but Aké’s cool finish with his weaker right was rolled beyond Matt Turner with aplomb to send himself, manager, teammates and the home congregation into raptures.

Wall Street sends stocks to their highest levels since summer

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, marking the market's third winning week in the last four.

Oscars to review ‘campaign procedures’ after Andrea Riseborough backlash

Film academy is implementing review after questions raised over last-minute celebrity-backed campaign in best actress category

The film academy has announced a review of “campaign procedures” in the wake of a backlash to this year’s Oscar nominations.

The British actor Andrea Riseborough gained a surprise best actress nod for her role in indie To Leslie after a grassroots campaign backed by A-listers including Kate Winslet, Jane Fonda, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow and Amy Adams.

Second lawyer who participated in Molotov cocktail attack during George Floyd protests sentenced to over a year in prison

A second former New York lawyer has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for participating in a Molotov cocktail attack during a New York City protest in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Felony criminal charges filed against two former Florida officers over alleged beating of homeless man

Two former Hialeah City police officers and one civilian are facing charges in connection to the alleged kidnapping and beating of a homeless man, as well as witness tampering on part of the civilian in an effort to cover up the officers' actions, officials announced Thursday.

Italy’s Ivan Nemer suspended for giving rotten banana to clubmate Cherif Traorè

• Benetton player banned by Italian federation until 30 June
• Nemer ‘deeply sorry’ for giving Traorè item in club Secret Santa

The Italy prop Ivan Nemer has been suspended until 30 June after giving Benetton teammate Cherif Traorè a rotten banana during the club’s secret Santa gift exchange.

The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) said the sanction was imposed on the 11-time capped Nemer by the Federal Court and was in compliance with both its own regulations and World Rugby Rule 18.

Man who threatened to detonate bomb near US Capitol pleads guilty

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty Friday to threatening to use explosives during a four-hour standoff with police in 2021 outside the Library of Congress near the US Capitol in Washington, DC.

Videos like the Tyre Nichols footage can be traumatic. An expert shares ways to cope

People can experience symptoms of PTSD after being exposed to videos with violence and death. Those symptoms can show up immediately or weeks later.

Jerusalem synagogue attacked as violence intensifies in Israeli-occupied West Bank

A gunman killed at least 7 people gathering for the sabbath at a synagogue in Jerusalem. This comes as violence intensifies with Israeli forces conducting a campaign of raids in the occupied West Bank

The latest on the evidence in Tyre Nichols' death

Video footage showing how a traffic stop in Memphis for suspicion of reckless driving led to the death of the Black motorist, Tyre Nichols, was released today.

Three charged with Iran-backed plot to assassinate journalist in US

Target of alleged plot believed to be Masih Alinejad, a US citizen and longtime critic of Iran’s head-covering laws for women

US prosecutors have charged three members of an eastern European criminal organization with ties to Iran’s government with conspiring to assassinate a journalist and activist who is an American citizen, the attorney general, Merrick Garland, said on Friday.

Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov and Khalid Mehdiyev were charged with murder-for-hire and money laundering for their role in the thwarted Tehran-backed plot, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

FEC presses George Santos campaign after it lists treasurer who denies taking the job

Attorney Derek Ross, who disputed the Santos campaign's filing, told CNBC he has not tried to contact the campaign because it "seems like a waste of time."

Ronna McDaniel reelected RNC chair

Ronna McDaniel won a fourth term, despite her challenger getting a last-minute boost from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Pharmacies CVS, Walmart and Walgreens to cut pharmacy hours

Cutting hours is meant to help ease workload for employees and better serve customers, say pharmacy chains.

French justice minister ‘devastated’ after son reportedly arrested

Eric Dupond-Moretti’s son Raphael ‘detained’ in ski resort of Courchevel on suspicion of domestic violence

France’s justice minister has said he is “devastated” after his son was reportedly detained in an upmarket ski resort on suspicion of domestic violence.

“As a father, I’m devastated,” Eric Dupond-Moretti told reporters. “My thoughts are for the victim. Any violence, whatever it is, is intolerable.

Sol Campbell: ‘Wishing someone is going to die? What world are we living in?’

Former Spurs defender is still abused 22 years on for joining Arsenal. He opens up on the hurt and why it is time for a clean slate

White Hart Lane station, 8.20pm, the Sunday before last. The north London derby has finished a couple of hours earlier, Arsenal winning 2-0, and a lone Tottenham fan starts to sing. The man, in his mid-to late-50s, wants it to be known that everyone will be “having a party when Sol Campbell dies”. The platform is not particularly crowded and nobody else joins in. Equally, no one steps in. The train arrives, the man gets on and goes home.

In the seconds before kick-off, there had been a different chant from the Spurs support in the South Stand. This time, it comes from hundreds of them and is similarly vile. It is drowned out by the roar for the start of the game and everybody’s focus shifts.

Why desalination won't save states dependent on Colorado River water

Desalination plants can be costly and energy-intensive, and are difficult to manage in an environmentally friendly way, according to water policy experts.

CBS News investigation spurs action by Air Force to combat domestic violence

Following a 2021 CBS News investigation into domestic violence in the military, the Air Force ordered a review and has launched multiple initiatives to address domestic violence.

South Africa claim first ODI after England collapse to Nortje and Magala

• First ODI: South Africa, 298-7, beat England, 271, by 27 runs
• England slump from 146-0 despite Jason Roy’s 113 off 91 balls

Jason Roy scored a vintage century to signal a welcome and overdue return to form but it wasn’t enough to prevent England losing a game they should have won comfortably when they went down by 27 runs to South Africa in the first of three ODIs at the Mangaung Oval on Friday night.

Sam Curran, with three for 35, led the way as England restricted the hosts to 298 for seven on a modestly two-paced but otherwise perfect batting surface and the run-chase was given the perfect start with Roy and Dawid Malan adding 146 for the first wicket.

Florida Republican sends welcome grenades to fellow Congress members

Inert projectiles came with a note that among other things said ‘let’s come together and get to work on behalf of our constituents’

A newly elected Florida Republican sent grenades to fellow members of Congress, prompting one aghast Democrat to say “not even George Santos could make this stuff up”.

Santos is the scandal-plagued New York congressman whose largely made-up résumé and questionable finances have threatened to blow a hole in House Republicans’ narrow majority.

"Tipflation" and "tip creep" are sparking a consumer backlash

Tipping was once reserved for workers earning below minimum wage. But tip creep means the practice is spreading.

‘He had a beautiful soul’: Tyre Nichols’s parents reflect on the son who was taken from them

A candlelight vigil was held at the skatepark where the 29-year-old would give lessons to his four-year-old son, his mother said

Tyre Nichols, the latest in a long line of young American Black men whose death is tied to the police, was a “beautiful soul” and home-loving son with his mother’s name tattooed on his arm, his family and friends have said.

Described as “a momma’s boy” by his mother, RowVaughn Wells, the 29-year-old Memphis, Tennessee, resident, the youngest of four children, was also a father himself. He leaves a four-year-old boy whom he loved to teach skateboarding.

Syrian regime found responsible for Douma chemical attack

Watchdog report follows years-long investigation into strike that killed 43 civilians in Damascus suburb

Investigators from the global chemical weapons agency have found the Syrian regime responsible for a poison gas attack that killed 43 people in a suburb of Damascus in 2018, leaving victims choking to death in the basement of a home.

In a report nearly five in the making, the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found the canisters carrying poison gas had been dropped by a Syrian air force helicopter over Douma – then one of the last opposition strongholds near the Syrian capital.

Three arrested in plot linked to Iran to assassinate U.S. journalist, DOJ says

A journalist in Brooklyn, New York, was the target of a murder plot directed by individuals in Iran, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Valentino at Paris fashion week, Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, protests continue in Lima and fighting on the frontline near Bakhmut – the most striking images this week

A man who killed 8 bicyclists in Manhattan is convicted and may face the death penalty

Sayfullo Saipov was found guilty of running down riders with a rental truck on a Manhattan bike path in 2017. Prosecutors said the Halloween attack was inspired by his reverence for the Islamic State.

At least 7 people killed in a Jerusalem synagogue shooting

Israeli police say they shot and killed the gunman. The State Department condemned the "absolutely horrific" attack.

What happened in the Russia-Ukraine war this week? Catch up with the must-read news and analysis

Germany and the US pledge tanks; the man leading Ukraine’s fight against corruption

• See all our Ukraine war coverage

Every week we wrap up the must-reads from our coverage of the Ukraine war, from news and features to analysis, visual guides and opinion.

Abuse, death threats and riots: New Zealand reckons with a toxic political discourse

Jacinda Ardern became a lightning rod for threats during the pandemic years, but has it changed New Zealand’s relatively civil political landscape forever?

Jacinda Ardern sat at a plastic table, laughing and chatting with primary school students as they unpacked their lunchboxes. “What’re your favourite lunches?” she asked the group, as they chewed through sliced quarters of orange.

It was a routine, bread-and-butter visit for the then-prime minister in February last year, checking on the progress of a government lunch program at a small school outside Christchurch. That afternoon, however, it quickly turned ugly.

‘I was a drunk for 20 years’: The unlikely US priest revered in the slums of Bangkok

Father Joe arrived in Bangkok in the 1970’s. Fifty years, 15 schools and 30,000 students later, he credits the community with saving him

“This other priest is always drunk, so you go take his place.”

With that simple instruction, Joseph H Maeir, a Catholic priest from the United States, found himself in Thailand, ending up in the slums of Bangkok in the 1970s.

Two inmates, including a murderer convicted of double homicide, escape Virginia prison

Authorities are looking for two inmates who escaped from a recreational yard at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority in Abingdon, Virginia, Thursday afternoon and are on the run, according to a Facebook post from the Washington County Virginia Sheriff's Office.

Everton must hope Sean Dyche offers clearer direction than their road map | Andy Hunter

A managerial shortlist of pragmatic Dyche versus high-tempo Marcelo Bielsa is further evidence the club has no clear plan

To recap, Everton conducted a strategic review of their football operations last year that produced a 120-point “roadmap for change” and whittled down their latest managerial shortlist to two coaches as diverse as Marcelo Bielsa and Sean Dyche. The club can only pray that the next manager’s roadmap for Premier League survival brings more clarity and success than their own.

Dyche was close to being appointed as the eighth permanent manager of the chaotic Farhad Moshiri era on Friday after talks with Bielsa, the first choice, ended without agreement on Thursday. From high-tempo, attacking, possession-based football under the Argentinian to the more direct, defensively sound and pragmatic approach of the former Burnley manager inside 24 hours. You can see where the protestor with the “no plan, no vision” banner at Goodison Park is coming from.

"48 Hours" investigates death of woman married to Georgia police officer

Just days after the wife of a police officer made allegations of abuse against her husband, he claimed that she took her own life by shooting herself. The medical examiner ruled Amanda Perrault's death a suicide. But the sheriff and district attorney investigating the case believed that her husband Seth Perrault shot and killed Amanda. Anne-Marie Green joined Vladimir Duthiers and Errol Barnett to preview this weekend's "48 Hours" episode.

$1 million awarded to Oregon woman told "I don't serve Black people"

"I was like, 'What world am I living in?'" Rose Wakefield said. "This is not supposed to go down like that."

Newly released video of the attack on Paul Pelosi shows a struggle for a hammer

Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fighting for control of a hammer with his assailant during a brutal attack in the couple's home last year.

Full metal final: Sabalenka takes on Rybakina in Australian Open epic

The two best players in Melbourne meet as Sabalenka aims to continue her incredible run to clinch a first grand slam

In the opening set of Aryna Sabalenka’s quarter-final with Donna Vekic at the Australian Open, she was struggling. Sabalenka tried to hold off her challenger, but every service game was a desperate battle. She faced 10 break points in four consecutive games, and could have cracked.

Yet every time Sabalenka was pressured she remained calm as she stepped up to the baseline and produced an enormous serve or explosive forehand. Sabalenka survived the set, and never looked back.

Burning of Qur’an in Stockholm funded by journalist with Kremlin ties

Permit for demonstration at which anti-Islam provocateur burned Muslim holy book was paid for by far-right journalist linked to Moscow-backed media

The Qur’an-burning incident in Stockholm that threatens Sweden’s bid to join Nato was funded by a far-right journalist with links to Kremlin-backed media, it has emerged.

The holy book was set alight last Saturday near Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm by a far-right politician and anti-Islam provocateur, Rasmus Paludan, a dual Danish-Swedish national, with a reputation for carrying out similar acts.

Taylor Swift casts trans model as love interest in music video

Ashley thanked Swift for casting him in the video and for giving others representation.

Goldman Sachs CEO gets a 30% pay cut

Goldman Sachs had a rough year in 2022. And CEO David Solomon was punished for that. Sort of.

The stench coming from this government? It’s the corrupt mixture of private wealth and public squalor | Jonathan Freedland

Johnson, Sunak, Sharp and Zahawi operate in a gilded realm, while the services that keep Britain running are hobbled and broken

He might have gone by the time you read this. He certainly should have. But we are in the age of shamelessness now, when revelations that would once have driven public figures to hide in mortified penance now prompt not so much as an apology, let alone a resignation.

I’m speaking of the Conservative party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, but not only him. For the proliferating questions about Zahawi’s finances, like those surrounding the appointment of the BBC chairman, Richard Sharp, point to a phenomenon that is both wider and deeper.

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

Join Jonathan Freedland for a Guardian Live online event on 2 February, when he will talk to Tania Branigan about Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and how it has shaped modern China. Book here

Jay Leno injured in motorcycle crash 2 months after suffering burns

The November garage fire and January wreck both stemmed from his passion for working on vintage vehicles.

Polarising Novak Djokovic is set to complete extraordinary revenge arc | Barney Ronay

The 35-year-old is scything his way through the Australian Open in a haze of righteous fury after being deported a year ago

There was a familiar pitch to the noise from the crowd as Novak Djokovic emerged at Melbourne Park on Friday to walk himself through the largely ceremonial motions of a 10th Australian Open semi-final victory. There is a distinctive Djokovic sound these days: not exactly cheers or jeers but a kind of mixed static, a fuzz of generalised feelings, event glamour, gawp energy.

Some hostile shouts from the bleachers drew a look of slight dismay across that imperial visage, visible only in TV closeup. And what does Djokovic look like these days? Physically unchanged for a start, still the same vision of extreme hyper-elastic conditioning. He still looks a bit like a tennis ball, with that immaculate fuzz-cut hair, the fine straight nose, the mischievous eyes.

How will Netflix stop you from sharing your password?

Streaming company said a crackdown is coming by March, but a similar effort in other countries yielded mixed results.

Spanish man accused of sending letter bombs denied bail over risk of fleeing to Russia

Alleged actions of man, 74, were an attempt to force Spanish authorities ‘to abstain from supporting Ukraine’

A 74-year-old Spanish man accused of sending six letter bombs and explosive devices to targets including the Ukrainian and US embassies and the office of the Spanish prime minister last year has been denied bail because of the risk that he could flee to Russia.

Police in northern Spain arrested the man on Wednesday in connection with the devices, the remainder of which were sent to the defence minister, an airbase near Madrid, and a weapons company that manufactures the C90 rocket launchers that have been donated to Ukraine.

This luxury car zooms past Tesla when it comes to automated highway driving

Mercedes-Benz will take a step towards offering a self driving car in the United States, or at least in some states, when it begins selling cars featuring its new Drive Pilot system later this year.

‘The law is breaking children’: black people in UK tell UN of daily injustices

Returning to assess the UK after a decade, the UN’s expert group on people of African descent is ‘highly concerned’ about pressures on young people

• UK castigated over failure to address ‘systemic racism’

The UN working group of experts on people of African descent last paid a visit to the UK in 2012. The country has transformed dramatically since then, with many people reeling from the impact of austerity measures, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

For Catherine Namakula, a human rights professor at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, who chairs the working group, the bewildering changes that have taken place make it difficult to compare and contrast their previous findings with what they have witnessed on their most recent visit. Yet, one thing is clear: the situation for young people of African descent is “highly concerning”.

The ex factor: Miley Cyrus smashes records with breakup anthem

Shakira and SZA have also found recent chart success with songs celebrating female empowerment

Miley Cyrus can buy herself flowers, she can write her name in the sand. She can take herself dancing, and she can hold her own hand.

That’s the message the pop star imparts in her new single, Flowers, which smashed Spotify’s one-week streaming record with more than 96m streams last week, and topped charts around the world including in the UK, Australia, Canada and China.

Ancient statue of Hercules emerges from Rome sewer repairs

Work depicting mythological hero and apparently dating back to Roman imperial period found near Appian Way

An ancient Roman statue of Hercules has been discovered during repairs to the sewerage system underneath a park in Rome.

The statue, which apparently dates back to the Roman imperial period (27BC to AD476), emerged from the ground around the second mile mark along the ancient Appian Way, a famed historic road.

Facebook is allowing Trump back. The platform hasn’t learned its lesson | Jan-Werner Müller

Trump has never shown the slightest repentance for his role in what Facebook gingerly calls ‘civil unrest’

It was left to Nick Clegg – once a great hope for liberal politics in Britain, nowadays cutting a sad figure as global lobbyist for a company with major PR problems – to announce that Facebook was open to Donald Trump’s nefarious business again. The decision was wrong, but it hardly spells the end of democracy, as alarmists equating Facebook with an inevitable triumph for fascism might think. What the decision does, though, is confirm the breathtaking hypocrisy of a corporation seemingly unable – or unwilling – to learn from its complicity in repeated political disasters.

Hillary Clinton never stopped being pilloried for her “basket of deplorables” speech in 2016. However, the fact is that Trump and plenty of his supporters have said and done things which are deplorable. The really scandalous part was her casual remark that some Americans were “irredeemable”. But democracy is based on the notion that no one is irredeemable, that we should never give up on fellow citizens, hard as it may be. Those who have engaged in anti-democratic actions must have the chance to convince others that they have changed their ways.

Why gas prices are surging this month

Normally, prices at the gas pump drift lower during the dead of winter as lousy weather keeps Americans off the roads. But something unusual is happening this year: Gas prices are rocketing higher.

Key Fed inflation measure eased in December while consumer spending also declined

The personal consumption price index excluding food and energy for December increased 4.4% from a year ago.

Anchorman director to sell Sex Panther prop in climate fund auction

Adam McKay also selling walk-on role in next film, vintage Marvel comics and basketball cards

It may smell like pure gasoline, but it could now help Just Stop Oil. The director of Anchorman is selling the film’s original Sex Panther cologne (“Yep, it’s made with bits of real panther, so you know it’s good”) to raise money for climate protesters.

The prop is just one memento being auctioned from the personal collection of Adam McKay, who was also behind the climate satire Don’t Look Up, to raise money for the Climate Emergency Fund.