Keir Starmer says social media platforms must also act to remove extreme content that is inspiring violence

Terrorism laws will be overhauled and technology companies be pressured to remove a “tidal wave� of online violent content that is inspiring acts of murder, ministers have said amid growing anger over the Southport stabbings.

After it emerged Axel Rudakubana had accessed violent content in his bedroom before he stabbed three girls to death in July, Keir Starmer said it could not be right that “with just a few clicks, people can watch video after horrific video, videos that in some cases are never taken down�.

Increase to £17.8bn is well above City forecasts and is highest December figure for four years

• Business live – latest updates

The cost of UK government borrowing unexpectedly jumped to £17.8bn last month, piling pressure on Rachel Reeves to plan budget cuts before a spending review in the summer.

The figure was about a quarter higher than the City had forecast and was up by £10.1bn more than in the same month a year earlier, making it the highest December borrowing for four years.

Pro-tax group tell world leaders that ‘wealth extremism’ is damaging trust in media and influencing legal systems

The influence of the super rich on Donald Trump’s presidency is a threat to global stability, a new poll of millionaires has found.

A survey of more than 2,000 millionaires across G20 countries published by the Patriotic Millionaires group has found more than half believe extreme wealth concentration is a threat to democracy. About 70% agreed that the influence of those with extreme wealth is leading to a decline in trust of the media, the justice system and democracy.

Range of womenswear and menswear contains 49 pieces adapted from brand’s bestselling items to suit variety of needs

It’s a go-to shop for cheap knickers and designer dupes, but now Primark hopes to become the top destination for clothing designed for those with a range of disabilities.

In a first for the budget high street shop, it is releasing a 49-piece line of womenswear and menswear, adapted from its bestselling items to suit a range of needs.

The maritime group, founded in 1760 by merchants and underwriters, issued the apology after commissioning research into its links to slavery

Lloyd’s Register, the maritime and industrial group owned by one of Britain’s biggest charities, has apologised for its role in the trafficking of enslaved African people but has been criticised for not going far enough.

Founded in 1760 as the Society for the Registry of Shipping by merchants and underwriters who met at Edward Lloyd’s coffee house in Lombard Street in London, the company provided classification for ships.

Long call waiting times have ‘damaged trust in the tax system’, public accounts committee report says

Parliament’s spending watchdog has accused HM Revenue & Customs of deliberately running down its phone services to force people to go online after finding the average call waiting time has passed 23 minutes – almost double the figure of two years earlier.

With people across the country working to finish their self-assessment return before the 31 January deadline, the public accounts committee (PAC) said it was “concerned that HMRC has degraded its own phone services� in the hope that taxpayers choose other ways to get in touch.

Witnesses say people used bed sheets or jumped to try to get out of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel after fire broke out early in the morning

Seventy-six people died and 51 others were injured when a fire engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains, forcing guests to jump out of windows or attempt to use bed sheets to flee the building.

The fire broke out at about 3.30am on Tuesday in the restaurant of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, north-west Turkey.

Teenager arrested on suspicion of murder following incident in Hall Green area

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham.

West Midlands police said the boy was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane, Hall Green, shortly after 3pm on Tuesday and was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries.

Charities in England that bid for share of millions say idea that Treasury could keep money is ‘heartbreaking’

Charities that bid for a share of millions of pounds of water company fines to restore rivers in England polluted by sewage say the UK government will be guilty of an appalling breach of trust if the cash is diverted to Treasury coffers.

“I appreciate that the Labour government have inherited a mess, I am a Labour supporter myself, but I think this is a really deeply appalling decision for a Labour government given the promises they made, and it is a really worrying indication of where we are headed,� said Kathryn Soares, chief executive of the Nene Rivers Trust. Soares runs one of a number of groups waiting more than eight months for grants from an £11m fund made up of water company fines for pollution which Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, wants to divert to the Treasury, it was revealed on Sunday.

Analysis shows patients need to exercise and keep their weight down to reap maximum benefit

Muscular strength and good physical fitness could almost halve the risk of cancer patients dying from their disease, according to a study that suggests tailored exercise plans may increase survival.

The likelihood of people dying from their cancer has decreased significantly in recent decades owing to greater awareness of symptoms, and better access to treatment and care.

Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar are being detained and forced back by Bangladeshi border guards

In the dim light of his home in Arakan, Myanmar, Mohammed is talking above the wailing of his youngest child. All three of his children are hungry, he says. The 32-year-old Rohingya man’s parents, leaning together against the wall, are just visible as Mohammed speaks on the video call.

He fears for his safety too much to allow his surname to be used – Rakhine state is a dangerous place to be after four years of Myanmar’s civil war.

Juan Guillermo Garcés had a brush with death while burning jungle for cattle pasture – now he runs a nature reserve in Colombia where more than 100 new species have been discovered

• Words and photographs by Anastasia Austin and Douwe den Held

Juan Guillermo Garcés remembers coming face to face with death at age 17. Smoke filled the air, choking his lungs. The temperature rose and Garcés struggled to see through the haze. Panic set in as he watched monkeys, snakes, lizards and birds desperately trying to escape the flames surrounding them.

Garcés and his brother started the fire that nearly killed them to clear a large stretch of land. But when the wind suddenly changed direction, they found themselves locked in. The brothers survived, but the fire destroyed the little remaining patch of virgin forest on the family’s 2,500-hectare (6,200-acre) ranch, nestled along Colombia’s Magdalena River. Experiencing firsthand what the animals and plants endured was a turning point for Garcés.

Ukraine claims strikes on oil depot and aviation plant inside Russia; Trump talks Ukraine negotiations, Russia sanctions and how China should do more to end the war. What we know on day 1,064

• See all our Ukraine war coverage

Ukraine fired a wave of drones into Russia sparking a blaze at an oil depot and explosions at a plant producing military aircraft, the Ukrainian army said on Tuesday. In the western Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, Kyiv said it struck an oil depot near the town of Liski for the second time in less than a week. “Tanks with fuel and lubricants used by the occupiers to supply Russian troops caught fire,� the Ukrainian army said. Ukraine also said it struck an aviation plant producing “combat aircraft� in the western Russian city of Smolensk, sparking “explosions�. The governor of the Smolensk region said only that falling debris from downed drones had sparked “roof fires�. Footage and pictures online backed up the Ukrainian versions of events. Russia said it downed 55 Ukrainian drones over Monday night, more than half of which were intercepted over regions bordering Ukraine, while Ukraine said Moscow fired 131 drones and decoys as well as four missiles at its territory.

Donald Trump has said it “sounds like� the US might impose fresh sanctions on Russia if its president, Vladimir Putin, refuses to negotiate about ending the war in Ukraine. Trump said on Monday that the Russian president “should make a deal … I think he’s destroying Russia by not making a deal�. The US has already sanctioned Russia heavily and Trump gave no details on possible additional sanctions. “We’re talking to [Ukrainian president Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, we’re going to be talking with President Putin very soon,� Trump said. “We’re going to look at it.�

Trump said he had pressed the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in a call to intervene to stop the Ukraine war. “He’s not done very much on that. He’s got a lot of … power, like we have a lot of power. I said, ‘You ought to get it settled.’ We did discuss it.� In Moscow, the Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Xi on Tuesday discussed talks with Donald Trump and the outlook for a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. Xi told Putin about a call with Trump, Ushakov said.

Trump claimed “Russia never would have gone into Ukraine� had he been president instead of Joe Biden. “I had a very strong understanding with Putin. That would have never, ever happened. He disrespected Biden. Very simple. He disrespects people. He’s smart. He understands. He disrespected Biden.� Trump said his administration was also looking at the issue of sending weapons to Ukraine, adding his view that the EU should be doing more to support Ukraine.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that “at least 200,000� allied troops would be needed to enforce any peace deal in Ukraine as he urged Europe to “take care of itself� as Donald Trump returns to power in the US. Luke Harding writes that Zelenskyy said European leaders should not ask themselves what Trump would do next, and said that they instead needed to take collective steps to defend their continent at a time when it was under aggressive attack by Russia. “Will President Trump even notice Europe? Does he see Nato as necessary? And will he respect EU institutions?� Zelenskyy told reporters he was working on meeting Trump but there was no date yet. “We want to finish the war and President Trump says that he also really would like to finish the war, and I believe he will help us with this.�

Some say it was an unambiguous Nazi salute but others are unsure and say focus should be on Musk’s stated support for far-right

• Did Elon Musk give a Nazi or Roman salute, and what’s the difference?

There were angry reactions across Europe to Elon Musk’s apparent use of a salute banned for its Nazi links in Germany, where some condemned it as malicious provocation or an outreach of solidarity to far-right groups.

Michel Friedman, a prominent German-French publicist and former deputy chair of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, described Musk’s actions – at an event after Donald Trump’s swearing in as US president – as a disgrace and said Musk had shown that a “dangerous point for the entire free world� had been reached.

Far-right figures Enrique Tarrio and Steward Rhodes set free after being imprisoned for helping plot Capitol attack

Extremist supporters of Donald Trump who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 or were involved in planning the insurrection began leaving prison on Tuesday, after the newly installed president issued sweeping pardons shortly after being sworn in on Monday.

The Republican president’s pardon of 1,500 defendants drew outrage from lawmakers who were endangered in the attack, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

Right Rev Mariann Budde’s appeal amounts to bold public criticism and prompts frosty response from US president

The Episcopal bishop of Washington has appealed directly to Donald Trump to “have mercy upon� communities across the country targeted by the new administration’s immigration and LGBTQ+ policies.

“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives,� the Right Rev Mariann Budde said from the pulpit at an inaugural prayer service sermon at the Washington National Cathedral, as Trump sat stone-faced in the front row, alongside Melania Trump and JD Vance.

President says his executive orders will lead to ‘complete restoration of America’. Here’s what we know so far

• Donald Trump returns to office – live updates

On his first day back in the White House, president Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders, including rescinding Biden-era executive actions and withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord.

Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during his campaign that he would be a dictator only on “day one� and use his presidential powers to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling.

Trump sworn in as 47th president – follow live inauguration updates

A who’s who of far-right leaders in Washington

Migrant groups at US-Mexico border await mass deportations

‘Doge’ violates federal transparency rules, lawsuit claims

It reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer – while boosting the health of our gut microbiome and brain. Yet we all eat far too little fibre. Here is the no-fuss guide to getting your 30g a day

What is the leading risk factor for diet-related ill health? Ultra-processed food? Too much salt, sugar or fat? According to a systematic analysis published in 2022, it is our low intake of wholegrains. Wholegrains contain B vitamins, folic acid, omega-3 fats, protein, antioxidants and micronutrients. And, crucially, they are packed with fibre.

“Fibre feels like the forgotten nutrient,� says Dr Samantha Gill, a specialist gastroenterology dietitian for the British Dietetic Association. “It has a reputation for being bland, boring and tasting like cardboard. On top of that, fibre is often related to bloating and flatulence.�

I suspected there was something more than friendship at work – but what? My mother was so outraged by my questions she wouldn’t even talk about it

About a decade ago, my po po (maternal grandmother) entered aged care. As Mum and I sorted through her belongings, I found a sepia photograph, hidden inside an almanac, of my grandmother and a woman I had never seen before. Po Po didn’t like to be photographed and rarely smiled in photos but, in this one, she looked happy. There was also an intimate air to their pose.

I asked my mother about this woman, wondering if she was one of my grandmother’s lost friends. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, many of them had fled the country in refugee boats but had not survived the journey. Mum said the woman had been the tenant of a spare room in their house and, for years, she and my grandmother had been inseparable. Then, one day, when my mum was about 11, the woman announced that she had met a man and would be going to live with him. My mum didn’t recall all the details, but she did remember my grandmother accusing the woman of “betrayal�. Afterwards, they never saw each other again.

Utterly preposterous and brilliant fun, Leo Woodall’s turn as a maths genius hunted by shadowy forces is glorious, confident escapism. It’s as enjoyable as it is ludicrous

Prime Target is one of those endeavours that gives you the inescapable feeling that someone came up with the title first and worked backwards from there.

Edward Brooks (Leo Woodall) is a brilliant young postgrad mathematician at Cambridge. We know he is brilliant because various maths professors keep saying that his is the best mind they have come across in 30 years of teaching. He works into the night, frantically scribbling in real notebooks with real pencils (“Computers aren’t fast enough�), even when there is sex on offer from hot barmen or young women yearning for him to come to their birthday parties and fall in love with them. And we know we’re in Cambridge because everywhere is covered in ivy outside with antique brass instruments and oak panelling inside. Everyone is in layers of brown cord and tweed. They look like very large, very clever sparrows.

Reader asked about replacement, repair or refund but was told muscle simulator only came with one-year guarantee

A while ago the Guardian wrote about John Lewis introducing a minimum two-year guarantee on all its electrical products.

In February 2023 I bought a £200 Therabody PowerDot muscle stimulator there for my partner to help with health issues. She has only used it occasionally. When it broke, I wasn’t concerned as I knew the retailer has a two-year promise on electrical goods.

However, when I asked about getting a refund, replacement, or a repair, I was told it only came with a one-year guarantee. I checked the definition of an electrical appliance and the Therabody muscle stimulator is one! I feel John Lewis needs calling out on this.

In frank and hilarious style, the author recounts the significant encounters that helped make him who he is

In this, Edmund White’s sixth memoir, the American novelist and critic observes that a universal prudishness about sex sits alongside the fact that it is constantly on our minds. Sex, White writes, with the nonchalant wisdom that runs throughout this book, is “a language one speaks� that is both “communal and isolating�. Transcribing the vocabulary of sex – especially sex between men – has been White’s lifelong literary project, most famously in the semi-autobiographical 1982 novel A Boy’s Own Story. Loves of My Life approaches the task with refreshing candour. The result is something like an erotic almanac, charting the shifting sexual mores and conventions of gay life through seven decades, from the “oppression of the 1950s� to the “brewing storm in the 2020s against everything labelled ‘woke’�.

White begins the memoir by confessing that, despite having “a small penis�, he has been “stung� by sexual desire since the age of 10. This early moment of authorial undress is a typical piece of self-satire, part of his puckish compulsion to make himself the butt of the joke. It is, he admits in one of many sharp asides about the mechanics of life writing, an auto-fictive sleight-of-hand, an act of “literary daredevilry� which here makes him a consistently endearing, amiable narrator. The book’s funniest moments arise in dialogue that White has himself speak as a delightfully dry and “curiously wise� adolescent. In one scene, he gauges the receptiveness of an apparently straight potential lover by inventing a tall tale about a promiscuous queer schoolmate. Noticing that his audience has become aroused, he announces: “Well it’s me. I’m the cocksucker.�

It was once a privilege afforded to only Singapore, Brunei and Japan but now travel rules have been relaxed for dozens of countries. But are many people coming?

A few years ago, getting a visa to visit China was a “ball ache�, says Kate Murray. The Australian was going for a four-day trade show, but the visa required a formal invitation from the organisers and what felt like “a thousand forms�.

“They wanted so many details about your life and personal life,� she tells the Guardian. “The paperwork was bonkers.�

Lovely documentary records the battle to protect a stretch of the polluted river and the beautiful bathing site it is defending

‘I’m just giving my poo a kiss before I go,� says Lindsey Cole, as she launches in the water to swim the Bristol channel wearing a mermaid tail. Cole is an environmental activist, and the poo is a giant inflatable with a cheery smiley face. It bobs along behind her as she swims to raise awareness of raw sewage polluting local rivers. Six hours in, and Cole is fed up: “It’s so boring!� she wails. And yet campaigning never looked so fun and friendly as it does in this joyous documentary about Bristol’s clean water campaigners.

Not far from the city centre, at a dreamily lush section of the Avon, a formidable female-led group of wild swimmers is fighting for official bathing status for a section of the river at Conham Park. They collect samples of the river water and share sewage data with others swimmers (so no one has to wait for their stomachs to alert them to E coli). If Conham Park has designated bathing status, the Environment Agency would have to test the water and – crucially – investigate the source of any pollution. There’s a depressing meeting with a man from Wessex Water who explains that neither the water company nor the agency has “an aspiration� to make the river clean enough to swim in.

Over a four-decade career, the Franco-Haitian artist has built his own world of contrasts, contradictions and blissful escape

Difficult choices between alignment with Europe and the US are coming at the prime minister fast. He risks losing control of the debate

When all eyes at Westminster are fixed on Washington, it is easy to forget how little attention is paid back in return.

Unlike Mexico and Canada, Britain doesn’t have a long border with the US. It doesn’t rival America’s superpower primacy on the planet, unlike China. And it doesn’t export more goods across the Atlantic than it imports – a trait Donald Trump despises about the European Union.

Germany’s capital was known for its affordable rents. Now ‘furnished temporary’ flats risk destroying the heart of the city

From London and other overpriced cities, we often look to Berlin as a beacon of progressive housing politics. Renting in the capital, as some 84% of households do, is associated with secure, unlimited, rent-controlled tenancies. Berliners have rallied behind moves to freeze rents and expropriate hundreds of thousands of apartments from corporate landlords. But in the last few years, Berlin’s housing crisis has escalated to unprecedented proportions, with median asking rents across the city rising by 21.2% in 2023 alone. Far from “poor but sexy�, as it was once dubbed by its own mayor, Berlin now has one of the most overheated property markets in the world.

The reasons for Berlin’s housing crisis are complex, yet there is one simple and resolvable mechanism driving the stratospheric rent increases of recent years: the large-scale exploitation by landlords of a strange loophole in German federal law. If apartments are rented out as “temporary� and “furnished�, owners can evade tenancy regulations and charge considerably higher rents.

Tim White is a researcher and writer studying housing, cities and inequality. He is Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the Free University of Berlin and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics

What a remarkable coincidence

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Confusing and capricious, he started as he means to go on. To all the leaders pledging to work with him: good luck with that

Full American democracy is barely 60 years old, yet seems to be in an advanced state of cognitive decline. At his inauguration yesterday, Donald Trump seated the tech bosses, his nerd broligarchy, in front of his supposed cabinet. Needless to say, it was all a hopelessly overstimulating day for Elon Musk, whose double salute on stage later was a pure Dr Strangelove spasm, generously described by the Anti-Defamation league as “an awkward gesture�. Listen, if your friends won’t tell you, then who will?

As for the staging of the inauguration, which was moved indoors several days earlier, it was an occasion devoid of a sense of occasion. I would honestly have preferred Trump to ride in on the QAnon shaman. Instead, and not to get all British about state events, the world was forced to watch a quite staggeringly inept and lo-fi ceremony. You constantly expected someone to grab the mic and say: “Could the owner of a red Honda Civic please move your car as it’s blocking in the burger van.� Or maybe, as viewers round the globe sat waiting in mortified vain for singer Carrie Underwood’s basic backing track to kick in, to announce: “Apologies, ladies and gents, we have a tech fail. Is there anyone who knows about tech in the house?�

Darts prodigy is turning 18 having already transformed his sport while navigating the life of a teenager

Lionel Messi had scored one senior goal for Barcelona. Sachin Tendulkar had scored one Test century. Tiger Woods had played four tournaments on the PGA Tour and missed the cut in all of them. Ronnie O’Sullivan and Serena Williams had just won their first major titles. Simone Biles, though already richly garlanded at international level, was still waiting to compete in her first Olympics.

These were just the other child prodigies. What had you achieved by the age of 18? How many of your dreams and aspirations had been conceived, let alone realised? How much of the course of your life had been mapped out for you? At the age of 18, your correspondent had no idea what he wanted to do with his life and at the age of 39 arguably still doesn’t.

PM offers balanced, considered response to a hideous crime, but as usual Nigel Farage doesn’t get the memo

Once bitten … Two weeks ago, Keir Starmer found himself on the back foot for not immediately calling for a public inquiry into child grooming gangs. After Axel Rudakubana unexpectedly pleaded guilty to the murder of three girls and the attempted murder of 10 others at a dance class in Southport last July, the prime minister was determined not to be caught out again. On Monday he immediately announced a public inquiry and first thing on Tuesday he gave a press conference in Downing Street.

This was a Starmer hell-bent on seizing the initiative. Serious. Lawyerly. Kemi Badenoch has taken to criticising the prime minister for being a lawyer, not a leader. But Keir was out to prove you could be both. Indeed there were times when being a lawyer was an advantage. And this was very definitely one of them. Otherwise things can fall apart rapidly.

Much of the power of work like counselling lies in a relationship where we really see each other. And tech just can’t do that

• Allison Pugh is a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University, and the author of The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World

When I interviewed a nurse practitioner in California about what she cherished most about nursing, it was the “human element� of being present with others. “I think we all just want acknowledgment of our suffering, even if you can’t cure it or do anything about it,� she told me.

She still remembered when a homeless man came into her clinic, his back hunched, feet gnarled and callused from being on the streets for years, and she “just sat and did wound care for his feet�. The moment stood out for her, in part because the opportunity to take that kind of time is getting rarer in clinics and hospitals as drives for efficiency impose time constraints.

Allison Pugh is a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University, and the author of The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World. All names have been changed.

Pollution aside, the problem with expanding Heathrow lies in the disruption and delay inevitable in such a complex project

Get ready for another season of that interminable saga, Heathrow’s third runway. There was a lull during the Covid pandemic when the airport’s owners, despite winning permission from the supreme court in 2020 to submit a planning application, cooled their jets while they waited for passenger numbers to recover. Now the whole thing is back, courtesy of Rachel Reeves. The chancellor is reported to be preparing to use a speech next week to declare support for a third runway at Heathrow alongside wider airport expansion in the south-east.

The best form of airport expansion is none at all, environmentalists (some of them in the cabinet) will argue, but it looks as if Reeves has dismissed those objections in the name of economic growth. A £1.1bn investment in Stansted, to enable it to grow its annual capacity from 29 million passengers to 43 million, was welcomed by the government last year.

Arne Slot had two minor complaints: that Lille scored from their only shot on target and Liverpool are not guaranteed to win the Champions League group because of Barcelona’s 95th-minute winner at Benfica, where four minutes of stoppage time were signalled. They were the grumblings of a perfectionist.

Perfectionism is serving Liverpool well, however. Top spot may not be secured just yet but Slot’s side booked a place in the last 16 with a seventh successive victory. It equalled the club’s best sequence in the Champions League era.

• ‘Some are not following the plan,’ says manager
• Ollie Watkins and Jhon Durán ‘didn’t work well’

A seething Unai Emery questioned the mentality of some of his Aston Villa players and conceded his ­latest attempt to partner Ollie Watkins and Jhon Durán backfired after they blew an opportunity to qualify automatically for the Champions League last 16.

Emery accused several of his Villa players of “not following the plan� after an insipid 1-0 defeat in Monaco. Asked to elaborate on his comments, the Villa manager tapped his temple with his index finger and said: “We want it and we need it.� He added: “We are being demanding with the players we have and some are not following the plan we are doing. This is the objective I have now, to try to build the team as strong as possible with a mentality we are building.�

• No 2 seed brushes aside Emma Navarro 6-1, 6-2 in 89 minutes
• Keys beats Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to continue winning streak

Even as Iga Swiatek has consolidated her position at the top of women’s tennis over the past few years, sweeping up significant titles on hard and clay courts alike, she has struggled to back up her success at some of the biggest tournaments in the world. While she has built an all-time great era of dominance at Roland Garros, winning four of the last five tournaments in Paris, Swiatek had also gone two seasons without making a semi-final in Melbourne, London or New York.

This week at the Australian Open, things have come together at last. Swiatek will battle Madison Keys for a spot in the final after the Polish No 2 seed dismantled the eighth seed Emma Navarro 6-1, 6-2 to continue her dominant run in Melbourne. Earlier on Wednesday, Keys maintained her own excellent form at the start of the season with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over 27th seed Elina Svitolina.

England’s new captain, Ireland’s shot at history and Antoine Dupont’s return for France add to the layers of intrigue

It has taken 25 years for the Six Nations launch to come to Italy but rugby’s oldest tournament has finally stormed the Colosseum. As well as offering a picture perfect backdrop for a competition keen to be seen as both ancient and modern, it also reflected the sport’s increasingly urgent need to find fresh ways to project itself to a slightly different type of audience.

Thus it was that seven opera singers were hired to serenade the attendees with a rousing rendition of Nessun Dorma and the players and coaches were invited to sashay down a catwalk in a palatial building in downtown Roma. Some “models� took to it with rather more practised ease than others but gone are the days, either way, of rugby union resting contentedly on its laurels.

• Craig Tiley says number of fans ejected ‘no different’ to past years
• Djokovic and Collins among players to link poor behaviour to alcohol

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has rejected suggestions crowd behaviour at Melbourne Park has taken a turn for the worse, saying the number of people interrupting points and being ejected from courts is no different from previous years.

The grand slam has set a string of record attendances in the past week-and-a-half as it seeks to draw a wider pool of fans to the precinct with sponsor activations and activities, including an increasing array of court-side hospitality options.

• Havertz missed decisive penalty in Arsenal’s FA Cup exit
• Sophia Havertz reposted two messages she had received

Police have arrested a teenage boy in connection with social media abuse sent to Arsenal forward Kai Havertz’s pregnant wife. Sophia Havertz, who is expecting her first child with the Germany international, reposted two messages she had received on Instagram after Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester United on 15 January.

Havertz missed the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shootout which cemented his side’s third-round exit. Arsenal tasked the data technology company Signify with determining the identity of the abusers. The police then launched an investigation and confirmed on Tuesday an individual had been detained.

Raphinha scored deep into stoppage time to hand Barcelona a dramatic 5-4 comeback win at Benfica and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Vangelis Pavlidis’s hat-trick had given the hosts a two-goal half-time lead and they were 4-2 up with 12 minutes to play before Hansi Flick’s side pulled out a sensational victory, sealed by the Brazilian with a finish on the break, seconds after Benfica had appealed in vain for a late penalty.

This new job could be tougher than the one he already had and adding pace to the bowling attack is priority No 1

When named England’s Test coach in 2022, Brendon McCullum explained he didn’t want it easy. The white-ball job was a “cushy kind of gig� that wasn’t of interest, his pal Eoin Morgan having run that crew so well. World champions and clearing 400 with the bat, what could he change there? Reviving a long‑form team burnt by the pandemic Ashes was actual work and therefore attractive to McCullum.

That he now must take pity on the white-ball setup tells us plenty. Five Twenty20 internationals and three one-dayers in India mark McCullum’s full takeover of England men’s cricket, the tour a preface to the Champions Trophy next month in Pakistan (and the United Arab Emirates should they play India).

The first arrest of a sitting president, over his declaration of martial law, shows the strength of the nation’s safeguards – but also that more must be done

South Korean presidencies have often ended badly. Office holders have been assassinated, ousted and impeached. Former leaders have faced corruption investigations and sometimes lengthy prison terms.

Yoon Suk Yeol has nonetheless set a precedent as the first president to be arrested in office. Accused of insurrection over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, the former prosecutor has swapped his suits for the standard khaki uniform of a detainee. In a piquant detail, the man who led his country’s first impeachment of a president, Park Geun‑hye, has also been impeached himself. His powers are currently suspended.

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A new study reveals the extent to which the economy remains one of the most unbalanced in Europe. Labour needs a broader vision to address the problem

One of Labour’s first actions in office was to rename the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, ditching the Johnsonian slogan that briefly dominated British politics following the “red wall� election of 2019. Since July, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has instead presided over the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The change of title reflected a shift in emphasis. While still hoping to lift the fortunes of post‑industrial towns in the north and Midlands, the new government’s overriding mission was to raise living standards across the country by investing in a new era of higher growth and productivity.

Amid market turbulence and gloomy economic prognoses, the early challenges to that approach have been well documented. Meanwhile, the country’s regional divides remain as deep and corrosive as ever. This week, a report by the Centre for Cities thinktank offers a salutary reminder of the yawning gaps that led to talk of levelling up and “rebalancing� the economy in the first place.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

A new Dylan is needed to inspire protest against Trumpism, writes Toby Wood. Plus letters from Patrick Owen, Cris Yelland, John Blake, Ian Cunningham, Richard Barnard, John Beer, Jane Barrett, Charles Jeffrey, Helen Keating, Rae Street, Pete Lavender and Tom Stubbs

On Monday, my wife and I went to our local cinema to watch A Complete Unknown, not only to see Timothée Chalamet’s stunning re-creation of a young Bob Dylan but also to avoid the wall-to-wall televised coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Set in the early 1960s, the film reminded us of how Dylan ignited and spoke for the interests of young people, starting out with simple folk songs of hope and aspiration, swiftly followed by angry snarls of rage exacerbated by the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

With Trump once again ensconced in the White House, promising/threatening a multitude of actions, now is surely the time for a new Dylan to appear – hopefully someone who can galvanise and electrify a new generation and then inspire and support a viable new Democrat leader who can first provide opposition to any Trump excesses and then fight to ensure that his like never succeeds again (Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and division, 20 January).
Toby Wood
Peterborough

The SpaceX founder’s salute was ‘chilling’, writes Robert Saunders. Plus letters from John Gorenfeld, Martine Frampton and Simon Fowler

Elon Musk’s fascist-style salute appears to be a Bellamy salute, named after Francis Bellamy, the author of the pledge of allegiance to the flag (Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally, 20 January). This salute was common in the US until the 1930s, when the similarities with salutes to Hitler and Mussolini gave rise to concern that it could be misconstrued.

As a consequence, on 22 December 1942, Congress amended section 7 of the flag code to decree that the pledge of allegiance should “be rendered by standing with the right hand over the heart�. Whether or not Musk is familiar with this or any other history, it is chilling that he appears to be unconcerned about being associated with fascist ideology.
Robert Saunders
Balcombe, West Sussex

Critical CO₂ stores held in permafrost are being released as the landscape changes with global heating, report shows

A third of the Arctic’s tundra, forests and wetlands have become a source of carbon emissions, a new study has found, as global heating ends thousands of years of carbon storage in parts of the frozen north.

For millennia, Arctic land ecosystems have acted as a deep-freeze for the planet’s carbon, holding vast amounts of potential emissions in the permafrost. But ecosystems in the region are increasingly becoming a contributor to global heating as they release more CO₂ into the atmosphere with rising temperatures, a new study published in Nature Climate Change concluded.

On first day back as president, Trump signs letter giving notice to UN of US exit from treaty seeking to curb climate crisis effects

• What executive orders did Trump sign on day one?

Donald Trump on Monday moved to withdraw the US, the world’s second biggest emitter of planet-heating pollution, from the Paris climate agreement for a second time, and put the United Nations on notice.

On his first day back as president, Trump signed an executive order on stage in front of supporters at an arena in Washington DC which he said was aimed at quitting what he called the “unfair one-sided Paris climate accord rip off�.

One in six Welsh species threatened with extinction but report says Welsh government lacks ‘action and investment’

The Welsh government is failing to halt the “alarming� decline in nature, putting iconic species at risk, a report has concluded.

Labour ministers were accused of overseeing “delays, undelivered commitments and missed deadlines� by the Senedd’s cross-party climate change, environment and infrastructure committee.

Francesca Osowska, the outgoing chief executive of NatureScot, says more needs to be done for Scotland to hit target of restoring 30% of natural environment by 2030

Scotland faces a significant challenge to meet its pledges on protecting nature without more funding and a shift in attitudes, a senior conservation figure has warned.

Francesca Osowska, the outgoing chief executive of the agency NatureScot, said greater urgency and action was needed to meet a promise to restore 30% of Scotland’s natural environment by 2030.

Public Sector Fraud Authority will be able to use strong civil penalties as alternative to criminal prosecution

An anti-fraud squad will be given the power to raid the properties of Covid fraudsters and recover taxpayers’ money from their bank accounts.

The new measures, which will be introduced to parliament on Wednesday as part of the fraud bill, will give the Cabinet Office’s Public Sector Fraud Authority the means to issue civil penalties to provide an alternative to criminal prosecution, which would be applied retrospectively.

New fraud, error and debt bill will also allow money to be recovered direct from bank accounts of people fraudulently claiming benefits

People could be banned from driving if they repeatedly fail to repay money they owe under a new government crackdown on welfare fraud.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will also be able to recover money directly from the bank accounts of people fraudulently claiming benefits.

Author will highlight the ‘enormous disadvantage’ handed to children without access to books, and call on government to improve early-years literacy

Children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce is calling on Keir Starmer’s government to “stand up and give a visible sign that this country values its children�.

The author is holding a summit on children’s reading in Liverpool on Wednesday, at which the children’s commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, and former children’s laureates Michael Rosen and Cressida Cowell are also set to speak.

Data from dozens of countries reveals height and weight differences between sexes have increased since 1900

Amid the profound changes humanity has witnessed, one might be forgiven for failing to notice a rise in sexy and formidable men: those tall, broad-shouldered types that are strangers to self-doubt.

But according to a new study, men around the world have gained height and weight twice as fast as women over the past century, driving greater differences between the sexes.

Amid increasing drone use and drug-related violence, the prisons minister, James Timpson, is ‘beefing up’ measures

The Prison Service is “beefing up� a cadre of officers dedicated to smashing gangs in prisons in the face of escalating drone use and drug-related violence, the prisons minister has said.

James Timpson said the work of the department’s serious organised crime unit is being expanded, and expressed concern that a minority of prison officers have been corrupted by “very manipulative people�.

Police believe the suspect was known to Marianne Kilonzi, who worked at Citibank, and may have fled the country

A manhunt is under way after a banking executive was found beaten to death in her flat in London.

Detectives investigating the death in Woolwich have named the victim as 43-year-old Marianne Kilonzi, who worked at Citibank.

The app announced by Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for technology, will launch in June with driving licences and veteran cards the first available IDs

UK citizens could soon be able to carry their passports in a digital wallet on their phones along with their driving licence, universal credit account and marriage and birth certificates.

The plan was announced by Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, as part of a new smartphone app to simplify interactions with government services. He said it meant “the overflowing drawer rammed with letters from the government and hours spent on hold to get a basic appointment will soon be consigned to history�.

Boys charged with rape, threats to kill and kidnap after alleged incident in town of Fordingbridge on 17 January

Two 14-year-old boys have been charged with the kidnap and rape of a girl of the same age in a public park in the New Forest in Hampshire.

The incident is alleged to have taken place at a recreation ground in the town of Fordingbridge on the evening of 17 January.

Dame Kate Bingham, who led the vaccine taskforce in 2020, said the clinically vulnerable were deprioritised and goals were not followed

There was “open warfare� between UK government departments during the pandemic, the former vaccines tsar has said, adding the failure to prioritise the needs of clinically vulnerable, immunocompromised individuals was ethically and morally wrong.

Dame Kate Bingham led the vaccine taskforce (VTF) – based in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) – between May and December 2020, and played a pivotal role in persuading the government to back the development of a portfolio of potential jabs, as well as securing contracts for millions of doses.

Forty academics write to home secretary over weekend’s ‘dangerous assault’ on the right to protest

More than 40 legal scholars have signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the Met’s policing of a pro-Palestine protest in London on Saturday, describing it as “a disproportionate, unwarranted and dangerous assault on the right to assembly and protest�.

The force said it arrested 77 people at the demonstration, having banned protesters from gathering outside the BBC’s London headquarters, citing its proximity to a synagogue and the fact it was taking place on the Sabbath. The ban led to the protest being changed to a static rally, but the Met claimed people broke through police lines in a coordinated effort to breach the conditions.

Communication lines open 24 hours intended to avoid breakdown over reported violations and other issues

Qatari, US and Egyptian negotiators are running a communications hub in Cairo to protect the ceasefire in Gaza, as Donald Trump said he was not confident the break in fighting would hold.

Violations have already been reported. Medics in Gaza said on Monday that eight people had been hit by Israeli fire. The start of the ceasefire was also delayed when Hamas did not provide the names of hostages to be released.

New Zealand former prime minister says A Different Kind of Power promotes her belief in ‘empathetic leadership’ and will be released in June

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has announced her memoir – billed as a “deeply personal� book chronicling her leadership – will be released in June.

Ardern hoped her memoir would strike a chord with those who aspire to lead. “For anyone who has ever doubted themselves, I really hope there is something in it for them,� she said.

Critics say program that forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while cases are processed exposes migrants to harm

The Trump administration has announced the reinstatement of the “remain in Mexico� program, resuming an initiative that forced non-Mexican asylum seekers to wait south of the border while their cases were processed.

The US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Tuesday that it would restart the program immediately, years after it was ended by Joe Biden.

Ukrainian president tells Davos that Europe must establish itself as an ‘indispensable’ player on the global stage

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that “at least 200,000� allied troops would be needed to enforce any peace deal in Ukraine as he urged Europe to “take care of itself� as Donald Trump returns to power in the US.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said European leaders should not ask themselves what Trump would do next, and said that they instead needed to take collective steps to defend their continent at a time when it was under aggressive attack by Russia.

New report says more than 30m hectares burned, 79% more than in 2023, after country saw worst drought on record

After enduring its worst drought on record in 2024, Brazil closed the year with another alarming milestone: between January and December, 30.86m hectares of wilderness burned – an area larger than Italy.

The figure published in a new report is 79% higher than in 2023 and the largest recorded by Fire Monitor since its launch in 2019 by MapBiomas, an initiative by NGOs, universities and technology companies that monitors Brazil’s biomes.

Proponents of the amendments – described by activists as ‘disastrous’ – say they align with Islamic principles

Iraq’s parliament has passed amendments to the country’s personal status law that opponents say would in effect legalise child marriage.

The amendments give Islamic courts increased authority over family matters, including marriage, divorce and inheritance. Activists argue that this undermines Iraq’s 1959 Personal Status Law, which unified family law and established safeguards for women.

Tehran ‘massively weakened’ by reverses in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, says vice-president of Aden-based administration

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The west should seize the opportunity to target the Tehran-backed Houthi leadership in Yemen while the Iranian government is weakened, the vice-president of the UN-backed government in Aden has said.

Aidarus al-Zoubaidi said that Iran’s reverses in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza had left the country “massively weakened�. “They have one remaining domain and that is Yemen,� Zoubaidi told the Guardian. “Now is the time to counter the Houthis and push them back into their position.�

Timing may show two leaders want to coordinate approach in engaging with new US administration over Ukraine

• US politics live – latest updates

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, held a video call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a symbolic display of unity just hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the US.

Speaking from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Putin highlighted the close ties between the two countries, stating that their relations were based on “shared interests, equality, and mutual benefit“, calling Xi his “dear friend�.

Adam Edward Moule is ninth person charged under Strike Force Pearl investigation into spate of antisemitic attacks across Sydney

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The arrest of a man who allegedly attempted to set a synagogue on fire in Sydney’s inner west this month is a “big breakthrough�, the New South Wales premier has said, as investigations continue into a spate of antisemitic vandalism in the city.

Adam Edward Moule, 33, had his case briefly mentioned at Downing Centre local court on Wednesday and was scheduled to appear again on Thursday before the same court.

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Climate negotiator André Aranha Corrêa do Lago given top job, bypassing Brazilian environment minister Marina Silva

Brazil has announced the top team for the next UN climate summit, which will be hosted in Belém this November, bypassing the country’s environment minister, Marina Silva, in favour of a veteran diplomat for the crucial role of president of the talks.

The experienced climate negotiator and secretary for climate, energy and environment, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, will preside over the Cop30 summit, which is expected to draw scores of world leaders to Brazil – though not Donald Trump, who soon after his inauguration on Monday ordered the US’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.

Keep your two-wheeler secure with our expert-recommended bike locks, from coveted Kryptonite locks to lightweight and combination designs

• From heated gloves to commuter jackets: 11 winter cycling essentials to keep you safe and cosy

Few among us do not have a tale of a stolen bike: you leave work with your helmet fastened or come out of a shop after picking up some milk, and your bike has disappeared.

Tens of thousands of people reported a bike theft to police in England and Wales in 2024, so having the right lock is crucial to protect your two-wheeler. But just as everyone has their own preferred bike, choosing the right lock, from ultra-secure bolts to lightweight devices, is highly personal. Riders need to consider where they live, how attractive their bike is to thieves (they often look for more elaborate city and racing bikes), and how long they leave it unaccompanied. Only then is it possible to start pinning down what is needed.

Best affordable lock:
Halfords 23cm D Lock
_{£30 at Halfords}

Best super-secure lock:
Hiplok DX1000
_{£299 at Hiplok}

Best for city cyclists:
Kryptonite Evolution Mini-7
_{£39.43 at Amazon}

Best combination lock:
Kryptonite KryptoLok Combo
_{£47.25 at Decathlon}

Best chain lock:
Kryptonite KryptoLok Series 2
_{£89.99 at Cyclelane}

Best lightweight lock:
Foldylock Mini
_{£76.98 at Amazon}

This week: feel-good January fixes, interior designer-approved bed linen and Grace Dent on the best extra-chocolatey biscuits

What do the words “self-care� mean to you? A long scented soak in the bath? A winter run with a podcast as the sun sets? Box-fresh bed linen? It could even be all of the above, in one evening.

Whatever your poison, there’s no denying a little self-care is needed at this time of year. We try to avoid jumping on bandwagons here at the Filter (particularly “Blue Monday�), but there’s little doubt that the short days, cold weather, empty bank accounts and current world events can drag you down.

The beauty products and gadgets Sali Hughes tried, tested and loved last year

The best heated clothes airers to save time and money when drying your laundry, tested

Discover your perfect coffee maker with our tried-and-tested recommendations, from top-rated brands like Sage and Nespresso to capsule and manual espresso machines

• How to choose the right type of coffee machine for you

When it comes to something as earth-shatteringly important as coffee, everyone has an opinion. Some crave a single perfect shot of espresso, while others seek the milkiest latte; some love Starbucks and others, well, don’t. This is why the idea of there being a single best coffee machine is fanciful – everyone’s idea of the perfect coffee couldn’t be more different.

As a selfless service to coffee drinkers everywhere, I’ve spent months researching and trialling coffee machines to produce a shortlist of tried-and-tested recommendations. The list spans all the main types of coffee maker: manual espresso, filter, bean-to-cup and capsule (not sure what all of this means? Read our dedicated guide to the different types of coffee machine.

Best manual machine for beginners:
Sage Bambino Plus
_{£349 at Argos}

Best low-effort coffee at an affordable price:
De’Longhi Magnifica Evo One Touch
_{£419.99 at Lakeland}

Best for simple filter coffee:
Moccamaster KBG Select
_{£212.99 at Amazon}

Best for capsules:
L’or Barista Sublime
_{£85.03 at Amazon}

Best low-effort premium coffee:
Jura C8
_{£795 at Appliance City}

Best capsule machine for long coffees:
Nespresso Vertuo Plus
_{£99 at Amazon}

From weighted blankets and de-puffing masks to sunrise alarm clocks, our self-care buys are sure to brighten your mood

A new year brings fresh starts, but after the indulgent and languid festive season, we’re usually not feeling so hot. Without the twinkly lights and social gatherings to counteract the short days and Baltic temperatures, it’s also natural to feel a little down.

And while Blue Monday has long been discredited as a ruse to sell holidays, many of us will probably find the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration a little more depressing than your typical first day of the week. Either way, when it’s cold and dark outside, it’s a great time to focus on self-care to brighten your mood.

Whether you’re looking for a small indulgence or want to invest in something that will genuinely better your day-to-day, these are my favourite self-care buys right now. Many are aimed at improving your health and wellbeing, while others will simply help you feel warm and cosy.

Are the guitars right? Is Joan Baez sidelined? Who is this Sylvie Russo? And why is it an American shouting ‘Judas’? A Dylan tribute singer, two biographers, a superfan and more weigh in

Richard Williams, biographer

The way this documentary locks people in rooms with their greatest terror until they’re gibbering wrecks is like an awful reality show. Should we really be gawping at them?

What are you irrationally scared of? What is the thing that, if you see it, means there is likely to be a you-shaped hole in the nearest wall as you flee in panic? For me, it is stray hairs – anywhere, though in the bath or shower is worst. I could throw up just thinking about it. I would also kill a clown as soon as look at one, but I don’t consider that a phobia. It is a well-grounded, sensible protective instinct because clowns are clearly wrong on every level.

We are all, I suspect, scared of, repulsed by, or rendered incoherent with disgust about something that others approach with perfect equanimity. However sensible you are, however sanguine and reasonable, it seems a part of every human brain cannot be content without sabotaging your smooth passage through life. The Fear Clinic: Face Your Phobia, a series somewhere between a documentary and a reality show, is set in a facility in Amsterdam that treats phobics of all stripes with a revolutionary treatment that boasts a 90% success rate. I bet it’s the coulrophobics who resist. Because we don’t want to die!

The next three nights are going to be terrifically tense with Claudia Winkleman. Plus: a corpse walks out of a morgue in Patience. Here’s watch to watch this evening

9pm, Wednesday, BBC One

Museums and galleries announce festival of events and exhibitions to celebrate influential British artist

He is considered to be the one of the greatest and most influential British artists of all time, who travelled the length and breadth of the country to capture some of its most dramatic scenery.

Now, 250 years after the birth of JMW Turner, cultural institutions in Britain have announced a year-long festival of special exhibitions and events to celebrate the man and his work.

An early screening of the new Mission: Impossible film allegedly pushed an attendee close to a medical emergency, as movie-goers are increasingly promised visceral reactions

Every new Mission: Impossible film comes with a task that is, well, quite difficult. This is a film franchise propelled by its set pieces, and the expectation is that each new instalment must better the last. Which would be fine, were it not for the fact that previous instalments have asked Tom Cruise to climb up the outside of the world’s tallest building or strap himself to the exterior of a plane as it takes off.

But don’t worry, because Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is just months away, and Christopher McQuarrie is already promising a lot. Namely he is saying that the film will push you to the point of a medical emergency.

Hudson was the last remaining member of the folk-rock group, releasing 10 studio albums with them and touring with Dylan in his newfound electric period

Garth Hudson, the last remaining founder member of the Band, has died aged 87.

The multi-instrumentalist, who played keyboards and saxophone for the bestselling 1960s folk-rockers as well as Bob Dylan, died peacefully in his sleep at the Woodstock nursing home he lived in, the executor of his estate confirmed to the Toronto Star.

I spent years desperate for help and exhausted from lack of sleep. But the condition is badly misunderstood – even by doctors

I’d always known something was wrong with my legs. When I was a teenager, my best friend and I shared her full-sized bed – she would wake me up, giggling: “Lying next to you is like trying to sleep through an earthquake!� Now I’m 45, and my boyfriend says the same thing.

I have Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a condition that affects up to 14% of the global population, according to the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. Every night, I feel an uncontrollable urge to move my legs. I get up and walk – a trusty but temporary solution. It stops. I lie back down. It starts again. I try to ignore it, but I can’t. The movements persist in arrhythmic cycles for hours. By bedtime I’m exasperated, in tears. I just want to sleep.

The luxury collection, created in partnership with Nigo, brings varsity jackets, abstract camo and wide-leg silhouettes to the Louvre catwalk

Pharrell Williams kicked off Paris fashion week on Tuesday night with a menswear show that cemented Louis Vuitton’s position as the new luxury leader in streetwear.

The collection was created in partnership with Nigo, a Japanese designer and one of the most influential figures in streetwear.

Free to explore my hilly corner of the countryside, I found hidden paths to sacred springs, prehistoric monoliths, empty swimming holes …

When I moved from London to a hilly area of rural France in 2017, I brought my bike with me. A faithful secondhand racer, it had served me well over the years to commute from south to central London. On day two in France, I took it out on the road and was completely exhausted by the time I got to the next village, 2km and four big hills away. I put the bike in the shed and forgot about it.

But I didn’t forget about cycling. With its empty roads and miles of meandering logging paths through ancient woodland, the area around my home is perfect for the adventurous cyclist. If only I could overcome the exhaustion problem. I needed to extend the range I could cycle safely, while still getting a respectable amount of exercise.

Nutritional yeast is a great sub for that tangy flavour, nuts are good for building texture and read on for a wily trick with leeks …

I love cheese sauce, but I’m now plant-based. Are there any easy alternatives? I don’t want to use too many processed foods.
Mike Davies, chef/owner of The Camberwell Arms in London, says he discovered “the dark arts� of plant-based “cheese� sauce from his wife, Bonita, who happens to be both vegan and a chef. The simple answer, he says, is to make a vegan bechamel, which can be achieved in one of two ways. The first comes courtesy of Bonita herself: “She makes a roux with plant-based gear, then flavours it with nutritional yeast to get those cheesy, umami vibes.� You can then adulterate this further, be that with some mustard powder (as Davies’ mother does), a grating of nutmeg or a pinch of cayenne.

A roux is also Katy Beskow’s preferred route, especially when a lasagne or cauliflower cheese are in play: “I use a basic method,� says the author of Vegan Pantry. “Take 50g vegan butter and 50g flour, and make a roux in the usual way. Add some oat milk, then, once that’s nice and thick, add nutritional yeast.� Yes, oat milk and vegan butter are processed foods, Beskow concedes, so look for ones with a low number of ingredients.

Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com

One study found athletes were three times as likely to leak as women who did little or no exercise. But why does this happen – and can you prevent it?

On a wall in a gym in south London, someone has written: “PB [personal best] with a bit of wee.� Who could have written it? A runner? A woman doing CrossFit who has been jumping rope? A powerlifter? Evidence shows that all these activities can trigger higher rates of urinary incontinence (UI) in women than other activities. (Men’s anatomy is different, so they are less prone to the problem.)

“Women pee. In my gym you see it all the time,� says Emily Westray, a 27-year-old civil servant in Sheffield who can bench press 75kg, deadlift 130kg and squat 115kg, while only weighing 57kg herself. She used to be a diver and gymnast and got into powerlifting two years ago. At first, she had no problem. And according to usual preconceptions, she shouldn’t have. She’s young and has never had children. Incontinence is supposed to affect women who have gone through childbirth, and the middle-aged and menopausal.

Not all tickets are the same - if you think a fine was issued unfairly, what you need to do depends on who issued it

Parking tickets can be confusing as the two main types are both often abbreviated to PCN and are yellow chequered in appearance, says the British Parking Association (BPA), one of the main trade bodies.

A penalty charge notice is usually issued by a council and is given for a parking infringement on public land such as a high street or council car park.

We want to hear from people who have tried to secure care in a hospice and what the process has been like

We are interested in finding out more about people’s experiences of hospice care in the UK. Whether you have tried to secure in-patient care for yourself or a loved one, we would like to hear from you.

What has your experience been like? If you were not able to secure care in a hospice what happened next? Do you have any concerns?

We’d like to hear from those looking for work in the UK as well as from UK employers about their recent experiences of the labour market

Britain’s unemployment rate has risen unexpectedly and the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by the most since the height of the pandemic, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It estimated that the number of payrolled employees had shrunk by 47,000 in December, the biggest drop since November 2020. The jobless rate meanwhile increased to 4.4 per cent in the three months to November, up from 4.3 per cent in the three months to October.

We’d like to hear from young people starting out in the creative sector about their experiences of internships

We’d like to find out more about internships in the UK creative sector.

A 2018 report by the Sutton Trust revealed that 86% of interns in the UK’s creative industry were unpaid and we’d like to hear about the opportunities for people trying to enter the sector now.

We would like to hear your memories of David Lynch, as well as whether you are attending today’s global group transcendental mediation at noon PT

David Lynch, the maverick American director, has died aged 78. He specialised in surreal, noir style mysteries and made a string of influential, critically acclaimed works including Twin Peaks and Eraserhead.

We would like to hear your tributes and memories of David Lynch – whether you met him, or appreciated his work as a film-maker. We are also interested in seeing your most Lynchian photos and hearing your experience of the world group 10-minute transcendental mediation, organised by his children for Monday at noon PT.

Tarrio and Rhodes, who both have ties to far-right groups, were serving long sentences until Trump granted clemency

Among the 1,500 people Donald Trump granted clemency over the January 6 insurrection, two stand out: Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes, who were serving long sentences for their key roles in plotting the storming of the Capitol.

Both men had their sentences commuted by Trump in one of his first acts in office, a statement of intent from a president who has insisted the violent siege of the seat of government, which is linked to nine deaths, was a “day of love�.

A notable international contingent turned up for Trump’s swearing-in as well as galas and parties surrounding the event

Aside from the US tech billionaires and the Maga crowd, Trump’s inauguration included a notable international contingent, from fringe far-right European politicians to an Irish cage fighter.

Here are some key figures who flew overseas for Trump’s swearing-in, as well as galas and parties surrounding the event.

In what is now western Canada, younger generations of the Indigenous Heiltsuk Nation are using social media to revive this ‘deeply relational’ language

Centuries ago, the music of the Híɫzaqv language echoed across a territory of deep fjords, rugged islands, windswept beaches and thick forests.

And then, for more than a century, the lands now in the western reaches of Canada fell quiet.

‘This is attacking where Jewish and non-Jewish people go,’ one mother says after Maroubra childcare centre was targeted on Tuesday morning

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The news of another antisemitic incident is a “punch in the guts� for Australia’s Jewish community, but an arson attack on a Sydney daycare centre has created a heightened sense of anxiety.

Only About Children, a non-religious daycare centre near the Maroubra synagogue and Mount Sinai college, was set alight and graffitied in the early hours of Tuesday.

Artisanal shellfish farmers face ruinous losses but money meant to help is going to the powerful fishing industry, say critics

Early on a warm September morning in southern Italy, Giovanni Nicandro sets out from the port of Taranto in his small boat. Summoning his courage, the mussel farmer inspects his year’s work – only to find them all dead, a sight that almost brings him to tears.

“We have many problems,� he says. “The problems start as soon as we open our eyes in the morning.� The loss is total – not only for Nicandro but also for Taranto’s 400 other mussel farmers, after a combination of pollution and rising sea temperatures devastated their harvest.

In its heyday, Chettinad in southern India was a thriving hub of international traders. Today, the grandeur of their homes is being restored by a community keen to celebrate the houses’ cultural importance and promote them to tourists

The single-stone granite pillars and Burmese teak beams of Chettinad’s heritage hotels are adorned with strands of marigolds, while the verandas and corridors are hung with small, handmade palm-leaf parrots that sway gracefully among fragrant blooms. Six-metre-long banners made of Chettinad cotton sarees proclaim “The Chettinad Heritage and Cultural festival�.

At first glance, it is hard to believe that these grand mansions turned heritage hotels were ever neglected. Built by the illustrious Chettiar merchant community from the middle of the 19th century to the 1950s, they spread across the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, eventually dwindling to the 73 villages and two towns that remain today across 1,550 sq km (600 sq miles).

Visalam hotel decorated for the Chettinad Heritage and Cultural festival

Having left the library behind, the once budding academic talks about building JP Morgan’s UK digital lender from scratch

It all started in spring 2019, in a secret office on the seventh floor of JP Morgan’s London headquarters in Canary Wharf. Tucked behind the bustling staff canteen, at the end of a corridor that snaked past the office gym and in-house doctor, future Chase UK chief executive Kuba Fast was digesting the task ahead of him: helping build a new digital bank – from scratch – for the Wall Street giant.

He had been selected to join the project months earlier by fellow McKinsey alumnus Sanoke Viswanathan, who had been travelling the globe to learn from other successful digital lenders, including Fast’s former employer, Poland’s mBank. JP Morgan gave little detail about its venture, which was then known by its codename, Project Dynamo. But Fast dived headfirst into the blank-slate project. “I agreed to join before knowing where I would live,� Fast says.

We are far more likely to use our hands to type or swipe than pick up a pen. But in the process we are in danger of losing cognitive skills, sensory experience – and a connection to history

Humming away in offices on Capitol Hill, in the Pentagon and in the White House is a technology that represents the pragmatism, efficiency and unsentimental nature of American bureaucracy: the autopen. It is a device that stores a person’s signature, replicating it as needed using a mechanical arm that holds a real pen.

Like many technologies, this rudimentary robotic signature-maker has always provoked ambivalence. We invest signatures with meaning, particularly when the signer is well known. During the George W Bush administration, the secretary of defence, Donald Rumsfeld, generated a small wave of outrage when reporters revealed that he had been using an autopen for his signature on the condolence letters that he sent to the families of fallen soldiers.

From pay shortfalls to being dropped by apps, drivers face a range of issues – often with no way to fix them

Most days a thicket of couriers can be seen around the McDonald’s in Northern Ireland’s Ballymena, waiting for orders and discussing the mysteries of the systems that rule their working lives.

This week gig workers, trade unions and human rights groups launched a campaign for greater openness from Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo about the logic underpinning opaque algorithms that determine what work they do and what they are paid.

Ripples from Axel Rudakubana’s killing of three girls spread wide and deep, from the personal to the political

“Southport is a quiet, kind place in which nothing ever happens,� said the Rev Thomas Carter, the morning after it happened. “People are struggling to understand it.�

It wasn’t just Southport; the whole country struggled to process the carnage that took place late on a sunny Monday one week into the school holidays.