Despite high-quality matches, Senegal’s meeting with hosts Morocco may pale with the World Cup looming

Sometimes a tournament’s greatest strength can be its greatest weakness. In part because of the excellent playing conditions, this has been an Africa Cup of Nations devoid of shocks. The better teams keep winning. There has been a lot of good football, but not a huge amount of memorable football.

And the consequence is that, in the final, we have the two best teams, or certainly the best team in north Africa against the best team in sub-Saharan Africa: the hosts and World Cup semi-finalists Morocco against Senegal, who have reached three of the past four Afcon finals.

This game was summed up neatly in the 82nd minute when two Nottingham Forest players hunted down Gabriel Jesus as the Arsenal substitute tried to see the ball out for a throw-in. Elliot Anderson was not settling for that, crashing into the tackle that actually won his team the restart. Sixty yards down the touchline, Sean Dyche’s hands went clapping above his head; Mikel Arteta reached his out to either side, palms raised to the skies in incredulity.

Yet such is the way of this season. Just as the opportunity knocked, with Manchester City losing to Manchester United earlier in the day, for Arsenal to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points, with Nottingham Forest seemingly on the ropes with only one win in six previous games, up comes the underdog with a performance to sum up this manager.

Israel says some appointments to the board, which will oversee the administration and reconstruction of Gaza, are ‘contrary to policy’

Israel has objected to the White House’s pick of world leaders who will join the so-called Gaza “board of peace”, meant to temporarily oversee governance and reconstruction in the strip.

The White House and other sources announced a flurry of appointments and invitations to the organisation over the last two days, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, former UK prime minister Tony Blair and the president of Argentina, Javier Milei.

After traumatic events we look for reminders of humanity’s good, and flashes of courage from ordinary people become symbols of hope. But it can be hard to wear the hero’s crown

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The smell of burning flesh and pulverised concrete is seared into the psyche of Anneke Weemaes-Sutcliffe. On 22 March 2016, the Australian expat was due to check in for a flight when Islamic State suicide bombers detonated two nailbombs inside Brussels airport. Miraculously unharmed, she sprinted to the exit after the second blast exploded metres away from her – but then, risking her life, decided to turn back.

Screams, wailing alarms and a thick blanket of dust choked the air. The ceiling had caved in. “It turned from buzzing with life to a war zone. It’s horrific, absolutely horrific,” Weemaes-Sutcliffe says.

Some regions of the continent have enough ice to push up sea levels by 15 metres if they all melt, but researchers don’t yet fully understand the consequences

On one side of Dr Ben Galton-Fenzi’s view across the vast Totten ice shelf, the sun sat low on the Antarctic horizon. On the other, a full moon.

The ice shelf is “flat and white”, says Galton-Fenzi. “If there’s cloud around, you lose the horizon.”

Dating in New York City wasn’t easy for comedian Mel McGlensey. Then she fell hard for Doug

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In 2015 I was in my early 20s and living in New York City, working as a journalist and moonlighting as a comedian.
My dating life was not going well, and my poor little heart had taken a beating. Dating in the city had set the bar very low. But even if it hadn’t, Douglas would’ve stepped right over it.

On our first date, something felt different. For one thing, I spent the entire time talking, rather than smiling and nodding when appropriate. Instead of knocking back a series of drinks just to get through it, I found myself nursing a single cocktail the entire evening as I fielded his questions about my opinions and aspirations. Compared with the self-indulgent jerks I usually suffered through dates with, Doug’s common decency was a revelation. I even phoned my mum on the way home to gush about him.

More than 4,120 photographers from 123 countries submitted a record-breaking 23,130 images across the 24 categories to this year’s World Sports Photography awards, the only global competition for sporting photography.

To see the silver, bronze and special merit images from all of the categories click here

• Manager makes outburst after 2-1 defeat at Sunderland

• Austrian angry club sold captain one day before game

Oliver Glasner accused Crystal Palace’s board of “abandoning” his team in the course of a scathing post-match deconstruction after the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland.

At times the Austrian, who on Friday announced he would be leaving Selhurst Park at the end of this season, sounded as if he was talking himself out of the remaining few months of his contract.

US health department’s new food pyramid places red meat and cheese high in saturated fats over plant-based proteins

The new food pyramid rolled out in US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) places animal-based proteins, including cheese and red meats high in saturated fats, above plant-based proteins, which has raised alarm bells among health and environmental experts.

This rejiggered food pyramid is in line with Kennedy’s previous signals that he will recommend increasing saturated fat in US diets as part of the “Make America healthy again” movement.

Congressional Republicans criticize ‘absurd’ idea as polls show most Americans oppose taking control of territory

Donald Trump’s renewed interest in taking control of Greenland has become a subject of pointed dissent among congressional Republicans, with several allies speaking out in recent days against the idea after the president reintensified his interest following the US raid that captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Congressional Republicans are typically loath to disagree openly with the president, who has repeatedly called for his party’s dissenters to be voted out of office. But amid polling that shows an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose taking control of the island and warnings from Denmark that an invasion would spell the end of Nato, some congressional Republicans have issued forceful warnings against pursuing the issue.

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An email: Arsenal fans will have mixed memories of Sean Dyche teams; probably most saliently here his new-manager-bounce inspiration of a previously useless Everton side to a 1-0 win, smashing a 14-game unbeaten Arsenal run,” writes Charles Antaki. “Admittedly Arsenal haven’t been quite that consistently good this year but Forest have certainly been that consistently bad, so there are omens around for those who care to read them.”

Having paid a visit to Dr Tottenham this afternoon and surprised nobody by leaving his North London clinic with three points and a restorative sense of enormous wellbeing, West Ham have closed the gap to Forest to just four points. No pressure Dychey …

Frenetic derby was just the place for the interim manager to roll out Ferguson’s old ‘use the energy of the people’ dictum

For Manchester United’s executives, City are the best-in-class runaway train they wish to emulate and aspire to. Coveted talent like Antoine Semenyo and now Marc Guéhi opt for blue when a generation ago, Old Trafford was the destination of dreams.

United’s myth and legend becomes increasingly sepia-tinged but there may be life in it yet. The list of Sir Alex Ferguson’s boys able to take the reins in times of emergency is being exhausted but Michael Carrick, on his second turn, found a way to feed off it. He has just 17 games though there is a tantalising prize on offer. A return to the Champions League looks possible. Rather than embracing the void, Carrick’s United reminded that sporting directors, analytic departments and strategic reviews may have their place in the eventual restoration of power, but dogged spirit, wanting it more, can win the day.

Eight children have died of hypothermia this winter, says health ministry, amid reports maternal and newborn care in territory has been dismantled

A 27-day-old baby died in Gaza on Saturday from severe cold, bringing the number of children in the region who have died of hypothermia since the start of the current winter season to eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Medical sources confirmed to the news agency Anadolu that the newborn, named Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, died as a result of freezing temperatures, and that when she was brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis it was already too late to save her.

It was the chant that had simmered for many weeks and there was an inevitability when it was belted out by the Tottenham support at the very last. “Sacked in the morning,” they yelled at Thomas Frank, the frustration unbearable. They have seen enough. In their opinion, the manager has to go.

Whether the club’s board agree is unclear. They know the problems that Frank has faced and continues to face during a season of turmoil and transition. The acid test of nerve is upon them.

Warner Bros is also being pursued by Paramount Skydance, helmed by David Ellison, son of president’s ally

Donald Trump bought at least $1m worth of bonds in Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), according to a financial disclosure form, days after he said would “be involved” in a proposed merger between the two companies.

The White House released a financial disclosure report on Friday which showed that Trump made two purchases from Netflix and two purchases from WBD, each amounting to at least $502,000.

Anfield’s emotional verdict to another dispiriting result arrived in the form of boos. Wisely, Arne Slot chose not to dispute it. The Liverpool head coach got almost everything he wished for against Burnley – more creativity and more chances in particular – but the failure to kill off a relegation-threatened opponent who scored from their only shot on target brought familiar torment.

Liverpool had 32 attempts on Martin Dubravka’s goal, including one from the penalty spot, with 11 on target. Two were cleared off the line by the Burnley defender Bashir Humphreys. Slot had asked for dominant ball possession to yield more opportunities and here was the response, of sorts. Only Florian Wirtz converted, however, and the champions were held to a fourth successive Premier League draw when Marcus Edwards rewarded Burnley’s improved second half showing with a fine equaliser. More missed chances followed from Liverpool before a chorus of condemnation greeted the final whistle.

Museveni’s opponent, Bobi Wine, alleges that members of polling staff were kidnapped and called for peaceful protests

Yoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent.

His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the “rightful results”.

Exclusive: Amazon, Meta and X among firms holding hundreds of meetings with people at heart of government, data shows

Tech companies have been meeting government ministers at a rate of more than once per working day, enjoying high-level political access that dwarfs that of child safety and copyright campaigners, who called the pattern “shocking” and “disturbing”.

Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Elon Musk’s X, whose Grok AI image generator has sparked outrage with its sexualised images of women and children, were among the US tech companies holding hundreds of meetings with people at the heart of government, a Guardian investigation has found.

Philadelphia sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s words have become a rallying cry against Trump’s immigration crackdown

“You don’t want this smoke,” Rochelle Bilal, Philadelphia’s sheriff, warned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during an 8 January press conference. Her words have since become a rallying cry for resistance to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. At the conference with Larry Krasner, Philadelphia’s district attorney, and city council members, Bilal spoke out against the 7 January fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. “We stand here today with all those who stand against the made-up, fake, what you can call ICE, professional law enforcement,” she said at the conference. “I don’t call them none of that. I call them made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement. Because what they do is against not only legal law, but the moral law.”

Bilal is part of a growing body of elected officials who are speaking out against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and ICE’s alleged misconduct and aggressive enforcement tactics. As the first Black female sheriff of Philadelphia elected in 2019, Bilal has faced perhaps the most vitriol from opponents who have targeted her for her race and gender. “Race played a big [role in the] response,” Bilal told the Guardian in a conference room on her Philadelphia office floor. “The negative, nasty messages that are being received is ridiculous.” Since the video of her speech went viral, Bilal told the Guardian that death threats that she’s received have required her to increase her security detail. In a Facebook post, ICE also said that she should resign.

• Raúl Asencio also on target in 2-0 win over Levante

• Harry Kane scores in Bayern’s 5-1 win at RB Leipzig

Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a much-needed 2-0 win against Levante, courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Raúl Asencio, after being booed by a restless Bernabéu crowd before the breakthrough arrived.

Real looked flat in the first half, still carrying the scars of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat by Barcelona in the final of the Supercopa de España, followed by the departure of Xabi Alonso as manager the next day and a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey exit to second-division Albacete on Wednesday.

At 81, Jean Stewart was frustrated by her growing frailty, so she decided to get active. Now 96, push-ups, kettlebell squats and pushing a weight-loaded sledge keep her strong

I see people 30 years younger than me and they’ve given up,” Jean Stewart, 96, says. It’s not an attitude she relates to. “I like to do things for myself.”

Stewart was very active in her youth: she played hockey and softball at school and worked for the Girl Scouts for years. As she got older, however, everyday tasks became harder.

• Vonn makes it five podiums from five downhills

• Delago earns first World Cup win on home snow

• Foggy Tarvisio hosts first race in 15 years

Italy’s Nicol Delago won a foggy women’s World Cup downhill on home snow in Tarvisio on Saturday as age-defying US Alpine ski great Lindsey Vonn powered to her fifth podium in five races.

The victory, in a time of one minute and 46.28 seconds with bib number three, was the 30-year-old Val Gardena skier’s first on the World Cup circuit and her first podium since she was third in Saalbach in March 2024.

Guardian analysis shows electricity bills were up 6.7% last year, and much higher in some states, and gas bills up 5.2%

• Trump’s failed energy bill pledge leaves US households struggling: ‘It’s obscene’

Donald Trump has comprehensively failed to meet a key election promise to slash Americans’ energy bills in half within the first year of his presidency, with power prices instead surging across the US.

The average household electricity bill in the US was 6.7% more expensive in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to a Guardian analysis of data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Department of Energy’s statistical arm. The increases meant that, on average, US households paid nearly $116 more across 2025 than they did in 2024.

⚽ Football updates from Saturday afternoon’s matches
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GOAL! Coventry 2-1 Leicester. Coventry have done it again! Substitute Tatsuhiro Sakamoto links up with fellow super sub Haji Wright – the latter scoring from close range. A huge goal for Frank Lampard’s team.

GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Manchester. Manchester United extend their lead through Patrick Dorgu. United work in down the right before Matheus Cunha whips in a cross. Dorgu attacks it, getting to the ball before City’s defenders, and side foots his finish into the back of the net.