• Live updates from day one of the Cheltenham festival
• Greg Wood’s day one tips | And you can email Niall

In a powerful interview, Donald McRae talked to leading jockey Harry Skelton as he prepared for this year’s festival.

Preview: 2.40 ULTIMA HANDICAP CHASE, 3M 1F

President sacks Alusine Kanneh after video of him with Johannes Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted

Sierra Leone’s president has fired the head of the immigration service days after footage was published showing him receiving a birthday gift from a fugitive Dutch drug kingpin.

The footage of Alusine Kanneh being handed a present by Johannes Leijdekkers – which has not been independently verified by the Guardian – was published by the investigative outlet Follow the Money and the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad on Friday.

Senior officials meet in Jeddah aiming to build confidence after Trump cut support for Ukraine in war with Russia

• Europe live – latest updates

Senior US and Ukrainian officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia for crunch talks focused on ending the war with Russia, aiming to build confidence despite a personal crisis between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Although the two presidents will be absent, Zelenskyy has sent his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, while Trump dispatched his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, to Jeddah.

Cameron is pulling out all the stops to promote Avatar: Fire and Ash, by telling the world that it reduced Suzy Amis Cameron to tears for four hours

Can you feel it? If you’re paying enough attention, and you have your spirit tuned to the frequencies of the planet, then you’ll be able to sense that the old Avatar machinery is starting to crank up again. The third instalment of the series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is set for release in December. And this means that James Cameron finds himself saddled with a familiar task; in just nine months he has to try and motivate people to see a film from a franchise that they’ve already forgotten about twice before now.

The bad news is that these are incredibly expensive films to make. So expensive, in fact, that Cameron previously stated that the second film needed to be the third highest grossing movie of all time just to break even. And, just to compound things, that film was such an incomprehensible mishmash of confused mythology, nondescript motivation and vague characterisation that this one needs to be something really special to get bums on seats.

• Woman claims player was involved in assault
• Beckham says he was not in California at time

NFL star Odell Beckham Jr has denied any wrongdoing after saying he was named in a lawsuit that alleges Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs initiated a gang-rape against a woman in California.

In an initial lawsuit filed in October, Ashley Parham claims she was lured to an apartment in Orinda, California, and assaulted by multiple men. She alleges the assault was watched by Combs, who she had claimed had played a part in the killing of Tupac Shakur. An amended lawsuit filed on Friday is understood to have named former Beckham as one of her attackers.

• Hannah Jones says she considered quitting last year
• WRU allegedly threatened pulling out of World Cup

The Wales captain, Hannah Jones, says what the squad went through amid a contract controversy last year was “disgraceful” and made her contemplate international retirement.

Allegations emerged in October that the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had threatened to withdraw from the 2025 Rugby World Cup if the women’s team did not sign new contracts on offer. Jones says the negotiations last year were difficult “from day one” and that communication with the WRU was a “big issue”, with some of her players “becoming unwell physically and mentally” because of the process.

Westchester county has laws limiting cooperation, but Ice has accessed trove of data that holds license plate readers

As Donald Trump’s administration ramps up its crackdown on undocumented immigrants to the US, advocates are increasingly worried immigration agents will turn to surveillance technology to round up those targeted for deportation, even in so-called “sanctuary cities” that limit the ways local law enforcement can cooperate with immigration officials.

That’s because US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (Ice) in past years has gained access to troves of data from sanctuary cities that could aid its raids and enforcement actions. Among that information is data from the vast network of license plate readers active across the US, according to documents obtained by the Guardian.

As mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, Randall Woodfin is trying to tackle a murder epidemic. He’s all too familiar with the pain of losing a loved one to violence

It was past midnight on 27 May 2012 when Randall Woodfin, an early-career public prosecutor, received a call about his older brother. “Ralph’s been shot,” he was told, abruptly. “You need to come.”

He jumped in a car, and raced across the city of Birmingham, Alabama, running every red light along the way. He made it to the police perimeter. It was a block and a half from his grandmother’s old home, at a public-housing project in the city’s south, where the two brothers – eight years apart – had spent much of their childhood.

Oscar Jégou’s fine Dublin performance brings into focus the potential impact of forwards who can play anywhere

The Six Nations title is still theoretically on the line entering the final weekend. But, let’s be honest, if France display the same power against Scotland as they did against Ireland in Dublin there is only one probable outcome. Even minus the unfortunate Antoine Dupont, now facing a long lay-off because of damaged knee ligaments, France have frightening reserves of strength and depth.

How good, for example, was the young back-row forward Oscar Jégou after he arrived off the bench to replace the centre Pierre-Louis Barassi? The 21-year-old from La Rochelle did not simply make a try-scoring impact; he made every specialist centre in the competition shift uneasily in their seats. Why bother with a subtle, ball-playing 12 or 13 when you have a 6ft 3in Superman who makes old-school positional orthodoxies redundant?

This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

From The White Lotus to Industry, hedonism is everywhere on TV at the moment. Actors, and the ‘wellbeing facilitators’ tasked with keeping them safe, reveal the trick to acting under the influence

“Iam not a big drinker, I don’t do drugs, I don’t smoke,” says Sagar Radia, best known as the ruthless, potty-mouthed trader Rishi Ramdani in the HBO/BBC banking saga Industry. “But when friends and family watch, they’re like: ‘You look like you do know what you’re doing.’”

Nowhere was this more the case than in season three’s White Mischief, an episode focused entirely on the character’s grim descent into gambling addiction, inflamed by booze and cocaine. Previously described by a colleague as “the ghost of Margaret Thatcher in a handsome Asian kid”, here Rishi starts to look more like a disgraced Tory MP in the 90s, as he binges on shots and coke in a seedy casino. At first he’s euphoric – dancing like a drunk uncle at a wedding – but soon his behaviour becomes erratic, his movements shaky and impaired, his legs unsteady. Despite rising debts, he gambles away all he has, and even seems to consider pawning his wedding ring for a few, long seconds. The next morning, we see him stagger into work on a comedown – bloody cuts and bruises all over his face.

Our cartoonist on two larger than life presidents coming together to discuss Coldplay, a portal to hell and much more

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• David’s new book, Chaos in the Box: buy it now

US currency has lost all the gains it enjoyed since Trump won election as global shares are sold off

• Business live – latest updates

European markets have risen and the euro gained against the dollar to the highest level since the US election, as the greenback sank against other leading currencies amid mounting “Trumpcession” fears.

The euro rose sharply, breaking above $1.09 for the first time since early November, when Donald Trump’s election victory sent the dollar soaring. That “Trump trade” has unwound, as new US tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China, and the threat of more levies against European trading partners, have triggered fears of an American recession.

The movement unites ‘family values’ conservatives and tech bro rightwingers. Will this incoherent coalition hold?

In his first address to the United States after becoming vice-president, JD Vance stood on stage and proclaimed: “I want more babies in the United States of America.” Weeks later, Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging support for in vitro fertilization, recognizing “the importance of family formation and that our nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children”.

In late January, a Department of Transportation memo directed the agency to prioritize projects that “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average”. And last week, it was reported that Elon Musk, the unelected head of the government-demolishing “department of governmental efficiency” and a man who has said that the “collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far”, had become a father of 14.

The Guardianas del Conchalito ignored chants of ‘get back to your kitchens’, determined to protect the environment and create a sustainable shellfish operation

Ahead of the small boat, as it bobs on the waters near La Paz in the Mexican state of Baja California, is a long line of old plastic bottles strung together on top of the waves. Underneath them are as many as 100,000 oysters, waiting to be sold to the upmarket hotels down the coast.

Cheli Mendez, who oversees the project, pulls a shell up from below, cuts it open with a knife, and gives me the contents to try: a plump, tasty oyster. Mendez is one of a group known as Guardianas del Conchalito, or guardians of the shells, and theirs is the first oyster-growing business in the region run entirely by women, she says.

The women dug a channel with shovels and pickaxes to allow seawater to reach the mangroves

Fears grow over fuel leak as investigations begin into cause of cargo ship’s collision with tanker off Yorkshire coast

Leaking fuel from the collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker in the North Sea would have a “devastating” impact on marine life, an expert has warned, as investigations began into the cause of the crash.

Fires continued to burn onboard both vessels 24 hours after the Stena Immaculate tanker was struck off the coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning. A search for a missing crew member was called off overnight.

Notorious for his drug-fuelled literary experiments and the fact that he shot his partner, beat writer Burroughs also made art inspired by the climate crisis

One day 51 years ago, out in the wilds of New Mexico, Kathelin Gray asked a question of her hero, the writer and artist William S Burroughs, whom she had just met. “William, I have read your books and I must know: what is your attitude to women?”

The question had been eating away at Gray for the best part of a decade. As a teenage babysitter, she read Burroughs’ novel The Naked Lunch and was blown away by it. “The very yuckiness of the imagery, the critique of predatory capitalism, the degrading sex and violence – all that spoke to me,” she says.

Seven health professionals who worked with football legend in days before his death face trial in Argentina

Seven medical professionals who tended to the Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona during his final days are going on trial accused of criminal negligence over his death.

Maradona died on 25 November 2020 aged 60 while recovering from brain surgery for a blood clot, after decades battling cocaine and alcohol addictions.

Hassan Diab, who maintains innocence in 1980 Paris attack, fears extradition fight as rightwing media seizes on his case

Until recently, Hassan Diab’s life in Ottawa had begun to settle back into a quiet suburban routine: spending his days teaching sociology part time at Carleton University, taking his two youngest children to the park to play football, or going for an afternoon swim.

It had been well over a year since he was convicted in absentia for carrying out a deadly bomb attack on a Paris synagogue in 1980, and the media attention had largely quieted down. He was trying to move on with his life.

Twenty-five years after her debut album, the star is still loving life as a ‘continual working girl’. She talks about menopause, mastectomy and her bizarre failure to crack her native America

After Anastacia had a double mastectomy in 2013, she began to joke about it. “It was wild to look at myself. I said: ‘My boobs look like this!’” She peers at me with her eyes screwed shut. We are sharing a sofa in a photographic studio in London. I’m not sure what she means, but she belts out, “No eyeballs!” (Typically, nipples come towards the end of reconstructive surgery.) Even in hospital, “I would make jokes and be funny,” she says. “I’m lucky.” Lucky isn’t how many people would feel after getting breast cancer for the second time, but preventive surgery was her choice and, she says, “I can accept it when I find humour in it. Being able to take the mick out of myself and my toxic titties! – See! There you go! – it takes the sting out of it.”

Anastacia has always been like this, she says. Back when she used to break her older sister Shawn’s dolls, “cos the arms didn’t go in a certain direction”, her mum tried to punish her. She gave Shawn brand new dolls, and Anastacia the broken ones. But Anastacia was in her element. “I played hospital. I was like ‘Whee! Whee!’” she says, bouncing her hands, busily working imaginary dolls. She made them have a great time despite their mutilations, scribbled-on faces and brutally cut hair. “Which is constantly how my life is. I was born with that in me, and it amplified as I got older and realised: ‘Oh yeah, that’s a better way to live than worrying about things.’”

Our refusal to reckon with the dark side of Purim reflects a refusal to reckon with the dark side of ourselves

Later this month, on the holiday of Purim, Jewish people will dress in silly costumes, eat triangular pastries, and listen to an ancient story about attempted genocide. What we notice, and don’t notice, about that story says a lot about what we notice, and don’t notice, in Israel and Palestine.

The tale comes from the book of Esther. It begins with a dissolute Persian king. He hosts a banquet, gets drunk, orders his queen to “display her beauty” to the revelers, and, when she refuses, banishes her from the throne. As her replacement he chooses Esther, a beautiful young maiden who, unbeknownst to him, is a Jew. Then he makes a calamitous personnel decision: he selects Haman, a pathological Jew-hater, to be his right-hand man. The stage is now set for an epic clash.

Revealed: rhetoric by interim US attorney for DC includes falsely claiming Kamala Harris ‘self-identified’ as Black

Trump’s appointee as interim US attorney for the District of Columbia and nominee to hold the position permanently, Ed Martin, has repeatedly made derogatory and racist comments in past social media posts and columns.

Martin’s rhetoric includes falsely claiming Kamala Harris is “self-identified” as Black and calling her the new Rachel Dolezal, claiming Planned Parenthood targets Black communities for abortions, claiming that the supreme court justice Sonia Sotomayor made racist comments to white males about her own identity and invoking false claims about Dr Martin Luther King Jr to affirm support for the Republican party and the Tea Party movement.

Migratory insects covered 4.2 acres in Mexican forests this winter but number remains far below long-term average

The population of eastern monarch butterflies – who migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico during the winter – has nearly doubled over the last year, according to a recent report commissioned in Mexico, generating optimism among nature preservationists.

The modest growth in numbers for the orange-and-black butterflies follows years of ongoing conservation efforts – and perhaps provides a sliver of optimism after otherwise discouraging long-term trends for the species.

• Officials say plan will create 92,000 jobs and 17,000 homes
• Architect Norman Foster puts ‘vast umbrella’ over ground

Manchester United have confirmed their intention to build a new 100,000-capacity stadium in the Old Trafford area, leaving their home of 115 years.

The news was celebrated by United as a potential driving force for renewal in the area as they revealed plans which, officials claim, will create as many as 92,000 jobs and 17,000 new homes in Greater Manchester.

The former president faces an investigation by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity over the alleged extrajudicial killing of thousands of drug suspects

Soon after his election in 2016, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte launched his so-called “war on drugs”, a bloody campaign in which as many as 30,000 civilians were killed.

Most of the victims were men from poor, urban areas, who were gunned down in the streets or their homes by police, or in some cases, unidentified assailants.

US and Ukraine officials meet in Jeddah after Moscow authorities said one person was killed in a drone attack on the Russian capital

Ukraine wants peace and is ready to negotiate to end the war, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he entered talks with US counterparts in Saudi Arabia.

“We are ready to do everything to achieve peace,” Ukrainian presidency chief of staff Andriy Yermak told reporters, AFP reported.

American Civil Liberties Union decries attack on free speech after immigration authorities arrest Mahmoud Khalil

Polls have opened in Greenland for early parliamentary elections Tuesday as US President Donald Trump seeks control of the strategic Arctic island.

The self-governing region of Denmark is home to 56,000 people, most from Indigenous Inuit backgrounds, and occupies a strategic North Atlantic location. It also contains rare earth minerals key to driving the global economy, AP reported.

Today’s Jeddah summit will be crucial. But so too is the need for European unity to counter Russian aggression now, and deter it in the future

• Andriy Yermak is head of the Ukrainian presidential office
• Zelenskyy’s chief of staff urges Europe to keep financial pressure on Russia

As I arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a ceasefire in the three-year war the Russian Federation has waged on my country has never seemed closer. Recent talks between Ukraine and its partners have given rise to great hope that the Ukrainian people will very soon return to the peaceful lives that they enjoyed before the war began in 2014 or the extreme escalation since 2022.

I believe that together with strong American leadership we can reach this goal. The prospect of peace – long hoped for – forces every Ukrainian to reflect on our shared gratitude, concern and determination. Gratitude for the support and confidence that we have received in recent years, concern for the future of Europe and determination to reaffirm Ukraine’s democratic, European convictions. No one wants the war to end more than our people – but a peace must be found that is both just and sustainable.

Andriy Yermak is head of the Ukrainian presidential office

She was a master archivist of lies, enabling my stepfather’s crimes against me and my siblings. Despite everything, I needed to believe she loved me

The church, though aware of our abuser’s crimes, had kept Father Francis Melfe employed and in our lives throughout our childhoods.

At Saint Patrick’s, where he was a priest, we were told to call him Father Melfe. At home, we were to call him dad.

The belief that technology will usher in a golden age for humanity is in vogue once more with billionaires. But can the left offer its own vision for the future?

Techno-optimism – the belief that technology will usher in a golden age for humanity – is in vogue once more.

In 2022, a clutch of pseudonymous San Francisco artificial intelligence (AI) scenesters published a Substack post entitled “Effective Accelerationism”, which argued for maximum acceleration of technological advancement. The 10-point manifesto, which proclaimed that “the next evolution of consciousness, creating unthinkable next-generation lifeforms and silicon-based awareness” was imminent, quickly went viral, as did follow-up posts.

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna pays tribute to the cinematographer killed in a freak on-set accident

Anyone who loved Halyna Hutchins expected her to become a name. At 42, Hutchins had worked her way from photojournalism to cinematography, building an impressive portfolio that was beginning to court attention in Hollywood. Her work alone attracted Joel Souza, a writer-director, who hired her in 2021 to be his director of photography for a new western called Rust, to film in Santa Fe that October. “She absolutely would have become a household name as a cinematographer,” said Rachel Mason, one of Hutchins’s close friends and the director of the new Hulu documentary Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna. “Anyone who knew her had absolutely no doubt she was going to be on the highest level, winning awards, becoming well-known for that.”

Hutchins didn’t get the chance. Instead, she became a household name in death, after a weapon actor Alec Baldwin was holding accidentally discharged during filming, which unbeknownst to him, was loaded with live rounds. A bullet from the prop revolver passed through Hutchins, who was leaning in close directing the camera, and lodged in Souza’s shoulder. Souza was hospitalized and recovered.

The anarchic Barça goalkeeper may not be an idealised athlete but he is writing an extraordinary closing chapter to his career

Accounts differ on just how late Iñaki Peña was to that team meeting in Jeddah. Some reports say two minutes; some go as high as four. Either way, Hansi Flick is nothing if not a coach of fine margins, and by such fine margins was Peña summarily dropped for the Supercopa semi‑final against Athletic Club in January. His replacement: Barcelona’s third goalkeeper, a 34‑year‑old smoker by the name of Wojciech Szczesny.

I think it matters that Szczesny smokes. Not because smoking is cool, which any eye-rolling Gen Z will tell you is no longer actually true, but because there is the idea here of competing motivations: of instant versus delayed gratification, of compromise in a sport that brooks none. The bible of modern football reads: your body is your work. Hone it. Optimise every detail. Squeeze out every last drop of capital it has to offer. Szczesny responds by blowing a cloud of Marlboro Light right in your passive face.

I used to struggle with living alone, but now I’m thriving. Should I give it all up?

My boyfriend and I are in our late 50s. He never married and doesn’t have kids, while I am divorced with two grown-up children. We each have our own place near to each other but he very much wants us to move in together. I am reluctant and feel guilty about it because I, too, was initially keen to do so. It was very difficult to find myself alone after my marriage broke up – I felt like a cast-off, a failure, and feared I wouldn’t cope financially. Now, 15 years down the line, I am very content because not only have I coped, I have thrived. I have a happy social life, enjoy my work and am part of a community. I also love – need even – my own space and time alone. Although my partner and I enjoy our time together, some issues that I can live with for a couple of evenings a week would be a burden to me on a 24/7 basis. For instance, he has a big dog who sleeps in the bedroom and interrupts every cuddle, making intimacy awkward and rare. I have tried talking about these issues, but he won’t engage. What can I do? I fear I’ll lose him if I tell him I don’t want us to move in together.

Why would you even consider jeopardising the self-sufficient life you have worked hard to achieve? You already know it would not work. It sounds as though he would have to step up a long way to be worthy of sharing your life, so you could tell him that – without making any promises. He is going to try to cajole you because he wants an easy life on his own terms, but what would you get out of it? Sometimes people think the availability of regular sex in a shared location is highly desirable, but it can come at far too high a price. You know what you want. Stay strong. Say a quiet “no” as one does to a whiny child, and even be prepared to lose him with a great plan B.

Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders.

If you would like advice from Pamela on sexual matters, send us a brief description of your concerns to private.lives@theguardian.com (please don’t send attachments). Each week, Pamela chooses one problem to answer, which will be published online. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions.

Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.

Dried fruit three ways: a celebratory stunner of fish pilaf with green tahini sauce, a spicy apricot chicken traybake for weeknight show-offs, and a heady date and ginger cake for pudding

As well as condiments, legumes, rice and pasta, I always have dried fruit in my pantry. While they’re great to nibble on, mixed with toasted nuts and seeds for a moreish trail mix, at this time of year, when pickings are sparse, they bring a concentrated, jammy decadence to savoury and sweet things alike. Raisins, sultanas, currants and barberries add a sweet surprise to rice dishes, and to fillings for filo pies or spicy sausage rolls; apricots, prunes and figs bring a honeyed sweetness to roast meat, while sticky dates add a sublime fudginess to cakes.

After Trump’s vow to take over Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, pro-independence voices are growing louder. Ukrainian photographer Evgeny Maloletka visited the strategically important Arctic island to check the mood before elections on Tuesday

Economic uncertainty and polarisation are a potent cocktail that extremist politicians such as Cǎlin Georgescu thrive on

In a forest outside Bucharest, a woman cradled her infant in one arm while raising the other in a Nazi salute. She was one of about 70 people who gathered on 30 November last year to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, a leader of Romania’s interwar fascist Legionary Movement and head of its paramilitary wing, the Iron Guard.

Codreanu and his ally, Ion Antonescu – Romania’s virulently antisemitic wartime dictator – were central figures in the country’s Holocaust history. Codreanu was assassinated in 1938 and Antonescu was executed as a war criminal in 1946.

• Test coach may be afforded time off before the Ashes
• Andrew Flintoff currently with England Lions

Andrew Flintoff has been earmarked as a potential caretaker coach of the England senior white-ball teams this year if Brendon McCullum requires a break before the Ashes.

The England Test coach took over the national limited-overs sides two months ago in a new dual role but, given the gruelling schedule, McCullum may be given the option to miss some series, particularly as his family remain based in New Zealand.

Hardluck lecturer Dinklage stands to receive a mansion from rich widow Shirley MacLaine in underpowered comedy

This low-key oddity has the potential for some proper horsepower given the odd but intriguing casting of Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine, but it never manages to build up much comic or dramatic speed – much like Dinklage’s electric scooter, his main mode of transport throughout. The film feels ill-considered somehow, like one of the half-sketched fantasies that Dinklage’s protagonist, a university lecturer named Phil, often indulges in, such as imagining a pair of identical twins (Rebecca Olson) are his sister wives ready to minister to his every need. There’s a reason why it’s best not to know other people’s dreams.

Phil’s other big desire is to own a proper home instead of the shabby condo he rents near the lesser-level Massachusetts college where he teaches cultural economics. One day Phil finds a deal that looks too good to be true. If he buys a granny flat inside the sprawling mansion occupied by eccentric widow Astrid (Shirley MacLaine on sparky form) as a live-in, he will inherit the full $5m spread when she dies. Advised to go for it his by his greasy friend/realtor Dell (Matt Dillon), Phil scrapes together every bit of cash he can and moves in. There are a number of baffling strings attached, of course, including hangers-on who may or may not be Astrid’s children; one of whom, Maggie (Kimberly Quinn), is a lawyer specialising in probate, so she’s naturally keeping a close eye on things. Nevertheless, like nearly every woman in the film, she eventually falls into bed with him, unable to resist that rumbling voice and languid charisma.

A woman is confined to the attic by her mother in a thrillingly told novel that revels in squalor

Heather Parry’s Carrion Crow sets out its stall magnificently from the off, throwing the reader right into the deep end of a claustrophobic gothic grotesque. It catalogues one young woman’s steady descent into incarcerated madness, becoming, as it goes, exponentially unsettling and increasingly stomach-churning.

Marguerite Périgord lives a stone’s throw from the “shit-stink” of the River Thames in Victorian London with her family in a crumbling house that once was grand, but is no more. She has been confined to the attic, the sinister opening lines convey, “for the sake of her wellbeing. That’s what her mother had said.”

Athiak Dau Riak was traditionally married for a record bride price last year, despite her mother’s insistence that she was only 14, which led to threats of reprisals

The mother of an alleged child bride has left a safe house in South Sudan to travel to be with her daughter after discovering the teenager is pregnant.

Deborah Kuir Yach made headlines last year when she opposed a competition for her daughter’s hand in marriage, insisting that her child Athiak Dau Riak was only 14. Fear of reprisals from her husband and family forced her to leave her home in the capital, Juba, and go into hiding.

There are plenty of ways to save money when travelling. Follow these tips and the world is your oyster, for longer

From staying with locals and sleeping in a hammock to clubbing together with other travellers, there are plenty of ways to save money while backpacking.

It might be 21 years since my first backpacking adventure – a 15-month trip that included travelling overland across parts of south-east Asia and working in Sydney – but fast forward to today, and here I am with an even larger backpack and making my way from Mexico to New York by bus for six months.

Stripped back iPhone offers latest chips, AI and longer battery life, but with only a single camera on the back

Apple’s cheapest new smartphone is the iPhone 16e, which offers the basic modern iPhone experience including the latest chips and AI features but for a little less than its other models.

The iPhone 16e costs £599 (€699/$599/A$999) and is the spiritual successor to the iPhone SE line. Where the iPhone SE still had the old-school chunky design with home button, the 16e has the body of the iPhone 14 with the chips of the £799 iPhone 16.

In his seven years as Bank of England governor, Carney was charming and self-confident but had a volcanic temper

Smart, smooth, tough and a liberal globalist to the ends of his fingertips. That was how Mark Carney came across in his near seven-year stint as governor of the Bank of England. Judging by how he ran the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, Donald Trump should not expect too much flattery from Canada’s new prime minister.

Quite the opposite, in fact. From the moment he took over as governor from Mervyn King in 2013, it was clear Carney considered himself to be the smartest man in the room and wanted to make sure everybody knew it. He was not a man to suffer fools gladly, so the scene is set for a mighty clash of egos when prime minister meets president.

Icons such as Tina Turner and Jerry Hall brought zinging colour to the iconic photographer’s work during the decade of decadence, but his intimate family shots captured a tenderness, too

The president has slashed $400m in funding from Columbia University. He wants to stifle criticism of Israel – but the real target is dissent

For those who fear Donald Trump is a despot in the making, don’t worry: he has an answer. “I’ve stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America,” he triumphantly declared in his State of the Union address. “It’s back!” JD Vance scolded Europe in his speech at the Munich security conference last month, declaring that “free speech is in retreat” across the continent.

Like all authoritarian creeds, Trumpism turns reality on its head and empties words of their meaning in an effort to sow confusion and disarray among its critics. On the same day Trump announced the revival of free speech in Congress, he posted on Truth Social that federal funding for educational institutions that allow “illegal protests” will be ceased. Notably, illegality was not defined, but the issue Trump is referring to, of course, is Palestine. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came,” he declared. “American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS!”

Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist

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Air defences engaged in repelling Russian attack on Ukrainian capital; Zelenskyy says ‘significant’ part of talks in Saudi Arabia will concern security guarantees

Budding coach talks role models, marathon running and the excellence of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly

If there are nerves when Jack Wilshere walks into the room and sits behind the table emblazoned with the England logo, they are not evident.

The 33-year-old has been in press conference rooms many times as a player, but as a head coach it is an alien proposition. He is at St George’s Park and is part of a cohort of 25 on the Uefa Pro Licence course who are briefed on a fictional scenario they might face as a head coach before they take a seat in front of a small group of journalists to be brutally grilled on it. The process is a little extreme and not entirely true to life, but it is designed to put them under pressure and test the media skills they have learned that day.

As Cate Blanchett steps out of the shadows in her latest role as a spy, she opens up about activism, marital secrets and finding pleasure in life. Read the full article here

With 80% of 10-year-olds unable to read for meaning, the government is prioritising literacy and numeracy among pre-school pupils as it tackles its education problems

When she noticed children hanging around with nothing to do after school in the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto in 2016, Faith Nedoboni decided to start an after-school programme. But as she helped them with their homework, she realised many, some as old as 13, were struggling to read and write.

Nedoboni, a 57-year-old single mother of three adult children, had never been a teacher. But she was an entrepreneur, first taking over her father’s restaurant and grocery store business after his death and then also selling secondhand clothes.

Checkpoints backed by education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, follow complaints from teachers of children arriving in nappies

Toilet training and the ability to use cutlery are two key checkpoints in a new list of “school-readiness” skills developed by a coalition of early-years educators and endorsed by Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary.

The group said the guidance was the first of its type, intended to help parents to prepare children starting in reception classes in England from the age of four and came after complaints from teachers of children arriving at school in nappies, lacking basic skills and unable to play with others.

Campaigners to argue in court of appeal that plan is not in public interest and special administration is best option

Environmental campaigners will challenge the granting of a high-interest £3bn emergency loan to struggling Thames Water at an appeal on Tuesday, arguing the “eye-watering” costs for a short-term fix are not in the public interest.

With protests planned outside the court of appeal, Charlie Maynard, a Liberal Democrat MP who represents the campaigners, will argue in a three-day hearing that the public and consumer interest is not served by the debt package, which comes with a bill of almost £1bn in interest payments and financial adviser fees.

Tributes have been paid to singer who had a string of hits in South Korea including a cover of Craig David’s Insomnia

The South Korean singer Wheesung has died aged 43, with police reportedly planning to conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death.

The singer, whose name was Choi Whee-sung, was found unconscious in his apartment on Monday night by emergency responders after his mother called for help, local media reported.

Tetrodotoxin immobilises the female – who is about two to five times bigger than the male – so mating can occur, researchers observed

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Male blue-lined octopuses inject females with venom during sex, paralysing their larger mates to avoid being eaten, new research has found.

The blue-lined octopus is a tiny, highly dangerous cephalopod found commonly in shallow reefs and tide pools.

Each year, hundreds of potentially world-changing treatments are discarded because scientists run out of cash. But where big pharma or altruists fear to tread, my friend and I have a solution. It’s repugnant, but it will work

Twenty miles outside Geneva, beneath the towering magnificence of a mountain called the Rock of Hell, is a long, pleasant road that runs past the Brocher mansion. Set in acres of gentle lawns and specimen trees, on the edge of the medieval village of Hermance, it is a blissful place. My friend Dominic Nutt and I have been trying to break in for years.

La Fondation Brocher is the world’s leading institute for research into “the ethical, social and legal implications of new medical developments”. It’s the bioethics equivalent of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton: only the admin staff and the cleaners are permanently employed here; academic fellowships last a maximum of four months. Billions of pounds’ worth of pharmaceuticals are influenced by the scholarly judgments that emerge from this idyllic lakeside building. Dom and I want to force entry because we’re advocates for patients, and we think we’ve solved a small corner of a major problem that’s holding back the discovery of new medicines. The trouble is, neither of us has a PhD – and in the rarefied world of academic medical ethics, that matters.

Symon Hill paid £2,500 by Thames Valley police over his arrest at proclamation of Charles III’s accession in 2022

Police have admitted acting unlawfully in arresting a trainee Baptist minister who called out “Who elected him?” at a local proclamation of the accession of King Charles III.

After a two-and-a-half-year battle, Symon Hill, 47, has been paid £2,500 in compensation from Thames Valley police over his arrest in September 2022.

British comedian Dave Gorman joins Grace for another scrumptious helping of Comfort Eating. Across the noughties, Dave took the British comedy scene by storm, and is known for taking the mundane, adding some sparkle and creating an Edinburgh festival fringe show, a UK tour and a book. Now he is back with a reboot of Dave Gorman: Modern Life is Goodish. Dave recounts how his hero comedian Frank Skinner gave him his big break; how fish and chips equals celebration; and what he munches on to fuel his frequent all-night writing sessions

New episodes of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will be released every Tuesday

MPs prepare to debate a motion of confidence that looks likely to topple centre-right government

Portugal is bracing for its third snap general election in as many years as MPs prepare to debate a motion of confidence that looks set to topple the centre-right government and trigger a return to the polls in May.

Luís Montenegro, the prime minister, who heads the Democratic Alliance (AD) platform that has governed Portugal since its narrow victory in last year’s election, called the vote of confidence, which is due to take place on Tuesday, in response to growing questions over his family’s business activities.

Amid aggressive interest from US president Trump and growing calls for independence ahead of polls, outcome will have far-reaching repercussions

• Greenland prepares to vote amid Trump interest – in pictures

Greenland goes to the polls on Tuesday in what could be the most consequential election of the Arctic island’s history.

With an electorate of approximately 40,000 – of a population of 57,000 – the margins are small.

An ugly fight has ripped through Galloway in south-west Scotland, with rival campaigns complaining of dirty tricks and murky finances. How could the mere possibility of a new national park stir up so much ill will?

As soon as the green fields of Galloway, in south-west Scotland, were selected as the preferred site for Britain’s first new national park in 15 years, Denise Brownlee sprang into action. The 64-year-old retired civil servant had served two seasons as a park ranger in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and knew a thing or two about the chaos brought by thoughtless day-trippers and campers. “The detritus!” she says. “I’ve seen a two-man tent used as a human litter tray. You think dog poo on the pavement is bad? Try wandering up any remote little area in a national park. Your faith in humankind gets lost.”

In July, Galloway was chosen as the frontrunner from a shortlist of five areas as part of the Scottish government’s pledge to designate at least one new national park – the country’s third – by 2026. The park’s creation, however, is by no means assured. The other areas in the running had faced varying degrees of opposition (especially Lochaber in the west Highlands), but no one could have predicted the ugly fight that was to tear through one of Scotland’s most picturesque regions, rip apart friendships and turn neighbours against each other.

Defence, the Palestinians and Irish-American trade will all be on the agenda as Micheál Martin heads to Washington

St Patrick’s Day has long been one of the sacred moments of the Irish-American calendar with more than 200 years of parades in New York and a shamrock reception at the White House launched by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 to cement political ties between the two nations.

But this year’s annual meeting between the taoiseach and the US president, a week early because of a congressional recess on 17 March, is laden with anxiety over the future of Ireland’s economy, which is heavily reliant on US multinationals Donald Trump wants to repatriate.

The Mars we know now is arid and dusty, with punishing radiation levels. But, as science correspondent Nicola Davis tells Madeleine Finlay, two new studies add weight to the idea that billions of years ago the red planet was a much wetter place. Nicola explains why researchers now think it was once home to sandy beaches, what a study looking into the type of rust on the planet has revealed about its damp past, and what all this might tell us about the former habitability of Mars

Mars once had an ocean with sandy beaches, researchers say

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Annual survey by IQAir based on toxic PM2.5 particles reveals some progress in pollution levels in India and China

Nearly every country on Earth has dirtier air than doctors recommend breathing, a report has found.

Only seven countries met the World Health Organization’s guidelines for tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 last year, according to analysis from the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.

Duterte is wanted by the international criminal court over his so-called ‘war on drugs’, which rights groups say left 30,000 people dead

The former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been taken into custody after the international criminal court issued a warrant for his arrest for his so-called “war on drugs”.

The former leader, who will turn 80 this month, is accused by ICC prosecutors of crimes against humanity over his anti-drugs crackdowns, in which as many as 30,000 people were killed. Most of the victims were men in poor, urban areas, who were gunned down in the streets.

New book by spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism will raise the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of Tibet

The Dalai Lama’s successor will be born outside China, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism says in a new book, raising the stakes in a dispute with Beijing over control of the Himalayan region he fled more than six decades ago.

Tibetans worldwide want the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue after the 89-year-old’s death, he writes in Voice for the Voiceless, which was reviewed by Reuters and is being released on Tuesday.

The EU has announced an unprecedented new defence drive – but will it be enough to deter Russia? Jon Henley reports

On Thursday, after the US decided to halt military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, European leaders in Brussels agreed to a massive and unprecedented increase in defence spending.

The Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, explains to Michael Safi that this €800bn fund marks a new era for the union and will mean tearing up fiscal rules to loosen borrowing.

From cries of ‘McCarthyism’ over Palestinian activist’s detention to fears over a ‘Trumpcession’ – key US politics stories from Monday at a glance

The Trump administration’s decision to have immigration authorities arrest pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil for alleged support of Hamas is an attack on free speech, the American Civil Liberties Union warned on Monday.

“This arrest is unprecedented, illegal, and un-American,” said Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

Health secretary accuses food companies of ‘exploiting loophole’ over food safety and urges greater transparency

The US secretary of health and human services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has directed the Food and Drug Administration to revise safety rules to help eliminate a provision that allows companies to self-affirm that food ingredients are safe.

The move would increase transparency for consumers as well as the FDA’s oversight of food ingredients considered to be safe, Kennedy said on Monday.

Police say they believed soon after the caravan’s discovery in January that it was a ‘con job’, alleging it was fabricated by criminals for personal benefit

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The discovery of a caravan packed with explosives earlier this year led to concerns about a possible terrorism attack, criticism of the police and media, and a fierce political debate about the federal government’s response to antisemitism.

On Monday, Australian police said the caravan was part of a “fake terrorism plot” allegedly orchestrated by organised criminals for personal gain.

• Briton trails 4-1 in first set but roars back to win 7-5, 6-4
• Jamie Murray ‘proud’ after reaching doubles milestone

Jack Draper survived a scare to defeat Jenson Brooksby 7-5, 6-4 and book his place in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells for the second time in his career.

The British No 1 trailed 4-1 in the first set against the world No 937 but a rare moment of frustration inspired his fightback to claim victory in two sets. Trailing 4-2 and on the Brooksby serve, Draper threw his racket to the floor but followed his outburst by winning the next three points as he clawed his way back into the match.

Agreement recognises Kurdish rights as president Ahmed al-Sharaa seeks to achieve nationwide ceasefire

Syria’s government has reached a deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls the north-east of the country to integrate the group into the national army and achieve a nationwide ceasefire.

The agreement will place the north-east under Syrian government control for the first time since the Kurdish-led authority gained autonomy of the region in 2012 during the civil war..

They prefer to carry branches in their teeth, like dogs. And when they swim, they hold their front paws to their chests, like a severe governess in a Victorian novel

The heads of beavers, large rodents known for building dams, are their own kind of highly complex dam structure, with various retractable walls that let water in or keep it out. They can close valves in their nostrils and ears and a special membrane over their eyes; their epiglottis, the flap that stops water entering the lungs, is inside their nose instead of their throat; they use their tongue to shield their throats from water; and their lips to shield their mouths – their lips can close behind their front teeth. Their teeth are rust-orange, because they are strengthened with iron.

Their back feet are webbed like a duck’s; on land, their front feet act like hands, digging, grasping and carrying things from the riverbed to the surface – rocks, for example, tucked under their chins and cradled by their arms. When they swim, they do so while holding their front paws to their chests, like a severe governess in a Victorian novel, or a child pretending to be a rabbit. They prefer to carry branches in their teeth, like dogs. The biggest beavers weigh 50kg.

As boats will sometimes lie along the shore,
with part of them on land and part in water,
and just as there [...]

the beaver sets himself when he means war,
so did that squalid beast lie on the margin
of stone that serves as border for the sand.

This was Newcastle United dealing with a routine chore with maximum efficiency. The exciting stuff, they hope, comes when they return to London with hopes of ending their long wait for silverware this weekend. The Carabao Cup final approaches and, for all that this performance will not have sent a shiver down Liverpool’s spine, Eddie Howe was entitled to dwell on the positives after his side boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification with a professional victory over West Ham.

It was vital that spirits were lifted after last week’s exit from the FA Cup was compounded by a handful of key players being ruled out against Liverpool. That made the avoidance of further injuries highly welcome, while a first clean sheet in over a month was satisfying before Newcastle plot how to keep Mohamed Salah quiet. Howe, though, will not get carried away. Liverpool will pose far more questions than a limited, cautious West Ham attack managed here. Newcastle, who were clearly holding back at times, did not have to do much beyond wait for Bruno Guimarães to score the goal that lifted them two points off fourth place.

Policy would apply to those seeking asylum as well as anyone who had been charged with or convicted of immigration offences

All foreign nationals in the UK who receive a criminal conviction would be deported under a new Conservative party policy. The Tory plan would introduce an amendment to the government’s borders bill that would remove the current threshold, in which foreign criminals are only removed after being handed a prison sentence of one year.

The party hopes this amendment, which would need support from Labour MPs, would also make it easier for the government to deport foreign offenders by ending exceptions that had been granted by the European court of human rights.

Foreign minister says legalisation of main ingredient of cocaine is only way to stop drug trafficking and violence

Colombia, whose president, Gustavo Petro, is a vocal critic of the US-led war on drugs, has urged the UN to remove coca – the main ingredient in cocaine – from a list of harmful substances.

Used not only for cocaine, the coca leaf is also chewed as a stimulant in countries such as Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, or brewed into a tea thought to combat altitude sickness.

Judge denies Edward Kelley’s motion to dismiss separate charges of plotting to kill federal agents investigating him

A man pardoned by Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 insurrection who also was convicted of plotting to kill federal agents investigating him is still legally liable for the plot, a judge ruled on Monday.

Edward Kelley was pardoned by the president for his role in the US Capitol riot, but he remained in prison on separate charges. The Tennessee man had developed a “kill list” of FBI agents who had investigated him for the Capitol attack.

Latest medical update for 88-year-old pontiff said he was responding well to treatment in hospital

Pope Francis is no longer in immediate danger and is responding well to treatment in hospital, the Vatican has said, in a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff continues his recovery from double pneumonia.

Francis has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital for more than three weeks. He was admitted on 14 February with a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment.

• Co-owner backs Ruben Amorim to stay for ‘long time’
• He admits not sacking Erik ten Hag in summer was error

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has launched a blistering attack on Manchester United players, stating some are “not good enough” and “overpaid”, referencing Casemiro, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Højlund and André Onana when doing so.

In a series of interviews, Ratcliffe, the club’s co-owner, also said that Ruben Amorim would be the head coach for a “long time”, and admitted that not sacking Erik ten Hag last summer was an error.

Very public squabble between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe has been a joy to witness – even if predictable

These past few weeks have been grim. The world hasn’t felt less safe in decades. European leaders desperately scrabbling to secure a peace in Ukraine that isn’t a capitulation to Russia. A US manchild president who is giving a convincing impression of a Russian asset. Vladimir Putin struggling to believe his good fortune.

So a big thank you to Reform for providing so much comic relief. Never has the UK needed a good laugh more than now. Which isn’t to say that the very public squabble between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe was in any way unexpected. Given enough time away from dissecting the niceties of the Nazi salute – these things matter to supporters of Reform. Strictly arm out to the front, not the side – Nige can usually manage to fall out with anyone. Apart from Richard Tice. Dicky only exists as an echo to Farage. Without a mind of his own. His tragedy has been to be born a man of limited intellect and charisma.

Billionaire owner claims ‘attack’ may have originated in Ukraine after site unresponsive for many users

Elon Musk claimed on Monday afternoon that X was targeted in a “massive cyber-attack” that resulted in the intermittent service outages that had brought down his social network throughout the day. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, had been unresponsive for many users as posts failed to load.

“We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources,” the platform’s CEO posted. “Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.”

Sue Perkins does her best presenting this show that pits embarrassingly named stars like the Unruly Knight and the Chess Princess against each other … but even she can’t get around the fact that chess is the least telegenic thing ever

Appropriately enough, I suppose, what Chess Masters: The Endgame is doing in the television schedules is a bit of a puzzle. The Queen’s Gambit, the adaptation of Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel about a chess prodigy that became an unexpected hit for Netflix, made a star out of Anya Taylor-Joy and brought the game to wider public attention. But that was five years ago. The flurry of interest it roused in the subject has long since fallen back to normal levels. Chess Masters has no moment to capitalise on, except for what it assures us is “Britain’s booming chess community”, 12 of whose “rising stars” compete over eight episodes to, well, beat the other 11 at chess.

This has clearly presented the producers of the show with a number of problems, none of which has been successfully solved. There is the question of how you make an essentially silent, cerebral game telegenic and accessible. They have hired a presenter with glasses to acknowledge the intellectualism of the pursuit, but made it Sue Perkins to try to give warm, Bake Off vibes too. But it is still inescapably people frowning over an abstract strategy board game, not constructing model cities out of profiteroles or coaxing clouds of pistachio and rose-flavoured cakes out of the oven like culinary gods.

Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq and Nikkei all down by at least 2% and Tesla shares fall 15% for worst day since September 2020

Global stock markets have continued to fall amid fears that a wide-ranging trade war could dent US economic growth and result in a recession, even as the White House has denied that Trump’s trade policies are causing lasting chaos.

The S&P 500 fell 2.7%, the Dow Jones dropped 2%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 4% on Monday as investors sold shares in the so-called “magnificent seven” – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla. Tesla’s shares had their worst day since September 2020, falling 15%.