Edward Brandt sentenced to 20 weeks in prison after behaviour left Tory peer ‘in fear of sexual violence’
A former councillor has been jailed for 20 weeks after stalking Penny Mordaunt, which the former Cabinet minister said left her fearing “sexual violence”.
Edward Brandt, a professional sailor, had been found guilty of the offence but was acquitted of a more serious charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.
Actor held without bond in New Mexico on child abuse charges stemming from twin brothers’ complaint
With allegations of prior sexual misconduct against him continuing to mount, Timothy Busfield received an expression of support from his wife and fellow actor, Melissa Gilbert – as he was also ordered held without bond in connection with on-set child abuse charges in New Mexico.
A statement that a representative for Gilbert, known best for her work on Little House on the Prairie, shared with media outlets said she “supports her husband” and was keeping “her focus … on supporting and caring for their … family, as they navigate this moment”.
US bombs are not the answer, but there’s much the outside world can do – starting with noticing the horror unfolding in Tehran
Did you notice history being made this week? I am not referring to what may have been the most pathetic moment in recorded time – Donald Trump gratefully taking the Nobel peace prize medal from the woman who actually won it – nor the defection of a politician from one British rightwing party to another, but something grimmer. For this week witnessed what could well prove to be a landmark chapter in the blood-soaked history of the Middle East.
Thanks to an information blackout caused by Tehran’s decision to switch off the internet, it is hard to be precise about what just happened on the streets of Iran. But one official has admitted to a death toll of 2,000. CBS News put the number of dead at 12,000, while some warn it could be many thousands more – all of them Iranian civilians, gunned down for daring to protest against their government and to demand a better life.
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Woman who paired Buckley with Paul Mescal in critics’ favourite is contender in new Academy Award category
If you were to compile a list of the most powerful people in the movie business, you might start with the auteurs, the A-list actors or the execs who bankroll Oscar-winning projects.
But among those better-known powerbrokers is another vital cog in the Hollywood machine: the people with the ability to make and grow stars.
Trump continues to claim, baselessly, that people protesting against federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis are ‘highly paid professionals’
Trump began his remarks today by undermining the Affordable Care Act, and touted his newly unveiled “Great Healthcare Plan”.
A reminder that Affordable Care Act subsidies, that were extended during the Covid pandemic, expired at the end of last year, and legislation to revive them has stalled in Congress.
Company says TB testing carried out as ‘precaution’ after small number of workers contracted lung disease
Amazon is testing workers at its Coventry warehouse for tuberculosis amid fears it is at the centre of an outbreak of the lung disease.
A handful of workers from the site were found to have contagious tuberculosis (TB) last year, prompting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to begin running a screening programme in September.
New incident reports from the Minneapolis police and fire departments, along with transcripts of 911 calls, provide new details about the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good last week in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
According to a Minneapolis fire department incident report obtained by the Guardian, along with police records and 911 transcripts, paramedics arrived at the scene at about 9.42am on 7 January and found Good “unresponsive” in the driver’s seat of her car, “with blood on her face and torso”.
The Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has presented her Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, saying it was a recognition of his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom.
The gesture came after Machado was unexpectedly sidelined by Trump after US forces abducted Nicolás Maduro.
Lucy Hough speaks to the US live news editor, Chris Michael
Laila Cunningham accused of endangering Muslims after saying: ‘If you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a criminal reason’
Reform UK’s mayoral candidate for London has been accused of endangering Muslims after she said women wearing the burqa should be subject to stop and search.
Laila Cunningham, who was announced as Reform’s candidate for the 2028 mayoral elections last week, said no one should cover their face “in an open society”, adding: “It has to be assumed that if you’re hiding your face, you’re hiding it for a criminal reason.”
Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plan to annex Greenland, increasing pressure on European allies who have opposed his effort to take over the Arctic territory.
After a tense week in which Nato allies deployed troops to the largely autonomous territory, which is part of the Danish kingdom, the US president announced he might punish countries that do not support his plans to take over Greenland, using force if necessary.
Brentford’s record-breaking Brazilian has overcome a torrid childhood, racism and injuries – but is dreaming of Brazil’s No 9 shirt at the World Cup
Igor Thiago had dreams that seemed impossible. His impoverished childhood and the early death of his father forced him to grow up fast while still a teenager. To eat, he had to start working as a child. He was a bricklayer’s assistant, a fruit carrier at the market and a car washer … so many jobs that could have prevented him from becoming the Brazilian to make Premier League history with the most goals in a single season.
Igor Thiago has 16 goals in 21 games for Brentford. There are still 17 more matches to go, the first against Chelsea on Saturday, but he has already surpassed such Brazilian luminaries as Roberto Firmino, Matheus Cunha and Gabriel Martinelli, all of whom scored 15 league goals in their most prolific season. How to describe this turnaround in his life? Igor Thiago has an easy explanation. “I would describe it as a lot of hard work. I think that everything God has planned for my life, has given me this year at Brentford, is something I hadn’t experienced yet in my career,” he says.
Irishman fell out with Lisa Carrick after 2014 criticism
‘It is the way of the world,’ says new interim head coach
Michael Carrick has shrugged off Roy Keane’s jibe regarding his wife “probably doing the team talk” at Manchester United by claiming it does not bother him.
Keane made the comment about Lisa Carrick after the 44-year-old’s appointment as United head coach until the end of the season. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the Irishman was responding to Jamie Carragher’s comment that United should not have employed Carrick in the role. “Well, his wife can always come in because she’s got a bit of a big mouth sometimes. She’s probably doing the team talk,” Keane said.
Brilliant display of potting cements smooth success
Neil Robertson v Kyren Wilson to come later on Friday
Wu Yize booked his place in the semi-finals of the Masters with a brilliant display of potting to thrash an underperforming Xiao Guodong 6-0 at Alexandra Palace.
The young Chinese player got off to a flying start with breaks of 112, 93 and 60 as he raced into a clear 4-0 lead at the mid-session break over his countryman, who could not reproduce the form that saw him see off Mark Selby 6-2 in the first round.
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing federal immigration authorities in Minnesota of racial profiling and unlawful arrests.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations reaches its big finale in 2026 on Sunday, having rolled on through the annual festive time warp, outlasting Enzo Maresca, Ruben Amorim and Ryan Mason Xabi Alonso. Some Premier League teams will have played games in four different competitions by the time they welcome their players home. Wedged into the domestic calendar’s most crowded months, Afcon can get overlooked and more’s the pity, because the 2025-26 tournament has been a vintage edition. The group stage may have lacked big surprises but was still packed with late twists, ridiculous goals and dramatic storylines. Two different coaches named Cameroon squads amid a pre-tournament power struggle; their first opponents, Gabon, were disbanded by their government after going out early (a decision quietly reversed this week). Sudan and Mozambique earned historic victories, bringing light to fans suffering through conflict. We were introduced to Kuka Mboladinga, the sharply-dressed, statuesque DR Congo fan who we all hope will make it to next summer’s Geopolitics World Cup.
Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. When will the Football League realise that a one-legged Carling Cup semi-final tie at a neutral (non-Wembley) ground would be mint?” – Francis Fowles.
After turning Manchester United into a joke in record time, Big Sir Jim’s now providing moral support for his players (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). How about support for the supporters, starting with profuse apologies?” – JJ Zucal.
I read Kachilapo Mulongoti’s letter (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) with great interest, complaining about the ‘many jokes’ in the publication. As a long-time subscriber, I fear I’ve been reading a different tea-timely football-related email. There’s a version with jokes? Please sign me up” – Mike Wilner (and 1,056 others).
Positioning one letter starting with the word ‘congratulations’ after another signed off from Harry Webb (yesterday’s letters)? And on the day when you’re certain to be bombarded with 1,057 letters asking where the jokes are? Chapeau” – Tim Grey.
Oliver Glasner has confirmed he will leave Crystal Palace at the end of this season, having informed the chair, Steve Parish, in October that he wanted a new challenge, and said the captain, Marc Guéhi, is on the verge of joining Manchester City.
The Austrian, who led Palace to their first major trophy when they won the FA Cup last season, is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks. Glasner said last week he was planning further talks with Parish to resolve his future but revealed in the buildup to Palace’s game at Sunderland on Saturday that he would be leaving the club.
Experts say central banks are increasingly stuffing their vaults as an insurance policy in a volatile world
Fifteen minutes after takeoff, the call came for Serbia’s central bank governor: millions of dollars’ worth of gold bars, destined for a high-security Belgrade vault, had been left on the runway of a Swiss airport.
In air freight – despite the extraordinary value of bullion – fresh flowers, food and other perishables still take priority. “We learned this the hard way,” Jorgovanka Tabaković told a conference late last year.
Craig Guildford’s retirement comes after inquiry found force used ‘exaggerated and untrue’ intelligence to justify ban
Craig Guildford has announced his retirement as chief constable of West Midlands police, after an official inquiry found his force used “exaggerated and untrue” intelligence to justify a ban on fans of an Israeli football team.
The pressure on one of Britain’s most senior chief constables had been intense after the basis for his force’s claims about the ban unravelled and the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she had no confidence in him.
Donald Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said he expects there is “nothing to see here” as the US Department of Justice pursues its criminal investigation of Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair.
The Trump administration has faced a chorus of criticism in recent days after it emerged that the justice department had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas, in a significant escalation of its extraordinary attack on the US central bank’s independence.
Portland Communications, founded by Keir Starmer’s communications chief, linked to so-called ‘black hat’ edits
A high-profile PR company founded by Keir Starmer’s communications chief has been accused of commissioning changes to Wikipedia pages to make them more favourable towards clients.
Portland Communications, founded by Tim Allan, has been linked to the so-called “black hat” edits, sometimes called “Wikilaundering”. Several changes were made to Wikipedia pages by a network of editors, allegedly controlled by a contractor working on Portland’s behalf.
The BBC could soon make programmes for YouTube, after being put under pressure to produce more content on the increasingly dominant digital platform.
The corporation would begin making some content released first on the platform under proposals that could be announced as soon as next week as it seeks to reach younger viewers, who are the heaviest users of YouTube.
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