(Sacred Bones) The Manchester/Berlin band’s second album refines their industrial-club sound, as physical and hyper-detailed as being dragged under by a wave and admiring the flotsam Mandy, Indiana are not a band inclined to make life easy for themselves. They wanted to record their debut album, 2023’s I’ve Seen a Way, in a Peak District cave known as the Devil’s Arse, although budget restrictions meant they had to settle for one day in Somerset’s Wookey Hole caverns. The Manchester/Berlin-based four-piece’s new album, Urgh, was written in what they’ve called “an intense residency at an eerie studio house” near Leeds; at the time, singer Valentine Caulfield and drummer Alex Macdougall were both undergoing multiple rounds of surgery. Given the industrial, siren-like intensity of their music, in which Caulfield chants about personal and societal horrors in her native French, impounding themselves in such a place might have seemed unnecessarily masochistic. Mandy, Indiana seem to feel a moral imperative to embrace extremes. Caulfield has often reiterated her (accurate) stance that “if you’re not angry, then you’re not paying attention”; her incantatory lyrics to new song Dodecahedron indict complacency in the face of a burning world. Given the grievous state of things, the band’s short-circuiting assault may hold about as much appeal for some listeners as sticking your fingers in a live socket – but for those inclined to catharsis, they also fully understand the imperative to push beyond merely observing injustice to viscerally embody its head-spinning force. Otherwise, what’s the point? Continue reading...

Experts say Tom Homan’s charge, replacing Greg Bovino’s aggressive tactics, may change the tone, but not the mission In his clearest attempt yet to “de‑escalate” tensions in Minneapolis, Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s “border czar”, announced on Wednesday that the administration will draw down 700 federal immigration officers as the statewide crackdown continues. The Twin Cities remain on edge, waiting to see whether the fear will ease. Continue reading...

The president’s policies have weakened the US’s competitive position and undermined its alliances to China’s advantage If Donald Trump’s presidency has any theme (beyond self-promotion), it’s that his “America First” agenda will Make America Great Again. Unfortunately for the American people, if Trump’s maneuvers and machinations have made any nation greater, it’s been China, not the United States. During Trump’s first term, he treated China as a strategic rival and often talked of checking its rise. His administration complained that China was seeking to “challenge American power” and “erode American security and prosperity”. But during his first year back in the White House, Trump – in governing by whim and impulse with little strategic vision - has done lots to Make China Great Again. Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labour and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...

Decision was widely expected after data showed inflation rose to 3.4%, well above Bank’s 2% target Business live – latest updates UK inflation rises for first time in five months to 3.4% in December Bank of England policymakers have left interest rates on hold at 3.75%, amid concerns about persistent inflation. The central bank’s nine-member monetary policy committee (MPC) has decided to leave borrowing costs unchanged after cutting rates six times since mid-2024. Its most recent quarter-point reduction, from 4%, was in December. Continue reading...

Octagon, Bolton Three grownup daughters display childhood neediness in this well-acted production that explores unrequited desires as a mother comes back from the grave The three grownup sisters in Shelagh Stephenson’s Olivier award-winning comedy have one thing in common. Forced together by the death of their mother, they each have a child’s neediness. They are divided, however, over what – or whom – it is they need. What Teresa, the eldest, needs is respect for her devotion, especially as the primary carer in their mother’s final days of dementia. Played by Victoria Brazier, austere and brittle, she is trapped in a narrative of martyrdom, a woman forever convinced she is second-best and overlooked. Continue reading...

Pressure continues to build on the prime minister after he said he knew about Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein before his appointment as US ambassador After the release of a vast tranche of documents and emails that shed further light on the close relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the government has come under intense pressure to release details about its vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in December 2024. Below, we look at how much Keir Starmer knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, and what vetting process the former peer went through for the top diplomatic job in Washington. Continue reading...

The 20-year-old is a ‘complete’ player who combines Marcel Desailly’s defensive ability with Laurent Blanc’s creativity By Get French Football News When you miss 18 months of football, there is a natural eagerness to make up for lost time. Jérémy Jacquet has certainly done that. This time last year Rennes recalled him from a loan spell at Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot and now he has been signed by Liverpool for £60m. The conditions were always ripe for Jacquet to succeed at Rennes, a club known for developing talent. But even by their standards, the 2005 generation is something special. Désiré Doué, Mathys Tel, Jeanuël Belocian, Lesley Ugochukwu and, come the summer, Jacquet will have all left Rennes, but not before pushing each other to greater heights during their formative years. Continue reading...

Seattle’s Aden Durde will be the first British coach to appear in the Super Bowl. He wants to ensure he’s not the last Midway through the 2023 NFL season, Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons was frustrated. Asked about the source – a feeling of being held by opponents all the time – Parsons credited his defensive line coach Aden Durde with keeping him in check. “[Coach Durde] pulled me aside and said, ‘You gotta remember, you’re Micah fucking Parsons,” he recalled. “‘This shit is going to happen. You just gotta keep going. Fuck all the other stuff.’” Continue reading...

As far back as 1867, White House officials have viewed Greenland, and Iceland, as having immense strategic value Shortly before the United States descended into civil war and senior administration officials made a forceful case to purchase Greenland for its natural resources, an American ship appeared in Nuuk’s harbour. Its arrival at Greenland’s largest outpost was newsworthy enough to merit a large picture in the local newspaper. The clipping, published in 1861, comes from the pages of the Atuagagdliutt, a Kalaallisut-language weekly that was the first in the world to use colour illustrations. Continue reading...

Charity praises effort to stop Ramsgate’s Pie Factory Music closing but calls for more youth services in coastal towns The last remaining youth centre in one of England’s most deprived coastal places has been saved from being sold after a long campaign by the charity that has for 13 years called it home. In November the Guardian revealed how the centre in Ramsgate on the Kent coast was facing being auctioned off by Kent county council, despite an independent report that estimated the centre was saving the council more than £500,000 a year in costs, including for services in mental health, youth justice and social care. Continue reading...

If US elites can find the courage to speak up, we can still prevent our country from descending into full-blown autocracy Alex Pretti – an ICU nurse documenting alleged cases of federal immigration agents’ overreach – was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on 24 January. Just hours later, Minnesotans gathered in their neighborhoods for vigils to mourn his death and demand an end to the federal incursion on their state. Meanwhile, the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Zoom and the New York Stock Exchange attended a glitzy screening of the new Melania documentary at the White House, where they munched on popcorn in special commemorative black-and-white boxes and took home Melania-branded cookies. Continue reading...

The interview,⁠ revealed in the latest tranche of Epstein files, was reportedly intended for a sympathetic documentary Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to Donald Trump, has long styled himself as a populist nemesis of the global elites. Yet the latest release of Jeffrey Epstein files shows that he exchanged hundreds of friendly texts with the wealthy financier, discussing politics, travel and other topics. One of the biggest surprises in the files was a bizarre video in which Epstein – who exploited and abused dozens of young girls – is interviewed by Bannon at what appears to be Epstein’s New York home. Continue reading...

Who cares about the days getting longer when they are so rainy and dull? I hate this time of year. From the start of last month to the end of this, I hate it. The days are wet, or at best damp, and are either cold or suddenly rather warm, cooking you in your rainwear. And, worst of all, the days are grey. So terribly, terribly grey. The clouds, the buildings, the trees, the cars, the people. The buses, being red, albeit a dirty red, try to do their bit. But inside, the condensation on the windows sweats away, grey and wet, obscuring the view of the greyness and wetness you will soon be stepping back into. It’s like we are living our lives in a black and white film, but it’s worse than that, because in black and white films there are blacks and whites as well as greys. For us, in these miserable months, it’s just greys. Even if it snows, the snow only stays white for about 15 minutes before it starts fading to grey. Continue reading...

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that the countries agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, with talks to continue in coming weeks US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said that the US, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners in “the first such exchange in five months.” He said: “This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.” “We may be, in the course of 2026, coming to a point where the whole thing becomes unsustainable, because so much of the Russian economy has been distorted so much by the building up of the war economy at the expense of the civil economy. I think defying the laws of economic gravity can only go on for so long.” Continue reading...

Cranston report highly critical of systemic failings and missed opportunities around deaths of more than 30 people Loss of life was avoidable in the worst mass drowning from a small boat crossing in the Channel, a public inquiry has found. The 454-page report by the former high court judge Sir Ross Cranston is highly critical of failings around the deaths of at least 24 men, seven women and two children in November 2021. Continue reading...

UKHSA says clinical reports show the children had consumed batches of recently recalled products There have been 36 clinical reports of children suffering symptoms consistent with toxin poisoning linked to recent baby formula recalls, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The UKHSA said it and partner agencies had received 24 notifications in England, seven in Scotland, three in Wales, one in Northern Ireland and one from the crown dependencies of children who had consumed implicated batches and developed symptoms. Continue reading...

It was a great year for Sinners and One Battle After Another but films with megastars like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and The Rock all struggled Last year’s Oscars narrative might have been more about the little films that could, from The Brutalist to Anora to Emilia Pérez, but this year has become closer to the opposite with big-budget films like Sinners, One Battle After Another and Frankenstein all leading the way. It’s therefore not quite as easy to explain why some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, from Julia Roberts to Dwayne Johnson to George Clooney to Emily Blunt to Adam Sandler, found themselves removed from the race. So here goes … Continue reading...

On Wednesday, storied newspaper axed nearly one-third of company after earlier unpopular moves by owner Jeff Bezos Under Marty Baron, the Washington Post won 11 Pulitzer prizes and expanded its newsroom to house more than 1,000 journalists. The storied newspaper’s future is now in question, according to its former executive editor. “The aspirations of this news organization are diminished,” Baron told the Guardian in an interview. “I think that’ll translate into fewer subscribers. And I hope it’s not a death spiral, but I worry that it might be.” Continue reading...

The move is among several measures the acting president has touted since Maduro’s capture – yet critics say it erases Venezuela’s long history of repression It was designed in the 1950s to be the world’s first “drive-through shopping centre”, a futuristic structure with more than than two miles of ramps looping past 300 shops, as well as cinemas, a hotel, a private club, a concert hall and a heliport. But the building was never completed, and under the regimes of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, spaces envisioned as shops were turned into cells, and El Helicoide became Venezuela’s most notorious torture centre for political prisoners. Continue reading...

New Start expires on Thursday. That leaves no limits on US and Russian nuclear arsenals Let’s be honest: America needs another nuclear weapon about as much as Donald Trump deserves a Nobel peace prize. Yet on Thursday, the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the U S and Russia will expire. When the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty – New Start – goes away, there will be no limits on US and Russian nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than 50 years. Edward J Markey represents Massachusetts in the US Senate. He is a co-chair of the bicameral congressional nuclear weapons and arms control working group Continue reading...

As his team returns to the Super Bowl, the New England owner who once stood up on social issues proves he is just another transactional billionaire During the worst of it, when Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were killed by police a decade ago and Colin Kaepernick took a knee in protest, when a widespread reaction was to tell the highly accomplished, overwhelmingly Black professional athletes they were un-American, or well-paid farmhands who needed to get back to work, or both, and some of his peers in the ownership class were releasing players as punishment for joining the protest, it was New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft who positioned himself as the voice of reason. Kraft attempted to broker peace between the ownership hawks who saw the high-paid kneelers as ungrateful mutineers and, after decades of docility, the radicalized players unwilling to collect their checks in exchange for political silence. Kraft encouraged two of his players – the twins Devin and Jason McCourty – into deeper citizenship, to engage with the legal and political systems and promote reforms. As a sign of compassion and a willingness to listen, Kraft visited the incarcerated rapper Meek Mill, and later the two partnered with another artist, Jay-Z, on various criminal justice initiatives. Continue reading...

The England legend discusses punditry, rugby sevens and the pride he felt while watching Joe Marler in The Traitors Are you surprised at the complete turnaround in England’s results or did you see this coming? “I’m not at all surprised because I saw the team trending in the right direction. I was involved for the back end of the 2023 World Cup campaign and it was amazing. Then a lot of experienced heads left, but the young lads had learned so much from those boys: Courtney Lawes, Billy Vunipola, Joe Marler, Ben Youngs, Dan Coles. Then in the 2024 Six Nations we got that win against Ireland and in Paris I remember standing behind the posts watching a couple of tries, going: ‘That’s how England should play!’ That’s the blueprint. There was Ben Earl, Marcus Smith, playing quickly, physical direction, carving up the French defence. Even though we lost, I remember thinking: ‘That was my last ever game for England, annoyingly – they’re gonna do all right from now and I’m not going to be a part of it.’ But in a way, maybe I played the tiniest part in their transition. The last year has been a joy to watch.” Do England need to win the Six Nations to be serious contenders for the Rugby World Cup next year? “They have to win it just to prove to themselves that they are that good, but not necessarily this year. It’s going to be really tough, but I believe the boys can do it. The last game’s in France: it would be quite special to do it there 10 years on from when we won a grand slam over there. It would be a brilliant feeling for them to realise what it takes. A lot of the lads starting for England at the moment experienced how close we were to reaching the 2023 World Cup final, the fine margins, and they’ll be way better players for it come 2027. Obviously I’m biased, but we’re in a nice side of a draw so I’m very hopeful England can go all the way. Eighteen months away from a World Cup, England couldn’t be in a better place. Continue reading...

Documents relating to US ambassador appointment being assessed for release by intelligence and security committee UK politics live – latest updates A parliamentary committee looking into the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador and the depth of his relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will not be afraid to publish material that is embarrassing to the government, its chair has said. Lord Beamish, who leads parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC), said there had to be “maximum transparency” about the vetting process Mandelson went through before he was appointed ambassador to the US in December 2024 and what the government knew about his friendship with Epstein. Continue reading...

Diocese holds consultation on future of long-closed city centre site thought to be slave trader’s burial place Work is about to begin repairing an unused city centre church in Bristol, which is believed to be the burial place of the slave trader Edward Colston. After the work on the roof of All Saints is completed, the building may be deconsecrated, turned into a community resource and the remains of Colston could be removed. Continue reading...

Rokos Capital Management was in discussions to hire former ambassador to US until latest Epstein revelations • Business live – latest updates A $22bn (£16bn) London hedge fund has “terminated” talks with Peter Mandelson over an advisory role after emails revealed that the former UK business secretary may have leaked sensitive government information to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Rokos Capital Management (RCM), which is run by the financier Chris Rokos, had been in discussions to hire Mandelson, who had been searching for a new role after being sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US in September following pressure over his ties to Epstein. Continue reading...