Chief classical music critic of the Guardian admired for writing without fear of favour Andrew Clements, who has died aged 75 after a period of ill health, was for more than three decades the Guardian’s chief classical music critic. His style was a model of critical integrity – authoritative and intelligent, sometimes enthusiastic and sometimes slightly grumpy, dry-humoured yet never showy. Music may say things that words cannot express, but he mastered the rare art of putting music into words, always using language with precision; reading him, you knew what a performance had sounded like. Best known for championing new music with tireless devotion, Andrew had much wider musical interests than many realised. Continue reading...

Tory leader says Conservatives are ‘THE party of the right’ and warns against those seeking to undermine from within Robert Jenrick’s defection does not mean the Conservatives are moving towards the centre ground, Kemi Badenoch has told her MPs in a letter that warned about people seeking to “undermine the party from within”. In a lengthy message to the MPs, seen by the Guardian, Badenoch said the party must avoid “psychodrama”, “intrigue” and damaging splits, warning that a small number of Tory staffers were briefing against the party while claiming to be Conservative sources. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer has played down the possibility of retaliatory tariffs on the US, after Donald Trump threatened them against Nato allies unless they support his plan to take Greenland. At an emergency press conference, Starmer said tariffs would be the “wrong thing to do”. Continue reading...

People in Adamuz rushed to help when two trains smashed into each other and say they will never forget what they saw Just after 2.45pm on Monday, a huge yellow-and-green crane lorry swung off the main road that cuts through the forested hills of eastern Andalucía and beetled down a track to begin picking up the enormous, wrecked pieces of Spain’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade. Behind it rolled a support lorry and a convoy of police cars. A few minutes’ drive away, between groves of olive and oak trees, lay the two stricken trains that had smashed into each other on Sunday night, killing at least 39 people and critically injuring at least 12 others. As investigators and Guardia Civil officers walked up and down the line by the twisted carriages, the nearby town of Adamuz was in the early stages of trying to process what had happened a few kilometres from its outskirts. Continue reading...

IOPC asked to investigate former chief constable after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from Aston Villa match The disgraced former head of West Midlands police has been referred to the police watchdog after an official inquiry found that “greatly exaggerated” intelligence was used to justify a ban on fans of an Israeli football team attending a match. Craig Guildford retired with immediate effect as chief constable of the second largest police force in England on Friday, two days after a damning report led Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, to declare she had lost confidence in him. Continue reading...

The next three weekends of relentless action will put us within touching distance of a definitive answer Cheltenham opens its doors for the final time before the festival meeting for an eight-race Trials Day card on Saturday, marking the start of a frenetic 15-day period of action during which, according to recent figures as least, trainers will apply the finishing touches to at least half of the runners and around 60% of the winners over the four days in March. And this year it will do so amid a refreshed sense of optimism, both at the track and in British jumping as a whole, that things are (finally) on the up. Continue reading...

Though Labour’s voters are more likely to be the educated middle-classes, its focus must be fighting inequality. We know Farage’s party will only enrich the wealthy Class politics is back, as if it ever went away. Robert Jenrick declares that Tories are toffs and “the divide in British politics has become Reform’s workers party versus the Tory posh party”. He says the Tories are so “out of touch” they are no longer “the party of working people, of provincial Britain, of the towns and cities”. He’s not wrong, says Prof Tim Bale, political analyst: “Reform can claim to be a disproportionately working-class party.” Considering the social class difference between the two rightwing parties, where does Jenrick belong? As a private school and Cambridge-educated former director of Christie’s auction house, is he too posh for Reform, even though he’s the son of a small businessman and first in his family to go to university? Hardly, since it’s a party founded by zillionaires. It’s a forever political mystery that low-paid/working-class voters will opt for the very wealthy with contrary financial interests. Bale points out that the Tories’ grip on power always relied on backing from a third of working-class voters. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

What if the thing we needed more of was to do less? What if this was the year we finally learned to rest? Every new year – after the holiday glut of travel, parties, shopping and baked goods – there can be pressure to do and be more: more active, more productive, more creative, more thrifty. Maybe this will be the year I finally start meal planning or doing morning pages. New year, new me! But what if the thing we needed more of was to do less? What if this was the year we finally learned to rest? Physical rest: making sure you get enough sleep; taking naps. Mental rest: journaling; meditating; doing tasks that are not mentally taxing, like puzzles. Emotional rest: talking through feelings and experiences with a friend or therapist. Social rest: setting aside time alone to recharge; making sure you’re spending time with people who don’t leave you feeling drained. Sensory rest: spending time outdoors; taking breaks from screens. Creative rest: engaging in creative hobbies like drawing, reading or dancing. Spiritual rest: connecting to a cause or tradition that feels meaningful to you. Continue reading...

Dramatic tournament left food for thought for the 2027 edition, from the weather to the warm welcome in Morocco At the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, officiating was at its finest, with the Confederation of African Football’s video assistant referee operation setting standards that were the envy of the Premier League and several other European leagues. Sadly, refereeing standards took a nosedive at this tournament, which many associate with the abrupt dismissal of the Ivorian Noumandiez Doué as head of Caf’s refereeing department on the eve of last year’s African Nations Championship. Continue reading...

The answers to today’s puzzles Earlier today, I set you these three geometrical puzzles. Here they are again with solutions. 1. Bonnie Tiler Continue reading...

Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman ordered to pay Gambling Commission’s costs after claim dismissed Two gambling executives who are facing criminal charges of bribery and fraud have failed in a separate civil suit against the Gambling Commission, in which they accused the regulator of breaching their right to privacy. Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman, the former chief executive and chair of Entain, the Ladbrokes and Coral owner, sued the gambling regulator last year, over its intervention in their failed attempt to take control of the online casino company 888. Continue reading...

Walid Regragui faced calls to resign despite stunning record with Atlas Lions after nightmare that prolongs 50-year wait “There will be no second star for Morocco,” read the headline of Le360.ma, referring to the symbol of an Afcon title being sown on the shirt of the winning team. “The most prestigious African title is at odds with Morocco. The dream and the ambition will have to wait some time,” laments the writer, Abdelkader El-Aine. It is now 50 years since Morocco won their only Afcon. This month, as hosts of the tournament, Morocco had started to dream of a second title. That became a nightmare on Sunday evening in Rabat. Continue reading...

Europe could use powerful but untested law amid pressure over Greenland – but it could also lose out from a trade war Donald Trump’s threat to impose punitive US import tariffs on eight European countries opposed to his ambitions in Greenland has raised fears of a full-blown transatlantic trade war. Continue reading...

New menswear director Leo Dell’Orco appears to have ditched the ‘greige’ while embracing the brand’s history What exactly Giorgio Armani looks like without its eponymous founder at the helm has been the burning question in the fashion industry since the designer’s death in September. In Milan on Monday afternoon, it got its answer as the designer’s collaborator and right-hand man of four decades, Leo Dell’Orco, made his debut at the Italian fashion house where he will oversee menswear for the foreseeable future. It was the first Armani collection that the late designer had no involvement in. Continue reading...

Worth a staggering $2.45bn, Suno is an AI music company that can create a track with just a few prompts. Why is its CEO happy to see it called ‘the Ozempic of the music industry’? ‘The format of the future,” says Mikey Shulman, “is music you play with, not just play.” As the CEO and co-founder of the generative AI music company Suno, Shulman currently finds himself in the exhilarating if perhaps unenviable position of being simultaneously regarded as the architect of music’s future – and its executioner. Suno, which was founded just over two years ago, allows users to create entire songs with just a few text prompts. At the moment, you can’t prompt it with the name of a specific pop star, but asking for “stadium-level confessional pop-country” that “references past relationships” or “public rivalries” might get you a Taylor Swift-style song or thereabouts. Continue reading...

Oscar-nominated actor says his lawyer was trying to reimburse those who had donated money to a GoFundMe appeal set up allegedly to raise funds for the star The actor Mickey Rourke has again spoken out against the GoFundMe appeal set up in his name, purportedly to raise funds for the star, who is currently in financial hardship. Earlier this month, the actor – who made his name in 1980s action and romance films before being Oscar nominated for his 2008 comeback, The Wrestler – declared he had nothing to do with the crowdfunder. Continue reading...

Pool stages could revert to an October start ‘The format is delivering,’ insists European rugby chief The organisers of the Investec Champions Cup are looking to shift the start of the tournament back to October to add extra impetus to the pool stages. This year’s competition kicked off in December but there is collective support from coaches and clubs to commence their campaigns prior to the packed November Test window. The current structure and calendar slots are technically in place until 2030 but there is growing recognition that a change could be helpful. Among other benefits, clubs would have a better chance of having their best players fit and firing ahead of the autumn internationals which, in turn, could encourage more early season interest. Continue reading...

Research finds being optimistic produced more antibodies, hinting at future potential of mental strategies to health Being optimistic may boost the immune system according to research that points to a connection between the mind and our body’s natural defences. Scientists have found people who used positive thinking to boost activity in the brain’s reward system responded better to vaccination, with their immune systems producing more antibodies than others after having the shot. Continue reading...

Serb showed off astounding movement in 100th win in Melbourne to begin his 22nd grand slam season in style The very first point of Novak Djokovic’s 2026 season offered an instant reminder of his enduring greatness. Djokovic started his first match of his Australian Open campaign, also his opening match of the season, by working his way through a breathless 17-stroke rally and then punctuating the exchange with a perfectly timed forehand winner. He could not help but chuckle at his own genius. That blazing start set the tone for a straightforward night inside Rod Laver Arena as Djokovic began his 22nd grand slam season with an effortless 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Spain’s Pedro Martínez. It was the Serb’s 100th win at the Australian Open, a feat he has also achieved at Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Continue reading...

Brown Swiss in Austria has been discovered using tools in multiple ways – something only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees Scientists have been forced to rethink the intelligence of cattle after an Austrian cow named Veronika displayed an impressive – and until now undocumented – knack for tool use. Witgar Wiegele, an organic farmer and baker from a small town in Carinthia near the Italian border, keeps Veronika as a pet and noticed that she occasionally played with sticks and used them to scratch her body. Continue reading...

Spending on support staff to be trebled Franchise received £145m for sale of 49% stake The new-look London Spirit are hugely increasing salaries paid to off-field cricket staff in a bid to boost the calibre of recruits when the turbocharged Hundred launches in August. With the competition’s salary cap including only the playing squad, Spirit hope the backroom staff attracted will help the team flourish. One source described the wages offered to coaches and analysts for the first five years of the competition, when their salaries were funded by the England & Wales Cricket Board, as embarrassing. But Spirit are hoping to benefit from the combination of a massive funding boost after the sale of 49% of the team for £145m to a consortium of entrepreneurs unofficially known as the Tech Titans in last year’s team auction and the pull of life in the English capital to hire staff of sufficient calibre to transform their previously miserable fortunes. It is understood that their spending on support staff will be trebled. Continue reading...

Kings Place, London At over four hours without a break, Morton Feldman’s work dedicated to his artist friend is challenging, but in a rare live performance, the concentration of its performers made it an unforgettable experience Running to four and a half hours without a break, Morton Feldman’s late work For Philip Guston is long by any standards. Non-athletes can finish marathons in less time; even the apocalyptic final instalment of Wagner’s Ring cycle is shorter. Yet the most striking thing about the work is its economy. An opening sequence of four pitches played by three musicians provides the musical material that is transformed, transposed, stretched and compressed throughout. Notes and motifs are repeated and multiply, echoing across the ever-sparse texture. The tempo is consistently slow, the dynamic consistently quiet. Rhythms are complex, but subtly so, making the instances of absolute synchrony into passing miracles. Time is the only resource with which Feldman is profligate. Challenged on the work’s scale, Feldman once quipped, “it’s a short four hours!” I’m not sure all attending this rare performance in Kings Place’s Memory Unwrapped series would have agreed. Seats creaked constantly as people wriggled, late arrivals crept in and others trickled out. Coughs were half stifled. Phones buzzed. Someone near me went through an inexplicable, maddening phase of humming along. Continue reading...

Carnival drums provided the backdrop to surprise victory over league leaders that was not just down to luck “There was a little magic in the atmosphere,” Pellegrino Matarazzo said. Real Sociedad’s new coach could feel it; he could hear it too, the sound of drums beating on every street of the city he has embraced and into the stadium that has embraced him back already. When he and his players arrived at Anoeta on Sunday evening, they entered through a guard of honour, a band of soldiers and chefs lined up in the rain, hammering out the club anthem and hoping. By the time they departed around midnight, following 35,346 supporters out into San Sebastián, it had actually happened. La Real had beaten Barcelona 2-1. Celebrations, his captain Mikel Oyarzabal said, had come a day early. This week is tamborrada, the San Sebastian festival where, at midnight on 20 January, the city flag is raised and marching bands parade through its streets in napoleonic uniforms and cooks’ costumes grasping sticks, batons and giant cutlery, routes mapped out in loving detail and special supplements. Initially a popular pastiche of a military procession, a prelude to carnival, practice runs echoing round in the days before, kids go first, adults next. An expression of civic pride, they sing of “spreading joy,” being “always happy,” and God knows they were happy now. What better way to begin it all than this? What better way to become one of them? Continue reading...

Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate Munch, Bourgeois, Gormley and Baselitz go shoulder to shoulder with up-and-coming artists in an exhibition that revels in its stygian gloom Tracey Emin catches me looking from her self-portrait to her as I try to assess the closeness of the resemblance. Not that close. This inky screenprint is bigger than she is, its face wider and taller. But it’s not a picture of the outer person but an inner vision. As we stand in front of it I seem to fall into radiating pools of blackness – to cross into darkness. Emin has curated an exhibition for the depths of winter. It’s a generous, unexpected show with an eclectic yet profound openness to kinds of creativity many might think incompatible: paintings, installations, performance art all face the night here. She sets artists she nurtures at the Emin Studios alongside her heroes Edvard Munch, Louise Bourgeois and other luminaries of modern art – if luminary is the right word in this stygian setting. For, by a stroke of lighting genius, the Carl Freedman Gallery has been plunged into nocturnal shadow that still lets you see the art. Continue reading...

Brewing tradition of nearly 1,000 years at Weltenburg Abbey in Bavaria to be bought up by Munich company Schneider Weisse The world’s oldest monastic brewery, Germany’s Weltenburger, is being sold to the Munich brewers Schneider Weisse as part of a consolidation in the sector in response to plunging sales. Beer has been brewed at Weltenburg Abbey, a stunning, still active monastery on the banks of the Danube in Bavaria, for nearly 1,000 years. Continue reading...