Updates from the men’s singles on Rod Laver Arena German 3rd seed and American 25th seed in action Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Aryna Sabalenka (1) 6-0 6-3 Iva Jovic (29) After being challenged by Jovic in the first set, Sabalenka was irresistible in the second; taking less than half-an-hour to bring up the bagel and move into the final four, where she’ll face Coco Gauff (3) or Elina Svitolina (12). It’s going to take something special to deny her a third-title here in Melbourne. After claiming the scalp of Jasmine Paolini (7) in the second round, Jovic’s first trip to the last eight of a grand slam proves a short one. But at just 18-years of age, it can be guaranteed that it’s not her last one. Cannot wait to see what this young Californian achieves in the future. Continue reading...

Widely circulated video of Pretti’s killing by federal agents undercut earlier assertions of him being a gunman White House officials sought to rapidly distance Donald Trump and top officials from their initial portrayals of the man fatally shot by federal officials in Minnesota as a gunman, as they faced a deepening backlash after video footage was widely seen to undercut their assertions. The move came as Trump advisers appeared to realize that the caustic portrayals of the man, Alex Pretti, who was reportedly licensed to carry a gun, had turned the killing into an even larger political liability for the president. Continue reading...

US president says tariffs on automobiles, lumber and pharmaceuticals will rise to 25%, accusing Seoul of not living up to a trade deal struck last year Donald Trump has said he is raising tariffs on South Korean goods including automobiles, lumber and pharmaceuticals, accusing the country of not living up to a trade deal struck last year and sending shares in Korean carmakers tumbling. In a post on social media, the US president said the tariffs paid on South Korean exports into America would rise from 15% to 25% because the “Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative”. Continue reading...

Sundance film festival: strong performances from Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan anchor a sensitive film about caregiving as a form of rehabilitation One of the greatest achievements of a certain kind of Sundance movie is the ability to shine a light on an experience or community we hadn’t previously been aware of. This year’s stoic and sensitive drama Frank & Louis takes us behind bars, a place we’ve been many times before at this festival, but to shadow the taxing work of inmates taking care of those who have dementia, a specifically difficult job in an already difficult place. Petra Volpe, the Swiss writer-director, who last explored a far more known form of caregiving in exhausting nursing drama Late Shift, makes her English language debut with a film inspired by the “Gold Coats” peer support program at the California Men’s Colony state prison. As with her previous film, there’s real rigour to how she zeroes in on the grind of under-appreciated labour, but while Late Shift was more naturalistic and experiential, Frank & Louis is far more formulaic and emotional, a clearer bid for the heartstrings. It’s a topic that’s hard not to get emotional about, the slow loss of one’s mental abilities, something many of us might be horribly familiar with, and it’s a tough, rather hopeless experience to witness on screen. Frank & Louis is screening at the Sundance film festival and is seeking distribution Continue reading...

Author says pace of change in GCSE English literature texts is too slow and tide is turning against inclusion The Booker prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo has called for renewed efforts to diversify the school curriculum in England, warning that young people are growing up in a society where “doors are closing” and the tide is turning against inclusion. There has been progress in the diversity of texts on offer in the GCSE English literature curriculum, but uptake in schools is still low with just 1.9% of GCSE pupils in England studying books by authors of colour, up from 0.7% five years ago, according to a report. Continue reading...

Pilot comes at same time as pledge to offer all smokers and ex-smokers lung cancer screening by 2030 NHS England is to trial a combination of AI and robot-assisted care to speed up the detection and diagnosis of lung cancer, the UK’s most lethal form of the disease. The trial comes at the same time as the health service pledges to offer all smokers and ex-smokers the chance to be screened for lung cancer by 2030. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Parents said their children had become withdrawn or hypervigilant because of uncertainty, unsafe environments and removal of support Neurodivergent children living in temporary accommodation (TA) in England are subjected to conditions that amount to “torture”, and the harm it causes them is “psychologically excruciating” and a form of “child cruelty”, a report has found. The report by King’s College London through the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for households in temporary accommodation, found that while living in TA was damaging for any child, it had a particularly severe impact on neurodivergent children and those with special education needs and disabilities (Send). Continue reading...

Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’ The UK’s poorest families are getting poorer, with record numbers of people classed as in “very deep poverty” – meaning their annual household incomes fail to cover the cost of food, energy bills and clothing, according to analysis. Although overall relative poverty levels have flatlined in recent years at about 21% of the population, life for those below the breadline has got materially worse as they try to subsist on incomes many thousands of pounds beneath the poverty threshold. Continue reading...

Respondents to King’s Trust survey cited AI and a lack of work experience as reasons they might fail in life More than seven in 10 teens and young adults in the UK say they wish they were not starting their careers in the current economic climate, according to new research from the King’s Trust. The study also found that more than a quarter of people aged 16 to 25 feel they are going to fail in life, highlighting growing anxiety among those entering the labour market. Continue reading...

Latest BRC figures show year-on-year rate of increase was 3.9% in January, up from 3.3% the month before Retailers have blamed rising energy bills and the chancellor Rachel Reeves’s hike in employers’ national insurance contributions for a jump in food prices, as suppliers and supermarkets struggle to absorb higher costs. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body for retailers, said prices across all goods in shops rose by 1.5% in January compared with the same month last year, up from a 0.7% rise in December and higher than the 0.7% increase economists had been expecting. It is also above the three-month average of 0.9%. Continue reading...

Authorities allege Ryan Wedding, 44, ‘turned to a life of crime’ after his snowboarding career ended Ryan Wedding, the Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of cocaine distribution and orchestrating several murders, appeared on Monday in a southern California courtroom for arraignment. The 44-year-old has been charged with drug trafficking, conspiracy to murder, witness tampering and money laundering, among other charges. Authorities allege that after his snowboarding career, Wedding “turned to a life of crime” as a narcotics trafficker and led an organization that moved cocaine from South America to the US and Canada. Continue reading...

18-year-old was expected to stay with Hansi Flick’s side Joan Laporta describes move as ‘an unpleasant situation’ Barcelona have confirmed the departure of talented young midfielder Dro Fernández to Paris Saint-Germain with the club president, Joan Laporta, describing the situation around his move as “unpleasant”. Dro, who joined the club at 14, made his first-team debut in September, and turned 18 on 12 January, arrived in the French capital on Sunday night for a medical. Considered one of the outstanding players of his generation, his representatives had appeared to agree a new contract with Barcelona, due to be signed after his birthday, but he informed the head coach, Hansi Flick, of his decision to depart the same week. Continue reading...

Claudia Sheinbaum sent a diplomatic letter requesting more shows, after a worldwide scramble for tickets Huge demand to see K-pop septet BTS has led the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to formally request of her counterpart, the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, that he help arrange more concerts in Mexico. “Everyone wants to go,” Sheinbaum said at her daily morning press conference on Monday, adding she had sent a diplomatic letter to South Korea’s Lee seeking more concerts. Continue reading...

Judicial review request made in Edinburgh says Avtandil Kalandadze of Russian-flagged Marinera is being detained unlawfully Lawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker captured by US forces in UK waters are calling for a judicial review of his situation, claiming he is being detained unlawfully. The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel previously known as Bella 1, has been in the Moray Firth in recent days. Continue reading...

Warning: this video contains footage that may be distressing to some viewers At about 9am on Saturday, US federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse who was observing immigration officers in the city. The Guardian’s video team has pieced together footage showing the attack from different angles Continue reading...

Leeds may have felt pressure after Nottingham Forest and West Ham closed the gap over the weekend but showed no discernible sign of nerves at Everton. Daniel Farke’s visitors claimed a well-earned point at Hill Dickinson Stadium following a dominant first half display. It could have been much more but for the David Moyes changes that turned the tide Everton’s way in the second half. Thierno Barry’s encouraging recent run continued as he cancelled out James Justin’s opener with an excellent finish. Everton were a distant second best until Moyes changed personnel and formation. Continue reading...

Ouyen and Mildura in northern Victoria forecast to break state’s all-time maximum on Tuesday, as weather warnings issued Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A day of record-breaking heat looms for Victoria, with temperatures forecast to hit 49C in the Mallee and Melbourne facing its hottest day since Black Saturday 2009. It was 26.1C as the sun rose on Tuesday over the small Victorian town of Ouyen, the Mallee town of 1,170 people whose forecast high of 49C would break the state’s temperature record of 48.8C set in Hopetoun on Black Saturday in 2009. Continue reading...

UN health body says Britain is one of six countries in Europe and central Asia where disease has become re-established The UK has lost its status as a measles-free country after a rise in deaths from the disease and fall in the proportion of children having the MMR jab in recent years. The World Health Organization said it no longer classified Britain as having eliminated measles because the disease had become re-established. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor’s hopes of an imminent return to parliament appear remote as relationship with Starmer languishes Andy Burnham has not given up hopes of returning to Westminster and will try again, allies say, but would need to be convinced that Keir Starmer would not try to block him again before running. The Greater Manchester mayor’s hopes of an imminent return to parliament appeared remote, however, as No 10 sources suggested that relations between the two men were at a low ebb and played down chances of a rapprochement. Continue reading...

Researchers say artificial intelligence system matches human expert classification about 90% of the time Experts have created an app that uses artificial intelligence to identify dinosaurs from the footprints left behind after they stomped across the land tens of millions of years ago. “When we find a dinosaur footprint, we try to do the Cinderella thing and find the foot that matches the slipper,” said Prof Steve Brusatte, a co-author of the work, from the University of Edinburgh. “But it’s not so simple, because the shape of a dinosaur footprint depends not only on the shape of the dinosaur’s foot but also the type of sand or mud it was walking through, and the motion of its foot.” Continue reading...

Designer spins the historic house off on a tangent in Paris, with his reading of its history being that shock value can sell For billionaires with an eye on best-dressed lists and Oscar nominees with sights set on red carpet domination, Paris haute couture – where a dress can take months to make by hand, and cost as much as a small apartment in the city – is a shopping opportunity. For the rest of the fashion industry, it is a battle for bragging rights between the haughtiest brand names in the world. With ambitious young designers newly installed at Dior and Chanel vying for domination, that battle is feistier than ever. Haute couture is an arms race like no other. At 10 o’clock on a Monday morning, the Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor was in a diamond tiara in the front row of Schiaparelli, where the house is preparing for a lavish exhibition opening at the V&A Museum this spring. A few hours later in the garden of the Rodin Museum, where a mirrored Dior catwalk reflected a suspended canopy of lush moss studded with silk flowers, Pharrell Williams and the actor Josh O’Connor arrived promptly, but the show was delayed an hour for the arrival of Rihanna in a black satin cocoon coat. Continue reading...

Four arrested during seizure which was part of largest shipment ever found on such a vessel bound for Europe Portuguese police have made a record seizure of almost nine tonnes of cocaine after intercepting a “narco-sub” off the Azores carrying what is thought to be the largest shipment of the drug ever found on one of the Europe-bound, semi-submersible vessel. The Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) said its officers had confiscated the haul in a recent joint operation with the country’s navy and air force that had been conducted in coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the UK National Crime Agency. Continue reading...

One ticket sold for premiere of film about US first lady at Vue’s flagship London branch as insiders question launch strategy As film exhibitor strategies go, counter-programming is one of the most reliable. It worked for The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia!, released in the US on the same day in 2008, as well as for Dunkirk and Girls Trip in 2017. In 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer leveraged the tactic to the tune of $2.5bn in combined box office takings. This week we could see another example as Amazon releases its authorised documentary about Melania Trump in more than 100 UK cinemas. There it will compete against an already-eclectic slate of releases including the Jason Statham action film Shelter, the ape horror Primate, Bradley Cooper’s comedy-drama Is This Thing On? and Richard Linklater’s Jean-Luc Godard fictionalisation Nouvelle Vague. Continue reading...

Home secretary to regain authority to sack chief constables and set crime- fighting targets in England and Wales Labour has announced wholesale changes to policing with a pledge to increase crime fighting, but faces warnings that at its heart is an unprecedented centralisation of powers. Shabana Mahmood said policing in England and Wales was the last public service to survive unreformed for 50 years, despite being too costly and failing in parts. Continue reading...

Experts suggest Xi Jinping is asserting his authority by sidelining an officer who has significantly betrayed his trust Standing inches from Xi Jinping at a military ceremony in late December, China’s highest-ranking general, Zhang Youxia, may have had little inkling about the fate that was to befall him just a few weeks later when he was put under investigation. The 75-year-old’s physical proximity to China’s leader, who stands to his right, reflects the position he holds in China’s hierarchy. As vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the ruling body of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), he is the second-most powerful person in China’s military, after Xi, the commander-in-chief. Continue reading...