Actor says the defence of his peers and fans was ‘really nice’ after Quentin Tarantino’s scathing assessment calling Dano ‘a weak, weak, uninteresting guy’ Paul Dano has responded to Quentin Tarantino’s scathing criticism of his acting abilities, thanking those who came to his defence after Tarantino called him a “weak, uninteresting guy” and “the limpest dick in the world”. On Wednesday, Dano told Variety that the supportive responses that poured in from his peers and across social media was touching. Continue reading...

Richard Hetherington forced to play Prince Calàf in Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot after French tenor Roberto Alagna taken ill In terms of drama at the opera, it will be difficult to surpass Tuesday’s performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot after a tenor became unwell leading to a surprise substitution. A Royal Opera House chief, dressed in a jumper, chinos and trainers, deputised in the lead role after French tenor Roberto Alagna, playing Prince Calàf, became ill after the second act. Continue reading...

Anatoliy Trubin scores dramatic goal against Real Madrid Barça and Sporting in last 16, Bodø/Glimt make playoffs Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a 98th-minute header as Benfica defeated Real Madrid 4-2 to secure a Champions League knockout place on Wednesday and deny their opponents an automatic spot in the last 16. Benfica were heading out despite leading 3-2 with seconds of stoppage time remaining before Trubin met a free-kick to score the goal they needed to get into the playoff round on goal difference. Continue reading...

PM is first UK leader to visit China in eight years and hopes to strengthen bond with superpower amid uncertainty over US alliance Keir Starmer will meet the Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday for historic talks he hopes will deepen economic ties at a time when some inside government fear the US is no longer a reliable partner. The prime minister – the first UK leader to visit China in eight years – will hold a 40-minute meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing before a number of cultural and business receptions. Continue reading...

Musk’s optimism for Optimus robot demand help EV maker beat quarterly expectations despite first-ever yearly revenue decline Tesla’s most recent quarterly earnings report showed slumping vehicle sales and declining revenue, as the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, pins the company’s futures on AI and robotics. The earnings report described Tesla’s chaotic year as a “transition from a hardware-centric business to a physical AI company”. The high hopes and grand possibilities Musk has outlined helped Tesla beat Wall Street expectations, even as the company reported its first-ever decline in total revenue – losing 3% year-over-year. Tesla reported fourth quarter earnings per share of $0.50 after the market close on Wednesday, exceeding the $0.45 that Wall Street expected. Its reported revenue was $24.9bn, beating analyst estimates of $24.79bn. Continue reading...

Stranger allegedly threw Thermos of coffee on nine-month-old boy in Brisbane park in 2024 A Chinese team will visit Australia to help search for a man who allegedly randomly attacked a baby with hot coffee before fleeing the country. China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian announced on Wednesday that investigators will travel to Queensland to work with police to investigate the 33-year-old accused attacker. Continue reading...

The onus was on Chelsea to silence the jibes about their lack of experience. Behind to a goal from Rasmus Højlund at half-time, they were facing the inconvenience of a two-legged playoff to reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Another lead had been thrown away and the momentum was with Napoli after they cancelled out a penalty from Enzo Fernández at a bouncing Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Yet the night ended with a humiliating early exit for Napoli and another failure for Antonio Conte in Europe. The former Chelsea manager watched in despair as Cole Palmer came on to undo his depleted side with a devastating cameo. Palmer set up João Pedro for two outstanding goals as Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea finished in the top eight thanks to their first away win at this level in over three years. Continue reading...

Liverpool are having to stomach “a very bad cocktail” of cheap goals against and wasted chances in the Premier League, according to Arne Slot. To extend the mixologist’s analogy, his team are enjoying life with a few margaritas in the Champions League. Slot’s team cruised into the last 16 for the second successive season with a demolition of Qarabag at Anfield. Mohamed Salah was among the goalscorers for the first time since accusing Liverpool of throwing him under the bus in December, while Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz, the influential Hugo Ekitiké and Federico Chiesa were also on the scoresheet. Continue reading...

On a chilly, fun, boisterous night in Paris, with the Champions League mega-table scrolling away in the background throughout a breathless 90 minutes, Newcastle produced a fine away performance at the home of the European champions. A 1-1 draw means Eddie Howe’s team will now enter the knockout phase in February, as had always seemed likely. Paris Saint-Germain will now join them there after some late score-ticker malarkey sent the reigning champions into the playoffs. Continue reading...

Randal Kolo Muani was lucky to be on the field. The Tottenham striker had suffered a moment of indescribable panic when the front right tyre on his Ferrari blew out on the motorway on Tuesday as he drove to Stansted airport for the team flight to Frankfurt. The car was a write-off but Kolo Muani walked away from it. He had to take a later flight to make this Champions League game and he was plainly determined to make his mark on it. Continue reading...

Company reports second-quarter revenues of $81.27bn but posts slowing growth in key cloud computing business Investor interest in Microsoft’s shares may have weakened in recent months, but the company posted strong financial results on Wednesday that yet again demonstrated that the AI boom is roaring on. Microsoft reported earnings for the second quarter of fiscal year that are likely to keep the party going for Wall Street, despite slowing growth in its key cloud computing business. Continue reading...

Arsenal 6-0 AS Far (Blackstenius 8, Maanum 12, Caldentey 21pen, Smith 41, Russo 66 76) Arsenal play Corinthians of Brazil in Sunday’s final A businesslike performance against AS Far earned Arsenal a place in Sunday’s final of the inaugural Fifa Women’s Champions Cup against Corinthians. Four goals in the first half – from Stina Blackstenius, Frida Maanum, Mariona Caldentey and Olivia Smith – allowed Renée Slegers to rotate players and rest some legs and the substitute Alessia Russo added two after the break to complete the rout. Continue reading...

Exclusive: MPs backing bill to use ‘nuclear option’ of 1911 Parliament Act if it continues to be blocked by Lords Supporters of assisted dying will seek to force through the bill using an archaic parliamentary procedure if it continues to be blocked by the Lords. The high stakes move – described by some backers as the “nuclear option” – would be the first time the 1911 Parliament Act has been invoked for a private member’s bill. Continue reading...

Assailant, 80, said to have entered victim’s property in Little Hulton on Tuesday and asked for cash and her purse An 80-year-old man has been arrested after a 95-year-old woman was tied up and threatened during an attempted robbery in Salford after being asked about bin collection day, police said. It is understood an assailant entered the woman’s property in Little Hulton in Salford on Tuesday, tied her hands together, and asked for cash and her purse. Continue reading...

Suit filed by Amplify Legal says laws violate constitutional right to life, liberty and happiness and must be struck down As Emily Waldorf languished in an Arkansas hospital, she felt like “a ticking time bomb”. It was 2024, and the physical therapist was in the midst of miscarrying a much-wanted pregnancy. But because her fetus still had a heartbeat, hospital officials said Arkansas’s near-total abortion ban blocked them from taking steps to induce labor and end her pregnancy. Instead, Waldorf had to wait and hope that she didn’t develop a deadly infection. Continue reading...

Local officials confirmed that ICE will conduct immigration operations during 8 February game in Santa Clara US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents are expected to conduct immigration enforcement operations during next month’s Super Bowl game in Santa Clara, California. Local officials confirmed to media that ICE is expected to deploy for the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. ICE’s homeland security investigations team has long worked the Super Bowl and other major sporting events, largely focused on preventing human trafficking and stopping the sale of counterfeit goods, but immigration operations would be unusual. Continue reading...

Ali Akbar, 73, honoured by Emmanuel Macron with National Order of Merit for dedication he pours into work For more than five decades he’s pounded the pavements of Paris, becoming part of the city’s cultural fabric as he strikes up conversations, greets longtime friends and offers parodies of daily news headlines. On Wednesday, the efforts of the man believed to be France’s last newspaper hawker were recognised, as Ali Akbar, a 73-year-old originally from Pakistan, received one of France’s most prestigious honours. Continue reading...

Online ads target Zack Polanski’s drugs stance as Labour aims to sideline Greens and consolidate anti-Reform vote Labour has launched an attack on the Green party for wanting to legalise drugs, as the parties vie to be seen as the main leftwing contender against Reform UK in the Gorton and Denton byelection. The party is pursuing a strategy of trying to sideline Zack Polanski’s party after warnings Labour was too slow to pitch itself as the “Stop Reform” party in Caerphilly, which was won by Plaid Cymru. Continue reading...

With almost one-in-five firms breaching targets the watchdog’s new get-tough approach on capital levels seems to be anything but When half the nation’s retail energy suppliers, including Bulb with 1.7 million customers, failed during the gas crisis of 2021-22, the embarrassed regulator, Ofgem, decided it should probably pay more attention to companies’ balance sheets. Better late than never. The cost of mopping up the corporate calamities added up to £2.7bn, or £94 on every household’s energy bill, calculated the National Audit Office. The result was a new regime from March last year in which Ofgem set “capital targets” for each supplier to ensure financial resilience. And the secondary effect was an entertaining quarrel between Octopus Energy, which confessed to being one of three suppliers below its capital target, and British Gas-owning Centrica, whose chief executive argued it was “criminal” that the regulator was not applying its ultimate sanction of barring under-target firms from taking on new customers. Continue reading...

Fed voted to pause interest rate cuts, which currently sit between 3.5% to 3.75%, after slashing it three times in the fall The US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged after its first rate-setting meeting of the year on Wednesday, resisting enormous pressure from the White House to lower rates. A majority of members in the Fed’s federal open market committee (FOMC) voted to pause interest rate cuts after slashing rates three times in the fall. Rates currently sit at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. Continue reading...

Starmer’s team is wary of spies but such fears are not new – with Theresa May once warned to get dressed under a duvet When prime ministers travel to China, heightened security arrangements are a given – as is the quiet game of cat and mouse that takes place behind the scenes as each country tests out each other’s tradecraft and capabilities. Keir Starmer’s team has been issued with burner phones and fresh sim cards, and is using temporary email addresses, to prevent devices being loaded with spyware or UK government servers being hacked into. Continue reading...

⚽️ Updates from the 8pm (GMT) kick-off in Naples ⚽️ Live scores | Full table | Clockwatch | Mail John So, no Cole Palmer starting for Chelsea. Romelu Lukaku is also on the bench, for Napoli against his old club. Napoli XI: Meret; Buongiorno, Juan Jesus, McTominay, Olivera, Hojlund, Elmas, Di Lorenzo, Vergara, Spinazzola, Lobotka. Subs: Contini, Spinelli, Gutierrez, Lukaku, Beukema, De Chiara, Garofalo Continue reading...

⚽️ Updates from the 8pm (GMT) kick-off in Naples ⚽️ Live scores | Full table | Clockwatch | Mail John So, no Cole Palmer starting for Chelsea. Romelu Lukaku is also on the bench, for Napoli against his old club. Napoli XI: Meret; Buongiorno, Juan Jesus, McTominay, Olivera, Hojlund, Elmas, Di Lorenzo, Vergara, Spinazzola, Lobotka. Subs: Contini, Spinelli, Gutierrez, Lukaku, Beukema, De Chiara, Garofalo Continue reading...

Production company asked for full review after broadcaster ‘completely unaware’ of Levi Hodgetts-Hague’s comments Over 20 seasons, The Apprentice boardroom has not been short on drama – but one recurrent theme is the show’s penchant for problematic contestants. This season, which airs its first episode on Thursday, is no different. Offensive tweets posted by contestant Levi Hodgetts-Hague from a decade ago have been unearthed since filming, prompting the BBC to urge the show’s production company to carry out stricter background checks on contestants. Continue reading...

Antiheroine, a new film about the musician’s tumultuous life and career, premiered at the festival with some frank admissions but the star not present A new documentary about gen X icon and “queen of grunge” Courtney Love caused a stir at the Sundance film festival — without the legendary Hole frontwoman in attendance. The musician and actor, now 61, was supposed to attend the premiere of Antiheroine, a new retrospective documentary by Edward Lovelace and James Hall that traces her storied life and career, but did not make it for undisclosed reasons. “We’re really gutted that Courtney couldn’t make it tonight to celebrate this moment with us all,” said Lovelace in his introduction for the film’s premiere in Park City, Utah, calling Love “so unfiltered, so truthful”. Continue reading...