The formidable Mullan delivers a tender performance in Sean Robert Dunn’s first feature, playing a cranky local historian obsessed with his obscure, unscrupulous ancestor Peter Mullan brings his formidable presence to this quirky dramedy from first-time feature director Sean Robert Dunn: he is angry and weary, disillusioned but kind-hearted, someone who got his feelings hurt a long time ago … but wouldn’t dream of making a fuss about it. It’s Mullan who gives weight and flavour to a film that might otherwise be a bit watery and unsure quite how sharp a sting it wants to deliver. Continue reading...

Peter Mandelson has resigned his Labour party membership after new details of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light. But why did Labour ever decide to appoint him as US ambassador? Pippa and Kiran chat through what No 10 knew and when Continue reading...

Distributors breathe a sigh of relief as the documentary defies the disastrous opening many anticipated to land a screen average of £212 on its first weekend of release Melania, Brett Ratner’s authorised documentary about the current US first lady, has opened at No 29 in the UK box office chart on its first weekend of release. The film, which cost Amazon $40m to buy and $35m to promote, screened in 155 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, taking £32,974 overall, with a site average of £212.80. This result will have the distributors breathing a sigh of relief as – despite the modest takings – this is far from the disaster many anticipated. The scale of the rollout was unprecedented in the UK documentary sector, where most titles are capped at around 25 locations. Continue reading...

This year, there has been a significant softening of the dry January trend. But why? Name: Damp January. Age: New. Continue reading...

Lady Lawrence tells high court she is ‘a victim all over again’ owing to alleged unlawful information gathering The mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has said she felt she had been “taken for a fool” by the publisher of the Daily Mail, after she was told about allegations it had targeted her with unlawful information gathering techniques. Appearing at the high court in London, Doreen Lawrence said she felt angry because of the trust she had placed in the Daily Mail, owing to its coverage of her son’s case. Continue reading...

Trump supporter Júnior Pena falsely claimed migrants being rounded up, including Brazilians, were ‘all crooks’ A rightwing Brazilian influencer who claimed Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown only targeted “crooks” has been arrested by ICE agents in New Jersey. Júnior Pena, whose full name is Eustáquio da Silva Pena Júnior, declared his support for the US president in a recent video message to his hundreds of thousands of social media followers. Continue reading...

Famous people who speak out are often derided, but throughout time artists have used the platform they have. And if not now, when? One of the most discordant and yet banal things about looking to the US today is how celebrity, its greatest cultural output, largely carries on as normal amid scenes of profound distress. Award ceremonies are televised, bespoke couture is pulled for the red carpet, some new film fills your social media timeline. It feels galling that a country can encompass such a sense of anguish at the same time as such glamour and wonder. And given that we are condemned to witness ICE’s transformation into a lethal, paramilitary force, such an event as the 68th Grammy awards, broadcast last night, feels at once insignificant and more important than ever as all the world watches. The Grammys saw perhaps the most uninhibited and genuinely furious rebuke of ICE and Donald Trump that we have seen so far from celebrity figures – particularly considering that just last month, the Golden Globes was viewed as having largely ignored politics, save for a few “ICE Out” pins worn by stars including Ariana Grande and Mark Ruffalo. Grammy attendees went further. Billie Eilish followed up her call for celebrities to speak up against ICE, saying that “no one is illegal on stolen land … I feel that we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, our voices do matter and the people matter.” Perhaps most movingly, considering his stated concern around the mass deportation of Latino people, album of the year winner Bad Bunny said: “ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans … the only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.” These came alongside celebrations of immigration from Olivia Dean and Shaboozey. Continue reading...

The president called the ceremony ‘garbage’, but in reality it was a celebration of artists whose commercial success was matched by boundary-pushing boldness Donald Trump, it seems, did not much enjoy the 2026 Grammys. Shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony’s live broadcast in the US, there he was on Truth Social, calling it “the worst”, “garbage”, “unwatchable” and threatening to sue host Trevor Noah. Perhaps that was the reaction the Recording Academy wanted. You could, if you wished, divine a certain Maga-baiting intent not just in the decision to give the album of the year award to Bad Bunny – a Puerto Rican who attracted criticism from the Trump administration after he was booked to headline the SuperBowl LX half-time show – but the choice of the Buena Vista Social Club, a Broadway hit based on the 1997 album of the same name featuring veteran Cuban musicians, as the best musical theatre album: the latter two weeks after the New York Times reported that Cubans settled in Florida are being deported in record numbers. Continue reading...

‘Christians complained about the stuffed buzzard wearing a crucifix round its neck. Birds can’t be Christians, they said. It’s the most complaints we ever got’ The first time I saw what was to become Shooting Stars was Vic Reeves – AKA Jim Moir – doing The Big Quiz during Vic Reeves Big Night Out live. I’d never seen anything like it. It was full of meaningless questions and had an attitude. I remember thinking: “There must be something we could do with that.” Continue reading...

In need of a February pep talk? Our fashion expert’s must-haves are here to lift your mood • How to dress in cold weather Let’s get real. Few of us look or feel at our most fabulous in February. It’s been cold and dark for, what, 18 months? Feels like it. Getting dressed feels less stylish self-expression than huddling for warmth. But there are reasons to be cheerful – or, more to the point, things that can bring you cheer. There is Valentine’s Day. (I will never understand why people like to sneer about Valentine’s Day. A daft festival of joy in the bleakest moment of the calendar. Take the win!) I’ve also found a shirt that will be your new favourite layering piece. And a very fun jumper for £54. Read on for the lowdown. Continue reading...

Charge is designed to protect much-loved monument from overtourism, but not all visitors like the idea Teresa Romero is in Rome to celebrate a milestone birthday and one of the first things she did on Monday was visit the Trevi fountain to participate in the ritual of tossing a coin into the waters of the late baroque masterpiece. But before the Portuguese tourist could get close to the fountain, she had to hand over €2 (£1.70) – the cost of an access fee that has finally been enacted by Rome council officials after years of discussions. Continue reading...

Speaker Mike Johnson faces narrow margins for House passage after Senate split off DHS funding amid backlash over fatal immigration enforcement shootings House speaker Mike Johnson is set to swear in Christian Menefee, a Democrat who recently won a runoff election for a reliably blue seat in Texas. Menefee’s victory, however, means the margin in the House is even more slim: 218 Republicans to 214 Democrats. His current term will end at the end of the year, and he’ll have to start campaigning almost immediately for the 2026 midterms. But this time, it will be for a new district, after the GOP-controlled legislature successfully gerrymandered the state’s congressional map. Continue reading...

Responding to critics of policy, Pedro Sánchez says Spain is choosing path of ‘dignity, community and justice’ Spain’s prime minister has pushed back against critics of plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers, asserting that Spain was choosing the path of “dignity, community and justice”. The 46-second video, which features Pedro Sánchez speaking in English with subtitles in Spanish, was posted on social media at the weekend. “Some say we’ve gone too far, that we’re going against the current,” he said. “But I would like to ask you, when did recognising rights become something radical? When did empathy become something exceptional?” Continue reading...

We’d like to hear from graduates about how they’re faring with paying back student loans. Have you experienced large increases in outstanding debt? In last year’s budget Rachel Reeves froze the salary threshold for plan 2 loan repayments for three years from April 2027 – which means borrowers will have to pay even more towards their student loans as they benefit from pay rises. Student finance is made up of a tuition fee loan, which covers course fees and is paid directly to the university, and a maintenance loan, which is designed to help with costs such as rent and food. Continue reading...

Around the country, arthouse film programs hosted in galleries and independent cinemas are booming – and their audiences are filled with young viewers Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email For a quarter century, In the Mood for Love has remained one of cinema’s most romantic texts; it only makes sense that audiences swooned when Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art programmed the Wong Kar-wai film at its Australian Cinémathèque in late 2025. Two sessions in the venue’s 220-seat main cinema sold out swiftly. A third session was added at short notice on a night the 20-year-old site isn’t usually open, and neared capacity, teeming with eager viewers. And not just classic cinephiles, either. The film, says Amanda Slack-Smith, Australian Cinémathèque’s longstanding curatorial manager, “got out to a lot of communities. We’re seeing a lot of intergenerational families coming in – older parents with their 50-year-old kids, and they’re bringing their kids.” Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...

Dozens of eCourier workers who deliver vital NHS samples claim they are classed wrongly as self-employed Dozens of drivers are taking legal action against a Royal Mail-owned courier service, arguing that they are entitled to workers’ rights. The 46 drivers are classified as self-employed by eCourier. They work around the clock making deliveries, including transporting vital blood and tissue samples to and from NHS hospitals. Continue reading...

Demands by the US that it take control of the Arctic island is for many Inuits a reminder of a troubling imperial past On a bitterly cold recent morning in the Canadian Arctic, about 70 people took to the streets. Braving the bone-chilling winds, they marched through the Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut, waving signs that read: “We stand with Greenland” and “Greenland is a partner, not a purchase.” It was a glimpse of how, for Indigenous peoples across the Arctic, the battle over Greenland has become a wider reckoning, seemingly pitting the long-fought battle to assert their rights against a global push for power. Continue reading...

After playing Elphaba in Wicked, packing out a tent at Worthy Farm and returning to Les Misérables, the star is headlining the Palladium with songs that sum up her life Congratulations on your pregnancy. Have you been singing to your bump? Sort of inadvertently, because I’m back at Les Mis so by osmosis, she’s getting Boublil and Schönberg every night. I’m hoping she comes out waving a red flag and marching as soon as she walks. I haven’t sort of sat and sung to her, but I sing all the time and everything’s for her now. You’re performing your biggest solo concert to date, at the London Palladium. How do you put a set list together? It depends on whether you’re working for someone or for yourself. You have to do what other people want a lot of the time, which is totally fine – most of the stuff I’m asked to do is from my catalogue and I love it. Only one or two songs fill me with dread if I see them on a requests sheet. And to be honest, I always get to them and they’re fine anyway. But putting a show like this together is completely different because it’s about me and my life. The concert is based on ideas we had last year for my Glastonbury set where it was very much music to music, quick introductions, keep it moving. That was right for that gig but this time I am exploring what these songs mean and who I am now. I’m going to talk to the audience in a different way to how I have before. I’ve shied away from singing more than one song from the same show in the past. But I’m playing the London Palladium while carrying my daughter. And Jenna in Waitress goes through everything while carrying her child. I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to sing songs that really relate to what’s going on so there will definitely be more than one song from Waitress. Continue reading...

Itoje missed start of camp to attend mother’s funeral Arundell makes first England start in three years on wing Jamie George will captain England in their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday with Maro Itoje named on the bench while Henry Arundell has been selected for a first start in three years. Itoje missed the start of England’s training camp in Girona to attend his mother’s funeral in Nigeria and Steve Borthwick has opted to name the second row among the replacements. Itoje has a remarkable record of appearing in every minute of England’s matches for the last six Six Nations campaigns but Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum assume second-row duties against Wales. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s picture editors select some of the most powerful photos from around the world Continue reading...

Businessman, who says he is a ‘big, bullish believer’, would combine Scunthorpe steelworks with Italian plant Business news – latest updates The British investor Michael Flacks is reportedly “very” interested in buying British Steel and combining it with another plant in Italy, in a deal that would create one of Europe’s largest metals groups. The businessman’s Miami-based investment group, Flacks Group, specialises in buying distressed companies and is working with bankers to prepare a bid for government-controlled Scunthorpe steelworks, the Financial Times reported. Continue reading...

Here are details that have emerged about the ex-minister’s relationship with the convicted child sex offender UK politics live – latest updates Peter Mandelson has resigned from the Labour party over his links to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s how the depth of their relationship – both before and after Epstein’s conviction for sexual crimes – has come to light. Continue reading...

Marius Borg Høiby arrested on suspicion of assault, making threats with knife and violating restraining order, police say The son of Norway’s crown princess, Marius Borg Høiby, has been arrested on new charges just days before the start of his rape trial. The Oslo police district said Høiby had been arrested on Sunday evening on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order. Continue reading...

Rightwing populist elected by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to cocaine trade Rightwing populist Laura Fernández has won Costa Rica’s presidential election by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. Fernández’s nearest rival, centre-right economist Álvaro Ramos, conceded defeat as results showed the ruling party far exceeding the threshold of 40% needed to avoid a runoff. Continue reading...

Online gaming legend Mark Fischbach writes, directs and stars in this feature about a convict on a vague intergalactic mission – but his barebones production has nothing to show William Goldman’s old showbiz maxim continues to apply that nobody knows anything. Independently financed horror movie Iron Lung has been smuggled into multiplexes without the usual promotional hoopla, where it was keenly awaited by the massed followers of its Hawaiian writer-director-star Mark Fischbach, better known as YouTube gaming legend Markiplier. Many of us have long sensed culture is making a decisive break with the analogue in favour of the (perhaps terminally) online and Fischbach’s film makes that paradigm shift not just visible but visceral; it feels not unlike spending 12 hours on Twitch with all the curtains closed. Though Markiplier is approaching the horror genre from a notionally fresh angle – by adapting Dave Szymanski’s eponymous space-submarine sim – he lands on the narratively rusty idea of an astronaut straying beyond his depth; this is Moon in dimmer light. Beset by ominous rumbles and mounting doubts about the state of mankind, the begrimed and squalid craft singlehandedly piloted by Fischbach’s straggle-haired convict Simon is indistinguishable from the average teenage bedroom. Our hero staggers round this intergalactic deathtrap completing vaguely specified missions – ram this, repair that, download something or other – like a harassed dad ticking off his Sunday to-do list. In this, Simon proves more proficient than Fischbach’s offscreen self, who is either stumped by or oblivious to the film’s fundamental issues. Continue reading...