An afterlife sitcom, an angry penguin, tossed salad and scrambled eggs, and a Corby trouser press … our writers pick the shows they would happily watch on a loop for ever

Palestine activist and doctor Ghassan Abu-Sitta also cleared over alleged support for Hamas in case brought by GMC The rector of the University of Glasgow has been cleared of misconduct by a medical watchdog over alleged antisemitism and support for Hamas. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta, a plastic surgeon and prominent Palestinian activist, appeared via video link on Friday before a fitness to practise panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, where a case of misconduct against him was rejected. Continue reading...

It is one of the most tantalising – and entertaining – puzzles in art, stretching from the Louvre to the Loire via, well, Norfolk. And our critic thinks he has just worked it out

Jaques Moretti arrested on Friday as lawyers representing families of victims say investigators are not moving fast enough Like many young people across Switzerland, Kenzo Ronnow, a university student in Lausanne, slept in on 1 January after celebrating the new year. But as he scrolled through his phone soon after waking, he saw the lead story of a foreign news website was about Switzerland. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Party says Nigel Farage and colleagues receiving ‘tainted money’ for their posts on Elon Musk’s platform The Liberal Democrats have urged Reform UK MPs who receive payment from X for their posts to donate the money to charities working to combat sexual exploitation, after the site was flooded with AI-generated sexualised images of women and children. The Lib Dem spokesperson for science, innovation and technology, Victoria Collins, said Nigel Farage and other MPs paid by the Elon Musk-owned site were receiving “tainted money”. Continue reading...

Barely a mile from Floyd’s murder, an officer killed Renee Nicole Good. We must peacefully say no to this violence

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

Met Office issues rare red warning as winter storm causes power cuts, travel disruption and school closures * Storm Goretti – latest updates Snow and ice are expected to grip much of the UK over the weekend as parts of the country continue to reel from the effects of Storm Goretti, which left thousands of people facing power cuts, school closures and travel chaos. The storm brought winds of nearly 100mph after forecasters issued a rare red warning for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the south-west. Continue reading...

Exclusive: In first comments since US attack on Venezuela, Richard Hermer refrained from singling out Trump administration Nations are right to consider diplomatic relations when deciding whether to “call out” breaches of international law, the attorney general has said, after the UK government faced criticism over its reluctance to condemn the US attack on Venezuela. In an interview with the Guardian, Richard Hermer, the government’s most senior law officer and a close ally of Keir Starmer, said that in a “complicated and dangerous” world, leaders should be able to use “statecraft” to consider other factors when establishing whether to hold allies to account. Continue reading...

From the family tree to intriguing cutaway shots – and the early reveals of secret relationships – a fan theory is gaining traction. Is it possible that all the contestants entered in pairs?

As Americans worry about healthcare and affordability, the ‘no more wars’ president is helping oil companies instead

Phoenix club are lowest-ranked in third round and could have sold hundreds more tickets for visit of holders Crystal Palace

Bosses at body that trained chef Jamie Oliver were awarded million-pound bonuses after sale to private firm * Business live – latest updates The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into City & Guilds’ sale of its qualification awards business to a private company last year. The announcement has been made after the Guardian revealed last month how City & Guilds bosses were handed million-pound bonuses after the charity privatised its business arm. Continue reading...

The Olina, seized in the Caribbean, was falsely flying the flag of Timor Leste, according to a public shipping database * US politics live – latest updates The US is in the process of seizing the Olina tanker in the Caribbean near Trinidad in the fifth such interdiction of ships in recent weeks as part of Washington’s efforts to control Venezuelan oil exports, two US officials said on Friday. The Olina, according to public shipping database Equasis, was falsely flying the flag of the tiny south-east Asian nation of Timor Leste. The vessel had previously sailed from Venezuela and had returned to the region, said an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter. Continue reading...

Swiss prosecutors had summoned bar’s owners earlier on Friday as country held national day of morning

Study of man often featured in works by the Flemish master reveals hidden painting of woman beneath model’s beard Is it a bald elderly man with a big bushy beard and a wine-addled stare? Or a friendly young woman with flowing locks and a crown of braids? To Belgian art dealer Klaas Muller, an answer to that question mattered less than the fact that this particular take on the duck-rabbit optical illusion was painted by one Peter Paul Rubens. Continue reading...

From the V&A to the Stranger Things finale, the pop icon still looms large – but with lower streaming figures than his peers, how many new listeners are discovering his music?

Teaser reels for next December’s coming episode give no clues to the story, still less to how these old characters are returning via the multiverse

We’ve already geoengineered the planet through the careless release of greenhouse gases. Now we need a plan to manage the risks we’ve set in motion

Keir Starmer accuses Kremlin of ‘using fabricated allegations’ to justify attack after call with Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron Pope Leo also chooses to express a view on the recent events in Venezuela, calling for world governments – I think he means US president Donald Trump in particular – to “respect the will” of the Venezuelan people. Goes without saying that it’s particularly important coming from the first US pope. “I wish to repeat my urgent appeal that peaceful political solutions to the current situation should be sought, keeping in mind the common good of the peoples and not the defence of partisan interests.” “This pertains, in particular to Venezuela. In light of recent developments in this regard, I renew my appeal to respect the will of the Venezuelan people and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all ensuring a future of stability and concord.” “The Holy See strongly reiterates the pressing need for an immediate ceasefire and for dialogue motivated by a sincere search for ways leading to peace. I make an urgent appeal to the international community, not to waver in its commitment to pursuing just and lasting solutions that will protect the most vulnerable and restore hope to the afflicted peoples.” Continue reading...

Spokesperson says limiting access to paying subscribers just makes ability to generate unlawful images a premium service * UK politics live – latest updates Downing Street has condemned the move by X to restrict its AI image creation tool to paying subscribers as insulting, saying it simply made the ability to generate explicit and unlawful images a premium service. There has been widespread anger after the image tool for Grok, the AI element of X, was used to manipulate thousands of images of women and sometimes children to remove their clothing or put them in sexual positions. Continue reading...

Experts are urging guideline changes on what health professionals should wear to protect against flu-like illnesses including Covid

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls protesters ‘vandals’ and ‘saboteurs’ and blames the US for instigating the unrest Iran’s supreme leader vowed on Friday that authorities would “not back down” in the face of growing protests, blaming the US for instigating the demonstrations that started over economic conditions and have since expanded to calls for political reform. In his first speech since the protests started 13 days ago, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signalled that a greater crackdown was coming. He described protesters as “vandals” and “saboteurs”, and accused them of working on behalf of foreign agendas. Continue reading...

Catherine says she feels ‘deeply grateful’ in final instalment of Mother Nature series, a year on from cancer treatment The Princess of Wales has marked her 44th birthday with a short video in which she says she has spent winter reflecting on how “deeply grateful” she is and how nature helps to heal. In the video, entitled Winter and the final instalment of her quarterly Mother Nature series, Catherine says: “Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration.” Continue reading...

Elon Musk’s reckless and degrading AI could be built differently. But Americans will have to speak up