With his gangster image, Colón ruffled the feathers of the musical establishment, but thrilled millions of fans as he displayed the raw rhythmic possibility of salsa

Willie Colón, who has died in New York at the age of 75, was many things: master blaster of Nuyorican salsa; Puerto Rican superstar; actor in Mexican soap operas; an activist and, later, a reactionary in New York politics. These are just a few of the myriad accomplishments of a musician who always seemed to be in a hurry to move on, make new music and get into a spat with a fellow salsero or political opponent. Colón was an energy source, a musician as loud and vibrant – and sometimes infuriating – as the city he lived and died in.

While to Nuyoricans – Puerto Ricans living in New York – Colón was a legend, to many Anglo New Yorkers he barely registered, perhaps noted by a few for playing with David Byrne during the singer’s adventures in Latin American music. He was nominated for 10 Grammys but never troubled the US Top 40, yet across much of Latin America he was arguably the most celebrated brass player of the past six decades, winning the Latin Grammys’ musical excellence award in 2004. Colón was to salsa what Elvis Presley was to rock’n’roll – the fearless teenager whose loose, fast, rough interpretation of the music he heard on the streets helped create a genre that grew into the dominant Latin dance music.

Ties to the disgraced financier run deep through the academic world, documents released by the DoJ show

Major institutions of higher education in the US are reckoning with the latest release of the Epstein files after discovering the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with board members, professors and administrators on campuses across the country.

In some cases, professors have been placed under review, research centers closed or conferences canceled. Students and staff have responded in different ways, including petitions, open letters and campus forums.

The popular film-logging app is spurring cinephiles to linger through the credits and jot down their thoughts right away

I completely turn my phone off when I go to the movies. Not just on silent – all the way off. I say this not because I think that I’m better than you, or that by doing so the ghost of Billy Wilder will come back to shake my hand. I consider it one of life’s little luxuries: for at least an hour and 45 minutes, I am entirely unreachable. I keep my phone off for the duration of the credits, too. It feels decadent to stay put as my fellow moviegoers slowly filter out, illuminated only by rolling text.

And, lately, the glow of the Letterboxd app.

• England tour to feature three Tests and three ODIs

• ODIs will be at smaller grounds due to SA20 bookings

England’s planned Twenty20 series in South Africa next January has been scrapped owing to a clash with the domestic SA20 tournament in the latest indication of the growing primacy of franchise cricket.

The Guardian revealed earlier this month that the white-ball leg of England’s tour was under threat as a result of a scheduling clash with SA20, which was due to run from 9 January until 14 February 2027.

• Dutchman steps down for personal reasons

• Caribbean island only has population of 150,000

Dick Advocaat led Curaçao to their first World Cup but will not be charge of the team at the tournament itself after resigning from the head coach’s post for personal reasons.

It is believed Advocaat had stood down because of his daughter’s health. “I’ve always said family is above football. So this is a self-evident decision,” the 78-year-old is reported as saying. “But of course that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to miss Curaçao, the people there and my colleagues very much.”

In not editing out Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson’s shouted tics, Bafta have allowed their successful diversity drive to be overshadowed

• Backlash mounts to Bafta N-word controversy as Jamie Foxx and Wendell Pierce criticise outburst

Bafta’s error was big on Sunday night - but it was in the editing, or the lack of. No one could have stopped John Davidson - who has Tourette syndrome - yelling out the N-word while two black actors, Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo, were presenting a prize. But given that they did use the two-hour time delay to judiciously remove Akinola Davies Jr’s shout of “Free Palestine!” and Alan Cumming’s comparison of the themes of Zootropolis 2 (“Lies, corrupt leaders, poisoning and persecution of a race”) to contemporary America, it seems a perverse decision not to remove an appalling slur, yelled involuntarily, from the TV broadcast.

Comments by Ted Sarandos follow Donald Trump’s demand for company to remove Democrat from board

• Trump warns Netflix of ‘consequences’ unless it pulls top Democrat from board

• Business live – latest updates

The boss of Netflix has launched a fresh defence of its $82.7bn (£61bn) takeover of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) assets, as he defended the streaming company’s contribution to the UK film and TV industry.

Ted Sarandos claimed Netflix buying WBD would bring “growth” to the entertainment industry, amid attempts by rival Paramount Skydance to launch a counter offer for the studio business which he said would do the opposite.

Thibault Emin’s thriller sees a new couple forced to barricade themselves in an apartment amid an outbreak in which the infected merge with their physical surroundings

Heavily fermented films born from Covid claustrophobia are still coming out of the woodwork – quite literally in the case of this visually arresting Gallic number, in which two shut-ins find themselves under attack by an entity that has grown out of the wooden slats with which one of them has barricaded the apartment windows. This isn’t your average pandemic thriller; here, the infected meld with inorganic material in their surroundings, until their outward contours and their personhood are gone.

Thibault Emin’s film starts with a little whiff of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro’s Delicatessen. After their one-night stand, hypochondriac Anx (Matthieu Sampeur) and impertinent Cass (Edith Proust) find themselves bunkered up in one corner of a madcap apartment block. They banter with the other residents – gruff Mr Mouaki (Toni d’Antonio) and his family, an enigmatic Japanese tenant (Lika Minamoto) holed up with her dog – down the waste-disposal chutes. Observing the unfolding martial-law response over the internet, they feel safely cocooned, until Cass notices a strange accumulation of pebbles underneath Anx’s furniture.

Doctors say that washing doesn’t get rid of the bacteria, virus and fungal pathogens lurking in the material. It’s a horrifying thought given I’ve got pants dating back to 1995

Every few months, the world informs me I am disgusting in a new way (I should replace my pillows every two years; my toothbrush is a petri dish, etc). But surely the revelation in the Financial Times that we should be changing our underwear every six months doesn’t come as a shock only to me?

To clarify swiftly, that’s “change” as in throw away and replace. “Doctors generally recommend replacing underwear every six to nine months,” the article explains. “Because, quite simply, washing doesn’t remove everything.” This, it turns out, is not new information: most advice on the internet suggests six to 12 months as the appropriate lifespan for pants. Alternatively, in 2021, a consultant gynaecologist suggested another approach to the Independent: “I would say a maximum of 50 washes for a pair of cotton M&S underwear would be fine.”

The past year has been turbulent for Tinder and Bumble. Fortunately, it turns out the real world has its charms

Valentine’s Day is mercifully behind us for another year, so we can all go back to not loving each other again. How wonderful it is to be freed of the burden of expressing our emotions in public. I didn’t post a flowery declaration of devotion for my girlfriend on social media, and I kept expecting a flood of messages asking me if we’d broken up already. Such is the peer pressure of a holiday designed purely to justify our own self-worth. Well, someone is willing to put up with me, therefore I have value.

Needing to rub your love into other people’s faces is a natural outgrowth of how absolutely miserable it is out there for finding romance. The world is not exactly filled with optimism these days, as we all hunker down with our cans of tinned fish, waiting for the next disaster to strike. Couple that (pun intended) with the onslaught of digitized dating solutions like the apps Hinge, Raya and Bumble and you have a rancid stew of solitude to look forward to. Why not mark yourself safe from loneliness by posting a picture of you and your partner snogging in the middle of a Walgreens (contraception aisle, of course)?

Three thoughts on the opening weekend of MLS in 2026, including a new Galaxy forward to fear and a pointed celebration in DC

You know a situation is dire when it casts Luis Suárez as its level-headed participant.

Such were the scenes after Inter Miami opened its MLS Cup defense with a pitiful 3-0 defeat at Los Angeles FC. Through 90 minutes, with LAFC coming off of a midweek continental match, both team’s stars stuck it out to try starting the 2026 season on the right foot. Son Heung-min made it 89 minutes, subbed out when the result was beyond doubt. Lionel Messi played every minute but was held without a goal contribution, failing to place either of his shot attempts on target and seeing all three created chances go uncashed by his teammates.

Amid talk of artificial intelligence taking our jobs, the big unasked question is: how will we be fed?

How will we be fed? That’s the biggest question not seriously being addressed amid all this talk about whether or not artificial intelligence will end up taking over all of our jobs.

Formidable though the technology appears, similar fears have popped up repeatedly since the Industrial Revolution, and most working-age adults remain employed. Still, what is sorely missing is a serious debate about what to do if this future in fact materializes.

Affectionate, ballsy, she thought she was a dog, and taught me how social and intelligent chickens can be

Stevie and her siblings were the first batch of chickens I ever owned. I fostered them from a nearby animal shelter in 2021. Stevie was the most vocal of the three so I named her after one of my favourite musicians, Stevie Nicks.

I live on a huge plot of land in Malibu which I treat like an animal sanctuary – any animal that I can rescue and help, I will. I’ve been that way since I was a little kid. When my parents gave me a small allowance I would run to the pet store and bring a new animal home. Sometimes, I would find animals on the street and take them in.

Former senior civil servants say culture of deference meant excessive expenses claims were waved through

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor charged taxpayers for the cost of massages and excessive travel expenses while he was the UK’s trade envoy, it has been reported.

Former senior civil servants said they were shocked to see the claims, and that there was a culture of deference towards the former prince within Whitehall that allowed them to proceed.

Joint ventures on defence, green energy and telecoms suggest how country could join bloc in stages rather than wait for full status

When the first Ukrainian-designed drone to be made in a German factory rolled off the production line last month, Volodymyr Zelenskyy knew it marked a turning point for the economy.

With drone-making joint ventures also well advanced in Finland and Denmark, war-torn Ukraine has shown how its businesses can adapt and break out of their bomb-threatened domestic confines, becoming more integrated into the EU’s industrial network with each passing day.

South-western France could hit 25C, while a powerful Nor’easter is forecast to bring blizzards to Boston

• Europe live – latest updates

An early taste of spring is on the way for millions across northern and western Europe this week. Temperatures could climb close to a near record-breaking 20C (68F) in parts of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, with south-western France approaching 25C on Wednesday.

The warmth is being driven by a highly amplified synoptic pattern, featuring a region of low pressure over the Atlantic and strong high pressure over central Europe. The setup will allow exceptionally mild air to spread across much of the continent, with temperatures in some places rising to 10-15C above the seasonal average.

Finance campaigner marches on to set and tells Tory leader her policy to cut interest rates will only help top earners

• UK politics live – latest updates

Kemi Badenoch has faced what could be described as the stuff of nightmares for a UK politician being interviewed about a personal finance policy: being ambushed and contradicted live on air by Martin Lewis.

As the Conservative leader was being interviewed on ITV about her party’s plans to cut interest rates for some student loans, Lewis, a campaigner and finance expert, marched on to the set to announce that he completely disagreed.

Foxx calls Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson’s shouts at the film awards ceremony ‘unacceptable’, while Sinners’ production designer criticises Bafta’s ‘throwaway’ apology

• With N-word incident, Bafta have shot themselves in the foot

The fallout over Tourette syndrome (TS) activist John Davidson’s outbursts at the Baftas on Sunday continued after Jamie Foxx and Wendell Pierce expressed their dismay at the incident.

Davidson attended the Baftas as I Swear, the film inspired by his life of dealing with hostility triggered by TS, was up for a number of awards. He was heard several times shouting during the ceremony, including using the N-word while actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were on stage presenting the evening’s first prize.

In another season of change at Manchester United, the playmaker has been as consistent as ever

By WhoScored

Turmoil has been no stranger to Old Trafford in recent years; the club has employed 10 managers since Alex Ferguson left in May 2013. Their 15th-placed finish last season – their lowest since they were relegated in 1974 – was a new low. But there has been one bright spot through all the disappointments: Bruno Fernandes playing world-class football and reminding everyone what United can be at their best. This season, at 32, he continues to stand out.

In November, he revealed the club had been open to the idea of him moving to Saudi Arabia. “The club wanted me to leave,” he said. “From the club I felt: ‘If you go it’s not that bad for us.’ It hurts me a bit. I decided not to go, not only for family reasons, but because I genuinely like the club.” Fans will be delighted he stayed.

European foreign policy chief says ‘there is not going to be progress’ on sanctions package today

One other thing we will be keeping an eye on today is the latest on the EU-US trade relationship after last Friday’s US supreme court ruling on Trump’s tariffs.

The European Parliament is expected to discuss what to do with the EU-US trade deal later today.

Law enforcement confirm man, who was armed with a shotgun and gas canister at Trump’s Florida home, was 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin

President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on the US supreme court following its decision to strike down his tariffs.

Writing on Truth Social, he crowed that the court had “accidentally and unwittingly” given him “far more powers and strength” as a result of its ruling.

The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling.

For one thing, I can use Licenses to do absolutely “terrible” things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can’t charge them a License fee - BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so? You do a license to get a fee! The opinion doesn’t explain that, but I know the answer! The court has also approved all other Tariffs, of which there are many, and they can all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the Tariffs as initially used.

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

The London stock market has dipped slightly in early trading.

The FTSE 100 index is down 19 points, or 0.18%, at 10,668 points.

The latest in our series of writers on their most important comfort films is a celebration of Nicolas Cage’s finest action moment

It’s easy to poke fun at Nicolas Cage. Between the meltdown memes, dodgy hairdos and his more taxman-friendly choices of roles, he has frequently made himself a target for ridicule among the masses.

Fresh off an Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas, the actor’s decision to follow up with three action films must have seemed baffling at the time. The gambit paid off, though. Consisting of The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off, this unofficial “trilogy” of blockbusters would showcase the fundamental unknowability of Nicolas Cage.

A huge vaccination drive has been launched after the country’s first outbreak in years of the paralysing disease. But the battle to wipe out the virus is struggling elsewhere, so how can it be eradicated?

As a seven-year-old boy is treated for polio at a hospital in Malawi, the country has launched a major vaccination campaign to stem an outbreak of the disease.

The effort in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries and badly hit by the aid cuts, has seen an astonishing 1.3 million children already vaccinated against the disease in just four days after emergency supplies were airlifted in by the World Health Organization (WHO) just over a week ago.