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Kai Havertz adds gloss as Arsenal dispatch Chelsea to book Carabao Cup final spot

When the final whistle blew, you could sense the huge wave of relief that swept over this stadium.

Arsenal may not have been at all convincing against a Chelsea side who caused them the occasional problem but Mikel Arteta will not care one bit. After four successive semi-final defeats, Arsenal are on their way to Wembley at last. After the drama of the first leg at Stamford Bridge that saw Liam Rosenior’s side travel to north London needing to overturn a 3-2 deficit, this was a much more cagey affair that was eventually settled in injury time by substitute Kai Havertz against his former club.

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© Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

© Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

© Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

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‘People are dying, you have to help’: Guardiola decries wars in Sudan, Ukraine and Palestine

  • Manchester City manager opens up on global conflicts

  • UN reports UAE have backed Sudan paramilitary group

Pep Guardiola has spoken out against killings across the world, including in Sudan, where a paramilitary group backed by the United Arab Emirates, which in effect owns Manchester City, is embroiled in a civil war that has cost more than 150,000 lives.

Guardiola named Sudan when talking about conflicts where innocent people were dying. War crimes are said to have been carried out by both sides in the conflict. The vice‑president of the UAE, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, owns City, where Guardiola is the manager.

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© Photograph: Gisela Jané/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gisela Jané/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gisela Jané/Getty Images

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New York to create team of legal observers to document ICE raids

Attorney general Letitia James says observers will monitor if Trump enforcement ‘remains within bounds of the law’

New York is creating a team of legal observers that will don purple vests to monitor and record the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement officers as they seek to detain and deport migrants, the state’s attorney general said on Tuesday.

The announcement follows weeks of sometimes violent tumult in Minneapolis, where Donald Trump has deployed thousands of armed, masked agents as he tries to deport more migrants than any of his predecessors.

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© Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

© Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

© Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

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Netflix co-CEO grilled by US senators over Warner Bros Discovery merger

While most focused on competition issues, Josh Hawley accused Netflix of promoting trans content to children

Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos faced tough questioning over whether the streamer is “overwhelmingly woke” or killing competition on Tuesday afternoon during a congressional hearing focused on its pending acquisition of the film and streaming assets of Warner Bros Discovery.

The hearing was conducted by the Senate subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy, and consumer rights. Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer for Warner Bros Discovery, also testified in the packed Senate hearing room.

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© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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Arsenal v Chelsea: Carabao Cup semi-final, second leg – live

⚽ Carabao Cup updates, 8pm GMT kick-off (first leg: 3-2)
Live scoreboard | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Daniel

Chelsea, meanwhile, are looking to bottle up the centre of the pitch – just as Manchester United did when they visited the Emirates. Offensively, they’ll try and get the ball into Delap and play off him, with Joao Pedro probably just off him, likewise Enzo Fernandez, both roaming and daring defenders to follow them. Otherwise, though, I don’t imagine they’d mind 0-0 with 20 to go, so will look to be solid, absorb pressure and take whatever comes their way, rather than push the pace from the outset.

So where is the game? Arsenal will look to get at Chelsea in wide areas with Madueke likely to be important. I’d probably have played White, with Timber on the left, now that you don’t ask, to increase the threat, and I’ve been enjoying Martinelli off the bench this season, but he starts ahead of Troassard. Otherwise, look for Eze to slide passes down the sides of the outside centre-backs for Gyokeres, who might find space behind the wing-backs, while I’d also expect rampaging third-man runs from Rice.

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© Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

© Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

© Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

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Trump signs $1.2tn funding bill, ending partial government shutdown

Appropriations measure will let Democrats negotiate with White House and GOP leaders over mass deportation efforts

Donald Trump on Tuesday signed legislation to end a government shutdown hours after it was approved by the House of Representatives, as top Democrats warned they will block further funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) if their demands for restrictions on Trump’s mass deportation campaign are not addressed.

The Republican-controlled House approved the $1.2tn appropriations measure by a narrow 217-214 vote, with all but 21 Republicans voting in favor and all but 21 Democrats against. The president signed it later in the afternoon at the White House, bringing to an end the shutdown that began after midnight last Friday, which had halted many operations at departments including defense, health and human services, labor and transportation.

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© Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters

© Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters

© Photograph: Al Drago/Reuters

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LIV Golf tour hits out at decision to only award ranking points to top-10 finishers

  • Ranking points to be awarded at LIV events for first time

  • Saudi-backed tour attacks ‘unprecedented restriction’

The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Tour has hit out at what it regards as victimisation from those presiding over the sport’s world rankings process, despite seeing their wait of nearly four years for recognition by the system finally end.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that those competing in LIV tournaments will receive official world golf ranking points but only when finishing in the top 10. A statement from the OWGR board said this “recognises there are a number of areas where LIV Golf does not meet the eligibility standards set out”.

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© Photograph: Charles Laberge/AP

© Photograph: Charles Laberge/AP

© Photograph: Charles Laberge/AP

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French prosecutors ask appeal court to keep ban on Marine Le Pen running for office

Far-right leader was barred for five years after being found guilty of extensive fake jobs scam at European parliament

French state prosecutors have asked appeal court judges to maintain a five-year election ban on the far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of European parliament funds in a fake jobs scandal.

If the judges decide to grant the request, Le Pen would probably not be able to run in France’s 2027 presidential election.

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© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

© Photograph: Abdul Saboor/Reuters

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Jill Biden’s ex-husband charged with murder of his wife

Linda Stevenson found unresponsive on 28 December after police responded to domestic dispute

The ex-husband of former US first lady Jill Biden has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, officials said on Tuesday.

William Stevenson, 77, was taken into custody on Monday and is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the death of Linda Stevenson, according to a grand jury indictment filed in Delaware.

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© Photograph: New Castle County Police/Reuters

© Photograph: New Castle County Police/Reuters

© Photograph: New Castle County Police/Reuters

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Elon Musk is taking SpaceX’s minority shareholders for a ride | Nils Pratley

Merger with loss-making xAI looks to some investors more like a bailout than a rocket trip to the future

To Elon Musk’s fanclub, there is nothing to see apart from more evidence of the great man’s visionary genius. SpaceX, the rocket firm, is buying xAI, the artificial intelligence developer, and the combination of these two Musk-controlled entities is being valued at $1.25tn (£910bn). Feel the positive vibes ahead of a stock market debut due in June! The most valuable private company in history! The largest ever transaction!

Or, as Musk described it, he is creating “the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free-speech platform”.

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© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

© Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

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US shoots down Iranian drone flying towards aircraft carrier, navy says

Shahed-139 said to have approached USS Abraham Lincoln ‘with unclear intent’ as US warships head towards Iran

The US military says it shot down an Iranian drone that “aggressively” approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.

The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier “with unclear intent” when an F-35 fighter jet shot it down, US Central Command said on Tuesday.

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© Photograph: Seaman Zoe Simpson/US navy/EPA

© Photograph: Seaman Zoe Simpson/US navy/EPA

© Photograph: Seaman Zoe Simpson/US navy/EPA

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Asian elephant born at Washington DC zoo for first time in 25 years

Smithsonian’s National Zoo invites public to vote for name for female calf born to mother Nhi Linh

For the first time in almost 25 years, an Asian elephant has been born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC.

The 308lb (140kg) female calf was born at 1.15am on 2 February to 12-year-old mother Nhi Linh and 44-year-old father Spike, the zoo announced in a statement.

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© Photograph: Roshan Patel/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

© Photograph: Roshan Patel/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

© Photograph: Roshan Patel/Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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Gaza: Rafah crossing reopens under Israeli restrictions - The Latest

A small number of Palestinians from Gaza have started crossing into Egypt for medical treatment after Israel allowed a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing. It had been largely closed since Israeli troops seized it in May 2024, cutting off a critical lifeline for those in Gaza. Around 20,000 Palestinians needing medical care hope to leave Gaza using the crossing, but only a handful have been allowed through so far. The reopening of Rafah is seen as a key step in the US-brokered ceasefire agreement as it moves into its second phase. Lucy Hough speaks to chief Middle East correspondent Emma Graham-Harrison

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© Photograph: The Guardian

© Photograph: The Guardian

© Photograph: The Guardian

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Marwan Barghouti, ‘Palestine’s Mandela’, to publish book from prison

Unbroken: In Pursuit of Freedom for Palestine is a collection of writings by the Palestinian political leader, who has been held in Israeli prisons since 2002

A collection of writings by the imprisoned Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti will be published in November, bringing together prison letters, interviews, personal material and documents from the last three decades of Barghouti’s political life and incarceration.

As deadly attacks on Gaza continue despite a nominal ceasefire, the 66-year-old is seen by many as the best hope for a leader of any future Palestinian state.

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© Photograph: Bernat Armangué/AP

© Photograph: Bernat Armangué/AP

© Photograph: Bernat Armangué/AP

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Mandy wonders where it all went wrong as Labour throws him to the wolves

Mandelson tried to explain as everyone from Harriet Harman to Robert Jenrick lined up to condemn him

Last week, Peter Mandelson was giving his comeback interview to the Times, scheduled to be published later this month. He posed for cosy pics with the dog as he explained how hard done by he had been and how much the country could benefit from his largesse and expertise.

Late on Sunday night, that interview was crowbarred into a hastily rearranged one to take in Mandy’s sudden resignation from the Labour party after seemingly more revelations of Peter taking money in the recently released Epstein files. Mandelson appeared to take it in his stride.

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© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

© Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

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US private investigator did ‘unlawful stuff’ for the Daily Mail, court hears

In case brought by Prince Harry and others, Daniel Portley-Hanks says he received about $1m for work for Associated Newspapers Ltd

A US-based private detective bought a large house in California and had $150,000 in savings “almost entirely” from work he did for the publisher of the Daily Mail, the high court has heard.

Daniel Portley-Hanks, also known as “Detective Danno”, said he received about $1m for work carried out for the Mail on Sunday, another title published by Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL).

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© Photograph: Kendrick Brinson/New York Times/Redux/eyevine

© Photograph: Kendrick Brinson/New York Times/Redux/eyevine

© Photograph: Kendrick Brinson/New York Times/Redux/eyevine

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‘Finally got him to go’: how Epstein was given inside track on events that rippled through global markets

Apparent leak by Peter Mandelson gave advance notice of Gordon Brown’s resignation and €500bn eurozone deal

On a brisk Monday evening in May 2010, Gordon Brown stood on the steps of Downing Street and delivered one of the most dramatic announcements of the New Labour era: his resignation as UK prime minister.

The decision came days after a nail-biting general election that left no single party with a clear run at No 10. Brown kept his decision, which followed days of political wrangling, to a tight inner circle. Nick Clegg, who would go on to serve as deputy prime minister of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, was formally told of Brown’s resignation only 10 minutes before the announcement.

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© Photograph: Martin Argles/The Guardian

© Photograph: Martin Argles/The Guardian

© Photograph: Martin Argles/The Guardian

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IOC president gives clearest signal so far that Russia could be at 2028 Olympics

  • Kirsty Coventry: ‘Keep sport a neutral ground’

  • Ukraine sports minister hits out at Fifa president

The International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, has given her clearest signal yet that Russia could be back for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

A day after the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, said he wanted Russia reinstated to international football, Coventry used her opening address to the 145th IOC congress in Milan to argue that all athletes should be allowed to compete in sport – regardless of their government’s behaviour.

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© Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

© Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

© Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

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Met police launch investigation into alleged Mandelson-Epstein email leaks

Epstein files appear to show then business secretary passing market sensitive information to child sex offender

UK politics live – latest updates

The Metropolitan police have formally launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Peter Mandelson leaked Downing Street emails and market sensitive information to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Documents from the Epstein files released in recent days appeared to show the then business secretary sent confidential details of internal discussions to the late financier in the aftermath of the financial crash.

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© Photograph: US Department of Justice

© Photograph: US Department of Justice

© Photograph: US Department of Justice

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New home, new outlook? What’s next for the Sundance film festival?

The final Utah edition of the hub for American independent film saw slow sales and a mixed bag of movies but a future in Colorado could bring a refresh

Sundance is over. Well, not quite. The Sundance we all know, with Robert Redford as its head and Park City, Utah, as its location, is over. The festival’s beloved founder died last year months after the festival also opted for a move to Boulder, Colorado.

But on the alarmingly snow-light ground, there was also chatter about what would become of Sundance as a whole, once the shining beacon of American independent cinema, after it entered a new phase. There were standout films as ever but again not quite enough to override concerns over what the festival now represents in a harsh new world where it’s arguably easier to make an indie (or whatever cobbling together bits of AI slop might be called) but harder to get it sold.

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© Photograph: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

© Photograph: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

© Photograph: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

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Are the Whitecaps about to die? Vancouver sound alarm bells amid difficult sale process

Scheduling and financial impasses at Vancouver’s World Cup stadium are leading down a road the league hasn’t traveled in over a decade

On the surface, Vancouver Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster’s press conference last week would have felt familiar to almost any North American sports fan. Once again, a team was agitating for more money or a better stadium. Once again, local governments were at least partially to blame.

Some of his comments, though, felt more alien, and raised a question that seemed unfathomable just a couple of months ago: are the Vancouver Whitecaps about to die?

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© Photograph: Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images

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‘Supermax-style units’ for most dangerous criminals to be introduced in England and Wales

David Lammy also tells MPs he will draw up legislation to stop prisoners using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditions

The most dangerous extremist prisoners in England and Wales will be held in “supermax-style units” similar to those used in US jails, David Lammy has told MPs.

The deputy prime minister also said he would consider drawing up legislation to stop prisoners from using human rights laws to challenge tougher conditions in jail.

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© Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

© Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

© Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

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From ‘nerdy’ Gemini to ‘edgy’ Grok: how developers are shaping AI behaviours

AIs are not sentient – but tweaks to their ethical codes can have far-reaching consequences for users

Do you want an AI assistant that gushes about how it “loves humanity” or one that spews sarcasm? How about a political propagandist ready to lie? If so, ChatGPT, Grok and Qwen are at your disposal.

Companies that create AI assistants, from the US to China, are increasingly wrestling with how to mould their characters, and it is no abstract debate. This month Elon Musk’s “maximally truth-seeking” Grok AI caused international outrage when it pumped out millions of sexualised images. In October OpenAI retrained ChatGPT to de-escalate conversations with people in mental health distress after it appeared to encourage a 16-year-old to take his own life.

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© Composite: Artwork by Alex Mellon and Guardian Design. Source Photographs by Getty Images

© Composite: Artwork by Alex Mellon and Guardian Design. Source Photographs by Getty Images

© Composite: Artwork by Alex Mellon and Guardian Design. Source Photographs by Getty Images

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