In what could be the biggest protest march in New Zealand’s history, 42,000 people took to the roads over fears Māori rights are being dismantled. Eva Corlett reports

It started at the northern tip of the North Island, gathering momentum as it moved its way down the country. By the time the march – or hikoi – reached its conclusion nine days later outside parliament in Wellington it was thought to be one of the biggest New Zealand has ever seen, with 42,000 people taking part. The demonstration was sparked by what critics say is the rightwing government’s attempt to fundamentally redraw the relationship between the Māori people and the state.

A lawyer and activist Annette Sykes, who was on the march, says it was a unifying moment for Māori people, but also showed the strength of public feeling against a potential rollback of hard-won rights. She says she feels the new ruling coalition is coming up with divisive policies that “are actually trying to demolish that sense of unity that we have forged as a nation, that mutual respect”.

Decision marks reversal after US president said he would not use executive authority, but now says Hunter Biden was only prosecuted for political reasons

• Biden’s statement in full

Joe Biden has issued “a full and unconditional” pardon to his son Hunter Biden covering convictions on federal gun and tax charges, the US president said in a statement released by the White House on Sunday.

The decision marks a reversal for the president, who had repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence.

Elusive spouse of the former prime minister led march of tens of thousands on Islamabad

As vast crowds converged on Pakistan’s capital demanding the release of the former prime minister Imran Khan, one unlikely figure was at the forefront of the protest.

Bushra Bibi, Khan’s third wife, had always been deemed an apolitical and somewhat mysterious spiritual figure. Her marriage to Khan had generated wild gossip for years, but she kept herself largely shielded from the public gaze – even as she found herself jailed alongside her husband in January.

Manchester City’s empire has imploded at incredible speed and they were humbled further by merciless Liverpool side

Pep Guardiola kept holding up six fingers. The Liverpool fans were in delirium and the Liverpool players were jigging and jiving across the turf, and his own players had gone over to applaud the travelling support, which is really the least anyone deserves after attempting to travel across northern England on a Sunday.

Still Guardiola kept holding up six fingers: proudly, almost incredulously, as if discovering the concept of fingers for the very first time. What did it all mean? The number of defeats since they last won a game? The position in which they most desperately require reinforcements in January? The number of touches, over 90 minutes, that Erling Haaland had in the final third?

Ukrainian president presses idea of ‘Nato umbrella’ for areas under Kyiv’s control while Kaja Kallas says it should not be ruled out. What we know on day 1,013

Expression chosen after public vote describes impact of endless scrolling of mind-numbing content

“Brain rot” has been announced as the Oxford word of the year for 2024, amid concerns over endless social media scrolling and mind-numbing content.

More than 37,000 people voted to help choose the winner from a shortlist of six words drawn up by Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The Lithuanian faces up to eight months of cyclones, adverse winds and extreme loneliness as he rows in solidarity with Ukraine

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In his first three days at sea, Aurimas Mockus says, he got only five hours of sleep. His body ached and his hands were covered with wounds and blisters.

But alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, facing up to eight months of rowing, pain quickly turned to “nothing”, the Lithuanian said in a media release.

From the Rising Tide protest flotilla in Newcastle to sunburnt schoolies and a corpse flower in bloom, Guardian Australia looks back at striking images from around the country

• A nostalgic photographic road trip across Australia – in pictures

Longest-standing drummer of pop-punk band said to have influenced emo movement was found dead in Tennessee

Bob Bryar, the former drummer of the US pop-punk band My Chemical Romance which was said to have influenced the youth culture movement emo, has died aged 44.

Bryar’s body was found in his home in Tennessee last week. The entertainment news outlet TMZ, which was the first to report his death, said that according to police no foul play was suspected as his possessions, including musical equipment and weapons, were untouched.

• Linebacker ejected after hit leaves QB concussed
• Vikings and Colts seal late victories

Joe Mixon ran for 101 yards and a touchdown, Nico Collins caught eight passes for 119 yards and the Houston Texans beat Jacksonville after Trevor Lawrence was forced out of the game with a concussion after a controversial hit. The AFC South-leading Texans (8-5) won for just the second time in five weeks and staggered into their bye week with a little momentum.

Mixon carried 20 times, none bigger than his eight-yard gain on third-and-five in the waning minutes that moved the chains and sealed the victory. CJ Stroud completed 22 of 34 passes for 242 yards, with a 22-yard TD pass to Dalton Schultz early in the fourth quarter that essentially iced the game. It was Houston’s 12th win in their past 14 meetings with the Jaguars (2-10) and sixth in a row in Jacksonville.

Directed by a woman with a cast of female leads, the film is the latest to be centred around female experiences and prove a box office success in China

The recent box office success of Her Story, a Chinese comedy directed by a woman with a cast of female leads, has led commentators to dub the movie China’s answer to Barbie.

The second feature film by Chinese director Shao Yihui, Her Story revolves around a newly unemployed single mother with a daughter and their young female neighbour, as they explore their experiences and struggles as women in Shanghai.

Canadian PM dines with Trump, who vowed tariffs unless country stops migrants and drugs from entering US

Justin Trudeau promised Donald Trump that Canada would increase surveillance over the long undefended joint border, a senior Canadian official said on Sunday. The Canadian prime minister flew to Florida on Friday to have dinner with the US president-elect, who has promised to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless Ottawa prevents undocumented people and drugs from crossing the frontier.

Canada sends 75% of all goods and services exports to the United States and tariffs would badly hurt the economy.

Company, which makes Jeep, Fiat and Peugeot vehicles, says it aims to find new leader in first half of 2025

Carlos Tavares has resigned as the chief executive of Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Fiat and Peugeot cars announced on Sunday, and said it aimed to find a new leader in the first half of next year.

Previously regarded as one of the most respected executives in the auto industry, Tavares came under strong criticism earlier this year after Stellantis issued a profit warning on its 2024 results, including a forecast for a cash burn of up to €10bn, mostly blaming slow sales and bloating inventories in its key North American market.

• Verstappen: ‘For me, I lost all respect … I can’t stand that’
• Red Bull driver wins race after incident in qualifying

Max Verstappen issued a blunt condemna­tion of his fellow driver George Russell stating he had “lost all respect” for him after the pair were involved in an incident during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. Verstappen con­sidered that Russell had tried to “screw me over” with the stewards and the pair exchanged words about it before the race at the Lusail circuit on Sunday.

Verstappen won the race in Qatar but afterwards his anger with ­Russell was direct. After qualifying ­Verstappen had been penalised for driving unnecessarily slowly and impeding Russell. Both drivers had been summoned to the stewards to give their sides of the incident and Russell’s behaviour had left ­Verstappen incensed.

• Home fans chanted ‘sacked in the morning’ at Guardiola
• City manager says: ‘I didn’t expect that from Anfield’

Pep Guardiola said he expected more respect at Anfield after being taunted about the sack during Manchester City’s defeat at Liverpool, with the chants prompting the goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to criticise the city as “not the best part in the UK”.

Guardiola held six fingers up to the Anfield crowd – one for each Premier League title he has won at City – in response to chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning”, as Liverpool moved 11 points clear of the faltering champions with a 2-0 win.

• Manager wants to focus on performance not results
• Amorim says Rashford ‘can play so much better’

Ruben Amorim has said he will be judged on Manchester United’s finishing position after Sunday’s 4-0 defeat of Everton lifted them to 19 points, four behind Brighton in the final Champions League berth.

Two goals each from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee gave the Portuguese victory in his first home league match and afterwards he was asked if Champions League qualification is realistic.

Agency says armed gangs looted several trucks carrying food supplies and urges Israel to ensure safe flows of aid

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees has suspended aid deliveries through the main lifeline for the Gaza Strip after a fresh attack by armed gangs on a humanitarian convoy, amid a severe food crisis caused by more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

In a statement on Sunday, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of Unrwa, said several trucks carrying food supplies were looted the day before on the road from Kerem Shalom on the border with Israel, now the main aid crossing point into the besieged Palestinian territory. The route had not been safe for months, he said on X, referring to the unprecedented hijacking of nearly 100 aid trucks last month.

Exit poll suggests leftwing PSD poised to defeat resurgent far-right movement in parliamentary election

Romania’s main centre-left party was on track to finish first in parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results, seemingly beating an advancing far right boosted by the shock victory of an ultranationalist in last week’s presidential first-round ballot.

With 90% of votes counted, the ruling Social Democratic party (PSD) won 23.9% of the vote, ahead of the far-right nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) on 17.9%, while the National Liberal party (PNL) had 14.6% and centre-right Save Romania Union (USR) 11.1%.

• Midfielder nets winner in 1-0 victory at Torino
• Bellingham and Mbappé on target for Madrid

Scott McTominay’s first-half goal earned leaders Napoli a 1-0 win at Torino as Antonio Conte’s side opened a four-point gap at the top of the Serie A standings.

The Scotland midfielder found the net around the half-hour mark when he struck a shot powerfully inside the near post after receiving a precise pass from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Napoli move on to 32 points, with four teams level on 28 points: Atalanta, Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina.

Forces only took three days to take the city from Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but the Middle East’s newest conflict looks set to last

• Middle East crisis – live updates

It was not Kyiv that fell in three days, but Aleppo. A surprise offensive launched by Syrian rebels from the north west of the country last week has reignited a dormant conflict – and revealed a change in the balance of power caused not by one but two nearby wars, in Ukraine and Lebanon and the Middle East.

Aleppo was the scene of fierce and destructive fighting between 2012 and 2016 when the Syrian civil war was at its height. Rebel groups were forced out as Syrian government forces supporting the president, Bashar al-Assad, were able to capture the country’s second city, with the help of Russia and its air force.

Exclusive: Businesses to require financial services licence number to post Facebook ads while individuals will need government-issued ID

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Fake celebrity investment scams may soon be harder to push on Facebook and Instagram, with Meta introducing a requirement that financial advertisers are verified.

Beginning in early February, Meta will require advertisers seeking to run ads about financial services to verify information about who are the beneficiary and payer. Businesses will be required to provide their Australian financial services licence number or declare an exemption. Individuals will need to provide a government-issued ID.

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• Leclerc second, Piastri third as Norris finishes 10th
• Race director failed to remove debris from track

Max Verstappen without doubt delivered a fine drive for victory at the Qatar Grand Prix but the reverberations from this dead rubber in the desert will resound long after the anthems faded into the night. Controversy and potential danger marked the meeting at the Lusail circuit, bringing recent decisions made by Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, sharply into scrutiny on the same day its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, had demanded drivers mind their own business when questioning his governance.

Verstappen was in imperious form at Lusail in a race peppered with safety car interventions that he handled with aplomb and while being hounded throughout by a charging Lando Norris, who stayed within two seconds of the Dutchman until he received a penalty that took him out of contention.