Pre-match postbag. “Hoping to see Slotto run out to the centre circle and plonk a dirty great YNWA flag there to show he, us and them all mean business” – Ian Copestake
He’s making an oblique reference to this iconic moment in Galatasaray history, isn’t he, readers. The video below is well worth six minutes of your time. Not least because Graeme Souness’s pay-off at the very end is priceless.
The prime minister has approached a complex geopolitical conflict with a level head – and most importantly, the support of the public
Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, and chairs the joint committee on national security strategy
Donald Trump’s demands for Keir Starmer’s unwavering support in the Iran strikes last week has echoes of earlier episodes in the US-UK “special relationship”.
The prime minister’s response has been striking. There were no Bush-style flying jackets or aviators. He resisted calls to wade blindly into another US war in the Middle East. Instead, he has supported the US where possible within the confines of international law, allowing the use of bases in defensive strikes, while protecting lives and prioritising British interests.
Matt Western is the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, and chairs the joint committee on national security strategy
Scot second in men’s visually impaired alpine combined
ParalympicsGB mixed curlers lose to Italy in fifth defeat
Great Britain won their first medal of the Winter Paralympics on Tuesday as Neil Simpson imposed himself on a stacked field to claim silver in the men’s visually impaired alpine combined.
Finishing second behind the home favourite Giacomo Bertagnolli, but ahead of Austria’s Johannes Aigner, who has won two gold medals at these Games, Simpson found the form the British team had been hoping for as he recorded a leading time in the final slalom race to pull himself up from fourth place in the standings.
A billionaire is funding a sustainable development project on the west African island that makes the local population stewards of its future
At the crumbling colonial farm buildings in Porto Real, agricultural worker Kimilson Lima, 43, has signed the agreement and he’s happy. “With this money we can have a proper floor in the house,” he said. “And an inside toilet.”
Lima is part of a ground-breaking experiment on the West African island of Príncipe, where villagers who agree to follow an environmental protection code will reap a quarterly dividend. To date nearly 3,000 have joined the Faya Foundation’s project, more than 60% of the adult population. The first payment of €816 (£708) has just been delivered, a large amount of money on the island. “This will be truly transformative, both for nature and for the people,” said the president of the self-governing region, Felipe Nascimento.
Got a keyboard, something heavy and a desire to put your feet up during office hours? This could be the scam for you. But beware – employers are fighting back
Name: Keyboard jamming.
Age: Being workshy isn’t new. Diogenes the Cynic was famous not only for living in a barrel, but also for his rejection of ambition and employment.
Liam Rosenior has unlocked the forward and must do the same with Cole Palmer for the team to reach their potential
João Pedro had been a Chelsea player for less than two weeks when he faced Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Club World Cup last summer. The settling-in period was intense. The forward had an impactful substitute appearance when he made his debut in the quarter-final win over Palmeiras, struck a clinical double when Fluminense were downed in the semi-finals and then, on a thrilling, sweaty afternoon in New Jersey, delivered the coup de grace when Chelsea became world champions thanks to a stunning demolition of PSG.
It was 3-0 when João Pedro lifted a clever finish over Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd minute, and the manner of the humiliation was hard for PSG to accept. Heads were scrambled as the newly crowned European champions felt their aura of invincibility ebb away at the end of an epic season. João Neves was shown a red card for a tangle with Marc Cucurella – who else? – and the loss of discipline even involved Luis Enrique, the PSG manager, appearing to slap João Pedro in the face when a mass brawl broke out at full-time.
The family of a child critically injured one of Canada’s worst mass shootings is suing OpenAI, arguing the technology company could have prevented the attack on a school last month.
The lawsuit comes days after the head of OpenAI said he would apologize to the families of a remote Canadian town after violence shattered the tight-knit community.
Parts of a giant Nasa satellite will crash to Earth on Tuesday evening, the US space agency is warning – but the chance of being struck is extremely low.
According to the US military’s Space Force, the roughly 1,323lb (600kg) spacecraft, one of twin probes launched in 2012 to investigate the Van Allen radiation belt, is estimated to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 7.45pm EDT.
Fury over Timothée Chalamet’s comments about ballet or Jessie Buckley not liking cats has reached a bizarre fever pitch as the industry wills this Sunday to arrive faster
Around day five of debate over what Timothée Chalamet said and/or meant about opera and ballet, it started to feel like maybe the 2025-2026 Oscar season had actually lasted for the past 17 years.
Voting for the 98th annual Academy awards concluded on 5 March, but that didn’t stop the internet from throwing a bunch of attempted buzzer-beaters; an interview where Chalamet casually referred to ballet and opera as potentially endangered (and perhaps not especially relevant) art forms was actually held some weeks ago in a conversation with fellow actor Matthew McConaughey. But it was that same vote-closing on Thursday when the clip started to circulate virally online and rebuttals poured in. This was swiftly followed by counter-charges that most likely the majority of people excoriating Chalamet, campaigning for best actor in Marty Supreme, had themselves not been the ballet or opera especially recently.
Chessum wears No 6 jersey as Pepper switches flank
Borthwick accepts ‘huge challenge’ awaits in Paris
Steve Borthwick has recalled Ollie Chessum to his beleaguered side for their final Six Nations match against France but otherwise stuck by the same underfire players who suffered defeat against Italy.
Chessum comes into the side at blindside flanker to add to England’s lineout options but Borthwick has named an unchanged back line despite last weekend’s humiliating first ever defeat by the Azzurri which extended England’s losing run to three matches. Guy Pepper switches to openside flanker with Sam Underhill – who was a late call-up for the injured Tom Curry against Italy – returning to the bench.
George Michael: The Faith Tour will receive a global cinema release alongside previously unheard music from his Wham! and solo discographies
A long lost film centered on George Michael’s landmark 1988 Faith tour is set for cinema release later this year, in addition to a new album of previously unheard live performances.
George Michael: The Faith Tour is being lined up for a global big screen rollout, with footage taken from a previously unseen 14 camera shoot of Michael’s performance at Paris’ Bercy Arena in 1988. A press release bills the project as a tour de force in archival film-making, celebrating Michael’s ambition and artistry at its peak.
New designer’s kid-in-a-candy-store enthusiasm is evident in confident colours and loosened silhouettes
A building site, but make it chic: that was the set for Chanel’s Paris fashion week show. Cranes in Meccano-bright colours towered over the catwalk, their reflection shimmering sequin-bright on an opalescent floor that was inspired by Monet, according to the designer Matthieu Blazy. Monet has been a backstage buzzword at Dior and Chanel this week, as the two giants battle for bragging rights over French culture.
Fashion week loves a visual metaphor. Blazy, who arrived at Chanel last year, is rebuilding the designer, and having fun with it. The invitation for the show was a tiny stainless steel tape measure on a pendant. He has immersed himself in house history – Cocology? – and after the show, greeted reporters clutching a folded printout of an interview Coco Chanel gave to Le Figaro in 1955. Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and a grandee of the brand since 1990, remarked that he had never come across this interview before Blazy brought it to him. Blazy’s kid-in-a-candy-store enthusiasm is infectious, and the city’s Chanel boutiques have been packed all week. A simple cotton shirt embroidered with the Chanel name is sold out, at a price of €3,900. New season bags are limited to one per customer – a policy designed, the company says, to limit resale at even higher prices.
The singer joined the band in 2007, touring with them and providing lead vocals on their last album, Life, Love & Hope
Tommy DeCarlo, the frontman of US rock band Boston since 2007, has died of brain cancer, his family have confirmed.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dad, Tommy DeCarlo, on Monday, 9 March 2026,” they wrote in a statement. “After being diagnosed with brain cancer last September, he fought with incredible strength and courage right up until the very end. During this difficult time, we kindly ask that friends and fans respect our family’s privacy as we grieve and support one another.”
Saudi Arabia’s state oil company has warned of “catastrophic consequences” for the world’s oil markets if the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to block shipping in the strait of Hormuz.
The world’s biggest oil company expects to be able to export about 70% of its usual crude output despite the stranglehold on the vital trade artery, but its chief executive warned that there would still be “drastic” consequences for the world economy if the disruption continues.
He’s wrestled until he vomits, posed naked for adult photos and now he’s about to take on the manosphere for Netflix. We look back at the interviewer’s most jaw-dropping shows
It has been almost 30 years since Louis Theroux began making documentaries for the BBC. Few could have predicted that the endearingly dorky figure who made his first series, Weird Weekends – throwing himself, gonzo-style, into strange American subcultures – would become a public figure as famous as many of his celebrity interviewees.
With nearly 100 BBC titles under his belt, Theroux is now moving over to Netflix. Inside the Manosphere, the first programme he has presented for the streamer, dives into the world of the men’s rights movement, and explorations of masculinity, in the extremely online era. Ahead of its release on 11 March, we pick out 20 of Theroux’s finest docs to date.
Salem Al-Salem faces landmark trial over alleged role in crackdown on protests in Damascus in 2011
A former Syrian colonel has appeared in a London court to face charges of crimes against humanity in the first prosecution of its kind in England and Wales.
Salem Al-Salem is charged with murder and torture, crimes allegedly committed during the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011.
Rising temperatures making it hard even for young, healthy people to safely do normal physical tasks in many regions
Climate breakdown is shrinking the amount of time that people can safely go about their lives, according to a study that shows a third of the world’s population now resides in areas where heat severely limits activity.
Rising temperatures, driven by the continued burning of fossil fuels, are making it difficult even for many young, healthy adults to do basic physical activities, such as housework or walking up stairs during daylight hours at the height of the summer, the report warns.
Chopping chives, I notice my weak wrists for the first time. My knife is connected to my hand which is connected to my wrist, which is flopping about like an overcooked piece of asparagus.
“You’ve got to keep them more sturdy,” says chef Trisha Greentree. “Lock in that line.”
Starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode as enemies-to-lovers, this very American portrait of Ireland happens to be charming
In 2010 the Guardian gave the romcom Leap Year a one-star review. The script was “horrendous”, according to the reviewer: “Afterwards, the only ‘leap’ I felt like making was off a motorway gantry into the fast lane of the M25.”
He wasn’t alone. Leap Year has an approval rating of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes; the New York Timescalled it “so witless, charmless and unimaginative that it can be described as a movie only in the strictly technical sense”.
Fewer than 100 days out, host cities haven’t received promised funding, and fears about ICE’s presence are widespread
On Sunday 19 July, the final match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For one day, our community will be the center of the world.
But as that moment approaches, I find myself spending less time thinking about the games at MetLife Stadium, and more time worrying about whether we are ready. Because if Washington doesn’t get its act together, we risk turning a generational opportunity into an international embarrassment.
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