Will the bonus bubbly still flow as reality bites for British banks?

The fortunes of Britain’s biggest lenders may well be reflected by a mix of celebratory champagne and commiserative pints by next week, as bankers with an eye on their bonus assess the fallout from a patchy earnings season.Bosses of the UK largest lenders are due to kick off the annual reporting period from Thursday, but their financial performance – and any resulting bonuses – will be overshadowed by corporate shake-ups and job losses.Of the big four bank bosses, NatWest’s Paul Thwaite has one of the easiest jobs ahead. While he is expected to report a 1.8% drop in annual pre-tax profits to £6

Proper care for people who are struggling isn’t ‘soft’ – it saves cash | Phillip Inman

One of the reasons Rachel Reeves wants faster growth is the taxes it generates and the possibility of spending them to refurbish the public sector.It’s troubling that, seven months on from last July’s election victory, Labour is still struggling to piece together a coherent answer to the question: where should the government direct its limited funds to spur a surge in growth?Physical assets, such as renewable energy projects, railways and health centres, are sensible destinations. Ministers are also rightly focused on improving skills and education.No doubt these traditional routes for public investment in the hope of higher growth will be the basis of the chancellor’s budgeting ahead of June’s comprehensive spending review (CSR).But what if the government’s investment portfolio included funding for a holistic approach to helping the near-400,000 people in Britain struggling to cope with life – those with three or more identifiable and acute problems who live from one benefit cheque to the next?The extra expenditure could also target the million-plus people who have applied to see a therapist as part of the NHS Talking Therapies programme and have yet to start their first session

How some objects can have a mind of their own | Brief letters

I have great empathy with Adrian Chiles’ protectiveness of inanimate objects (Why am I so sad about seeing a robot get beaten up?, 5 February), but these objects can exercise tyranny, so we should beware the jacket that won’t let you put it on, the paper serviette that it is impervious to fluid and, of course, any self-hiding object.Jonathan HauxwellCrosshills, North Yorkshire If President Trump thinks that it is reasonable to relocate 2 million people from the Gaza Strip in the interests of peace (Report, 6 February), presumably the same logic should apply to the 500,000 Jewish settlers illegally occupying lands in the Palestinian West Bank.Ian MartinFalmouth, Cornwall If Donald Trump Jr decided to eat the rare duck he’s alleged to have shot in the Venice lagoon (Report, 5 February), would he get the orange sauce from his dad?David ProtheroHarlington, Bedfordshire When did laundry become the word for getting clothes at home clean (Pass notes, 5 February)? I still do the washing.Janet MansfieldAspatria, Cumbria A case of cutting his nose off despite his face (Makeup artist tried to remove Adrien Brody’s nose by mistake on set of The Brutalist, 6 February).Steve BarnesLondon Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section

Trump’s meme coin sparks more than 700 copycats posing as official crypto

Despite once calling cryptocurrency “a scam”, Donald Trump made a theoretical fortune of billions after launching a self-named and highly controversial meme coin immediately before his second inauguration in January.Now an army of digital imposters is trying to cash in on the president’s name and online presence to make their own crypto killing, according to a report in the Financial Times that details hundreds of “copycat and spam coins” uploaded to Trump’s official wallet in cyberspace.Creators sent more than 700 new meme coins to the wallet in recent weeks, many named after Trump or his family members – but none of them have any formal connection.Experts say speculators can be easily duped by names that make it seem the fake coins are allied to the real $Trump cryptocurrency – which itself has seen a precipitous collapse in value – and risk the digital equivalent of being taken to the cleaners.Eswar Prasad, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an economics professor at Cornell University, told the FT that by launching his own coin, Trump had “opened the floodgates to deception … and at a minimum to rampant speculation”

England stun France as dramatic late Daly try clinches Six Nations classic

Another Saturday night at the movies with a stunningly different conclusion. This was an absolute thriller that kept everyone guessing right up to the final reel. The clincher, in the end, was a sensational 79th minute try from replacement Elliot Daly, bursting unstoppably on to a short ball from his new young fly-half Fin Smith, to trigger delirium around the old cabbage patch.It had seemed for all the world England were about to lose another tight game when France’s precocious winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey went over for his second try of the game six minutes from time. With barely 90 seconds left, though, England had one last chance and, in a set strike move off a lineout, Smith and Daly combined to propel Red Rose fans into dreamland

Trump at the Super Bowl: how the NFL’s culture war ended in surrender

Trump’s attendance at the Super Bowl on Sunday in New Orleans stands to offer more evidence that the sporting climate has shifted from resistance to acceptanceAs a 2016 presidential candidate and White House occupant, Donald Trump lambasted NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem in protest at civil rights abuses. Now, set to become the first incumbent president to attend a Super Bowl, it appears that the US’s most popular sport is genuflecting before him.Trump will reportedly attend the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in New Orleans as a guest of Gayle Benson, the owner of the New Orleans Saints. A pre-recorded interview conducted by a Fox News anchor will also air during the pre-game show of an event that last year was viewed by more than 123m Americans. And while he watches the action, Trump will not have to stare at a message inspired by the kind of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies that he is intent on bulldozing