John Lewis faces a battle to beat arch rival M&S…so will its spring/summer range tempt fashion-conscious shoppers back? LAURA CRAIK gives her verdict – and the 10 pieces to buy now


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I love John Lewis. You love John Lewis. We all love John Lewis. It’s a national institution which we take so much for granted that we’d only truly miss it if it was gone.

It’s also a bellwether. When everything is right with John Lewis, everything is right with the world.

It’s not, of course, but for a certain type of woman – possibly midlife, possibly a parent, definitely time-pressed – a trip to John Lewis can make life feel more manageable.

The stores are calm and ordered, the customer service is unparalleled and the returns policy is generous and clear. You don’t go to John Lewis for surprises: you have enough of those already. You go for solutions, be they for your family, your kitchen, your garden or your wardrobe.

Every retailer purports to offer ‘wardrobe solutions’, that holy grail of fashion that ensures you can stumble out of bed, reach into your closet and pluck out a deftly chosen outfit that makes you look instantly better.

On the high street, competition has never been fiercer – not least from arch rival Marks & Spencer, whose womenswear has been enjoying rave reviews in recent seasons

Much as we all love John Lewis, in the battle to win over our wardrobes, it has its work cut out.

So there’s a lot riding on the store’s new Spring/Summer collection that was unveiled on Wednesday. 

John Lewis faces a battle to beat arch rival M&S…so will its spring/summer range tempt fashion-conscious shoppers back? LAURA CRAIK gives her verdict – and the 10 pieces to buy now

John Lewis’s new Spring/Summer collection that was unveiled on Wednesday, including a white cotton crop top seen here on the model 

As for which weapons the 162-year-old retailer is deploying in its bid for British wardrobe space this spring, the answer is is ‘optimism and colour pops’, according to its design director Queralt Ferrer, gesturing at what she calls ‘an army of mannequins’ wearing sprightly spring hues.

‘I’m not a colour person, as you can see,’ Ferrer tells me, who at the launch is mainly wearing black. ‘But you gravitate to colour, especially in summer. We’ve had so many neutral seasons that having this kind of optimism – beautiful colours like red, dusty yellows and pink – brings a little bit of joy into your wardrobe.’

My eye is first drawn to a smart satin jacket, £350, in the same colour of green as Kiera Knightly’s famous slip dress from the 2007 film Atonement. 

Emerald green has proved to be a perennially popular dress colour ever since, and this is its outerwear equivalent. It’s a clever idea, and comes with matching trousers, £195.

Both are by Amanda Wakeley, one of 14 new labels joining the retailer’s existing 100-strong womenswear brands on offer for spring. A favourite of the Princess of Wales, Wakeley is no slouch at providing elegant wardrobe solutions, and should prove a popular draw.

Of the other 13 other new brands, it’s unlikely that core customers will have heard of many including Martin Margiela’s cult label MM6; the sleek Australian label St Agni; and Mother, the premium denim brand worn by Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon and the Duchess of Sussex. But this doesn’t matter: what matters is whether they buy.

I’m interested to know the criteria John Lewis uses when making its selection. Is their customer price-sensitive? At what price do they balk? They also stock Barbour, Ralph Lauren and Maxmara, all of which come with fairly hefty price tags, yet Ferrer says they consistently sell well.

‘We bring in brands that we think our customer will relate to,’ says Ferrer, who was M&S’s womenswear design director between 2013 and 2018, then Massimo Dutti, before joining John Lewis in 2022. ‘But we also want to stretch her a little bit.

Laura Craik picks her 10 must-haves from the new collection, including a pair of taupe suede boots and a camel trench coat

Laura Craik picks her 10 must-haves from the new collection, including a pair of taupe suede boots and a camel trench coat 

The market is saturated with options – what becomes increasingly important is the curation. The hope is that she’ll come in for brands she knows and recognises, but will also discover something new.’

One brand customers will certainly have heard of is Topshop, the beleaguered but well-loved label that ruled British women’s wardrobes throughout the late eighties to the mid 2000s. After going bust in 2021, it was bought by e-tailer Asos, where it has languished online ever since. Not any more. Thanks to John Lewis, Topshop will now be available to buy in all 36 of its stores nationwide.

Which is good news for older or more timid customers who like to try before they buy, a particularly useful factor when it comes to the minefield that is buying jeans.

Denim was always one of Topshops’s strengths, and standouts for spring include its well-loved, much-missed Joni and Jamie jeans, as well as a black faux leather jacket, £80.

Amid the 650 womenswear, menswear and childrenswear brands that make up the retailer’s offer for spring, its in-house labels, John Lewis and And/Or, can get a little overlooked. 

While rival M&S started selling third-party brands such as Joules, Nobody’s Child and Hobbs in 2021, its own brand very much still dominates the shop floor. This is far less the case at John Lewis – which, on the evidence of the new spring collection, is a shame.

Every retailer purports to offer ¿wardrobe solutions¿, that holy grail of fashion that ensures you can stumble out of bed, reach into your closet and pluck out a deftly chosen outfit that makes you look instantly better - much like this camel co-ord set

Every retailer purports to offer ‘wardrobe solutions’, that holy grail of fashion that ensures you can stumble out of bed, reach into your closet and pluck out a deftly chosen outfit that makes you look instantly better – much like this camel co-ord set 

Ferrer describes John Lewis’ eponymous brand as ‘casual but sophisticated’, explaining that the design team focused on offering customers a capsule wardrobe of elevated basics. 

The clothes look good, but significantly, they also feel good: a pale pink leather jacket, £299, is pleasingly buttery for the price; a white linen shirt, £109, is reassuringly opaque (never a given with linen), and a pair of wide-leg jeans, £79, feel endearingly comfy.

The design team sources as much fabric as possible from Europe (leather is sourced from Turkey), while most of the manufacturing takes place in Portugal, Spain or France.

At the preview, some of the mannequins are sporting Chanel handbags, like plastic Anna Wintours. These are courtesy of a partnership with pre-loved fashion retailer Sign of the Times, which since 2024 has offered John Lewis customers the chance to pick up a classic Chanel quilt bag alongside their three-pack of knickers – for around half the price of a new one. 

Also on offer are pre-loved totes from Gucci, Mulberry and Louis Vuitton. You can see the appeal for skittish customers who might feel too intimidated to buy a second-hand designer handbag on less trusted platforms. At John Lewis, they know they won’t be duped into buying one that’s overpriced or fake.

Beyond selling competitively priced leather, denim and tailoring (three categories that are doing particularly well, apparently), what John Lewis is really selling is trust.

In an oversaturated retail landscape where women can buy whatever they want whenever they want it, John Lewis’s famous ‘never knowingly undersold’ slogan has never felt more important. Trust is hard to earn, and even harder to keep.

While some items in the new spring collection may prove too expensive or challenging (some of the barrel-leg trousers are a bit too barrel-legged for comfort), no retailer can be all things to all people.

What it can be, however, is a trusted source of well-priced, responsibly-manufactured clothes, by brands both familiar and new. The secret sauce lies in the edit.

That every John Lewis store also offers a personal styling service (for which demand at grew by eight per cent last year) also helps its customers select the best edit to suit their busy lives.

‘The biggest compliment a customer could pay us would be that they got what they wanted, and that they love wearing it,’ says Ferrer. ‘We want them to be confident about wearing what they buy from us, and we want them to come back because they trust us. Trust is so important.’

Loyal customers are the dream. With losses across John Lewis and Waitrose nearly tripling in the first half of 2025 to £88m, fans will be hoping that in 2026, John Lewis is starts delivering again on the fashion front. And this collection is certainly a good star.

 

 


Starmer Mocked Over Speech Calling For ‘Decency’ In Public Life Amid Mandelson Revelations


Keir Starmer will call for decency in public life a day after admitting he made Peter Mandelson the UK’s ambassador to Washington despite knowing about his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In a major speech on Thursday, the prime minister will say that the people of Britain are “bound by values, by common endeavour and by responsibilities we owe to one another as partners in the project of this great nation”.

“I believe in our way of doing things – that in a world that increasingly preys on weakness, I believe Britain is stronger as a tolerant, decent and respectful country,” Starmer will say.

The speech, in which the PM will hail the government’s £5 billion “Pride in Place” project to rejuvenate deprived communities, comes as he fights for his political survival over the Mandelson scandal.

Labour MPs reacted in fury on Wednesday when Starmer admitted for the first time that he had know about the former peer’s links to Epstein but still made him US ambassador last year.

One told HuffPost UK: “It was like being present at the political death of the prime minister.”

In his speech, the prime minister will say: “I love this country. It is the greatest country in the world.

“The progress and prosperity I’ve seen throughout my life, the journey I’ve been on, personally from a working class background to this, I owe everything to this country and its values. I’ve spent most of my professional life serving them.

“Because I believe in them. I believe in our values. I believe in rules that protect those in need. I believe in the freedom to live and let live in decency and tolerance, in respect for difference under the same flag, a common good.”

He will add: “We are bound by values, by common endeavour and by responsibilities we owe to one another as partners in the project of this great nation.

“I believe in our way of doing things. That in a world that increasingly preys on weakness, I believe Britain is stronger as a tolerant, decent and respectful country.”

But a Conservative spokesperson said: “It’s hard to overstate the absurdity of Keir Starmer making a speech about values and decency the day after he admitted appointing an ambassador who had remained friends with a convicted paedophile.

“The prime minister’s authority is shot. He no longer speaks for the Labour Party, let alone the country.”

A senior Labour source said: “Have they tried burning No.10 down and starting again?”




Why is every EFL game kicking off one minute later than normal?


Every match across the EFL will kick off one minute later than usual across a four-day period this February to raise awareness for CPR as part of the Every Minute Matters campaign.

The campaign, which began during last season’s play-offs, is encouraging people to use the British Heart Foundation’s online RevivR tool to learn CPR, which takes just 15 minutes.

Over 400,000 people have stepped up to learn CPR since the beginning of the campaign, over four times the capacity of Wembley Stadium, with last season’s Championship play-off final between Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday also kicking off 60 seconds later for the cause.

And between Thursday 5 and Monday 9 February, the same symbolic kick-off delay will be taken across the Championship, League One and League Two, aiming to highlight how every minute matters when administering life-saving treatment.

The chances of survival after a cardiac arrest decrease by 10 per cent for every minute that passes without effective CPR or defibrillation.

The campaign also highlights that eight out of 10 cardiac arrests outside of hospital happen in the home, meaning you are far more likely to need to perform CPR on someone you love than a stranger.

The first game of the matchweek will see Accrington Stanley play host to Salford City in League Two on Thursday, with kick-off at 8:01pm. The weekend’s action, consisting of 36 EFL fixtures, will then culminate with Sheffield United’s clash with promotion-chasing Middlesbrough on Monday night, also kicking off at 8:01pm.

Luton Town will meanwhile face Bradford City in one of two League One early kick-offs on Saturday – getting underway at 12:31pm – with this cause hitting particularly close to home for the Hatters.

Their former captain Tom Lockyer, now at Bristol Rovers, collapsed on the pitch for Luton during their Championship play-off final against Coventry City in May 2023, and then suffered a cardiac arrest in a Premier League game at Bournemouth seven months later.

Why is every EFL game kicking off one minute later than normal?
The Every Minute Matters campaign is raising awareness for the importance of learning CPR (Getty Images)

Lockyer is now a British Heart Foundation ambassador and said: “What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and most of them never make it home.

“I’m here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.

“This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in – because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given.”

EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: “Our 72 Clubs sit at the heart of their communities, and they show time and again how football can drive real-world change. The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death.

“Since the launch of the Every Minute Matters campaign in May 2024, over 400,000 supporters have already begun learning CPR – now we’re calling on supporters everywhere to join them this February and help us pass the half million mark.”


Accurately Predicting Arctic Sea Ice in Real Time | Newswise


Newswise — WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2026 — Arctic sea ice has large effects on the global climate. By cooling the planet, Arctic ice impacts ocean circulation, atmospheric patterns, and extreme weather conditions, even outside the Arctic region. However, climate change has led to its rapid decline, and being able to make real-time predictions of sea ice extent (SIE) — the area of water with a minimum concentration of sea ice — has become crucial for monitoring sea ice health.

In Chaos, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom reported accurate, real-time predictions of SIE in Arctic regions. Sea ice coverage is at its minimum in September, making the month a critical indicator of sea ice health and the primary target of the work.

“Indigenous Arctic communities depend on the hunting of species like polar bears, seals, and walruses, for which sea ice provides essential habitat,” said author Dimitri Kondrashov. “There are other economic activities, such as gas and oil drilling, fishing, and tourism, where advance knowledge of accurate ice conditions reduces risks and costs.”

The researchers’ approach treats sea ice evolution as a set of atmospheric and oceanic factors that oscillate at different rates — for example, climate memory at long timescales, annual seasonal cycles, and quickly changing weather — while still interacting with one another. They used the National Snow and Ice Data Center’s average daily SIE measurements from 1978 onward to find the relationships between these factors that affect sea ice.

Testing their prediction method live in September 2024, and retroactively for Septembers of past years, the group confirmed their technique is generally accurate and can capture effects from subseasonal to seasonal timescales. They predicted SIE ranging from one to four months out and found their predictions outperformed other models.

In general, long-term climate forecasts tend to be easier and more reliable than short-term predictions. However, by incorporating regional data into their model, the researchers were able to improve short-term ice and weather estimates.

“The model includes several large Arctic regions composing [the] pan-Arctic,” said Kondrashov. “Despite large differences in sea ice conditions from year to year in different regions, the model can pick it up reasonably accurately.”

The group plans to improve their model by including additional oceanic and atmospheric variables, such as air temperature and sea level pressure. These variables can cause fast changes and short-term fluctuations that are not currently reflected in the model, and the researchers hope these additions will further enhance the predictability of summertime Arctic sea ice.

###

The article “Accurate and robust real-time prediction of September Arctic sea ice” is authored by Dimitri Kondrashov, Ivan Sudakow, Valerie N. Livina, and QingPing Yang. It will appear in Chaos on Feb. 3, 2026 (DOI: 10.1063/5.0295634). After that date, it can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0295634.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Chaos is devoted to increasing the understanding of nonlinear phenomena in all areas of science and engineering and describing their manifestations in a manner comprehensible to researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines. See https://pubs.aip.org/aip/cha.

###




China ramps up threats over Panama Canal ruling that handed Trump a major victory


A cargo ship transits through Panama Canal Cocoli locks in Panama City on February 21, 2025.

Martin Bernetti | Afp | Getty Images

The Chinese government has condemned a ruling from Panama’s top court, warning the Central American country “will inevitably pay a heavy price” unless it changes course.

The rebuke comes shortly after Panama’s Supreme Court ruled to void Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s license to operate ports at either end of the Panama Canal.

The ruling was seen as a major victory for the Trump administration’s security ambitions in the Western Hemisphere, given that the White House has made blocking China’s influence over the critically important waterway one of its top priorities.

Read more CNBC politics coverage

In a commentary posted on Tuesday on its WeChat account, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said the “logically flawed” and “utterly ridiculous” ruling was opposed by the Chinese government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.

“The Panamanian authorities should recognize the situation and correct their course,” the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said, according to a Google translation.

“If they persist in their own way and remain obstinate, they will inevitably pay a heavy price in terms of politics and economics!”

China ramps up threats over Panama Canal ruling that handed Trump a major victory

In a brief statement on Jan. 29, Panama’s top court said the terms under which Panama Ports Co., or PPC, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, runs the Port of Balboa on the Pacific Coast and Cristóbal on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal violated its constitution.

The ruling came around a year after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to seize control of the Panama Canal, saying the waterway was “vital to our country” and claiming, “it’s being operated by China.”

‘Extensive damages’

The comments from the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office reflect an escalation in tone from China’s initial response to the ruling.

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the decision was “contrary to the laws governing Panama’s approval of the relevant franchises, and that the companies will reserve all rights, including legal proceedings.”

Beijing said it would take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

PPC, which has held the contract to operate the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal since the 1990s, also said that the decision was inconsistent with the relevant legal framework.

Aerial view of the Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, located next to the port of Balboa in Panama City, on January 30, 2026.

Martin Bernetti | Afp | Getty Images

CK Hutchison, for its part, said Wednesday that it had launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama after the country annulled its licenses to operate two Panama Canal ports.

In a statement, the company said PPC would seek “extensive damages” over the ruling, without specifying the damages sought.

Shares of CK Hutchison closed up more than 2% on Wednesday. The stock has climbed over 23% so far this year.


Avalanche shake off blown lead, reach Olympic break with 4-2 win against Sharks



Avalanche shake off blown lead, reach Olympic break with 4-2 win against Sharks

This Colorado Avalanche team with a multi-goal lead remains the safest bet in sports, but this one didn’t come easy.

The Avs coughed up a two-goal advantage early in the third period, but still defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, Wednesday night at Ball Arena. Colorado reaches the NHL’s break for the 2026 Winter Olympics atop the league standings with 83 points. The 37-9-9 record includes a 32-0-0 mark when leading a game by two or more goals at any point.

Josh Manson’s blast from the top of the offensive zone gave the Avs the lead with 7:16 remaining. Valeri Nichushkin set him up with his third assist of the night.

“If we’re up by two, it’s because we’re playing well and it’s hard for teams to come back on us,” Manson said. “Our game is just kind of smothering. We we get up and teams get desperate to come back, we can kind of turn it on and make them pay for their mistakes.”

Nathan MacKinnon collected his second assist on Manson’s goal, which were career Nos. 700 and 701. MacKinnon wasn’t credited with a third assist, but his battle with Macklin Celebrini in the neutral zone helped create an empty-net goal for Brock Nelson with 1:17 remaining.

San Jose struck twice in the opening four minutes to erase a two-goal deficit.

Alexander Wennberg carried the puck into the Colorado zone on the right wing and all the way below the goal line. He turned and set up defenseman Timothy Liljegren trailing the play for a one-timer from the right point. The puck went off Parker Kelly’s stick and deflected past Mackenzie Blackwood just 43 seconds into the third.

Philipp Kurashev evened the score at 3:34. Samuel Girard turned the puck over at the offensive blue line, which led to an odd-man rush for San Jose. Kurashev kept it himself and fooled Blackwood with his shot.

The Avs bent early in the third, but did not break.

“I loved our first two periods,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We had a dip at the start of the third, but it was a lucky play. We were doing the right things. Then we make a couple mistakes and they capitalize on one.

“You’ve got to regroup. You’ve got to find a way to dig in and get back your game as quick as you can. I thought we did that, and ended up winning the hockey game.”

Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring 65 seconds into the second period. It was a wild scramble in the Sharks crease, and Lehkonen was credited with the goal. Yaroslav Askarov had lunged forward trying to make a save, and by the time the puck crossed the goal line two San Jose players were laying in the blue paint and all three Colorado top-line forwards were digging for it.

The Finnish forward made it a 2-0 lead at 15:47 of the second. Nichushkin tried to get the puck to MacKinnon during an odd-man rush. His first attempt didn’t get there, and the second was too late for MacKinnon to shoot. He collected it, curled around to the right of the goalie and found Lehkonen in the right circle for a one-timer.


Light-Based 3D Printing Method Lets Scientists Program Plastic Properties at the Microscale | Newswise


Newswise — Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have co-developed a new way to precisely control the internal structure of common plastics during 3D printing, allowing a single printed object to seamlessly shift from rigid to flexible using only light.

In a paper published today in Science, the researchers describe a technique called crystallinity regulation in additive fabrication of thermoplastics (CRAFT) that enables microscopic control over how plastic molecules arrange themselves as an object is printed. The work opens new possibilities for advanced manufacturing, soft robotics, national defense, energy damping and information storage, according to the researchers. The team includes collaborators from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the University of Texas at Austin, Oregon State University, Arizona State University and Savannah River National Laboratory.

The team demonstrated that by carefully tuning light intensity during printing, they could dictate how crystalline or amorphous a thermoplastic becomes at specific locations within a part. That molecular arrangement determines whether a material behaves more stiff and rigid, or as a softer, more flexible plastic — without changing the base material. CRAFT builds on that principle by allowing researchers to control crystallinity spatially during printing, rather than uniformly throughout a part.

“A classic example of crystallinity is the difference between high-density polyethylene —picture a milk jug — and low-density polyethylene, like squeeze bottles and plastic bags. The bulk property difference in these two forms of polyethylene stems largely from differences in crystallinity,” said LLNL staff scientist Johanna Schwartz. “Our CRAFT effort is exciting in that we are controlling the crystallinity within a thermoplastic spatially with variations in light intensity, making areas of increased and decreased crystallinity to produce parts with control over material properties throughout the whole geometry.”

A key challenge, however, was translating this new materials capability into practical manufacturing instructions that could be used on real 3D printers, according to LLNL engineer Hernán Villanueva. Villanueva joined the project after early discussions with Schwartz and former SNL scientists Samuel Leguizamon and Alex Commisso identified a missing link: a way to convert any three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) into the detailed light patterns needed to print parts using the CRAFT method.

Villanueva said he drew on prior work in a multi-institutional team focused on lattice structures and advanced manufacturing workflows. In that effort, he developed software that rapidly converted complex, topology-optimized designs into printing instructions by parallelizing the process on LLNL’s high-performance computing (HPC) systems — reducing turnaround times from days to hours or minutes.

Applying that same computational approach to CRAFT, Villanueva adapted the workflow to encode “changes in light” rather than changes in material. He was soon able to convert 3D CAD geometries directly into CRAFT printing instructions, cutting instruction-generation time from hours — or even a full day — down to seconds, making rapid design iteration and demonstration of the method practical.

“This work is a natural extension of the Lab’s strengths in advanced manufacturing and materials by design,” Villanueva said. “As part of the CRAFT effort, we have evolved a tool that connects materials science with computational workflows and advanced printing, enabling us to move directly from a 3D design to a part with spatially varying properties.”

The team’s method relies on a light-activated polymerization process in which exposure level governs the stereochemistry of growing polymer chains, researchers said. Lower light intensities favor more ordered crystalline regions, while higher intensities suppress crystallization, yielding softer, more transparent material. By projecting grayscale patterns during printing, the team produced parts with smoothly varying mechanical and optical properties.

The demonstrated ability to tune properties by changing a light’s intensity rather than swapping materials could significantly simplify additive manufacturing (3D printing), Schwartz explained.

“If you can get many different properties from one vat of material, printing complex multi-material or multi-modulus structures becomes much easier,” she said.

The researchers demonstrated the CRAFT technique on commercial 3D printers, fabricating objects that combine multiple mechanical behaviors in a single print. Examples included bio-inspired structures that mimic bones, tendons and soft tissue, reproductions of famous paintings, as well as materials designed to absorb or redirect vibrational energy without adding weight or complexity. Among the most striking demonstrations was the ability to encode crystallinity through transparency differences, according to Schwartz.

“Being able to visualize the differences easily spatially, to the point of generating the Mona Lisa out of only one material, was incredibly cool,” Schwartz said.

LLNL’s Villanueva said the work reflects the Lab’s long-standing investments in HPC and in integrating modeling, design tools and novel manufacturing processes. He added that future work could integrate topology optimization directly into the CRAFT framework, enabling researchers to optimize light patterns themselves — rather than material layouts — to achieve desired performance.

Because the process works with thermoplastics — materials that can be melted and reshaped — printed parts remain recyclable and reprocessable, an important advantage for manufacturing sustainability. The findings suggest a future where 3D-printed plastic components can be tailored at the molecular level for specific functions, bridging the gap between material science and digital manufacturing.

From an applications standpoint, Schwartz said the technology could have broad and near-term impact.

“Energy dampening and metamaterial design are the most exciting use cases to me,” she said. “From space to fusion to electronics, there are so many industries that rely on energy and vibrational dampening control. This CRAFT printing process can access all of them.”




Edwards powers Timberwolves rally over Raptors | Globalnews.ca


TORONTO – Anthony Edwards scored 30 points, with 21 coming in the second half, to help the Minnesota Timberwolves rally past the Toronto Raptors 128-126 on Wednesday.

Edwards powers Timberwolves rally over Raptors  | Globalnews.ca

Jaden McDaniels added 19 points for Minnesota (32-20) and Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 points.

The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 18 points before staging their late comeback.

Scottie Barnes had a double-double for Toronto (30-22) with 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Barnes tied Pascal Siakam for fifth on the Raptors’ all-time double-doubles list with 102.

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Brandon Ingram added 25 points for Toronto and Immanuel Quickley scored 23 with eight assists.

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Takeaways

Timberwolves: Minnesota’s defence did little to stop Toronto in the first half, allowing 72 points in the first two quarters. The Timberwolves tightened up in the second half and it showed, with them outrebounding the hosts 20-15 in the third and fourth quarters.

Raptors: A strong start carried Toronto through the first three quarters with the Raptors leading by as many as 18 points. The offence stalled out in the second half, however, with Minnesota clawing its way back into the game thanks to better defence and Toronto giving up nine turnovers in the final 24 minutes of play.


Key moment

Edwards stole the ball off Toronto forward RJ Barrett with 2:02 left to play, streaking to the net for a breakaway dunk and a one-point Minnesota lead, the Timberwolves’ first since the opening quarter. On the next possession, Rudy Gobert stripped Barrett of the ball again with the Raptors swingman fouling him.

Key stat

Toronto shot 15 for 31 (48.4 per cent) from three-point range, well above its 34 per cent average heading into the game.

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Toronto: Hosts the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

Minnesota: Hosts the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press




Call of the Wilde: Canadiens head into Olympic break with 5-1 win over Winnipeg – Montreal | Globalnews.ca


The final game before the Olympics break for the Montreal Canadiens was in Winnipeg, 21 days before the next contest, so the Canadiens wanted to finish on a high.

Edwards powers Timberwolves rally over Raptors  | Globalnews.ca

The Jets are at the bottom of the standings, but playing better recently. After a weak first 10 minutes, the Canadiens rolled to a 5-1 win.

Wilde Horses 

It’s truly hard to believe that Lane Hutson did not make the USA Olympic team. The statistics in his favour could not be more convincing. When Hutson took a pass from Josh Anderson, streaked toward the goal and roofed it from inside three feet, it was his 10th goal of the season.

Goals are far from his specialty, but he’s  top 15 in the league in that category. Assists are where he shines, and in that discipline, Hutson is second behind only Quinn Hughes with 48 on the season.

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In points, Hutson is at a sparkling 58 points in 57 games. He’s blowing away his rookie season of 66 points. Hutson is third in the league among defenders in points.

The counterargument to his inclusion for the Olympics is that there are two sides to the ice, and it’s imperative that a defender can also take care around his own goalie.

Hutson is a plus-21 on the season. He is 12th in the entire league. It’s easy to doubt that the man who made the choices Bill Guerin is not an analytics lover, but if he were, Hutson is 19th in the NHL in Corsi. There simply is not a single metric where Hutson is not elite. That is, except his height where he is listed as five-feet-nine-inches tall.


If Hutson could practice being taller, he would be seven feet by the morning.

The Canadiens got off to a horrible start. They were dominated by the Jets, but Samuel Montembeault was strong in the first period. Impressive from Montembeault, considering he hadn’t played in 11 days.

If not for Montembeault being strong early, it could have been a vastly different night. Montembeault stopped 36 of 37 on the night.

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His excellence allowed the Canadiens to find their game eventually. Oliver Kapanen had a goal-scorer’s touch for his 18th of the year. If Kapanen would have panicked, he would have simply whacked it in the goalie’s pads. However, he calmly curled the puck away from Connor Hellebuyck, backed out of the melee, and then flipped it upstairs for what looked like an easy marker, but wasn’t.

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The Phillip Danault, Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher line had a strong contest. Anderson set up Hutson, and he scored himself on a deflection for his 12th of the year.

Gallagher had two helpers early, and then he wrapped up the game midway through the third with a tap in tally on a gorgeous pass from Kirby Dach.

Dach certainly has his patterns. Every time it starts to feel like he is done, he rises up, and then when he looks like he could find stardom after all, he breaks something. There’s an outstanding player in there somewhere, if he could only stay healthy enough to keep his momentum going.

Wilde Goats 

For the first time this season, the Canadiens are 15 games over NHL .500. They have played 57 times and have lost in regulation only 17 games. That’s a lot of entertainment for the long-suffering best fans in hockey.

Before last season, oddsmakers in Las Vegas set the Canadiens over/under for 75 points. They finished with 91. This season, the oddsmakers set the line at 91 points. They are on pace for 104 points. Montreal is eighth in the entire league.

No goats for this level of excellence heading into the break.

Wilde Cards

As expected, the trading deadline in the NHL passed with no trades for the Canadiens. The Olympics trade embargo will be in effect until Feb. 22.

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There was only one trade on the final day. Rumour was the New York Rangers were asking the San Jose Sharks for Will Smith, or the Washington Capitals for Ryan Leonard in order to release Artemi Panarin.

What the Rangers got was considerably less, quite naturally. Asking for one of the great young players in the league in return for a 34-year-old making over $11 million is laughably inept. The Rangers are in for a long rebuild, if GM Chris Drury thought that was gonna fly.

The Rangers acquired Liam Greentree instead. He is a mid-level prospect who is in his fourth season at the Windsor Spitfires.

The Canadiens were not in the running for Panarin. An aging player, on the clock, isn’t what a club early in their rebuild needs, unless that player is Sidney Crosby.

The only Montreal rumour taking flight, and it makes sense as logical, is Patrik Laine could be on the move with the Canadiens keeping salary to facilitate the trade. Laine has been wearing a contact jersey at practice for the last two weeks. He is ready to play as soon as the Canadiens want him to.

Apparently, they don’t want him to.

The Canadiens rebuild has gone so well they didn’t envision that they would already want some salary cap space to add more talent to a winning hockey team.

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One factor that isn’t being considered is that Laine was not healthy for his entire time in Montreal, playing on a bad knee that he hurt at his first training camp. Laine is now healthy, and he does look faster as he continues to skate with the club. However, now Laine can’t win a chance to prove himself that, if healthy, he can be better.

It doesn’t seem illogical to give Laine another look to see if he can provide more. There’s no downside to playing him, considering the Canadiens are attempting to unload him with no return, and paying half of his salary.

The worst that can happen is he plays poorly. That’s great news for the club that picks him up trying to lose more games for a higher draft pick.

To be continued. But not until after the Olympics when trades will be allowed until March 6.

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.




Major operation in Quebec, New Brunswick targeting group with Hells Angels links | Globalnews.ca


Multiple police forces in Quebec and New Brunswick are conducting a series of raids Wednesday targeting a criminal organization with links to the Hells Angels, according to the Sûreté du Québec.

Edwards powers Timberwolves rally over Raptors  | Globalnews.ca

The Quebec provincial police force said in a release that more than 160 officers have been working since early in the morning in municipalities in both provinces.

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“The ongoing investigation demonstrates that the organization in question is active in cocaine distribution and territory management for the benefit of the Hells Angels of the various chapters in Quebec,” the release added.

“The results of this operation will follow in the coming days.”

The operation is a collaboration between Escouade régionale mixte (ERM) Rive-Nord — a specialized Quebec police unit that targets organized crime — and the National Organized Crime Enforcement Squad (ENRCO), along with RCMP and local municipal forces.