Ariana Grande sparkles in the concluding part of the Wicked Witch tale, and the first batch of final episodes of the retro sci-fi juggernaut are unleashed

Wicked: For Good
Out now
Was the decision to split this Broadway musical big-screen adaptation into two parts motivated by art or money? Part two is here, so you can judge for yourself. The Wizard of Oz-inspired story picks up with defiant “Wicked Witch” Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) living in exile, while Glinda (Ariana Grande) relishes her own popularity.

The Thing With Feathers
Out now
Max Porter’s novel Grief Is the Thing With Feathers gets the big-screen treatment, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role as the dad who must raise his two young children alone after his wife dies unexpectedly. With David Thewlis as the voice of the crow who appears to him.

The Ice Tower
Out now
Marion Cotillard stars as a star: an actor called Cristina, who is playing the beautiful Snow Queen in a 1960s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic that also inspired Frozen. But though the other lead here is a 15-year-old girl, this is no Disney fable, but a tale of idols and obsession.

Sisu: Road to Revenge
Out now
An unexpected hit in 2022, the first Sisu film was a violent action thriller in which a grizzled prospector murdered scores of Nazis to defend his bags of gold. Now the man who refuses to die is back, and this time he’s taking on the Red Army. Catherine Bray

We have difffering views on my contribution to our book club: I see myself as its beating heart; my wife says I’m an interloper

For the first time in the history of book club, I can’t make it to book club. The scheduling conflict arises late in the day, which is galling because I’ve already read the book, and I can’t very well unread it.

“You won’t be missed,” my wife says.

Matt Smith is the ultimate bad dad in a Nick Cave novel adaptation, and the Oz prequel musical reaches the end of the road. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews

• McLaren’s title race leader first in qualifying ahead of Verstappen

• Lewis Hamilton’s troubles continue with last-place finish for Ferrari

Lando Norris claimed pole position for McLaren at the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a superb lap in treacherous wet conditions on the street circuit in Nevada, and with it moved one step closer to winning his first Formula One world championship.

The title race leader beat the Red Bull of Max Verstappen into second, but with his closest championship rival – teammate Oscar Piastri – only in fifth, Norris has the opportunity to further extend his advantage at the top of the standings.

This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake

• Cas Mudde is the author of The Far Right Today

After more than 100 years, Copenhagen no longer has a Social Democrat mayor . Sisse Marie Welling, the new lord mayor, represents neither the mainstream right nor the far right but the Green Left (Socialistisk Folkeparti, known as SF). This should be a major wake-up call for centre-left parties across Europe. After more than a decade taking the wrong lessons from Denmark, it is finally time to learn the right lesson : copying the far right not only fails to turn on far-right voters, it also turns off progressive voters.

The 21st century has so far seen two simultaneous electoral developments in western Europe: the decline of social-democratic parties and the rise of far-right parties. This has created the powerful narrative that social democrats are losing votes to the far right, in particular because of their (alleged) “pro-immigration” positions. And although research shows that their voters mainly moved to centre-right and green parties, social-democratic parties have been chasing this mythical “left behind” voter ever since.

Cas Mudde is the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, and author of The Far Right Today

National Trust begins planting the 49 ‘trees of hope’ so the illegally felled tree can live on in a positive way

Saplings from the felled Sycamore Gap tree are to be planted across the UK, including at a pit disaster site, a town still healing from the Troubles and a place which became an international symbol of peace, protest and feminism.

The National Trust said planting of 49 saplings, known as “trees of hope ”, would begin on Saturday. It is hoped that the sycamore will live on in a positive, inspirational way.

Chernihiv residents say they are without power for 14 hours a day as they gather in ‘invincibility points’ to charge up and warm up

Valentyna Ivanivna showed off her new head torch. It was a present from her grandson, she said. Most evenings she wears it while doing household chores: cooking dinner, washing up and stacking plates. “It’s impossible to plan anything without power. You can’t even invite people round for a cup of tea because the kettle won’t work. It’s stressful and exhausting for everyone,” she explained.

Ivanivna lives in Chernihiv, an ancient Ukrainian city known for its early medieval cathedrals. The border with Belarus and Russia is a short drive away, across a landscape of pine forests, villages with geese and the occasional wandering moose. In 2022, Russian troops invaded and occupied most of the oblast. They bombed and laid siege to Chernihiv, pulling out after six weeks and rolling north.

Leading past donors including France, Japan and European Commission fail to contribute at pledging summit

Control of the deadly infectious diseases HIV, tuberculosis and malaria “hangs in the balance” after a shortfall in donations to a leading global health fund, advocates have warned.

Only $11.3bn of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria’s $18bn (£14bn) targeted budget for 2026 to 2028 has been confirmed so far .