Mounting international pressure from UK ministers and MPs and France's recognition highlights the urgent need to address the severe malnutrition and aid restrictions in Gaza, sparking debates on Palestinian statehood and ceasefire negotiations.

• Cabinet ministers and third of MPs call on Starmer to recognise state of Palestine — The Guardian -
• 220 MPs call for Starmer to recognise Palestinian state — BBC World -
• Almost a third of people in Gaza not eating for days, UN food programme warns — BBC World -

• Israel to Allow Aid Airdrops Over Gaza During Starvation Crisis — New York Times World -
• UK, France and Germany call for immediate end to ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Gaza and say Israel must lift aid restrictions – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Macron plan to recognise Palestine puts pressure on Starmer to choose a course — The Guardian -
• Severe malnutrition in under-5s has tripled at Gaza City clinic, charity reports — The Guardian -
• Macron Recognizes a Palestinian State. But to What End? — New York Times World -
• French pledge to recognise Palestine is a gamble - so will Starmer follow suit? — BBC World -
• 'All the people are hungry': Voices from Gaza on desperate lack of food — BBC World -
• 'All the people are hungry': Voices from Gaza on desperate lack of food — BBC World -
• Watch: Protesters pack Tel Aviv square to demand Gaza ceasefire — BBC World -
• UK ban on Palestine Action at odds with international law, says UN rights chief — The Guardian -
• Israel trying to deflect blame for widespread starvation in Gaza — The Guardian -
• Labor MP says Australia should move to recognise Palestinian statehood – as it happened — The Guardian -
• ‘Turned inside out with disgust’: Australia must sanction Benjamin Netanyahu, Bob Carr urges — The Guardian -
• Pro-Palestinian convict freed by France after 41 years — BBC World -
• Pro-Palestinian convict freed by France after 41 years — BBC World -
• Australia Says Gaza Situation Beyond ‘Worst Fears’ as Pressure Mounts on Israel — New York Times World -
• France will recognise Palestinian state, Macron says — BBC World -
• Friday Briefing: France to Recognize Palestinian Statehood — New York Times World -
• Albanese says Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza ‘cannot be defended or ignored’ in strongest condemnation yet — The Guardian -
• Israel and US leave Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar — BBC World -
• France Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood, Macron Says — New York Times World -
• One in five children in Gaza City is malnourished, UN aid agency says — BBC World -
• Israeli leaders condemn Macron announcement – as it happened — The Guardian -

Donald Trump's administration faces scrutiny over Ghislaine Maxwell's interviews regarding Jeffrey Epstein, alongside controversies surrounding clemency, immigration policies, and political challenges in Texas, even as trade deals and AI initiatives continue.

• Meeting over between US official and Ghislane Maxwell, who will 'welcome any relief', lawyer says — BBC World -
• Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer says Trump administration hasn’t offered clemency but she answered ‘every single question’ – live — The Guardian -
• Ghislaine Maxwell interviewed again by deputy US attorney general — The Guardian -

• EU’s von der Leyen to meet Trump in Scotland on Sunday to discuss trade – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Trump Flies to Scotland, Leaving Chaos Swirling in Washington — New York Times World -
• Von der Leyen to meet Trump in Scotland as EU and US close in on trade deal — The Guardian -
• Immigration agents told a teenage US citizen: ‘You’ve got no rights.’ He secretly recorded his brutal arrest — The Guardian -
• Democrats rally in Texas over Trump order to redraw districts: ‘The only way they can keep power is to cheat’ — The Guardian -
• LA archdiocese to deliver food and medication to parishioners homebound due to Ice raids — The Guardian -
• Maxwell interview about Epstein 'very productive', lawyer says — BBC World -
• Epstein revelations threaten to derail Trump’s trip to Scotland — The Guardian -
• Boeing Emerges as a Winner in Trump’s Trade Wars — New York Times World -
• Convicted Murderer Freed by Trump in Venezuelan Prisoner Swap Is Free in U.S. — New York Times World -
• Democratic lawmakers seek answers from homeland security head about masked Ice agents — The Guardian -
• How Epstein case is tearing apart Maga's online conspiracy wing — BBC World -
• Watch: Trump jokes he wants Powell to lower interest rates in tense exchange — BBC World -
• Watch: Trump jokes he wants Powell to lower interest rates in tense exchange — BBC World -
• Volkswagen takes €1.3bn hit from ‘high costs’ of Trump tariffs — The Guardian -
• Trump cranks up distraction machine but focus refuses to budge from Epstein — The Guardian -
• Trump takes time out to open Scottish golf course — BBC World -
• Trump takes time out to open Scottish golf course — BBC World -
• The real winners from Trump’s ‘AI action plan’? Tech companies — The Guardian -
• Photo Shows Murderer Returning to U.S. in Trump Prisoner Swap With Venezuela — New York Times World -
• Trump and Powell clash on camera over Federal Reserve renovation cost – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Bill Clinton reportedly sent Jeffrey Epstein note for birthday album — The Guardian -
• US justice department officials interview Ghislaine Maxwell — The Guardian -

Key UK domestic concerns include ongoing resident doctors' strikes over pay and their impact on the NHS, financial challenges for charities like Samaritans, controversies surrounding high executive pay at Nationwide, and various legal cases and social issues such as youth crime and asylum seeker policies.

• Graham Thorpe’s care had ’failings’ in last months of his life, says coroner — The Guardian -
• Fewer resident doctors thought to have gone on strike than in last year’s NHS stoppage — The Guardian -
• Freud Museum faces call for inquiry over bullying and board misconduct claims — The Guardian -

• Top Boy actor Micheal Ward charged with rape and sexual assault — The Guardian -
• Home Office to penalise asylum seekers who refuse to move out of hotels — The Guardian -
• Nationwide boss’s £7m pay package declared ‘obscenity’ during AGM — The Guardian -
• Reform voters could be lured to Labour with extra focus on NHS and cost of living – poll — The Guardian -
• ‘Exactly what a union should be doing’: doctors in Manchester defend strike action — The Guardian -
• Two boys jailed for at least 15 years over London bus stabbing of — The Guardian -
• Reeves should consider ending pension triple lock and charging for NHS treatment, says IMF — The Guardian -
• Wales to roll out subsidy cards to help reduce cost of gluten-free food — The Guardian -
• Zack Polanski ‘open to’ working with new Corbyn and Sultana party — The Guardian -
• Samaritans closures show brutal reality of financial crisis for UK charities — The Guardian -
• ‘Perfect match’: Charli xcx in Vivienne Westwood becomes gen Z’s bridal muse — The Guardian -
• Campaigners targeting dozens of UK councils in push for four-day week — The Guardian -
• Resident doctors in England go on strike over pay restoration — The Guardian -
• Resident doctors’ strike undermines union movement, says Wes Streeting — The Guardian -
• Cleo Laine, Britain's most successful jazz singer, dies aged 97 — The Guardian -
• Jay Slater died by accident in Tenerife after falling from height, coroner rules — The Guardian -
• NatWest investors given £1.5bn weeks after full privatisation — The Guardian -
• Warm weather and live events give lift to retail sales in Great Britain — The Guardian -
• Samaritans to close at least 100 branches across UK and Ireland — The Guardian -
• Volunteers map 10,000 routes in Great Britain to help make walking accessible — The Guardian -

Deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated, displacing thousands and prompting warnings of war, while the former Congolese president faces a treason trial and the Philippines' top court blocks an impeachment bid against Sara Duterte.

• Thailand Warns of War With Cambodia as Deadly Clashes Enter 2nd Day — New York Times World -
• Spat Between Thai and Cambodian Leaders Fuels Deadly Border War — New York Times World -
• Former Congolese president on trial for treason — BBC World -

• Thailand-Cambodia dispute: 130,000 Thai civilians evacuated amid second day of clashes — The Guardian -
• Thailand warns clashes with Cambodia could 'move towards war' — BBC World -
• What to Know About the Thailand-Cambodia Clash — New York Times World -
• Philippines top court blocks impeachment bid against Sara Duterte — BBC World -
• Thailand-Cambodia border clashes: acting Thai PM says fighting ‘could develop into war’ – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Thailand and Cambodia Clash in Deadly Border Dispute — New York Times World -

Australia's domestic landscape features legal actions against Rebel Wilson and Bruce Lehrmann, a politician convicted of rape, concerns over lobbyist transparency, and governmental decisions on PwC engagement and a defence treaty with the UK, along with housing and weather updates.

• NSW real estate agents threaten renters with fees if they are not home for tradespeople – but legally they don’t have to be — The Guardian -
• Lobbyist breaches go unsanctioned as critics call for Australia’s rules to be strengthened — The Guardian -
• Albanese government to lift ban on working with PwC Australia as police investigation continues — The Guardian -

• NSW police actions should be examined in Tammy Shipley’s death in custody, lawyer argues — The Guardian -
• Australian actor Rebel Wilson sued by production company behind her own film — The Guardian -
• Wet weekend for South Australia, NSW and Victoria as cold front moves across south-east — The Guardian -
• Australia and UK to sign 50-year defence treaty despite US wavering on Aukus submarine deal — The Guardian -
• Australian politician Gareth Ward found guilty of rape — BBC World -
• Australian politician Gareth Ward found guilty of rape — BBC World -
• Bruce Lehrmann suffers legal defeat as he tries to halt rape trial in Toowoomba — The Guardian -

International headlines cover the deaths of prominent figures like Patrick Ryan and Cleo Laine, ongoing heatwaves in the US and Turkey, a school roof collapse in India, Iran's nuclear talks, Russian drone attacks in Ukraine, and various unique stories from Florida to Japan.

• Patrick Ryan, ‘Terror Priest’ Who Aided the I.R.A., Is Dead at 94 — New York Times World -
• US heat dome causes dangerous conditions for more than 100 million people — The Guardian -
• Shunsaku Tamiya, Who Brought Perfection to Plastic Replica Models, Dies at 90 — New York Times World -

• 7 Children Are Killed in School Roof Collapse in India — New York Times World -
• Russia Again Cuts Interest Rates as Its Economy Slows — New York Times World -
• Iran Started New Talks Over Its Nuclear Program. Here’s What to Know. — New York Times World -
• ‘Come with me, Chuck E’: Florida police arrest mascot for credit card fraud as children look on — The Guardian -
• Too much moose meat was factor in plane crash that killed Alaska lawmaker’s husband — The Guardian -
• Iran meets European diplomats for renewed nuclear talks — BBC World -
• ‘Intrinsically connected’: how human neurodiversity could help save nature — The Guardian -
• AI-backed medical debt company claims payment plans can help US healthcare costs — The Guardian -
• Santa feels the heat as Lapland buckles in Finland's record-breaking heatwave — BBC World -
• The Shahed blitz: can Russian drone onslaught break Ukraine’s resolve? — The Guardian -
• Weather tracker: heatwave triggers deadly wildfires in Turkey — The Guardian -
• 3 Workers Freed From Collapsed Mine in Western Canada — New York Times World -
• War Amputees Find New Purpose on the Golf Course — New York Times World -
• Watch: Man dons bear costume in Japanese Police animal attack drill — BBC World -
• Watch: Man dons bear costume in Japanese Police animal attack drill — BBC World -
• 'Fantastic progress' in trade deal talks with US - India minister — BBC World -
• For One Man, It Didn’t Take Much to Make an Embassy in India — New York Times World -
• Kelly Osbourne lost 'best friend' after Ozzy's death — BBC World -
• Five ice hockey players found not guilty in Canada sexual assault case — BBC World -
• Five ice hockey players found not guilty in Canada sexual assault case — BBC World -
• ‘Japanese First’: breakthrough by rightwing populists sparks fears of anti-foreigner backlash in Japan — The Guardian -
• Chinese Hackers Are Exploiting Flaws in Widely Used Software, Microsoft Says — New York Times World -