The ongoing US government shutdown is dominating headlines, fueled by disputes over healthcare and immigration, with President Trump's actions and rhetoric, including racist deepfakes and calls for military involvement in US cities, exacerbating political tensions and prompting asylum seekers to flee the country.

• At least 29 Americans have sought asylum in Australia since second Trump presidency began — The Guardian -
• White House plays racist deepfake videos of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries on loop – live updates — The Guardian -
• Trump falsely claims that national guard troops are ‘in place’ in Portland — The Guardian -

• Vance uses false claims to pin shutdown blame on Democrats as White House warns of layoffs — The Guardian -
• A Global Crackdown on Free Speech — New York Times World -
• Four ways this US government shutdown could end — BBC World -
• Democrats liken Trump to Putin after call to use US cities for military training — The Guardian -
• Federal Reserve governor will keep job for now despite Trump’s bid to remove her — The Guardian -
• US government shuts down after Senate fails to advance both parties’ bills — The Guardian -
• Government shutdown leaves federal workers ‘on edge’ as Trump eyes more job cuts — The Guardian -
• ‘A righteous fight’: Democrats hold fast on healthcare but also use shutdown to pummel Trump — The Guardian -
• US national parks to remain partly open during government shutdown — The Guardian -
• White House puts hold on $18bn for New York rail tunnel and subway expansion — The Guardian -
• US government shutdown: now what? – podcast — The Guardian -
• ‘This is their shutdown’: Democrats and Republicans blame each other as government closes down — The Guardian -
• Judges to hear Texas redistricting challenge giving Republicans five seats — The Guardian -
• Pope Leo criticizes Trump’s hardline immigration policies: ‘I don’t know if that’s pro-life’ — The Guardian -
• Jobs, travel, national parks - what impact will US shutdown have? — BBC World -
• Miami deal for Trump library next to famous Freedom Tower angers critics — The Guardian -
• First Thing: US government shuts down after Democrats refuse to back Republican funding plan — The Guardian -
• Veterans react to Hegseth’s ‘insulting’ address to generals and admirals — The Guardian -
• First closure of US government since 2018 begins after funding bill fails – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Wednesday briefing: The prime minister’s big conference speech promised renewal – can he deliver? — The Guardian -
• U.S. Eases Visa Restrictions on South Korean Workers — New York Times World -
• US cities should be military training grounds, Trump tells generals — BBC World -
• US on brink of government shutdown after Senate rejects funding plans — The Guardian -
• Tracker: how each US senator voted on the Republican plan to avert shutdown — The Guardian -

The escalating Israeli-Gaza conflict continues as Israeli forces intercept the Global Sumud Aid Flotilla, leading to the arrest of climate activist Greta Thunberg, while Hamas reviews Trump's proposed peace plan amid ongoing humanitarian crises and Israeli warnings for Gaza City residents to evacuate.

• Greta Thunberg arrested by Israeli forces after military boards aid flotilla headed for Gaza – Middle East crisis live — The Guardian -
• The Global Sumud Flotilla Is Approaching Gaza. Here’s What to Know. — New York Times World -
• Israel Intercepts Boats Headed to Gaza With Humanitarian Aid — New York Times World -

• Israeli naval ships intercept Gaza-bound flotilla — BBC World -
• Gaza City Exodus Is Overwhelming Relief Efforts, Aid Agencies Say — New York Times World -
• Israeli naval forces board pro-Palestinian flotilla 75 miles from Gaza — The Guardian -
• Tony Blair, Tapped by Trump for Gaza Plan, Brings Peace Expertise and Baggage — New York Times World -
• Israel Escalates Gaza Offensive as Hamas Mulls Trump Plan — New York Times World -
• Germany arrests suspected Hamas members over alleged attack plot — BBC World -
• Israel 'tightens siege' of Gaza City as Hamas reviews Trump peace plan — BBC World -
• Activists say Gaza flotilla circled by Israeli warship — BBC World -
• Israel says ‘last opportunity’ for Gaza City residents to leave — The Guardian -
• Middle East crisis: Israeli minister says ‘last opportunity’ for Gaza City residents to flee – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Pro-Palestine flotilla heading towards Gaza ‘harassed by Israeli naval boats’ — The Guardian -
• Bowen: Momentum is the strength of Trump's Gaza plan, but lack of detail is its weakness — BBC World -
• Trump Promises to Defend Qatar, a Reassurance After Israel’s Strike — New York Times World -
• Palestine Action protest in London could set arrest record, say organisers — The Guardian -
• Government ‘deeply concerned’ about safety of Australians aboard Gaza flotilla — The Guardian -
• Gaza doctors are starving while fighting to save lives, evacuated medic tells BBC — BBC World -
• Trump’s Gaza Plan: What We Know — New York Times World -

Key UK policy discussions and internal party dynamics are in focus, with Prime Minister Starmer addressing immigration policies, proposing an end to automatic family reunion rights for asylum seekers, and Labour pushing for a permanent fracking ban, alongside ongoing concerns about police conduct, a PPE scandal, and the government's stance on digital IDs and data access.

• Sunbeds should be banned in UK, skin cancer experts say — The Guardian -
• London Police Chief Apologizes Over Officers’ ‘Reprehensible’ Behavior — New York Times World -
• Starmer to end asylum ‘golden ticket’ of resettlement and family reunion rights — The Guardian -

• Met plunged into crisis amid fresh claims of misogyny and racism — The Guardian -
• U.K. ‘Grooming Gang’ Leader Sentenced to 35 Years for Rape — New York Times World -
• Starmer bests his conference critics but path ahead still looks perilous — The Guardian -
• UK government resumes row with Apple by demanding access to British users’ data — The Guardian -
• Firms run by former diplomats and ex-Tory chief first to appear on influence register — The Guardian -
• Powell victory in Labour’s deputy leader contest would mean ‘division and disunity’, Phillipson suggests – UK politics live — The Guardian -
• Arbitrary detention victims urge Starmer to press Modi on jailed British Sikh — The Guardian -
• Labour considering charging workers for employment tribunal claims, sources say — The Guardian -
• Labour members feel disconnected from government, says Lucy Powell — The Guardian -
• Will Labour’s fracking ban end practice in the UK for good? — The Guardian -
• UK government wins £122m pandemic case against Michelle Mone-linked firm over faulty PPE — The Guardian -
• Rochdale gang members jailed for up to 35 years for rape and abuse of teenage girls — The Guardian -
• UK fracking ban to be brought forward as Labour counters Reform promise — The Guardian -
• International students left in limbo by UCL after university exceeds visa allocations — The Guardian -
• ‘Reverse Midas touch’: Starmer plan prompts collapse in support for digital IDs — The Guardian -
• VIP lanes and 25m faulty gowns: what PPE Medpro trial reveals about Tory response to Covid — The Guardian -
• At least a third of EU citizens in UK report discrimination by public bodies — The Guardian -
• Scottish parliament votes in favour of allowing councils to cap rent increases — The Guardian -
• Starmer to rethink human rights law to tackle ‘Farage boats’ — The Guardian -
• Campaigners urged to tell new story on child poverty in Scotland — The Guardian -
• UK accused of ‘stark injustice’ as woman from Montserrat refused free NHS care — The Guardian -
• Starmer takes aim at Farage – podcast — The Guardian -

Europe's heightened security concerns are prominent, with Danish and other EU leaders responding to Russia's hybrid attacks and drone incursions, while French forces board a Russia-linked oil tanker and Russia is accused of sabotaging the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant's power line, raising alarms across the continent.

• French troops board oil tanker linked to Russian 'shadow fleet' — BBC World -
• Danish PM calls for strong answer from EU leaders to Russia's hybrid attacks — BBC World -
• Afghan Internet Back After 2-Day Blackout Tied to Taliban — New York Times World -

• What Is Europe’s ‘Drone Wall’? — New York Times World -
• Russia accused of sabotaging last power line into Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — The Guardian -
• French forces board Russian tanker suspected of drone launches – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Afghans rejoice as internet returns after Taliban blackout — BBC World -
• French military detain two after boarding Russia-linked oil tanker suspected of launching drones — The Guardian -
• Europe in ‘most dangerous situation’ since second world war, Danish PM warns — The Guardian -
• Moscow Indicates Retaliation if Europe Uses Russian Assets for Ukraine — New York Times World -
• The Moldova mandate: the former Soviet republic opted to defy Russia. Here’s why — The Guardian -
• Taiwan now biggest importer of Russian naphtha despite being Ukraine ally — The Guardian -
• Jailed Georgian politicians allege links between ruling party and Iran in letter to UK — The Guardian -
• Zelenskyy sounds alarm over unprecedented power outage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — The Guardian -

Devastating natural disasters and ongoing regional conflicts have caused widespread human suffering, including a deadly earthquake in the Philippines and a school collapse in Indonesia with many students trapped, alongside the intensifying siege of a Sudanese city and weather warnings for Storm Amy in the UK.

• In the Philippines, Search Teams Look for Survivors of Deadly Earthquake — New York Times World -
• I Interviewed a Doctor in Sudan. Days Later, He Was Killed. — New York Times World -
• Munich Oktoberfest reopens after man’s deadly arson attack and bomb threat — The Guardian -

• Philippines earthquake death toll rises to at least 69 as Cebu hospitals struggle — The Guardian -
• 'It's safe now': See students pulled from rubble of collapsed school — BBC World -
• Earthquake in Philippines Kills Dozens, Officials Say — New York Times World -
• Weather warnings as Storm Amy to batter UK this weekend — The Guardian -
• Sudanese city under siege: 'My son's whole body is full of shrapnel' — BBC World -
• Moments as 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit Philippines — BBC World -
• State of calamity in Philippines province as earthquake kills 69 — BBC World -
• Time Running Out for Trapped Students After School Collapse in Indonesia — New York Times World -
• Watch: One street away from collapsed school as relatives wait for news — BBC World -
• Watch: Moment houses topple into the sea in North Carolina — BBC World -
• Dozens of Students Are Missing After School Collapses in Indonesia — New York Times World -
• Indonesia school collapse: 91 missing and three dead as rescuers search rubble for second day — The Guardian -

Various social and legal justice issues are making news globally, including a South African politician's gun conviction, UK grooming gang sentences, concerns over US immigration fees and deportations, accusations against the Anti-Defamation League, and **LGBTQ+ rights rollbacks in Slovakia**.

• South African Politician Julius Malema, Subject of Trump Attacks, Is Convicted of Gun Charge — New York Times World -
• How Broken Politics Breaks Courts — New York Times World -
• Anti-Defamation League takes down extremism research after Musk leads rightwing backlash — The Guardian -

• Trump Pardon Ended Probe Into Green Beret’s Killing of Suspected Taliban Bombmaker. Was Justice Served? — New York Times World -
• Rapper who joined Trump at rally jailed for five years for attempted murder — The Guardian -
• Wisconsin Planned Parenthood clinics suspend abortion services amid funding crisis — The Guardian -
• Los Angeles to pay $20m to family of boy tortured to death by his parents — The Guardian -
• U.N. Security Council Approves Larger Force to Fight Gangs in Haiti — New York Times World -
• ‘Bans are disheartening’: US author criticises Dorset school’s removal of her book about race — The Guardian -
• Foreigners underrepresented among prisoners in England and Wales, report finds — The Guardian -
• Irish Hotelier Accuses Qatari Royals of Scheme to Get Free Labor — New York Times World -
• NSW urged to stop strip-searches of young people after court ruling spotlights police conduct — The Guardian -
• ‘Meant to be a deterrent’: asylum seekers face new, higher fees in US — The Guardian -
• South African firebrand MP Malema convicted of firing a gun in public — BBC World -
• Man suspected of ordering murder of three Argentine women arrested — BBC World -
• Deported from the US to Ghana then 'dumped' at the border: Nigerian man speaks out — BBC World -
• The Activists and the Anime — New York Times World -
• Slovakia marks ‘dark day’ as LGBTQ+ rights rolled back in parliament — The Guardian -
• DoJ sues LA sheriff for processing concealed carry gun licenses too slowly — The Guardian -
• U.S. Deports Planeload of Iranians After Deal With Tehran, Officials Say — New York Times World -

Major environmental developments and conservation efforts are highlighted, including the death of renowned primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, ongoing revelations about corporate profits from Australian fossil fuel projects, Canada's refusal to export beluga whales to China, and Europe's alarming loss of green space to development.

• Corporate ‘middlemen’ mask who really profits from Australian fossil fuel projects, report warns — The Guardian -
• Conservationist Dame Jane Goodall dies aged 91 — BBC World -
• Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91 — The Guardian -

• Watch: Jane Goodall tells BBC how she became interested in animals — BBC World -
• ‘A life of captivity’: Canada refuses marine park’s request to export its whales to China — The Guardian -
• Pope Leo Calls for Unity on Climate at a Divided Moment — New York Times World -
• Nature boys and girls – here’s your chance to get published in the Guardian — The Guardian -
• Border wall slicing through Arizona wildlife corridor begins construction: ‘A show of force for nothing’ — The Guardian -
• No plucking way: Stella McCartney pioneers plant-based fashion feathers — The Guardian -
• Brown bear heavyweight Chunk wins Fat Bear Week despite injury — BBC World -
• Revealed: Europe losing 600 football pitches of nature and crop land a day — The Guardian -
• Queensland’s biggest coal-fired power station could close six years early — The Guardian -
• ‘Dominant on the river’: 32 Chunk crowned champion in ‘biggest Fat Bear Week yet’ — The Guardian -
• Australia could split Cop31 hosting rights with Turkey under potential compromise — The Guardian -

Significant domestic news from Australia covers concerns over misleading sunscreen SPF claims, new fast-track planning laws potentially bypassing environmental assessments for mines, and a search for a missing four-year-old boy in the outback, alongside political moves by Sussan Ley to impose performance indicators on shadow ministers.

• NSW’s fast-track planning laws could allow mines to be approved without environmental assessment — The Guardian -
• Base formulation may be linked to 21 sunscreens falling short of SPF claims, drug regulator finds — The Guardian -
• Police conduct ‘planned operation’ in Victorian town in hunt for Dezi Freeman – as it happened — The Guardian -

• Australia sunscreen scandal grows as more products pulled off shelves — BBC World -
• Aged care waiting lists a ‘calculated denial of services’ that could be fatal, Senate inquiry warns — The Guardian -
• Footprint found in South Australian outback search for four-year-old boy — The Guardian -
• Sussan Ley sets KPIs for frontbenchers and calls for discipline amid outbreaks of internal division — The Guardian -
• Tech companies consider giving up efforts to combat misinformation online in Australia — The Guardian -

Economic news in the UK and globally features **Greggs and Marks & Spencer price increases and staffing changes, Selfridges reporting a fall in sales due to reduced luxury tourism, and China's reported ban on BHP iron ore shipments, while US real estate giants Zillow and Redfin face an antitrust lawsuit**.

• Jaguar Land Rover parts makers asked by banks to put up homes as loan security after hack — The Guardian -
• General strike against 13-hour work day brings Greece to a halt — The Guardian -
• Greggs to put up price of breakfast deals and other items after weak summer sales — The Guardian -

• A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All — New York Times World -
• Selfridges blames slump in tourists shopping for luxury goods as sales fall — The Guardian -
• Caribbean nations launch EU-style deal to let citizens work freely across borders — The Guardian -
• Marks & Spencer to make staff work Boxing Day for first time in five years — The Guardian -
• UK house prices return to growth amid ‘broad stability’ in market — The Guardian -
• Albanese hopes China’s reported BHP iron ore ban ‘very much short-term’ as ASX dips — The Guardian -
• ‘It’s unsustainable’: homes in Great Britain brace for winter with soaring energy debts — The Guardian -
• Britons preparing to ration energy as Ofgem price cap rises, says charity — The Guardian -
• Zillow and Redfin accused of suppressing competition in lawsuit — The Guardian -

Diverse cultural and lifestyle stories include California's giant corn maze offering fun in getting lost, Cleveland bakery representing the US in the 'Bread Olympics', the death of Hunter S Thompson being reviewed, and controversy over an AI actress in Hollywood, alongside an opera house hiring dispute and a marine scientist surviving a shark bite.

• ‘When you’re in the corn, everything looks the same’: it’s fun to get lost in California’s giant corn maze — The Guardian -
• ‘She Could Have Killed Me’: Scientist Survives Shark Bite to His Head — New York Times World -
• Cleveland bakery to represent US in ‘Bread Olympics’ in France — The Guardian -

• Can This Japanese City Make Residents Put Down Their Smartphones? — New York Times World -
• Jimmy Kimmel on the moment he found out he was going off air — BBC World -
• Myleene Klass felt ‘terror’ after being sent air gun by alleged stalker, trial told — The Guardian -
• Hunter S Thompson's death to be reviewed 20 years on — BBC World -
• Italy art police seize 21 suspected fake works from Salvador Dalí show — The Guardian -
• ‘We can leave knowing we left a mark’: how Corsica Studios transformed London nightlife – and why it’s closing — The Guardian -
• Row erupts after Venice opera house hires conductor linked to Meloni government — The Guardian -
• Emily Blunt among Hollywood stars outraged over 'AI actor' Tilly Norwood — BBC World -
• No more scribbling: Indian court tells doctors to fix their handwriting — BBC World -