The Trump administration's policies continue to shape headlines, with reports of a questionable DHS plane purchase, exemptions for Hungary from Russian oil sanctions, new steel tariffs impacting global businesses, boycotts of international summits, immigration crackdowns, and ongoing government shutdowns affecting federal workers causing widespread discussion.

• DHS head reportedly authorized purchase of 10 engineless Spirit Airlines planes that airline didn’t own — The Guardian -
• What Hungary's Orban did - and didn't - get from Trump — BBC World -
• In Cozying Up to Trump, Leaders Hedge Their Reliance on Moscow and Beijing — New York Times World -

• Inside Trump’s Deportation of Venezuelans: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison — New York Times World -
• Near Ohio air force base, food pantries and businesses grapple with effects of shutdown — The Guardian -
• Washington National Opera may move out of Kennedy Center due to Trump ‘takeover’ — The Guardian -
• Businesses worldwide brace for extra Trump tariffs on steel imports — The Guardian -
• US to boycott G20 in South Africa, Trump says — BBC World -
• Maha movement helps to kill bill seeking US food-safety rollbacks — The Guardian -
• BBC ‘100% fake news’, says Donald Trump’s press secretary — The Guardian -
• A year after devastating Trump loss, have the Democrats begun to find their way back? — The Guardian -
• ShutdownTok: federal workers detail life without pay amid government’s closure — The Guardian -
• US to demand countries share data on ‘pathogens with epidemic potential’ in return for health aid — The Guardian -
• Serbia clears the way for controversial Trump-linked property plan — BBC World -
• Trump gives Hungary one-year exemption from Russian energy sanctions — BBC World -
• Trump-Orbán meeting: US gives Hungary exemption from sanctions on Russian oil and gas — The Guardian -
• Federal judge issues permanent ban on deployment of national guard troops in Portland – as it happened — The Guardian -
• US supreme court issues emergency order blocking full Snap food aid payments — The Guardian -
• ‘Huge victory’ in Portland as judge’s final order bars Trump from sending national guard — The Guardian -
• Republicans reject Democrats’ proposal to end longest shutdown in US history — The Guardian -
• ICE facing fierce backlash after video apparently shows unconscious man clutching child during arrest — The Guardian -

Escalating Russian bombardments are causing widespread power outages and casualties across major Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, profoundly impacting the nation's energy infrastructure and defining Ukrainian culture.

• Russian Bombardment Causes Large Outages in Ukraine’s Big Cities — New York Times World -
• Six dead as Russia hits energy and residential sites in Ukraine — BBC World -
• Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities kill at least four — The Guardian -

• Ukrainians would like to watch comedies - but for now their culture is defined by war — BBC World -

The UK grapples with fears of an environmental catastrophe from plastic beads on Camber Sands, debates over stricter Danish-style immigration policies, reports of serious crime in Birmingham and religiously motivated attacks on Sikh women in the Midlands, concerns over climate funding cuts, and police misconduct allegations.

• ‘Environmental catastrophe’ fears as millions of plastic beads wash up on Camber Sands — The Guardian -
• Woman stabbed in neck in ‘unprovoked attack’ in Birmingham city centre — The Guardian -
• Why does UK government want to copy Denmark’s immigration system? — The Guardian -

• ‘The fear is real’: how Midlands attacks have changed Sikh women’s daily lives — The Guardian -
• UK to announce plans to emulate stringent Danish immigration system — The Guardian -
• Davina McCall reveals she has undergone surgery for breast cancer — The Guardian -
• Plant importers say border delays in Kent could drive up prices and stop deliveries from EU — The Guardian -
• Cutting aid for disease fund would be moral failure, Labour MPs tell Starmer — The Guardian -
• Jailed UK climate protesters facing conditions reserved for extremists on release — The Guardian -
• Former Met police officer accused of using sex workers while on duty — The Guardian -
• A rats to riches story: Larry the Downing Street cat finds place in TV spotlight — The Guardian -
• Cutting home insulation funding will imperil UK’s climate goals, Reeves told — The Guardian -

Leadership changes within the NSW Liberal party signal potential political shifts, while a proposed axing of a free flood warning tool draws criticism, taxi drivers face penalties for refusing short fares at Sydney airport, a nationwide salmonella recall impacts alfalfa sprouts, and severe storms are forecast across several states.

• Kellie Sloane is tipped to replace Mark Speakman as NSW Liberal leader. That should make life tougher for Chris Minns — The Guardian -
• John, 75, wanted a taxi outside Sydney airport to take him 1.5km to his hotel. Drivers refused — The Guardian -
• BoM move to axe free flood warning tool has ‘potentially deadly consequences’, Queensland councils say — The Guardian -

• Nationwide recall of alfalfa sprouts linked to ‘unusual strain’ of salmonella after dozens infected across Australia — The Guardian -
• One-year-old girl dies after being struck by freight train in NSW — The Guardian -
• Graham ‘Richo’ Richardson, former Labor party powerbroker, dies aged 76 — The Guardian -
• Severe storms forecast for parts of NSW as Victoria and Queensland face wet weather — The Guardian -

Allegations of an Israeli underground jail holding Palestinians without charge, the return of Lior Rudaeff's body from Gaza, the tragic death of an Iranian activist, arrests related to deadly election protests in Tanzania, and the safe return of Kenyan activists missing in Uganda highlight ongoing human rights challenges and political tensions.

• Irish football chiefs pass vote seeking Uefa ban on Israel from European competition — The Guardian -
• Tanzania police arrest opposition party official after deadly election protests — The Guardian -
• Israel says body of Lior Rudaeff has been returned from Gaza — BBC World -

• Israel’s underground jail, where Palestinians are held without charge and never see daylight — The Guardian -
• Death of Iranian activist who burned picture of supreme leader causes outcry — The Guardian -
• Kenyan activists missing in Uganda found safe after five weeks — BBC World -
• 4 Arrested Over Disruption of Israeli Orchestra’s Concert — New York Times World -
• Trove of records reveals Kenya's forgotten World War soldiers — BBC World -

Warnings about autocratic AI investors posing "dangerous and sinister" outcomes spark debate, while scientists continue to learn from brain organoids, Elon Musk increasingly aligns with far-right views, and China invests heavily in "longevity labs" to defy aging.

• ABC chair warns ‘extremely autocratic’ views of some AI investors could lead to ‘dangerous and sinister’ outcomes — The Guardian -
• What Scientists Are Learning From Brain Organoids — New York Times World -
• Elon Musk makes himself far-right fixture after White House departure — The Guardian -

• Inside China’s Quest to Defy Aging with Longevity Labs and ‘Immortality Islands’ — New York Times World -
• DNA pioneer James Watson dies at 97 — BBC World -

The Philippines brace for a new typhoon days after a deadly storm, drone footage reveals the devastation of a deadly tornado in Brazil, and Jamaica highlights the resilience of solar power after Hurricane Melissa.

• New typhoon bears down on Philippines days after deadly storm — BBC World -
• Watch: Drone footage shows town destroyed by deadly Brazil tornado — BBC World -
• After Hurricane Melissa, Solar Power Kept the Electricity on for Some Jamaicans — New York Times World -

• Tornado Rips Through Southern Brazil, Killing at Least 5 — New York Times World -

The death of journalist Anthony Grey, held hostage by China for two years, and Albanian leader Fatos Nano mark the passing of notable figures, while UPS and FedEx ground MD-11 planes after a deadly crash, Guyana faces turmoil over an opposition leader's arrest, and Prince Harry apologizes for a 'Hat Gate' incident.

• Anthony Grey, Journalist Held Hostage by China for Two Years, Dies at 87 — New York Times World -
• Driver livestreams herself on TikTok as she apparently hits and kills man in Chicago — The Guardian -
• Fire at Turkey perfume warehouse kills six — BBC World -

• UPS and FedEx ground all MD-11 planes after deadly Louisville crash — The Guardian -
• Fatos Nano, Albanian Leader in Era of Chaos and Transition, Dies at 73 — New York Times World -
• Guyana in turmoil after opposition leader arrested and faces US extradition — The Guardian -
• A Powerful Tool to Override Constitutional Rights Goes to Court — New York Times World -
• Carney survives two confidence votes on budget, quashing fears of winter election — The Guardian -
• Saudi Ex-Intelligence Official Seeks American Help Spilling U.S. Secrets — New York Times World -
• World’s longest-married couple reveals key to a lasting relationship: ‘We love each other’ — The Guardian -
• US and China seek to project power with huge and expensive aircraft carriers — The Guardian -
• Canada Culls Hundreds of Ostriches as a Court and a Kennedy Fail to Save Them — New York Times World -
• Prince Harry Apologizes to Canadians for Wearing an L.A. Dodgers Cap — New York Times World -