The Trump administration faces legal challenges over migrant detention and Caribbean boat strikes, while Senator Mark Kelly is investigated for "unlawful comments" and Jim Justice faces tax issues, amid Latino voter disapproval and concerns over DEI funding cuts.

• Judge orders Trump administration to provide bond hearings to detained migrants — The Guardian -
• US justice department memo about boat strikes diverges from Trump narrative — The Guardian -
• Hegseth orders US Navy secretary to investigate Arizona senator Mark Kelly for ‘potentially unlawful comments’ - live — The Guardian -

• Pete Hegseth orders US navy to investigate Mark Kelly’s comments — The Guardian -
• BBC Accused of Censoring Trump by Dutch Historian Rutger Bregman — New York Times World -
• Gobble-degook: Trump talks turkey and trashes another presidential tradition — The Guardian -
• Louisiana official who called Covid-19 vaccines ‘dangerous’ given key CDC post — The Guardian -
• ‘Living an American nightmare’: LA hearing details lasting trauma of ICE raids — The Guardian -
• An Eritrean Woman Seeking Asylum in Canada Was Almost Deported From the U.S. — New York Times World -
• Mark Kelly: call for troops to disobey illegal orders is ‘non-controversial’ — The Guardian -
• Republican Jim Justice to pay $5m in back taxes following government lawsuit — The Guardian -
• Officials at US-Mexico border seize $10.3m in meth hidden in lettuce shipment — The Guardian -
• Anti-fascist groups named as US terror threats ‘barely exist’, experts say — The Guardian -
• US judge throws out criminal cases against James Comey and Letitia James | First Thing — The Guardian -
• Dozens of US universities at risk of funding cuts over support for DEI — The Guardian -
• US, Russia and Saudi Arabia create axis of obstruction as Cop30 sputters out — The Guardian -
• Minnesota officials and organizers gear up to fight Trump ending Somalis’ TPS — The Guardian -
• Cases against Comey and James tossed, Pentagon investigating US senator and Turning Point USA looks to 2028 – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Family reunited after a decade – now a Trump clampdown could tear them apart — BBC World -
• Majority of Latino voters disapprove of Trump, Pew study finds — The Guardian -

Ongoing peace plan negotiations for the Ukraine war see the US sending an envoy to Moscow, with Zelenskyy open to discussions despite Russian strikes on Kyiv and Nato concerns over drone incursions into Romania.

• US to send envoy to Moscow to discuss proposals to end Ukraine war — The Guardian -
• Ukraine says 'understanding' reached with US on peace plan, as Trump says his envoy will meet Putin — BBC World -
• Trump envoy reportedly told Kremlin official that Ukraine must cede land for peace deal — The Guardian -

• Crunchtime for Europe on Ukraine — New York Times World -
• Russia Strikes Ukraine and Signals Resistance to Amended Peace Plan — New York Times World -
• Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to move forward with US plan and discuss ‘sensitive points’ with Trump - as it happened — The Guardian -
• Who is Trump's 'drone guy' Dan Driscoll, taking key role in Ukraine talks? — BBC World -
• Seven killed in Kyiv as Russia hits Ukraine’s energy sector with missiles and drones — The Guardian -
• Nato scrambles jets as Russian drones make deepest incursion into Romania — The Guardian -
• As Trump Pushes to End Ukraine War, Europe Toils to Have a Say — New York Times World -
• Surprise envoy pushing Ukraine ‘peace’ plan belies Vance influence on US policy — The Guardian -
• Ukraine makes significant changes to US ‘peace plan’, sources say — The Guardian -
• How the Peace Plan Looks to Ukraine and Russia — New York Times World -
• Zelensky welcomes amendments to proposed peace plan — BBC World -
• Zelensky welcomes amendments to proposed peace plan — BBC World -
• As Ukraine Sets ‘Red Lines,’ a U.S. Peace Plan Is Slimmed Down — New York Times World -

Key UK policy debates include potential jury trial reforms, a forthcoming minimum wage increase, and tax break changes, while a carer's allowance scandal prompts reassessments and Heathrow's third runway plan moves forward.

• Fireworks feared inside London warehouse as 150 firefighters tackle major blaze — The Guardian -
• UK politics: No 10 says no final decisions after leak reveals jury trials might be scrapped except for alleged rapists and killers – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Fifty higher education providers at risk of exiting market in England, MPs told — The Guardian -

• David Lammy considers scrapping jury trials for all but the most serious cases — The Guardian -
• Millions of UK workers to get pay rise as Reeves plans increased minimum wage — The Guardian -
• UK gambling firms make extra £1bn from punters amid calls for tax rises — The Guardian -
• Rachel Reeves expected to scrap £300m in tax breaks for Motability scheme — The Guardian -
• Even the U.K. Prime Minister Can’t Resist ‘6-7’ — New York Times World -
• Reeves’s plan to cut cash Isa limit could raise mortgage rates, say finance bosses — The Guardian -
• CPS to train staff on ‘spectrum of abuse’ in violence against women and girls — The Guardian -
• UK to extend sugar tax to cover bottled milkshakes and pre-packaged lattes — The Guardian -
• Man arrested over illegal waste ‘mountain’ by river in Oxfordshire — The Guardian -
• Removal of judge in Palestine Action ban legal challenge ‘deeply concerning’ — The Guardian -
• Peak pizza? Domino’s boss who launched shift towards chicken ousted — The Guardian -
• ‘I didn’t start it’: Starmer apologises for ‘six seven’ uproar during school visit — The Guardian -
• FCA makes inquiries into WH Smith accounting error that wiped almost £600m off value — The Guardian -
• Graham Linehan cleared of harassing trans activist but convicted of damaging phone — The Guardian -
• Failures by Tory ministers and welfare officials led to carer’s allowance crisis, review finds — The Guardian -
• Heathrow airport’s £33bn third runway plan chosen by government — The Guardian -
• UK bank shares rise after reports of budget tax reprieve — The Guardian -
• ‘Long overdue’: Northern Irish council votes to rename Prince Andrew Way — The Guardian -
• UK can create 5,400 jobs if it stops plastic waste exports, report finds — The Guardian -
• One in seven English bathing spots rated as polluted in latest testing — The Guardian -
• Tuesday briefing: Inside the latest Lords scandal – and the future of the peers — The Guardian -
• UK minister flags visa 'abuse' as student asylum claims surge — BBC World -
• UK minister flags visa 'abuse' as student asylum claims surge — BBC World -
• NHS directed pregnant women to controversial Free Birth Society via charity — The Guardian -
• Ofcom urges social media platforms to combat abuse and limit online ‘pile-ons’ — The Guardian -
• Reform’s ‘Trumpian’ legal threats hint at more aggressive approach to media — The Guardian -
• Black Friday discounts fail to offer cheapest prices, Which? research finds — The Guardian -
• ‘It’s like the Post Office scandal’: victims of carer’s allowance crisis speak out — The Guardian -
• DWP to reassess hundreds of thousands of cases in carer’s allowance scandal — The Guardian -
• The carer’s allowance scandal – a timeline — The Guardian -
• AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs in the UK by 2035, research finds — The Guardian -

Global news features Jair Bolsonaro's prison sentence for a coup plot, corruption allegations against the Nauru president, arrests in the Louvre heist, and several murder charges including teenage stabbings in Sydney.

• Nauru president accused in parliament of corruptly siphoning off millions of Australian funding — The Guardian -
• Bolsonaro ordered to start serving 27-year prison sentence for Brazil coup plot — BBC World -
• Second teenage boy charged with murder after alleged stabbing behind Sydney school — The Guardian -

• Mother who hid children’s bodies in suitcases jailed for life in New Zealand — The Guardian -
• Bolsonaro To Start Serving 27-Year Prison Sentence Over Coup Plot — New York Times World -
• Woman behind Slender Man stabbing fled facility ‘because of me’, friend says — The Guardian -
• Jair Bolsonaro ordered to start 27-year prison term for plotting Brazil coup — The Guardian -
• Four More Arrested in Connection With Louvre Heist — New York Times World -
• Four new arrests made following Louvre jewellery heist — BBC World -
• Jacob Zuma’s daughter accused of tricking men into fighting for Russia in Ukraine — The Guardian -
• Italian man ‘dressed as dead mother in order to claim her pension’ — The Guardian -
• Four more people arrested in connection with Louvre heist — The Guardian -
• Food influencer known as ‘dine-and-dash diva’ arrested in Brooklyn — The Guardian -
• German 'hammer gang' trial for seven accused of extreme-left violence — BBC World -
• German 'hammer gang' trial for seven accused of extreme-left violence — BBC World -
• Seven alleged members of German far-left group go on trial over attacks — The Guardian -
• Boy, 15, to remain behind bars over Christmas after allegedly murdering fellow teenager in Sydney — The Guardian -
• How Nigel Farage’s ‘right-hand man’ in Europe was unmasked as a traitor – podcast — The Guardian -
• Details of inquiry into teen's body found in singer D4vd's car to be kept from public — BBC World -
• Details of inquiry into teen's body found in singer D4vd's car to be kept from public — BBC World -
• Bondi Junction stabbings: Joel Cauchi’s psychiatrist was belligerent and confrontational when giving evidence, inquest told — The Guardian -

Catastrophic hunger in Nigeria driven by violence, US plans for Palestinian compounds in Gaza, and Hamas returning a hostage body highlight ongoing humanitarian challenges and regional tensions, with Pakistan's strikes on Afghanistan claiming lives.

• Violence Is Driving Catastrophic Hunger in Nigeria, U.N. Report Says — New York Times World -
• Minority Alawites Protest in Syria After Sectarian Attacks — New York Times World -
• Nigerian schoolgirls rescued after mass abduction in Kebbi — The Guardian -

• Catholic bishop hits out at Nigeria's failure to rescue abducted schoolchildren — BBC World -
• U.S. Plans Compounds to House Palestinians in Israeli-Held Half of Gaza — New York Times World -
• Hamas Says It Returned Body of Another Hostage From Gaza — New York Times World -
• Trump envoy denies bias as he pushes for Sudan peace plan — BBC World -
• Israel receives coffin that Hamas says contains Gaza hostage's body — BBC World -
• Rebuilding ‘human-made abyss’ in Gaza will cost at least $70bn, UN says — The Guardian -
• Popemobile becomes a mobile health clinic for Gaza children — BBC World -
• Taliban accuses Pakistan of killing 10 – including nine children – in strikes on Afghanistan — The Guardian -
• Controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ends aid operations — BBC World -
• Controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ends aid operations — BBC World -

Concerns over lead poisoning from car battery recycling, a polluted bathing spots report in England, and the US blocking climate progress at Cop30 underscore environmental challenges, while Ethiopia's volcanic ash disrupts flights and Wales reports species at risk.

• Officials find source of leak in Olympic pipeline two weeks after first report — The Guardian -
• Louisiana official who called Covid-19 vaccines ‘dangerous’ given key CDC post — The Guardian -
• Volcano in Ethiopia Spews Ash Into Asia, Disrupting Flights — New York Times World -

• UK to extend sugar tax to cover bottled milkshakes and pre-packaged lattes — The Guardian -
• In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Locals Fight for ‘The Right to Night’ — New York Times World -
• Auto Industry Was Warned For Years of Poisoning, Sickness From Car Batteries — New York Times World -
• Guardian Essential poll: only a quarter of older Australians believe climate change can be prevented — The Guardian -
• ‘A precarious position’: almost 3,000 species at risk of disappearing from Wales, report finds — The Guardian -
• US, Russia and Saudi Arabia create axis of obstruction as Cop30 sputters out — The Guardian -
• Auto Industry Was Warned For Years of Poisoning, Sickness From Car Batteries — New York Times World -
• One in seven English bathing spots rated as polluted in latest testing — The Guardian -
• Recycling Lead for U.S. Car Batteries Is Poisoning People — New York Times World -
• NHS directed pregnant women to controversial Free Birth Society via charity — The Guardian -
• Images From Vietnam’s Year of Deadly Wet Weather — New York Times World -

China's Xi Jinping discusses Taiwan with Donald Trump amid a showdown with Japan, while the U.S. Air Force searches for a fallen Reaper drone in the Yellow Sea.

• China and Japan, With Trump in the Middle, Are in a Showdown — New York Times World -
• Warmed by Japan’s Support, Taiwan Takes Up Sushi Diplomacy — New York Times World -
• U.S. Air Force Searches for Fallen Reaper Drone in Yellow Sea — New York Times World -

• Xi Presses Trump on Taiwan as They Agree to Meet in China in April — New York Times World -
• China’s Xi Jinping raises future of Taiwan in call with Donald Trump — The Guardian -

Nauru's president faces corruption allegations in Australian parliament, Pauline Hanson is suspended over a burqa stunt, and a poll reveals climate change pessimism, while Melbourne police get expanded search powers and Brisbane is hit by severe storms.

• Nauru president accused in parliament of corruptly siphoning off millions of Australian funding — The Guardian -
• Second teenage boy charged with murder after alleged stabbing behind Sydney school — The Guardian -
• Peter Dutton’s unpopularity ‘broke several records’ and Labor more trusted on economy, ANU study finds — The Guardian -

• Worker at Australian Taxation Office call centre takes court action demanding ‘same job, same pay’ — The Guardian -
• Guardian Essential poll: only a quarter of older Australians believe climate change can be prevented — The Guardian -
• Australian Senator Suspended for Burqa-Wearing Stunt in Parliament — New York Times World -
• Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway counter-sues pro-Israel activist, claiming he trespassed to ‘ambush’ staff — The Guardian -
• David Pocock says PM ‘seems to be holding up’ gambling ad reform – as it happened — The Guardian -
• Criminal charges against Australian debt collection company Panthera Finance dismissed — The Guardian -
• ‘Vast overreach’: police allowed to conduct warrantless pat-downs of people across inner Melbourne for six months — The Guardian -
• Bevan Shields steps down as Sydney Morning Herald editor, chief reporter Jordan Baker named as replacement — The Guardian -
• Boy, 15, to remain behind bars over Christmas after allegedly murdering fellow teenager in Sydney — The Guardian -
• Labor’s attempts to woo Greens and Coalition on nature laws revealed amid criticism of ‘coin toss’ — The Guardian -
• Australia senator suspended after burka stunt in parliament — BBC World -
• Brisbane storms and hail leave nearly 100,000 without power as trees downed and roofs stripped — The Guardian -
• Pauline Hanson suspended from Senate over burqa stunt as Mehreen Faruqi says parliament ‘drips in racism’ — The Guardian -
• Bondi Junction stabbings: Joel Cauchi’s psychiatrist was belligerent and confrontational when giving evidence, inquest told — The Guardian -

AI's potential to replace jobs, the "AI slop" word of the year, and Boeing's "War on Defects" highlight tech and industry trends, alongside EasyJet's profit climb and a WH Smith accounting error.

• Trump’s Trade War Has Canadians ‘Elbows Up’ for Homegrown Wine — New York Times World -
• Campbell’s Soup executive called its products food for ‘poor people’, lawsuit alleges — The Guardian -
• Peak pizza? Domino’s boss who launched shift towards chicken ousted — The Guardian -

• EasyJet profits climb as package holidays sell well despite price rises — The Guardian -
• FCA makes inquiries into WH Smith accounting error that wiped almost £600m off value — The Guardian -
• Boeing Tackles Quality With a ‘War on Defects’ — New York Times World -
• Black Friday discounts fail to offer cheapest prices, Which? research finds — The Guardian -
• Macquarie Dictionary announces ‘AI slop’ as its word of the year, beating out Ozempic face — The Guardian -
• Who Chanel and Louis Vuitton Have Called When Making Woven Leather Bags — New York Times World -
• AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs in the UK by 2035, research finds — The Guardian -

The EU's highest court mandates that same-sex marriages be respected across the bloc, a direct rebuke to Poland, as Macron presents a new French national service plan.

• Same-sex marriage must be respected throughout EU, top court tells Poland — BBC World -
• Macron to present new French national service plan — BBC World -
• Macron to present new French national service plan — BBC World -

• EU court rules entire bloc must respect same-sex marriages in rebuke to Poland — The Guardian -

Venezuela demands international airlines resume flights under threat of losing clearance, while Tanzania cancels independence day celebrations amidst post-election unrest.

• Venezuela demands international airlines resume flights - or else — BBC World -
• Venezuela demands international airlines resume flights — BBC World -
• Tanzania cancels independence day celebrations after election unrest — BBC World -

• Tanzania cancels independence day celebrations after election unrest — BBC World -

Stories range from the passing of Joan Branson and a 141-year-old tortoise named Gramma, to the curious case of a Thai woman found alive in her coffin, and author Thomas King revealing he is not Indigenous.

• Joan Branson, Richard Branson’s Wife of 35 Years, Dies at 80 — New York Times World -
• At Miss Universe, Miss Norway’s Salmon Costume Steals the Show — New York Times World -
• ‘Queen of the Zoo’: Gramma, tortoise who lived through two world wars, dies aged 141 — The Guardian -

• Nollywood actor Odira Nwobu dies in South Africa aged 43 — BBC World -
• Thai woman's cremation stopped as knocking on coffin heard, temple staff say — BBC World -
• Thomas King, Award-Winning Canadian Author, Says He Is Not Indigenous — New York Times World -
• South Korea's 'TV dad' Lee Soon-jae dies at 91 — BBC World -
• South Korea's 'TV dad' Lee Soon-jae dies at 91 — BBC World -
• UK charity records original music by people living with dementia — The Guardian -
• Canada: ‘Inconvenient Indian’ author Thomas King says he is not Indigenous — The Guardian -
• Thai woman found alive in coffin before temple cremation — The Guardian -
• ‘An idealized version of LA’: fabled mid-century Stahl house on sale for first time — The Guardian -

Recent findings explore how the brain maps internal body sensations and confirm that music can ease surgery and speed recovery, needing fewer painkillers.

• Mapping the Brain’s Sense of What Goes On Inside the Body — New York Times World -
• Music eases surgery and speeds recovery, Indian study finds — BBC World -
• Music eases surgery and speeds recovery, Indian study finds — BBC World -

• Music eases surgery and speeds recovery, Indian study finds — BBC World -

Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak faces an antidoping ban, while in the US, Cowboys player Marshawn Kneeland died after a police pursuit and an Ohio highway saw a dramatic truck collision.

• Penny Oleksiak, Canadian Swimmer, Faces 2-Year Ban Over Antidoping Testing Rules — New York Times World -
• Watch: Moment truck collides with sign on Ohio highway — BBC World -
• Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland died after police believed he was driving stolen car — The Guardian -