Documents suggest Kilmar Ábrego García was retaliated against after wrongful deportation

Judge said newly unsealed government documents show ‘some evidence’ of vindictive prosecution by DoJ

A newly unsealed order in the criminal case against Kilmar Ábrego García reveals that high-level justice department officials pushed for his indictment, calling it a “top priority”, only after he was mistakenly deported and then ordered returned to the U.S.

Ábrego García, originally from El Salvador, has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Tennessee to charges of human smuggling. He is seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive – a way for the Trump administration to punish him for the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation.

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Fireworks, drums and light shows: How the world is welcoming 2026

Countries around the world celebrated the new year with colourful shows and long held traditions.

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Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of JFK, dies after leukemia diagnosis

Schlossberg, 35, revealed in November diagnosis of rare mutation of cancer of blood and bone marrow

Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of the 35th US president, John F Kennedy, died on Tuesday after revealing in November she had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She was 35.

Her passing was announced in a social media post by the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the post said.

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Judge says Trump administration must continue funding consumer watchdog

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is at risk after Donald Trump vowed to shutter it since his return to office

A federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration must allow funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to continue.

The watchdog, which supporters say protects US consumers from financial harm by powerful banks, lenders and corporations, is at risk of collapsing after Donald Trump vowed to shutter it since he returned to office this year.

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FBI deploys more resources to Minnesota amid Trump’s targeting of state

Kash Patel claims $250m Covid aid fraud scheme is ‘tip of iceberg’ and blames state’s Somali population

The FBI has deployed additional personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs”, director Kash Patel said on social media on Sunday.

Amid the Trump administrations attacks on the state and its Somali immigration population, the FBI director said the agency had already dismantled a $250m fraud scheme that stole federal food aid meant for vulnerable children during the Covid pandemic in a case that led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions.

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Bernie Sanders criticizes AI as ‘the most consequential technology in humanity’

Republican senator Katie Britt also proposes AI companies be criminally liable if they expose minors to harmful ideas

US senator Bernie Sanders amplified his recent criticism of artificial intelligence on Sunday, explicitly linking the financial ambition of “the richest people in the world” to economic insecurity for millions of Americans – and calling for a potential moratorium on new datacenters.

Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic party, said on CNN’s State of the Union that he was “fearful of a lot” when it came to AI. And the senator called it “the most consequential technology in the history of humanity” that will “transform” the US and the world in ways that had not been fully discussed.

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Brazil's Bolsonaro undergoes medical treatment for hiccups

The 70-year-old had suffered with the spasms for nine months, his wife says, and was already in hospital for hernia surgery.

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Man charged with displaying Nazi hate symbol after showing off tattoos at NSW beach

Man spotted at beach in Newcastle on Wednesday with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideology

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A man who allegedly displayed Nazi hate symbols by showing off his tattoos at a popular beach in New South Wales has been charged.

Ben Parsons was at Bar beach in Newcastle on 24 December with his children, when he noticed a man with tattoos linked to white supremacist ideology, including symbols associated with the Nazi SS.

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Man arrested after woman and man die in alleged double fatal stabbing in Sydney

Police called to Quakers Hill on Sunday morning after reports of disturbance

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A man has been arrested after a woman and a man – both aged in their 30s – died in an alleged double fatal stabbing in Sydney.

Police said emergency services were called to the home in Quakers Hill just before 5am on Sunday, responding to reports of a disturbance.

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Equal pay settlements for female council workers pass £1bn

GMB union says 30,000 claims settled with six local councils for average of £30,000 and expects 10,000 more in 2026

Equal pay settlements for female workers at local councils have passed the £1bn mark, with thousands more expected next year.

Legal claims have been brought against local councils on behalf of people in female-dominated roles, such as cleaners or carers, who for years have been denied the conditions and benefits given to employees in traditionally male-dominated jobs.

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Call for citizen scientists to monitor threatened turtle species on NSW beaches

Beachgoers from the Tweed to Batemans Bay have been asked to be on the lookout – and every nest reported to TurtleWatch NSW will be protected

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The first sea turtle nest discovery of the breeding season has led to a rescue mission and kicked off a campaign to protect an endangered species.

The nest, found recently on the New South Wales north coast, was too close to the water’s edge and the eggs needed to be moved to save them from being inundated by waves and the tides.

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Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure, dies aged 65

Starting as a roadie and guitar tech, Bamonte joined the band in 1990 after its breakthrough album Disintegration

Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band the Cure, has died. He was 65.

The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday.

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Three people missing after Boxing Day house fire near Stroud

Emergency services were called to property in Brimscombe Hill in Gloucestershire at about 3am

Three people are missing after a house fire in the early hours of the morning on Boxing Day, police have said.

Emergency services were called to a report of a fire at a property on Brimscombe Hill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire at about 3am on the 26 December.

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Zelensky hails 'new ideas' on peace after talks with US envoys

Ukraine's leader gives an upbeat assessment after discussing the plan with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

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Russian opposition leader sentenced to six years in prison

Sergei Udaltsov, Putin critic affiliated with the Communist party, convicted of justifying terrorism

A court in Russia on Thursday convicted a pro-war activist and critic of Vladimir Putin of justifying terrorism and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Sergei Udaltsov, the leader of the Left Front movement that opposes Putin and is affiliated with the Communist party, was arrested last year.

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Officials discover a million more documents potentially related to Epstein case

The US Department of Justice says reviewing the material could delay the full release of Epstein documents by a "few more weeks".

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Two dead after Pennsylvania nursing home explosions

Authorities are investigating whether a gas leak was to blame for the twin blasts and fire, which caused a partial collapse.

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Israel extends order allowing closure of foreign broadcasters

A bill passed by parliament expands temporary powers introduced during the Gaza war to shutter outlets seen as a security threat.

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Barry Manilow to undergo surgery for lung cancer

The 82-year-old singer says the disease is in its early stages and he plans to be back on stage in February

Barry Manilow has revealed that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will undergo surgery.

The 82-year-old singer, whose parade of high-spirited hits from Copacabana to Mandy has made him one of pop music’s most beloved showmen, will have surgery to remove part of his lung in an effort to fight off the disease, which is in its early stages.

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Mass power outages affect 130,000 in San Francisco and disrupt traffic

Traffic signals failed in large portions of the California city while Waymo robotaxis stopped in streets and intersections

A widespread power failure plunged San Francisco into darkness on Saturday night, disrupting traffic citywide and forcing numerous self-driving Waymo taxis to stop abruptly in the middle of streets and intersections.

As electricity went out across large portions of the city, traffic signals failed, leaving autonomous vehicles unable to operate as normal. Photos and videos shared by users on X showed Waymo robotaxis frozen in place, backing up traffic and creating hazardous conditions for other drivers.

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More than 800 people cross Channel in dinghies, breaking record for December

Saturday’s arrivals were the most on a single day in December and take the annual total to 41,455

More than 800 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday, a record for a day in December, according to the Home Office.

December is traditionally one of the quietest months for Channel crossings, as a combination of low temperatures and stormy weather makes the journey particularly difficult. Poor visibility and less daylight have also been cited as factors influencing the crossings.

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Australian state plans to ban intifada chants after Bondi shooting

New South Wales will look at passing hate speech laws after Australia's deadliest shooting in almost 30 years.

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From praise to rage: conservative response to Epstein release is mixed

Republicans such as Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene slam redactions, but others express satisfaction

Conservative reaction to the partial release of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case has been mixed, with Trump administration supporters highlighting the prominent presence of Bill Clinton and other Democrats in photographs, with others lamenting how the heavy redaction casts Donald Trump and Republicans in a bad light.

Administration officials defended the redactions with fervent hyperbole. “Never in American history has a President or the Department of Justice been this transparent with the American people about such a sensitive law enforcement matter,” said Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, who released a six-page letter describing the redaction process.

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Putin tells BBC Western leaders deceived Russia

BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg had the opportunity to ask Vladimir Putin about his plans for the future of the country.

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Trump critics praise Vanity Fair article for its scrutiny while allies dismiss it as hit piece

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, spoke candidly about Trump’s inner circle and the piece made even bigger waves with its unsparing photos

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Critics of the Trump administration have praised Vanity Fair’s interview with the White House chief of staff, and particularly the unvarnished photographs of Trump’s inner circle that accompanied it, as overdue scrutiny of a controversial cabinet even as his allies rallied to dismiss it as a hit piece.

Over what the magazine said was 11 separate interviews by reporter Chris Whipple, Susie Wiles spoke candidly about her colleagues, describing Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality”, JD Vance, the vice-president, as being a “conspiracy theorist for a decade” and Russell Vought, the budget chief, as a “right-wing absolute zealot”.

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Oscars to move over to YouTube starting in 2029

Exclusive global rights to the year’s biggest night in film will move to the video platform for a four year period

The Oscars will be moving from broadcast to online as part of a multi-year new deal with YouTube.

From 2029, the video platform will have exclusive global rights to Hollywood’s biggest night, including the ceremony but also red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content and Governors Ball access. The deal will run until 2033.

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Spain to open network of climate shelters

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says the shelters will be in public buildings across the country.

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US date rape survivors file lawsuit accusing Hinge and Tinder of ‘accommodating rapists’

Civil suit, citing the Dating App Reporting Project, argues that dating apps could kick off serial rapists but don’t

The Dating Apps Reporting Project produced this story in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network and The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, and copublished with The Guardian and The 19th.

Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group on Tuesday, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product.

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No news whatsoever as Keir bores everyone to death. He’s a natural | John Crace

The liaison super-committee has an unavoidable tri-annual encounter with the prime minister

An afternoon with Keir Starmer isn’t necessarily many people’s idea of fun. A period of time when every minute feels like five.

Sadly, for the select committee chairs who make up the liaison super-committee, they didn’t have the option of saying no. This was one of their unavoidable tri-annual encounters with the prime minister. Still, at least they all had the Xmas recess to look forward to at the end of the week. They would need a long lie down.

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Dozens killed in Morocco flash floods

At least 70 homes have been inundated in Safi's old city centre, officials say.

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Pilot narrowly avoids ‘midair collision’ with US air force plane near Venezuela

JetBlue pilot calls incident ‘outrageous’ and says US military refueling tanker didn’t have transponder turned on

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a US air force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path ... They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

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Manchin urges lawmakers to stop acting in ‘attack mode’ amid political violence

Former senator’s comments echo recent call from Erika Kirk that ‘everyone has responsibility’ to tone down hatred

Politicians should “calm down” and stop approaching one another in “attack mode” amid the US’s climate of political violence, former US senator Joe Manchin said on Sunday.

The West Virginia independent who generally caucused with Senate Democrats echoed similar comments made at a town hall Saturday by Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death in September.

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BBC captures celebrations as Belarus frees political prisoners

Southern & Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford reports from Lithuania, where some of the released prisoners were taken.

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Washington state flood waters receding after days of rescues and evacuations

No fatalities reported in flooding, which prompted Trump to approve emergency declaration request from governor

Record-breaking flood waters in Washington state have started slowly retreating after days of devastation that saw neighborhoods inundated, emergency rescues from cars and rooftops, and widespread evacuations.

“This is not just a one- or two-day crisis,” Washington’s governor, Bob Ferguson, said during a press briefing. “These water levels have been historic, and they’re going to remain very high for an extended period of time.”

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Taylor Swift shown breaking down in tears after she met UK attack families

Backstage footage shows the singer in tears after meeting survivors of the attack during her world tour.

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Ghanaian influencer charged over $8m scam targeting elderly Americans

He is accused of using romance scams to defraud $8m, with the profits flaunted on Instagram.

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Disappointing Oracle results knock $80bn off value amid AI bubble fears

Weaker-than-forecast quarterly data for Larry Ellison’s tech company shows slowdown in revenue growth and big rise in spending

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Oracle’s shares tumbled 15% on Thursday in response to the company’s quarterly financial results, disclosed the day before.

Roughly $80bn vanish from the value of the business software company co-founded by Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison, falling from $630bn (£470bn) to $550bn and fuelling fears of a bubble in artificial intelligence-related stocks. Shares in the chipmaker Nvidia, seen as a bellwether for the AI boom, fell after Oracle’s.

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Brad Lander to challenge Dan Goldman for New York congressional seat

Outgoing comptroller and progressive ally of Zohran Mamdani launches primary bid for Congress

Brad Lander, the outgoing comptroller of New York City and a former candidate for mayor, announced on Wednesday that he is running for the US Congress in a challenge from the left to fellow Democrat and representative, Dan Goldman – with the backing of the city’s progressive mayor-elect.

Lander will run in the Democratic primary contest next year for a liberal district in lower Manhattan and north-west Brooklyn.

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Powerful storms dump heavy rain and swell rivers across US Pacific north-west

Series prompts high-water rescues as it passes Washington state and Oregon as flood watches put in effect along coast

A series of powerful storms hit the Pacific north-west, dumping heavy rain, swelling rivers and prompting high-water rescues in several states.

An unusually strong storm system called an atmospheric river is passing through the region, bringing heavy rainfall across western Washington and north-western Oregon and more than a foot of snow in the northern Rockies and north-western Wyoming.

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These young Australians grew up with social media - what do they think of the ban?

The BBC took to the streets of Sydney to find out what young people aged between 18 and 20 think of Australia’s under-16s social media ban.

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Ex-Trump lawyer Alina Habba quits as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey

Resignation comes despite administration’s efforts to keep her in place after courts found she was serving unlawfully

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Donald Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba says she is resigning as top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, she announced on social media.

Habba’s resignation came after district and appellate court rulings which found she was unlawfully serving in the role, a powerful post charged with enforcing federal criminal and civil law.

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Democrats urge Pentagon to release video of strike on alleged drug boat

Trump team faces mounting pressure as members of Congress allege that the deadly attack was unlawful

US Democrats on Sunday pushed the Trump administration to release video of a second strike on an alleged drug boat incapacitated in the Caribbean, continuing to escalate pressure on the Pentagon amid accusations the attack was unlawful.

Eleven people died in the 2 September attack, including two men killed in a follow-up strike as they reportedly clung to wreckage for an hour. That killing has been met with intense scrutiny and accusations of war crimes after the Washington Post reported defense secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill them all”. Adm Frank Bradley of the US navy, who oversaw the attack, told lawmakers on Thursday there was no such order – and the Pentagon has defended the legality of the attack.

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Trump criticises Democrat he pardoned over not switching political parties

Texas Representative Henry Cuellar is running for re-election as a Democrat after Trump pardoned him.

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Detained Georgia veteran deserves to stay in US after serving country, fiancee says

Jamaican-born US army veteran faces deportation as more non-US citizen military members are swept up by ICE raids

The fiancee of a Jamaican-born, decorated US army veteran who is now facing deportation under the Trump administration says she hopes his story might inspire legislative action to restore immigration protections for former military members.

“If you served this country, you deserve a chance to stay in this country,” said April Watkins, who is engaged to Godfrey Wade, one of tens of thousands who have been put in immigration detention under Donald Trump’s second presidency. “That is the hope for not only him but for any veteran who sits in a detention center. Look at their service that they gave this country and take that into consideration.”

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Man arrested after people at Heathrow allegedly attacked with ‘form of pepper spray’

Police think incident at airport car park involved theft of a suitcase and ‘people known to each other’

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after people were allegedly attacked with a “form of pepper spray” at a multistorey car park at Heathrow airport Terminal 3, police have said.

The Metropolitan police said armed officers were called to the terminal’s car park at about 8.11am to a report of people being assaulted.

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Senator says ICE ‘attack dog’ caused ‘horrific’ injuries to unresisting man as he was detained

Patty Murray of Washington state said ICE agents lied to Wilmer Toledo-Martinez to lure him outside before dog attacked him

A US senator has condemned the Trump administration after she alleged that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “attack dog” mauled one of her constituents.

Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington state said Wilmer Toledo-Martinez suffered “horrific” injuries while ICE agents detained him in November.

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Can you ban kids from social media? Australia is about to, but some teens are a step ahead

The law comes into effect this week but critics worry it can't be enforced - and shouldn't be either.

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Boycotts and arguments - can the Eurovision Song Contest survive its biggest crisis?

The biggest crisis in the Eurovision Song Contest's history raises major questions about its future.

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Musicians must embrace ‘unstoppable force’ of AI, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart urges

Producer says creatives need to own their intellectual property so they can license it to generative AI platforms

The Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart has said artificial intelligence is an “unstoppable force”, and musicians and other artists should bow to the inevitable and license their music to generative AI platforms.

These platforms use artificial intelligence to analyse existing songs and tracks, using that knowledge to generate completely new ones as prompted by a user. For example, someone could ask the AI platform to generate a song about a boozy night out in the style of a Britpop band, and it would draw on songs with similar sounds and themes to create its own.

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Iran to attend World Cup draw after reversing its planned boycott

• Three members of Iran football federation denied visas

• Iran among nations facing restrictions on entry to US

Iran has reversed its boycott of the World Cup draw, with team representatives due to attend the glitzy event in Washington DC on Friday.

Last week the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) said it would stay away after three members of its delegation were denied visas for entering the United States.

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Keir Starmer expected to award 25 new Labour peerages

Exclusive: Former union bosses and Labour staffers on list as prime minister aims to balance chamber

Keir Starmer is putting the finishing touches to a list of dozens of new peerages aimed at strengthening Labour’s hand in the Lords, with Rachel Reeves’s outgoing chief of staff expected to be among them.

The prime minister is planning to publish his list before Christmas, with a number of other former senior advisers, Labour party staff and former union leaders expected to be on it, the Guardian has been told by multiple sources briefed on the plans.

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Pope Leo urges Trump not to try to overthrow Venezuelan president with military force

Pontiff calls on US president to ‘seek dialogue’ as White House steps up campaign against Nicolás Maduro

Pope Leo has urged Donald Trump not to attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, using military force, and to instead seek dialogue.

Trump’s administration has been considering its options as it steps up its campaign against Maduro, who it accuses of links to the illegal drug trade. The country’s authoritarian leader has denied the accusations.

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What is Honduras ex-president accused of and why has Trump pardoned him?

Juan Orlando Hernández, once called the key figure in a drug trafficking scheme that flooded America with over 400 tonnes of cocaine, walks free after the pardon.

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Zillow deletes climate risk data from listings after complaints it harms sales

Site removes feature after real estate agents and some homeowners say scores appear arbitrary and hurt sales

Zillow, the US’s largest real estate listing site, has removed a feature that allowed people to view a property’s exposure to the climate crisis, following complaints from the industry and some homeowners that it was hurting sales.

In September last year, the online real estate marketplace introduced a tool showing the individual risk of wildfire, flood, extreme heat, wind and poor air quality for one million properties it lists, explaining that “climate risks are now a critical factor in home-buying decisions” for many Americans.

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