Washington outlined a 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine that includes land concessions and an American security guarantee. Sanctions would be lifted from Russia, which could rejoin the G8 group of countries. Ukraine would be barred from joining NATO. While some critics have said the proposal favors Russia, officials stressed that the draft is still “in flux” and will evolve.

Democratic lawmakers made a video reminding U.S. service members they can “refuse illegal orders,” saying troops have expressed concern about the legality of strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats. President Trump said on social media that the video, made by six members of Congress who have served in the military or the CIA, was “seditious behavior” that could be punished by death or prison. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president does not want to execute lawmakers.

A clash over the G20 summit in Johannesburg continued on the eve of the gathering of major world economies, as the Trump administration walked back a pledge to boycott. It will now send a low-level delegation to Sunday’s closing ceremony, where Pretoria will hand off the G20 presidency to Washington. But the U.S. will not participate in talks, which will foreground issues facing the developing world, such as climate change and ballooning sovereign debt.

President Trump and Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York, are set to meet in Washington today. Mr. Trump had criticized the self-proclaimed democratic socialist throughout his campaign, threatening to withhold federal funds if he was elected. Mr. Mamdani’s office said the meeting will focus on public safety, economic security, and affordability.

The largest Thanksgiving meal in Alabama has been called off because of rising costs and high demand. The long-running event has grown in recent years to feed 11,000 people in and around Etowah County, in northeast Alabama. “We outgrew our britches,” an organizer said. Local community groups and churches are offering free Thanksgiving meals to fill the gap.

Some birds are returning to France’s fields, four years after the European Union banned certain pesticides. Blackbirds, blackcaps, and chaffinches are some of the insect-eating bird populations that have made a comeback. One researcher told The Guardian he was “surprised you could already see recovery.”

Astronomers may have discovered the universe’s first stars, more than 13 billion light-years away. The James Webb Space Telescope was built in part to locate these long-sought but elusive “Population III” stars. Scientists say the unconfirmed find is the “closest we are yet.”

– Our staff writers around the world

The public falling-out between U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Donald Trump has brought splits in the MAGA movement into the open. In Ms. Greene’s solidly Republican district, voters are weighing their populist allegiances.

Israel has long stood unchallenged as Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East. Donald Trump seems to be giving the top spot now to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, in an audacious reshuffle of U.S. priorities.

A central theme of President Donald Trump’s return to office has been his call to prosecute his perceived political enemies. In one of the most high-profile efforts, against a former FBI director, a series of government missteps means the case might collapse.

The winds of reunification have been blowing more strongly recently in Northern Ireland. That's because members of traditionally unionist Protestant communities are starting to look toward the republic.

With the election of President Catherine Connolly, the cause of a unified Ireland has more political momentum in the Irish Republic than its had in years. But just how realistic is reunification for the republic, both politically and practically?

Golden-era 1970s rock music forms the soundtrack for many people's lives. As a young man growing up in Southern California, Cameron Crowe carried that passion into interviews with rock's biggest names. When rock yielded to punk music, he switched to screenwriting and moviemaking.  

Perhaps the biggest news out of this year’s global climate conference, which is finishing up in Brazil, is not a new paper promise among governments on reducing carbon emissions. Rather, it is a new survey by the ClimateWorks Foundation that highlights generosity at the heart of climate action.

Private donations to help people adapt to climate change more than doubled from 2021 to 2024, hitting a record $870 million, according to the survey. Meanwhile, the number of foundations making adaptation-related grants jumped by more than 50%.

During the two-week conference itself, more than 35 philanthropic institutions agreed to spend $300 million over three years on one narrow but necessary form of adaptation: meeting the health needs of those most vulnerable to droughts, floods, storms, or heat waves. And the Gates Foundation announced a $1.4 billion project to expand access to innovations that help farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The actual amount of all this new giving – which donors admit is far less than what is needed – is not really the focus. Instead, private donors are essential because they are more risk tolerant and creative in putting money into showcase climate projects than risk-averse leaders in business and government.

“In a time of accelerating climate impacts, shrinking civic space, and fragile global cooperation, philanthropy’s voice and support matter more than ever,” wrote Nancy Lindborg, head of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Ms. Lindborg also states that there is no conflict between focusing on curbing emissions and helping communities adapt. “We have found urgent and effective climate solutions that do both – they lower carbon while improving daily life and meeting the needs of local communities – whether that means access to clean, affordable energy, better livelihoods, or greater resilience in the face of ever more severe weather.”

Adaptation goals were first established at the 21st U.N. Climate Change Conference a decade ago in Paris. That same meeting also produced a global agreement to “limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” Since then, many of the world’s biggest private donors have been organizing around climate action.

“People want to give money to help solve this problem but don’t know what to do, so they’re faced with decision paralysis,” stated Dan Stein, executive director of Giving Green, an organization that helps individuals, businesses, and philanthropies make effective donations to combat climate change.

“In our mind, there was the need for an actionable resource for people looking to solve this problem,” he told TriplePundit, which reports on sustainability in business. Private giving and public spending, he added, can complement each other.