Images show federal forces taking people into custody in New Orleans, Louisiana

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it had started its immigration enforcement operation in New Orleans today.

In a statement, the department said Operation Catahoula Crunch would target “criminal illegal aliens roaming free thanks to sanctuary policies”. New Orleans is the latest Democratic-run city (albeit in a Republican-led state) to see federal immigration agents on its streets. Most recently, the Trump administration targeted Charlotte, North Carolina, and touted the arrest of more than 300 undocumented immigrants.

Agency says missile struck citizens in Khan Younis, as Israel reports targeting ‘Hamas terrorist’ after clash with militants

An Israeli strike on Palestinian territory has killed five people including two children, Gaza’s civil defence agency told AFP on Wednesday.

“Five citizens, including two children, killed and others injured, some seriously, as a result of an Israeli missile strike” in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Exclusive: event, scheduled to air on 13 December, will focus on ‘grief, faith, politics, and more’, according to internal files

Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News, is scheduled to moderate a network town hall event with Erika Kirk, the widow of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Guardian has learned.

The event will air on 13 December at 8pm and will focus on “grief, faith, politics, and more”, according to internal marketing materials.

Liverpool’s big name, big money summer signings owed Arne Slot following poor starts to life at Anfield and, right on cue, Florian Wirtz delivered. A deflected shot from the potential £116m recruit spared the Premier League champions the ignominy of a 10th defeat in 14 games with a late equaliser against Sunderland, who will count this as an opportunity missed.

Chemsdine Talbi had set the in-form visitors on course for a first win at Anfield since 1983 before Wirtz levelled in style in the 81st minute. Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor was close to restoring his side’s lead when rounding Alisson in stoppage time but a superb goalline clearance from striker Federico Chiesa salvaged a point for Liverpool.

Los Angeles have turned a feelgood reunion into a late-career humiliation for one of their greatest players – and exposed a franchise stumbling into a darker new era

Pull out your Los Angeles Clippers bingo cards. Anyone have the square marked “owner and star player accused of skirting the salary cap through improper means”? Go ahead and stamp that one. How about “losing 14 of 16 after a hopeful 3-2 start”? Mark it. And yes, you can fill in “other star averaging nearly 27 a night at age 36 – including a 50-piece against the Detroit Pistons, one of the league’s best teams”. The box reading “Clippers fans tearing out their hair at alarming rates and contemplating shameful, fairweather defections” is probably safe to cross off, pending review. And after the wee-hours media cycle on Wednesday morning, everyone gets to tick the most dispiriting square of all: “beloved, decorated veteran unceremoniously kicked to the curb in his final season”.

The Clippers had posted a winning record every year since 2010-11, building a reputation as one of the NBA’s most reliable playoff fixtures. Twenty-one games into this young season, that identity has dissolved into something hazy around the edges – and unmistakably sinister.

Leeds produced arguably their performance of the Premier League season so far to inflict a rare defeat on Chelsea and perhaps alleviate some of the pressure engulfing Daniel Farke.

A run of four wins in succession had left speculation rife that Farke was entering a pivotal period if he wanted to keep his job at Elland Road, having guided the Whites to promotion last season. He and his team responded accordingly with a wonderful display filled with energy, aggression and quality to move out of the relegation zone.

Prolific musician was known for work on songs like Green Onions and Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay

Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist whose work as an instrumentalist, producer and songwriter at Stax Records left an indelible impression on Memphis soul music, has died at the age of 84.

Hs son Cameron confirmed his death to Variety.

Move marks president’s latest effort to dismantle pollution regulations and support for cleaner-running vehicles

Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is repealing the Biden-era federal fuel economy standards, significantly weakening fuel efficiency requirements for tens of millions of new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks.

It marks the US president’s latest effort to dismantle pollution regulations and federal support for cleaner-running vehicles and renewable energy. Burning gasoline is a significant contributor to global heating and transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

A night on from the chaos of Manchester City beating Fulham 5-4, Arsenal seized the opportunity to prove that they are a sturdier proposition than Pep Guardiola’s side. They kept their eighth clean sheet of the season despite losing another centre-back to injury and restored their five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League by seeing off Brentford thanks to an early header from Mikel Merino and a late goal from Bukayo Saka.

It was another stolid effort from Mikel Arteta’s side. They made an enterprising start, delighting the Emirates Stadium when a lovely move ended with Merino’s second goal in four days, but they could not maintain their flow and were leaning on their resilience when Cristhian Mosquera increased their defensive issues by limping off before half-time.

Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty to giving actor ketamine in month before overdose death in Los Angeles in 2023

A Los Angeles doctor who sold ketamine to Matthew Perry before his overdose death has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Dr Salvador Plasencia, 44, had pleaded guilty on Wednesday to giving Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the Friends star’s overdose death in 2023. Perry died at 54 after struggling with addiction for years, dating back to his time as one of the biggest stars of his generation for his role as Chandler Bing.

⚽ Updates from Wednesday’s Premier League action
⚽ Scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Daniel
⚽ Follow Liverpool v Sunderland – live

Email! “Could this be the first time that a player with the surname Henry will grace the Arsenal pitch since Thierry’s retirement? wonders Peter Oh – no, I’m sure Karl Henry played there for Wolves, as well as Rico himself, and how good it is to see him back.

“As a Liverpool fan I would love to see Arsenal drop points today and feel some Schade-freude. Ouattara the chances?”

⚽ Updates from the 8.15pm GMT kick-off at Anfield
⚽ Scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Read Football Daily
⚽ Arsenal v Brentford, Leeds v Chelsea, and more – live

1 min Liverpool kick off from right to left as we watch. They are in red; Sunderland are sporting their stylish Hummel change strip.

YNWA is being sung with the usual gusto at Anfield. The players on both sides look ready for business; let’s get it on.

• Mbappé scores twice and Camavinga once in 3-0 win

• Napoli and Atalanta reach Italian Cup quarter-finals

Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga.

Mbappé’s France teammate Eduardo Camavinga also found the net as Real moved back within a point of Barcelona, who beat Atlético Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday.

• Sport and Rights Alliance has made seven requests for action

• Amnesty International USA worried by US government’s role

Fifa risks becoming “a public relations tool of an increasingly authoritarian US government”, human rights organisations have warned as they call on football’s international governing body to do more to protect the rights of residents and supporters at the World Cup next summer.

With concerns rising over the possibility of local communities and travelling fans being subjected to immigration raids or arbitrary detention during the tournament, the Sport and Rights Alliance has made seven requests for action from Fifa before the World Cup draw in Washington on Friday.

Russian leader’s rejection of latest peace proposal was predictable and shows the Kremlin continues to hold the trump card

Before the harsh white glare of the Kremlin reception room came a telling prologue: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s self-described “deal guys”, being led by Kremlin officials through the sparkling streets of a festive Moscow.

Wasn’t it lovely, Vladimir Putin asked later, as both sides sat down to a five-hour negotiation that seems to have led right back to where they started. “It’s a magnificent city,” Witkoff replied. Then the cameras cut out.

• O’Neill has been in interim charge since Rodgers’ exit

• Celtic two points behind Hearts with a game in hand

Celtic have appointed Wilfried Nancy, coach of Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer, as their new permanent manager to replace Brendan Rodgers, who was dismissed in October. He has signed a two-and-a-half year contract.

The Glasgow club are two points behind the Scottish Premiership leaders, Hearts, with a game in hand after winning all four of their league matches under Martin O’Neill. The interim manager also beat Rangers in a League Cup semi-final to set up a match at Hampden Park against St Mirren scheduled for 14 December and takes charge of the side for the final time tonight in the league encounter with Dundee at Celtic Park.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier and wife joined by King Charles and Queen Camilla on Windsor carriage ride as visit begins

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier was welcomed with military pomp, a 41-gun royal salute and a celebratory oversized Royal Standard flag flown above Windsor Castle on the first state visit by a German leader to the UK in 27 years.

King Charles and Queen Camilla accompanied the president and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, on a carriage ride through Windsor’s streets at the start of the three-day visit, which will also see the German leader pay a poignant visit to the ruins of Coventry cathedral, bombed during the second world war.

Washington’s betrayal of its allies has been averted for now, but preparations must be made for a world where its support cannot be relied on

Donald Trump’s desire to end the war in Ukraine might be sincere, but his motives are selfish. He wants the glory of having brokered a deal and does not care whether it is fair or not. As for Vladimir Putin, he only wants peace on terms that achieve things which the Russian army has failed to manage with force. The Kremlin demands territory not yet won on the battlefield and limitations to Ukraine’s capacity to act as a fully sovereign state.

Mr Trump has never shown much natural aversion to giving Mr Putin what he wants. He has not applied serious pressure on the Kremlin to end its aggression, nor rebuked the Russian president for starting the war. He sees nothing wrong with a process that discusses the fate of a country, including de facto partition of its territory, without representatives of that country at the table.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

England’s teacher shortage is fuelled by burnout and unpaid overtime. New working patterns would help without compromising results

Can you guess which professionals in England work 26 hours of overtime a week without compensation, give up time with friends and family to deal with the workload and often find themselves on call in the holidays? Not CEOs, bankers or even doctors, but teachers. No wonder, then, that teaching vacancies are at the highest level ever. Workload is the top concern that teachers cite for leaving the profession, with almost as many quitting as those who joined last year. The consequences are stark: a quarter of English schools do not have a physics teacher, and many key subjects aren’t being offered at A-level in the poorest places.

The 4 Day Week Foundation believes that a shorter working week could alleviate these pressures if trialled in a way similar to the Scottish proposals of a four-day week, with a flexible fifth day that allows dedicated time for marking and lesson preparation. This means the work that teachers are currently forced to do at weekends and evenings would be integrated into the working week instead of being unpaid overtime.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Ian Cooper allegedly called Khan ‘narcissistic Pakistani’ and made comments about lawyer Shola Mos-Shogbamimu

A Reform UK council leader has been accused of racism after allegedly describing Sadiq Khan as a “narcissistic Pakistani” and saying a black British lawyer should have “F’d off back to Nigeria”.

Ian Cooper, the leader of Staffordshire county council, is also said to have attacked the justice secretary, David Lammy, in a social media post that said: “No foreign national or first generation migrant should be allowed to sit in parliament.”

Gustavo Petro responded to intimations by US president of military strikes on Colombian soil to fight drug trafficking

Colombia’s president has warned Donald Trump that he risked “waking the jaguar” after the US leader suggested that any country he believed was making illegal drugs destined for the US was liable to a military attack.

During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the US president said that military strikes on land targets inside Venezuela would “start very soon”. Trump also warned that any country producing narcotics was a potential target, singling out Colombia, which has long been a close ally in Washington’s “war on drugs”.

President Lee praised South Koreans for overcoming ‘an unprecedented democratic crisis in world history’ but some fears its society is becoming increasingly polarised

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has marked the anniversary of an attempt to impose martial law by declaring that those behind the bid to topple its democracy must face justice, while adding that the fight to secure the country remains unfinished.

“Investigations and trials of those who participated are still ongoing,” Lee said in a televised address. He pledged that “righteous unity” would be possible only once accountability was delivered.

Race called with Van Epps holding a 52% lead over Aftyn Behn’s 46% in normally reliable Republican territory

Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in a congressional special election in the western Nashville suburbs, which was being closely watched for signs of Republican weakness going into congressional midterms next year.

The Associated Press called the race at 9.47 EST with Van Epps holding a 52% to 46% lead.