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Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style "community notes" where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said third-party moderators were "too politically biased" and it was "time to get back to our roots around free expression".

Zuckerberg and other tech executives are seeking to improve relations with US President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office later this month.

In a wide-ranging news conference on Tuesday, when asked whether he thought Meta was introducing the changes due to threats he had made towards the company, Trump replied, "Probably."

At the same event, he also said he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

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At least five people have died in a winter storm that has seized much of the US, leading to mass school closures, travel chaos and power cuts.

Seven US states declared emergencies: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Arkansas.

More than 2,300 flights have been cancelled, with nearly 9,000 delays also reported owing to the extreme weather caused by the polar vortex of icy cold air that usually circles the North Pole.

Around 190,000 people had no power early on Tuesday across states in the storm's path, according to Poweroutage.us.

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Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a major earthquake killed dozens of people and damaged more than 1,000 buildings in a remote region of Tibet, near Mount Everest.

At least 126 people were killed, with another 188 injured, after the earthquake hit the foothills of the Himalayas at around 09:00 local time on Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.

A large-scale rescue operation was launched, with survivors under additional pressure as temperatures were predicted to fall as low as -16C (3.2F) overnight.

Earthquakes are common in the region, which lies on a major geological fault line, but Tuesday's was one of China's deadliest in recent years.

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French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has died aged 96, according to a family statement shared with AFP.

Le Pen, who had been in a care facility for several weeks, died at midday on Tuesday "surrounded by his loved ones", the family said.

Le Pen - a Holocaust denier and an unrepentant extremist on race, gender and immigration - founded the French far-right National Front party in 1972.

He reached the presidential election-run off against Jacques Chirac in 2002.

Le Pen's daughter, Marine, took over as party chief in 2011 and has since rebranded the party as National Rally, turning it into one of France's main political forces.

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For children in parts of India, such as West Bengal, playing outside can be deadly.

A new BBC investigation has revealed that hundreds of children in West Bengal have been maimed, wounded or killed by home-made bombs they mistook for toys.

But why are these lethal devices being made? Why are the children so often the victims?

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The United Nations has warned that its work delivering aid to people in Gaza is at "breaking point".

It follows what the organisation said was a deliberate and dangerous pattern of sabotage and disruption by both Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gangs.

UN relief chief Tom Fletcher accused the Israeli army of attacking a clearly marked aid convoy in central Gaza and striking a known food distribution point in the past 48 hours.

He also accused armed Palestinian gangs of hijacking six fuel tankers, leaving aid operations with little fuel.

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The US Congress formally certified the incoming president's re-election in a special session.

Vice-President Kamala Harris, who Donald Trump defeated in the 2024 election, presided over the event as required by the US Constitution.

Heavy security was in place in Washington DC, four years to the day after a mob of Trump's supporters violently besieged the US Capitol.

After the number of electoral college votes were read out from each state, Harris certified that Trump won the US presidency.

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Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as leader of Canada's governing party after nearly a decade as prime minister.

Trudeau swept to power nearly a decade ago, heralded as the fresh face of progressive politics.

But in the years since his ascent to the global stage, and over two general elections, Trudeau and his brand have become a drag on the party's fortunes.

Trudeau will stay on as prime minister until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen, at a date yet to be set by the party.

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Today, we look at Keir Starmer’s response to what he calls “lies and misinformation” being spread over grooming gangs.

It comes after multi-billionaire Elon Musk accused the UK Prime Minister of being "complicit in the rape of Britain" during his time as director of public prosecutions for failing to tackle grooming gangs. Adam and Chris discuss his response in a press conference on Monday, and reflect on what impact Musk and President-elect Trump are already having on world politics.

Adam and Chris are also joined by Stephen Kinnock, the Care Minister to talk through the government’s plan to tackle hospital backlogs.

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Justin Trudeau has resigned as leader of Canada's governing party after nearly a decade as prime minister.

Trudeau said on Monday in a news conference in Ottawa that he will stay on as PM until a new Liberal Party leader is chosen.

He said, "This country deserves a real choice in the next election and it has become clear to me that if I'm having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election."

He also addressed the exit of his former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, which is credited as sparking a renewed pressure from within his party and elsewhere to step down.

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