Science and policy are colliding across today’s headlines. Climate researchers are warning that this year’s El Niño could be historically powerful, with the potential to intensify drought, flooding and global heat in a world already running hot. In Asia, science and education are being cast as tools of diplomacy, with India announcing that IIM Bangalore will open its first overseas campus in Indonesia, part of a wider push on technology, AI and regional cooperation. But the governance of information is proving more contentious: South Korea’s new “fake news” law has taken effect, with supporters calling it a defense against disinformation and critics warning it could chill journalism and public debate. In the Caribbean, CARICOM has turned to the Caribbean Court of Justice to resolve a dispute over Secretary-General Carla Barnett’s reappointment process, underscoring how institutions are leaning on legal interpretation to settle questions of authority and trust.