Social media giant Meta scraps fact-checking for ‘community notes’
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, says allowing fact-checkers to assess content 'became a tool to censor'.
First international flight since al-Assad’s removal lands in Syria
Qatar Airways flight lands at Damascus International Airport, carrying nationals returning after years away.
Austria’s far-right leader to invite centre right for coalition talks
Herbert Kickl’s move could pave way for anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Freedom party to govern country
The leader of Austria’s anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Freedom party has said he intends to invite the mainstream centre-right party for coalition talks, potentially paving the way for the far right to rule the country for the first time since the second world war.
Herbert Kickl, whose party won the most votes in September’s election, was tasked with building a ruling coalition by the Austrian president on Monday after the collapse of talks between mainstream parties aimed at forming an alliance that would have blocked the Freedom party (FPÖ).
Continue reading...Elon Musk Steps Up Starmer Row Just as UK Tops Tesla Sales in Europe – Bloomberg
- Elon Musk Steps Up Starmer Row Just as UK Tops Tesla Sales in Europe Bloomberg
- Elon Musk's 'disinformation' endangering me, says Jess Phillips BBC.com
- Wednesday briefing: What Elon Musk’s focus on grooming gangs reveals about alt-right online discourse The Guardian
- What Is the U.K. ‘Grooming Gang’ Scandal Seized On by Elon Musk? The New York Times
- Musk’s quest for world domination takes shape in Britain and Germany MSNBC
US authorities seek to identify bodies found in JetBlue wheel well
Workers had found the bodies during a routine inspection after the flight landed in Florida from New York.
Can Ghana’s new president meet the voters’ high expectations?
John Mahama was elected on his pledges to solve the economic crisis but won't find it easy, analysts say.
Cockney influences found in Scotland, Australia and New Zealand, says expert
Linguistics professor says London dialect is most likely to be spoken in Essex, but aspects have traversed the globe
The cockney dialect, as associated with the late EastEnders icon Dame Barbara Windsor, may not be as prevalent in today’s London, but it remains possibly the most influential English dialect across the world, according to academic research.
No longer the preserve of those born within earshot of the Bow Bells in the City of London, today cockney is more likely to be spoken in Essex.
Continue reading...Danish PM says Greenland ‘not for sale’ as Donald Trump Jr visits island
Before his son's 'private' visit, President-elect Donald Trump again says he wants Greenland to 'become part of' US.
Death toll of Haiti gang violence rose to 5,600 in 2024, UN says
UN Human Rights Office adds that 2,200 were injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped as international mission struggles
More than 5,600 people were reported killed in Haiti last year, the UN has said, as an international mission led by Kenya struggles to contain rampant gang violence.
The number of killings increased by more than 20% compared with 2023, according to the UN Human Rights Office. More than 2,200 people were reported injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped, it said.
Continue reading...John Mahama sworn in as Ghana’s president, promises to ‘reset’ the country
With around 20 African leaders in attendance, the 66-year-old is sworn in as Ghana's president for third time.
Ros Atkins on…Elon Musk’s political interventions
The BBC's Analysis Editor looks at Elon Musk's involvement in politics outside the US.
Ros Atkins on…Elon Musk’s political interventions
The BBC's Analysis Editor looks at Elon Musk's involvement in politics outside the US.
Trump moves to block report on election interference and classified documents cases – US politics live
President-elect’s lawyers ask attorney general to stop release of outgoing special counsel Jack Smith’s report
Nina Jankowicz, a former homeland security official tasked with fighting disinformation, said Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end factchecking on his platforms was a “bending of the knee” to Donald Trump.
“Let’s be clear – the factcheckers have not ‘been’ politically biased as Zuckerberg suggests, but have been *perceived as such* because of politically motivated efforts to smear them, one that Zuck is now participating in and capitulating to,” said Jankowicz, who know leads the American Sunlight Project, an anti-disinformation group.
Facebook has already contributed to the demise of journalism and this will be the final nail in the coffin; newsrooms —especially outside the U.S. where subscription models are difficult sells—get grants from Facebook to provide fact-checks. That money allows them to do other journalism!
Continue reading...Biden administration bans medical debt from inclusion on credit reports
Kamala Harris announces removal of billions in medical debt from credit reports of 15 million Americans
Lenders will no longer be able to see whether American borrowers have unpaid medical debt in their credit history, according to a new rule from the outgoing Biden administration.
The vice-president, Kamala Harris, announced early on Tuesday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was removing $49bn of existing unpaid medical bills from the credit reports of 15 million Americans and will ban the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports.
Continue reading...Restaurant owner rescues woman from submerged car in Leicestershire
Cimi Kazazi says he is proud to have helped woman trapped by flood, as thoughts turn to his devastated gastropub
Dramatic footage showed a woman being rescued from a submerged car in Leicestershire after a critical incident was declared in the region because of wide-scale flooding.
A restaurant owner in the village of Great Glen went to the aid of a woman who was struggling in her submerged car after severe flooding hit the area on Monday morning.
Continue reading...Home Office may reclassify ketamine in response to record levels of use
Illegal use in UK seems to reflect growth of unregulated market in US, where its high-profile users include Elon Musk
Ketamine, the anaesthetic taken by Elon Musk to control his moods, could be reclassified as a class A drug by the Home Office after illegal use reached record levels last year.
Currently controlled as a class B substance, ministers are seeking “expert advice” on reclassification after an estimated 299,000 people reported use of the drug last year.
Continue reading...French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen dies at 96
Le Pen - an unrepentant extremist on race, gender and immigration - founded the far-right National Front in 1972.
Paris marks ten years since Charlie Hebdo, Jewish supermarket attacks
France commemorated the tenth anniversary of attacks against Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.
Who will replace Trudeau as Canada’s Liberal party leader?
With Trudeau's nine-year stint as prime minister ending, several politicians are frontrunners to take over his role.
FDA issues new guidelines to reduce lead levels in baby foods
Guidelines for food manufacturers are voluntary and cover packaged processed food for children under two years old
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued some new voluntary guidelines for baby food manufacturing companies in an effort to reduce levels of lead in some processed baby foods.
The new guidelines state that baby food manufacturers should include no more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of lead in foods such as yoghurt, custard, pudding and a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and meats. For single-ingredient root vegetables and dry cereals, the guideline is set at no more than 20ppb.
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