Two British anti-hate speech campaigners sanctioned by US state department – UK politics live
Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford among five Europeans hit with visa bans over claims they wish to ‘suppress American viewpoints they oppose’The Global Disinformation Index, which is run by Clare Melford, one of the two Britons on the list of five Europeans facing US visa restrictions because of their work to stop online disinformation and hate (see 9.28am), has described the US state department’s decision as “immoral, unlawful and un-American”. In a reponse, a GDI spokesperson said:The visa sanctions … are an authoritarian attack on free speech and an egregious act of government censorship.The Trump Administration is, once again, using the full weight of the federal government to intimidate, censor, and silence voices they disagree with. Their actions today are immoral, unlawful, and un-American.WE’VE SANCTIONED: Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, the leader and founder of HateAid, a German organization founded after the 2017 German federal elections to counter conservative groups. HateAid is an official “trusted flagger” (a censor) under the EU’s anti-speech Digital Services Act (DSA) and routinely demands access to propriety social media platform data to help it censor more. Hodenberg cited threat of “disinformation” from “right-wing extremists” online in upcoming U.S. and EU elections when circulating a petition for the DSA to become more strongly enforced to allow data access for “researchers”.WE’VE SANCTIONED: Josephine Ballon, co-leader of HateAid, who flags disfavored speech throughout Europe under the Digital Services Act. In addition to her running an official “trusted flagger” body under the DSA, she serves on Germany’s Advisory Council of the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC), which directly advises Germany’s DSC on the application and enforcement of the DSA. In February 2025, Ballon spoke before an American audience in a notable 60 Minutes interview, outlining her position on censorship succinctly: “Free speech needs boundaries.” In October 2024, she vowed to stop the “emotionalization of debates” by “regulating platforms”. Continue reading...
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BP to sell majority stake in $10bn Castrol business to US investment firm
Stonepeak will acquire 65% of lubricants business as part of wider plans for the oil company to pay down its debtBusiness live – latest updatesBP has agreed to sell a majority stake in its $10bn (£7.4bn) lubricants business Castrol to the US investment company Stonepeak, as the new chair, Albert Manifold, rapidly reshapes the under-pressure oil and gas company.Stonepeak will acquire a 65% stake in Castrol, in a deal that values the division at $10.1bn including its debt. The deal, in which BP will retain a 35% stake in the business through a joint venture, is expected to close at the end of next year, the company said on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Zelensky Opens Way to Demilitarized Zone in Eastern Ukraine to Reach Peace
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US and Ukraine edge closer to joint plan to end war – with Moscow’s response uncertain
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White Christmas in UK ‘unlikely’ as cold health alert issued amid falling temperatures
Christmas Day expected to be dry and bright, with warnings low temperatures in parts of UK pose greater risk for vulnerable peopleChristmas Day will bring bright weather in much of the UK, but a cold health alert has been issued warning of a “greater risk to life of vulnerable people”.While the prospect of a white Christmas is “highly unlikely”, according to forecasters, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow cold health alert from 6pm on Christmas Day to 12pm on 27 December for south-west England. Continue reading...
Ties with Turkiye improve “once Libya can patch its internal differences”
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Visa ban for European critics of online harm is first shot in US free speech war
Legislation that seeks to curb harmful content is viewed as a threat to Silicon Valley by many Maga politiciansUK politics live – latest updatesFor Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech.The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). Both pieces of legislation require social media firms to protect users or face the threat of sizeable fines. Indeed, Elon Musk’s X has been fined €120m (£105m) this month for breaching the DSA. Continue reading...
Here’s What Is in the 20-Point Peace Plan for Ukraine
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Israelis show “very widespread support for a racist state”
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Midwife leading Nottingham maternity inquiry charging NHS up to £26,000 a month
Exclusive: Donna Ockenden paid highly for advice in relation to the biggest review of maternity failings in NHS historyThe midwife leading the biggest inquiry into maternity failures in the history of the NHS is charging NHS England up to £26,000 a month for her advice through her company, the Guardian can reveal.Donna Ockenden, who has been chairing a review into maternity failings at Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust since 2022, is paid an £850 daily rate for every 7.5 hours she works. Continue reading...