Information

Exclusive: Richard Hermer’s department understood to be first in government to restrict use after recent riotsThe attorney general has told his office to no longer post on X, making it the first UK government department to stop using the Elon Musk-owned platform amid increasing worries about its use to incite violence and racism.Richard Hermer’s office last posted on X on Friday, and it is understood that officials have been told to no longer use the site, unless for the specific purpose of combatting disinformation there. Continue reading...

• Fluctuations in interest and exchange rates are identified as primary financial indicators directly influencing consumer decision-making and investment strategies. • Changes in interest rates prompt individuals to adjust savings plans or reallocate funds to more effective investment channels to meet financial goals. • Exchange rate volatility impacts a broad spectrum of economic activity, including import-export operations, commodity pricing, and individual purchasing power.

• Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has closed its first funding round, raising over 50 billion yuan (approximately $7.4 billion). • The deal values the large-language model developer at more than $50 billion and utilizes an unusual structure where capital is placed into a limited partnership managed by CEO Liang Wenfeng. • This massive injection of capital underscores the intense global competition in AI development and DeepSeek's emergence as a major player in the sector.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has successfully closed a $7 billion funding round to accelerate its development. • The company gained global recognition last year for its V3 and R1 models, which are noted for their advanced capabilities and low operating costs. • This massive capital injection positions DeepSeek as one of China's premier AI developers in a highly competitive global landscape.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has raised over 50 billion yuan (approximately US$7 billion) in its first funding round, reaching a valuation exceeding US$50 billion. • The funding utilizes an unusual deal structure specifically designed to ensure founder Liang maintains control over the company. • Major external investors include tech giant Tencent, which is considering a 10 billion yuan investment, and battery manufacturer CATL, eyeing a 5 billion yuan stake.

• A peace deal is expected to be signed this Friday to end military operations across all fronts, including conflicts in Lebanon. • Donald Trump has announced that the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz will be re-opened as part of the resolution. • Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that both sides have agreed to an immediate and permanent termination of hostilities.

• Kesko has agreed to acquire Dahl’s technical trade operations in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark from the Paris-listed company Saint-Gobain. • The acquisition represents the largest transaction in Kesko's history, with the acquired businesses generating nearly €2.1 billion in combined net sales for 2025. • This strategic move strengthens Kesko's technical trade presence across Scandinavia, complementing its existing HPAC and electrical product operations in Finland, Poland, and the Baltics.

• Indian immigration authorities barred Zahed Ur Rahman, the Policy and Strategy Adviser to the Prime Minister, from entering Delhi on Sunday evening. • Despite a prior diplomatic note notifying India of his visit, officials denied entry for "mysterious reasons" before eventually granting permission following higher-level instructions. • Rahman declined to enter India after the initial delay and instead returned to Dhaka via Colombo.

Exclusive: Cancer charity says dispelling falsehoods gleaned from social media is now routine task for cliniciansSocial media misinformation about the use of dietary supplements such as turmeric, St John’s wort and magnesium is now so common that dispelling online claims has become a routine part of NHS clinicians work.Two out of five frontline health workers say they encounter patients who raise inaccurate or misleading information about supplements at least once a week. Continue reading...

• Experts and policymakers at a Nikkei conference in Tokyo warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is triggering an energy crisis with wide-reaching economic spillover effects. • The Malaysian central bank Governor highlighted that these disruptions are negatively impacting industrial inputs, logistics, food prices, and the tourism sector across Asia. • The regional outlook is further complicated by the rise of AI-driven disinformation, which threatens to destabilize markets and political stability.

Prediction market apps are doubling down on paid content creators denying election results, asking them to remove posts or lose sponsorshipPopular online prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket will prohibit paid creators and affiliates from denying election results, NPR reports, as online creators spread misinformation about California’s election.In a social media post, Bobby Allyn, NPR technology reporter, reports: “Kalshi now says it prohibits paid creators from calling into question the integrity or accuracy of an election, legal ruling or official determination in connection with an election. Continue reading...

Investigation reveals more than 4.4 million people live in ‘news deserts’ that lack dedicated local reportingLocal social media groups are fuelling misinformation in areas with no reliable sources of news, according to an investigation that reveals the scale of fake news flowing to vulnerable communities across Britain.Misinformation was nearly three times more common in areas with little or no recognised local journalism, according to a study of tens of thousands of posts seen by the Guardian. Immigration and Islamophobia were the most common topics of misinformation across Facebook and X. Continue reading...

Technology secretary Liz Kendall says she is ‘very concerned’ about role of social media but will not be ‘bullied off’ XThe government is considering fresh action to halt the spread of misinformation during public crises, Liz Kendall has said, insisting she will not be “bullied off” Elon Musk’s X.The technology secretary was speaking after rioting broke out in Southampton over the police response to the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a case about which Musk has repeatedly posted. Continue reading...

Request for evidence to support claims of reputational and financial harm from Panorama documentary dismissed as ‘fishing expedition’Donald Trump’s legal team has rejected a request by the BBC to hand over financial information as part of his $10bn defamation case against the broadcaster.The US president’s lawyers accused the BBC of a “fishing expedition”, according to court filings, after the broadcaster’s representatives asked for details to get evidence on Trump’s claims he suffered reputational and financial damage by a Panorama documentary centred on the US Capitol riots. Continue reading...

Campaign wants to transport people back to weekend of her disappearance when England drew 1-1 with Switzerland in Euro 96 matchThe family of Melanie Hall, who was murdered after vanishing from a Bath nightclub 30 years ago, have said they still hope her killer may be found – but felt time was running out – as police launched a fresh appeal for information.Melanie’s father, Steve Hall, said: “You always think in the early days there’s going to be a quick resolution. That’s not been the case but we travel in hope. I hope I live long enough to see a conclusion.” Continue reading...

• A new report from Check Point identifies misinformation and targeted phishing attacks as primary threats to election security. • The analysis warns that attackers are leveraging stolen credentials from previously hacked campaign and election websites to launch these attacks. • While highlighting these systemic vulnerabilities, the report notably declines to name the specific entities or actors responsible for the misinformation.

Commonwealth’s barrister tells federal court they will return diary to former political staffer but it must be declassified firstFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe contents of a diary written by Bruce Lehrmann that was seized from his home have to be declassified by the federal government to be returned to him, a court has been told.The ex-political staffer is suing the federal special minister of state, Don Farrell, and the national anti-corruption commissioner, Paul Brereton, seeking legal funding to fight allegations of corruption. Continue reading...

Dangers include unintended pregnancies, taking unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, say expertsMisinformation about perimenopause is putting women at risk of unintended pregnancies, unnecessary medication and missed diagnoses, experts have said.Awareness of menopause and treatments such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been raised by efforts including a prominent documentary by Davina McCall. Continue reading...

Phone company launched by Donald Trump’s family says names and contact details appear to be affected, but not credit card or banking informationA phone company launched by Donald Trump’s family business is investigating a potential security flaw on its website that appears to have exposed the personal details of an estimated 27,000 people who sought to buy a gold-coloured smartphone.Trump Mobile said in a statement that it was investigating the issue – “with the assistance of independent cybersecurity professionals” – in which the full names, addresses and phone numbers of people who filled out preorder forms appeared to be exposed. Continue reading...

Thames Valley police believe more witnesses may be out there in inquiry into alleged misconduct in public office by former princePolice investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor want witnesses to contact them if they believe they have information about alleged sexual misconduct, corruption, fraud or the sharing of confidential information involving the king’s brother.In a sign of the potential expansion of their “unprecedented investigation”, Thames Valley police vowed to rigorously investigate claims against the former Prince Andrew. Continue reading...

• The Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States, manages the nation's monetary and financial system to ensure stability and flexibility. • The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) conducts eight regularly scheduled meetings annually, with additional sessions convened as necessary. • Official policy statements and meeting minutes are published on the Fed's calendars, with minutes released three weeks following each policy decision.

• Nine Japanese political parties, including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and opposition groups, agreed on Thursday to require social media operators to reduce disinformation, misinformation and slander during elections. • The plan would push platforms to halt reward payments to users, respond faster to deletion requests, and label AI-generated content, with lawmakers aiming to pass legislation during the current Diet session. • The move matters because Japan is trying to blunt online interference before unified local elections next spring, while also increasing transparency around how platforms moderate election-related content.

Quashed studies, halted publications and canceled research threaten damage to public health, critics saySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A series of high-profile and under-the-radar decisions by US health agencies have scientists and doctors questioning the extent of the agencies’ control over public communications – and they say the debate is obscuring the most important part, which is informing the public about key updates in science and medicine.Studies on the safety of vaccines against shingles and Covid were reportedly quashed before publication by officials at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The news follows the hasty halt on publication of a study on the effectiveness of Covid boosters by the top acting official at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and research terminated or never approved in the first place because of keywords such as “hesitancy” and “misinformation” at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Continue reading...

Fulton county is trying to fend off subpoena from federal prosecutor looking to get contacts of 2020 election workersFulton county, Georgia, is trying to fend off a subpoena from a federal prosecutor in North Carolina seeking contact information for thousands of poll workers from the 2020 election.The subpoena, issued in April by Dan Bishop, the interim US attorney of North Carolina’s middle district, demands the county provide rosters of election staff members who served in the November 2020 election, including their identification by name, position, residential and email address and personal telephone number. Continue reading...

Health officials in Trump administration were accused of fueling ‘crisis of public trust’ over autism and vaccinesMisinformation from top health officials in the Trump administration has created a “crisis of public trust” – and Congress should conduct oversight hearings and possibly impeach officials such as Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a recently released report.Experts say that officials in the past year have focused intently on both vaccines and autism, including efforts to connect autism to the use of acetaminophen (frequently sold as Tylenol) during pregnancy, despite growing evidence of no link, and replacing all members of the federal autism committee with advisers who have anti-vaccine and pseudoscientific histories. Continue reading...

• A bipartisan advisory panel convened under President Biden’s tech‑regulation agenda delivered a draft report recommending that Congress ban politically targeted digital ads that spread “clearly false or misleading information” about voting procedures, candidates, or ballot access. • The panel, whose members include former FEC commissioners and civil‑rights leaders, argues that such ads undermine trust in elections and disproportionately affect voters of color, urging platforms to adopt stricter labeling and ad‑library rules. • The proposal sparks backlash from free‑speech advocates, who warn that any government‑defined standard for political misinformation could chill legitimate debate and benefit incumbent parties.

John Edwards, the data privacy watchdog, says he is fully cooperating with ICO’s independent report into ‘HR matters’The UK’s information commissioner has stepped back from his job after the data protection regulator launched an independent workplace investigation into unspecified “HR matters”.John Edwards, the national watchdog for information rights, data privacy and transparency among public bodies, said he was cooperating with the investigation in a post on his LinkedIn account. Continue reading...

Committee to Protect Journalists says Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was found innocent after 52 days in detentionMiddle East crisis – live updatesA Kuwaiti-American journalist, who had been detained in Kuwait, has been acquitted, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has previously worked for PBS, HuffPost, the New York Times, the BBC and Al Jazeera, was arrested on 3 March during a brief visit to Kuwait. Continue reading...