Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

A US judge has blocked American authorities from detaining or deporting a British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed targeted by the Trump administration over efforts to counter hate speech and misinformation. Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), is one of five European nationals accused by US officials of pressuring technology companies to censor American viewpoints. On Thursday, Ahmed filed a legal complaint against senior Trump allies, including the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the attorney general, Pam Bondi. He said any attempt to arrest or remove him from the US would be unconstitutional. Court documents…

Japan’s cabinet has approved a record defence budget amid rising tensions with China, as Beijing accused Tokyo this week of “fuelling a space arms race”. The draft budget for the next financial year, approved on Friday, exceeds ¥9tn (£46bn), marking a 9.4% increase on the current year’s spending, which ends in April. It represents the fourth year of Japan’s five-year plan to double defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product. The budget prioritises strengthening counterstrike capabilities and coastal defences, including the deployment of surface-to-ship missiles and unmanned systems. Japan plans to spend ¥100bn on large-scale unmanned air, surface and…

A powerful rain and wind storm driven by an atmospheric river from the Pacific has been blamed for a third death in southern California, as flooding, road closures and debris flows disrupt large parts of the region. A flood watch was extended through Thursday for most of southern California, after more than 11 inches of rain fell in parts of Los Angeles county by Wednesday night. Evacuation warnings were issued for several mountain communities in San Bernardino county. The US Weather Prediction Center warned of a “moderate risk of excessive rainfall” across the region. Forecasters said numerous flash floods were…

Donald Trump-backed candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura has been declared the winner of Honduras’s presidential election after a vote count that stretched on for almost a month and was overshadowed by allegations of fraud and criticism of US interference. Asfura, a rightwing politician and former mayor of the capital Tegucigalpa, won 40.27% of the vote. His closest rival, the centre-right candidate Salvador Nasralla, secured 39.53%, leaving a margin of about 28,000 votes. The National Electoral Council (CNE) announced the result before completing a full review of tally sheets under a “special scrutiny” process launched last week to examine votes flagged as…

The US justice department said on Wednesday that it has uncovered more than a million additional documents linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case, warning that reviewing them for release could take several more weeks. In a post on X, the department said federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the FBI had handed over the records in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing laws and court orders. The department said lawyers were working “around the clock” to review the material and apply legally required redactions to protect victims. It said the documents would be released as soon as possible, but…

A newly released batch of Epstein files contains numerous references to Donald Trump, including a claim that he flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet several times in the 1990s alongside women who may have been potential witnesses in later investigations. The documents do not accuse Trump of any criminal wrongdoing. Inclusion in the files does not imply guilt, and there is no indication that any woman mentioned was a victim of a crime. The latest tranche, released on Tuesday by the US justice department, follows a similar disclosure last week relating to federal investigations into the late financier and convicted…

The United States has recorded a sharp rise in violence against journalists since Donald Trump returned to office, according to a new report by the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The non-profit organisation says most of the incidents involved reporters and photographers covering protests against the administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Many of the alleged attacks were carried out by law enforcement officers. The foundation reports that journalists have suffered almost as many assaults this year as in the previous three years combined. By 16 December, it had documented 170 verified assaults. Between 2022 and 2024, there were 175. Press…

A large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine has killed at least three people and caused widespread power cuts, just days before Christmas and as the country faces freezing winter temperatures. Ukrainian officials said Russia launched more than 650 drones and over 30 missiles in strikes that began overnight and continued into Tuesday morning. Among those killed was a four-year-old child. Poland scrambled fighter jets to protect its airspace during the attack, according to the country’s armed forces. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, condemned the timing of the assault, saying it came as families were preparing for Christmas and amid…

Donald Trump has unveiled plans for a new generation of US navy warships to be known as the “Trump-class”, marking a break with long-standing naval naming traditions. Speaking on Monday, the US president said the vessels would be bigger, faster and “a hundred times more powerful” than any previous American warship. Construction is set to begin with two ships, with the programme eventually expanding to between 20 and 25 vessels. The navy secretary, John Phelan, said the appearance of the Trump-class USS Defiant would signal inevitable American victory at sea. He described the planned ships as the largest and deadliest…

China and Russia have voiced support for Venezuela as it faces a US blockade of oil tankers, amid escalating pressure from Donald Trump on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. The US president has repeatedly called on Maduro to step down, while defending Washington’s seizure of Venezuelan oil shipments in recent weeks. Trump said the US would either keep or sell the oil taken off the Venezuelan coast. Asked whether the aim was to remove Maduro from power, Trump told reporters it would be “smart” for him to leave office, warning that further resistance would have serious consequences. Following Trump’s announcement…