United Kingdom

Long-standing Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr has had her contract ended by Tortoise Media ahead of its takeover of the title.

The National Union of Journalists has expressed “serious concern” that Cadwalladr’s exit from the title follows her making public criticism of the deal.

Cadwalladr has been employed on a freelance contract for 20 years by Guardian Media Group and is one of around 20 such contract freelances who were expected to transfer across to Tortoise Media. Around 40 Observer staff are also transferring across to become Tortoise employees. Contract staff like Cadwalladr have been told they do not qualify for redundancy payouts.

As part of a deal with the NUJ to avert further strike action, Guardian bosses assured the union that contractors like Cadwalladr would be offered year-long Tortoise Media contracts.

However, Tortoise has written to Cadwalladr telling her that she will not be offered a contract.

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Press Gazette asked Guardian management whether this was a breach of its deal with the NUJ. A spokesperson said this was a matter for Tortoise Media. Tortoise declined to comment.

Cadwalladr was an outspoken public critic of the Observer sale, despite being warned by Guardian management to “desist” from making public statements which it felt disparaged the business.

Speaking at a press freedom conference in Malta in November she said: “At this point, we, the journalists of The Guardian and Observer, believe The Guardian’s management is an active threat to press freedom.” Some 93% of NUJ members at the Guardian and Observer voted in favour of industrial action against the sale and went on strike for four days.

Cadwalladr launched her own newsletter on Substack in November, “How to Survive the Broligarchy”, and already has more than 54,000 free subscribers and more than 1,000 paying supporters. She has used the outlet to raise questions over the funding of Tortoise Media and its founder James Harding’s business connections.

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Asked by Press Gazette to comment on news her contract was being ended, Cadwalladr said: “It was a privilege to be able to speak up on behalf of colleagues and fellow union members during the strike and I don’t regret doing so. I’ll miss my brilliant Observer colleagues who are transferring to Tortoise and who I’ve worked with so collaboratively and constructively for the last 20 years and wish them the very best of luck.

“But it’s actually an incredibly energising moment to try something new in the media space. I’ve been warning for years about the collision of technology and democracy and that’s now happened. The autocratic takeover of the US government is underpinned by a crisis in our media and information space and the flood of US journalists onto platforms like Substack desperate to build a properly independent public interest alternative is genuinely inspiring. I’m incredibly touched by how many people are supporting my efforts to do the same.”

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Cadwalladr’s reporting for The Observer of the Cambridge Analytica scandal won her two British Journalism Awards, as well as the Orwell Prize and a Polk Award. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Tesla showrooms across the country look set to face a wave of protest stunts following the launch of a new campaign against the electric vehicle firm’s owner, Elon Musk.

Musk, who also owns Twitter/X, is a leading figure in Donald Trump’s US administration and is overseeing severe cuts to federal jobs, grants and public services under the co-ordination of his so-called ‘Department for Government Efficiency’ (DOGE).

However, sales of Teslas are reportedly on the decline across Europe in what some experts suggest is an apparent protest over Musk and his politics – as exemplified by frequent outbursts on his platform promoting figures such as the imprisoned British far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson) and other far-right groups like Britain First and Patriotic Alternative.

Musk was accused of whipping up racist anger in the run up to the anti-migrant riots in England last summer, and has repeatedly called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be deposed.

Now a new activist group, the People Vs Elon campaign, hopes to start a trend, after one of their members walked into Tesla’s Tottenham (London) dealership, with a cardboard cutout of Musk performing the Nazi salute, which he performed twice during Trump’s inauguration.

Staff demanded she remove the offensive cut-out – and threatened to sue if the video went online.

The footage has since gone viral with over two million views on TikTok alone. And now the woman behind it wants others to follow in her footsteps.

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Resistance to the £225m project from ministers, councillors and police has gradually been extinguished by big pressure and small gifts.

The Chinese government’s long campaign to create a new embassy by the Tower of London has involved the politics of international diplomacy and the politics of the town hall.

On the sidelines of the G20 summit last year, President Xi lobbied Sir Keir Starmer about the proposed renovation of the Royal Mint Court, a £225 million property that for more than a century served as the site for manufacturing the nation’s coins. His warning was clear: a reset in relations and future investment depended on the project being approved.

A year earlier, official records now reveal, the People’s Republic adopted a softer approach towards the council in whose gift the application lay. It bestowed a gift of a single box of biscuits upon Lutfur Rahman, the Tower Hamlets mayor, who had been removed from office for electoral fraud a decade earlier, only to come back as an independent. Its declared value: £25. Late last year China gave a bottle of wine, in this instance worth £20, to one of Rahman’s allies: a councillor, Iqbal Hossain, who was vice-chairman of the committee reviewing the application. One local powerbroker, speaking on condition of anonymity, recalled being sent a box of mooncakes (a delicacy), a bottle of Chinese white wine, a desk diary, a book on tea and a bottle of red wine.

It now appears China is within touching distance of victory after Starmer asked Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary, to “call in” the scheme. This means she will have the final say, as opposed to the council or the London mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, following an unusually speedy inquiry that finished hearing evidence on Thursday. She must act as a quasi-judge, acting neutrally and taking into account the apparent merits of the scheme. Any evidence of bias, or procedural errors, could be used to challenge the decision. Yet China critics fear the die is cast.

If she approves it, Beijing will have the largest embassy in all of Europe: a sign of diplomatic and economic strength eclipsing even the £1 billion US embassy a short ride down the Thames.

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Fear of spying hub

Most bullish of all is China itself. Last week Christopher Katkowski KC, the country’s barrister, filed a document in which he lashed out at those who had criticised the Met’s sudden U-turn, saying allegations of government influence were “ludicrous”, “absolute nonsense” and “reflect very badly on those who made them”. As for the proposed barrier, he said that, while China wished to have “the best of relations” with the Foreign Office, it rejected the idea outright.

He said that the People’s Republic had asked him to state on the record that Lammy’s “concern can be addressed through measures based on further discussion between the relevant parties”, including the ambassador granting the British government permanent access to the paved forecourt.

As Rayner weighs up whether to approve the scheme, those offering outright opposition are a coalition of Chinese dissidents, critics of the Chinese Communist Party and MPs belonging to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, such as Duncan Smith. They are also joined by residents who do not want a Chinese “spy-hub” overshadowing their area. Earlier this month, all groups were out in force outside Royal Mint Court to stage a protest, numbering some 3,000, to remind ministers of the depth of opposition to the project and to challenge the Met’s belated insistence that the site can easily accommodate such numbers.

One person present was Chloe Cheung, a 19-year-old pro-democracy activist living in the UK who is the subject of a £100,000 bounty issued by the Hong Kong government. She says the stakes could not be higher, describing the embassy as an “expansion of the CCP on British soil”.

She said: “”It will be a huge surveillance hub in the future if it is built. For us who have a bounty on our head, from Hong Kong or from China, from Tibet, from Uighur, from Taiwan, we worry this will give them the space to do more surveillance.” Pointing to the previous use of unofficial Chinese “police stations” in the UK and violent tactics against dissidents, she said: “Having a larger embassy means more people have diplomatic protection to do whatever they want.” Asked about the government’s evolving stance, Cheung added: “”It’s mainly because of the £600 million [investment] deal by [Rachel] Reeves with China, but for me it’s too naive to just sign a deal and say, ‘Oh, the UK can give whatever the Chinese want’ and say yes to whatever terms and conditions …it’s not worth betraying those who believe the plan will threaten their safety.”

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The man, in his 40s, had been arrested by Avon and Somerset Police on Friday evening after being accosted by so-called "child protection service" groups.

He was released from custody the next day but was seen falling onto the M4 at around 6:40pm before being hit by vehicles on the road.

Police are not treating his death as suspicious and have referred the case to a coroner.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/30073481

Europe should move from freezing Russian assets to seizing them, British foreign minister David Lammy said on Tuesday.

"It's not an issue on which any government can act alone. We must act with European allies," Lammy told parliament, saying the issue had been discussed between G7 and other international allies.

"Of course, Europe has to act quickly, and I believe we should move from freezing assets to seizing assets."

The University of Cambridge has been named as one of 12 UK universities that has been involved in teaching security courses to students in countries where torture is widespread.

According to a report by Freedom from Torture (FFT), the University has provided programmes to police colleges in Hong Kong and India.

The University provided postgraduate education for Hong Kong Police College (HKPC), which was at the same time allegedly involved in teaching cooperation and exchange with the People’s Public Security University of China (PPSUC).

The PPSUC is responsible for training and supplying police for Xinjiang, where human rights violations including torture have allegedly been carried out on a scale amounting to crimes against humanity.

A series of police files obtained by the BBC in 2022 revealed details of China’s use of “re-education camps,” detaining what human rights groups believe to be more than one million Uyghurs against their will. The files described the routine use of armed officers and the existence of a shoot-to-kill policy if someone was to escape.

China has also been accused of persecuting Muslim religious figures and forbidding religious practices in the territory, in addition to destroying mosques and tombs.

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Fast fashion giant Shein’s mooted flotation on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) could be larger than any stock exchange listing seen in Europe in the last year. Coming at a time when the LSE is struggling to attract new listings, with some firms migrating to other exchanges, this could be a welcome boost. So it is perhaps unsurprising that the Chinese-founded company has been courted by the UK government, the LSE and those whose role it is to champion the City of London.

Yet there are ongoing concerns about the controversial business model and practices of Shein, whose founder Chris Xu relocated himself and the company’s headquarters to Singapore in 2022. These were exacerbated when Shein’s lawyer struggled to tell the UK’s business and trade parliamentary committee whether the company uses cotton from China.

Campaign group Stop Uyghur Genocide recently said it will seek a judicial review if the UK regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), approves the LSE listing. And a “Say No to Shein” campaign has nearly 50,000 signatures on the activist website 38 Degrees. (Shein says it strictly prohibits forced labour in its supply chain globally.)

More idealistic observers might question whether it is really a good idea for the UK to be courting such a controversial listing. The UK, after all, is a second-choice destination after Shein’s ambition to list on the US market failed – amid concerns about forced labour, among other things.

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If less than 10% of Shein’s equity is floated, which is the what company is proposing, it will still be controlled by its founders and majority shareholders as if it had remained a fully private company. An LSE listing would normally compel Shein to either comply with the UK corporate governance code, or explain why it did not. But dispersed minority investors with a combined ownership of less than 10% would have little or no say in the governance of a business that remained more than 90% owned and controlled by a few founding investors.

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As a private company, Shein has kept details of its financial situation out of the public domain. If the LSE listing does go ahead (which is by no means certain), the company will be required to give detail on its legal and reputational risks, as well as its financial accounts.

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Shein’s apparent desire for secrecy, and its reluctance to publish detailed financial data, suggests that its founders and controlling investors may not be comfortable with the increased scrutiny that a listing will require. A 2023 report from the company, however, claimed Shein was committed to “continued progress and transparency” in terms of sustainability and its social impact.

If credible revelations about controversial business practices such as forced labour or illegal working conditions emerge, this is likely to damage the stock price. No doubt outside investors would have plenty of incentive to scrutinise Shein’s activities – at least, more than the consumer buying a £10 dress for a night out.

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Shein’s listing – if it goes ahead – will open its inner workings to public scrutiny in a way that it has never experienced before. Already, people who have never engaged with fast fashion are discussing the business practices of the company.

If awareness is the first stage of progress, such increased scrutiny can only be a good thing for those concerned about the darker side of the fast fashion industry.

The sanctions will also target Russia’s military machine, entities in third countries who support it and the fragile supply networks that it relies on.

Targets include:

• producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military, including microprocessors used in weapons systems. These are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China, which is the largest supplier of critical goods for Russia’s military
• North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol and other North Korean generals and senior officials complicit in deploying over 11,000 DPRK forces to Russia. Putin is using DPRK forces as cannon fodder; DPRK has suffered over 4,000 casualties
• 13 Russian targets, including LLC Grant-Trade, its owner Marat Mustafaev and his sister Dinara Mustafaeva, who have used the company to funnel advanced European technology into Russia to support its illegal war

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2029538

[This is an op-ed by Owen Au, an independent researcher, focusing on China’s diplomacy, Indo-Pacific geopolitics, maritime security, and human rights.]

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In an era of geopolitical uncertainty, Starmer may see engagement with China as a pragmatic move to prevent conflict with a rising superpower. However, aligning too closely with Beijing could prove more risky than beneficial by weakening the UK’s standing among democratic allies.

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For decades, the UK has struggled to define its global role. The Labour government blames its Conservative predecessors for clinging to nostalgia and failing to recognise Britain’s diminished place in today’s world.

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More than 200 days after the transition on Downing Street, however, the China audit appears to have become little more than a post-mortem, with “cooperate” appearing to be the only surviving pillar. From Starmer’s expressed desire to strengthen UK-China relations during his first meeting with Xi Jinping to the first UK-China strategic dialogue since 2018, and from the resumption of the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue to the green light given to China’s mega-embassy proposal, Labour has prioritised cooperation above all else. As it stands, the party’s promise of a consistent China policy means a panda-hugging approach, despite China’s ongoing human rights violations and assertive behavior abroad.

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China as an authoritarian state [...] views liberal democratic ideals as dangerous to its national security. A political directive issued at the outset of Xi Jinping’s presidency made clear that China sees the liberal international order as inherently threatening.

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Despite London’s warm embrace, China’s mistrust of the UK remains unchanged. Four sitting UK MPs and two members of the House of Lords—including one from Labour — remain under Chinese sanctions.

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Labour’s push for stronger UK-China relations will not only fail to deliver meaningful benefits, but it will also backfire. It is no secret that cultivating a friendly relationship with China often requires turning a blind eye to human rights abuses and even condoning aggressive territorial claims. This damages the UK’s international credibility and distances it further from Lammy’s own vision of “progressive ends”.

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In a volatile international landscape, the UK’s strategic focus should be on strengthening ties with Europe, with which it shares cultural, ideological, and geopolitical interests.

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In recent years, the EU has increasingly recognised China’s geoeconomic playbook and has adopted a more defensive posture. The bloc has emphasised “de-risking” from China, as demonstrated by its newly imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and a crackdown on Chinese e-commerce imports. Additionally, since the war in Ukraine, Russia has emerged as Europe’s top security threat, and China’s economic and military support for Russia through substantial exports of dual-use technology has further strained EU-China relations.

The more the UK aligns itself with China, the more it will raise suspicion among its European partners, pushing itself further into isolation.

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[Edit typo.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/26403103

Embedding facial recognition surveillance in a city-wide CCTV network represents a shocking expansion of police surveillance, and turns Cardiff into an Orwellian zone of biometric surveillance. This unprecedented use of the technology could pave the way for the mass rollout of permanent facial recognition surveillance across the UK. Live facial recognition technology turns us into walking barcodes and makes us a nation of suspects. This network of facial recognition cameras will make it impossible for Cardiff residents and visitors to opt-out of a biometric police identity check.

Cross posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2020563

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The Government is coming under renewed pressure over Chinese involvement in a major North Sea wind project.

The Green Volt North Sea farm, due to be Europe’s largest floating offshore wind farm, is a joint venture between a Japanese and an Italian-Norwegian company.

The Treasury has reportedly selected Chinese firm Mingyang Smart Energy to supply wind turbines.

The wind farm will be about 46 miles off the coast of Aberdeenshire and will generate up to 560MW of electricity. The firm says it is aiming for the plant to be operational in 2029.

There are concerns that the Chinese state could switch off the power once the wind farm is operational, or that the platforms could be used as spy sensors.

Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine said the Government needed to ensure the software could not be accessed remotely or be at risk of being switched off by others.

She said the Government must follow “rigorous processes”, adding: “That must include an assessment of any opportunities for remote access to the turbines, as the software will normally remain in control of the manufacturers, even once commissioned, which would leave them vulnerable to being switched off. We need local control."

Energy minister Kerry McCarthy said the department had processes in place to ensure any risk in the project was minimised.

Ms McCarthy said: “We have discussions with a wide range, variety, of international investors, but we do absolutely recognise this needs to be balanced against national security implications, and that is something that we work on constantly across Government.”

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[UK] Chancellor Rachel Reeves flew to the country in January to meet the country’s leaders, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet his Chinese counterpart this week.

This is despite concerns about China’s human rights record, and potential for them to use backdoors in Britain’s energy infrastructure to blackmail a future government.

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Artists, directors and actors have raised the alarm about what they describe as a rigged system preventing working-class talent thriving in their industries after analysis showed almost a third of major arts leaders were educated privately.

The creator of Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight, the director Shane Meadows and the Turner prize winner Jesse Darling were among those who spoke to the Guardian about what was described as a crisis facing the sector.

They spoke after a Guardian survey of the 50 organisations that receive the most Arts Council England funding revealed a disproportionate number of leadership roles were occupied by people who were educated privately and those who went to the universities of Oxford or Cambridge.

Almost a third (30%) of artistic directors and other creative leaders were educated privately compared with a national average of 7%. More than a third (36%) of the organisations’ chief executives or other executive directors went to private schools.

The analysis also found that 17.5% of artistic directors and more than a quarter (26%) of chief executives went to Oxford or Cambridge, compared with less than 1% of the general population.

Andy Haldane, the chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, said he was “shocked by that finding but not especially surprised”.

Who would be your pick for the next James Bond?

Tech group says it can no longer offer advanced protection to British users after demand for ‘back door’ to user data https://archive.is/NI01z