'Meta reins in fact-checking' and A&E 'flu crisis'

The decision by tech giant Meta - which owns Facebook and Instagram - to end its use of independent fact checkers leads many of the papers. The Financial Times says the company will instead rely on users to flag misinformation and quotes a statement saying the move is intended to "allow more speech". The paper adds that it comes as the company "prepares for Donald Trump's return as US president". The broadsheet's main image is the president-elect's son Donald Trump Jr smiling for a selfie on Danish-run island Greenland, as his father threatens to gain control of it.

The i notes that Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has joined Elon Musk, owner of rival platform X, in criticising European governments over their attempts to regulate social media. The paper quotes from a video message on Tuesday in which Mr Zuckerberg said Europe was "institutionalising censorship" and pledged to help Trump "push back on governments going after American companies".

The move has prompted "dismay" among internet safety campaigners, according to the Guardian. The paper quotes the Centre for Information Resilience, which tracks hate speech online, calling it a "major step back for content moderation at a time when disinformation and harmful content are evolving faster than ever". Campaigner Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after viewing content promoting suicide on social media, says it "could have dire consequences for many children and young adults".

The Daily Express says the UK is bracing for its coldest night in four years and that temperatures in parts could fall as low as -20C. It adds that the "brutal chill has sparked health fears for the vulnerable". Zendaya is also pictured on the front page with her "sparkler" as the paper reports on her engagement ring following her reported union to actor Tom Holland.

More than a dozen hospitals have now declared critical incidents amid a growing outbreak of flu, according to the Daily Mail. The paper says the number of cases is already around double last year's peak and that some 5,000 beds a day are taken up by patients with the virus. It adds that officials "expect the crisis to deepen this week as children return to school after the Christmas holiday". The paper pictures actor Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner kissing at the Golden Globes in act that "enraged fans".

The Times says the rise means patients in some areas have been warned of two-day waits in A&E and that senior doctors have expressed concern about "unsafe and unacceptable care" that was likely to cost lives. The paper quotes Health Secretary Wes Streeting saying that he is "ashamed" of the situation faced by patients and he acknowledged that significant improvements in care will not happen until next winter. The paper's main image is of snow on the Elldon Hills in the Scottish Borders making for "peak perfection".

An SAS unit has been accused of committing war crimes in Afghanistan by a whistleblower, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper says the soldier, who served in a separate unit, has told a public inquiry that members of an allegedly rogue unit followed a "deliberate policy" of executing Afghan civilians and targeted all males of fighting age, including some under 16, even if they posed no threat. The inquiry, launched following a BBC Panorama investigation, is investigating extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.

The Daily Mirror leads on the news that more than 700 current and former McDonalds employees are suing the company, accusing it of failing to protect them. The paper quotes Liam Byrne, chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee, asking the firm's UK chief, Alistair Macrow, whether it had become a "predator's paradise".

Labour has apologised after a video was posted to its TikTok with a soundtrack that advocated drugs and sexual violence against women, the Metro reports. The video showed a series of AI-generated animals representing policies intended to "change Britain for the better", but had a song with lyrics in Portuguese by musician DJ Holanda playing in the background. The video has since been deleted. Also pictured is influencer Kate Ferdinand, wife of ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand, who tells the paper how she learned to be a step-mum.

The Sun reports that Coronation Street has seen its fifth star to leave in just a month. The paper says Charlotte Jordan, who plays barmaid Daisy Midgeley, is set to leave the show later this year. It adds that several stars have recently left or been written out of the show amid an "ITV cash crisis".

And the Daily Star mocks up a creature chasing Nigel Farage in Westminster. It leads with advice on how to survive a yeti attack that it says has been offered by actor Brian Blessed. "Spoiler alert," the paper says. "It involves running away very very fast".

The decision by Meta to stop using fact-checkers on its Facebook and Instagram platforms leads many of the papers.

The Financial Times says the change will help the social media giant to build bridges with Donald Trump as he prepares to return to the White House. It also notes that the move brings Meta's boss, Mark Zuckerberg, into closer alignment with his fellow social media billionaire, Elon Musk, who slashed content moderation after buying X. The Guardian says the decision has been condemned by critics as a "major step back" for public discourse.

Trump's renewed threats to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal feature in the Daily Telegraph, which describes the comments as a "significant escalation" in the president-elect's rhetoric against several American allies.

The Times says the expansionist goals expressed by Trump "seem at odds" with his America First agenda to withdraw US troops from hotspots around the world - but the paper's diplomatic editor, Roger Boyes, thinks the pitch for Greenland "makes good sense". He argues that putting the minerals and territory of the world's largest island in US hands would strengthen the West and send a strong signal to China, which also craves the resources Greenland possesses.

The ongoing row about grooming gangs - and whether a new national inquiry into the issue is needed - is addressed by a number of leader columns. The Daily Express supports calls for a fresh investigation, insisting Britain has "not yet faced up" to the full horror of the gangs.

The Daily Mail agrees, arguing that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is "wrong" to hide behind the chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Prof Alexis Jay, who told the BBC on Tuesday that another national inquiry was unnecessary. The Sun welcomes the government's plan to make the reporting of child sexual abuse mandatory for officials at public bodies, but warns the legislation will be "fundamentally flawed" unless it includes the BBC.

The announcement by Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg that the firm is to stop using fact-checkers on its Facebook and Instagram platforms leads many of the papers

The Daily Mirror says more than 700 current and former McDonald's staff are suing the fast-food giant, alleging they were sexually abused or harassed while working there. A lawyer has told the paper that hundreds of people have joined a claim since the BBC first reported on the allegations last year.

The paper's leader column warns that workers without guaranteed shifts and pay packets are "particularly vulnerable", and says the government's plans to end zero-hours contracts and strengthen employment rights are "needed urgently". McDonalds says it's focused on eliminating all forms of harassment, and that a newly created team has already rolled out programmes to improve safeguarding and drive awareness.

Winter pressures on the NHS are featured on the front page of the Daily Mail, which reports that more than a dozen hospitals have declared critical incidents as the current wave of flu worsens. Health officials are said to expect the crisis to deepen this week as children return to school after the Christmas holiday. The Times says some patients face a two-day wait at A&E departments, prompting senior doctors to warn of "unsafe and unacceptable care".

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