Given the current rate of inflation and violent crime crisis, Republicans should have done better, but that doesn't mean there weren't bright spots. One of these was the landslide reelection of Ron DeSantis, and Florida's showcasing of how to run a smooth election. Whether they end up with a majority in the House, the GOP now has two years to take notes and figure out their 2024 game plan.
What DeSantis's win shows is that many Republicans throughout the country are still trying — and failing — to run their campaigns like Donald Trump. Election deniers like Doug Mastriano took huge defeats and up-and-coming progressives like John Fetterman had big wins, showing voters care far more about protecting democracy than the MAGA crowd thought.
Unfortunately, this is the new world that we live in. The Medibank breach is a huge wake-up call that shows the need for an overhaul of information and privacy protection. From here on in, companies must be aware that they're under relentless cyber-attack. Australia's institutions are generally well prepared but can do even more to safeguard classified information.
Cybersecurity isn't taken seriously enough in either the public or private sector. Most business leaders believe that their enterprises are safe from harm, but the truth is far less comforting. In a 2021 study, a staggering 63% of businesses said they had experienced a cyberattack. The hidden cost isn't the value of the stolen information but losing the customer's trust — and the impact that may have on the attacked company's share value.
There is a 41% chance the US executive branch will attempt to ban or otherwise further limit ransomware payments in 2022, according to the Metaculus Prediction Community.
Israel has been quite clear that it will not permit Iran to freely move weapons and fighters through Syria if it threatens Israeli security. If endangered, Israel will target Iranian assets in all of the countries into which Iran has dug its tentacles. Iran will continue to see strikes like this one if its aggression continues.
As Iran tries to provide much-needed fuel to crisis-stricken Lebanon, the US shamelessly attacks its convoys. The Lebanese people are living in absolute desperation as oil prices continue to rise in a country suffering under extreme economic conditions. Unfortunately for Lebanon, US hegemony will never allow one of its geopolitical adversaries to provide aid to suffering civilians.
Ten years ago, Rwanda attempted to invade the DRC using the M23, and now they're trying again. That Kinshasa is using proxies to fight the M23 and retaliate against Rwanda is an unproven claim by Kigali to deflect attention from its responsibility for the violence in eastern Congo exposed by the UN. Kigali's destabilization of the region is about plundering the resources of eastern Congo and strengthening its position of power.
It's evident that by expelling the Rwandan ambassador and making baseless accusations of Rwandan backing for the M23, Kinshasa is only trying to distract attention from its inability to pacify the eastern DRC. Kinshasa and the biased MONUSCO act as if there weren't well over 100 rebel groups other than M23. To achieve peace, Kinshasa must first acknowledge its responsibility for violence and displacement.
Since the UN has maintained a "peacekeeping mission" in eastern Congo for more than twenty years but has made no significant contribution to pacification, the question arises as to what interests the UN is serving in the exceptionally mineral-rich region. Distrust is heightened by the West's tacit support for Kigali and the British refugee deal with Rwanda. In a post-colonial world, the so-called "international community" should finally begin to take the region's distrust of blue helmets seriously.
Russia is weaponizing food insecurity at a cost to innocent people in Africa and the Middle East. This is an inhumane violation of human rights that is utterly unacceptable on the world stage. The West must do something about how easily the Kremlin can unilaterally break treaties.
It is Western nations that are undermining this agreement. Russia — a key global supplier of fertilizer and other foodstuffs — hasn't seen sufficient evidence of progress in implementing the Russian parts of the deal, namely the easing of sanctions on Russian food exports. Why should it return to the deal if its terms aren't being fairly implemented?
There's a 50% chance that Ukraine will regain control of Kherson by Jan. 11, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Regardless of how Russia wants to classify its holding of Griner, the US has made persistent advances to try to secure her release but there has been no cooperation from Moscow. Russia should stop playing games and negotiate for her and Whelan’s release.
Russia has no use for theatrics from the US and would only negotiate in a quiet setting out of the public eye. Nonetheless, Griner isn’t "wrongfully held" — she's incarcerated because she violated Russian law, and the punishment fits the crime.
American Big Tech is harming EU consumers and businesses, and it's time the EU takes a stand. Microsoft is integrating its software deeper and deeper into its service and software portfolio, including Windows, making it almost impossible to compete.. Meanwhile, other tech giants like Google and Amazon are doing the same thing. European consumers should have a free choice, and competition should be fair.
Under the guise of promoting competition, the European Commission has launched a full-scale assault on American companies, and this recent antitrust case is just the latest example. This self-destructive strategy will only hurt Europe's consumers and tech industry, which won't be able to fill the void left once the EU successfully severs the once-friendly ties between American businesses and the European market.
There is a 47% chance that a major cloud service will fail to provide service for a period of at least eight hours before March 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Despite still being behind the US and Europe in its economic evolution, China has already decreased its annual energy intensity and carbon emissions. With developed countries still failing to fulfill their decade-old promise to contribute $100B per year to mitigation efforts, it's only reasonable to ask them to step up before calling on China to do more.
As a nation supposedly in tune with global economic trends, China should be on board with the US in its plan to protect poor countries facing climate-related disasters. The PRC should break down its barriers to dialogue and come to the table. Beijing is a massive emitter of greenhouse gasses, but there are opportunities to discuss opportunities for global green energy investments to benefit all parties too.
In a cheap, albeit unsurprising move, Trump is attacking anyone who is a potential threat, even if it means turning on one of his own. His warning shots to DeSantis only further polarize him from his own party and show that he's becoming nervous over his potential 2024 candidacy rival. This self-sabotage could very well compromise the two leader's 2024 campaign trail, and lead to a blue wave.
In a largely disappointing evening for Republicans, Trump's lack of success has made it crystal clear that the 45th president no longer holds favor within the GOP. Although not a total bust, many now see DeSantis as the new de facto Republican leader as they look to reassess toward 2024.
The narrative that DeSantis now leads the Republican Party is nonsense. While the Florida governor would be a good potential presidential candidate, Trump still stands tall, and his support has only grown.
There's a 30% chance that Ron DeSantis will become US president by 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
These revelations should give pause for thought. Modern war will always bring civilian casualties, but this report sheds light on the often-forgotten child fatalities and sends a warning to Westminster politicians about the realities of conflict.
It's not enough to only avoid conflict; there also needs to be more transparency and accountability in investigating these types of incidents. In contrast to the UK, US Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin recently ordered a major review of how the Pentagon investigates civilian casualties. Britain must follow this example and direct more resources toward the mitigation of harm to civilians.