Sharif was shot dead to end his ongoing investigation of corruption at the highest levels of Pakistan’s military. It's no secret that the Pakistani Generals, who run the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), work hand in hand with Afghan and Pakistani drug cartels. Sharif was working to expose their ulterior motive – to raise funds for global terrorists and fill their pockets – and was promptly silenced.
Sharif's murder silenced a very influential voice warning Pakistanis against US interests in their region and sent a chill down the spine of Pakistani journalists seeking to challenge global hegemony. The US is clearly behind Sharif's brutal murder — only the CIA has the resources, experience, and expertise to assassinate troublesome individuals in foreign countries. Despite this, there is very little chance that authorities will be able to conclusively trace the assassins and bring them to justice.
These three countries have significantly contributed to the well-functioning of the Schengen area for years. They've performed well during the pandemic and when faced with the unprecedented consequences of the war in Ukraine. Through reinforced protection of the common external frontier, an enlarged Schengen area without internal borders will make Europe safer and more attractive to businesses. It's time to also welcome Romania and Bulgaria into the passport-free Schengen Area.
At this point, it doesn't make sense to enlarge the EU's free-travel zone when it's clearly not working. Europe hasn't yet recovered from the 2015 influx of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan, and the African continent. Austria is still struggling to accommodate asylum requests, having more than 100K illegal border crossings this year alone. Admitting Bulgaria and Romania would only increase this irregular immigration.
Putin's Human Rights Council, like many other public events conducted by the Kremlin, was highly orchestrated to avoid the Russian leader facing scrutiny and difficult questions. The remarks are largely meaningless.
In a show of transparency, Putin took a host of questions about the ongoing conflict from journalists and civic leaders. The president offered leadership by giving frank responses to a range of issues, in order to help settle the minds of the Russian population.
There's a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will cease to hold the office of President of Russia by November 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
In condemning Tehran's crackdown, the West is once again exercising double standards. No government in the world would stand idly by while rioters destroy public property and terrorists masquerading as protesters randomly target security forces. Moreover, the majority of the Iranian population refuses to join the protests, which are being fueled by the hypocritical West to destabilize Iran and instigate a civil war like in Syria.
Only an illegitimate and inhumane government like the theocratic regime in Tehran kills people who take to the streets for legitimate causes. In the past, the international community turned a blind eye as Tehran mass executed its own citizens. This time, the West can no longer remain silent, given the ruthlessness of the Islamists who rule Iran. It's no longer a matter of reforming the existing regime but of regime change.
There's a 50% chance that Iran will cease to be an Islamic Republic by May 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
While authorities are looking into Sam Bankman-Fried and his years-long Ponzi scheme, you shouldn't hold your breath waiting for an indictment. The crypto king dubbed "SBF" has gotten away with his crimes for so long because he's been a top Democrat donor. This is why he's received praise from the media and cautious treatment by the government even after his so-called "company" collapsed and millions lost their savings.
While some have jumped the gun and compared Bankman-Fried to Bernie Madoff, this case is actually very different. Madoff immediately confessed to all of his crimes, and the Feds were also able to compile concrete evidence against him. Neither of these has occurred in the case of FTX and Bankman-Fried. Congress and the Dept. of Justice are looking into the issue, but it will take some time to build a case against the crypto CEO.
It has been a terrible week for Trump. Alongside the news of even more classified documents being retrieved, his company was found guilty of a heap of fraud, while his hand-picked candidate lost the Senate race in Georgia. Having gotten away with a lot for an individual who has long been digging a brazenly illegal hole, it seems reality is finally starting to catch up with Trump.
The deep state has long used its "national security" claim to retain its power over outsiders and the common people, and the DOJ's continued refusal to give the Trump team access to the warrant they used to initially search his home is a prime example. If the DOJ has nothing to hide and the entire investigation is not an illegal witch hunt, why have they still not unredacted the full affidavit?
There's a 36% chance that any US court will rule that Donald J Trump is disqualified from holding the presidency before January 20, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Biden is treating this like a victory, and it might be in terms of public relations because of Griner’s status as a star athlete. But the fact remains that Whelan, a man who served his country in the armed forces, has been left behind, and the US has clearly been taken advantage of in this trade of the “Merchant of Death” for a basketball player.
Of course, it’s disappointing that Whelan remains imprisoned. But Griner’s release, in the face of sexist and racist backlash even from her fellow Americans, is a triumph. And with Griner’s family working to keep Whelan’s name in the news, perhaps this is a step toward freeing him in the near future.
Unfortunately, hate continues to win in Gujarat. Modi has engrained Islamophobia into state policy and employed it to color people's votes, despite obvious and growing dissatisfaction with his politics. This is a dangerous time for Muslims in Gujarat as the BJP only stokes hatred and division.
The patriotic people of Gujarat delivered a decisive victory to the BJP and PM Modi’s agenda of development. Amid the celebrations, however, were the loud voices of the opposition, who can't seem to accept fair and democratic elections when those elections don't go their way.
Reducing Section 230 protections would cause a tidal wave of litigation and the financial collapse of social media platforms. These companies have invested heavily in content-moderating technology and are doing their best to keep dangerous content from spreading. Leave Section 230 alone, it holds an important function in protecting platforms from overwhelming lawsuits.
It’s time for Big Tech to stop ducking responsibility for the harm its platforms cause and face the same liability as other industries. For too long social media platforms have gotten away with aiding and abetting horrific events and movements. It’s time for the antiquated Section 230 to be reformed. The reality of the internet of the 1990s does not apply to 2022.
The House Oversight Committee's report is a damning indictment of Dan Snyder and the toxic culture he created as Washington’s NFL owner. Not only did Snyder turn a blind eye to abhorrent behavior like sexual harassment, but he also actively participated in such behavior. To make things worse, Snyder did all he could to obstruct investigations, tamper with witnesses, and exacerbate problems.
Committee Democrats are more concerned with investigating the non-criminal activities of a professional football team than they are with providing relief to the American people during troubling economic times. The Democrats are suspiciously using their power to push out Dan Snyder as mega-donor Jeff Bezos expresses interest in buying the Washington Commanders.