This decision has been rightly criticized by both sides of the political spectrum. Making Danes cover the cost of tax cuts for companies and the rich with their well-earned and traditionally significant holiday is unjust. It also interferes with the long-standing plans of many young people who intend to attend Church of Denmark confirmation ceremonies around the Great Prayer Day.
As Denmark braces for uncertain geopolitical and economic times, harsh measures must be taken. The centrist coalition is planning to get rid of this popular, one-day public holiday in 2024 with the aim of boosting finance's, so that the country has a chance of meeting NATO's military spending target by 2030. It is not only ordinary Danes paying for this difficult situation — the coalition is also advancing a plan to impose tax hikes on the upper class.
There's an 81% chance that the Social Democrats will hold a position in government after the next Danish general election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
The findings that Parkinson's rates are higher in the "Rust Belt" states of the US suggest a link between exposure to environmental toxins, such as pesticides and heavy metals, and an increased risk. We must look into the impact of industrialization on Parkinson's risk to explain why some people with genetic risk factors for the disease get it in some geographic regions while others don't.
Environmental factors are important to explore, but there's a clear causal link between rising economic debt and critical illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. Parkinson's is a costly disease for patients and their caregivers to treat. Broader research and state intervention are needed on the correlation between this debilitating disease and economic stress.
Russia's deliberate targeting of energy infrastructure — unnecessarily increasing the suffering of civilians — amounts to war crimes. This continuing Russian barbarity must be confronted.
Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure are a direct consequence of the failure of the country's leadership to meaningfully engage in peace talks and the thought that they can defeat Russia on the battlefield. These attacks will stop once a more sober position is reached.
There is a 1% chance that NATO will declare a No-Fly Zone anywhere in Ukraine before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
It was a strategic mistake on Washington's part to neglect Africa in recent years. This allowed rivals like China and Russia to steadily deepen their ties with the continent. During the summit, the US seized the opportunity to regain some ground. The investments promised by Washington and the support for the AU joining the G20 are significant and long-overdue steps in the right direction.
Though Washington pretends that it wants to close the growing trust gap between the US and Africa, the Biden admin. still sees Africa merely as a pawn in its strategic goal of competing with China and Russia. However, African leaders have long known that the US isn't concerned with cooperation for mutual benefit. Africa is unlikely to actually benefit from the summit in a meaningful way.
While the release of new documents is undoubtedly of interest to historians, it's unexpected that they'll contain new bombshells that will challenge what the JFK Commission concluded years ago — that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing the president.
By continuing to redact and hold back thousands of documents, intelligence agencies and the Biden administration are failing to abide by the letter of the law — that all of the documents are released without further censorship. Now almost 60 years after Kennedy's death, there's no reason for the continued secrecy.
Whether you're willing to entertain the idea of the CIA's involvement or not, there are certainly parts of this story that deserve more scrutiny, particularly regarding the relationship between the agency, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the man who killed Oswald, Jack Ruby. Leaders' reluctance to fully disclose the information only feeds Americans' distrust of their government and hints that there's more to the story than what has been shared.
Japan, which holds the largest permanent contingent of US forces overseas, can no longer solely rely on US support — a fact that this latest plan acknowledges. The new strategy fortifies the US and Japan's vigor and will reshape their ability to promote peace and protect the Indo-Pacific region as China attempts to exert its influence.
Japan is groundlessly discrediting China. By adopting this new policy, Japan is putting itself on a more offensive footing, and deviating from its commitment to China-Japan relations and the common understanding between the two countries. But hyping-up the so-called China threat to find an excuse for its military build-up is doomed to fail.
There is a 62% chance that Japan Self-Defense Forces will have tested a Tomahawk missile by mid-2027, according to the Metaculus Prediction Community.
The announcement of this inquiry may give some hope to the mourning families of those killed by the SAS unit, but it is very unlikely that these war criminals will be held accountable. The controversial Overseas Operation Act virtually bars war crimes prosecution of British troops, especially for any allegations over five years old. This is a failure of the British military and institutions.
This probe reinforces that UK's armed forces must comply with the highest possible operational standards. However, the bar for prosecutions must be very high so as not to inflict a severe blow on the morale of British veterans. This probe could very well join several others regarding allegations of misconduct — each failing to find enough evidence for prosecutions.
Beyond the headline-grabbing, non-spending provisions in this bill is a bloated budget that doesn’t even take into account inflation or what it will cost to replace weapons the US has given to Ukraine. The increased spending is just going to buy the military more weapons — and not even ones geared toward modern-day challenges and threats. This bill deserves more scrutiny from politicians, the press, and citizens.
For the US to fulfill its obligations to defend its allies across the globe, and defend itself, it needs even more military expenditures. Military spending as part of the Gross Domestic Product is actually less than it has averaged over the past 50 years. All branches are short of personnel, ships are poorly maintained, and it’s doubtful the weapons industry would be able to meet the country’s needs in case of a conflict. There must be a better commitment to national defense.
This is still an attack on press freedom because the reinstated journalists were only conditionally allowed back on the platform. Musk continues to practice the philosophy of "free speech for me, but not for thee." His banning spree against journalists who cover him came after he released the “Twitter files” in an attempt to expose previous management’s censorship, but he’s doing the same thing.
These aren’t journalists Musk banned, they’re activists disguising themselves as members of the media, and their so-called reporting put Musk and his family at risk of physical attack. In the past, these same people called for banning the accounts of right-wing individuals for far less egregious actions, so they should be able to understand why Musk has taken this action and is putting conditions on their reinstatements.
Though state divorce may sound extreme, the right to consider it is fundamental to American principles. Anyone who's traveled to upstate New York, western Maryland, or the rural parts of any state knows how disparate these regions are from the liberal urban hubs that control their legislatures. San Bernardino is no different. Not only should it secede, but so should many other regions if we hope to have a fair national electorate.
The idea of dividing California into multiple states, often proposed by aggrieved Republicans, is nothing new, and neither is its abysmal chance of succeeding. The irony is further displayed in that if another state were to be created, it would lead to a larger federal budget — the opposite of what Republicans argue for day in and day out.