The reinstatement of Trump's accounts on Facebook and Instagram — key vehicles for political outreach and fundraising — could change the trajectory of the 2024 presidential election, with Trump once again repeating debunked election fraud claims. Allowing the former president, who allegedly incited an insurrection, to post divisive and inflammatory narratives sets a dangerous precedent.
Meta has been disproportionately silencing conservative voices all the way up to the former president. Instead of making substantial efforts to stop the spread of dangerous misinformation in real-time, it dramatically distorted and inhibited the public discourse. Censorship by Big Tech should have been stopped long ago. Hopefully, political voices will not be silenced anymore, and social media platforms will resist inappropriately interfering in the American political and election process.
Regardless of political ideologies, banning political figures on social media platforms is a slippery slope. Given the importance of protecting free speech, social media platforms must not engage in political censorship. If they do, they must refrain from imposing penalties on an ad-hoc or political basis. This is an issue that crosses party lines.
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
There is a 8% chance that Ukraine will receive a security guarantee from another country before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
The sole purpose of allotting JK Family IDs is to allow the needy to receive welfare benefits unhindered. To thwart threats and secure sensitive and essential data, the state government will develop an information security policy per all applicable laws and rules on data protection. By doubting the government's intentions, political parties are blocking the region's prosperity and fanning communal hatred.
This exercise is not only a waste of time and resources but also an intrusive policy under the guise of promoting the effective deliverance of existing benefits. By creating a personal database of all JK families, the Indian government just wants to keep a watch on Kashmiris. However, the move will backfire as it will deepen the suspicion against the Indian government in Jammu and Kashmir.
This is an apparent shocking admission from a senior Pfizer employee about how the drug company is seeking to continue making large profits off the back of COVID vaccines. The processes described are extremely dangerous and regulatory scrutiny is needed immediately.
Everything heard in this video must be taken with a grain of salt, as not only is it unclear whether the interviewee is actually a Pfizer official, but also as Project Veritas' murky past raises concerns about its credibility. At this point in time, this so-called reporting is nothing more than unverified claims from a highly controversial organization.
Myanmar carried out at least 37 special operations to combat drugs last year, seizing tons of narcotic and opioid drugs as well as chemical precursors, and anti-drug operations will be accelerated this year in accordance with new policies. Fighting drugs, however, is a monumental task and there is still a lot to do despite the cooperation of the armed forces.
Myanmar's military coup in 2021 has created the ideal conditions for illicit drug production to escalate, as the formal economy has collapsed and the country is embroiled in unrest and violence. The military's regime lacks law enforcement capacity to tackle drugs, and rebel groups and pro-military militias have intensified drug operations to finance the conflict.
The Aboriginal people have voiced their opposition to Australia Day for decades, but the majority has ignored them. Today, however, a new generation of Australians is joining forces with Indigenous communities in the fight to expose the country's history of racism and genocide and abolish the holiday that celebrates such a horrific past. This is no longer a controversial demand, and the government should take note of that.
While no one would deny the past discrimination faced by Aboriginal peoples, Australia Day is not a celebration of historic brutality. Before it even became a federation in 1901, the Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish settlers worked alongside the Indigenous peoples to build the remarkable modern state we see today. Australia Day is a celebration of Australia and the entirety of its people. The small faction who oppose it seems to have forgotten that.
Biden’s pro-abortion agenda is seeking to destroy the states' rights created by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. When the president signed an order to "protect access to medication abortion" immediately after the ruling in June, he opened up states, which now have the constitutional right to regulate abortions, to lawsuits of this type. The courts must follow SCOTUS' lead and protect the sovereignty of the states.
Federal law has overarching authority over state laws, and state regulations cannot constitutionally contradict or interfere with that authority. The states have to be held to this standard; otherwise, a slippery slope could form, leading to state restrictions on other approved drugs, such as COVID vaccines and the morning-after pill.
While the economy is expected to be headed for a slowdown this year, it's clear that economic growth in 2022 showed a marked improvement from the first half of the year. Despite the headwinds of inflation and increased interest rates, as well as being a difficult year for the housing sector, the economy continues to defy recession fears.
Despite the strength of the labor market, the hiked interest rates — which will be felt in full force this year — means that the US likely won't be able to avoid a recession. Just because GDP didn't decline in Q4 doesn't mean that the economy is back on track by any means.
There's a 66% chance that the US will enter a recession before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Israeli occupation forces carried out a planned massacre against the Palestinian people this Thursday, cutting off electricity and barring medical workers from evacuating the wounded from the refugee camp. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other calendar year since the Second Intifada, the occupation is becoming even more violent.
The massive three-hour-long battle that erupted was a result of Palestinians attacking Israeli forces that were simply trying to capture three terrorists and foil planned terror attacks against Israeli civilians within the Green Line. Sadly, an innocent person was accidentally killed during this extended firefight, but the death toll is actually low given the amount of fire exchanged.
There's a 44% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
The US government has made great progress in the arena of cybersecurity and is taking the necessary steps to address the growing threat of ransomware attacks. The intelligence community has rightly prioritized shutting down nefarious hacker groups — its efforts are clearly paying off.
The federal government has not taken cybersecurity seriously enough, and even government-created watchdog groups recognize the lack of urgency. Federal agencies need to be held accountable for their slow pace. Antiquated systems simply lag behind sophisticated hackers waiting to wreak havoc.