Australia: Decorated Soldier Loses War Crimes Defamation Case
Australia's Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko on Thursday dismissed the multimillion-dollar defamation case brought by the country's most decorated soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, against three Nine-owned newspapers.
The Victoria Cross recipient and former Special Air Service soldier sued the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Canberra Times for libel after they depicted him as a war criminal, a bully, and a liar who "broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement."
Justice Besanko, however, found that the publishers had proven most of its claims made against Roberts-Smith, including war crimes allegations, after a 110-day trial that cost an estimated A$25M ($16.5M USD).
Narrative A
Roberts-Smith brought this defamation suit to try to vindicate his reputation, with his lawyers arguing that he was easily identifiable even though the 2018 reports did not name him. However, this move has backfired now that the newspapers have been found to have told the truth. The judge has ruled loud and clear that the Victoria Cross recipient is a war criminal and murderer.
Narrative B
This is certainly a victory for the newspapers but the legal battle is far from over. Roberts-Smith's legal team is now assessing the lengthy judgment in order to pursue a potential appeal of the decision, which would go to the full Federal Court first and to the full bench of the Federal Court next.
BRICS Foreign Ministers Meet in South Africa
The foreign ministers from the BRICS ["Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa"] — the group of emerging economies — have gathered for a two-day meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, to hold talks on deepening ties ahead of the bloc's summit in Johannesburg in August.
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, who chairs the ministerial meeting, also invited fifteen of her counterparts from Africa and other global south countries to attend a "Friends of BRICS" meeting on Friday.
Pandor and her BRICS counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India, and China, are expected to discuss the expansion of the multilateral alliance, which 19 countries — including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, the UAE, Argentina, and Indonesia — are seeking to join.
Establishment-critical narrative
The agenda of the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in the run-up to the August summit underscores that the era of unipolarity and the West's hypocritical "liberal world order" is coming to an end. This is reflected in BRICS' efforts to "de-dollarize" and in the fact that their collective Gross Domestic Product already exceeds that of the US-led G7. The BRICS countries' refusal to join the proxy war against Russia is further evidence of the new confidence that is gaining momentum among the global south nations.
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite all the BRICS hype and the supposedly imminent end of the US-led global economic order, the reality is more complex. The bloc's composition is primarily characterized by geopolitical and economic rivalries that make the creation of a common currency extremely difficult — a problem that is likely to be exacerbated by adding more members. The fact that South Africa is flirting with the war criminal Putin, thus antagonizing the US as its second-largest trading partner, also does not bode well for the future of BRICS.
Nerd narrative
There is a 27% chance that the Chinese Yuan will be among the top 3 global payment currencies before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Amazon Settles Ring, Alexa Privacy Complaints
On Wednesday, Amazon agreed to settle a US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint for $5.8M over allegations employees improperly accessed footage from its Ring home security cameras. Another $25M will be paid to Alexa customers over alleged violations of children's privacy regulations.
The FTC alleged that employees and third-party contractors had unrestricted access to Ring footage due to a "lax attitude" toward privacy at the home security camera company, which Amazon acquired in 2018.
According to the FTC, one incident included a Ring employee who spied on 81 female customers over a three-month period. It also alleged 55K US customers suffered "serious account compromises" by outside actors due to device vulnerabilities.
Narrative A
Video doorbells and other web-connected surveillance devices are unmitigated privacy nightmares. They not only collect copious amounts of information about their users and those around them, but their terms and conditions make little reference to privacy laws and allow companies to take complete ownership over all data collected. This settlement was a long time coming, as Amazon's carelessness caused distress to an untold number of customers.
Narrative B
Privacy concerns started well before Amazon acquired Ring, but the company cleaned up the lax Ring culture out of concern for customers. There are inherent privacy risks to video doorbells, which the surging consumer demand for personalized and web-connected devices is evidently willing to accept in return for convenience. However, Amazon boasts a robust privacy and data management regime, which mitigates these risks.
Report: Trump Recorded Discussing Classified Docs
According to sources who spoke with CNN, federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of former Pres. Trump. The tape purportedly reveals Trump admitting that he was in possession of classified documents — allegedly regarding a proposed attack on Iran — after leaving office.
Though CNN hasn't listened to the recorded meeting, sources say it suggested Trump wanted to share the information but that he was aware of the limitations on his ability to declassify documents after his presidency.
This comes as the US Dept. of Justice (DOJ), under the leadership of Special Counsel Jack Smith, is investigating whether Trump broke the law by retaining US government records, some marked as top secret, after leaving office in January 2021. Smith spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment on the report.
Democratic narrative
Trump's defense in the classified documents case was weak to begin with and this recording throws any chance he had out the window. Even his own former White House lawyer said this audio recording will be extremely damaging. The facts are that Trump knew he was breaking the law, told people he knew so, and continued to withhold classified material that belonged to the government despite his and his colleagues' better judgment.
Pro-Trump narrative
Catching Trump on legal technicalities doesn't matter in this case. What matters is that these documents were unlawfully taken by a corrupt FBI, they haven't proven that consequential, and a significant portion of the American people believe this entire saga is a politically-motivated witch hunt to prevent Trump from running in 2024. The establishment left and its corrupt friends at the DOJ and intelligence agencies don't care about breaking the big rules. Why should Americans care if Trump kept a few inconsequential pieces of paper?
Cynical narrative
That two presidents — both Trump and Biden — have been called out for possessing documents they shouldn’t have had should shed light on the issue of overclassification, which has increased exorbitantly over the past decade, creating an administrative nightmare. There must be reforms to the flawed classification system.
Nerd narrative
There's a 25% chance that Donald Trump will be jailed or incarcerated before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Mike Pence Unveils 2024 GOP Presidential Campaign
Former US Vice President Mike Pence formally announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2024 election on Wednesday with a campaign kick-off event in Des Moines, Iowa.
Pence joins the race, which is headlined by his former boss, Pres. Donald Trump along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Pence's announcement falls on his 64th birthday as he faces an uphill battle of competing with a tough field.
In addition to DeSantis and Trump, who is leading polls for the Republican primary, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.), former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, radio host Larry Elder, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have also joined the race.
Democratic narrative
The GOP is still deeply infected with Trumpism, and it is unlikely that someone like Mike Pence, who is despised by many Trump supporters, has any chance of winning the primary. Though he is a more "traditional conservative," his views will be put to the test as he tries to distance himself from Trump, while also appealing to Trump's base.
Republican narrative
Mike Pence is a solid candidate for the Republican nomination, as he has years of experience and possesses strong conservative values. Though Trump is certainly doing well in the polls, Pence, as well as some of the other contenders like Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley, would also be good choices to lead the country.
Pro-Trump narrative
Pence simply does not stand a chance against Trump, who made Pence's career in the first place by making him vice president. Though Pence has proven that he is ready to tackle America's problems like Trump, he ultimately does not have the same flair as the former President. America doesn't want a typical Republican who will try to use the president's name to garner support.
Russia Claims US Spied on Thousands of iPhones
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Thursday it uncovered a US plot to spy on the contents of thousands of Apple-made phones, further claiming that the phone giant purposefully allowed back-door vulnerabilities on its devices that facilitated the alleged snooping operation.
The successor to the Soviet-era KGB, with the help of the Russian Federal Protective Service (FSO), said it found "anomalies characteristic only of Apple cell phone users and caused by previously unknown malicious software exploiting vulnerabilities in the manufacturer’s software."
It added that thousands of phones registered to Russians were infected, in addition to devices registered to foreign diplomats from NATO member countries, ex-Soviet states, as well as from Israel, Syria, and China.
Pro-Russia narrative
This finding reveals that not only is the US spying on Russians but also so-called allies from NATO member countries, among others. It also reveals that Apple is willfully violating its privacy policy agreements. Despite Western lies and empty gestures about freedom and privacy, it turns out the Kremlin was right to be skeptical of Apple and order its officials not to use its iPhones.
Pro-establishment narrative
Regardless of whether these allegations hold merit, all intelligence agencies engage in sophisticated cyber-spying operations. Just last month, the US filed charges against a Russian spying ring. Enemy governments shouldn't be surprised when their foreign counterparts seek to collect intelligence on their regime, especially when that regime has violated international law by invading a sovereign nation unprovoked.
Australian Researchers Make Endometriosis Treatment Breakthrough
Researchers at Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women have made an important breakthrough in endometriosis treatment. The development is being compared to scientific breakthroughs in the treatment of breast cancer that took place 30 years ago.
Endometriosis is a disease in which the body grows tissue that is similar to the tissue growing in the uterus in other parts of the abdomen. While symptoms vary, one-in-nine women worldwide are impacted.
The researchers have successfully grown each known type of endometriosis in the laboratory and are now able to test different treatments against the tissue types. The development will aid doctors in determining specific treatments for women and better understanding their future fertility needs.
Narrative A
Endometriosis has long been referred to as the "missed disease." A lack of understanding of the condition has caused it to be left behind by the scientific community. This has fed misunderstandings about the condition and led to a societal belief that the symptoms are either made up or somehow the fault of the woman. These microaggressions against women have led to a dearth of policy action and research into the debilitating disease. Attention needs to be drawn to this life-limiting condition to improve the quality of life for the women suffering daily.
Narrative B
The spotlight on women's health and wellness has grown brighter than ever before. Advancements in heart health and lung health have been impressive but there is more work to be done. Scientists and doctors will continue to push advancements but women must still do their part. Eating healthy, exercising, attending all annual physical exams in a timely manner, and continuing to push for their medical, mental, and emotional needs are critical.
Canada Launches Health Warnings on Individual Cigarettes
On Tuesday, Health Canada announced a sweeping set of new tobacco regulations that will make it mandatory to label each cigarette with health warnings, such as "cigarettes cause impotence" and "poison in every puff."
Under the regulations, king-size cigarettes will become the first to feature the warnings by the end of July 2024, followed by regular-size cigarettes and little cigars with tipping paper and tubes, which must adhere to the new rules by the end of April 2025.
The labels — which the government hopes will lower smoking rates from the current 12% to less than 5% by 2035 — will reportedly feature health warnings in both French and English in bold, black text at the butt of each cigarette.
Narrative A
This news — which follows a day public consultation period — should be applauded, as it will help smokers switch from conventional cigarettes to less harmful alternatives. While no risk-free tobacco products exist, e-cigarettes are, for example, 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Moreover, the stringent measure will likely lower the death rate for tobacco-related diseases and reduce the country's healthcare costs.
Narrative B
This is a redundant strategy as there's no evidence that such labels will deter those with a high nicotine dependence from smoking. Being a smoker is a willful, personal decision, which is why grisly photos and heinous warnings already printed on cigarette packets have failed to decrease smoking rates in Canada. This latest move only favors e-cigarette producers and aims to increase government revenue rather than combat a killer addiction.
Narrative C
Instead of waging war on cigarettes, which makes the intensely popular product more expensive and lucrative, Canada must address smoking risks by slashing nicotine levels in both paper and e-cigarettes and changing or limiting the available points of sale for cigarettes. These productive measures would further wean Canadians from addictive tobacco products and reduce smoking-related illnesses.
Nerd narrative
There's a 61% chance that smoking and sex will be less prevalent in the United States in 2050 than in 2021, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Study: 7 of 8 Safe Boundaries for Human Life Surpassed
According to the Earth Commission, a Sweden-based group of international scientists, seven of eight scientifically established safe boundaries for human life have been surpassed, with Earth entering "the danger zone" not only for a warming planet but also for "justice" for the people it inhabits.
The study, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, aims to establish several "safe and just" measures for the planet, diagnosing ailing environmental issues such as water flow, phosphorus use, and lack of land conservation.
The seven safety limits in the danger zone include phosphorus and nitrogen water contamination, groundwater supplies, fresh surface water, the unbuilt natural environment, and the overall natural and human-built environment. Air pollution is the only one not in the danger zone.
Narrative A
Access to life necessities like water, food, and shelter cannot be separated from the ecological devastation observed throughout the world. The evidence shows that for the world to reverse its growing trend of health inequality, the planet that sustains human lives must be conserved and protected to a far greater degree than it currently is. As the share of livable land shrinks, the number of people able to enjoy its benefits — most often the wealthy — shrinks along with it. If this doesn't change, soon enough no one will enjoy its bounty.
Narrative B
Because the fossil fuel industry has been behind many of the climate reports of the past few decades, fear-tactic terms like "fighting" or "combatting" climate change have actually decreased our individual sense of agency. Humanity should address issues like natural disasters and the warming planet, but to exclude the word "adaptation" from the discussion is as harmful as doing nothing at all. Everyone has to do their part, but we don't have to sit idly in fear as those in power preach their one-size-fits-all mantra.
Nerd narrative
There's an 85% chance that there will be at least 2˚C degrees of global warming by 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Senegal: Opposition Leader Sonko Sentenced for 'Corrupting Youth'
Senegal opposition leader and presidential prospect Ousmane Sonko on Thursday was sentenced to two years in prison after a court found him guilty of corrupting youth, a criminal offense that includes using one's position of power to have intercourse with someone under 21.
This comes as a then 20-year-old massage therapist accused the politician of sexually assaulting and threatening her in 2021 at a beauty salon, whose owner was also sentenced to two years in jail for the same offense. Sonko was cleared of rape charges.
The ruling, which bars the politician from running in the 2024 elections as he was convicted in absentia and therefore cannot issue an appeal, has prompted protests as well as clashes between his supporters and security forces in the largest cities of the country.
Narrative A
Ousmane Sonko is the victim of a politically-motivated conspiracy planned by the Sall government, which has the clear intent to eliminate him from the 2024 presidential elections. Senegal's justice system isn't independent and is once again working to bar those that would work against the establishment in a healthy manner.
Narrative B
Whether the Sall government is unfairly persecuting an opposition leader or Sonko is an agitator trying to evade justice, it's outrageous that this sexual violence case has been politicized by both sides of the political spectrum. The Senegalese nation should be discussing how to better safeguard the rights of women and sexual victims.