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Taliban's New Law Legalizes Slavery in Afghanistan
The Taliban has formally divided Afghan society into four classes — religious scholars, elites, middle class and lower class — and entrenched a class-based justice system in Afghanistan under a newly enacted Criminal Procedure Code that imposes punishments for the same crime varying by social status rather than the severity of the offense.
Article 15 of the code uses the term "ghulam" (slave) and states that discretionary punishment applies whether the criminal is free or a slave, which human rights organizations claim amounts to legal recognition of slavery despite international law prohibiting it in all forms.
Under Article 9, religious scholars who commit crimes receive only advice, while lower-class offenders face both imprisonment and corporal punishment for the same offense, effectively granting clerics immunity from meaningful criminal accountability.
Government-critical narrative
The Taliban's new criminal code explicitly legalizes slavery and creates a rigid class hierarchy where religious scholars receive polite notifications while the poor face beatings and lashes for the same offenses. This theocratic system divides citizens into Muslims and non-Muslims, free people and slaves, men and women, granting husbands and masters legal authority to punish those beneath them. The document proves that any sharia-based legal framework inevitably produces institutionalized inequality and human bondage.
Pro-government narrative
The Criminal Code follows established Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence that has existed in Afghan courts long before the current government, with fixed punishments applying equally to everyone regardless of status. Critics misunderstand that this procedural code for courts differs fundamentally from a constitution, and their objections stem from ignorance rather than legitimate legal analysis. Opposing these laws means opposing Islamic law itself, which is impermissible and constitutes a prosecutable crime.
Nerd narrative
There's a 40% chance that Taliban-controlled Afghanistan will be used as a base for anti-NATO terrorism before 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Burkina Faso Dissolves All Political Parties
Burkina Faso's military-led government issued a decree on Thursday dissolving all political parties, which had already been forced to suspend activities following a coup four years ago. Interior Minister Émile Zerbo stated the decision was part of an effort to "rebuild the state."
The decree transfers party assets to the state, and a separate bill repealing party and opposition laws will go to the Transitional Legislative Assembly. Before the coup, Burkina Faso had over 100 registered parties, with 15 of them represented in parliament after the 2020 general election.
Burkina Faso's Transitional Assembly voted unanimously on Tuesday to join the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, following the launch of a medium-term nuclear power program. In June, the West African nation signed a deal with Russia to build a nuclear power plant.
Pro-government narrative
Dissolving political parties is essential to rebuilding Burkina Faso, after the multiparty system entrenched dangerous divisions and steadily eroded social cohesion. The unchecked proliferation of more than 100 parties produced fragmentation and institutional paralysis, weakening national unity rather than strengthening democracy. In the midst of an acute security crisis, this decisive reform is a necessary step to restore effective governance, reassert collective purpose, and stabilize the state.
Government-critical narrative
The junta’s dissolution of all political parties marks a dangerous escalation in the crackdown on dissent, unfolding alongside security deterioration and rising civilian casualties. Despite promises that extraordinary measures would restore stability, violence has more than doubled since the coup, exposing the regime’s inability to deliver security. Government forces now control a third of the country, while abuses against civilians continue to mount, deepening doubts about repression replacing state capacity.
Nerd narrative
There is a 52% chance that there will be a successful coup in Africa or Latin America before March 1, 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
UK Minister Says Universal Basic Income May Be Needed for AI
Jason Stockwood, the U.K.'s investment minister, has said the government may need to consider a universal basic income (UBI) to support workers whose jobs are disrupted by AI, claiming industries affected by automation would require a "soft-landing" approach.
UBI is not currently part of official government policy in the U.K., but Stockwood confirmed that people within the government are "definitely talking about it" as a potential response to AI-driven job displacement.
Research by Morgan Stanley has found that the U.K. is losing more jobs than it is creating due to AI and is being affected more severely than other major economies. London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned this month that AI could usher in a "new era of mass unemployment."
Progressive narrative
Universal Basic Income isn't some far-fetched fantasy — Australia already proved it works during COVID when millions received obligation-free payments that slashed poverty rates from 67% to 7%. Research across 160 global experiments shows UBI decreases infant mortality and family violence while boosting economic activity, and with AI poised to eliminate most jobs, establishing this safety net now would allow faster automation and ensure money keeps circulating through the economy.
Techno-optimist narrative
The Industrial Revolution sparked identical fears about mass unemployment two centuries ago, yet those disruptions proved temporary, as creative destruction replaced obsolete industries with far more productive ones. AI represents the same pattern of progress, not permanent joblessness, and running an expensive universal payment system alongside existing welfare would be fiscally untenable while creating weaker work incentives than targeted alternatives like negative income tax.
Nerd narrative
There is a 30% chance that five years after AGI, there will be universal basic income, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Panama Court Voids Hong Kong Firm's Canal Port Deal
In a unanimous ruling published late on Thursday, Panama's Supreme Court annulled the concession allowing Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings to operate the ports of Balboa and Cristobal at either end of the Panama Canal. The court found the laws underpinning the concession contracts unconstitutional.
The lawsuit was brought by Panama's comptroller following a government audit that alleged irregularities and claimed the Hong Kong company had not paid proper taxes, resulting in an estimated $1.2 billion in lost revenue since 1997.
CK Hutchison had agreed to sell its majority stake in the Panamanian ports to a consortium led by BlackRock in a deal valued at approximately $23 billion, but the transaction appeared to stall over objections from the Chinese government.
Pro-China narrative
This ruling is a dangerous assault on the rule of law and investor confidence. The company operated transparently for decades, generating billions in economic activity while fully complying with legal obligations, yet it faces politically motivated attacks that jeopardize thousands of local jobs. This coercive campaign undermines Panama's reputation as a reliable jurisdiction and threatens the legitimate business interests of international enterprises operating under valid contracts.
Anti-China narrative
The Supreme Court decision rightfully voids an unconstitutional concession that deprived Panama of over $1.2 billion while a Chinese-linked firm profited massively from strategic infrastructure. This ruling advances national sovereignty and curbs foreign influence over critical trade chokepoints at the Panama Canal. The contract extension lacked proper approvals and involved serious accounting irregularities that cost the government hundreds of millions.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5% chance that the United States will take control of the Panama Canal before Jan. 21, 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump Says Putin Agreed to Halt Strikes on Ukrainian Cities
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Thursday, said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed to halt strikes on a number of Ukrainian cities for a week.
Without detailing how the request was made, Trump said he asked Putin because of the "extraordinary cold" in Ukraine. Amid sub-freezing cold with an energy infrastructure that was repeatedly hit in Russian attacks, the temperature was forecast to sink as low as -23 °C (-9° F) in the coming days.
"I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that," Trump said, without specifying when the agreement began and when it was set to finish.
Pro-Trump narrative
It was very nice of Russia's Putin to agree to stop the strikes on Ukrainian cities amid this extreme weather. People told President Trump not to bother calling him, but he did it anyway, and look what he achieved. The Ukrainians almost couldn't believe it, but they were very happy as they were struggling badly.
Pro-Russia narrative
President Trump did, in fact, personally reach out to Putin to request this energy truce. This was done with the interest of having favorable conditions for ongoing negotiations, so Russia accepted.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
This was an important move from President Trump that protected Ukrainian cities — especially during this extreme weather. Ukraine thanks Trump for these efforts that were discussed at the UAE meetings. De-escalatory steps like these will contribute in a big way to ending the war.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance there will be a bilateral ceasefire or peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by April 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh as Next Fed Chair
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is nominating Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve when Powell's term expires in May. Warsh, 55, served on the Fed's Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said, "I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best. On top of everything else, he is "central casting," and he will never let you down."
Warsh earned a bachelor's degree in public policy from Stanford University in 1992 and a law degree from Harvard in 1995. He worked at Morgan Stanley and, at age 35 in 2006, became the youngest person to serve on the Fed's board.
Right narrative
Kevin Warsh brings exactly what the Federal Reserve needs right now — deep expertise from his previous tenure as Fed Governor, sharp communication skills, and a genuine commitment to modernizing an institution that desperately needs reform. His pro-Bitcoin stance shows forward thinking that could position America's central bank for the digital economy ahead.
Left narrative
This nomination strips away any remaining illusion of Federal Reserve independence and exposes the reality of who actually controls monetary policy. Warsh's family connections through marriage to the Estée Lauder fortune and his ties to Trump's inner circle reveal that this isn't about qualifications — it's about keeping the money printer firmly in the hands of a connected elite.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that Jerome Powell will cease to be Chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors before his term is up, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Apple Acquires Q.ai for Reported $2B in Second-Largest Deal
Apple confirmed the acquisition of Israeli startup Q.ai, reportedly worth $2 billion. The purchase represents Apple's second-largest acquisition in company history, following its $3 billion purchase of Beats Electronics in 2014.
Q.ai was founded in 2022 by Aviad Maizels, Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya. Maizels previously founded PrimeSense, which Apple acquired in 2013 for approximately $350 million, and its technology became central to developing Apple's Face ID system.
Patents filed by Q.ai show technology being used in headphones or glasses that utilizes facial skin micro movements for nonverbal communication. The system could potentially allow users to have private, non-verbal discussions with an AI assistant.
Pro-establishment narrative
This acquisition is a savvy leap in the AI race, boosting Apple’s ambitions in lip-reading, facial recognition, and more intuitive device control. The reported $2 billion deal underscores how successful Israeli startups have fueled innovation for global giants like Apple, helping it recover from setbacks and strengthen its future AI leadership.
Establishment-critical narrative
Apple is importing Israeli surveillance-linked technology into consumer devices, raising alarms about biometric monitoring, emotion detection and facial micro-movement tracking embedded in everyday products. It also reflects a troubling pattern of Big Tech profiting off of and enabling Israel's unethical military tech industry.
Don Lemon Arrested Over Minnesota Church Protest
In an X post, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that former CNN anchor Don Lemon and three others were arrested by federal authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday night in connection with a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 18.
In a Facebook post, Lemon's attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated that Lemon was taken into custody while covering the Grammy Awards. Lowell described the arrest as "an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment" and said Lemon will fight the charges in court.
A federal magistrate judge previously rejected a criminal complaint against Lemon, finding insufficient evidence. The Justice Department then sought to compel the judge to issue arrest warrants, but a federal appellate court declined the request last week.
Left narrative
Arresting a journalist for covering protests is a direct assault on press freedom and constitutional rights. The Justice Department already failed twice to secure an arrest warrant in Minnesota, where a federal judge found no evidence of criminal behavior. This prosecution targets protected journalism while ignoring federal agents who killed peaceful protesters.
Right narrative
Journalists don't get immunity from criminal prosecution simply by holding a microphone. Disrupting a church service violates federal law protecting houses of worship, and the First Amendment doesn't shield illegal conduct. Being a reporter doesn't grant a free pass to break the law.
DOJ Announces Release of 3M More Pages of Epstein Files
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) on Friday announced that it had released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to Jeffrey Epstein, completing its obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law in November 2025.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that all women depicted in the files were redacted except for Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking offenses and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The DOJ declared that it collected more than 6 million records from five primary sources, including Florida and New York cases against Epstein, the New York case against Maxwell, investigations into Epstein's death and multiple FBI investigations.
Pro-Trump narrative
The Trump administration is providing the real transparency the president promised. The administration has taken action to protect victims and expose the truth. This administration's commitment to fighting child exploitation is clear not just because of its release of these files but also because of the thousands of victims it has rescued and offenders it has arrested.
Anti-Trump narrative
The administration violated the law by missing the deadline and now it's unknown whether it has actually released everything as required. Officials refuse to answer basic questions about what's missing and won't commit to revealing the identities of other men who abused girls with Epstein. The administration claimed it needed time to make sure survivors were protected yet it still managed to release a lot of private information, apparently as deliberate retribution.
Nerd narrative
There's a 40% chance that the Trump administration will release the Epstein Files before Jan. 20, 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Israel to Reopen Rafah Crossing for Limited Traffic
After receiving the remains of the last Israeli hostage, Israel said Friday it will reopen the two-way Rafah border crossing on Sunday for limited pedestrian traffic. It will operate under coordination with Egypt, requiring prior Israeli security clearance for individuals.
Entry into Gaza from Egypt will be permitted only for residents who left during the war and have received Israeli security approval. Exit from Gaza will initially be limited to sick and wounded Palestinians and their companions; 150-200 entries and exits are expected daily.
A Palestinian Authority unit is set to staff the Gaza side of the crossing, overseen by the EU Border Assistance Mission. Israeli forces will conduct additional screening at a designated corridor, using security technology — including facial recognition.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel's decision to reopen the Rafah crossing on Sunday shows it is taking real security risks to meet Gazans' demands for movement and access. Even as the IDF warns that unchecked aid can strengthen Hamas rather than civilians, Israel is still allowing two-way passage. This signals a calculated step to address humanitarian pressure despite ongoing threats.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Reopening Rafah is less a humanitarian gesture than a tightly controlled measure as Israel continues bombing the same area it claims to reopen for civilians it forced to flee. Gazans will face checkpoints, corruption and bribes just to pass. The crossing's return offers little real freedom, while reinforcing Israel's total control over their every move.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that the Gaza war will end and significant progress be made towards a two-state solution before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.