Two days ago I covered the myriad ways the world was turning its collective fire on Israel, leading one BBC journalist to describe them as “isolated”. In the two days since, that isolation has only increased. Earlier today, dozens of delegations walked out in protest during Netanyahu’s speech to the UN. The Spanish and […]
Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week the theories have been flying thick and fast. The alleged shooter has been identified as a pro-transgender campaigner into furry internet culture and also a traditional Republican Mormon. He is both a leftist anti-fa agent and a far-right “Groyper” fan of Nick […]
Starting this month, banks all across Vietnam will begin deleting over 86,000,000 bank accounts that have not been “verified” under the countries new digital ID scheme. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) are calling it a “system clean-up measure”. This “clean up” is part of the government’s “digital transformation” plan, a drive to […]
This is a fascinating tale. In 2008 Tania Head, then-President of the 9/11 Survivors Group, was outed as a fake. Not only had she not been rescued from the South Tower mintues before it collapsed, she wasn’t even in New York that day. She wasn’t even in the country. Tania Head […]
Our successor to This Week in the Guardian, This Week in the New Normal is our weekly chart of the progress of autocracy, authoritarianism and economic restructuring around the world. 1. Reason to hate the media no. 5691 On Friday CNN reported that Donald Trump had “revoked” Kamala Harris’ secret service protection under […]
Ticks responsible for giving people a “meat allergy” are spreading further and wider because the planet is warming. That’s the story, anyway. The disease is called Alpha-Gal Syndrome, it is a condition where your body produces an immune response to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate found in mammalian meat. It was first […]
It looks like we can add another to the growing mountain of problems that digital IDs are going to solve for all of us. We already know that digital IDs will help counter populism, and illegal immigration, and crime, and benefit fraud, and terrorism, and pandemics. But they’ll help tackle […]
The US Navy is sending at least three destroyers and various other craft to the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, allegedly on a mission to combat drug cartel activity. In response, Maduro has mobilized 4 million members of the national militia. Trump “hasn’t ruled out” boots on the ground, but in fairness, he […]
Six days ago, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia announced a total ban on hiking, camping, hunting or other human activity in the forest. A breach of this new rule is punishable by a fine up to 28,000 Canadian dollars. Then, yesterday, New Brunswick decided to enforce a similar ban in their forests. The aim, […]
I’m starting to think a full-scale, nationwide compulsory digital ID won’t ever be a thing. Not officially, anyway. Not for quite a while. It’s a vibe I feel coming off the news that gels more with the current methodology – the indirect authoritarianism of the easier path. Piecemeal tyranny washed […]