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UN Human Rights Chief to Step Down in Wake of China Visit
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, on Mon. announced her decision not to seek a second term citing "personal reasons." Her four-year mandate will expire on Aug. 31.
The revelation comes as she continues to face fierce criticism from human rights groups over a visit to China in May, during which she failed to condemn allegations of genocide against Uyghur Muslims taking place in Xinjiang.
Although Bachelet traveled there to investigate claims that Beijing had been targeting and detaining Uyghurs and local minorities, she praised China for its "tremendous achievements" during the trip.
Anti-China narrative
Bachelet's tour of China was outright embarrassing, not only for herself but for the entirety of the UN. During her closing statements, she said nothing of the ongoing human rights violations in the nation, instead regurgitating CCP propaganda.
Pro-China narrative
This is clearly a smear campaign created by US officials, who have tried to manipulate Bachelet's visit to condemn Beijing. She organized her trip according to her will and was given an accurate picture of China and its practices.
Nerd narrative
There is a 25% chance that the UN will open an investigation or otherwise intervene on the issue of Xinjiang's internment camps by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Google Settles Gender Discrimination Lawsuit for $118M
Concluding what started as a 2017 class-action suit in San Francisco Superior Court by three former female employees, Google agreed to settle accusations of gender discrimination for a total of $118M.
The sum will go to more than 15k women after Google was accused of paying them less than their male counterparts for similar work, placing women in lower-salary jobs, and offering fewer opportunities for promotion.
Under the deal, an independent industrial-organizational psychologist will investigate Google's hiring practices and a third-party economist will review the big tech's internal pay-equity studies and make consequent recommendations.
Progressive narrative
With a number of similar lawsuits targetting pay gaps appearing against the likes of Microsoft and Twitter without much success, the settlement is a big win for women who feel intentionally underpaid and undervalued in tech companies.
Conservative narrative
It's clear that woke culture is reaching a point where even its biggest advocates can't keep up. Google, an ultra-woke company, has fallen short of the rapidly increasing and inevitably unattainable demands of woke culture and American civil rights law.
Michael Avenatti to Plead Guilty to Stealing Millions From Clients
According to court papers filed on Sun., disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti, who represented porn actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against former Pres. Donald Trump, offered to plead guilty to federal charges in California for stealing millions of dollars from clients, lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a bankruptcy court, and defrauding a bank.
Prosecutors assert that Avenatti stole nearly $10M in settlement funds from at least five of his clients.
This month, Avenatti was sentenced to four years in prison for pocketing nearly $300k from Stormy Daniels for her book, Full Disclosure. He was also convicted in 2020 of extortion, the transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort, and wire fraud in regards to threats he made against the sports equipment giant Nike for $25M.
Pro-Trump narrative
Formerly a darling of leftist media, Avenatti has fallen from the heady-heights of potential Democrat Presidential nomination, to pleading guilty to his crimes despite lack of a plea deal. The lawsuit against former Pres. Donald Trump brought by Stormy Daniels has been further undermined by her association with Avenatti and his professional fall out.
Democratic narrative
As it turned out, Avenatti was pedelling fabrications and selling them to the American left. However, Trumpism prompted far more significant and principled politicians and activists on to fight for the health of US democracy. Far more committed people like Miles Taylor have made great personal sacrifices in order to persevere against Trump's politics and their effect on democracy.
Nerd narrative
There is a 30% chance that Donal Trump will be elected President of the US in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 112 Roundup: Azot Plant Evacuations Fail; Biden Announces $1B More in Aid
Russia on Wed. accused Ukraine of blocking plans to evacuate civilians who've been hiding out in bunkers beneath the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk, after Russia agreed on the corridors late Tuesday. More than 500 civilians, including 40 children, reportedly remain trapped. Ukraine is yet to comment.
Russia, whose forces reportedly control most of the city and have confined Ukraine's soldiers to the Azot plant, also offered fighters an ultimatum to surrender by 8am local time on Wednesday. The demand was reportedly ignored. Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said: "[Our military] are defending Severodonetsk and not letting them to advance to Lysychansk."
Russian ground offensives also reportedly continued south of Izyum and west of Popasna as fighting persists for control of the Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway that would cut off Lysychansk and Severodonetsk to the east.
Anti-Russia narrative
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 a fraudulent election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
Pro-Russia narrative
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.
Nerd narrative
There is a 22% chance that Putin and Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukraine conflict before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Denmark, Canada Resolve Dispute Over Arctic Isle
On Tues., Canada and Denmark signed an agreement to end a 49-year territorial dispute over Hans Island, which is located in the center of the border between Canada and Greenland - an autonomous territory of Denmark.
The dispute began in 1973 when Canada and Denmark agreed to create a border through Nares Strait, halfway between the two nations, but couldn't agree on which country would have sovereignty over the island
In 1984, Denmark raised a Danish flag on the island and buried a bottle of Danish schnapps at the flagpole's base. Canadians then planted their own flag and left a bottle of Canadian brandy. This back and forth continued for years and the dispute was nicknamed the "whisky war."
Narrative A
This is how you properly handle an international dispute. In a time when we have witnessed so much war and destruction, Canada and Denmark worked out the dispute through diplomacy and peaceful negotiations. This should send a message to the rest of the globe that taking up arms isn't always the answer.
Narrative B
The so-called "whiskey war" was never really a conflict at all, but more of a diplomatic afterthought. The island has no mineral resources or anything else of interest, and the back-and-forth between the two nations was largely good-natured.
UK-Rwanda Deportation Plan Halted By ECHR
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the British government remains committed to deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, after the first flight to the African country was canceled minutes before take-off due to a late intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tues. evening.
The Strasbourg-based court, which has the power to override decisions made by British courts and make binding judgments in the UK, highlighted criticism from the UNHCR, who expressed doubt that deportees would have access to fair procedures on their claims.
The government has argued that the £120M deal with Rwanda will tackle the issue of human smuggling networks across the Channel and deter refugees from making Channel crossings which often prove deadly.
Right narrative
The ECHR has undermined British sovereignty with its 11th-hour intervention. The UK Supreme Court, the highest court in the country, had already rejected injunctions to this prudent plan, yet judges in Strasbourg cost the UK taxpayer at least £500K by interfering with government policy. Boris Johnson should lead the UK to walk away from the ECHR.
Left narrative
The ECHR was forced to intervene to stop a draconian policy that would have violated the rights of asylum seekers from proceeding. Some of those scheduled to fly on Tues. were victims of torture who have a right to have their cases decided in Britain. Despite the defensive reaction of the Conservative government, the policy is too legally questionable to be forced through.
NY Court: An Elephant Isn't a Person
On Tues., New York's top court rejected a legal effort to free an elephant named Happy from the Bronx Zoo.
The group that brought the lawsuit, the Nonhuman Rights Project, argued that "Happy is an extraordinarily cognitively complex and autonomous nonhuman" and should be seen as a "legal person" with a right to bodily freedom.
The 5-2 decision by the state Court of Appeals affirms that Happy doesn't meet the definition of a "person." Happy will therefore not be released through habeas corpus, a way for people to challenge illegal confinement.
Narrative A
With the court's final decision, it's clear that more needs to be done regarding animal rights. Elephants are cognitively complex animals, and Happy is an autonomous, self-aware being. Her treatment and incarceration are unjust and she deserves the same legal rights ascribed to humans.
Narrative B
This ruling was about the bigger picture. Labeling Happy a "person" and granting her freedom would've opened the door to more legal actions on behalf of animals, including pets and other species in zoos. That could devastate the industries involved and those who care for the animals.
Kremlin Critic Navalny Confirms Move to Maximum Security Prison
Alexei Navalny, a leading opponent and critic of Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin, on Wed. confirmed that he had been transferred to, and quarantined in, a high security prison.
He was jailed for two and half years for violating parole on his return to Russia in Feb. 2021 from Germany, where he had been recuperating from apparent nerve agent poisoning. He was then sentenced to nine more years at the end of Mar. 2022 for fraud and contempt of court.
Although Russian news agencies reported that Navalny was transferred to the maximum-security penal colony IK-6, notorious for its reputation of alleged torture and abuse, his lawyer reportedly attempted to visit him Tues. and was told "there is no such convict" in the institution.
Anti-Russia narrative
Navalny, who has committed his political career to opposing Putin's despotic and oppressive regime, must be liberated. The labeling of Navalny as an extremist and terrorist is a blatant falsehood being peddled by the Russian state.
Pro-Russia narrative
Western countries are using Navalny as a tool to mold new pretexts for anti-Russian sanctions. Russian authorities were blamed for Navalny's illness last year, despite a clean bill of health before his transfer to Berlin. Western reporting is more concerned with discrediting Russia than with the truth or the safety of Navalny himself.
Nerd narrative
There is a 4% chance that Alexei Navalny will become President or Prime Minister of Russia in his lifetime, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
US Open: Russian, Belarusian Players Can Compete
US Tennis Association CEO Lew Sherr announced on Tues. that the US Open will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete in this year's tournament.
This means that Russian Daniil Medvedev, currently ranked men's No.1, will be allowed to defend his title in the competition that will start on Aug. 29.
However, Russian and Belarusian players will have to compete under a neutral flag, following a policy adopted by the French Open and several other tennis tournaments.
Pro-Russia narrative
This decision is in line with the ethics of sports. Targeting athletes is misguided and prejudicial as they have nothing to do with their country's military operations. Sports should be kept separate from politics.
Anti-Russia narrative
Banning athletes from competing is no easy decision, but a necessary one. The reality is that sports and politics are closely intertwined and these sanctions rightly deny Putin one of his most reliable political tools and isolate him internationally.
FED Raises Key Interest Rate By .75: Biggest Hike Since 1994
On Wed., the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage points to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, marking its sharpest increase since 1994.
The large hike follows last week's announcement that US inflation had reached its highest in 40 yrs at 8.6%.
It also came despite previous indications from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell that a 0.75 point increase wasn't likely.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Fed is trying to engineer a "soft-landing" - dampening inflation without inducing a recession. But it's a pipe dream. The central bank waited too long to start cooling inflation and is now overcompensating, which runs the risk of slowing the economy so much that it shrinks.
Pro-establishment narrative
The process of bringing down inflation is unpopular and pain-inducing, but necessary. There is broad consensus among Fed bankers and economists that it's time to increase quantitative tightening to rein in inflation, and the market is breathing a sigh of relief after the latest announcement.
Cynical narrative
Inflation is bad news for consumers and savers alike, but it's good news for the irresponsible governments that have racked up decades of unsustainable debt and now need to inflate their way out of it. Central banks aren't too eager to check inflation and will take on more debt and print more money rather than raise rates to where they should be.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that the benchmark interest rate in the US will be 2.75% on Dec. 31, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.