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NASA Postpones Artemis Moon Rocket Launch
NASA has called off its second attempt to launch its moon rocket in five days it was unable to repair a fuel leak discovered during tanking.
The second attempt at lift-off was expected at 2:17 p.m. EST Sat., but by 4 p.m. the launch was officially scrubbed. A third attempt is now potentially planned for late Sept. or October.
Known as Artemis 1, the uncrewed test flight is planned to orbit the moon and return to Earth 42 days later. It's also designed to test the rocket's safety and performance before the same technology is used to send astronauts back to the moon later this decade.
Narrative A
Eventually, Nasa will return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, including the first woman to do it. As part of a long-term plan for a Moon to Mars exploration in the next 20 years, the Artemis project is an exciting test to see how close humanity is to reaching much further than the Moon in the decades to come.
Narrative B
Despite the long-term plan for the Artemis program this decade, only now is Nasa creating a single management structure to handle its entirety. Whilst the intentions are exciting, there has clearly been a lack of administration that may have been left too late to fix before the planned personnel moon landing in 2025.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that NASA will next land astronauts on the Moon by August 2029, according to the Metaculus Prediction Community.
Report: Suspected Chinese Hackers Spied on Governments, NGOs, Media
Cybersecurity company Recorded Future has released a report claiming that Beijing has sponsored a hacking group named RedAlpha, which spied on governments, NGOs, think tanks, and media over the past three years.
The report suggests that RedAlpha – which is alleged to have historically targeted Chinese minorities, including the Tibetan and the Uyghur communities – has carried out spoofing attacks on several organizations allegedly related to Chinese strategic interests.
This includes Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights, Radio Free Asia, the Mercator Institute for China Studies, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, and the American Institute in Taiwan - the US de facto embassy on the island.
Pro-China narrative
China's model of hiring private contractors to carry out espionage operations is reaching a dangerous trend in the cybersecurity world. As Chinese campaigns have become more aggressive, numerous, and sophisticated, Beijing's control over hackers - who operate like franchises - is collapsing, posing a threat to global cybersecurity.
Anti-China narrative
China fiercely defends cybersecurity, opposing all forms of hacking activities and urging global efforts to improve it. Yet, Western countries continue to carry out a defamation campaign against Beijing, making baseless claims that China is involved in cyber attacks. This Cold War attitude must be rejected and replaced with a cooperative approach to making global cyberspace safer.
Nerd narrative
There's a 27% chance that China will make a successful cyberattack on Taiwanese critical infrastructure before December 31, 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Opioid Crisis: Walmart, CVS, Walgreens To Pay $650M in Damages
A federal judge in Cleveland, Ohio, has determined that CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart must pay $650M to two of the state's counties for their role in the opioid crisis. The ruling comes just a week after a San Franciscan judge found that Walgreens could be held partially responsible for the public health disaster that has killed 500k Americans since 1999.
The damages will be used by Lake and Trumbull counties to counter the effects of ongoing opioid crises among their populations, with Lake set to receive $306M over 15 years and Trumbull $344M over the same period.
Attorneys have estimated the full financial cost of damage done by opioid abuse in the counties at $3.3B, laying blame at the door of the companies who, they argue, dispensed pain medication irresponsibly and without proper oversight.
Pro-establishment narrative
These retailers had policies to stem the flow of prescription medication - it was common practice for pharmacists to voice concerns and notify authorities about suspicious orders. But ultimately the pharmacies didn't decide whether people needed the prescriptions, they were simply compelled to fulfill them. The companies aren't responsible for the opioid problems and have only been sued because the counties were in search of deep pockets and a scapegoat.
Establishment-critical narrative
Retailers profited from neglectfully oversupplying blue-collar communities in Ohio with highly addictive pills - this is a victory for justice. This order may be a tide turning case for thousands of other communities seeking to hold big pharmacies accountable for the public health disaster that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Japan Encourages Young Adults to Drink More Alcohol
Japan's National Tax Agency (NTA) on Thurs. launched "Sake Viva!", a campaign aimed at encouraging the country's young adults to drink more alcohol to counter a decline in tax revenue, after 2020 saw tax revenues from alcohol decrease by about $800M.
The campaign has established a competition for applicants between 20 and 39-years-old to develop business ideas to boost the demand for Japanese alcoholic beverages, including sake, shochu, awamori, beer, whisky, and wine.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, bars and other businesses selling alcohol in Japan have been hard hit by low sales. The NTA has subsequently been struggling with plummeting liquor tax revenues.
Establishment-critical narrative
It is wholly inappropriate for the government to encourage younger generations to consume more alcohol. This competition neglects the health risks associated with alcohol consumption and fails to show any sensitivity for people who struggle with alcohol related problems, especially considering that Japan's Health Ministry last year identified excessive drinking as a "major social problem."
Pro-establishment narrative
Japan is doing what is best for the country's economy. This is an effort to use young and innovative minds to revive a plummeting industry. As always, the government is reminding people that they can purchase and drink alcohol responsibly while also fueling Japan's economic growth.
North Korea Slams South's 'Absurd' Offer of Aid
On Fri., North Korea's state media reported that Pyongyang had rejected Seoul's latest offer of economic aid in exchange for denuclearization.
On Mon., South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk-yeol had presented a plan comprising energy, food, health care, and infrastructure help in exchange for Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Commenting on the "audacious plan," Kim Yo-jong, a top official and sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared that Pyongyang wouldn't trade their destiny and honor "for corn cake," and that it would be better for Pres. Yoon's image if he "shut his mouth."
Narrative A
It was presumptuous of Yoon to think his plan would be successful when similar proposals have been rejected in the past. The South is in no position to discuss another country's economy and living conditions. Meanwhile, despite his attempts to pose as a credible stakeholder, he's seeking confrontation by carrying out military drills.
Narrative B
Seoul's main goal is to promote peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula. Yoon's plan reinforces this commitment by advancing an agenda to establish dialogue between both countries. Unlike previous offers that required Pyongyang to abandon its nukes first, the South is now eager to help once the North vows to seek denuclearization.
Nerd narrative
There's a 39% chance that there will be a major famine in North Korea before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Day 177 Roundup: UN Chief Repeats Call for Demilitarization of Nuclear Plant; Attacks Reported in Russia and Crimea
In a summit with the heads of Ukraine and Turkey on Thurs., the UN's António Guterres reiterated calls for a demilitarized zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, held by Russian forces since Mar. 4. The secretary-general said: "Military equipment and personnel should be withdrawn from the plant. Further deployment of forces or equipment to the site must be avoided. The area needs to be demilitarized."
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – who mediated the grain export deal which is also the subject of talks – said: "The focal point of the trilateral meeting was finding a way to end the war." The president went on: "I have preserved my belief that the war will come to an end at the negotiating table."
Ukraine's Zelenskyy said he was "very surprised" to hear that Russia is "ready for some kind of peace." He said: "People who kill, rape, on a daily basis cannot [want peace]. They are hitting our civilian cities, civilian infrastructures with cruise missiles – they cannot want peace. So first, it seems to me, they should liberate our territories."
Pro-establishment narrative
With strikes increasingly hitting key bridges and ammunition depots in Russian-controlled territory, there's more and more reason to think Ukraine's counteroffensive – a vital step in bringing this war to a close – will be a success.
Establishment-critical narrative
Ukraine's southern offensive has been much talked about, but there's little to show for it in territorial gains other than the recapture of a small town. Not only has there been no Ukraine counteroffensive, it will never come.
Nerd narrative
There is a 11% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Finnish PM Sanna Marin's Drug Test Returns Negative Result
On Mon., results from a drug test - taken by Finnish PM Sanna Marin the previous Fri. - returned a negative result. She was under pressure to take the test after a video of a party she attended emerged on social media that apparently included someone referencing illicit substances.
According to Lida Vallin, one of the PM's advisers, Marin's sample was tested for various drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamine, cannabis, and opioids. Sanna Marin insisted on Fri. she had never in her life used drugs.
Finnish MP Mikko Kärnä, a member of Marin's coalition partner Centre Party, had urged Marin to take the test voluntarily and disclose the results to the public, saying that the Finnish people had a right to transparency.
Narrative A
This isn't the first time Marin has shown poor judgment. Her behavior, unprofessional at best, isn't fitting for the leader of a country. It goes without saying that the prime minister of Finland cannot be present at parties where narcotics prohibited by the criminal code are openly consumed.
Narrative B
There's no evidence of drugs being consumed, and even a PM has the right to a private persona. It's hard to believe that our greatest worry is that our political leaders are kicking back and hanging out with friends without breaking the law doing so.
Israeli Troops Raid Offices of Palestinian Rights Groups
During overnight raids on Thurs., in Ramallah, West Bank, Israeli forces closed the offices of seven Palestinian human rights organizations - six of which it had previously deemed terrorist organizations - confiscating items before welding doors shut.
The move has sparked international criticism, with the UN and the US urging Israel to disclose details of charges supporting the closures and to provide evidence of allegedly unlawful activities.
Israel first accused the NGOs of being associated with terrorism in Oct. 2021, after an earlier investigation by security agency Shin Bet alleged that they had raised and laundered money for the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as well as forged documents for them, recruited activists, and witnessed high-level meetings at their offices.
Pro-Palestine narrative
These attacks against Palestinian civil society come amid a broader campaign to vilify Palestinian institutions, especially human rights groups that have criticized and denounced Israel's crimes and abuses. Hopefully, this latest crackdown will backfire as the international community has rightly stood with the NGOs after Israel failed to prove its claims.
Pro-Israel narrative
It requires a lot of naivety to believe that these NGOs represent "civil society" and aren't part of a soft-power strategy against Israel. These groups have verifiable connections with the Marxist-Leninist PFLP and yet are allowed to operate in and against Israel. Letting this go unpunished will only worsen the situation.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5% chance that Israel and Palestine will hold peace talks in 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Scientists Discover New Method to Break Down "Forever Chemicals"
After years of searching, a group of scientists at the University of California and Northwestern University has reportedly found a cheap and effective way of destroying PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also called "forever chemicals."
The toxic chemicals are estimated to affect the drinking water of over 200M Americans, contaminate 98% of Americans' blood, and significant levels of PFAs have been detected in some food and the air. They don't naturally decompose, but rather cycle through and accumulate in the environment.
Roughly 12K kinds of PFAS have been created since they were invented in the 1940s. They are widely used as oil and water repellents for common products.
Narrative A
This latest step could help decontaminate thousands of sites across the world. Scientists should be encouraged by these promising findings that could help protect public health in communities around the globe.
Narrative B
While exciting, this new method will likely have very little impact in addressing the growing problem of PFA contamination Forever chemicals are seemingly everywhere and we need a faster way to deal with this issue.
India: BJP to Allow Up to 2.5M Non-Locals to Vote in Kashmir
India is expected to allow up to 2.5M new voters in the contested Kashmir and Jammu region, a move which local political parties have denounced as an attempt to influence upcoming elections.
The Muslim-majority region is claimed in full by Pakistan and India, but each controls respective sections after having fought two wars over the region. India stripped its portion of semi-autonomy in 2019, changing the constitution to allow non-Kashmiris to vote and own land.
If implemented, temporary electorates could expand the current population of 7.6M voters by more than 33%, a move that could result in many Hindu-nationalists of PM Modi's party emigrating to the region.
Narrative A
This is clearly an attempt by the BJP to further impede the sovereignty and self-determination of the Kashmiris. The international community will see through India's sly attempts to change Kashmiri laws and alter the demographics of the region, and Kashmir is strong enough and determined to withstand these blatant illegal attacks.
Narrative B
While it is true that Kashmir immigrants will be allowed to vote in Kashmir, that doesn't mean they'll be able to vote in multiple elections. Just as anyone in any country changes their address to vote in their new home city, Indians who move to Kashmir will be allowed to vote in that city.