Metaculus

A collection of 2726 posts

Slovakia: Populist Party Wins Parliamentary Election

The populist party of Slovakia's former Prime Minister Robert Fico, which reportedly wants to stop military aid to Ukraine, has won Saturday's parliamentary election....

Politics

China: Factory Activity Expands for First Time in Six Months

On Saturday, China's National Bureau of Statistics revealed that factory activity had expanded for the first time in six months in the PRC....

Money

Afghan Embassy in India Ends Operations

The embassy of Afghanistan in India's capital New Delhi has suspended operations from Sunday 'due to the lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a legitimate functioning government in Kabul.'...

Politics

UK Awards $4.9B Contract to Build AUKUS Nuclear Submarines

UK Defense Sec. Grant Shapps announced Sunday that London awarded the British defense company BAE Systems a £4B ($4.9B) contract to build nuclear-powered attack submarines under the AUKUS program that includes the UK, Australia, and the US....

Military

UK: PM Insists No Plan to Send British Troops to Ukraine

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday said that there were no immediate plans to send British military instructors to Ukraine, reeling back comments made by Defense Minister Grant Shapps that were published earlier in the day....

Politics

US Congress Averts Government Shutdown

A US federal government shutdown was averted after Congress passed a stopgap funding bill three hours before the midnight Saturday deadline, with Pres. Joe Biden signing it just shy of this cutoff....

Politics

Trump Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty in Georgia Case

Atlanta-based bail bondsman Scott Hall, one of former Pres. Donald Trump's 18 co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election interference case, pleaded guilty on Friday to misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with the performance of election duties....

Crime & justice

Study: Radiotherapy Doses for Prostate Cancer Could Be Cut By 75%

According to a study by the UK's Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer Research in London, higher doses of radiation therapy can reduce medium-risk prostate cancer patients' treatment doses by as much as 75%....

Health

SCOTUS to Review 'Anti-Censorship' Social Media Laws

On Friday, SCOTUS announced that it will weigh in on the constitutionality of laws in Florida and Texas that seek to limit social media platforms' ability to suppress content....

Media

Myanmar: Western Nations Condemn Junta-Planned Elections

The UK and Canada have joined the US in opposing plans by Myanmar's military junta to hold polls, claiming that a vote without political parties — which together won 89% of the seats in the 2020 election — risks aggravating unrest and violence....

Politics

US Offers $5M Reward for Insight Into Ecuador Election Assassination

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday a reward of up to $5M for information leading to the arrest of the masterminds behind the assassination of Ecuadorian presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio on Aug. 9....

United States

FDA to Increase Oversight of Lab Tests

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it intends to step up its oversight of laboratory-developed tests to ensure their safety and effectiveness....

Health

Swedish PM Meets With Military to Address Gang Violence

On Friday, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the nation's army would support in addressing a recent surge in gang violence — that has killed at least 12 people in September alone — following a meeting with armed forces and police officers....

Sweden

Senator Dianne Feinstein Passes at 90

US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) died Thursday night at her home in Washington, D.C. In a statement, her chief of staff James Sauls said she 'never backed away from a fight for what was just and right' and 'was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant b...

Politics

Pakistan: More Than 50 Killed in Multiple Mosque Attacks

Local officials said that at least 52 people were killed and scores more were wounded after a suicide bombing in Mastung in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Friday....

Crime & justice

India-Canada Rift: Blinken Meets Indian Counterpart

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Washington, DC, amid the fallout of Canada's accusation of potential Indian involvement in the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar....

Metaculus

UN: US Jail Practices Racist, an 'Affront to Human Dignity'

In a report published Thursday, three UN-appointed experts called for the overhaul of the US criminal system to combat alleged systemic racism in American prisons....

Crime & justice

HRW: European Companies Ditching Toxic Ships on Bangladesh Beaches

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed that European shipping firms are dumping their old ships on dangerous and polluting scrap yards on beaches in Bangladesh, allegedly using loopholes in international regulations to make profit at the expense of Bangladeshi lives and the environment....

Environment & Energy

Putin Meets Ex-Wagner Commander Andrei Troshev

Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin was this week pictured in a meeting with Andrei Troshev, formerly a senior commander of the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin until his death in a plane crash earlier this year....

Politics

India: Manipur Remains on Edge Despite Curfew

On Thursday, at least ten people were injured in clashes between security officials and protesters in India's strife-hit northeastern state of Manipur....

Military

Weight Loss Drugs Face FDA Scrutiny

Popular weight loss drugs, including Wegovy, Saxenda, and Ozempic, are under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after reports of suicidal risks were reported to the US watchdog....

Health

Taiwan Unveils First Domestically-Produced Military Submarine

Taiwan on Thursday unveiled its first domestically-produced submarine. The development comes as the island strengthens its defenses amid fears of a potential Chinese invasion, with Pres. Tsai Ing-wen stressing that this achievement had previously been deemed impossible....

Military

OpenAI in Talks to Create 'iPhone of Artificial Intelligence'

OpenAI is reportedly in advanced talks with former Apple designer Jony Ive and Japanese conglomerate SoftBank to collaborate on the 'iPhone of artificial intelligence.'...

Science & Technology

US Gen. Milley Reportedly Takes Safety Measures After Trump Comments

In an interview with CBS News, General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who’s scheduled to retire Oct. 1, said he has taken 'safety precautions' to protect himself and his family since former Pres. Donald Trump last week made a social media post that could’ve been const...

Metaculus

ChatGPT Can Now Access Up to Date Information

ChatGPT can now browse the internet to provide users with current information, its parent company, OpenAI, announced Wednesday....

Metaculus