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Fake news inquiry calls for social media levy to defend democracy
A UK parliamentary committee which has been running a multi-month investigation into the impact of online disinformation on political campaigning — and on democracy itself — has published a preliminary report highlighting what it describes as “significant concerns” over the risks to “shared values and the integrity of our democratic institutions”. It’s calling for “urgent […]
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The U.S. Opioid Crisis Hits Tasmanias Poppy Farmers
Glynn Williams, a fifth-generation Australian farmer, is feeling the impact of a public health crisis unfolding 8,000 miles away. His family plants potatoes and raises cattle on Tasmania’s wind-swept northwest. Williams, 48, also grows poppies, the plants that produce the raw opiate in such prescription drugs as oxycodone, which are blamed for an epidemic of overdose deaths in the U.S. […]
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Puerto Rico’s Economic Crisis Grows in Maria’s Wake
All of Puerto Rico has lost electricity. Entire towns are swamped in the deluge. Streets have become rivers and trees have crushed homes. Hurricane Maria is Puerto Rico’s Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to visit the island and declared Puerto Rico a disaster zone, which helps clear the way for federal assistance. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Getty […]