Europe

Belarus Legalizes Cryptocurrencies and ICOs – Tax-Free for Five Years

"The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, has signed a decree which legalizes cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and smart contracts. All crypto transactions and related income, including from mining, will be tax-free for the next five years. The decree creates unprecedented conditions for residents of the Belarusian High-Tech Park (HTP). Legal entities in HTP can attract investments by issuing their own ICO tokens as well as buying and selling them through crypto exchanges."

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The Great Beer Conspiracy to Overthrow the U.S.

"As suddenly as the Hun threat arose, it disappeared. The armistice that brought peace to the continent went into effect on Nov. 11, 1918, just two weeks after the committee launched its investigation into machinations of German-American brewers. As such, the committee swiftly lost interest in the German infiltration."

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Alfred McCoy: Tweeting While Rome Burns

"In just one extraordinary year, Trump has destabilized the delicate duality that has long been the foundation for U.S. foreign policy: favoring war over diplomacy, the Pentagon over the State Department, and narrow national interest over international leadership. But in a globalizing world interconnected by trade, the Internet, and the rapid proliferation of nuclear-armed missiles, walls won’t work. There can be no Fortress America."

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Danish police prosecute 1,000 youngsters for sharing viral sex video

"Those who spread the video range in age from 15 to in their early 20s. If found guilty the young people's punishments will range from a criminal record to having their name added to child protection registers for 10 years. The age of consent in Denmark is 15 but it is a criminal offence to distribute images of anyone aged under 18."

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Governments Try to Control Language to Hilarious Results

"The people of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro all speak the same language, the Serbo-Croatian language, yet their respective governments claim that they speak Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin. In reality, the differences between how people speak in the former Yugoslavia are as little as the differences between English in Britain and the United States. Nonetheless, their respective governments sought to courageously protect their people from not speaking a language named after their national identity."

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French actress denounced for defending men’s right to seduce women

"She is one of 100 French women who wrote an open letter, warning about a new 'puritanism' sparked by recent sexual harassment scandals. It deplores a wave of 'denunciations', following rape allegations made against US movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. A group of French feminists condemned the letter, accusing the signatories of trivialising sexual violence."

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First France, Now Brazil Unveils Internet Censorship To Combat “Fake News”

"Police officials vow that they will proceed to implement the censorship program even if no new law is enacted. They insist that no new laws are necessary by pointing to a pre-internet censorship law enacted in 1983 — during the time Brazil was ruled by a brutal military dictatorship that severely limited free expression and routinely imprisoned dissidents."

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Parliament reports 24,000 attempts to access porn sites since election

"The figure of 24,473 attempts represents about 160 requests per day on average from computers and other devices connected to the parliamentary network – which is used by MPs, peers and staff – between June and October last year. Parliamentary authorities say the majority of attempts are not deliberate."

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