Veridica Digest

OCCRP: In the Russian Penal Colony, They Called Him ‘Dr. Evil’
Mengele din Mordovia
OCCRP: In the Russian Penal Colony, They Called Him ‘Dr. Evil’

Deep in the Russian heartland, hundreds of kilometers from home, Ukrainian prisoners of war were tormented by a sadistic doctor. Reporters set out to unmask him.

The Atlantic: Conspiracy Theorists Are Turning on the President
Există o listă cu celebrități care au abuzat minore?
The Atlantic: Conspiracy Theorists Are Turning on the President

MAGA influencers are furious that Trump’s FBI says no more Jeffrey Epstein secrets are forthcoming.

Politico: Why Grok Fell in Love With Hitler
AI marca Elon Musk: simpatii naziste
Politico: Why Grok Fell in Love With Hitler

AI expert Gary Marcus explains what went wrong with Elon Musk’s pet project, and what it means for the future of AI.

The New York Times Magazine: How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power
Războiul din Gaza
The New York Times Magazine: How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power

Secret meetings, altered records, ignored intelligence: the inside story of the prime minister’s political calculations since Oct. 7.

The Guardian: Inside the ghost museums of Ukraine: exhibits replaced by fragments of war and occupation
Războiul din Ucraina
The Guardian: Inside the ghost museums of Ukraine: exhibits replaced by fragments of war and occupation

The curators of shattered historical buildings near the eastern frontline are preserving wartime memories as they reconstruct their collections

Rolling Stone: Inside the CIA’s Secret Afghan Army
Războiul din Afghanistan
Rolling Stone: Inside the CIA’s Secret Afghan Army

The Zero Units served alongside Americans, helping them fight, then evacuate. Now, they face uncertainty as they begin their new lives in the United States

Scientific American: ChatGPT Is Changing the Words We Use in Conversation
Revoluția AI
Scientific American: ChatGPT Is Changing the Words We Use in Conversation

Words frequently used by ChatGPT, including “delve” and “meticulous,” are getting more common in spoken language, according to an analysis of more than 700,000 hours of videos and podcasts

The Economist: How an agonising relationship with his dad shaped Xi Jinping
Xi, familia si partidul
The Economist: How an agonising relationship with his dad shaped Xi Jinping

The most powerful man on Earth had a grim childhood

Euronews: Fake Charlie Hebdo cover attacking Moldova Pride circulates online
Doppelganger rusesc
Euronews: Fake Charlie Hebdo cover attacking Moldova Pride circulates online

False front covers attributed to the French satirical magazine are commonly used as vectors for disinformation.

TechRadar: Spotify’s latest breakout band The Velvet Sundown appears to be AI-generated – and fans aren’t happy
Inteligență artificială
TechRadar: Spotify’s latest breakout band The Velvet Sundown appears to be AI-generated – and fans aren’t happy

It’s either AI or a very clever marketing campaign

The New York Times: Bowling for Nobels
De la Leibniz la RMN
The New York Times: Bowling for Nobels

How a centuries-old math puzzle helped us see inside the human brain.

The Times of Israel: Israel was facing destruction at the hands of Iran. This is how close it came, and how it saved itself
Programul nuclear iranian
The Times of Israel: Israel was facing destruction at the hands of Iran. This is how close it came, and how it saved itself

Iran was a decision and a few weeks away from nuclear weapons. But unlike Gaza 2023, Israel had been watching

Meduza: ‘The bureau’s niche project’
Ruskaia Obșcina, copilul FSB-ului
Meduza: ‘The bureau’s niche project’

How the FSB gave rise to wartime Russia’s most notorious far-right group

The Atlantic: The President’s Weapon
Riscurile unei apocalipse nucleare
The Atlantic: The President’s Weapon

Why does the power to launch nuclear weapons rest with a single American?

The New Yorker: Calculating the Damage of Vaccine Skepticism
Pandemia anti-vaxxerilor
The New Yorker: Calculating the Damage of Vaccine Skepticism

It’s clear that we’re on the precipice of a surge in preventable diseases. But how bad will it get?

Foreign Affairs: Might Unmakes Right
O nouă epocă a războaielor?
Foreign Affairs: Might Unmakes Right

The Catastrophic Collapse of Norms Against the Use of Force

NY Magazine / Intelligencer: Crimes of the Century
Crime de război în Gaza
NY Magazine / Intelligencer: Crimes of the Century

How Israel, with the help of the U.S., broke not only Gaza but the foundations of humanitarian law.

YLE: Satellite images reveal Russia’s military town
Fortificațiile Rusiei la frontiera cu Finlanda
YLE: Satellite images reveal Russia’s military town

Russia is building a garrison in Kandalaksha for an artillery brigade. This is the first concrete sign of a permanent increase in the number of troops near the Finnish border.

The Economist: Putin’s next target.
Estonia se pregătește pentru invazie
The Economist: Putin’s next target.

Estonia is girding itself for an invasion as its Russian minority grows restless

BBC: How Belarus dissidents in exile abroad are pursued and threatened
Dictatura lui Lukashenko
BBC: How Belarus dissidents in exile abroad are pursued and threatened

Some receive threatening messages or phone-calls, others say their relatives are visited by authorities back home.

Reuters: Russia recruited a teenage spy. His arrest led to a crypto money trail
Războiul hibrid al Rusiei împotriva Occidentului
Reuters: Russia recruited a teenage spy. His arrest led to a crypto money trail

Russia has resorted to using untrained spies after its diplomats and operatives were expelled from Europe in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The case against a Canadian teenager now jailed in Poland reveals how Moscow conducts the operations, and how cryptocurrency funds them.

Futurism: ChatGPT Has Already Polluted the Internet So Badly That It's Hobbling Future AI Development
Este ChatGPT nociv pentru internet?
Futurism: ChatGPT Has Already Polluted the Internet So Badly That It's Hobbling Future AI Development

"Cleaning is going to be prohibitively expensive, probably impossible."

Al-Monitor: From shock to shame: Israeli strikes expose Iran's crumbling defenses, internal divides
Israelul distruge mitul puterii iraniene
Al-Monitor: From shock to shame: Israeli strikes expose Iran's crumbling defenses, internal divides

Whether seen as an unforgivable act of aggression or the start of an end to the Islamic Republic's rule, few in Iran dispute the defining nature of the Israeli attacks.

AP: 45 minutes to pack up a lifetime as Pakistan’s foreigner crackdown sends Afghans scrambling
Alungarea refugiaților afghani
AP: 45 minutes to pack up a lifetime as Pakistan’s foreigner crackdown sends Afghans scrambling

The nationwide crackdown, launched in October 2023, on foreigners Pakistan says are living in the country illegally has led to the departures of almost 1 million Afghans already.