...Epstein files’ fallout continues to rattle global elite

Jeffrey Edward Epstein was a highly connected American financier, also described as child sex offender, serial rapist, and human trafficker. He supposedly took his own life inside a New York prison in 2019 after being convicted of all these bad things.

However, his demons continue to spark political storms around the world, after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released millions of pages, videos and photos revealing his connection to global elite. In fact, his role was ‘procuring’ those ‘services’ for the global elite.

The list of participants reads like Who’s who in politics, royalty, and corporate world. Nowhere this global scandal has had deep political repercussions like in the United Kingdom (UK), so far. A Prince has been stripped of his royal tittle and duties (I thought a royal title is a birth right and cannot be taken away just like a political appointment). Therefore, Prince Andrew currently referred to as ‘former Prince Andrew’ is now simply Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

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A political grandee of the British Labour Party has been stripped of Ambassadorship; his Peerage and position in the British House of Lords (Upper Chamber of British Parliament), kicked out of the Labour Party, and is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police for leaking government information to Jeffrey Epstein.

Therefore, former Lord Mandelson, British envoy to the U.S until this scandal erupted, becomes simply Peter Mandelson. Meanwhile the political fallout continues endlessly, and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s political life is uncertain as pressure mounts for him to resign for appointing Peter Mandelson as the UK Ambassador to Washington. I hear Africa is also represented in this scandal, so stay tuned.

....Worries grow about the power of AI as global markets are disrupted

There is widespread fear of the power and impact artificial intelligence is having on society and business. Global markets reported AI-driven disruptions this past week as stock prices tumbled across the world. In the U.S, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was reported down by 1.4% at the beginning of the week. In Europe, software-based stocks lost 5-14 percentage points as market turmoil continued throughout the week. In Asian trading midweek, software stocks were down 7-16%.

Across the world, experts, researchers and the general public are expressing fears regarding risks posed by AI.

A 2023 survey indicated that 36% of AI experts feared that AI development could lead to a ‘’nuclear-level catastrophe’’. That was 2023 before AI invaded every aspect of our lives, as it is happening today.

There is fear that AI systems could develop goals that conflict with human values, a risk commonly referred to as ‘misalignment’. AI also has the potential to automate 40-50% of all jobs within 15-20 years, leading to human displacement and mass unemployment.

Misinformation and Deepfakes are becoming easy and common these days. There are many issues to worry about as AI systems permeate our lives in today’s world.

Could man have finally invented a powerful tool that will annihilate humankind or take away our God-given power to control the universe?

The author is a keen observer of global affairs.