Monthly Archives: September 2022

Private Internet Access aces independent audit of its no-logs policy

One of the best VPN services around right now, Private Internet Access (PIA) has recently undertaken a third-party independent audit over its no-logs privacy promises, with positive results. Responsible for giving the long-awaited successful rubber stamp was Deloitte, considered one of the Big Four auditing firms across the globe. Specifically, Deloitte Audit Romania has been…

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman says the Fed can crush inflation without tanking the economy or causing unemployment to soar

Paul Krugman. Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images Paul Krugman said the Federal Reserve can curb inflation without causing a big rise in unemployment. The Nobel laureate noted inflation expectations aren’t spiraling, and some prices are declining. Krugman called for gradual interest-rate hikes to avoid crushing economic growth and employment. The Federal Reserve can wrestle…

Marco Rubio is defending Trump and reducing the Mar-a-Lago raid to ‘a fight over storage of documents’

Sen. Marco Rubio has characterized the Mar-a-Lago raid as being a “fight over the storage of documents.” Drew Angerer/Pool via AP Marco Rubio posited that the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago was really just over a “storage issue.” “I don’t think a fight over the storage of documents is worthy of what they’ve done,” Rubio said….

Russia may face a domestic energy crunch as production slows following EU’s oil embargo, natural-gas cuts to Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images A halt in gas supplies to Europe could cost Russia as much as $6.6 billion a year, per Bloomberg. The export slump could lead to deep cuts in Russian gas output, hitting domestic energy goals. The EU’s oil embargo could also cause production of the fuel to fall,…

Chinese couple arrested and accused of trying to establish mini-state in the US-defended Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands are a former US territory that gained independence in 1986. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images A Chinese couple has been accused of trying to establish a mini-state in the Marshall Islands. Cary Yan and Gina Zhou were charged for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Per the DOJ, they tried…

Kremlin says new UK prime minister Liz Truss will bring ‘no improvement’ to frosty UK-Russia relations

Liz Truss speaks after being announced as Britain’s next Prime Minister in London on September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay Liz Truss was named the next UK prime minister. The Kremlin said it expects “no improvement” in UK-Russia ties given her past criticism. He previously said it was “hard to imagine anything worse” in the UK-Russia…

Russia buys ammunition from North Korea amid sanctions pressure, as Kremlin suffers drone shortages, intel says

Russian President Vladimir Putin with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in April 2019. ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Russia has bought ammunition from North Korea, according to a newly declassified report seen by NYT. It’s a sign that Putin may be facing severe ammunition shortages under sanctions, experts said. Sanctions are also causing supply…

Meta got fined $400 million for failing to protect kids’ privacy on Instagram

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan Ireland’s data watchdog gave Meta a 405 million euro ($403 million) fine. The fine is targeted at Instagram’s handling of data from underage users. A spokesperson for Meta said it intends to appeal the fine and that it is based on “old settings.” Ireland’s data watchdog the Data…

Today’s mortgage and refinance rates: September 6, 2022 | Rates up compared to last month

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is currently 0.67 percentage points higher than it was at the beginning of August. Rates have spiked over the past few weeks as investors anticipate more large hikes coming from the Federal Reserve. The Fed has been raising the federal funds rate to try to slow inflation, and there…