The latest data from ILGA – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, a global federation that monitors laws and rights affecting LGBT people – show that consensual same‑sex relations remain criminalized in a significant number of countries, with a small but deadly minority still prescribing the death penalty.
You will find more infographics at Statista“>As Statista’s Tristan Gaudiat shows in the chart below, according to ILGA’s database, over 60 countries around the world still criminalize consensual same‑sex activity, mostly through prison sentences of varying lengths (from fines and short terms to long jail terms). A smaller group of roughly a dozen countries even retains the death penalty for such acts.
This includes national laws in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as regional sharia provisions applied in parts of Nigeria and Somalia.
Enforcement varies widely: in some places, the statutes are rarely applied but create a pervasive climate of legal insecurity and social stigma, while in others, capital punishment is actively enforced.
Recent spikes in prosecutions have sharpened human‑rights concerns in certain regions.
Uganda significantly stepped up enforcement after a controversial law was introduced in 2023, and renewed legislative pressure in 2025 led to several high‑profile prosecutions.
In Southeast Asia, Brunei’s expanded sharia penalties – first announced in 2019 and subsequently rolled out in stages, including provisions allowing death by stoning – continue to provoke international condemnation.
UAE To Move 50% Of Government Services To AI By 2028
Finally a practical use of AI.
In a world swimming in debt and overrun by government bloat and corruption, Dubai is taking a big step into the future. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that in two years, 50% of UAE’s government sectors, services, and operations will run on Agentic AI, arguably the best use of the new technology yet.
The new “government model” was launched under the directive of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It will make the UAE the first government globally to operate at this scale through autonomous systems.
“AI is no longer a tool. It analyses, decides, executes, and improves in real time. It will become our executive partner to enhance services, accelerate decisions, and raise efficiency,” the Dubai Ruler said in a post on X.
“This transformation has a clear timeline. Two years. Performance across government will be measured by speed of adoption, quality of implementation, and mastery of AI in redesigning government work,” he continued.
“We are investing in our people. Every federal employee will be trained to master AI, building one of the world’s strongest capabilities in AI-driven government. Implementation will be overseen by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, with a dedicated taskforce chaired by Mohammad Al Gergawi driving execution.
“The world is changing. Technology is accelerating. Our principle remains constant. People come first. Our goal is a government that is faster, more responsive, and more impactful,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
Under the directives of the President of the UAE, we launch a new government model. Within two years, 50% of government sectors, services, and operations will run on Agentic AI, making the UAE the first government globally to operate at this scale through autonomous systems.
The project includes a phased implementation across ministries and federal entities, based on continuous performance and impact assessment. This will pave the way for wider rollout, ensuring optimal results across the federal government.
Special attention is placed on developing national capabilities by training and empowering government employees to master generative artificial intelligence technologies and their applications. Which of course is reflexive, so in effect government employees are supposed to train their own replacements.
Accroding to Khaleej Times, the move to adopt Agentic AI across government operations builds on 20 years of digital transformation in the UAE’s government, from the early adoption of eGovernment and service digitalization to mobile government and integrated systems such as the UAE Pass identity verification system to full-service redesign and integration, supported by programs such as Government Services 2.0, which introduced proactive, data driven service delivery.
In 2017, the UAE became the first country in the world to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and launched the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 under the UAE Centennial 2071 vision. The establishment of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications in 2020 further strengthened this direction.
The UAE is especially well suited for agentic implementation: the Gulf state has spent more than a decade building digital infrastructure that connects government entities, making it one of the most advanced public service ecosystems globally. Platforms developed under entities such as UAE Government and Digital Dubai already allow residents to access hundreds of services online, from paying fines to registering businesses.
The latest plan shifts the focus from digitizing services to redesigning them, allowing AI systems to manage entire workflows rather than just assisting at specific stages. For residents, this changes the experience from navigating systems to simply requesting outcomes, with the complexity handled behind the scenes.
While the progression reflects a broader pattern seen across advanced economies, the UAE is moving faster than most.
The first phase involved putting services online, which reduced paperwork and eliminated many in-person visits.
The second phase introduced mobile apps, automation, and AI tools, improving speed and accessibility while still requiring users to manage processes themselves.
The next phase moves beyond interfaces, with systems designed to complete tasks independently, meaning the user defines the objective and the system handles execution.
Back in the US, a recent attempt through Elon Musk’s DOGE to cut back on government inefficiency and corruption came to an abrupt halt last summer when it became obvious that the deep state would fight to the death (or at least hire assassins to effect the death of others) to prevent any change in the well-paid status quo. Perhaps AI will succeed where everyone else has failed.
Muted Demand During India’s Second-Biggest Gold-Buying Festival, After Prices Surge
Gold demand during one of India’s key buying festivals stayed muted on Sunday as record prices curbed jewellery purchases, offsetting a modest uptick in investment demand, according to Reuters.
Indians celebrated Akshaya Tritiya, the second-biggest gold-buying festival after Dhanteras, when purchasing precious metals is considered auspicious. Only this time near record gold prices – the precious metal closed just over $4800 – kept buyer enthusiasm rather subdued.
“The sharp rally in prices curbed jewellery demand. In volume terms, buying was lower as consumers held back, though in value terms spending was higher due to elevated prices,” said Amit Modak, chief executive of PN Gadgil and Sons, a Pune-based jeweller.
Since consumers are, like everyone else, subject to the laws of supply and demand, it is natural that a higher price will lead to lower demand. Gold prices hit a record high of $5,594.82 per ounce on January 29 and are now trading just over $4,800.
Gold futures in India, the world’s second-biggest gold consumer, closed at 154,609 rupees ($1,670) per 10 grams on Friday, nearly 63% higher than at the last Akshaya Tritiya festival. Except in a few southern Indian states, demand was lower than normal across the rest of the country, said Surendra Mehta, national secretary at the India Bullion and Jewellers Association. Meanwhile retail buyers have been stacking shifting toward gold coins, which are easier to liquidate, even as jewellers offered discounts on fees for crafting jewellery to attract buyers, said a Mumbai-based jeweller.
The latest decline in demand is an extension of recent trends: India’s jewellery demand in 2025 fell 24% from a year earlier, partially offset by a 17% rise in investment , the highest since 2013, according World Gold Council data.
Gold-buying patterns in India are changing, with purchases no longer concentrated only during festivals as price-sensitive buyers make purchases throughout the year whenever prices dip, said a Mumbai-based bullion dealer with a private bank.
India issued an order on Friday listing banks authorized to import gold and silver, providing relief for banks that were forced to halt imports because the list’s publication was delayed.
Google Deepens Anthropic Bet With Up To $40 Billion Investment
The AI funding frenzy continues, with Google planning to invest $10 billion in Anthropic at a $350 billion valuation, deepening its relationship with the San Francisco-based AI company best known for building Claude.
Bloomberg reports that Google’s deal with Anthropic includes an initial $10 billion investment at a $350 billion valuation, with the potential for another $30 billion if certain performance milestones are achieved. That would bring the potential deal size to as much as $40 billion.
Part of the deal includes Google Cloud providing 5 gigawatts of computing capacity to the AI startup, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, including Dario Amodei and Daniela Amodei, over the next five years. Additional capacity could follow.
Earlier this week, Amazon committed another $5 billion to Anthropic at the same valuation, with the option to invest an additional $20 billion over time.
Amazon’s scramble for compute was detailed earlier in a deal with Meta:
Bloomberg pointed out that the Google-Anthropic deal is an “expansion of an agreement announced earlier this month between Anthropic, Google, and Broadcom.”
For Google, the agreement with Anthropic strengthens demand for its cloud services and in-house TPU chips, which have become viable alternatives to Nvidia’s AI chip stack.
Earlier this week, Google unveiled two new chips for the agentic era, including the TPU 8t, designed for training AI models, and the TPU 8i, designed for inference, or running AI services once they are developed and deployed. Again, this is all positioned to take on Nvidia.
There has been increased scrutiny around “circular” AI financing since we broke down the math and called it an epic “circle jerk” last fall.
Pentagon Email Seeks Ways To Suspend Spain From NATO, Brussels Says Not Possible
Washington is eyeing how to pressure Spain out of the NATO alliance, after the Spanish government has taken firm anti-Israel positions, as well as come out strongly against Trump’s Iran war, even disallowing some base and logistics access to the US armed forces.
An internal Pentagon email lays out options for the United States to punish NATO allies it says failed to support US operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing the US stance on United Kingdom sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, a US official told has told Reuters in a report published Friday.
In the Trump administration’s eyes, Spain has also been a non-contributing thorn in the side both both US and NATO policy. To a large degree it’s also easier for the US to single out and punish a country like Spain, compared more powerful and economically stronger nations like Turkey or France.
The policy options appear in a note expressing frustration over allies’ reluctance or refusal to grant access, basing, and overflight rights – known as ABO – for the Iran war, the US official explained.
The email specifies that ABO is “just the absolute baseline for NATO,” according to the official, who indicated this is being considered in senior policy circles.
However, it remains a big unknown whether the alliance can actually suspend a longtime permanent member, and the reality is that many other European countries are sympathetic to Spain’s stance.
A NATO official told Reuters, “NATO’s Founding Treaty does not foresee any provision for suspension of NATO membership.”
And the reality is that any kind of suspension process would probably take so long that it would outlast the current US administration.
But Washington could take other steps, such as drawdown in large-scale fashion its long-running force presence in Europe. This is already on the table, to the point that some European allies are already anticipating it and making preparations.
The Pentagon and Trump administration have said of Spain, “they are not there for us.” But perhaps from Spain’s point of view, (and its population), it is putting Spain’s national interest first. – and doesn’t want to get bogged down in yet more US-led adventurism in the Middle East.
Trump administration lawyers on April 23 said they are still considering whether to appeal a ruling that blocked the rollback of guidance on some vaccines.
The lawyers said in a filing that pausing the litigation over the guidance pending the resolution of any appeal that is filed would “promote judicial economy and avoid burdens on government agencies that may be rendered unnecessary by a decision on any appeal.”
For instance, if an appeal is filed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit may dismiss some or all of the claims by plaintiffs in the case, which would eliminate the need for the government to produce records sought by plaintiffs, the lawyers told U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in a motion to stay proceedings pending resolution of any appeal.
“At a minimum, a First Circuit decision on any appeal could narrow the issues in dispute and provide guidance on how to resolve any remaining issues,” the motion stated. “If Defendants continue producing administrative records and the parties start briefing cross-motions for summary judgment before Defendants’ time to appeal has run and before the First Circuit has an opportunity to weigh in on any appeal, there is a significant potential for wasted time and resources.”
Murphy in March stayed the updates made to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine guidance under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resulting in the guidance reverting to what had been in place in mid-2025.
Murphy concluded that Kennedy and other officials did not follow proper procedure in updating the guidance and appointing new members to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.
That stay would remain in effect even if Murphy approves the requested motion, administration lawyers said.
The lawyers did not say why no appeal has been lodged against Murphy’s decision. They asked him to stay proceedings in the case until whichever comes later: May 15 or the resolution of any appeal the defendants may file.
The deadline to appeal Murphy’s preliminary injunction is May 15.
Shortly after the injunction was issued, the Department of Health and Human Services said it would prevail in an appeal. The department has declined to answer questions about why an appeal has not yet been lodged.
“Unless officially announced by us, any assertions about what we are doing next is baseless speculation,” a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in March.
The litigation was brought by multiple health care groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Government lawyers conferred with plaintiffs, who opposed the motion to stay the proceedings.
FDA Grants Quick Review Psychedelic Drugs, First Approvals Could Come As Soon As Summer
The FDA announced new steps to speed up research on psychedelic treatments for serious mental health conditions, following an executive order from President Donald Trump directing agencies to expand access to emerging therapies, CNBC and NBC reported this morning:
In a press release Friday, FDA commissioner Marty Makary said the medications “have the potential to address the nation’s mental health crisis, including conditions like treatment resistant depression, alcoholism and other serious mental health and substance abuse conditions.” On Monday, Makary told NBC News that with the accelerated application process, the FDA could potentially approve the first psychedelic drug by the end of summer.
The agency said this effort could support new treatments for conditions like treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders. Measures include prioritizing drugs with early promising results and offering incentives to companies studying compounds such as psilocybin and methylone. It also approved an early clinical trial for noribogaine, marking the first time a drug of its kind will be studied in the U.S.
Officials emphasized that these actions do not mean the treatments are approved or proven safe. All research will be closely monitored to ensure it meets strict scientific and safety standards.
Popular psychedelic names like Compass Pathways and AtaiBeckley have turned positive YTD on on the news out the last few days.
“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said at the signing event days ago. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”
Trump’s order, signed on Saturday, directs the FDA to prioritize review of certain breakthrough-designated psychedelic therapies, expands potential access under the Right to Try Act, commits at least $50 million in federal funding for state partnerships, and encourages closer coordination among HHS, the FDA, the VA, and private-sector researchers.
“In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said, citing the veteran suicide rate.
The order also instructs the Justice Department to move quickly on rescheduling any psychedelic-based product that successfully completes Phase 3 trials and receives FDA approval.
Trump continued, “And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA-approved.”
As we wrote days ago, these stocks are starting to go ‘mainstream’ after being ignored and out of the limelight for years. Zero Hedge contributor Quoth the Raven has named the sector his “best idea” sector for 2026.
“Water is $4.50 for a basic Desani. Smartwater is $6.25. Food is almost unaffordable, and people bring their own food now. Soon, we might as well call Walt Disney World here in Florida the Most Expensive Place on Earth.”
Clearly, he isn’t wrong: Disney has announced its ticket price calendar for 2027, and it is raising prices on some tickets, including peak days, according to the new ticket pricing calendar.
Pricing has been announced through October 2027, with pricing for November and December next year yet to be revealed.
Disney World Prices Keep Going Up In Florida
The ticket pricing scheme at Walt Disney World is dynamic and complex, but, as The Street reported, tickets on some dates will cost more than they did previously.
“While base-level ticket prices remain unchanged, peak-day pricing has quietly climbed, with the most popular dates now reaching up to $219 per day,” The Street reported. “That represents a roughly 10% increase from the previous $199 peak seen in 2025, reinforcing Disney’s continued shift toward demand-based pricing.”
Each of the parks at Walt Disney World in Florida has a price range. Per The Street, The Animal Kingdom has a range of $119 – $189, while EPCOT’s range is $144 – $204. Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ cost ranges from $149 to $209, while the Magic Kingdom Park ranges from $159 to $219.
According to an analysis by MickeyVisit, “we are seeing large increases for single-day tickets, including new peak prices for three theme parks at Walt Disney World.” Disney World, the site says, “uses a dynamic pricing structure, which means single-day ticket costs vary depending on the date, taking into account guest demand, holidays, and other variable factors.”
As that site said, it’s part of an upward trend in Disney pricing.
“Walt Disney World’s prices are continuing to trend upward each time a new set of prices is released,” the MickeyVisit site said. “But if we look at the graph above, we can see that the largest shift is happening at the higher end of pricing. While the lowest 1-day ticket price has only moderately increased over the past decade, the highest-priced tickets have seen a dramatic surge, with prices more than doubling since 2015.”
“Even Disney is Worried”
The high cost of the Disney park experience has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal reported in February of 2025 that rising costs at the parks are a concern that the company itself is aware of. “Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation” was the Journal’s headline.
It grew out of the pandemic, the Journal reported, when Disney’s parks were closed to the public for over a year, finally returning in April of 2021.
“The Happiest Place on Earth has long felt like one of the most expensive spots on the planet for many Americans—but the allure of a magical family vacation kept visitors streaming in,” the Journal reported.
“Then, as post-pandemic demand soared, Disney put price hikes into overdrive, putting vacations at its theme parks out of reach for many American families. Attendance growth has slowed over the past few years, and even some families that were once regulars are canceling their pilgrimages.”
One-day adult passes to Disneyland, in California, broke the $200 mark for the first time in 2024, the Journal story said.
That story also noted that the rising cost has been questioned inside the company, with surveys of park-goers finding that some were concerned about pricing and considering not returning.
“Some inside Disney worry that the company has become addicted to price hikes and has reached the limits of what middle-class Americans can afford, according to people who have worked on park pricing,” the Journal said. “Internal discussions over whether Disney parks may be losing their grip on the hearts and wallets of families with young kids have become more frequent, some of those people said.”
The Journal also estimated the average cost of a visit.
“For a two-parent family with two young kids, a typical four-day visit to Walt Disney World, including a stay at a value-priced, Disney-owned hotel, costs $4,266 in 2024, according to Touring Plans, a data provider that helps vacationers plan theme park visits. That cost, before food and transportation costs, is up from $3,230 five years earlier, adjusted for inflation,” the newspaper reported.
This happens as the Disney parks business has become a more important part of the Walt Disney Co.’s overall financial picture, which also owns everything from animation studios to Marvel to “Star Wars” to ABC and ESPN. And indeed, Josh D’Amaro, who formerly headed the parks business, earlier this year was named the company’s new CEO, replacing Robert Iger.
The new CEO was asked how the company, under his leadership, will balance shareholder growth with other metrics, such as audience satisfaction, as seen in park prices.
“This is an important question,” the CEO said.
“Our goal is for every single guest to feel that their experience is worth it,” D’Amaro said on that March earnings call. “Basically, we want this experience to be the best day of a guest’s life. And we’re always measuring our success here.”
He also said that guest satisfaction and other metrics are high across Disney’s parks.
“When it comes to how we think about pricing,” the new CEO said. “We focus on offering a wide range of options at different price points so that families can visit in ways that work for them, whether that’s during a value season or taking advantage of multi-day ticket savings or even special offers.”
The previous head of the parks division, who is now taking over as CEO, suggests there’s no major change in pricing strategy for the parks.
“We try to provide a fair amount of choice and flexibility for guests while at the same time making sure that we’re managing daily attendance and the overall guest experience,” D’Amaro said.
Oklo, NVIDIA, And Los Alamos Working On Plutonium-Powered AI
Oklo announced an agreement with NVIDIA and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to advance critical nuclear infrastructure, AI-enabled research, and nuclear fuel R&D at Los Alamos.
The partnership aligns Oklo’s advanced reactor platform, NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure, and LANL’s deep expertise in materials science and nuclear fuels. Together, the trio aims to accelerate deployment of resilient, high-assurance energy while supporting the federal government’s Genesis Mission.
Initial projects focus on physics- and chemistry-based AI models for fuel validation, materials science and fabrication R&D on plutonium-bearing fuels, and grid reliability studies for nuclear-powered AI factories at LANL.
“This agreement brings together reactor deployment, high-performance compute, and world-class fuel and materials science expertise” said Oklo co-founder and CEO Jacob DeWitte. “We believe this will advance our plutonium-bearing fuel work on Oklo’s Pluto reactor, which was selected under DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program, and help bring resilient power in support of the Genesis Mission.”
Oklo has been finding themselves at the center of attention for multiple different private and government ventures. Meta provided Oklo a prepayment for securing fuel at a 1.2 GW nuclear campus in Ohio, and Oklo’s subsidiary Atomic Alchemy recently completed the majority of the construction at the Groves site in Texas.
Today Jake and I signed the Certificate of Substantial Completion for the Groves Test Facility building structure. In 229 days, we turned a green field into a beautiful building with all of the infrastructure needed to support long-term operations. Our operators and research…
NVIDIA’s own CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly stressed that AI factories need round-the-clock firm power, a point we highlighted when nuclear stocks surged on his comments.
With roughly $2.5 billion in cash, no debt, and customer prepayments offsetting first-of-a-kind costs, Oklo is positioning itself as a leader in the sector. HSBC initiated coverage the same day with a Buy rating and $96 price target, citing Oklo’s owner-operator model, DOE pilot momentum, and path to first revenue later this year from its Idaho radiochemistry lab.
The United States on April 23 imposed sanctions on a wealthy Cambodian senator, Kok An, who allegedly ran crypto-romance scam centers that stole millions of dollars from U.S. citizens.
Kok, 71, is a political ally of Hun Sen, who served as Cambodian prime minister for 25 years before stepping down in 2023 and handing power to his son, Hun Manet. The 73-year-old is now president of the Cambodian Senate.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned 28 individuals and entities linked to the suspected scam centers.
“Eliminating fraud is a top priority for the Trump administration,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “Treasury will continue to target fraudsters and scam centers that steal billions of dollars from hardworking Americans, no matter where they operate or how well-connected they are.”
Industrial-scale cyberscamming, based in scam centers in Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Cambodia, has become a major money-maker for organized crime groups.
The Treasury said in a statement that operators within this network have “stolen millions of dollars from U.S. victims while operating under the protection of Kok An and his political connections.”
Tricked Using ‘Romantic Relationships’
The Treasury said fraudsters use “the lure of friendship or romantic relationships” to coax vulnerable Americans into transferring their savings in the form of digital assets by promising investment opportunities and high returns.
Matthew Hogan, a detective with the Connecticut State Police and an officer on the Secret Service’s Financial Crimes Task Forces, told The Epoch Times last year that the biggest growth has been in long-term scams known as “pig butchering,” which involves luring people into fake cryptocurrency investments. The phrase comes from the Chinese term “sha zhu pan.”
The Treasury said Kok owns numerous companies, including Crown Resorts, and has retrofitted casinos and office parks as scam centers where workers—who are often trafficked from China and other countries—target U.S. citizens and trick people out of cryptocurrency, which is then laundered by Kok’s associates.
“Nearly all major scam compounds in Cambodia are connected to casinos, which serve to launder the proceeds of scams,” the Treasury said.
Kok is a senator from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. It was founded during the Cold War, and was close to the Soviet Union and later communist Vietnam. It dropped its Marxist-Leninist ideology in the early 1990s.
Andy Jenkinson, a fellow of the Cyber Theory Institute and author of the book “Stuxnet to Sunburst: 20 Years of Digital Exploitation and Cyber Warfare,” told The Epoch Times in April 2025 that the annual losses to cybercrime globally are “over $10 trillion, or put it another way, $32 billion a day.”
Tether Freezes $344 Million USDT
The move was announced hours after stablecoin issuer Tether froze $344 million in its USDT stablecoin, allegedly linked to “sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illicit activity.”
“When wallets are identified as connected to sanctions evasion, criminal networks, or other illicit activity, Tether can move to restrict those assets,” Tether said.
The company also said it maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward the criminal use of USDT, and has long followed OFAC guidelines on sanctioned individuals and entities.
You will find more infographics at Statista“>As Statista’s Tristan Gaudiat shows in the chart below, according to ILGA’s database, over 60 countries around the world still criminalize consensual same‑sex activity, mostly through prison sentences of varying lengths (from fines and short terms to long jail terms). A smaller group of roughly a dozen countries even retains the death penalty for such acts.
