Conspiracy theories in the United States

The worst thing that can happen to a minister is to be trapped in a kind of "virtual reality." To be convinced that signing a ministerial decision or passing a bill automatically solves a problem that afflicts thousands of citizens, and insist on this idea because the circle of sycophants and pencil pushers that surrounds him has truly clouded his judgment.

The Tempe rail tragedy has inflicted a deep injury on Greek society. The extent and intensity of the public's anger is such that it cannot be placated with legal arguments and parliamentary maneuvers.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that the issue is being exploited politically by certain circles and that it is breeding all sorts of conspiracy theories.

A new wave of conspiracy theories and fear is swelling in the wake of the successive devastating wildfires of recent days. According to these conspiracy theories, "foreign agents" and undocumented migrants are to blame for the wildfires, instead of the negligence, the imprudence, the oversights and mistakes of the state's agencies, and the malice of certain individuals.

Greece is not Turkey. It is therefore a huge mistake for a party to adopt - even tacitly - outlandish conspiracy theories indicating that Sunday's election may be tampered with. Such issues have been resolved, once and for all, and no one has cast the faintest shadow of a doubt on any electoral contest since 1974.

Cases coming under the category of common criminal law, in which politicians appear as suspects, should not become material for political scandalmongering. 

In the recent past, media have not observed this rule. The result was to poison public debate with hatred and conspiracy theories. 

A Texas jury on Aug. 5 ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to the parents of a child who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, adding to the $4.1 million he must pay for the suffering he put them through by claiming for years that the nation's deadliest school shooting was a hoax.

Of the 24 countries surveyed, belief in the conspiracy theory was most widespread in India

Over 75 per cent of people in Western Balkan countries believe many or some of the popular conspiracy theories about COVID-19, the latest survey by the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group, BiEPAG, shows.

In the Western Balkans region, events have opened up many opportunities for manipulation. Some so-called conspiracy theories, combined with fake news, lead to collective paranoia. It all contributes to a lack of trust in existing institutions, directly undermining the already fragile democracy in the region.

The prosecution of a court case involving a reported conspiracy to overthrow Turkey's government dating back a decade has said the existence of the organization in question could not be conclusively proven, according to judicial sources on Friday.