Though this report may be news to the public, the epidemic of sexual abuse in female prisons has been a well-known secret within the government for a long time. Authorities at the DOJ and other agencies ignored such horrific acts for years, so it's only right that these victims be released early.
While atonement and accountability are undoubtedly needed, the primary response to this horrific phenomenon should be how to prevent it from happening in the first place. The good thing is we already know the cause — the imbalance of power between male guards and female inmates. Now, there must be a concerted effort to be proactive rather than reactive.
This ruling demonstrates Erdoğan's efforts to use the court to rid himself of yet another possible contender in the upcoming presidential election. His regime has long used defamation and insulting charges to suppress dissent, with thousands in Turkey convicted on these charges since Erdoğan took power in 2014.
The opposition's allegations that the ruling against İmamoğlu was politically motivated are absurd. No person, authority, or body can interfere in the exercise of judicial power in Turkey. This is not a final decision, and the appeals process will continue with due process.
Despite concerns, the success of the Scottish Youth Parliament is proof that a significant number of young people are already engaged in politics. There's no reason to see a 16 or year-old elected as anything but a positive force, with the voices of the future being the ones that truly matter.
With Scottish independence lagging, Nicola Sturgeon's desperate attempt to retain the initiative is to turn year-olds into members of the Scottish Parliament. Rather than attempting to implement meaningful policy, Sturgeon's Scottish National Party is solely driven by gaining independence and will go so far as to unleash the pressure of the debate's toxicity onto adolescents.
There's a 9% chance that Scotland will hold an official, sanctioned referendum on independence before May 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
This invasion is an egregious violation of international law. Putin's ultimate aim is to restore the Soviet empire, even if it takes massive bloodshed and false pretexts such as calling the 2014 Ukrainian revolution after an election a "coup". This unprovoked attack is the latest chapter in Putin's Orwellian attempt to rewrite history.
NATO and the US have ignored Russia's security concerns by breaking its promise not to expand eastward in return for German reunification. These concerns are legitimate and taking them seriously would have avoided the Ukraine tragedy.
There's a 1% chance that there will be a bilateral ceasefire or peace agreement in the Russo-Ukraine conflict before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Though Washington pretends that it wants to close the growing trust gap between the US and Africa, the Biden admin. still sees Africa merely as a pawn in its strategic goal of competing with China and Russia. However, African leaders have long known that the US isn't concerned with cooperation for mutual benefit. Africa is unlikely to benefit from the summit in a meaningful way.
Biden's influence on the US-Africa summit includes vital cooperation on economics, health, sustainability, and governance. The US is interconnected to all African nations, and this forum is an opportunity to enhance a deep partnership for years to come.
This is highly reminiscent of the strikes of 1979, which saw much of the country brought to a standstill. The only difference is Margaret Thatcher was elected that year to quash the union dominance and restore order. Though the pay concerns of nurses are understandable, a minimum level of service must be maintained when it comes to essential sectors. Sunak needs to put his foot down.
If Sunak sees himself as the successor to Margaret Thatcher, he should be reminded that she agreed to a 25% pay raise with trade unions in 1979. While private sector pay has grown 7% annually, public sector workers like nurses have received a dismal 2% average, dangerously below the inflation rate. Thatcher was a realist who understood the impact the public sector has on the wider economy, and Sunak should realize the same.
Puerto Ricans must be given the right to determine their future. The island has been under US colonial rule for over 100 years — stuck in limbo with neither independence nor statehood, and it's time this changes. While this bill is a step in the right direction, it likely won't be the deciding factor in this debate, which is why the US must commit to a status change one way or another.
Thankfully, this bill has little to no chance of passing in the Senate, but it's still important to note the true sentiment behind the push to get it through Congress. Under the guise of acting in Puerto Ricans' best interests, the power-hungry Democrats are looking to buy favor and are willing to go as far as creating an entirely new voting block to do so.
There's a 39% chance that Puerto Rico will become a US State by 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump’s deliberate efforts to undermine the US response to COVID were already part of the public record, but these reports are vital for stressing how badly he bungled the pandemic. The Trump admin. mischaracterized pandemic intelligence for political reasons and tried to pressure health officials into authorizing discredited treatments. These findings are extremely concerning.
The Democrats' report is Monday morning quarterbacking, but what’s important now is what committee Republicans have discovered about obstruction from US intelligence agencies regarding COVID origins. If we’re going to prevent another pandemic, and possibly hold someone accountable for the COVID outbreak, we can’t rule out the lab-leak theory, which is the real bombshell that needs scrutiny here.
There's a 50% chance that COVID-19 will be eradicated by June 2082, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Removing Iran from the UNCSW is the bare minimum the international community can do to show solidarity with the brave protesters in Iran. As the regime in Tehran butchers demonstrators in the streets, the US has sent a clear message that this repression will not stand. The US still must do more to support young Iranians in their struggle with this tyrannical regime.
Yet again, the West demonstrates its double standards regarding Iran and its contempt for cultures different than its own. The decision to remove Iran from the UNCSW was nothing more than a political stunt to fan the flames of sedition within Iran. The US has supported so much violence against the Islamic Republic since its inception in 1979, even providing Iraq with chemical weapons, so this time is no different.
There's a 50% chance that Iran will cease to be an Islamic Republic by October 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
The runoffs are a Democratic relic that dates back to when state Rep. Denmark Grover tried to rig the system after he lost his reelection race. There’s no reason why the candidate who gets the most votes can't be declared the winner in a general election without putting the state’s election workers through the grind of managing a runoff, especially when it falls just after Thanksgiving.
Groover was a Democrat from a different time, and he blamed Black voters for his loss. He admitted he invented the runoff system to suppress the Black vote. So there's no question Georgia should get rid of it. But rather than focusing on disrupted holiday times — ironically the result of a Republican law — there should be collective recognition of how this system hurt marginalized communities.