Tag: democracy
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Science fiction: double feature
A groundbreaking study shows kids learn better on paper, not screens. Now what? What happens when a school bans smartphones? A complete transformation Oh, the guardian, how I used to value you. Atrociously back to basics coverage on two educational issues which, quite literally, promote philistinism. Technology is a tool. A ubiquitous tool in the…
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Guatemala is expectant as the new president is set to take office after months of legal battles
Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo is scheduled to be sworn into office Sunday afternoon. But just like almost every day since his resounding Aug. 20 election victory, the inauguration will be tinged with doubts and tensions. The still-serving Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, has tried every legal trick in the book to put him on trial or in jail before…
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U.S. does not support Taiwan independence, Biden says
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Saturday the United States does not support the independence of Taiwan, after Taiwanese voters rebuffed China and gave the ruling party a third presidential term. Earlier in the day, the Taiwanese ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te came to power, strongly rejecting Chinese pressure to spurn him, and…
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Taiwan ruling party’s Lai wins presidential election
Taiwan’s ruling party candidate Lai Ching-te on Saturday, January 13, won the island’s presidential election, a vote watched closely from Beijing to Washington. Lai delivered an unprecedented third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after a raucous campaign in which he pitched himself as the defender of Taiwan’s democratic way of life. Lai…
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Vietnam jails 2 ex-ministers over COVID-19 test kits scandal
A court in Vietnam jailed two former cabinet ministers on Friday (Jan 12) and found dozens of officials guilty of bribery and mismanagement for their roles in a coronavirus test kit scandal, the ministry of public security said. Former Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long was sentenced to 18 years in prison for taking bribes worth US$2.25…
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Human rights in decline globally as leaders fail to uphold laws, report warns
Human rights across the world are in a parlous state as leaders shun their obligations to uphold international law, according to the annual report of Human Rights Watch (HRW). In its 2024 world report, HRW warns grimly of escalating human rights crises around the globe, with wartime atrocities increasing, suppression of human rights defenders on the…
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Why Israel Can’t Just Wave Away International Justice Charges
On December 29, South Africa lodged a complaint against Israel, alleging that Israel’s conduct in Gaza is in violation of the Genocide Convention. Israel was quick to dismiss the allegation as antisemitic. A government spokesperson called the charges “South Africa’s absurd blood libel.” The White House piled on. “We find this submission meritless, counter-productive and completely without any basis…
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A year after pro-Bolsonaro riots and dozens of arrests, Brazil is still recovering
“Brazil’s society still doesn’t know how to handle what happened, there’s no consensus,” said Creomar de Souza, founder of political risk consultancy Dharma Politics. “Brazil’s society is now in extreme opposites. And parts of those opposites are in a place that they cannot reconcile with the other.” Mimicking the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection by defenders…