Tales from inside New York’s notorious jail
Getty Images The campaign to shut down Rikers, famous for cruelty and abuse, has been ongoing for years Vidal Guzman was 16 years old when he entered Rikers Island jail for the first time. As he crossed the bridge over to the island, a prison guard told him to “get ready for Gladiator School”. In […]
What happened to worries about Trump’s business?
Getty Images At the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, there was concern over his potential conflicts of interest as president and business owner. So what’s happened since? At the stroke of noon on 20 January 2017, Donald Trump had a new job, president of the United States. But his old one wasn’t far away. As […]
The radical wordsmith who shook up Indian politics
Getty Images Born to a working class family, Karunanidhi’s public life began at age 14 The passing of Muthuvel Karunanidhi at 94 marks the end of one of India’s most prolific political careers, writes Sudha G Tilak. Karunanidhi, who was chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu five times between 1969 and 2011, […]
Will Jamaica now seek to ‘move on’ from royals as a republic?
Getty Images Polls suggest some in Jamaica are ready to greet a new era without the Crown (file picture) The proclamation of the new monarch – King of Jamaica – reverberated around Kingston Harbour, a port that once stood at the heart of the British Empire. For generations, the Crown and British traders made fortunes […]
What’s different this time around?
Getty Images Sanders scores high with under-30s In 2016 Bernie Sanders arrived on the Democratic presidential scene with all the surprise of a thunderclap in a blue sky. He set fundraising records, drew rally crowds of tens of thousands and, for a time, cast the once-seemingly inevitable nomination of Hillary Clinton in doubt. Now he’s […]
Election 2017: Who has power over what in Scotland?
When it was set up in 1999, Holyrood was given the power to vary income tax by 3p in the pound – but it it has never been used. Nevertheless, the parliament’s fiscal powers have expanded significantly since then. It took on landfill tax and Stamp Duty from April 2015, replacing the latter with the […]
The ultra-violent cult that became a global mafia
BBC A two-year BBC investigation into Black Axe – a Nigerian student fraternity which evolved into a dreaded mafia-group – has unearthed new evidence of infiltration of politics, and a scamming and killing operation spanning the globe. Warning: Contains detailed graphic accounts of violence During quiet moments, after he has finished lecturing for the day, […]
Should men have a say in the debate?
http://www.alsenaterepublicans.com/ Most of the US state laws banning or severely restricting access to abortions have been voted on by male politicians. Should men have the right to rule on an issue that impacts women so intimately? The corridors leading up to the Alabama Senate are lined with black-and-white photographs of past legislative sessions – each […]
Angst grows among young voters over Biden’s policy
Getty Images President Joe Biden’s policies toward Israel’s conflict in the Gaza Strip are unpopular among young voters. The 2024 presidential election promises to be one of the most polarising political contests in living memory. But as the war in Gaza rages, President Joe Biden’s strong support of Israel is putting him at odds with […]
Who is George Galloway? Latest comeback for a political maverick
Reuters Rarely seen without his trademark hat, George Galloway’s eloquence is legendary among supporters and opponents Few politicians can whip up a crowd – and generate controversy – quite like George Galloway. In a career spanning four decades, he has been hailed as a hero of the anti-war left, ridiculed as a reality TV contestant […]