‘Feudal’ complaints system unjust, ombudsman says
Nick Bennett: “People with literacy issues have rights too” People with literacy problems should be given more help to complain about public services for the sake of “social justice”, the ombudsman has said. Nick Bennett said it was “feudal” that oral complaints could currently only be handled at his discretion. People unable to write complaints […]
Stalking rises during Covid pandemic
Chris has been stalked for six years There has been a “significant increase” in stalking offences in England and Wales during the pandemic, police say. The warning from the UK officer in charge of stalking issues comes as more than 80,000 incidents were recorded by forces last year. But freedom of information requests by BBC […]
The Australian writer held by China for six months
YANG HENGJUN/TWITTER Yang Hengjun is a popular blogger and former Chinese diplomat In January this year, Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun went missing in China. Six months on, his family still don’t know where exactly he is, nor when he might come home. China has confirmed he is being held on suspicion of “endangering national security”. […]
Seven solutions to US police problems
Getty Images Protesters across the US have taken to the streets in the wake of George Floyd’s death to demand an end to police brutality and what they see as systemic racism. In response, Democrats have proposed legislation to address inequities and reduce deaths in custody, including measures that would require police to wear body […]
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 […]