Posts in Global
Riding the Waves of Change: How Surf Therapy and Similar Programs Can Help Turn the Tide on Child Poverty

With the ever-growing costs of welfare programs in the United States, policymakers and advocates continue to ask the question: Is there a successful and cost-effective way to address this growing problem? Well, for this community in Peru, the answer is an unconventional activity: surfing.

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A New Hijab Bill For Iranian Women Means More Restrictions for a Historically Repressed Demographic

The bill, known as the Culture of Chastity and Hijab Bill, allows up to 10 years of jail time as punishment for women who choose not to wear the hijab or abide by Islamic dress code. Additionally, the bill permits flogging, fines of up to 360 million Iranian rials, and restrictions on travel and online access for women accused and convicted. 

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Iraq: Violence Against LGBTQ+ Community

“Homosexuality is still illegal in 66 countries across all continents except Western Europe, according to the Human Dignity Trust. After the Iraqi government proposed a new bill to criminalize homosexuality in August 2023, Human Rights Watch denounced their act as violating international human rights law. As a member of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, Iraq is responsible for providing its citizens the rights to "life, liberty, privacy, free expression and security of the person.”

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If ‘Sportswashing’ Criticism is Going to Fly, It Needs a Retool.

“The recent barrage of sportswashing criticism evokes familiar Western-centric bias by singling out Middle Eastern human rights atrocities, glossing over the human rights violations that America, Europe, and the global West have sponsored. There is a double standard for which atrocities are worth outspokenly denouncing and which are not. If us Americans are going to continue to condemn sportswashing, we ought to hold the West to the same level of scrutiny as the Middle East.”

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Putin’s Nuclear Threats Lack Weight as an Offensive into Crimea Seems Likely

“Through this decision, along with the announcement that Russia may move strategic nuclear arms to Belarus, President Putin is trying to make it seem that this conflict could quickly turn nuclear. However, past precedent and current pressures on the Russian president make it unlikely that his nuclear weapon moves are more than political posturing.“

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The International Criminal Court Officially Charges Vladimir Putin with War Crimes

“The International Criminal Court has charged Vladimir Putin and Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova with war crimes due to their investigation finding ‘at least hundreds’ of Ukrainian children from orphanages and care homes were deported to Russia. The warrant holds effective and important implications on the prospects for the settlement of the Russia-Ukraine War.”

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Potential Russian Aggression against Transnistria: The Soviet Sliver of Moldova

A potential Russian coup to prevent Moldova from joining the European Union carries serious concerns in the international community, including the possibility that Russia will invade Russian-speaking Transnistria as another “special military operation”, as they did with Crimea and Ukraine. Transnistria is increasingly a likely target for Russia to easily gain control of EU territory, given the soviet history of the breakaway state.

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If it's not aliens...What were those UFOs?

“Earlier this month, the United States military shot down three unidentified flying objects. The arrival of these unidentified crafts follows the invasion of a Chinese spy balloon, which the United States shot down on February 4th. However, while the White House claims that the Chinese balloon was sent to conduct surveillance, it has not clearly identified the purpose of the other three objects.“

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The Debate over Stolen Artifacts: Are Notable Museums a Den of Thieves?

“In recent years, museums have been questioned more and more about the provenance of their collections, and more calls have been made in support of the return of objects acquired during the colonial era or by military force to their countries of origin. Critics and community leaders are still seeking the return of numerous artifacts, most of which hold cultural or religious significance in the communities from which they were taken.”

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