Archive for July 2025

The case was brought by the national American Association of University Professors (AAUP); its Harvard, Rutgers and New York University chapters; and the Middle East Studies Association (Mesa) following the arrest and detention of several noncitizen students and scholars who have spoken out on Palestinian rights. The government has claimed the authority to deport noncitizens who have committed no crimes but whose presence it deems poses a threat to US foreign policy.

The South Australian Government has announced a $14.9 million investment in a new digital initiative designed to modernise the systems that underpin the state’s child protection and family support services…. Stage one of this multi-year digital and business transformation is scheduled for completion by June 2027, with improvements to existing systems also underway during the transition.

Texas embodies the degradation of American capitalism, where staggering inequality is combined with political reaction and brutality. Despite—or rather because of—the immense wealth accumulated by billionaires in oil, gas, tech, weapons, ranching and healthcare, the social conditions facing the majority of Texans are among the worst in the country. According to the annual ranking conducted by CNBC, Texas was the worst of the 50 states in terms of quality of life in 2024, after having ranked 49th in the three previous years. The state ranks 49th in terms of the proportion of adults who are high school graduates, 48th in terms of child health, and 50th in the proportion of the population covered by health insurance. Above: A crew of firefighters from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, left, aid in search and rescue efforts near the Guadalupe River

Data released by the Department for Work and Pensions on Thursday shows that one in nine children are now affected by the policy, while 62% of affected families have three children and 59% are in work. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) described it as a “brutal policy” that was making children’s “lives hard and their futures bleak”. “Giving all kids the best start in life will be impossible until government scraps this brutal policy, and a year after the election families can’t wait any longer for the help they desperately need,” said the charity’s chief executive, Alison Garnham.

All this, I admit, was music to my ears. I had spent almost a decade writing about cronyism and corruption in British politics. Now there was a party in power that seemed to care. But 12 months on, I’m far less optimistic. Time and again, Labour’s warm words about cleaning up politics have not translated into action. Rather than rebuilding faith in democracy, Starmer’s listlessness risks eroding it even further. Above: “Monstrous craws, at a new coalition feast” (1787) by James Gillray.