In 2023, 8.5% of EU individuals aged between 16 and 74 used the internet to take part in online consultations or voting to define civic or political issues, such as urban planning or signing a petition. Comparing 2011 with 2023, there was an increase in the share of online consultation or voting. In 2023, the figure was 1.1 percentage point (pp) higher than that in 2011 (7.4%). Source dataset: isoc_ci_ac_i The countries with the highest shares of people using the internet for taking part in online consultations or voting in 2023 were Estonia (26.6%), Malta (20.6%) and Finland (16.4%). Meanwhile,…
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Being able to afford health care is a pressing issue for many Australians. And encouraging GPs to bulk bill is one measure the government is taking to ease the strain. So what would it take for GPs to bulk bill everyone? In our recent paper, we calculated this is possible and affordable, given the current health budget. But we show recent incentives for GPs to bulk bill aren’t enough to get us there. Instead, we need to adjust health policies to increase bulk-billing rates and to make our health system more sustainable. How do the incentives work? In recent years,…
Catrina O’Donohoe Published: Sun 2 Jun 2024, 2:42 PM Last updated: Sun 2 Jun 2024, 2:47 PM We sent a questionnaire to all 11 candidates running in the Athlone Electoral Area in the forthcoming Westmeath County Council election. The responses were published in print in the current edition of the Westmeath Independent. NAME: Catrina O’Donohoe ADDRESS: Castlequarter, Coosan, Athlone. PARTY: Irish Freedom Party SPECIAL AREAS OF INTEREST: Care of the Elderly: More supports are needed for nursing homes, carers and staff. Twenty-four nursing homes closed over 18 months nationwide. I feel there should be additional supports and more focus on…
Steven Xingri Cao, businesses must take additional corrective actions to protect workersBOSTON – Three Rhode Island nail salons in Cumberland, East Greenwich and North Providence and their owner have agreed to pay employees $753,500 in back wages and damages and take corrective actions to resolve violations of the anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the FLSA’s overtime requirements. The department sued New VIP Nail Spa Inc., VIP Neo Nails Inc., VIP Spa & Nails Inc. and owner Steven Xingri Cao in August 2022 for alleged violations identified during investigations by its Wage and Hour Division and Occupational…
“I think we need to have the courage to make decisions: go right to the end of Article 7, activate Article 7 right to the end, which provides for the end of the right of veto,” she said. The European Parliament triggered the first phase of the Article 7 procedure against Hungary in 2018, but the process has stalled. The next step of that procedure, used when a country is considered at risk of breaching the bloc’s core values, is often called the “nuclear option” because it provides for the most serious political sanctions the bloc can impose on a member…
Every day, 750 million people around the world engage with Tiktok – the short-video sharing app. Kenyans are among its top users. According to a Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023, 54% of Kenyans sampled used TikTok for general purposes, the highest proportion among the countries in the survey. They also use TikTok to express themselves and connect with others. The app, launched in 2018, has become an integral part of social media culture, offering a space for creativity, entertainment and community interaction. It’s particularly known for its memetic videos, which often feature lip-syncing, dance routines and comedic skits. But…
Item 5: Moving Agriculture Negotiations Forward. Communication from Brazil (WT/GC/W/931) The UK appreciates Brazil’s initiative to try and move the agriculture negotiations forward, alongside efforts by the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) Special Session (SS) Chair. We have also heard concerns raised by some groups of Members that negotiations should be transparent and inclusive; we wanted to say at this point that we fully support it. We also heard disappointment at the outcome from Abu Dhabi. We have all also stressed at the last General Council, and this General Council, the need to now ‘get back to work’. As part of…
Rapid Response Labor Mechanism helps bring positive change for workers in Zacazonapan WASHINGTON – The Department of Labor and Office of the Trade Representative today announced the successful resolution of a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Rapid Response Labor Mechanism matter at the Tizapa mine facility, known as Minera Tizapa in Zacazonapan. On March 4, 2024, the National Union of Mining, Metal, Steel and Allied Workers of the Mexican Republic filed a petition alleging Industrias Peñoles S.A.B. de C.V. violated workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights at the company’s Minera Tizapa operations. Specifically, the petition claimed the dismissal of union leaders and supporters for…
Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov may be charged by Russian authorities for violating the Kremlin’s “foreign agent” law, TASS news agency reported on Sunday. There is “every reason” to prosecute Kasparov, Russian law enforcement officials told the state news outlet, without providing further details. They added that the U.S.-based Kremlin critic could face up to two years in prison. Kasparov was “arrested in absentia” in April, along with an environmental activist, a former member of the Russian Duma, and the co-founder of an anti-Kremlin NGO, according to TASS. The four were accused of “heading a terrorist society, funding terrorist…
For as long as we have used the internet to communicate and connect with each other, it has influenced how we think, feel and behave. During the COVID pandemic, many of us were “cut off” from our social worlds through restrictions, lockdowns and mandates. Understandably, many of us tried to find ways to connect online. Now, as pandemic restrictions have lifted, some of the ways we use the internet have become concerning. Part of what drives problematic internet use may be something most of us are familiar with – the fear of missing out, or FOMO. In our latest research,…