Latest news with #reforms
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg announces she will not seek another term
Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg announced she will not seek another term. The decision comes after Chicago's City Council approved new ethics reforms that would give the inspector general more latitude. The new ordinance would give them more access to certain records and limit when a city lawyer can attend investigative interviews. Witzburg was appointed inspector general in 2022 for a four-year term by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. In a statement, she said she looks forward to passing along a more effective and independent office. Witzburg began working at the Office of Inspector General in 2016, and was named deputy inspector general for public safety -- the office's No. 2 position -- in 2019. Todd Feurer contributed to this report.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Egypt Widens VAT Base in IMF-Backed Quest for New Revenue
Egypt amended value-added taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic drinks while introducing a levy on crude oil, the latest bid to boost revenue as part of International Monetary Fund-backed reforms. Under the revisions posted Thursday in the government gazette, beverages will see prices rise depending on their alcohol content, with all types also subject to a 15% hike for each of the next three years. The increase will scale back to 12% thereafter.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Youth Parliament revamp to introduce electoral system, online voting by 2026, says Speaker
KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The policy and system reforms in the Malaysian Youth Parliament (PBMy) which will be implemented starting next year will spark a new wave of young leadership who are more prepared, competent and inclusive in leading the country's future, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul. He said PBMy is not just a training ground, but rather a strategic platform to instil leadership values among the youth who would become the next generation to lead the country's government. 'If today we give them space at the age of 18, 10 years from now they will enter the Dewan (Dewan Rakyat) with full experience and knowledge. At the age of 28, they are no longer observers but mature leaders,' he told Bernama in an exclusive interview. Johari said that among the biggest reforms to be introduced in the PBMy is the implementation of an electoral system based on Proportional Representation and Closed Party List, which sees youth voters aged 18 to 30 years old choosing PBMy members based on their manifestos and not individual candidates. He said that the entire PBMy election process is fully managed by the Malaysian Parliament which will offer seven parties to universities nationwide to be represented, with each party competing for 222 seats, in line with the number of Dewan Rakyat members. 'These parties will compete against each other based on manifestos. Youth voters will no longer choose individuals, but instead make choices based on the creativity and policy offerings of each party. They will compete to appear more inclusive and progressive,' he said. Johari said the PBMy elections are expected to be held entirely online starting next year, allowing voters to make choices according to their home states without the constraints of physical location, with the first group expected to convene in June 2026. He said the PBMy sitting would be held three times a year, with members debating major issues such as education, health and youth development and the resolutions agreed upon would be channelled to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee before being selected to be discussed as the country's official agenda in the Dewan Rakyat. According to Johari, the initiative is seen as a long-term investment to ensure the continuity of quality and responsible national leadership. 'We don't want to be a candle that burns and then goes out. We want to be a solar system, always burning, illuminating and enlivening the next generation. 'I believe that PBMy is a game-changer in shaping the next generation of leaders who are more credible, principled and resilient,' he said. He said the PBMy implementation guidebook is being actively disseminated through a series of workshops involving various stakeholders, including academic experts, youth representatives and policymakers, as a step to strengthen the structure and direction of the programme. — Bernama
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Chris Rufo lays out reforms to Trump administration on how to 'save' higher education
Chris Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, laid out a series of reforms in a letter on Monday that he believes will help "save" higher education in the country as well as taxpayers' hard-earned dollars. Rufo published his reforms in the Free Press, in which he calls for President Donald Trump to create a new contract with universities. In the new contract, universities should be part of each payment, loan, grant, eligibility, and accreditation. Failure to comply could mean the termination of all public assistance programs, Rufo suggested. The letter states universities must "advance truth over ideology, with rigorous standards of academic conduct, controls for academic fraud, and merit-based decision-making throughout the enterprise." Signed by over 40 people, including educators, religious leaders, academics and authors, the letter asks universities to stop taking part in social and political activism and "adhere to the principle of color-blind equality, by abolishing DEI bureaucracies, disbanding racially segregated programs, and terminating race-based discrimination in admissions, hiring, promotions, and contracting." It calls for a return to the concept of freedom of speech, the protection of civil discourse and "swift and significant penalties" for anyone who disrupts speakers, vandalizes property, occupies buildings, calls for violence, or prevents the university from carrying outits operations. The list of reforms also includes a request that universities are transparent about their operations and, at the end of each year, disclose the full data on race, admissions, and class rank, as well as employment and financial returns by major, campus attitudes on civil discourse, ideology, and free speech. The call to action directed at the Trump administration comes just over a month after the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust held a hearing on June 4 entitled, "The Elite Universities Cartel: A History of Anticompetitive Collusion Inflating the Cost of Higher Education." It also comes as the Manhattan Institute released a poll on Sunday that found that only 15% of registered voters say they have a lot of trust in private Ivy League colleges and universities. Among America's public colleges and universities, just one in five or 20% of registered voters say they have a "great deal" of trust in these institutions, according to the Manhattan Institute poll.
The Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald
Zondo commission of inquiry cost R1bn — Mbalula
'The commissions have not only exposed wrongdoing but have informed meaningful legislative and structural reforms.' President Cyril Ramaphosa has established a commission of inquiry to look into allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against senior law enforcement officials, including police minister Senzo Mchunu, over alleged political interference in criminal cases. Mchunu and deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya were placed on special leave pending the outcomes. The move was criticised by the public and political parties, citing previous commissions that produced no arrests. Mbalula said calls for immediate arrests or prosecutions without the process 'reflect disregard for constitutionalism and due process and would ironically mirror the very abuses of power we seek to correct' 'It must be understood that in a constitutional democracy, justice is not a spectacle. The separation of powers doctrine limits the executive's direct intervention in investigations or prosecutions. 'The demand for arrests, politically driven prosecutions, or trial by media undermines the foundation of the rule of law. South Africa's hard-won democracy does not permit leaders to act as judge, jury and executioner. Instead, the president has correctly entrusted independent institutions to do their work and has created an enabling environment for them to succeed.' He called on the public and political parties to respect the process. 'The commission must be allowed to conduct its work thoroughly, independently and without fear or favour. 'The ANC views the settings of commissions of inquiry, while not a substitute for law enforcement, as essential instruments in the pursuit of justice, truth and reform, especially where systemic failure, conflict of interest or possible political interference has paralysed existing institutions.' TimesLIVE
