Eritrea, a small East African nation with a population of 3.5 million people on the border of the Red Sea, has some of the most brutal prison conditions on earth. Its ruler, Isaias Afwerki, who became president after leading the liberation struggle to become independent of Ethiopia, has banned opposition parties, independent media and civil society groups.
(‘It Was Almost a Relief When Someone Died’: Former Prisoners on the Torture and Terror of Eritrea’s Secret Prisons.” Guardian, Jan. 20, 2025)
In a closely watched Supreme Court case, Ohio youth worker Marlene Ames, a straight white woman, is challenging the view that majority groups, such as whites and men, need to meet a higher standard to bring job discrimination lawsuits, than in racial or sexual bias cases brought by a member of a minority group.
(“Supreme Court Seems Poised to Lower the Bar for Whites to Sue for Job Bias,” Washington Post, Feb. 27, 2025)
In Sewickley Creek in the rural western Pennsylvania town of Yukon, a small pipe releases wastewater from a nearby toxic landfill. A popular spot for kayaking and fishing, community activists have posted warning signs nearby in recent months to alert residents of the dangers of the hazardous discharge.
(“Pollution Fears from Penn Landfill Caused Problems for Decades. Fracking Waste Made it Worse,” Inside Climate News, Feb. 23, 2025)
