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Nomenclature is not the only thing Koshi Province is heated over at the moment. For the past month, it has been a centre of much political consternation, even affecting national politics, as top leaders of major parties are deeply invested in the race to make and break governments in the province. Uddhab Thapa has come back to power, riding on the back of the magic number of 47, in a 93-strong provincial assembly, after getting Baburam Gautam, the Speaker, to resign from his post.

Gautams defection from the Speakers dais to the provincial cabinet, where he has clinched the post of the Minister of Finance after hard bargaining with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is a reiteration of deceit to democracy. Earlier, even when he held the position of the assembly Speaker, he had signed in Thapas support, a constitutional overreach that the Supreme Court had to correct.

But the road ahead is certain to be bumpy for Thapa, as there are doubts whether he will get the majority when he attempts to gain the mandatory vote of confidence within a month. To check the Uddhab Thapa-led alliance of the Nepali Congress, the Maoist-Centre and sundry parties from getting majority, the CPN-UML, the main opposition, is likely to force Sirjana Danuwar, the Deputy Speaker of the assembly, to resign too. That will effectively render the assembly headless, as the Speakers position is already vacant, and the alliance cannot afford to elect one as that would deprive it of a majority in the assembly. Such an impasse will effectively start the race to power all over again, and could lead to midterm elections if the parties run out of options to outdo one another.

Although the idea of the midterms is not unconstitutional, it will yet again establish that democratic politics is a zero-sum game in Nepal. Above everything else, legality is the domain of ethics, and that should not be breached. Political practices that overlook ethics and depend on deceit to fulfil their self-serving goals are bound to create instability and uncertainty. Above all, they instil in citizens a sense of dejection and mistrust towards politicsand that is dangerous in a democracy.

Moreover, if the democratic process continues to be just a tool for the political parties to rise to power, it will lead to a crisis in the legitimacy of federalism. At a time when there is widespread scepticism about federalisms relevance in a resource-starved country like Nepal, the Koshi consternation has left the impression that the provinces are nothing but a duplication of the rat-race to power that is the so-called democratic process at the centre.

The impasse also has to do with an interesting mathematical miscalculation on the part of the constitutionalists and political leaders who decided on the number 93 while allocating seats for the Koshi provincial assembly. It looks like they did not factor in the position of the Speaker, let alone imagine an impasse like the current one, when they settled on the odd number. It is perhaps something for the framers of the constitution to mull over. More worryingly, the whirlwind race for powerbe it in provinces or at the federal levelcalls into question the legitimacy of parliamentary democracy itself.

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Democracy as arithmetic - The Kathmandu Post

In Cuba, at least in the last decade, this self-determination has also been promoted by initiatives that seek female empowerment and fight against racial discrimination against Black people.

Rizo Libre, or "free curl," is one initiative that seeks to rescue Afro-descendant roots on the island. For Yadira Rachel Vargas, the creator of Rizo Libre, the initiative wants to break stereotypes and achieve freedom for women to be proudly Afro.

A mother of two girls, and lover of arts and woodwork, the 31-year-old entrepreneur calls herself an incomplete poet, who found with Rizo Libre an essential piece of her life: delving into the world of styling Afro curly hair.

When asked about the idea, she refers to her childhood. At just 10 years old, she learned to braid her own hair, because she didn't like the hairstyles her mother did for her. Then, in high school, she began doing her mother's, aunts' and cousins' hair. Her aunt Nancy was a hairdresser, and with her, Yadira learned many hair care techniques.

My mother is an extremely authentic and natural woman in every way. She never gave up her hair, but thanks to my impulse she stopped straightening it and embraced her Afro identity and left it natural, she says.

My mom felt happy when I combed her hair and she could see the results in the mirror. That happiness was my fuel. There was the energy that I had to use as a boost of impulse to create Rizo Libre. It was like a prophecy that I longed to fulfill, and without realizing it, the dream materialized from that care I learned to give my and my mothers hair.

Since 2016 Yadira has been proudly wearing her natural hair, and three years later she began to study hair characteristics and needs.

"Basically I consumed the content published by the Colombian stylist and influencer Cirle Tatisy and similar Brazilian stylists. In Cuba, I followed the content on hair care, definition techniques and cosmetic products for styling Afro-curly hair," she says.

Only 10 days after the birth of her second child, Yadira decided that she would start styling hair professionally. Rizo Libre became her third child. In a strange coincidence of fate, her Aunt Nancy, with whom she learned about hair care, died the same year she started her new business.

Yadira Rachel's measure of her results and customer happiness are before and after photo shoots.

Rizo libre via Instagram

Yadira Rachel's measure of her results and customer happiness are before and after photo shoots. "I have had the joy of creating a wide spectrum of clients, from 5-year-old girls, adolescents, adults, senior women, to young men and children. When it comes time for the final photo, I marvel at the poses, the facial expression, the carefree smile. Then, I know they were satisfied.

She says she feels lucky: "Despite being a new venture, all the bookings that come to Rizo Libre dont cease to amaze me."

Although it is a business focused mainly on the female audience, it has also had male clients. "My husband was the first male model for the Rizo Libre posts, and you wont imagine the love he got. Men also want to have their crowns shiny. I love repeating the term crown, when referring to Afro hair because it's a powerful word and I like my clients to feel like kings and queens when we finish the makeover."

Even many white women also crave well-groomed curly hair. Between smiles she tells me a personal anecdote. Once I wrote in a WhatsApp status about the beauty of Afro curls of black women in Cuba, and the GP from my health center responded, asking what about the curly white women, like her. I agreed with her. I understood that curly white women watch what I do. The services at Rizo Libre are also for them, and those who want to express themselves through their hair, she says, proudly.

Rizo Libre finds new meaning every day. I am a historian, and I recently received a master's degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage. That was for many years my passion, the rescue of the valuable, of the authentic, of the essence and identity, which later remained in print with my dissertation. But with Rizo Libre, I found the space to communicate that knowledge that nourished me and nourishes as a Black, Afro-descendant, Cuban woman, practitioner of the Yoruba religion."

For her, each client is a fascinating world. Listening to them talk while they wait for their crown to shine is the opportunity to know the place that their Afro identity occupies in their lives. For this reason, in addition to making posts in social media of the hairstyles, I write texts to reflect on the paradigms of beauty, the vindication of type four hair textures, which are full-fledged Afro hair and also other issues related to motherhood," she says.

My daughters are my teachers. Each one has taught me the most difficult lessons, patience and calm. I have always considered myself strong-minded and focused on my ideas and projects, but I only achieved the lucidity to materialize the idea of Rizo Libre after becoming a mother," she says. "Something happened inside me. I decided not to sabotage my happiness, and I started styling, even though the girls were little. They deserve an example of a mother who is happy with what she does and who bets on her growth, without ceasing to see them as my priority."

She has a strong support network, composed of her husband, mother, mother-in-law and daughters, who are the biggest motivation. "Meli, with her two years, stands in front of the mirror and with her fingers touches her hair and combs it. And Lucia, like clockwork, when I'm about to finish the styling, begins to demand that I breastfeed her. I feel that in a few years when I review my life I will think that I was crazy to jump into a new business idea with two little girls, but that in the end it was worth it," she says.

Motherhood and entrepreneurship practically came into her life together so she is in a moment of assimilation of both. I must achieve a balance between them because each one has its own dynamics. Still, we cannot lose sight of the fact that time passes and the business can prosper, but the children grow up and that time does not return. I am what is known as self-employed: I still do not have a work team, but I know that the time will come and I must be prepared."

So far, the experience has been challenging, because her husband is also busy, and they must balance the loads so that they both enjoy quality time with the girls. "I believe that we deserve the respect of our family and the support to go out in search of our purposes without feeling guilty," she says.

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a political rally while campaigning in Pennsylvania this year. Photo / Getty Images

During a discussion at Goodenough College in London, a young American couple loudly held forth. They were due to fly home to Duluth, Minnesota, and were asked about the political situation. The young woman didnt follow politics, she said, but she thought Donald Trump was being unfairly targeted. All hed done was make errors with his tax returns.

Questioned by an elderly and slightly scandalised Canadian, the young woman revealed she didnt know about Trumps indictments and upcoming fraud and criminal trials. She hadnt heard a judges recent statement that a New York jury had found as a fact that Trump raped the writer E Jean Carroll. She had no idea hed received a target letter from the Special Counsel relating to the January 6 riots, and was likely be charged with election tampering, or that he could be indicted for racketeering in Georgia, all imprisonable offences.

Further, (the Canadian pressed on with questioning it had become contentious) the young woman didnt believe climate change was real. In the midst of the brutal Cerberus heatwave, temperatures in parts of Europe were now over 40C, and wildfires were raging. There were simultaneous destructive heatwaves in North America, Asia and North Africa. Marine heatwaves were occurring. She didnt know any of this, no sir. But she sure would be voting in 2024.

When American founding father Benjamin Franklin was asked, What kind of government have you given us?, he replied, A democracy, if you can keep it. He meant democracy can be lost, that its up to the people to retain it. The way to keep democracy is to participate, and to ensure you understand whats going on. If you dont follow politics, youll make choices based on incorrect assumptions. But in the case of Trump, America risks losing its democracy altogether. This would affect the entire world. People are happy, even proud, to vote in a knowledge vacuum. And off we go, careering into darkness.

Arthur Millers 1953 play The Crucible is a fictionalised story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692. The play was a comment on McCarthyism, and is a study of mass hysteria, conformity and group think. Currently performed in a punchy revival by Londons National Theatre, it features the chilling line, The little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law.

The Crucibles Puritans know their community has turned savage, but no one has the courage to defy the crazy children. Its all very topical for 2024, as US Republicans silently or expressly enable Trumps 2020 election-denying. Only a few politicians in that party will admit theres a serious threat to the democracy they should be working to keep.

At Shakespeares Globe theatre on the south bank of the Thames, a rollicking matinee of The Comedy of Errors was full of schoolchildren. They were aged about 10 years and upwards, and they were totally engaged. They cheered, they fell about laughing. They were excited by the dancing, they found the knockabout fights and comic routines hilarious. And they were exposed, all that time, to the most beautiful and sophisticated language.

This is something else worth keeping, this one particular example of our various multicultural treasures. Language is surely the key to rational thought. The more sophisticated your use of it, the better able you are to think logically, and to express complex ideas. Knowledge is power, and so is skill with the spoken and written word. Art isnt just beautiful, it has a formidable, transformative purpose. Its the way out of the world of crazy children, the path that leads away from darkness.

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Charlotte Grimshaw: US risks losing democracy all together with ... - New Zealand Herald

On July 21, Alabama Republicans blatantly ignored a federal court order and enacted a congressional map with only one majority-Black district when two are required. This flagrant defiance is almost certain to result in a court-appointed special master redrawing the states congressional map before the 2024 election, but Alabama is not the only state where maps could be redrawn before the next federal election.

In close national elections like the 2022 midterm elections, the outcome of litigation can have a huge impact on the final results. The decisions of courts in redistricting litigation contributed to the Republican Partys current margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. With 12 congressional maps still subject to litigation and at least 40 districts at issue, decisions in these cases stand to impact control of the House in 2024 and beyond.

In federal court, pro-voting forces across the deep south are fighting congressional maps that dilute the voting strength of minority voters. In Texas, seven consolidated federal lawsuits are attempting to ensure voters of color have the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. Many of these cases bring claims under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which was recently upheld in the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Allen v. Milligan. In state courts, another bucket of lawsuits challenge partisan gerrymandering, unconstitutional processes and more.

Ongoing congressional redistricting litigation has the potential to determine how communities are represented in states across the country, remedy discrimination in map-drawing and have implications for partisan gerrymandering claims.

According to Democracy Dockets database of over 600 lawsuits, there are currently 26 lawsuits across 12 states that challenge congressional maps; 20 lawsuits are pending in federal court and six cases are pending in state court.

Alabama has seven congressional districts that are currently represented by six Republicans and one Democrat in the House.In 2021, three lawsuits were filed challenging Alabamas congressional map.

Two of Alabamas congressional districts should be majority-Black districts per federal court order. Currently, only one district, the 7th Congressional District, is a majority-Black district.

Status: Alabamas congressional map should change before the 2024 election as the state was ordered by a court to include a second majority-Black district. The case is currently pending before a federal district court.

Allen v. Milligan

Allen v. Caster

Singleton v. Allen

The lawsuits were eventually consolidated but only two lawsuits bringing claims under Section 2 of the VRA were appealed up to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 8, 2023, the Court upheld Section 2 and affirmed a lower court ruling that required Alabama to draw a congressional map with a second majority-Black district. The Republican-controlled Legislature did not comply, so the map will likely be redrawn by a special master appointed by a federal district court.

Arkansas has four congressional districts. All four districts are currently represented by Republicans in the House.

Two separate lawsuits are pending in different court levels regarding Arkansas congressional map.Both lawsuits challenge the composition of Arkansas 2nd Congressional District.

Status: The U.S. Supreme Court will issue a decision next term in Simpson v. Thurston. Litigation is ongoing before the district court in Christian Ministerial Alliance v. Thurston.

Florida has 28 congressional districts that are currently represented by 20 Republicans and eight Democrats. Two lawsuits challenge Floridas congressional map: one in state court and one in federal court. Both of the lawsuits challenge the congressional map with a specific emphasis on Congressional District 5.

Status: Litigation is ongoing in both cases. A trial will be held in the state-level case from Aug. 21-August 30.

Common Cause Florida v. Byrd

Black Voters Matter v. Byrd

One lawsuit is ongoing in federal court and alleges that the map is unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered.

A different lawsuit in state court argues that the congressional map violates multiple provisions of the Fair Districts Amendment of the Florida Constitution by diminishing the ability of Black Floridians to elect their candidates of choice, particularly in northern Florida and the 5th Congressional District.

The Peach State has 14 congressional districts currently represented by five Democrats and nine Republicans in the House.Three lawsuits challenge Georgias congressional map.

One lawsuit (Common Cause) challenges the 6th, 13th and 14th Congressional Districts for being unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. Two lawsuits argue that the map should have an additional majority-Black congressional district in the western Atlanta metropolitan area.

Status: There will be a trial in one lawsuit (Pendergrass) on Sept. 5, 2023. Two lawsuits are awaiting decisions on summary judgment.

Kentucky has six congressional districts currently represented by five Republicans and one Democrat. One lawsuit challenges Kentuckys congressional map.

Status: This case is currently pending before the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Graham v. Adams

One lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of voters and the Kentucky Democratic Party challenges Kentuckys congressional map arguing that the map is a partisan gerrymander that favors Republicans and unnecessarily splits counties in violation of the Kentucky Constitution.

Louisiana has six congressional districts currently represented by five Republicans and one Democrat in the House. Two consolidated lawsuits challenge the states congressional map alleging that the map violates Section 2 of the VRA by diluting the voting power of Black voters. The plaintiffs ask for a second majority-Black district to be drawn.

Status: Louisianas congressional map is currently blocked and a hearing will be held from Oct. 3-5 to determine what steps will be taken to implement a remedial map for 2024.

Robinson v. Ardoin

Galmon v. Ardoin

In these consolidated cases, the plaintiffs won a preliminary injunction last year against the map and the creation of a second minority-opportunity district was ordered. That injunction was stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court pending the resolution of Allen; the case is now back before the district court.

New York has 26 congressional districts currently represented by 15 Democrats and 11 Republicans. One lawsuit challenges the process used to enact maps so it does not challenge specific districts. Instead, it requests that the congressional map be redrawn and submitted to the Legislature.

Status: On July 13, an intermediate appellate court ruled that the IRC must reconvene and redraw the congressional map. Republicans appealed the decision to the states highest court on July 25.

Hoffmann v. New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

New York voters filed a lawsuit against the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) and its members alleging that the IRC failed to complete its mandatory redistricting duties and requesting that the IRC reconvene and draw a congressional map to submit to the Legislature.

New Mexico has three congressional districts all currently represented by Democrats.One lawsuit challenges New Mexicos congressional map.

Status: On July 5, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering claims are justiciable under the New Mexico Constitution and sent the lawsuit back to the trial court to issue a decision in the case by October 1, 2023.

Republican Party of New Mexico v. Oliver

In 2021, the Republican Party of New Mexico, state Sen. David Gallegos (R), former state Sen. Timothy Jennings (D) and a group of Republican voters filed a lawsuit challenging New Mexicos congressional map drawn with 2020 census data. The plaintiffs ask the court to strike down the map and order the creation of a partisan-neutral map.

Ohio has 15 congressional districts that are currently represented by 10 Republicans and five Democrats.Two separate lawsuits filed by pro-voting parties challenge Ohios congressional map.

Status: Ohios congressional map was struck down two separate times, but now the case is currently pending before the Ohio Supreme Court after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the Ohio Supreme Courts decision to strike down the map.

By Katy Shanahan, Democracy Docket Contributor

South Carolina has seven congressional districts currently represented by six Republicans and one Democrat. One lawsuit challenges South Carolinas congressional map. The plaintiffs challenged the 1st, 2nd and 5th Congressional Districts. In January 2023, a federal court struck down the 1st Congressional District for being an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, but kept the 2nd and 5th districts in place.

Status: A three-judge panel struck down the configuration of the 1st Congressional District and Republican officials appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear the case in full on Oct. 11, 2023.

South Carolina NAACP v. McMaster

One lawsuit brought by the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP argues that South Carolinas congressional map intentionally discriminates against Black voters and is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.

Texas has 38 congressional districts currently represented by 25 Republicans and 13 Democrats. Seven consolidated lawsuits challenge Texas congressional map and advocate for fairer representation for voters of color including Latino, Black and AAPI voters.

Status: Disputes regarding discovery are ongoing. Once they are resolved, a trial will be scheduled.

Utah has four congressional districts. All four districts are currently represented by Republicans. One lawsuit challenges Utahs congressional map.

Status: An appeal is currently pending before the Utah Supreme Court.

League of Women Voters of Utah v. Utah State Legislature

The League of Women Voters of Utah, Mormon Women for Ethical Government and individual voters filed a lawsuit challenging Utahs new congressional map arguing that the new map is a partisan gerrymander that favors Republicans by cracking non-Republican voters across districts in violation of the Utah Constitution.

Rachel Selzer contributed to the research for this reporting.

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Litigation That Could Impact Congressional Maps Before 2024 - Democracy Docket

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waits for a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to begin at the NATO Summit, on July 12.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

In case anyone wasnt clear on how the Liberal government views the stakes in its battle against Google and Facebook, here is the way Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described them at a press conference last week, after Facebook started blocking Canadian news media on its platforms, and Google threatened to do the same:

Journalists should be paid for their work they do serving our democracy. Canadians have a long history of standing up to bullies, and Facebook made the wrong choice in attacking Canada. We defend democracy around the world. Its what were doing by supporting Ukraine. Its what we did in the Second World War. Its what we do at the United Nations every day. We are there to defend the principles and values of democracy.

Our response is twofold. One, wow. Mr. Trudeaus rousing defence of our way of life may be lacking a bit of perspective. And two, could we get a little more of that enthusiasm for democracy right here at home?

Here are nine things Mr. Trudeau can do to defend the principles and values of democracy without leaving Ottawa, spending much money or storming the private beaches of billionaire tech CEOs:

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Globe editorial: There must be (at least) nine more ways for the Liberals to defend democracy - The Globe and Mail