Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Human Rights Index 💙 @humanrightsindex.bsky.social · 3h

The Nobel verdict! 💯🤣

A political cartoon shows a man resembling Donald Trump being spat on by the image of Alfred Nobel from a Nobel Prize medal. The man squints and grimaces as the liquid hits his face. The medal is bright gold, and Trump is dressed in a blue suit with a red tie. The artist’s signature, “Nico Cornill,” and social media handles appear at the bottom right.

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 4h

Time to admire Ferdinand Hodler landscapes and portraits at the spectacular Kunsthaus Zürich.

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 22h

Many thanks to all colleagues @ciseth.bsky.social for a lively discussion, excellent comments and a great trip to Zurich!

cis.ethz.ch/details.how-...

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 22h

In the big picture, I think this is a reasonable compromise, keeping the main elements of the 2024 “modernization“ reform in tact.

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 1d

Citizenship in the News 📰 🇩🇪

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship: Friedrich Merz’s conservatives had pledged to rescind legislation, which allowed citizenship in three years instead of five

🔗 www.dw.com/en/german-pa...

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship – DW – 10/08/2025

Crossing fast-track citizenship off the books was a key migration-related election campaign promise from Chancellor Merz's CDU. Critics argue that this will deter highly qualified immigrants from comi...

www.dw.com

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GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 1d

Citizenship in the News 📰 🇩🇪

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship: Friedrich Merz’s conservatives had pledged to rescind legislation, which allowed citizenship in three years instead of five

🔗 www.dw.com/en/german-pa...

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship – DW – 10/08/2025

Crossing fast-track citizenship off the books was a key migration-related election campaign promise from Chancellor Merz's CDU. Critics argue that this will deter highly qualified immigrants from comi...

www.dw.com

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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 3d

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 4d

“The ‘lessons of history’ give us every reason to be wary of () this most recent effort to break with our established tradition of recognizing birthright citizenship and to make citizenship depend on the actions of one’s parents rather than () the simple fact of being born in the United States”.

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 4d

Citizenship in the News 🇺🇸📰

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can’t end birthright citizenship: Adding to the mounting legal setbacks for the president’s birthright order.

apnews.com/article/birt...

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can't end birthright citizenship

A federal appeals court in Boston has ruled the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily.

apnews.com

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GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 4d

Citizenship in the News 🇺🇸📰

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can’t end birthright citizenship: Adding to the mounting legal setbacks for the president’s birthright order.

apnews.com/article/birt...

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can't end birthright citizenship

A federal appeals court in Boston has ruled the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily.

apnews.com

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 7d

Muito bem

www.publico.pt/2025/10/03/i...

Joana Marques absolvida no processo judicial interposto pelos Anjos

A juíza considerou não ser possível distinguir se o que provocou danos foi a polémica do vídeo de Joana Marques ou a própria transmissão original do hino interpretado por Nelson e Sérgio Rosado.

www.publico.pt

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 7d

If this country was truly “pro-life,” we would have Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, gun reform, universal child care, and a living wage.

The right-wing agenda isn’t about “life.”

It’s about control.

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 9d

This will be great - looking forward!

Registered ✔️

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 9d

🚨 Webinar Alert 🚨

Join us for the online launch of the new Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset, the most comprehensive global dataset on migrant suffrage to date 🌐

📅 Oct 15 | 17:00 CEST
📍 Online
🔗 Register www.eui.eu/events?id=58...

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GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 9d

🚨 Webinar Alert 🚨

Join us for the online launch of the new Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset, the most comprehensive global dataset on migrant suffrage to date 🌐

📅 Oct 15 | 17:00 CEST
📍 Online
🔗 Register www.eui.eu/events?id=58...

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Leila Hadj Abdou @leilahadjabdou.bsky.social · 9d

Interested in #migration research policy relations, and the role of evidence in policy making? Join us tomorrow 6 pm CET in person or online. nccr-onthemove.ch/news-events/ #UniversityofNeuchatel #NCCR

News + Events | nccr – on the move

Find the current news and events of nccr - on the move, as well as our newsletters and the archive regrouping past events, to stay informed on migration and mobility research

nccr-onthemove.ch

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 9d

Powerful stuff on an issue that should be unremarkable.

“No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and non-citizens alike.”

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 9d

Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"

This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court –- squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.” “No law” means “no law.” The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence. See Section III.A infra. No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and non-citizens alike.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 9d

Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"

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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 10d

What the internet's for.

PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 @patriottakes.bsky.social · 11d

Pete Hegseth accidentally flipping a skateboard into his nuts on live TV

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 11d

It’s mind boggling what Labour is doing.

Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 11d

Labour looking at Reform's racist policies and saying "we"ll have some of that". These aren't just discriminatory, by making migrants meet higher standards than the average person, they automatically treat migrants as if they are criminals on community service.
#r4today
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Under the proposals, legal migrants will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community to be granted permanent settlement status.

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 11d

Labour looking at Reform's racist policies and saying "we"ll have some of that". These aren't just discriminatory, by making migrants meet higher standards than the average person, they automatically treat migrants as if they are criminals on community service.
#r4today
www.bbc.com/news/article...

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 13d

Deeply worrying and shocking that not only most of Reform UK voters but also nearly half of Conservative voters think that permanent residents in the UK should be deprived of their “indefinite leave to remain”.

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 13d

The majority of Reform UK voters would see indefinite leave to remain removed from all of the groups we asked about, apart from those who have lived in the UK for 20+ years

yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

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YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 13d

The majority of Reform UK voters would see indefinite leave to remain removed from all of the groups we asked about, apart from those who have lived in the UK for 20+ years

yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

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Laura Belin @laurarbelin.bsky.social · 13d

Breaking news from Des Moines: ICE has detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district.
The Des Moines Public Schools said "We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps."
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/09/26/i...

ICE detains Des Moines Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts

Iowa's largest school district had "no confirmed information" on why ICE detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent since 2023.

www.bleedingheartland.com

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Rahsaan Maxwell @rahsaanmax.bsky.social · 14d

Enough of the BS. It's not a 'crackdown' on academia. You 'crackdown' on criminals and villains. It's a wild assault and a desperate power grab. And that shouldn't be hard to say, regardless of ideological preferences.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/o...

Opinion | The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Crackdown on Academia

www.nytimes.com

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 15d

Check out a ✨ brand new @globalcit.bsky.social dataset!

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 15d

Explore the new GLOBALCIT Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset ❗🌐

🌍 165 countries (1960–2020)
📊 488 indicators
🗳️ voting & candidacy rights of non-citizen residents + non-resident citizens
🏛️ Differentiates election type (legislative, executive, referendum) & level

📥: tinyurl.com/yv37nj7m

Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset - Globalcit

Suffrage is a central element of democracy. Over time, electoral rights have increasingly become available to migrants—both as non-citizen residents and as non-resident citizens. However, existing dat...

tinyurl.com

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GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 15d

Explore the new GLOBALCIT Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset ❗🌐

🌍 165 countries (1960–2020)
📊 488 indicators
🗳️ voting & candidacy rights of non-citizen residents + non-resident citizens
🏛️ Differentiates election type (legislative, executive, referendum) & level

📥: tinyurl.com/yv37nj7m

Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset - Globalcit

Suffrage is a central element of democracy. Over time, electoral rights have increasingly become available to migrants—both as non-citizen residents and as non-resident citizens. However, existing dat...

tinyurl.com

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 15d

See also posts by @peterspiro.bsky.social

bsky.app/profile/pete...

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

Category capped at 40k visas a year. This will probably create backlogs and processing delays for aliens who actually have extraordinary ability

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 15d

Il Cubo nero non vola, sta sulle gambe d'acciaio della Speculazione.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 15d

Good 🧵 by @jdzankic.bsky.social on the problematic 'gold card' in the US.

Jelena Dzankic @jdzankic.bsky.social · 15d

I’ve been waiting for this since February, and it is quite a bit of an anticlimax. See 🧵 for a few thoughts on the #goldcard, #residence, #US

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

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Jelena Dzankic @jdzankic.bsky.social · 15d

I’ve been waiting for this since February, and it is quite a bit of an anticlimax. See 🧵 for a few thoughts on the #goldcard, #residence, #US

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 16d

“Totally absurd but probably will stick” is the motto of the T admin.

It’s just one more grift scheme.

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

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Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

Category capped at 40k visas a year. This will probably create backlogs and processing delays for aliens who actually have extraordinary ability

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

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