It’s chaos in US education as Black teachers quit citing burnout, low pay and politics
Nationally, about 80 per cent of American public school teachers are white, even though white students no longer represent a majority in public schools. Having teachers who reflect the race of their students is important, researchers say, to provide students with role models who have insight into their culture and life experience.
Insight: World battles to loosen China’s grip on vital rare earths for clean energy transition
The West’s push to develop independent supplies of critical minerals took on greater urgency after Beijing imposed export controls last month on the strategic metals gallium and germanium, raising global fears that China could block exports of rare earths or processing technology next.
Drums of another war as buildup of American forces in Persian Gulf point to imminent US-Iran conflict
or the US, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping remains a priority to ensure global energy prices don’t spike, particularly as Russia’s war on Ukraine pressures markets. Gulf Arab nations need the waterway to get their oil to market and worry about Iran’s intentions in the wider region.
Study on political messaging via music and dance returns verdict: Kenya is ‘Luhyia cultural colony’
Political messaging via music is not unique to Luhyia. However, compared to other Kenya tribes, political mobilisation finds a lot of expression in compositions by artistes who have roots in western Kenya. For politicians it is a faster medium of connecting with their target audience and supporters.
Russia-linked Wagner mercenaries worked with Mali’s longtime US-backed military to kill and loot
Malian soldiers and foreign fighters, identified as members of the Russia-linked Wagner Group, have committed extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances of dozens of civilians in central Mali since December 2022, according to a new Human Rights Watch report shared with The Intercept. Researchers found that the longtime US-backed Malian military...
Conflict of interest pays: New revelations show US health officials conspired with Chinese army to cover up origins of Covid
Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s latest book, The Wuhan Cover-up: How US Health Officials Conspired with the Chinese Military to Hide the Origins of Covid-19,” is due out in September. The book is available now for preorder. Kennedy is the founder and chairman on leave from Children’s Health Defence.
As heatwaves hit Asia and Europe, India’s poorest women in low caste feel the pinch and die
According to the UN, Dalits and Adivasis form five out of every six multidimensionally poor people in India, meaning they not only lack enough income for daily needs but also do not have access to education and basic infrastructure.
After years of abuse Kenyan tech workers take on Big Tech to champion rights for fellow Africans
In Nairobi, a regional tech hub, outsourcing companies bring talent from numerous African countries to moderate work in different African languages. They include Sama, a San Francisco-headquartered company, which has contracted workers for Facebook and ChatGPT. Majorel, headquartered in Luxembourg, hires labour for Facebook and TikTok.
Proximal Origin: The goal of this paper ‘was not to discover origin of Covid, but to supress the lab leak theory’
Throughout the process, the report states, “the authors of Proximal Origin were keenly aware of the influence of Dr Fauci, Dr Collins and Dr Farrar,” with drafts of the paper shared with the three officials – sometimes referred to in emails as the “Bethesda Boys” – on several occasions in early February 2020.
Indeed, the report states that Farrar would “push” for the publication of “Proximal Origin” in Nature Medicine later in February 2020, while Andersen testified that Farrar was the “father figure” of the paper.