Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

College campuses emerging as ‘COVID-19 super-spreaders,’ infecting surrounding towns – Study Finds

STANFORD, Calif. — A troubling new study finds the first two weeks of college semesters represent a serious viral challenge in terms of containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from Stanford University say college campuses could be so-called “superspreaders” responsible for upticks in coronavirus cases throughout their entire local county. Study authors examined 30 U.S. college campuses…

Source: College campuses emerging as ‘COVID-19 super-spreaders,’ infecting surrounding towns – Study Finds

What the crackdown on farmers’ protests says about the future of democracy in India

They touch on why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi so fiercely pushed the reforms, the legitimate policy debate at the center of it all, and how the vile online reaction to Rihanna’s and Thunberg’s statements in support of the farmers from pro-Modi trolls shows the rot at the core of India’s democracy.
Indian farmers’ protests continue
Indian Youth Congress workers shout slogans during a protest against the new agricultural laws, the rise of unemployment, and the rising price of goods and services in New Delhi on February 9, 2021. | Imtiyaz Khan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

On this week’s episode of Worldly, we discuss how a real policy debate in India turned ugly.

The farmers’ protests in India had already turned ugly — and then global celebrities like Rihanna and Greta Thunberg stepped in.

In this week’s episode of Worldly, Vox’s foreign affairs podcast, co-hosts Zack Beauchamp, Jennifer Williams, and Alex Ward explain why thousands of Indian farmers have spent months protesting recent agricultural reform laws passed by the government.

They touch on why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi so fiercely pushed the reforms, the legitimate policy debate at the center of it all, and how the vile online reaction to Rihanna’s and Thunberg’s statements in support of the farmers from pro-Modi trolls shows the rot at the core of India’s democracy.

Hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers and their supporters have been occupying major roads surrounding the capital, New Delhi, since November in protest of the agriculture reform laws.

Under the new policies, introduced by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian farmers must sell goods and make contracts with independent buyers outside of government-sanctioned marketplaces, which have long served as the primary locations for farmers to do business.

Modi and members of his party say the reforms are needed to help India modernize and improve its farming industry, which will mean greater freedom and prosperity for farmers. But the farmers, afraid they will be at the mercy of big business, remain unconvinced.

Modi’s government offered to put the laws on hold for 18 months, but the farmers have refused, demanding a full retraction of the laws to end their standoff.

After an 11th round of talks between the farmers and the government failed, the farmers unions decided to up the ante with a tractor march into the capital on India’s Republic Day, which commemorates the signing of India’s constitution. Miscommunication led to violent face-offs with police, who used tear gas and batons to try to turn them back.

Hundreds of police officers were injured. A farmer was also crushed when his tractor was among the many vehicles overturned in the violence.

Then Rihanna posted a February 2 tweet about the Indian government shutting off internet access to squash debate about the Republic Day violence. And all hell broke loose.

The singer’s tweet angered the Indian government, which responded that foreign celebrities should know the facts before weighing in on Indian affairs. That paved the way for even more vitriol, with online supporters of Modi’s right-wing nationalist government, and one of Bollywood’s most famous actresses, Kangana Ranaut, lashing out on Twitter and in the media with nasty personal attacks against Rihanna, many of which were racist and sexist.

The ugly response to celebrities asking legitimate questions about the treatment of farmers and the suppression of farmers’ freedoms shows just how deep the divisions are within Indian society.

To hear more about what led to widespread farmer protests in India, how the protests became violent, and what the government’s heavy-handed tactics for quashing dissent say about India’s future under Modi, listen to Worldly below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Worldly wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

You can find specific links for Vox podcasts here.

How do i find my purpose?

Words from Walden

What is the purpose of life? What is my purpose and how do I find it? Why are we here? What’s the meaning of it all?

If you have asked yourself any or all of the questions above then you are well on your way to figuring it out. Hopefully, this article will accelerate the answers for you.

The truth is that the purpose of life is the same for everyone. In its simplest form, the answer is Love. That is the real purpose and meaning of life. Living is not supposed to be a struggle. We are all here to create and once you realize this it makes it easier to do so.

Everyone’s purpose is to love. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional baseball player or an auto mechanic. A Teacher or a CEO. You are that thing because of love. If you don’t have a…

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Why Myanmar protesters see Aung San Suu Kyi as their greatest hope – video explainer

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Hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting across Myanmar since the army overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and detained most senior leaders on 1 February.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to power prompted hope she could end years of ethnic strife in Myanmar, but she has been accused of standing by while genocide was committed against the Rohingya people. The Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, explains why – despite her fall from grace internationally – Aung San Suu Kyi is seen by so many protesters as the only person who can still save them from military rule

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Israeli settler attack leaves Palestinian hiker killed, two others injured

TUBAS/PNN/

An Israeli settler Friday morning rammed his vehicle into a group of Palestinian hikers near Ein al-Beida village, east of Tubas city, killing one and injuring two others, according to an official.

Mu‘taz Besharat, who monitors Israeli colonial settlement activities in Tubas district, said that an Israeli settler rammed his car into a group of Palestinians who were hiking on a trail between Ein al-Beida and Bardala villages in the northern Jordan Valley, killing one hiker and injuring two others.

The slain Palestinian was identified as 52-year-old Bilal Bawatneh from al-Bireh city, and the injuries as residents of al-Bireh and Jerusalem cities.

Some hikers told WAFA that they were shocked to see the speeding vehicle veering off its course, and hitting the three hikers.

The Palestinian Red Crescent sources confirmed that their medics arrived at the scene and received Bawatneh’s body as Israeli medics evacuated the injuries to a hospital in the Israeli city of Afula.

 

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