There are at least 30 people dead in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike

A rocket hit a sports complex filled with children playing football in the Israeli- controlled Golan Heights region on Saturday, the same day that an Israeli strike in Gaza devastated a school building and killed dozens of people. Israel’s military ordered a fresh evacuation of part of a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza ahead of a planned strike on Khan Younis on Saturday.

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I had my white colleagues wear black shoes for a day

A US-based programme called Meyerhoff Scholars was established in 1988 with a $500,000 grant to help prepare African-American students for scientific research careers. From that initial instalment, the scheme boosted the numbers of Black science students in the United States. The programme has been open to anyone who is committed to increasing diversity in STEM fields.

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Biden focuses on reaching out to Black Americans

US President Joe Biden, during a phone call with Atlanta radio show host Darian “Big Tigger” Morgan, listed off what he claims he has done for black Americans. Biden said he’s done for Black Americans by lowering unemployment rates and cancelling some student debt. However, a recent poll revealed that 38% of Black Americans felt Biden’s policies have helped Black people.

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Student protests didn’t make much of a difference at several graduation ceremonies

US President Joe Biden’s visit to Atlanta’s Morehouse College on September 14 has been called off after protests by students against the war in Gaza. The White House said it wanted Biden to “focus on pressing pressing issues”, adding, “It’s unfortunate that the president’s visit has been cancelled.” Students had staged protests after Biden said some of them used “violent” methods.

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Columbia and Emory universities change plans for graduation after weeks of turmoil

Four US colleges and universities have reached an agreement with pro-Palestine protesters, ending clashes on their campuses. The schools include Rutgers, Brown, Northwestern and the University of Minnesota. Students at the schools said they would not disrupt finals or graduations, while the university said students would be honoured “individually alongside their peers”.

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More university leaders are weighing police involvement in pro-Palestinian protests

A journalist at Northwestern University in the US has been arrested at a university protest against pro-Palestinian protests. Steven Thrasher, a professor at the university’s Medill School, said that he was defending student protesters. “Caroline Fohlin was aStudent Protester at Washington University, in Actions and in Words,” he added. He further said that he’d been arrested by police for no reason.

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