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☆ Robin Williams wrote a letter to a school principal urging they 'rethink' the expulsion of a 'Mrs. Doubtfire' child star
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewOne of the child stars of "Mrs. Doubtfire" revealed that Robin Williams went to bat for her after she was expelled for taking time off to star in the blockbuster comedy film. "Mrs. Doubtfire" starred Williams as a divorced dad who hatches an elaborate plan to imitate a female housekeeper so he can work for his estranged wife and see his children. "I got thrown out of high school on 'Doubtfire,'" Jakub told her costars. I was attending high school in Canada, then I left for four months to go film the movie." Speaking to Business Insider last year on the 30th anniversary of the movie, "Mrs Doubtfire" director Chris Columbus said that he and Williams began discussing the possibility of a sequel in 2014.

Persons: —, Doubtfire, Robin Williams, Williams, Lisa Jakub, Sally Field's, Mara Wilson, Matthew Lawrence, Jakub, Robin, Sally Field, Lawrence, hadn't, Chris Columbus Organizations: Service, Business, Fox, University of Southern, LA Locations: Canada, University of Southern California, Columbus

He was a model to me of artistic labor and discipline, even if those early paintings were painfully amateurish. The painting followed me from Amherst to my first job in New York, and on to London and Delhi. IT WASN’T MY intention to start an essay about artistic beginnings with a story of artistic death. I’m especially moved by those first moments of validation by which an artist comes out to himself, as it were. It’s this, the inexorability of the correspondence between an artist and the world, that gives those first steps their magical quality.

Persons: Naipaul, Neil Shah, James Wood —, Zack, who’d, ”, Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna, Elders ”, I’m, ” Gustave Flaubert, “, ” Zack, it’s, Bruce Chatwin, Paul Gauguin, Salman Rushdie, Somerset Maugham, Kathryn Bigelow, Philip Glass, Arundhati Roy, Booker, Joseph Conrad, Conrad, Jacques, ” Conrad, brimming, ’, ’ ”, Clarice Lispector, Benjamin Moser, ” Lispector, Maugham, eludes, Jan van Kessel, Elder, — Pieter Bruegel, —, Rebecca West —, “ Black Lamb, J.R, Hammond, Wells, Rebecca West ”, sloughed, Henrik Ibsen’s, Rosmersholm ”, Karan Mahajan, Salman Toor, what’s, ” Hemingway, Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Harold Bloom, Ravi, Uday, René Daumal, Rasa ”, ” Anoushka, Norah Jones, Norah, I’ve, “ Raphael, Rachel Cusk, Italy ”, Perugino, Raphael, Cusk, J.M, Samuel Beckett, Gabriel García Márquez, Thomas Pynchon’s, James Joyce, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Marcel Proust’s, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Read, Emma Kehlbeck, Quinton Kamara Organizations: Amherst College, Elders, Fayerweather, ”, Google, Sunday Times, Somerset, Yugoslavia, The, “, . Locations: Delhi, ”, Massachusetts, Italian, Topeka, Kan, Amherst, New York, London, Patagonia, New Delhi, Torrens, Cambridge, Polish, Ukrainian, Brazil, Flemish, Victorian England, “ H.G, Fairfield, United States, “, East, Lahore, Europe, America, Texas, Side, Manhattan, India, Italy

He was a model to me of artistic labor and discipline, even if those early paintings were painfully amateurish. IT WASN’T MY intention to start an essay about artistic beginnings with a story of artistic death. No one captured the massive cultural and economic disparities of my life in Delhi (and his in Lahore) like Toor. But quite unbeknown to me, Toor’s life in New York had opened up a new vein of material. Not everyone who sees a Michelangelo can go off and paint a Michelangelo.”THERE ARE SO many ways to begin.

☆ Meet the typical immigrant worker who's recently come to the US: A young man working in construction or food services making under $40,000 a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewNearly three million more Americans are working than they were in January 2020, but the number of US-born workers has barely budged. Roughly 64% of these recent immigrants were working or looking for work, compared to 62% of US-born workers. Over 16% of recent immigrants worked in the construction industry, compared to 6.4% of US-born workers. Roughly 17% of immigrants worked in the professional and business industry, compared to 12% of US-born workers. AdvertisementAbout 12% of recent immigrants worked in the accommodation and food services industry, compared to 7% of US-born workers.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Service, of Labor Statistics, Business Locations: Mexico, New York, Chicago, US, South America, Central America, Florida , California , Texas, New Jersey , Illinois , Massachusetts, Georgia

☆ 14 college majors where the typical graduate is making at least $100,000 by the middle of their careers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Fed analyzed the mid-career wages of college graduates with a bachelor's degree. Those graduates aged 35 to 45 with one of 14 majors had a median wage of at least $100,000 a year. Nine of those 14 college majors were related to engineering. AdvertisementWhen undergraduate college students choose their majors, there can be several factors that go into their decisions. A New York Fed analysis of 2022 American Community Survey data found that college graduates who majored in one of 14 areas of study had a median mid-career wage of at least $100,000 a year.

Persons: — Organizations: New, Fed, Service, Survey, Business Locations: New York

☆ Biden pulls even with Trump as economic view improves slightly, CNBC survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Steve Liesman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Evelyn Hockstein | David Swanson | ReutersAmericans' views on the economy have improved modestly, according to the latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey, helping President Biden pull even with Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup. But former President Trump holds a commanding lead on several economic issues, like inflation, taxes and immigration, that voters say are most important in this election. The survey of 1,001 Americans across the country showed 46% of voters choose Trump and 45% picking Biden in a one-on-one match with 10% undecided. Younger Democrats, in fact, are evenly split on the presidents handling of foreign policy. While those issues look to be dragging on the president's approval, he has received a boost from somewhat better overall views on the economy.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Evelyn Hockstein, David Swanson, Biden, Trump, Jay Campbell, Hart, Micah Roberts, it's, they've Organizations: Reuters, CNBC, America Economic Survey, Trump, Biden, Hart Research, Democratic, Republican

☆ India Court Effectively Bans Madrasas in Big State Before Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

India holds a general election between April and June that Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win. The BJP's Tripathi responded that Muslim BJP leaders had no reason to fear because their community equally benefits from various government welfare programmes. Friday's order applies to all madrasas in the state, whether funded privately or by the government, Javed said. The court did not give a timeline for its order, but Javed said madrasas are unlikely to be closed right away. The northeastern state of Assam, also ruled by the BJP, has been converting hundreds of madrasas into conventional schools.

Persons: Saurabh Sharma, Krishna, Narendra Modi's, Iftikhar Ahmed Javed, Subhash Vidyarthi, Vivek Chaudhary, Anshuman Singh Rathore, Rathore, Modi, Ram, Babur, Rakesh Tripathi, madrasas, Sudhanshu Chauhan, Javed, Tripathi, Krishna N, William Mallard Organizations: Das NEW, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pradesh BJP, madrasas, Das Locations: Das NEW DELHI, India, Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad, Pradesh, Assam, New Delhi

☆ Employers are hiring etiquette coaches to teach clueless RTO workers how to behave
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Workers are having to be coached on how to behave in the office as companies implement RTO policies. More than 60% of bosses said they plan to offer etiquette training by 2024, a survey said. "Etiquette is now like a buzzword," etiquette coach Suzy Lins, the self-proclaimed Manners Maven, told Business Insider. "In our view, office etiquette training is vital, not only for newbies but for everyone on the team," Chappell said. "Certain roles require stronger communication skills," Martin, who works at a pharma company, said about the hiring process.

Persons: —, Suzy Lins, Manners Maven, Mike Chappell, Chappell, Zers, Manners Maven Lins, Lins, they've, they're, Kevon Martin, he's, Martin, it's Organizations: Service, Employees, pharma

☆ Most US graduates who start their first job underemployed can't find college-level jobs 10 years later: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Around 73% of those who don't get college-level jobs in their first year after graduation end up stuck in underemployment 10 years later, the report said. "Graduates who start out in a college-level job rarely slide into underemployment." Graduates who start their careers underemployed are about 3.5 times as likely to be underemployed a decade later, the researchers said. Most American graduates start their careers underemployedFor every 100 graduates in the US, 52 are underemployed in their first year of work, the report said. That means graduates with college-level jobs earn 50% more than their underemployed counterparts, per the report.

Persons: —, underemployed Organizations: Service, Strada Education, Glass Institute, Business

☆ About half of America's new college graduates are working in high school-level jobs like food service and retail: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

People working college-level jobs earn 88% more than those with only a high school education, the report said. AdvertisementMost underemployed graduates are in sales and office administrationFor graduates working high school-level jobs five years after finishing college, the most common occupations are clerk (1.09 million graduates), sales supervisor (1 million), retail sales worker (759,000), salesperson (611,000), and secretary (602,000). Health-related work, including nursing, had the lowest underemployment rate, with only 23% of graduates not working college-level jobs five years after finishing their bachelor's. About 27% of underemployed graduates eventually advance to college-level jobs in the next 10 years. Getting an internship in your field of study vastly improves your chances of getting a college-level job, the report said.

Persons: —, they're Organizations: Service, —, Glass Institute, Strada Education, Business Locations: underemployment

☆ I grew up in the US, while my wife grew up in the UK. She had a better education and now has a better understanding of the world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Katy Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My wife grew up in the UK and got a better education, becoming a more-rounded adult. I recently married my wife, Kaajal, who was born and raised in London. If my wife and I have children, we'll undoubtedly move to the UK for superior academics to better prepare them for a career. AdvertisementSimilarly to religion, the British school system provides a collective overview of world history and geography starting at a young age. In my personal experience, the UK education system is significantly better than the US education system in preparing students for their careers, instilling well-rounded cultural experiences, and educating on the world map.

Persons: —, Kaajal, fiancée, it's, we'll Organizations: Service, British Locations: London, Pittsburgh, Africa, Mozambique, South Africa, England, , Arkansas, Estonia

Research suggests that higher education correlates with higher earnings. In four states, more than 60% of working age people had some form of post-high school education – exceeding the foundation’s broader goal. Nevada landed at the very bottom of the list, with an educational attainment rate of 42.7%. In the most recent version of the rankings, Massachusetts, Colorado and Vermont were ranked the highest for educational attainment. Post-high school educational attainment percentages for Black, Hispanic, Latino and Native American adults were all far below the national average, according to the report.

Persons: ” Courtney Brown, “ Organizations: Lumina Foundation, Research, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Lumina Foundation’s, Census, Survey, Washington . Washington , D.C, Lumina, U.S . News, American Locations: Indiana, United States, U.S, Kentucky, Rhode Island, . Alabama , Colorado , Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Massachusetts, Utah, Minnesota, Vermont, Virginia , New Jersey, Washington . Washington ,, Puerto Rico, Nevada, Alaska, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia

Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a destroyed statue of Jackie Robinson on what would have been the 105th birthday of the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. Major League Baseball pledged support. “We have after school education, enrichment and tutoring.”One of the largest donations is a $10,000 pledge from an anonymous former Major League Baseball player who won a World Series. And, we make every effort to educate our kids about the role that Jackie Robinson played in life and civil rights, his life beyond sports. “We can’t imagine, being named League 42 without a Jackie Robinson statue in our park," he said.

Persons: Jackie Robinson, Robinson, Bob Lutz, Lutz, Leslie Rudd, We’re, ” Lutz, “, Joe Sullivan, ” Sullivan, John Parsons, ”, He’s Organizations: Major League Baseball, Wichita , Kansas . Police, McAdams, league, Brooklyn Dodgers, Fire, Little League, MLB, Leslie Rudd Learning Center, Wichita, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro Leagues Locations: Wichita , Kansas

☆ I'm an American in South Korea. Living here allowed me to have a bigger family.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Meredith Lee Khanloo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewMy journey to South Korea began in 2007 when I accepted a position as an associate professor in Daegu. Raising kids in South Korea is a slice of modern paradise: convenient, safe, and attractive in both outdoor recreation and education. My boys attended Korean school and read a lot to maintain their English and Persian skills at home. School lunches are the highlight of my kids' school days. We will continue to embrace the educational opportunities, the culture, and, of course, the delicious food South Korea offers.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Universal, Korean, International Locations: South Korea, Daegu, Korea

☆ China is ramping up stimulus to boost market confidence — but is it enough?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Starting Feb. 5, the People's Bank of China will allow banks to hold smaller cash reserves, central bank governor Pan Gongsheng said at a press conference, his first in the role. Cutting the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by 50 basis points is set to release 1 trillion yuan ($139.8 billion) in long-term capital, the central bank said. A 2 trillion yuan boost? Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday called for much stronger measures to boost market stability and confidence, according to an official readout. Chinese authorities in October already announced the issuance of 1 trillion yuan in government bonds, alongside a rare increase in the deficit.

Persons: Gongsheng, Pan Gongsheng, Tao Wang, Ting Lu, a, Lu, Wang, Stocks, Winnie Wu, That's, Li Qiang, Pan, Philip Yin, David Chao, Pan's Organizations: People's Bank of China, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Financial, Getty, Visual China, People's Bank of, UBS Investment Bank, Wednesday, National Financial Regulatory Administration, UBS, Bank of America's, Bloomberg, PBOC, Citi, U.S, Asia Pacific, CNBC Locations: BEIJING, CHINA, Beijing, China, People's Bank of China, Asia, Hong Kong, capitulating, Japan, Invesco

☆ State-run 'auto-IRA' programs aim to close retirement savings gap
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

They save about $165 a month, on average, said John Scott, director of Pew's retirement savings project. It's unclear how many other companies instead opted to sponsor their own 401(k) plan or other workplace plan. Why states are stepping inThere's a common thread here: A realization that people aren't saving enough for retirement, Scott said. The typical saver age 55 to 64 has just $71,000 of 401(k) savings, according to Vanguard data. Pew estimates that state spending will rise by $334 billion from 2021 to 2040 due to insufficient retirement savings.

Persons: John Scott, Scott, Pew, Washington —, Roth, they've Organizations: Auto, Workers, Trusts, Center for Retirement, Companies, Vanguard, Social Security Locations: Delaware, Hawaii , Maine, Minnesota , Nevada , New Jersey , New York, Vermont, Massachusetts , Missouri, New Mexico, Washington, U.S

She left her job at Walmart because it was too physical, but her current job is mentally taxing. Nearly every Republican in the poll rated the economy unfavorably, and 59 percent of Democrats did. Steven Cabrera, 35, who works for the military in Phoenix, was among the 57 percent of voters who said economic issues were a bigger priority than societal ones. He wanted to know: Is that the reason our economy is “slowing down?” He wasn’t sure, but he thought it might be. He plans to vote for “the Republican, any Republican,” he said.

Persons: Suzanne Haberkorn, won’t, “, Steven Cabrera, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, ” Organizations: Walmart, Research, Republican Locations: Waukesha, Wis, Phoenix, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York, Ukraine

Most Americans still have to commute every day. Jenn Ackerman for The New York TimesLike a majority of Americans, Ms. Hargreaves was unable to do her work at home. Source: American Community Survey Note: Average commute length for 2020 is not included. The average commute distance changed much less, an indication that commuters are driving faster — but also, more people are driving. “A lot of our choice riders, we're still working to influence them to re-choose transit,” Ms. Tucker said.

Persons: Torie Hargreaves, Jenn Ackerman, Hargreaves, Ms, That’s, Andrea Villanueva, Villanueva, The New York Times “, ” Christopher Wiese, Dr, Wiese, “ There’s, ”, Patricia Mokhtarian, John Goodwin, Rosalind Tucker, we're, Tucker, Aimee Lee, Lee Organizations: Atlanta Washington San, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis New, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis New York City Los Angeles Philadelphia Columbus Denver, The New York Times, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Philadelphia San, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Philadelphia San Francisco Seattle Washington Midnight, Georgia Institute of Technology, Census, New York City –, Philadelphia –, Angeles –, Francisco –, Boston –, Seattle –, Chicago –, Denver –, Kansas City –, Miami –, Houston –, Minneapolis –, Washington –, Austin –, Dallas –, Atlanta –, Charlotte –, Columbus –, Nashville –, Detroit –, BART, area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Labor Department, Atlanta Regional Commission, Lifeline, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Regional Transit Authority, % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Locations: Atlanta Washington San Francisco Boston Kansas City, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis New York, Minneapolis, postpandemic, Atlanta, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Philadelphia San Francisco Seattle, South Minneapolis, North Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago , Kansas City, San Francisco, Washington, New York, Francisco, area’s

☆ The biggest winners — and losers — in the coming AI job apocalypse
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Emil Skandul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In fact, as other long-term trends take hold, many of these working-class roles are poised for a job explosion. While manufacturing jobs as a whole are expected to stay flat, spending in this industry has boomed to $200 billion each year, tripling in the past five years. "What characterizes the physical labor jobs that are safe for the next five or 10 years are things that are in an unpredictable physical environment," Kweilin Ellingrud, a McKinsey Global Institute director, told me. Instead of replacing these jobs, AI will likely benefit specific roles by making it easier to do the most routine parts of the job. He added: "There are these jobs that are in a middle ground where the physical work may remain but the supervision might be more exposed."

Persons: plumbers, Philip Levine, there's, Mark Muro, barometers, OpenAI, Ellingrud, Muro, Emil Skandul, Tony Blair Organizations: Ford, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Brookings Institution, Accenture, Bureau of Labor Statistics, McKinsey, McKinsey Global Institute, Research, Tony Blair Institute Locations: American, America

NEW YORK (AP) — If another pandemic happens, the world will again be unprepared. That’s the bleak assessment of former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, who co-chaired the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, after the U.N. General Assembly held a high-level summit aimed at heading off another pandemic. Other pandemic experts who tracked months of negotiations on the 13-page declaration adopted by the assembly’s 193 member nations were disappointed, too. “I think it’s fair to say that the declaration is a missed opportunity,” Clark said in an interview with The Associated Press on the sidelines of the General Assembly's high-level leaders' meeting. Clark also ticked off the catastrophic economic impacts of the pandemic: a $25 trillion loss to the global economy, and debt and default enveloping many developing countries.

Persons: Helen Clark, ” Clark, Nelson Mandela, Clark, “, Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wasn't, Antonio Guterres, ” Guterres, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, ”, “ We’ve, Edith M, Lederer Organizations: New, Pandemic Preparedness, General Assembly, Associated Press, Health Organization, Pandemic, Liberian, General, The Associated Press Locations: New Zealand

☆ The American nuclear family is officially over
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The American nuclear family is officially dead, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center — even if some Americans haven't accepted it. In 1970, nearly 70% of American adults ages 25 to 49 were living with a spouse and at least one child. "Family living arrangements are becoming more and more diverse in their composition," Carolina Aragão, one of the authors of the Pew report, told Insider. While married adults with kids are still the most common family arrangement, "they are far less common than they were in the past." AdvertisementAdvertisementBut even as the American family changes, it doesn't mean Americans feel good about it.

Persons: haven't, that's, they're, Z, who's, That's, Aragão, Pew Organizations: Pew Research, Service, Pew Research Center, Pew, Census Bureau, Black, Hispanic Locations: Wall, Silicon, Carolina, United States

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Sept 7 (Reuters) - UNESCO on Thursday published its first guidance on use of Generative AI (GenAI) for education, urging governmental agencies to regulate the use of the technology, including protection of data privacy and putting an age limit for users. Students have also taken a liking for GenAI, which can generate anything from essays to mathematical calculations with just a few line of prompts. Among a series of guidelines in a 64-page report, UNESCO stressed on the need for government-sanctioned AI curricula for school education, in technical and vocational education and training. While China has formulated rules on GenAI, the European Union's AI Act is likely to be approved later this year. The Paris-based agency also sought to protect the rights of teachers and researchers and the value of their practices when using GenAI.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, OpenAI, GenAI, ChatGPT, Bard, Stefania Giannini, Supantha Mukherjee, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UNESCO, Microsoft, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Rights STOCKHOLM, China, Paris, Stockholm

☆ ‘It brought back memories of Syria.’ For refugees in Sudan, war is a reminder of the terror they left behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Nadeen Ebrahim Celine Alkhaldi | Sana Noor Haq | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It brought back memories of Syria,” Abad reflected. After settling in Khartoum, Shadi fled to Port Sudan in April when the conflict started – almost exactly six years after he first stepped foot in Sudan in search of stability. We have not received any confirmed report of casualties among Syrian refugees due to the conflict,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The agency has received reports of many Syrian refugees who self-relocated to safe areas, including over 2,000 in Port Sudan, the spokesperson added. But when I sit still, I start getting thoughts about (the war) in Khartoum and Syria,” Shadi, who works as a barista in Port Sudan, said.

Persons: CNN — Abad, ”, Abad, Bashar al, Assad, ” Abad, ‘, George Ourfalian, “, Uzair, ’, Stringer, they’re, Shadi, SANA, it’s, ” Shadi Organizations: CNN, UNHCR, Sudanese, Eritrean, Rapid Support Forces, Getty, “, ”, United, United Arab Emirates, Crescent, International Committee, UN, Port Sudan, Saudi Locations: Aleppo, Syria, Sudan, Sukkari, AFP, UNHCR, Khartoum, Port Sudan, Damascus, United Arab, UAE, Russia, Homs, Port, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt

☆ China bill aims to make preschool more accessible amid flagging birth rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The draft Preschool Education Law includes measures to curb excessive profit-seeking by preschool providers, the state-backed China news service reported. Children applying for preschool places should not be subject "to any form of examination or testing except for necessary physical examinations," the official Xinhua news agency reported. The draft law comes as China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, one of the world's lowest alongside South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Concerned about its rapidly ageing population, Beijing is urgently trying an array of measures to lift the birth rate, including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities. The draft preschool law will now be reviewed by the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Persons: Huai Jinpeng, Farah Master, Conor Humphries Organizations: Xinhua, of, South, National, Thomson Locations: Xujiashan, Haitang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, HONG KONG, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing

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