The jury in the trial over the death of George Floyd has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Floyd’s family and supporters expressed relief. The court found that it was Chauvin’s actions – kneeling on Floyd for more than nine minutes during … Continue reading “Police Officer Convicted of Murdering George Floyd”
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died on 9 April, after more than 70 years of marriage to Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving consort of a British monarch. He was just a few months short of his 100th birthday. Philip Mountbatten was, like the Queen, a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria and another famous royal consort, … Continue reading “A Prince Passes”
The death of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020 sparked last summer’s wave of Black Lives Matter protests. The trial of the police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck opened on 29 March in Minnesota. Police were called after George Floyd bought a packet of cigarettes in a convenience story. … Continue reading “Seeking Justice for George Floyd”
The World Trade Organisation has a new Director-General: Dr Nkozi Okonjo-Iweala. It’s the first time a woman, or an African, has led the international commerce body. Could a new perspective take the WTO in a different direction? A Harvard and MIT-trained economist, Dr Okonjo-Iweala has spent much of her career at the World Bank, with … Continue reading “Leading World Trade”
A middle-school student from Florida used a science-fair project to convince the Miami-Dade School District to begin converting its fleet of school buses over to electric. Eighth-grader Holly Thorpe measured CO2 levels inside the diesel school buses and her alarming results convinced the district to make the switch. The yellow school bus is a classic … Continue reading “Teen Convinces Florida District to Switch to Electric School Buses”
The Design Museum in London has announced the winners of the 2020 Beazley Designs of the Year, honouring see-saws connecting children on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, improvised brick arches created by Hong Kong protesters and vegan burgers. The Beazley awards don’t only consider aesthetics and user experience. They look at the bigger picture … Continue reading “Design as Activism Honoured in Beazley Awards”
Captain Sir Tom Moore, the WWII veteran who raised British spirits during lockdown 1 with his sponsored walk to raise funds for the NHS before his 100th birthday, died in hospital on 2 February. “Captain Tom”, as he soon became known, became the positive role model people really needed during the pandemic. He had originally … Continue reading “The Last Post for Captain Tom”
Amidst all the chaos in Washington, D.C. on 6 January, as Congress tried to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win, a quieter but possibly just as revolutionary election event was taking place in the deep South. In Georgia’s runoff Senate elections, both seats were won by Democrats, giving Biden a tiny but working majority in Congress. … Continue reading “Georgia on their Minds”
Australia started the new year with a change in its national anthem designed to be more inclusive of all Australians. On 31 December, Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the change of a single word that is heavy with significance. The words of “Advance Australia Fair” included the line “For we are young and free”. … Continue reading “Change in Australia’s National Anthem to Reflect Indigenous Heritage”
Not all the scientists researching a Covid vaccine or cure are professionals working in labs. Anika Chebrolu, 14, from Texas, has been named America’s Top Young Scientist 2020 for finding a compound that could bind to the distinctive spike protein in the SARS-Cov-2 virus and potentially inhibit its ability to infect human cells. Anika is … Continue reading “Teen Scientist Looking for a Covid Cure”
