Oddly Enough for his week is loaded with interesting news and stories like Facebook’s new initiative to tackle fake news, the discovery of heaps of oyster shells that reveal Native American secrets, Israel’s ‘water apartheid’, Philippines’ strategy to combat its ‘War on Drugs’ and much more.
‘Water Apartheid’ – How Israel Limits Resources To Palestine
In the village of Ein al-Beida, a barbed wire divides the field into two. The Israeli side is seen with rows of plush orange trees while the Palestinian side is barren with dry, untrimmed grass growing. Once the Israeli military occupied parts of the West Bank and Gaza strip following the 1967 war, it declared all water resources as its own. Till date, several Palestinian farmers stage protests and lament the lack of water to irrigate their farms, which forces them to buy water at high prices from other sources.
You can read this story on Al Jazeera.
Drugs Kill – Philippines Is Killing Many To Fight ‘War on Drugs’
At one point, USA and Portugal were fighting the so-called ‘War on Drugs’. Both countries went in opposite directions to deal with it. While the former created policies to mass incarcerate drug users, the latter treated drug use as a social and mental issue. President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines, since 2016, has urged that violence is the way to rid the country of narcotics. This narrative has led to lethal shootings, extra-judicial killings and more by the police. But is this a narrative created as a political tool to induce fear?
You can read this story on New Naratif.
Historic Middens – Heaps Of Oyster Shells Hold Native American Secrets In Maine
Over 2,000 massive piles of oyster shells left by Native Americans hold rich secrets. Scientists will be able to study cultural practices, historic environment and climatic conditions. These middens are rich in calcium carbonate which is preserving them, but many have been washed away due to being situated on Maine’s coastline. Native Americans visited this site and discarded the shells. Unearthing shells earlier has also led to the discovery of bones, stone tools and other artefacts.
You can read this story on The New York Times.
Crumbled Dreams – ISIS Destroyed More Than What We Think
The literacy rate of youth in Iraq was 82 per cent as per a UNICEF report in 2013. Many students aspired to go to Mosul University, the finest in the Middle east. But once ISIS took over, the campus was shut down. The historic library, with over a million books and a Koran from the ninth century, was torched. For young people like Raghda Ali and Zanab Ismail, ISIS took away three precious years of their lives. Both women had ambitions and wanted to pursue further education. Hospitals are seeing more children being admitted for post-traumatic stress. Amidst all this, hope still lingers for many that Mosul will be rebuilt.
You can read this story on The Guardian.
Battling Fake News – Facebook To Start News Subscription Service
Facebook’s mobile users will be able to read under 10 articles under the publisher’s paywall for free and then will be prompted to pay for a full subscription. The platform will not be taking a cut of the revenue from the publisher. However, Facebook will not reveal to the publishers the data of users who will be reading the free articles. This is the main point of contention for the publishers. The list of publishers who have joined include The Economist, Washington Post, Boston Globe, France’s Le Parisien and Germany’s Bild among others. There are also many publications who have chosen to not take part in this initiative.
You can read this story on Reuters.
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