| |  | | At age 10, Youssef Hasweh learned that his family would not be able to afford college tuition. At 17, he was off to the University of Chicago on a full scholarship. Determined to “pay it forward,” Youssef’s Your Success Scholarship program has already given away more than $17,000 in scholarships to disadvantaged students. To “change the face of access,” Youssef’s program has built “a student-led higher education advocacy platform for low-income, first-generation students of color.” The challenge Youssef hopes to overcome with his OGA? “How do I continue to satisfy the demands of a growing community and serve every student possible?” |
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IMPORTANT
|  | Bah, Humbug | The Fed Isn’t Setting Any New Year’s Resolutions Expect more interest rate hikes in 2023, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned after the central bank raised the benchmark rate another 50 basis points. “We still have some ways to go,” he said, flagging further hikes to come. Wednesday’s increase puts the benchmark between 4.25% and 4.5%, with officials expecting it to push slightly past 5% at some stage next year — the highest rate since 2007. Still, don’t call it a recession, Powell said. Growth has dropped to a glacial pace but it’s still positive for now, though “it is not going to feel like a boom.” (Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg) |
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|  | Mending Bridges | We’re ‘All In,’ Biden Tells African Leaders at Summit Assembling the continent’s leaders in Washington for the first time since 2014, President Joe Biden promised $55 billion in spending across Africa over the next three years. “Together, we want to build a future of opportunity where no one, no one, is left behind,” he told delegations from 49 nations at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit on Wednesday. It’s widely seen as an attempt to counterbalance Chinese influence in the region, where Beijing has made massive inroads via infrastructure investment. But some worry it won’t be enough to repair the immense damage done to U.S.-Africa relations by former President Donald Trump. (Source: NYT) |
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| | |  | Show of Solidarity | Iran Removed From UN Women’s Advocacy Council “Women and activists have appealed to us, the United Nations, for support,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, calling Iran’s inclusion on the influential Commission on the Status of Women “an ugly stain on the Commission’s credibility.” Iran condemned the expulsion, which was supported by 29 member states on the Economic and Social Council, as an “illegal request” based on “fabricated arguments using fake narratives.” The Islamic Republic was elected to the council in April, but since the September death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, widespread demonstrations against the regime have seen women openly demanding more freedoms and equality. (Source: CNN) |
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|  | Dragging On | Peru Declares National State of Emergency as Protests Continue Defense Minister Luis Otárola floated a possible nightly curfew in addition to the 30-day state of emergency. The measure is the latest escalation in Peru’s political chaos after the ouster and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo last week. After Vice President Dina Boluarte succeeded him, Castillo’s supporters took to the streets demanding Boularte and her parliamentary backers step down and reinstate him. “She is a coup leader, to this day our president is Pedro Castillo,” one protester in Lima said. Meanwhile, the restrictions will keep Peruvians from gathering or traveling to meet family during the typically busy Christmas period. (Sources: The Guardian, BBC) |
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|  | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Netted. Belgian police have seized $1.6 million in an investigation into corruption in the European Parliament. Belgium's Justice Ministry said agencies have been probing the scandal — which involves lawmakers allegedly accepting World Cup-related bribes from Qatar — for over a year. (Source: DW) Busted. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a potential challenger to President Tayyip Erdoğan in next year’s presidential election, has been jailed for over two years and barred from politics after being found guilty of insulting officials in a 2019 speech. (Source: Reuters) Tricked? Fiji’s main opposition party is challenging the results of Wednesday’s election after promising results were briefly taken offline — and returned showing Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama’s Fiji First party suddenly in the lead. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | House on Fire | In Bolsonaro’s Final Days, Brazil Burns More Than Ever Nearly 2 million acres of Brazil went up in flames last month — a staggering 90% increase from November 2021. Environmental watchdog MapBiomas said more than 80% of the identified fire spots were within the Amazon, according to satellite imagery. “The data confirms the escalation of environmental destruction in the final months of the Bolsonaro government,” MapBiomas said, reflecting the sharp increase in overall deforestation and destruction during President Jair Bolosonaro’s tenure. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will take office in January after a long and divisive campaign in which he vowed to “fight for zero deforestation.” (Source: France24) |
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| | | #PumpAndDump | Doing It for the ‘Gram — Financial Scams, That Is Eight social media influencers pocketed $114 million by manipulating stock prices, prosecutors allege. They may soon be swapping luxury cars and mansions for 25-year prison sentences after the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission teamed up to investigate the alleged pump-and-dump scheme. They say the influencers “promoted themselves as successful traders” on Twitter and Discord and pushed false information about stocks to encourage followers to invest in them and “artificially” boost prices. The influencers, who ran an online community called Atlas Trading, are accused of selling their shares at higher prices without informing their followers. (Source: BBC) |
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| | | Solved | Sportswriter’s Death Caused by Burst Blood Vessel, Says Family “There was nothing nefarious about his death,” said Grant Wahl’s wife, Dr. Céline Gounder. The 48-year-old’s sudden collapse at a World Cup match in Doha last week sparked a flurry of theories, including a connection to the COVID vaccine, which Gounder roundly dismissed. Eric Wahl, Grant’s brother, previously told media that Grant had received death threats after wearing a T-shirt in support of LGBT rights to a match, but after the autopsy Eric said, “I no longer suspect foul play.” The cause of death, an ascending aortic aneurysm, was identified by a New York coroner after his body was repatriated Monday. (Sources: NPR, Salon) |
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| | | | | Slow Seuss Zone | You’re a Safe One, Mister Grinch Speeders along the Florida Keys Overseas Highway are on the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s naughty list this year. Col. Lou Caputo has been on Grinch duty each Christmas for over 20 years, dressed as the beloved Dr. Seuss character and carrying a bag of onions while monitoring an elementary school zone. Those driving slightly over the speed limit can choose between an onion and a traffic citation. “It’s about education, awareness that our school zones are still operating even though it’s the holiday season,” Caputo said. Flagrant speeders, though, can expect a costly fine. “We want people to slow down.” (Sources: AP, WPSD Local) |
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| | | This Time for Africa | Morocco’s Fairy-Tale World Cup Is Over but Not Forgotten Beating reigning champion France was always going to be challenging for Morocco, which lost 2-0 Wednesday. But for millions of Moroccans, just getting so far — becoming the first African and first Arab team to reach the semifinals — is worthy of celebration. “We stood up to the title-holders, that was great,” said Oussama Abdouh in Casablanca. “This team made us dream until the end and just for that I raise my hat to them.” Such support goes well beyond Morocco: “I've been watching their progress as if it was my own country,” said Ivory Coast national Sidibey Zoumana. “Morocco has made an entire continent proud.” (Sources: France24, ESPN) |
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