Populous Indonesia’s economic growth threatened by COVID-19

Populous Indonesia’s economic growth threatened by COVID-19

The world’s fourth most populous nation, Indonesia is struggling to keep fast-spreading COVID-19 from undermining its economic growth prospects. A man falls to the ground during the burial of a relative who died of COVID-19, Jakarta, Indonesia, 7 July 7 2021....

News Decoder aims to spotlight regions of the world that often don’t make the headlines. With an estimated 270 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country after China, India and the United States. Correspondent Jonathan Thatcher, former Jakarta bureau chief for Reuters, draws our attention to the devastating impact of the pandemic on the island nation and why it matters. His article explains how COVID-19 tore through the country, stalling economic growth, and warns of the potential long-term impact on youth employment — what he calls “an especially frightening prospect.”

Exercise: Ask students how they think the pandemic will impact economic opportunity for young people in their country.

COVID-19 bares U.S. healthcare flaws. Is it time for reform?

COVID-19 bares U.S. healthcare flaws. Is it time for reform?

More people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. than in any other nation. Will the suffering breathe new life into efforts to reform a flawed system? Protesters in support of a single-payer healthcare system, New York City, 24 July 2017 (EPA/JUSTIN LANE) This is the...

The U.S. healthcare system is complicated. But that did not deter Maya Barr of The Hewitt School from examining the system’s shortcomings, which have been exposed during COVID-19. For her research, Barr dug into data from the Census Bureau, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pew Research Center and Johns Hopkins, as well as reports by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Hospital Association. Barr weighs the pros and cons regarding a single-payer system in her balanced, forward-looking report.

I was bullied for my dark skin but now reject colourism.

I was bullied for my dark skin but now reject colourism.

Mocked for my dark skin, I long loathed myself and yearned for a lighter complexion. But now I fight colourism and defend diversity. “Leaning away from un-African beauty standards,” by Alana Muchemi, August 2020. The author is in the yellow shirt....

Adolescence is a time of self-discovery, and Clarice Gillian Achola of the African Leadership Academy finds that the discrimination she has faced since her days on the playground plagues large numbers of girls and women with dark skin. With detail and sensitivity, the author gives shape to the abstract notion of colourism, then moves from the first to the third person pronoun as she extends her personal battle to a broader campaign to save others from bigotry.

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