What Else Is News?
A look at stories that deserve more attention
What Else Is News will now be a regular Monday feature!
Is China Teaching Authoritarianism to Africa?
In-depth reporting by Axios suggests that China is building a stronghold among African countries to bolster its power within the continent while weakening democratic ties with countries like the United States. Perhaps the greatest evidence of this is the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School.
“The Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania is Beijing’s counter to efforts by the U.S. and other Western countries to shape African politics in a fight for influence on a continent rich in raw materials and energy,” the Axios article states. “At the school, the CCP teaches how it fuses the ruling political party and the state, marking a clear departure from Beijing’s previous, more subtle attempts to peddle influence on the international stage.”
While to outsiders the Chinese government portrays the school as a way for African nations to strengthen their economies, inside the school, “Chinese teachers sent from Beijing train African leaders that the ruling party should sit above the government and the courts and that fierce discipline within the party can ensure adherence to party ideology.”
This draws concerns from Western countries about China gaining more influence and weakening democracy across the globe. It also shows Africa’s ongoing struggle to assert itself and not be pulled in different directions. As one assessment notes, “Clearly, the pressure for Africans to choose sides in the increasingly acrimonious struggle between China, Russia and the USA does not serve African interests. Africa is now almost equally connected with the European Union, the USA and countries from the Global South (China and India, among others), and the economic momentum is with the latter group. The value of exports from sub-Saharan Africa to China has increased tenfold over the last two decades. China has emerged as an essential source of financing for African countries.”
New Sea Creature Discovered
What is eight inches long, has 20 arms and hangs out in the Antarctic seas? The Promachocrinus kerguelensis, of course.
Researchers recently discovered this new sea creature, which belongs to the same family as starfish, sea urchins and sand dollars. The Promachocrinus kerguelensis is a type of feather star, although most of its relatives have five arms, not 20. Researchers are calling this one a “strawberry feather” because the area where all 20 of its arms meet resembles a strawberry.
Feather stars are notoriously big eaters. But don’t worry, they feast on small particles beneath the ocean, and have no taste for humans.
More Young People Seem to Be Dying, but Do We Know Why?
Life insurance actuaries are sounding the alarm on a disturbing trend: Younger people are dying at higher rates than expected. During the last quarter of 2022, for example, deaths among people 35-44 years old were up 34% more than expected.
One theory for the increase is failure to seek medical care during COVID-19, resulting in mortal illnesses that might otherwise have been survivable. Yet another theory suggests that suicides, homicides, drug overdoses and car accidents are causing the spike, especially in children and young adults between 10 and 19. Finally, the idea that COVID-19 vaccines may be contributing to more deaths in young people has also been discussed, although it is considered a conspiracy theory by some. (A recent study in England indicated that while mRNA vaccines increased the chance of myocarditis in young people, the risk of severe complications was rather low.)
More than likely, multiple factors are contributing to the trend, which seems to be affecting England and Australia, as well as the United States. Health experts want more research to be done on why these deaths are happening so medical professionals can begin to find solutions.
“Governments and regulatory agencies should cooperate with life insurers to investigate this trend at the national and multinational level,” Dr. Pierre Kory and Mary Beth Pfeiffer wrote in an opinion piece for USA Today. “Without a thorough and collaborative exploration, we can’t know what’s killing us – or how to stop it.”
Bipartisanship in Action as Republican Governor Offers Help to Alleviate Crime in Democrat-run Cleveland
Carjackings, shootings and stabbings have taken a shocking upswing in Cleveland in recent months. Although these crimes are happening across many U.S. cities, Cleveland’s moderate size (population 367,991) makes the situation seem much more severe. Currently, Cleveland ranks 8th out of the 20 cities with the highest crime, according to World Population Review. Cleveland is ahead of Chicago, New Orleans and Oakland, CA, but (so far) not close to the top three most violent cities: St. Louis, Detroit and Baltimore.
Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) visited Cleveland to announce a “surge initiative” to squelch violent crime in Cleveland. Federal, state and local law enforcement have teamed to focus on “hot spots” where crime has been particularly high. “I think that this is the proper role of the state of Ohio,” DeWine said during a news conference in Cleveland.
Local news station Channel 3 reported a few weeks ago that at least one Cleveland politician had reached out to the governor for help. “I am increasingly of the belief that the City administration does not have a plan to deal with the growing violence. We need help if we are going to take back the streets and restore peace and order in Cleveland," Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek wrote in an email to DeWine last month.
Cleveland is led by Democrat Mayor Justin Bibb, 36. Some of his fellow Democrats, including Polensek, have worried that Bibb’s administration is not prepared to deal with violent crime.
In July, Bibb announced the RISE Initiative, a “marketing plan for police recruitment, carjacking pilot program and expansion of violent crime reduction efforts.” As violent crime continued in several areas of Cleveland the last few weeks, however, extra assistance from the state seemed like a welcomed gift.
It’s still early, but DeWine’s plan seems to be having some effect. After just one day in Cleveland’s 4th District, the “surge initiative” resulted in 57 traffic stops, 20 felony arrests, the confiscation of four illegal firearms, the location of four stolen vehicles and the seizing of a variety of illegal drugs.