Nation and world news in brief for Friday, May 17, 2024
Columbia faculty group passes no-confidence resolution against president
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University passed a resolution of no confidence in the school’s president, Minouche Shafik, on Thursday, saying she had violated the “fundamental requirements of academic freedom and shared governance,” and engaged in an “unprecedented assault on students’ rights.” The move, while largely symbolic, underscores the anger that Shafik faces on campus as she tries to recover from her divisive handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and her public pledge to a congressional committee last month that she would discipline several faculty members who had espoused views against Israel that some have argued are antisemitic.
CDC warns of a resurgence of mpox
With Pride events scheduled worldwide over the coming weeks, U.S. officials are bracing for a return of mpox, an infectious disease that struck tens of thousands of gay and bisexual men worldwide in 2022. Behavioral changes and vaccination quelled that outbreak, but a majority of those at risk have not yet been immunized. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of a deadlier version of mpox that is ravaging Congo. No cases of that subtype have been identified outside Africa so far. But the epidemic in Congo poses a global threat, just as infections in Nigeria set off the 2022 outbreak, experts said.
As Russia advances, NATO considers sending trainers into Ukraine
NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces, a move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war. Ukraine’s manpower shortage has reached a critical point, and its position on the battlefield in recent weeks has seriously worsened as Russia has accelerated its advances to take advantage of delays in shipments of American weapons. As a result, Ukrainian officials have asked their American and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment.
Disco, yoga and jumping jacks in the shadow of France’s priceless art
With the Summer Olympics coming to Paris in a few months, museums and galleries across France have been competing to put on Olympics-themed shows. One of the Louvre’s offerings is an hourlong dance-and-exercise circuit through the building, which museum officials call “Courez au Louvre” — meaning both run to and run in the Louvre. The museum seemed a natural training gym, explained its performing arts director, Luc Bouniol-Laffont. It is so big that the staff wear running shoes to cover its 400 rooms. The classes, priced at 38 euros (about $41) for adults, sold out within an hour of going live online.
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