Israeli strikes in Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 23 Palestinians on Saturday, according to reports from hospitals in Gaza, marking one of the highest death tolls since the October ceasefire aimed at halting the conflict (NPR Politics). The strikes, which hit various locations throughout Gaza, including an apartment building in Gaza City, occurred a day after Israel accused Hamas of new ceasefire violations (NPR Politics).
In other news, Finland is considering a nationwide ban on social media in schools, drawing inspiration from Australia (Hacker News). The Finnish International School of Tampere (FISTA) has already implemented a ban on mobile phones during school hours, except for specific learning purposes in the classroom, following a law change last August (Hacker News). According to FISTA vice principal Antti Koivisto, the school has observed increased creativity and physical activity among students since the restriction was put in place (Hacker News). "We've seen that cutting down on the possibilities for students to use their phones, during the breaks for instance, has spurred a lot of creativity," Koivisto noted (Hacker News).
Meanwhile, Texas A&M University is ending its women's and gender studies program, altering the syllabuses of hundreds of courses, and canceling six classes due to a new policy limiting how professors can discuss certain race and gender topics, school officials announced Friday (Fortune). These changes follow a viral video of a student confronting an instructor over her lessons, which caused significant upheaval at the university (Fortune). University officials have attempted to reassure the campus community that the impact of the new policy would be minimal (Fortune).
In Pennsylvania, anticipation is building for the annual Groundhog Day ceremony in Punxsutawney (Fortune). Tens of thousands of revelers are expected to gather at Gobblers Knob on Monday to witness Punxsutawney Phil's long-term weather forecast (Fortune). Last year, Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, a common assessment for the groundhog (Fortune). The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insists that Phil's groundhogese is interpreted when they relate the meteorological marmot's musings (Fortune). "'But seriously, this is not a serious thing'," a local was quoted saying, regarding the Groundhog Day celebration (Fortune).
In Pakistan, Murree Brewery, the country's oldest brewery, has begun exporting beer after decades of restrictions (NPR Politics). The brewery produces over 1 million cans of beer every month (NPR Politics).
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