Ten dead, 38 wounded in three mass shootings ahead of US July 4 holiday

13 Sept 17:17 Key points summarised by AI

Three separate mass shootings in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Fort Worth killed 10 people and wounded 38 others just before the US Fourth of July holiday.
Incidents included a suspect in body armor with an AR-15 in Philadelphia, and a block party shooting in Baltimore where approximately half of the 28 injured were children.
President Joe Biden condemned the violence, renewing his call for stricter gun control legislation, which continues to face opposition from Republican lawmakers.
These tragedies contribute to over 340 mass shootings in the US so far in 2023, prompting urgent pleas from local officials for federal action on gun safety.

Examining Thailand’s four-part education revolution

Today 14:22 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's Education Ministry is implementing a four-pronged strategy to address its students' below-average performance in PISA 2025 and tackle significant educational inequality.
The plan prioritizes closing performance gaps by increasing funding for small and low-income schools, overhauling the curriculum to foster critical thinking, and adopting a data-driven management system to reduce teacher workload.
Key initiatives include enhancing school safety, combating cyberbullying, and expanding mental health support through peer-to-peer networks, recognizing the severe impact of distress on academic performance.
An education expert advises verifying if PISA improvements stem from structural changes, advocating for a revived STEM curriculum with practical 'learn by doing' methods, and urging bureaucratic reform to link teacher evaluations to student development.