Author: Noticias

Page 872 of 6178
1 … 870 871 872 873 874 … 6.178

Indígenas ecuatorianos inician marcha nacional hacia Quito para exigir el recuento de los votos de las presidenciales

Noticias

Indígenas ecuatorianos inician marcha nacional hacia Quito para exigir el recuento de los votos de las presidenciales

Este miércoles, indígenas de Ecuador iniciaron una marcha desde el sur del país hacia Quito, para exigir el recuento de votos de las elecciones presidenciales y legislativas del 7 de febrero.

La convocatoria fue hecha por la Confederación de Pueblos de la Nacionalidad Kichwa del Ecuador (Ecuarunari) y la Confederación de Nacionalidades y Pueblos Indígenas de la Costa Ecuatoriana (Conaice), ante las denuncias que ha presentado el Movimiento de Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik (MUPP) sobre un presunto fraude contra su candidato presidencial, Yaku Pérez, quien según los resultados del Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE), con 99,93 % de las actas escrutadas, quedó en tercer lugar y no avanzó al balotaje de los comicios, que se celebrará el 11 de abril.

A esa segunda vuelta avanzaron Andrés Arauz, candidato de la colación Unión por la Esperanza, que aglutina al correísmo, y fue el aspirante más votado el domingo 7 de febrero; y el banquero Guillermo Lasso, del movimiento Creando Oportunidades (CREO) en alianza con el Partido Social Cristiano (PSC).

Ante estos resultados, Pachakutik pide que se abran las urnas en 17 de las 24 provincias del país para realizar un recuento voto a voto y comparar con los resultados ofrecidos por el órgano electoral.

La movilización

La movilización, denominada «Marcha por la Paz en Democracia», partió este miércoles de Loja, provincia ubicada al extremo sur del país, fronteriza con Perú.

Imagen

El objetivo es avanzar por la región Sierra de Ecuador hacia el norte, donde se irán sumando más manifestantes a la movilización. Esperan estar el jueves 18 de febrero en Azuay, al siguiente día en Cañar, luego en Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Cotopaxi, para finalmente entrar el martes 23 en Quito, tras recorrer unos 675 kilómetros aproximadamente.

De acuerdo con Pachakutik, en la movilización participan sus «adherentes, militantes, organizaciones sociales y populares» y advirtieron que no permitirán «ningún acto violento que afecte la paz y convivencia de los ciudadanos».

El acuerdo para el recuento

El pasado viernes, 12 de febrero, por solicitud de Pérez, se llevó a cabo una reunión en la sede principal del CNE, en Quito, en la que, además del candidato de Pachakutik, estuvo Lasso, los cinco principales representantes del órgano electoral y observadores de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA).

Ese día, Pérez propuso la reapertura de las urnas en las 24 provincias del país para realizar el recuento de los votos a nivel nacional; aunque un día antes solo exigía efectuar ese proceso en siete entidades, que son Guayas, Manabí, Pichincha, Los Ríos, Esmeraldas, El Oro y Bolívar.

El consejero del CNE Luis Verdesoto consideró que «es imposible hacer un recuento en todas las provincias»; mientras, el candidato Lasso, con quien Pérez se jugaba el paso al balotaje, propuso que se hiciera la revisión del 100 % de las mesas de votación en la provincia de Guayas, para que el aspirante del partido indigenista no tuviera «ninguna duda de que el proceso fue transparente».

Finalmente, se alcanzó un acuerdo y el CNE anunció que se revisaría el 100 % de las actas de Guayas y el 50 % en otras 16 provincias, que no se especificaron en el momento. Además, se estableció que la proclamación de los resultados de esa primera vuelta se haría luego de este proceso.

«Es un proceso de revisión contable de los votos del paquete electoral, sin significación estadística», dijo la presidenta del CNE, Diana Atamaint, ese día.

En desacuerdo con el pacto

Dos días después de alcanzado el acuerdo, Lasso envió una carta pública a los representantes del CNE en la que pidió que proclamaran los resultados de la primera vuelta, «sin perjuicio de las correspondientes impugnaciones que se presentaren conforme a la ley».

Asimismo, señaló que ratificaba su propuesta de abrir el 100 % de las urnas en Guayas y «si hubiere consenso con los demás candidatos», que además de él y Pérez son otros 13, se abran el 50 % de las mesas en las provincias que inicialmente había pedido el candidato de Pachakutik, que son Los Ríos, Manabí, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Pichincha y Bolívar.

Lasso calificó como «inoficioso y una pérdida de tiempo» la apertura de urnas electorales en otras nueve provincias más, como se acordó en la reunión del 12 de febrero.

Imagen

Pérez tomó esta acción de Lasso como una manera del candidato derechista de retractarse del acuerdo. «¿Por qué se echa para atrás en el recuento de votos? ¿Qué hizo usted y el CNE que no quieren que sepa el Ecuador?», escribió el aspirante de Pachakutik en su cuenta en Twitter.

«Primero dice que abran las urnas porque quien ‘nada debe, nada teme’ y ahora que no abran las urnas, fraude tras fraude; una burla al CNE, a la OEA y al pueblo del Ecuador», añadió Pérez en otro trino.

No se aprueba el recuento

Este martes, el CNE realizó una plenaria para someter a votación el informe que permitiría jurídicamente reabrir las urnas de votación y hacer el recuento de los sufragios.

Sin embargo, no se consiguieron los votos suficientes para su aprobación. De los cinco representantes principales del CNE, dos votaron a favor, uno en contra, otro se abstuvo y el consejero Verdesoto abandonó la sesión, tras pedir el retiro del documento por presuntos «errores» y «omisiones».

Imagen

«Este pleno del Consejo Nacional Electoral no da respuesta al pedido (de recuento de votos), ni aprueba ni niega el informe», dijo Atamaint.

La mañana de este miércoles, Atamaint, en una entrevista televisiva, informó que esperan proclamar los resultados finales de los comicios del 7 de febrero en máximo cuatro días.

«Debemos esperar la llegada de los paquetes electorales del exterior, estos deben ser recontados de aquellas actas que vienen con novedades. Una vez que esto se conozca en el pleno, cerraremos el conteo de votos total para poder proclamar resultados», manifestó.

Mientras, Pérez, en conferencia de prensa este miércoles, dijo que presentará un petitorio al CNE para que se «suspenda el escrutinio del proceso electoral» y se cumpla el acuerdo alcanzado la semana pasada. «Yo no me doy por derrotado jamás», enfatizó.

¿A quiénes acusan?

Pachakutik señala que el fraude se ha cometido por un supuesto «pacto oligárquico» entre Lasso, su aliado del PSC Jaime Nebot y el expresidente Rafael Correa.

Pérez, incluso ha dicho que hay «una mano invisible desde Bélgica (donde reside Correa)» interviniendo en los comicios, porque, aduce, «no les conviene que Yaku pase a la segunda vuelta».

Sobre esta acusación, el exmandatario recordó que el CNE es manejado por una exmilitante de su partido Pachakutik, mandato bajo el cual le impidieron su participación en estos comicios y dificultaron hasta el final la presencia del correísmo.

«La presidenta del Consejo Nacional Electoral (Diana Atamaint) es de Pachakutik, me impidieron ser candidato, por todos los medios quisieron impedir la participación de nuestro binomio, impidieron los spots con mi imagen, con mi voz, los jingles», afirmó Correa.

Edgar Romero G.

Fuente de la Información: https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/383838-indigenas-ecuatorianos-marcha-nacional-quito-elecciones

 

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Reino Unido autorizó infectar con coronavirus a personas sanas para probar la eficacia de los fármacos y las vacunas

Noticias

Reino Unido autorizó infectar con coronavirus a personas sanas para probar la eficacia de los fármacos y las vacunas

El Reino Unido iniciará en las próximas semanas pruebas clínicas para comprobar la efectividad de fármacos y vacunas contra la COVID-19 en las que se infectará a personas sanas, informó este miércoles el Ministerio de Empresa, Energía y Estrategia Industrial.

En un comunicado, el ministerio dice que el Reino Unido será el primer país del mundo que efectúe este tipo de estudios en esta pandemia, después de que hayan sido aprobados por un comité de ética.

A partir de marzo, en torno a 90 voluntarios de entre 18 y 30 años, que serán compensados por su participación, serán inoculados de manera segura y controlada para determinar, en una primera fase, la cantidad mínima de virus requerida para que se genere infección, lo que facilitará después probar vacunas y fármacos.

Cuando se haya determinado ese dato, la intención es administrar vacunas consideradas seguras a un pequeño grupo de voluntarios a los que se infectará con el virus, a fin de comprobar la reacción inmune y que esto sirva para afinar y acelerar los ensayos de los preparados a mayor escala.

La variante del virus con la que se infectará inicialmente a los voluntarios, que están ahora siendo reclutados, será la que circula en el Reino Unido desde marzo de 2020 y que se ha demostrado que es de bajo riesgo para adultos jóvenes sanos, se señala en la nota.

El ensayo tiene una inversión de 45 millones de dólares por parte del gobierno. Los investigadores también están colaborando estrechamente con las autoridades sanitarias para garantizar que el estudio no afecte a la capacidad del sistema hospitalario de atender a los pacientes durante la pandemia.

“Aunque el desarrollo de las vacunas ha avanzado de forma muy positiva, queremos encontrar las mejores y más eficaces vacunas para su uso a largo plazo. Estos estudios de desafío en humanos se llevarán a cabo aquí en el Reino Unido y ayudarán a acelerar el conocimiento de los científicos sobre cómo el coronavirus afecta a las personas y, en última instancia, podría impulsar el rápido desarrollo de vacunas”, dijo Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretario de Estado de Estrategia Empresarial, Energética y Industrial.

Los estudios donde se infecta a personas sanas -en lugar de esperar a que se contagien de forma natural, como se ha hecho hasta ahora en el desarrollo de las vacunas anticovid- se usan ya para la generación de vacunas y tratamientos contra enfermedades como la malaria, fiebre tifoidea, resfriado común, gripe o norovirus.

(Con información de Infobae – EFE)

Fuente de la Información: https://lahora.com/2021/02/17/reino-unido-autorizo-infectar-con-coronavirus-a-personas-sanas-para-probar-la-eficacia-de-los-farmacos-y-las-vacunas/

 

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

India: What the Arrest of Disha Ravi, a Climate Activist Linked to Greta Thunberg, Says About India’s Crackdown on Dissent

Noticias

What the Arrest of Disha Ravi, a Climate Activist Linked to Greta Thunberg, Says About India’s Crackdown on Dissent

Police in India have accused Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old climate activist with ties to Greta Thunberg, of sedition. Her alleged crime: helping to create and share an online “protest toolkit” that outlined how to support the mass protests by farmers in the country.

Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government say the charges against Ravi are politically motivated and represent an escalation of the Indian government’s clampdown on dissenters.

“It’s a brazen move by Modi to ramp up repression and to wait to see if there are international repercussions,” says Subir Sinha, a senior lecturer in institutions and development at SOAS, University of London.

Ravi’s Feb. 13 arrest, and the connection with Thunberg, who shared the “toolkit” on social media, have brought even more international scrutiny to India’s backsliding democratic freedoms, including worsening freedom of the press and detentions of journalists, internet shutdowns and violent responses to non-violent protesters.

The farmers’ protests are some of the biggest in the country’s history, and present an unprecedented challenge to Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The protests have already received worldwide attention—including viral tweets from Rihanna and Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris.

Here’s what to know about Ravi’s arrest.

What are the accusations against Disha Ravi?

Ravi, the founder of the Bengaluru chapter of Thunberg’s climate justice movement Fridays for Future, has been charged with sedition—the crime of inciting hatred against the government.

Delhi police say Ravi is a “key conspirator” in the “formulation [and] dissemination” of the “toolkit” document containing methods for supporting the farmers’ protest.

Police allege she also started a WhatsApp group and collaborated to make the document. “She was the one who shared the [document] with Greta Thunberg,” they said.

Thunberg has not commented.

Police said the document contained links to websites that supported a Sikh independence movement, and that the sharing of the document on social media indicated that there was a “conspiracy” behind violence on Jan. 26, when farmer protests escalated into clashes with police.

“The main aim of the toolkit was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government,” Delhi police official Prem Nath said at a Monday press briefing.

Ravi told a Delhi court that she did not make the document, but she edited two lines of it, according to local media.

Warrants have been issued for at least two other activists, including Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk.

Police say that the three activists held a Zoom meeting with a “pro-Khalistani” organization in Canada, referring to a Sikh independence movement, according to local media.

Why was Disha Ravi arrested?

Activists and critics of Modi’s government say Ravi’s arrest is part of a larger crackdown on all forms of dissent in the country.

“The government wants us to believe that anyone and everyone who disagrees with its views is part of some sinister international conspiracy,” Satish Deshpande, a sociology professor in India, says. “The aim is to terrorize dissenters into silence.”

Since November, hundreds of thousands of farmers have been protesting on the outskirts of the capital against new agricultural laws that aim to deregulate and open India’s agricultural industry to free-market forces. Farmers are worried they could lose business and land to large corporations. Tweets from international celebrities, including Rihanna, have been met with a swift backlash from the Indian government, who labeled the criticism propaganda. Swedish climate activist Thunberg tweeted in support of the protests, posting a link to the online toolkit Ravi is accused of helping to create.

“I think when Greta tweeted, Rihanna tweeted, they had to find a narrative to say that there is something of a threat to the nation,” says Leo Saldanha, who works for the advocacy group Environment Support Group and is also based in Bengaluru.

Gilles Verniers, an assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University in India, says that any international attention is unlikely to make the government change its stance as “they equate concessions with expressions of weakness.”

Saldanha says activists like him have lived under “the threat of excessive state action” for several years.

The most plausible explanation for what appears to be an escalation in the government’s crackdown is the continuing farmers’ protests, Deshpande says.

“The farmers’ protests are holding firm despite all odds,” he says. “The current moves show that the government is sticking to its formula of declaring all democratic opposition—or even dissent—to be acts of sedition.”

How are people reacting?

Opposition politicians, rights activists and a slew of Indian celebrities have condemned Ravi’s arrest.

Dozens protested on Monday in cities across India calling for Ravi’s release and a petition started by Saldanha’s Environment Support Group calling for Ravi’s immediate release has received more than 25,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.

The environmentalist says that the government’s attempt to silence youth activists is “not working because there’s so many have decided to speak out.”

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, called the arrest “an unprecedented attack on democracy.”

Students hold placards as they shout slogans demanding the release of Dalit labour rights activists Nodeep Kaur and Shiv Kumar along with climate activist Disha Ravi during a protest in New Delhi, India on Feb. 15, 2021.

Member of parliament Jairam Ramesh said her arrest shows the “intensifying murder of democracy in India.”

Siddharth, an actor popular in India tweeted his support. “Standing unconditionally in solidarity and support with #DishaRavi,” he wrote.

 

Fuente de la Información: https://time.com/5939627/disha-ravi-india-toolkit-arrest/

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Estados Unidos: Biden caught in schools squeeze amid COVID-19 relief push: The Note

Noticias

Biden caught in schools squeeze amid COVID-19 relief push: The Note

Questions about school reopening revealed fresh layers of complications.

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It’s a plan the White House is lauding as «bold and ambitious.»

It’s also grown less so through the early weeks of the Biden presidency — and could reveal political vulnerabilities for the new administration as it pushes for a major COVID-19 relief bill.

President Joe Biden‘s CNN town hall Tuesday night featured multiple questions about school reopening that revealed fresh layers of complications. Biden pointed out the need to upgrade ventilation systems, protect everyone from bus drivers to cafeteria workers, and even potentially hire more teachers, secure additional classrooms and extend the school year into summer.

The president also further clarified his pledge to have the majority of U.S. schools open within his first 100 days in office, saying it was a «mistake in the communication» of that promise to suggest it would extend beyond K-8 classrooms.

Biden didn’t mention teachers’ unions, which have provoked pockets of outrage nationwide for the preconditions some have imposed on reopening. The Biden White House’s labor ties have coalesced into a Republican talking point as the president shops for GOP support for his $1.9 trillion stimulus package.

The reopening of schools is a non-partisan priority for parents and government officials literally everywhere in the country. It’s not an issue that responds naturally or quickly to national guidelines or mandates, as Biden’s team knows well.

Biden on Tuesday laid out a timeline of COVID recovery that would extend well into the next school year. That also puts it well into the next election year before life can be expected to return to normal.

The RUNDOWN with Alisa Wiersema

If there was any doubt before, it’s safe to say by now there’s no love lost between former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Three days after McConnell first voted to acquit Trump and then publicly rebuked him, Trump railed against the minority leader in a lengthy statement full of personal attacks and political criticisms.

In addition to calling McConnell «a dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack,» Trump indicated he’s willing to wade into future election contests.

«Where necessary and appropriate, I will back primary rivals who espouse Making America Great Again and our policy of America First,» the former president said.

PHOTO: In this image from video, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaks before the Senate voted to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police offer Eugene Goodman for his actions during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, Feb. 12, 2021.

The threat could be just that — for now — it is unclear how involved Trump actually plans to be in the 2022 midterm elections and beyond. In the meantime, the self-imposed caveat of «where necessary and appropriate» gives him room to back away from politics if Republicans distance themselves from prioritizing his base.

Still, Trump’s influence over his party and supporters continues to linger over Capitol Hill as the Senate prepares to hold its first hearing next week to examine security preparations ahead of Jan. 6. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also endorsed the creation of a 9/11-style, independent commission that would investigate the attack on the Capitol. Legislation to set up the commission could be introduced as early as this week, but it remains unclear when it would be voted on.

The official launch of such a commission requires approval from the Senate and a sign off from Biden. On Tuesday, the White House indicated Biden supports the creation of the commission but put the ball back into Congress’ court on following through — all but ensuring that Trump’s ties to the events of that day will continue to be dissected for weeks to come.

The TIP with Quinn Scanlan

With a gubernatorial and Senate race on the ballot in 2022, Georgia was already set to be the battleground state to watch in the next election cycle. But it’s increasingly looking like those races will be dominated by the ghosts of campaigns past.

Stacey Abrams is expected to seek a rematch against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, and, after filing a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, on Tuesday, Republican David Perdue went public with a lengthy statement outlining why he’s considering a comeback bid for U.S. Senate.

PHOTO: Sen. David Perdue attends a rally with Vice President Mike Pence in support of both he and Sen. Kelly Loeffler on Dec. 04, 2020, in Savannah, Ga.

Despite the Peach State delivering electoral victories to Biden and two Democratic Senate candidates last cycle, Perdue claimed that «Georgia is not a blue state,» asserting the November election, when he just barely missed the 50% threshold necessary to avoid a runoff, is more reflective of the electorate than the dual GOP Senate losses in January.

With the Republican Party in the midst of an identity crisis and Georgia Democrats determined to prove their recent statewide wins were not a fluke, Perdue’s pursuit to rejoin the Senate is unlikely to be an easy one.

For starters, he would face a new challenger: Raphael Warnock. In the runoff, the reverend turned senator received about 20,000 more votes than now-Sen. Jon Ossoff did in his race against Perdue, suggesting he may be a more formidable opponent. And if Abrams runs for governor, she and Warnock, whom she personally recruited to run for Senate, are sure to be a dynamic duo on the campaign trail.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News’ «Start Here» podcast. Wednesday morning’s episode features ABC News Senior Investigative report Aaron Katersky, who tells us about the lawsuit filed against former President Donald Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani following the Capitol riot. FiveThirtyEight Senior Science Writer Maggie Koerth explains why Texas’ power grid failed under the weight of winter storms this week. And ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman takes us inside the rebuilding of Notre Dame cathedral. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ABC News’ «Powerhouse Politics» podcast. House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., talks with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein about former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial and what’s next for Congress. https://bit.ly/3dqyKZ3

FiveThirtyEight’s Politics Podcast. Nevada Democrats introduced a bill on Monday that would change their state’s presidential nominating contest from a caucus to a primary and also dislodge New Hampshire from its position as the first primary in the nation. Also, over the weekend, outgoing Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said, «a diverse state or states need to be first.» In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses if any potential changes could reshape the nominating process. They also consider why Republican senators’ votes on convicting former President Donald Trump broke down the way they did. And lastly, they check-in on the gubernatorial recall efforts in California that are very likely to result in a recall election for Gov. Gavin Newsom. https://53eig.ht/3pt7TxN

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

  • White House COVID-19 Response Team and public health officials hold a press briefing at 11 a.m.
  • President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris receive the president’s daily brief at 11:30 a.m., have lunch at 12:30 p.m. and meet with labor leaders to discuss the president’s coronavirus relief plan and get input on his infrastructure plan at 3:30 p.m.
  • White House press secretary Jen Psaki and deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology Anne Neuberger hold a press briefing at 12:30 p.m.
  • First lady Jill Biden hosts a virtual roundtable conversation on military child education at 1 p.m.

The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day’s top stories in politics. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.

 

Fuente de la Información: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-caught-schools-squeeze-amid-covid-19-relief/story?id=75928795&cid=clicksource_4380645_3_heads_hero_live_hero_hed

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

South Africa: COVID-19 pushes inequality in schools to crippling new level, risks a lost generation of learners

Noticias

South Africa: COVID-19 pushes inequality in schools to crippling new level, risks a lost generation of learners

The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged South Africa’s schools further into crisis, exposing how the country’s education system continues to be shaped by the legacy of apartheid, Amnesty International said today.

«A child’s experience of education in South Africa is still dependent on where they are born, how wealthy they are, and the colour of their skin.»

In a new report, Failing to learn lessons: The impact of COVID-19 on a broken and unequal education system, the organization highlights how students from poorer communities have been cut off from education during extended school closures, in a country where just 10 percent of households have an internet connection. Meanwhile historic underinvestment and the government’s failure to address existing inequalities has resulted in many schools not having running water or proper toilets whilst struggling with overcrowded classrooms, meaning they cannot provide a safe learning environment amid the pandemic.

“A child’s experience of education in South Africa is still dependent on where they are born, how wealthy they are, and the colour of their skin. The COVID-19 pandemic has made a broken and unequal system even worse, putting students from poorer communities at a huge disadvantage. Remote learning is not an option for the vast majority,” said Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa.

“South Africa’s schooling system is so under-equipped that the pandemic has all but ended education for many students, especially those from already disadvantaged communities. Unless urgent access is taken, the future livelihoods of an entire generation will be at risk.”

Disturbing picture

Amnesty International’s report is based on extensive desk research, including analysis of statistical data and institutional studies and surveys, between March 2020 and February 2021.

The education system in South Africa continues to be shaped by the legacy of apartheid. Previous research by Amnesty International showed how many communities continue to live with the consequences of political and economic decisions made during the apartheid era where people were segregated according to their skin colour, with schools serving white communities much better resourced.

When schools first closed in March, for almost three months, the widespread lack of internet access needed for remote study was laid bare. Nationally, only 22% of households have a computer and 10% an internet connection. In North West and Limpopo provinces, only 3.6% and 1.6% respectively have access to the internet at home. By contrast, students from wealthier communities with computer access have been able to continue their education particularly through remote learning provided by better resourced schools.

Further school shutdowns came in July 2020 and January 2021. The closures not only interrupted learning, but also severely affected access to food for around nine million students who depend on school meals for their daily nutrition. The situation became so bad that NGOs were forced to go to court to compel the government to resume the National School Nutrition Programme.

Hazardous and unhygienic

When schools have been open, hazardous and unhygienic conditions have prevented them from meeting basic COVID-safe requirements. Thousands of schools in South Africa have no running water – more than half of schools in some regions. Social distancing is also impossible in many schools. One study by Stellenbosch University found that at least half of South African learners would not be able to comply with distancing rules due to overcrowded classrooms.

The government has failed to ensure that schools in poorer communities have the additional resources they need to provide a secure learning environment. As a result, many have had to shut down repeatedly due to high COIVD-19 infection rates.

The toll on staff needs also to be recognised. By the beginning of 2021 it was estimated that up to 1,700 teachers have lost their lives to COVID-19, more than 300 alone during the recent school holidays.

Drastic budget cuts are not the solution

Despite the clear evidence that school infrastructure and equipment can play a key role in ensuring safer learning environments, in June the government announced that it was planning to divert over R2 billion (US$ 0.13 billion) from the provincial education infrastructure grant. The recent medium-term budget statement revealed that, adjusted for inflation, the education budget will be reduced over the next three years with a cut of over 4% for this financial year.

Amnesty International is calling on the South African authorities to reverse that decision, and commit sufficient funds to address longstanding and ongoing infrastructure failings. These have not just been documented by Amnesty and other organisations but are also confirmed by the government’s own statistics. In March 2020, just before COVID-19 struck, it was reported that only 266 out of 3,988 schools that needed it had benefitted from the President’s own 2018 Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) campaign to address inadequate sanitation. 56% of South African head teachers reported in a survey conducted by the OECD in 2018 that a shortage of physical infrastructure is hindering their school’s capacity to provide quality instruction. Many of the deficiencies are in breach of the government’s own Minimum Norms and Standards for educational facilities.

Amnesty International acknowledges that guaranteeing access to education during a pandemic is not easy. It also acknowledges that the government has both put various procedures in place  and taken action to seek to ensure both some limited access to remote learning during lockdown and to protect the safety of learners and teachers when schools have reopened.

However, the government needs to do more from exploring further innovative ways to provide access to education for as many students as possible where schools are partially or totally closed due to the pandemic, to  ensuring that all schools have sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment such as masks and hand sanitizer, as well as clean water facilities. Above all it must commit sufficient resources to address the infrastructure crisis in schools which is continuing to undermine the goal of safe learning spaces for all young people.

In certain key areas, the government has failed to meet its obligation to provide equal and accessible education to ALL learners.

«The Constitutional and international human right to quality education includes access to safe, clean and adequate school facilities»

“The Constitutional and international human right to quality education includes access to safe, clean and adequate school facilities,” said Shenilla Mohammed.

“However, this right is clearly being denied to too many learners across the country. Schooling in South Africa has operated on a two-tier system for far too long. Now is the time to take concrete action to ensure that every child in South Africa has equal access to education, during and after the pandemic.”

Fuente de la Información: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/02/south-africa-covid19-pushes-inequality-in-schools-to-crippling-new-level-risks-a-lost-generation-of-learners/

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Estados Unidos: Los Angeles County elementary schools can reopen as COVID-19 cases drop

Noticias

Los Angeles County elementary schools can reopen as COVID-19 cases drop

Los Angeles County elementary schools will be allowed to reopen for in-person learning after hitting an expected COVID-19 milestone Tuesday.

«The state permits elementary schools to reopen as soon as we reach an adjusted case rate of 25 per 100,000,» the LA County Department of Public Health said in a statement Monday. «We are informing Los Angeles County schools tonight via an emailed letter that we expect to announce we have reached this threshold effective Tuesday, February 16.»

All schools that want to reopen must submit plans to the county and state health departments showing that they’ve put sufficient safety measures in place before they’ll be permitted to resume in-person classes.

«Thank you to everyone who has worn your masks and kept your distance,» Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County supervisor, wrote on Twitter on Monday. «Case rates in LA County are dropping. Now we can continue the work getting our kids and teachers safely back in classrooms where they belong,» she added.

«This is what we have been working towards,» Hahn wrote.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines on schools reopening that said with proper mitigation measures, schools should be able to safely do at least some in-person learning.

PHOTO: Paul Habans Charter School handed out supplies including food, books and computers to students and the community, when Louisiana schools closed due to the spread of coronavirus in New Orleans, La., March 17, 2020.

LA’s teachers union, United Teachers Los Angeles, pushed back on the CDC’s recommendation on the grounds that the guidelines don’t do enough to address challenges in large urban districts like Los Angeles. «Most troubling is that it does not require vaccinations for school staff, six-foot distancing in all schools, nor improved ventilation as a key mitigation measure,» UTLA said in a statement.

Vaccinating teachers before schools reopen has been a sticking point for union members. «Embedded in our bargaining framework are the components of a safe return,» Cecile Myart-Cruz, UTLA’s president, told ABC’s Los Angeles station KABC-TV.

One of those key components is «vaccines for all educators and school staff,» Myart-Cruz added.

Fuente de la Información: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/los-angeles-county-elementary-schools-reopen-covid-19/story?id=75922269&cid=clicksource_4380645_3_heads_hero_live_headlines_hed

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Ethiopian Refugee Crisis

Noticias

Ethiopian Refugee Crisis

A power struggle between Ethiopia’s federal government and the northern Tigray Region’s political leaders has spawned a military conflict and humanitarian crisis that threaten to destabilize the Horn of Africa.

On November 4, 2020, Ethiopia’s federal government launched what it called a “law enforcement operation” against “rogue” leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s ruling party, after TPLF fighters attacked a federal military base. TPLF leaders called the federal government’s response a war against the people of Tigray.

But tensions between the central government and TPLF have been smoldering since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s appointment in April 2018 following a monthslong popular revolt.

He initiated a peace agreement with neighboring Eritrea and pushed for reforms such as opening trade, releasing political prisoners and unifying ethnic groups under his new Prosperity Party — measures that also sapped power from the long-dominant TPLF. Reforms that opened up political and economic space also have fueled inter-ethnic violence across the country, with more than 1.2 million people displaced by conflict in 2020 even before the Tigray crisis, the International Organization on Migration reports.

The fighting in Tigray in its first month alone is believed to have claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than 1 million people.  At least 50,000 have fled to neighboring Sudan, the U.N.’s refugee agency says.  Ethiopia itself hosts more than 1 million refugees from other countries.

VOA journalists are reporting on the crisis for TV, radio and digital media. Covering the plight of refugees and displaced people around the world is one of VOA’s top priorities, as part of its mission to inform, engage and connect people in support of freedom and democracy.

ETHIOPIAN REFUGEES FLEE TO SUDAN

THE DIVISION OF ETHIOPIA’S MAJOR ETHNICITIES

Fuente de la Información: https://www.voanews.com/ethiopian-refugee-crisis

 

 

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »
Page 872 of 6178
1 … 870 871 872 873 874 … 6.178