International
Mexican classrooms reopen amid Covid third wave
AFP
Millions of Mexican schoolchildren began returning to classrooms on Monday after more than a year of distance learning, despite another wave of Covid-19 infections sweeping the country.
The government said that the return would be “voluntary and safe,” but some parents and opponents of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador worry that it is too soon.
Anna Alvarez, one of an estimated 25 million students who were expected to go back to classrooms, said she was “nervous and excited” after 17 months of studying at home.
“I was happy because I was with my family, but sad because I missed my friends,” the eight-year-old said.
The children in her school in Mexico City wore face masks and teachers checked their temperatures and gave out antibacterial gel at the entrance.
Inside the classrooms, which had a maximum of six students at a time, the desks were surrounded by plastic covers and spaced further apart than usual.
The government ruled out forcing children to return to classrooms and said it would adopt a hybrid model with both face-to-face and distance learning.
“It’s the mothers, the fathers and the children who have to make the decision. School is irreplaceable,” Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference.
Israel Garcia, 45, who brought his 11-year-old daughter Regina to school, said he was “a bit uncertain and afraid of how this scheme is going to work.”
Mexico has an official coronavirus death toll of more than 258,000 — one of the highest in the world — and the country of 126 million is facing a third wave of infections.
It is the first time since the pandemic began that classrooms are reopening on a nationwide basis, although the return was delayed in a handful of Mexico’s 32 states due to a tropical storm and rising coronavirus infections.
An earlier attempt to reopen classrooms in some regions in June was foiled by a number of outbreaks of Covid-19.
Mexican classrooms closed in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic, and more than 30 million students were sent home to take classes via television, the internet and radio.
That posed a challenge to teachers as well as disadvantaged families with no TV or internet.
“Working remotely has made us change the way we teach,” said head teacher Lorena Reyna.
“It’s been very complicated,” she said.
International
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Judge Juan Merchan acquitted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the case involving former porn actress Stormy Daniels.
“At this moment, I am issuing this verdict to cover all 34 charges,” Merchan stated. The judge also wished Trump good luck in his second term as president.
Trump will now become the first criminal president.
Merchan declined to impose any punishment. This decision strengthens Trump’s acquittal and clears the way for his return to the White House without the threat of prison or a fine.
“Never before has this court faced such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Merchan said.
International
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
Canada imposed sanctions on 14 high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan “regime” this Friday, including prominent members of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM), for their involvement in human rights violations in Venezuela.
Among those sanctioned are DGCIM prosecutors Dinorah Yoselin Bustamante Puerta and Farik Karin Salcedo Mora; the director of criminal investigations at the agency, Asdrubal José Brito Hernandez, as well as its former deputy director, Rafael Ramón Blanco Marrero.
The sanctions also target several members of the Bolivarian National Guard: its general commander, Elio Ramón Estrada Paredes; the commander of the capital region, Johan Alexander Hernández Lárez, and lieutenant colonel, Alexander Enrique Granko Arteaga.
Other individuals sanctioned include the director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Alexis José Rodríguez Cabello, and his deputy director, Miguel Antonio Muñoz Palacios; Brigadier General of the Bolivarian National Police, Rubén Darío Santiago Servigna, and Domingo Antonio Hernández Lárez, commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
International
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Friday that she asked Edmundo González Urrutia, former candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), not to return to Venezuela to avoid putting himself at risk.
In a video message, Machado explained that the opposition evaluated the situation and concluded that González Urrutia would be in danger if he tried to enter Venezuela as he had planned.
González Urrutia, who claims to have won the July 28 elections with the support of more than 85% of the official voting records, had announced that he would return to Venezuela on January 10 to assume the presidency.
Earlier, Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner of those elections, took the oath of office for a third term.
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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