International

Coronavirus created ‘catastrophe’ in Latin American education

AFP

Most children in Latin America and the Caribbean under the age of 11 are unable to understand simple written texts due to an “educational catastrophe” caused by the pandemic, international organizations revealed Thursday.

According to a report by the World Bank, UNICEF and UNESCO, 80 percent of children in the region have been left with deficient education.

Only Sub-Saharan Africa has worse results.

Children in Latin America and the Caribbean lost an average of one and a half years of education during the pandemic, as schools in the region remained shut longer than anywhere else in the world.

20250701_dengue_728x90

This could set children’s education back 10 years, the “Two years later: saving a generation” report says.

The region “is facing an unprecedented educational crisis that could compromise future development in our countries,” said Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, the World Bank vice-president for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The fact that the vast majority of the sixth grade (aged 10-11) might not be able to understand what they are reading puts a question mark on the future wellbeing of millions of children.”

“Too many children have not been able to return to full-time schooling, and many of those that have are lost,” added Jean Gough, the regional UNICEF director.

“In both cases they’re not learning,” she said, adding that it was “an educational catastrophe.”

20250701_dengue_728x90

The report said countries in the region must give greater priority to education to reverse the harmful effects of the pandemic.

International

Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case

10 reported dead after explosion in Dominican Republic

A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.

The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.

Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.

Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.

“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.

20250701_dengue_728x90

The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.

“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.

“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.

The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.

The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.

20250701_dengue_728x90

“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”

International

Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.

Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.

The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.

Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.

Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.

20250701_dengue_728x90

International

Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica

A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.

Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.

He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.

BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.