International
New York City mandates vaccines for teachers
AFP
New York announced a vaccine mandate for all public school staff, including teachers and principals, Monday as the city escalates attempts to slow the spread of the hyper-contagious Delta variant.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said every department of education employee must receive at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by September 27.
There will be no option of a weekly test instead.
“We know this is going to help to ensure that everyone is safe,” he told reporters.
New York City has America’s largest public school system with some 1.1 million students across 1,800 schools. The directive will affect almost 150,000 employees.
Just 63 percent of education staff are vaccinated so far.
The announcement comes as public bodies and private businesses in the United States grapple with boosting vaccination rates.
Many unions and critics of mandates have spoken out against required vaccinations, citing personal freedom arguments.
On Monday the US Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine, which is expected to trigger a slew of new vaccine mandates around the country.
New York’s directive comes after Los Angeles and Chicago announced their own vaccine mandates for teachers.
De Blasio wants all students to return to classrooms when schools start the new academic year on September 13 after a mixture of remote and in-person learning last year.
The Big Apple now requires proof of vaccination for people attending indoor venues such as restaurants, gyms and shows, as the city tries to get back on its feet.
In New York, a city of more than eight million inhabitants, 75.6 percent of adults have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to official figures.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
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.
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.
“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.
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.
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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