Latest news with #Resolution
Ya Biladi
3 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
United States : John Bolton continues his pro-Polisario and pro-Algeria lobbying
مدة القراءة: 2' John Bolton is back on the international stage, this time advocating for the Polisario Front. As calls mount to classify the Polisario as a terrorist organization in the United States, the former National Security Advisor under the Trump administration argues in an op-ed that «U.S. should support a referendum allowing Sahrawis to determine their own future». In a surprising twist, Bolton justifies his call for the U.S. to back the Polisario by warning about «Chinese and Russian influence mounting across Africa, suggesting that continued American support for Morocco could open the door to their increased presence in the region. Bolton leans heavily on historical arguments, referencing Security Council Resolution 690, which established MINURSO in 1991 with U.S. support. His position closely mirrors those of Algeria and the Polisario, who have long demanded a self-determination referendum for Western Sahara and the implementation of the African settlement plan. However, Bolton omits a crucial historical fact: the UN abandoned the referendum option in the early 2000s. Under the leadership of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UN dissolved the commission responsible for identifying eligible participants for the proposed vote. It's a significant omission, particularly for Bolton, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the UN from 2005 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. «The Polisario is Not Under Iran's Influence» Bolton also pushes back against accusations that the Polisario is aligned with Iran. After criticizing what he describes as Morocco's «obstacles» to holding a referendum, Bolton defends the Polisario's reputation: «The Polisario's opponents are trying a new line of propaganda, alleging without evidence that the Polisario has come under Iran's influence. This misinformation may well be intended to divert U.S. attention from Morocco's decadeslong stonewalling against a referendum». Bolton adds: «Sahrawi opponents have gone as far as claiming that Polisario fighters were among foreign militias Iran trained in Syria under the now-fallen Assad regime». He cites reports by The Washington Post and other publications, which state that both the Syrian government and the Polisario have categorically denied these allegations. «But Morocco's friends in the West continue to spread them», Bolton claims. «Perhaps influenced by this anti-Sahrawi propaganda, legislation has been introduced in the House to designate Polisario as a terrorist group», referring to legislation introduced by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson. Context and Contradictions Bolton further argues that the Sahrawis «never succumbed to the radicalism that swept the Middle East after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Claims that Sahrawis are susceptible to Tehran-based Shiite propaganda are belied by the long-standing presence in the camps of U.S. religious, nongovernmental organizations providing educational and medical services». However, it's worth noting that in October 2019, the U.S. government offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification or capture of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraoui, a former Polisario member who became a leading terrorist figure in the Sahel under the banner of ISIS. More recently, Robert Greenway, director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation—a prominent Republican think tank—reminded President Trump that the Polisario killed five American citizens in 1988. For the record, John Bolton has been a vocal critic of Trump's decision on December 10, 2020, to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
NDTV
23-05-2025
- Health
- NDTV
India To Lead Global Research On Environment And Health
New Delhi: India stands at the cusp of becoming a global leader in exposomics research, with the potential to reshape its understanding and prevent the disease, said Dr Kalpana Balakrishnan, Dean of Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research. Ms Balakrishnan, who was part of a recent forum on exposomics organised by the Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC, told PTI that India's unique blend of traditional and modern health risks makes it "a natural laboratory" for exposome science. The term "exposome" was coined by Dr Christopher Wild in 2005. It refers to the totality of environmental exposures that individuals experience throughout their lives, from conception to death. Unlike a genome, which is inherited and fixed, the exposome is dynamic, ever-shifting and deeply intertwined with health outcomes. Noting that genes and genetic susceptibility alone cannot explain why people develop a chronic disease, Ms Balakrishnan said, "Someone may not have the genetic markers for heart disease or diabetes, but still end up with them because of multiple environmental exposures experienced over a life course. That's the exposome." While the Human Genome Project advanced genetic science within a decade, diseases affecting the cardiovascular system, endocrine disorders and mental health issues remain poorly understood through genetics alone, she explained, emphasising the need for cutting-edge tools that can capture exposures from chemical, physical, biological and psychosocial hazards and their interactions with lifestyles or living conditions. When asked about what kind of tools and technologies are needed for exposome mapping, Ms Balakrishnan told PTI that High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) that can simultaneously screen thousands of chemical compounds in air, water, soil and food is one of the key technologies. "You don't just test for what you expect - A, B, and C. You do untargeted analysis to discover D, E, F and beyond. Otherwise, you stay blind to the unknowns," she said. For biological responses, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and a suite of omics platforms, including metabolomics, proteomics, and genomics, are vital. "These help us understand how internal systems react to exposures," Ms Balakrishnan said, noting that samples from blood, urine and other tissues provide critical biological signatures. However, exposomics isn't confined to the laboratory. It now includes satellite-generated data for physical exposures like air pollution, urban heat islands, vegetation cover, and land-use changes. "We can map environmental factors at high spatial resolution for entire populations," she said, adding that this is especially critical for a country like India, where environmental risks vary drastically by region and socioeconomic status. Highlighting the complexity of exposomic data, Ms Balakrishnan, who is also the director at World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Occupational Environmental Health, mentioned that mapping it requires deep learning and AI-powered pattern recognition beyond basic statistical methods. "These computational tools are crucial. We need them to make sense of massive, layered datasets across environmental samples, biological responses, and population demographics," Ms Balakrishnan told PTI. She further referred to the successful models in the North American and European exposome consortia, where patterns between pollution, green spaces, and genetic variants are predicting risks for diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. "Imagine if we could replicate and scale that here in India," she said. India's opportunity lies in its landscape, which includes traditional public health challenges like poor sanitation and lack of clean water. These challenges exist alongside modern hazards like ultra-processed food, air pollution and psychosocial stress. "We're seeing exposure overload from both ends," Ms Balakrishnan said. "That's why we need a holistic, integrative framework in the numerous ongoing cohorts in the country, and exposomics can give us that," she added. Stressing that India cannot rely on siloed scientific approaches, she further stated that it is not just the job of medical scientists. "We need engineers, economists, social scientists, and urban planners in the room - together with policymakers from the start," she emphasised. Adding an international perspective, Dr Rima Habre, associate professor of environmental health and spatial sciences at the University of Southern California and co-director of the NIH-funded NEXUS Center for Exposome Research Coordination, said India holds immense potential for global collaborations in exposomics. Speaking to PTI, Habre said, "I connected with Dr Balakrishnan around exposomics at a recent visit to Ahmedabad, India, where we were both invited speakers at an ICMR-NIOH conference. "I presented our vision in the NEXUS Center, which I co-lead with Dr. Gary Miller and Dr. Chirag Patel, to link US-based and international researchers and infrastructure for a truly global exposome initiative." She added that India's diversity of environmental and social stressors, shaped by unique regional policies and cultural practices, offers unparalleled insight into the totality of health-relevant exposures. "Dr Balakrishnan's work in establishing large, population-based cohorts in India is foundational for exposomics," Habre said, calling for a globally connected but locally governed framework to reduce the environmental burden of disease. Poornima Prabhakaran, Director of the Centre for Health Analytics Research and Trends (CHART), Ashoka University, echoed the sentiments. India's longitudinal research infrastructure provides a fertile ground to pioneer large-scale exposomics studies tailored to developing country contexts, she told PTI. "As a global effort to scale exposomics gathers momentum, we must account for a multitude of diverse exposures across geographies and populations spanning biomarkers, environmental risk factors and 'omics'," she said. This is in light of the recent Exposome Moonshot Forum hosted in Washington DC where there is already an effort across EU (EIRENE) and now US (NEXUS) and IREN to initiate this effort globally, Prabhakaran said.
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Weeks before opening day, uncertainty over third language in Marathi-and English-medium schools in Maharashtra
The 2025-26 academic year is set to begin on June 16 in Maharashtra, but there is still no clarity on the implementation of the three-language formula in Class 1 of Marathi- and English-medium schools under the state board. Originally, a Government Resolution (GR) in April had declared the introduction of three languages in Marathi- and English-medium schools under the Maharashtra State Board and mandated Hindi as the third language. However, after a backlash, the state government rolled back the decision, making Hindi optional. While the state reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the three-language policy, it also promised a separate GR detailing alternative options to Hindi and curriculum guidelines, which is still awaited. While State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director Rahul Rekhawar was unavailable for comment, an official from the state's school education department said that the three-language policy would still be implemented. 'SCERT is currently working on the curriculum for languages other than Hindi to be introduced as third language options,' the official said. However, until the detailed guidelines are issued, schools are uncertain about how to proceed, with just weeks left before the new academic year begins. 'Schools cannot decide the third language on their own. These guidelines have to come from the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) along with textbooks. These were ready for Hindi when the state declared it the mandatory third language in Marathi- and English medium-schools of the Maharashtra state board. But with Hindi now optional, we have no clarity on what other languages can be offered or how to teach them,' a senior language teacher from a Mumbai school explained. Class 1 will see the introduction of a new curriculum framework aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. One of the major changes announced was the addition of a third language in Class 1 of Marathi- and English-medium schools under the state board, where only two languages were taught until now. But in the absence of clear guidelines, the feasibility of launching the three-language system this year is uncertain. A principal from a school in Thane noted, 'Teacher training for the new curriculum has already begun, but it does not cover the third language component. This only adds to the confusion.' The former head of the Maharashtra School Principals' Association, Mahendra Ganpule, added, 'The original State Curriculum Framework for the foundational stage, which covers Class 1, did not include three languages. Thus, the subject plan and timetable guidelines do not include the third language for Class 1. The introduction of a third language was announced later via a GR with a Hindi mandate. But now that Hindi is made optional, we still don't know what the alternative language options will be.'
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Appeals court halts California´s Temecula school district ban on critical race theory
LOS ANGELES - A California appeals court has ruled that the Temecula school district must immediately set aside its ban on critical race theory while litigation over it plays out in the California court system. The Temecula Valley Board of Education adopted the resolution prohibiting what it defined as critical race theory in December 2022. The field of critical race theory, known widely as CRT, examines the extent to which racial inequality and racism are systemically embedded in American institutions. A group of parents, students and teachers had sought a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the conservative school board's policy, alleging the ban on the curriculum, in part, was "unconstitutionally vague" and has confused and intimidated teachers about what they could discuss in class. A three-judge panel for the 4th Appellate District said there was ample reason to put the policy on hold. "District teachers have experienced anxiety and confusion in knowing what is prohibited by the Resolution and fear extreme repercussions without guardrails for even accidental violations," Justice Kathleen E. O'Leary wrote. She added that the resolution "defined CRT as 'a divisive ideology that assigns moral fault to individuals solely on the basis of an individual's race and, therefore, is itself a racist ideology.' The Resolution operates as if this definition is universally accepted, but the text does not indicate where this definition is derived, or whether it is shared with anyone else besides the Board. This definition seems to represent the Board's subjective perception of CRT." An attorney for the school district noted that the Monday ruling is a preliminary injunction and the case has yet to be heard on its merits. "Although we are disappointed with the court's decision, we remain committed to defending the constitutionality of Temecula Valley Unified School District's actions," Julianne E. Fleischer said. "Critical race theory and its offshoots have no place in public institutions that are meant to serve all individuals equally. These ideas promote division, resentment, and a distorted view of history that punishes students and staff based on skin color rather than character." "We remain committed to defending lawful policies that reject this kind of racialized thinking and instead promote unity and equal treatment under the law," she said. In its action, the appeals panel reversed the ruling of trial court Judge Eric Keen, who had denied a request to halt the policy. In his eight-page ruling, Keen had rejected the argument that the ban was unclear, concluding that the board's resolution set out the specific elements that can't be taught. "It seems clear to the court that a person of ordinary intelligence would have a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited as what is prohibited is set out specifically in the resolution," he wrote. But the appeals panel saw things completely differently. "We find the Resolution is unconstitutionally vague on its face because it employs ambiguous language, lacks definitions, is unclear in scope, is seemingly irreconcilable with state-mandated educational requirements, and contains no enforcement guidelines," O'Leary wrote. "Teachers are left to self-censor and potentially over-correct, depriving the students of a fully informed education and further exacerbating the teachers' discomfort in the classroom," the justice wrote. A separate part of the lawsuit dealt with the board's policy of notifying parents about issues related to a student's gender identity. The panel said that issue was no longer in play because state law prohibits such automatic notification policies - prioritizing instead the privacy rights of the student. This month, however, the school board will be discussing potential options to reinstate as much of the notification policy as possible. The Trump administration has policies that echoes those of the Temecula school system on both critical race theory and parent notification. The administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from states and school systems that don't abide by Donald Trump's policies and executive orders. The conservative leadership of the Temecula school system has pushed back repeatedly against the state's more liberal policies - and sometimes had to backtrack. In one episode, the board rejected a state-sanctioned social studies curriculum that mentioned gay rights activist Harvey Milk but then reversed course. The reversal followed a series of contentious public meetings and a threat by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fine the district $1.5 million if it did not provide its elementary school students with new state-approved social studies books. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Appeals court halts Temecula school district ban on critical race theory
A California appeals court has ruled that the Temecula school district must immediately set aside its ban on critical race theory while litigation over it plays out in the California court system. The Temecula Valley Board of Education adopted the resolution prohibiting what it defined as critical race theory in December 2022. The field of critical race theory, known widely as CRT, examines the extent to which racial inequality and racism are systemically embedded in American institutions. A group of parents, students and teachers had sought a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the conservative school board's policy, alleging the ban on the curriculum, in part, was "unconstitutionally vague" and has confused and intimidated teachers about what they could discuss in class. A three-judge panel for the 4th Appellate District said there was ample reason to put the policy on hold. "District teachers have experienced anxiety and confusion in knowing what is prohibited by the Resolution and fear extreme repercussions without guardrails for even accidental violations," Justice Kathleen E. O'Leary wrote. She added that the resolution "defined CRT as 'a divisive ideology that assigns moral fault to individuals solely on the basis of an individual's race and, therefore, is itself a racist ideology.' The Resolution operates as if this definition is universally accepted, but the text does not indicate where this definition is derived, or whether it is shared with anyone else besides the Board. This definition seems to represent the Board's subjective perception of CRT." An attorney for the school district noted that the Monday ruling is a preliminary injunction and the case has yet to be heard on its merits. "Although we are disappointed with the court's decision, we remain committed to defending the constitutionality of Temecula Valley Unified School District's actions," Julianne E. Fleischer said. "Critical race theory and its offshoots have no place in public institutions that are meant to serve all individuals equally. These ideas promote division, resentment, and a distorted view of history that punishes students and staff based on skin color rather than character." "We remain committed to defending lawful policies that reject this kind of racialized thinking and instead promote unity and equal treatment under the law," she said. Read more: Critical race theory ban at Temecula Valley Unified stands for now, judge rules In its action, the appeals panel reversed the ruling of trial court Judge Eric Keen, who had denied a request to halt the policy. In his eight-page ruling, Keen had rejected the argument that the ban was unclear, concluding that the board's resolution set out the specific elements that can't be taught. 'It seems clear to the court that a person of ordinary intelligence would have a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited as what is prohibited is set out specifically in the resolution,' he wrote. But the appeals panel saw things completely differently. "We find the Resolution is unconstitutionally vague on its face because it employs ambiguous language, lacks definitions, is unclear in scope, is seemingly irreconcilable with state-mandated educational requirements, and contains no enforcement guidelines," O'Leary wrote. "Teachers are left to self-censor and potentially over-correct, depriving the students of a fully informed education and further exacerbating the teachers' discomfort in the classroom," the justice wrote. A separate part of the lawsuit dealt with the board's policy of notifying parents about issues related to a student's gender identity. The panel said that issue was no longer in play because state law prohibits such automatic notification policies — prioritizing instead the privacy rights of the student. Read more: Newsom signs bill banning schools from notifying parents about student gender identity This month, however, the school board will be discussing potential options to reinstate as much of the notification policy as possible. The Trump administration has policies that echoes those of the Temecula school system on both critical race theory and parent notification. The administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from states and school systems that don't abide by Trump's policies and executive orders. The conservative leadership of the Temecula school system has pushed back repeatedly against the state's more liberal policies — and sometimes had to backtrack. In one episode, the board rejected a state-sanctioned social studies curriculum that mentioned gay rights activist Harvey Milk but then reversed course. The reversal followed a series of contentious public meetings and a threat by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fine the district $1.5 million if it did not provide its elementary school students with new state-approved social studies books. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
