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WORLD NEWSSaturday 20 February 2016
Brazil launches anti-Zika campaign across schools
SAO PAULO (AP) — Bra- break. gypti “is something that has The Education Ministry said fants with unusually small
zil’s president, government The Health Ministry said on to worry all of us, the presi- nearly 190,000 basic edu- heads and can result in
ministers, state governors, its website that schools in dent, cation schools, universities brain damage and numer-
health agents and mem- Brasilia, in the country’s 26 the governor ... and every and vocational training ous developmental and
bers of the armed forces Fri- state capitals and in 115 one of the pupils here.” centers were to be visited health problems. The link
day visited schools through- other cities would be vis- The mosquito lives largely on Friday. between Zika and micro-
out the country to involve ited. inside homes and can lay Zika’s immediate effects cephaly remains unproven.
students in the nationwide The ministry said that the eggs in even a bottle-cap’s are mild, consisting mostly Since October, 5,280 sus-
campaign to eradicate the objective is to raise the worth of stagnant water. of a moderate fever and pected cases of micro-
Aedes aegypti mosquito awareness of students of The dishes beneath potted a rash, and only a fifth of cephaly have been report-
that spreads the Zika virus. the importance of eliminat- plants are those afflicted notice any ed, Brazil’s Health Ministry
President Dilma Rousseff ing the breeding ground a favorite spot, as are symptoms. said on Friday.
was on hand at a school in of the mosquito that also abandoned tires, bird But Brazilian authorities also Of those, 508 cases had
the city of Juazeiro, in the transmits dengue, chikun- feeders and even the little say they have detected been confirmed and 837
impoverished northeastern gunya and yellow fever. puddles of rainwater that a spike in cases of micro- discarded. Of the con-
region that’s the epicen- Rousseff told students in collect in the folds of plas- cephaly, firmed cases, 41 have been
ter of Brazil’s Zika virus out- Juazeiro that Aedes ae- tic tarps. a condition that leaves in- connected to Zika.q
Colombia suspends safe passage for rebel peace negotiators
JOSHUA GOODMAN Humberto de la Calle, head of Colombia’s government peace negotiation team, speaks after a mediately return to Cuba.
Associated Press joint announcement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, in Havana, Cuba. Pictures circulated show-
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) ing rebel commanders
— Colombia this week (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan) holding what looked like a
suspended permits for political event, complete
rebel leaders negotiating “For the government, a the government’s action. sions. with a stage, loudspeakers
a peace deal in Cuba to fundamental rule of this As part of peace process, In addition to suspending and flyers for distribution.
visit guerrilla camps after agreement is that there will the government has facili- permits for future meet- The images provoked out-
top commanders showed be no politics with arms,” tated travel by FARC com- ings, De la Calle demand- rage among conservative
up with weapons in a De la Calle said in a state- manders back and forth ed Norway and Cuba, the critics of the peace nego-
town’s main plaza in what ment from the presidential from Cuba to rally troops. peace talks’ sponsors, work tiations and many regular
the government said was palace. “This is an unac- But De la Calle said they with the International Com- Colombians who worry the
a flagrant violation of the ceptable violation.” are not allowed to carry mittee of the Red Cross to FARC will never hand over
ground rules for such mis- The rebel group issued no weapons or engage with make sure Marquez and their weapons despite re-
sions. The announcement immediate comment on civilians while on such mis- the other commanders im- cent advances in the talks.
by top government nego- Former President Alvaro
tiator Humberto de la Calle Uribe, who is now a sena-
followed the surprise ap- tor and a fierce critic of
pearance in photos and the peace process, said
video footage of leaders of on Twitter that the pic-
the Revolutionary Armed tures show the rebels are
Forces of Colombia inter- engaging in politics while
acting with townspeople still armed. Sen. Armando
with heavily armed guerril- Benedetti, a fervent propo-
las standing by. nent of the peace effort,
The incident took place defended the command-
along Colombia’s bor- ers, saying they visited the
der with Venezuela, De la town in the spirit of peace
Calle said without provid- to talk to residents.
ing more details. Among The setback comes as the
those present was the reb- more than 3-year-old talks
el leader known by his alias had recently accelerated
Ivan Marquez, who is head in the hopes of meeting a
of the FARC negotiating March 23 target for signing
team. a final deal.q
Colombia probing 100 alleged disappearances at prison
LIBARDO CARDONA lier testimony from demo- She said that it’s unlikely visitors and fellow inmates head of Colombia’s prison
Associated Press bilized paramilitary fighters any of the victims’ bodies may have also occurred at system, said Thursday he
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — as part of a decade-old will be found at La Modelo other facilities.Colombia’s has no information about
Colombian prosecutors are peace accord with the prison because they were notoriously overcrowded the alleged disappear-
investigating the alleged government. allegedly dismembered prisons have long been ances, but noted that con-
disappearance of as many “They’ve talked about how and dumped in a sewer. factories for criminality. trols 15 years ago weren’t
as 100 people inside a Bo- there was a power struggle Authorities have not under- The probe stems from a as strict as they are now.
gota prison more than 15 inside the prison” between taken any excavation ef- journalist’s investigation 15 He said prison authorities
years ago. former paramilitaries and forts nor have family mem- years ago about crime, in- stand ready to assist pros-
Special prosecutor Ca- leftist rebels, Heyck told The bers of any alleged victims cluding forced disappear- ecutors in any investiga-
terina Heyck said Friday Associated Press. “Also that come forward publicly. ances, at the prison, one of tion but that he so far has
that investigations began people were disappeared But Heyck said the prac- Colombia’s largest. received no request for any
months ago based on ear- who weren’t inmates.” tice of prisoners butchering Gen. Jorge Ramirez, the excavations.q
