Four children have been found alive in Colombia more than two weeks after the plane they were travelling in crashed in the jungle. The Cessna 206 was transporting seven people from Araracuara to San Jose del Guaviare when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure in the early hours of 1 May. Most passengers died. Preliminary information suggests the children escaped the plane and set off into the rainforest to find help. Discarded fruit and improvised shelters made from vegetation have been discovered, and military and civilian search teams were employed alongside planes and helicopters from both Colombia's army and air force to locate the missing passengers.
11-month-old baby among 4 kids rescued from Colombian jungle weeks after plane crash
CBC
23-05-17 22:58
Members of the military, firefighters and civil aviation authority officials in the dense jungle of Colombia's Caqueta province found four children from an Indigenous community that had been missing for over two weeks. Civil aviation authority officials issued preliminary information that suggested the children escaped the plane and set off into the rainforest to find help. Three adults, including the pilot, died as a result of the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane. Rescuers, supported by search dogs, previously found discarded fruit the children had eaten to survive as well as improvised shelters made with jungle vegetation.
A shortage of antibiotics available for children in Wales caused a mother to crush up the tablets for her 10-month-old daughter. After a huge rise in demand during the step A surge before Christmas, none of the antibiotics commonly prescribed to children were available. Public Health Wales has said that usage has since returned to more expected levels. This comes after last winter, which saw a sharp increase in respiratory infections in both Wales and the UK, notably step A. The increase in infections is thought to be linked to people being in closer contact during the pandemic. Group A strep bacteria can cause a range of illnesses, including scarlet fever and strep throat. PHW has stated that antibiotic use is now back to more normal levels in Wales, and overall usage has fallen significantly over the past decade.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party (UCP) in the upcoming Alberta election is under fire for comparing transgender children at school to "feces in food." Jennifer Johnson issued an apology for her “embarrassing” comments and vowed to seek counsel on how to best communicate her views, but said she will remain in the race for Lacombe-Ponoka. Some people have called for UCP Leader Danielle Smith to dismiss Johnson as a candidate for the party.
Russia's campaign to recruit men to give up their civilian job to join the army, as well as offering medals to woman who have 10 or more children to help boost the country's birth rate shows how gendered stereotypes reflect the interest of patriarchal states. This free article in the Financial Times looks at how this state rhetoric has been a constant, with state control over populations being the preoccupation of governments for at least 5,000 years and why President Putin cannot prevent queues of young men trying to avoid conscription by fleeing the country.
Indigenous children, including an 11-month-old baby, were found alive after surviving a plane crash in Colombia that occurred over two weeks ago. While the three adults onboard died, the children aged 13, 9 and 4, as well as the baby survived after they ventured into the forest and survived on fruits and built shelters. Rescuers found remnants of their shelters and deployed over 100 soldiers as well as sniffer dogs and three helicopters in a "difficult" search. The region is difficult to access, and air travel is the primary mode of transport.
There is confusion over whether four children missing in Colombia's Amazon rainforest following a deadly plane crash have been located alive. President Gustavo Petro claimed on Wednesday they had been found after what he called an "arduous search". However, defence ministry sources said that they have no confirmation the children have been found. The missing children are members of the Huitoto indigenous group; the family was reportedly on their way to tend crops. The bodies of the pilot and two adults were found earlier in the week.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has signed five bills prohibiting transgender medical treatments and limited pronoun usage in classrooms. The legislation titled 'Let Kids Be Kids' bans transgender-identifying children from receiving treatments, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The bills require public bathrooms and changing rooms to be used according to biological sex, and one new law gives the state the power to issue licenses to businesses that allow children to attend 'adult live performances' such as drag shows. Medical associations have criticized the legislation, labeling it a political intrusion in healthcare. Governor DeSantis is expected to run for the presidency in 2024.
The Japanese government’s custody law, which allows one parent control over education, healthcare and housing after marriage, is being criticised by several of Japan’s diplomatic partners, including the US and UK, and damaging Japan’s international reputation. The law means that following separations, children often lose all contact with one parent, a situation affecting around a third of separated children each year. Children who are separated from one parent frequently experience long-term psychological harm. Advocates of sole custody argue that it protects women from domestic violence, while opponents believe it has fuelled child abduction and destroyed thousands of families across Japan. At present, Japan is ranked among the leading countries for suicide, with 65% of suicides allegedly resulting from family issues, according to French father, Phillipe Cocatrix.
The United Conservative and NDP leaders of Alberta, Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley, are to debate before the May 29 Alberta election. They will cover topics such as corporate tax rates, small businesses, health care, education, and the protection of LGBTQ children and adults. Smith was also recently involved in a debate in Medicine Hat. An audience member at this debate asked how the candidates would ensure the protection of LGBTQ children and Smith said the issue should be depoliticized. Earlier that day, a UCP candidate, Jennifer Johnson, apologized for comparing transgender children in schools to having feces in food.
Three children were taken to hospital after being hit by a car on Sydney's Pacific Highway. Emergency services were called to Crows Nest after the incident, and reports suggest all three boys sustained head and leg injuries. They were taken to hospital, and the driver was later arrested in Lane Cove. A woman who witnessed the event alleges that the driver of the car did not stop after the collision. Motorists have been advised to avoid the area.
Three children have been hit by a car in Sydney, sustaining injuries to their legs and heads, according to police reports. Emergency services were called to Crows Nest on the lower north shore of the city, and the boys were taken to different hospitals. The driver, who did not stop after the accident, was later arrested in Lane Cove.
Holt Children's Services has been ordered by the Seoul Central District Court to pay Adam Crapser $75,000 in compensation. The US citizen, formerly Shin Song-hyuk, had been deported to South Korea after it emerged none of his adoptive parents had obtained US citizenship for him. Crapser was subsequently found to have broken the law, was jailed and then deported. In his suit against Holt and the South Korean government, Crapser said they were liable for his botched adoption. The case is the first reprimand of a South Korean adoption agency. Holt has yet to respond.
France's government has sent 2,000 police and troops to Mayotte, an island off the coast of Africa, to carry out mass expulsions of illegal migrants and eradicate violent gangs. The operation, dubbed "Wuambushu," is fraught with concerns of abuse and has exacerbated tensions between local residents and Comorian immigrants. As Mayotte is a part of France, and Comoros was once a French colony but have been independent since its independence in 1975, the operation exposes deep economic and social inequalities between Mayotte and the rest of France. Mayotte is by far the poorest corner of France, but its average income is still more than double that in Comoros, leaving Mayotte a land of refuge for Comorians. Over the last thirty years, Mayotte's population has quadrupled to 260,000, with many children born on the island to gain French residency. However, many young immigrants have few job options, leading to a flourishing underground economy and crime. Those criticizing the operation worry about its impact, and UNICEF has warned that a surge in arrests and expulsions will increase the risk of separating children from their parents.
Parents are risking fines of up to £2,500 or a three-month jail sentence by taking their children on holiday during term time. The amount of fines paid rose from £24m to £27m between 2016-17 and 2017-18 due to this trend. Until 2013, headteachers could grant up to 10 days' absence for family holidays in "special circumstances". Now, parents can be fined £120 for taking their child out of school without permission and receive a criminal record if they fail to pay. The number of fines has also risen 93% in the five years to 2017. Some argue that taking a child out of school is unfair or unethical, while others emphasise that travel can be enriching for young people. James Bowen, of the National Association of Headteachers, said absence could limit learning and pose challenges for catching up, although he stressed sympathy for families unable to afford holidays in peak periods.
Texas is set to pass a law banning gender-transitioning medical care for children, including those who have already begun the process. The new law will block anyone under the age of 18 from accessing hormone and puberty-blocking treatments as well as surgeries. The legislation is poised to make Texas the largest state to ban gender-transitioning medical care for children. The new law is now awaiting approval from Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who previously ordered child welfare officials to investigate such treatments as abuse. If Abbott passes the law, doctors in Texas will be prohibited from prescribing drugs that induce temporary or permanent infertility, as well as performing mastectomies or surgeries that will sterilise children or remove otherwise healthy body parts. Six healthcare associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in 2021 that they are strongly opposed to any legislation or regulation that would interfere with the provision of evidence-based patient care for any patient.
Hundreds of thousands of children caught up in the conflict in Sudan are experiencing high levels of trauma and distress as a result of the unrest. The UN children’s agency Unicef has estimated that 368,000 children in the country have been displaced from their homes and another 82,000 have fled to neighbouring states. In the first 10 days of conflict, Unicef believed that 190 children were killed and a further 1,700 were injured. Bombardments and shootings mean children are under enormous stress and many have post-traumatic stress disorder.
China has seen an increase in the number of "patient companions," people who go to medical appointments with patients. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and China's strict zero COVID rules which prohibit travel from province to province, friends could no longer chaperone ill family members to hospital visits. As a result, patient companions became increasingly popular, taking the place of adult children who live too far away or cannot take time off work. Hundreds of videos of companions advertising their services can be found on Little Red Book, a lifestyle platform, or Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. These videos detail the difficulties of finding a hospital appointment and, once an appointment has been made, the long waiting times. However, there is some reticence related to this emerging industry; doctors are not always comfortable with the idea of paid companions and, in some cases, the children of the patients who hire companions do not want their parents to know that someone is being paid to accompany them to the hospital.
A father from Abergele, Conwy county has launched a petition calling for increased regulations on shops that sell e-cigarettes after YouGov data revealed doubling of children trying vaping within the past decade. Recent data suggests that experimental vaping among 11 to 17-year-olds rose from 5.6% in 2014 to 11.6% in 2023. Though it is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, social media shows that teenagers are accessing the products and discussing flavours such as pink lemonade, strawberry, banana and mango. The father also expressed concerns about vibrant packaging and sweet names which can be attractive to children.
Toronto's attractions are alive with art and entertainment this weekend. The annual JUNIOR festival at the Harbourfront Centre will feature street theater, circus acts and open-air installations from around the world. The AGO is hosting a Year of the Rabbit children's dance party, while the ROM's 'Canadian Modern' exhibit highlights the country's innovative technology and culture since the 1940s. The museum will also launch 'TUSARNITUT!, Music Born of the Cold', an exhibit exploring music and sculptures from the Inuit community, and featuring performances by Montreal's Beatrice Deer Band.
