McLaren boss Zak Brown says the team member who tested positive for the coronavirus in Melbourne is recovering well and is now “free of symptoms”.
The team member had been placed in self-isolation on Wednesday but the positive test triggered McLaren’s withdrawal from the Australian Grand Prix which in turn led to the event’s outright cancellation.
Fourteen additional McLaren team members who had contact with their infected colleague were also quarantined and remain in self-isolation for 15 days, supported by team boss Andreas Seidl and racing director Andrea Stella, with the latter remaining with the group for the next two weeks.
F1 fans heap massive praise on McLaren’s Seidl!
“I’m proud of how the whole team, both in Australia and back at base, handled the situation in a moment of real pressure and concern for their colleagues,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown in an update provided by the team.
“The focus, calmness and professionalism was outstanding across the team. We had leaders stepping up everywhere and that is testament to our people.”
As the coronavirus pandemic gained traction around the world, McLaren’s top brass hoped for the best but planned for the worst.
“We had been continually scenario-planning together with the team back in the UK, so we knew what our options were in the event of various outcomes.
“Andreas [Seidl] and I already agreed that if we had a positive case in the garage there was only one option.
“As I said before, as a racer it was the hardest decision I’ve had to take but as CEO it was the easiest. Our people come first and Andreas feels very strongly about this too.
“I’m happy to report that our team member affected with the virus is recovering well and the symptoms have gone and our people in quarantine are in good spirits.
“The support they have been getting from their team-mates, our partners, members of the F1 community and fans from around the world has been fantastic and our thanks go out to all of them.”
In McLaren’s update, Seidl underscored the “character and coolness” of McLaren leadership team of Stella and technical director James Key, and praised the attitude of drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.
“They have been obviously concerned about their team-mates,” Seidl said. “We have to keep them physically away from the rest of the team, even though they are both fine, but they are in constant communication.”
With fourteen men missing from its workforce, dismantling the McLaren garage and packing up equipment entailed a massive challenge. But the Woking-based outfit received a helping hand from its supportive neighbors in the pitlane.
“We also appreciate our fellow teams in the paddock, who offered immediate help on Friday to dismantle the garage and pack the freight, which was obviously a challenge for us missing 14 of our core guys,” said Seidl.
“This is the spirit of F1 and racing we all embrace.”
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The International Talent Support has confirmed that it has found a new home
within the palace of Fondazione CRTrieste, where its ITS Arcademy, a space
for creativity will open to coincide with the 20th edition of ITS in July
2021.
Arcademy encompasses and sums up the core elements of the mission
envisaged by ITS: Archive, Arc and Academy, with the aim of providing a
“dynamic and lively space” where former finalists, jurors and the contest’s
international network will have an active space for exchange and
development for innovators.
FashionUnited spoke to ITS founder Barbara Franchin about the ITS
Arcademy.
Can you please tell a bit more about the idea of creating the ITS
Arcademy?
“Two decades of development and transformation are leading us from ITS
– a platform to support young creativity – to ITS Arcademy, the natural
evolution of our journey: a global training ground for creativity, a
formative, research space not just open to professionals but to all curious
experimenters, from young to old people. It was a natural step that
triggered us to present our unique creative archive – a history of fashion
evolution – which represents its solid foundations. The name itself
combines three words describing what the Arcademy will be. Archive, or the
Art of Archiving to preserve for future generations. Ark, where all species
are collected and diversity is embraced. Academy, a place for all ages to
exchange knowledge, research, and inspire each other.”
Does the Arcademy also offer courses for students?
”ITS Arcademy will be a physical and digital destination involving wide
and varied audiences through exhibitions and educational opportunities.
Workshops, courses and tailored events will explore the world of creativity
at large in collaboration with local and global partners. There will be two
different levels for courses and workshops. ‘Pop’ ones will be dedicated to
elementary, middle and high school students, tourists and the local
community. ‘Pro’ ones will be for insiders from the industry, companies and
up-and-coming designers. To highlight the importance of circularity former
finalists will come back as teachers: when they first approached ITS they
were students, now they will be the source of knowledge, passion and
experience for the next generation.”
What’s the goal of ITS Arcademy?
”Our goal with ITS Arcademy is to create an inclusive meeting space for
talents, innovators, professionals, students as well as anyone who is
simply interested or passionate about creativity. Cross-contamination is
what we want to achieve. Exchanging experiences, ideas, visions and skills,
embracing a constant dialogue between different declinations of creativity,
connecting the worlds of fashion, arts, cinema and design. ITS Arcademy
will also be on a quest for responsible creativity, strongly focusing on
the application of sustainability to play an active part in the crucial
transformation of the fashion sector.”
Arcademy also houses the ITS Creative Archive, featuring portfolios,
outfits, accessories and jewellery pieces, and photographs. How did you
collect this?
”Research has always been at the core of our mission, spotting
creativity and talent all over the planet. But from the very beginning we
knew we also wanted to physically store what we found, to document the
evolution of young creativity throughout the years. Since the first
edition of ITS in 2002 we’ve kept every single portfolio we received and
collected pieces from every finalist: over 240 outfits, 125 accessories, 86
jewellery pieces and more than 700 photography projects. Seeds blossomed in
a fully-blown tree, endlessly branching out to describe the infinite
expressions of creativity. The ITS Creative Archive is an open laboratory
on the future of creativity allowing a conversation between design,
industry and innovation.”
When will the Arcademy open?
”The opening is scheduled for July 2021. We will celebrate our 20th
anniversary, symbolically connecting our journey up to now with this new,
untrodden path. The home of ITS Arcademy is an historical palace in the
center of Trieste, owned by Fondazione CRTrieste which has believed in our
activity from the very beginning, offering these prestigious spaces to host
our new project. I also would like to underline the ongoing support from
our territorial institutions, Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia and the
Municipality of Trieste. The link with our territory is strong, vitally
important in allowing us to exist in these last two decades. We’ve always
been geographically rooted, while keeping all our senses alert and open on
the whole world.”
The doctor played down the severity of the coronavirus outbreak and suggested that Italians were making the most of it
Ciro Immobile has taken to Instagram to slam British celebrity doctor Christian Jessen for claiming that Italians are using coronavirus as an excuse to take “a long siesta”.
The Lazio striker was left infuriated by the comments in the wake of a crisis in Italy that has left more than 1,250 dead and over 17,000 ill.
The pandemic has not hit the UK in the same manner as yet, with 798 cases of the illness confirmed as of Friday, March 13, with 10 having passed away.
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Discussing the issue on FUBAR Radio ’s ‘Access All Areas’, the Embarrassing Bodies star said: “This might be a little bit racist to say this, [and] you’ll have to make apologies, but do you not think it’s a bit of an excuse?
“The Italians, any old excuse to, you know, shut down everything and stop work for a bit and have a long siesta.
“I think it’s an epidemic lived out more in the press than in reality.
“I mean if you think about flu right, without getting too heavy, flu kills thousands every single year.”
Immobile took aim at the doctor on Instagram, saying: “Go tell that to the relatives of people who have died or those who are fighting for their lives in hospital: d*ckhead! I tell you this from the heart: f*ck off!”
The Italy international has enjoyed a stellar season as he leads the Serie A goalscoring charts with 27 goals in 26 games – the best return of any forward in Europe this term.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund hitman has played a leading role as Lazio have launched an unexpected challenge for the Scudetto, which sees them sit second in the table, a point behind leaders Juventus.
However, Serie A, like much of the country, is under lockdown due to the pandemic, with April 4 tentatively pencilled in as the date when football will begin once more in the country.
All of Europe’s top leagues are currently in a suspended state, while UEFA has confirmed that the forthcoming Champions League and Europa League matches, which were scheduled for next week, will be postponed until such a time it is safe to play them.
The European Commission wants to phase out conventional engines in cities by 2050. This will require changes in building, fuelling and propelling vehicles.
A great deal has changed since 1972, and not just in hair and fashion. Today we take for granted personal computers, mobile phones and instant access to entertainment. Forty years ago these things would have been hard to imagine. But one thing has changed very little – the way we get around. Items on cars such as windows, odometers and steering may have been electrified, but the engine itself has not. Despite the warning given by the oil crisis of the 1970s, our cars run in the same way as they did 40 years ago.
Yet the European Commission says that in less than 40 years cars must be revolutionised. The use of combustion engines powered by fossil fuels in cities should be halved by 2030 and eliminated by 2050, according to the Commission’s transport white paper, published last year.
Given that more than 99% of cars are still powered this way, there is a lot to do. But car-makers are optimistic. According to a 2010 report by Deloitte, a consultancy, electric and other ‘green’ cars are expected to make up a third of global sales by 2020.
Philippe Aussourd, president of AVERE, the electric vehicle association, says that although older people may find the idea of combustion-engine-free cities by 2050 incredible, the younger generation thinks differently. “Teenagers today don’t understand the automobile and transportation in the same way as their predecessors did,” he says. “In cities, a great majority – between 80% and 90% of cars – drive less than 40 kilometres a day. It is natural for people to use electric cars for this type of driving.”
Car manufacturers are examining a wide range of new technologies to achieve this aim, including battery-powered electric vehicles, hydrogen-fuelled cars and alternative fuel such as biofuel.
Plug-in and go
Electric cars are still dogged by three main problems: their expensive batteries make them much more costly than conventional cars; they require a network of points where they can be charged, which has yet to be installed; and they typically have a range of only 160km.
Consumers have been understandably hesitant to buy a car that they could use only within city limits. Most battery-powered electric vehicles on the market today are low-speed, low-range ‘neighbourhood electric vehicles’. There are only a few models capable of coping with motorways, among them the top-selling Nissan Leaf. But sales are still modest, reflecting consumer fears about running out of power – what the industry has labelled “range anxiety”.
Aussourd says this problem can be solved if countries invest in recharging points. “Many people say there are obstacles to the charging infrastructure, but is it really a problem?” he asks. “It just needs to be built. It is not a problem of the electric grid. If we have 20% of cars that are electric in 2030, we will only need to produce 1%-2% more electricity.”
But recharging an electric vehicle is not as easy as refuelling a conventional vehicle. Current models need to be recharged overnight at home or at a recharging station. New recharging technologies are being developed. ‘Fast-charging stations’ using DC electricity through industrial outlets – rather than AC through conventional outlets – can recharge a 160km battery to 80% in just 30 minutes. But DC cables are not widespread.
Another technology being developed is ‘battery-switch stations’, something akin to replacing a tired horse at the stagecoach stops of yesteryear. Vehicles installed with such technology would be able to call into a station and have their depleted battery replaced with a fully-charged one in just 60 seconds. Companies developing this technology include Better Place, which is building a network of such stations in Denmark. But the high investment costs for this technology mean that it may never be commercially feasible.
Even if the recharging infrastructure is set up, there is still the high upfront cost. Manufacturers of battery and hybrid cars usually claim that the investment is justified by savings in fuel costs. But a study published last year by Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs found that, at 2010 prices in the US, the amount of money saved in fuel costs over the lifetime of an electric car did not offset the higher purchase price. This, however, takes no account of any government subsidy.
Hydrogen cars
Another alternative fuel source is hydrogen. This can nowadays power vehicles in the same way as petrol powers a combustion engine, but vehicles that can convert hydrogen into electricity through fuel cells, which then power electric motors, may be more practical.
The European Commission has identified the technology as particularly promising because Europe has been leading the way in its development. In 2008, the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking was established to devise and implement a research and development programme, with a total budget of €940 million up to 2013, of which 50% is to come from the EU and the other half from the private sector. So far, the programme has funded close to 100 projects.
“With hydrogen, you get the same green advantages of a battery electric vehicle, but in addition you get the autonomy and comfort of using the former internal combustion engine vehicle,” says Pierre-Etienne Franc, chairman of the joint undertaking. “You can go 500km-600km with hydrogen, and the recharging time is the same as petrol – 3-5 minutes.”
But hydrogen is at a significant disadvantage compared with electricity: it lacks the infrastructure. “You cannot plug your hydrogen car in at home. So for deployment we need infrastructure, but for infrastructure we need vehicles on the roads. It is a chicken-and-egg situation.”
The infrastructure will not be cheap. Hydrogen must be generated, often by thermochemical methods using fossil fuel. It must then be transported to filling stations through pipelines or by lorry. The industry estimates that €1.8 billion will be needed between 2014 and 2020 to develop this infrastructure, an initial investment cost too great for the private sector to bear alone, considering the risks.
“If we do not get long-term support from public institutions and partnership between the different actors in the sector, then it won’t work,” says Franc. “Companies would let their competitor build the infrastructure at a loss, and then they would use it.”
Alternative fuels
Petrol and diesel are not the only substances that can fuel a combustion engine. Other fuels are being developed that can do so without causing the same emissions. But these have been fraught with controversy. Many of these substances – such as hydrogen, liquid nitrogen and liquefied petroleum gas – often have to be generated from fossil fuel, prompting questions about whether the reduction in emissions is any more than marginal.
Biofuel, made from agricultural crops, has also been accused of causing more emissions than it saves because of the indirect land use change (ILUC) it can cause.
Biofuel was all the rage five years ago. In 2007, the Commission set a target for 10% of transport fuel to be fuelled from renewable sources such as biofuel. Investment in biofuel was also supposed to be encouraged by the requirement in the fuel-quality directive that suppliers reduce the greenhouse-gas intensity of their fuels by 6% by 2020.
But over the past few years, studies have shown that the ILUC caused by many biofuel types – particularly biodiesel and palm oil – could actually increase emissions. The Commission has been hesitant to withdraw support for something it had previously championed.
However, biofuel does exist that has been shown to avoid significant ILUC effects – so-called ‘second-generation’ biofuel. Several types are under development, such as cellulosic ethanol, algae fuel and biomethanol.
“The new processes seek to maximise energy savings by using every bit of the plant,” says Philippe Tillous-Borde, director-general of French biofuel company Sofiproteol. “And yet hard data on the energy efficiency gains of these new generation biofuels still needs to be collected. Their production processes are still under development and these biofuels will not become an economic reality on an industrial scale before 2020-25.”
New vehicle designs
The average passenger car of the future should be lighter, smaller and fulfil a more specialised function, the Commission says in its white paper. Curbing mobility is not an option, it emphasises. But consumers should be discouraged from buying cars that are too large or too fast for their needs. In the end, the price of petrol may make that decision for them. Increased efficiency of vehicles is low-hanging fruit that manufacturers can grab in the short term, and design improvements to decrease fuel use are being developed as never before. Much of the focus has been on moving from metal to plastic.
At the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September 2011, German car-maker Daimler and German chemical company BASF unveiled the ‘Smart Forvision’ concept vehicle.
It uses lighter-weight plastic components instead of metal, has solar-roof panels capable of complementing the vehicle’s electricity supply, and features the first-ever all-plastic wheels suitable for production.
It also has a temperature management system that reduces the need for heating and air-conditioning by using polymer films in the windows to reflect thermal radiation.
Danièle Klein garde les souvenirs de son frère dans une petite boîte rouge. Jean-Pierre Klein était comédien. Il rentrait du Congo, où il était parti monter une pièce de théâtre. Son avion n’est jamais arrivé à destination. Trente ans après le crash, Danièle se souvient de l’attentat comme si c’était hier. Le temps qui passe ne semble pas atténuer la douleur. Le 19 septembre 1989, l’avion DC-10 de la compagnie UTA décolle de Brazzaville, au Congo. Il fait escale à N’Djaména, au Tchad, et continue sa route direction la France, quand soudain, il disparaît des écrans radar. Le lendemain matin, les débris sont localisés dans le désert du Ténéré, au Niger. Aucun survivant parmi les 170 personnes à bord, dont 54 Français. Le beau-frère de Mouammar Kadhafi suspect numéro un Le juge Jean-Louis Bruguière est saisi pour l’enquête. Il s’oriente rapidement vers la thèse de l’attentat. Les explosifs retrouvés sur une valise et la provenance d’un minuteur l’orientent vers la Libye, et plus précisément vers le beau-frère de Mouammar Kadhafi, Abdallah Senoussi, chef des services secrets libyens, actuellement emprisonné en Libye pour d’autres motifs. En 1999, l’homme est jugé coupable par contumace avec cinq autres prévenus libyens. Tous sont condamnés à perpétuité. En 2004, la Libye verse un million de dollars de dédommagement par famille, mais sans jamais admettre sa responsabilité. Le nom d’Abdallah Senoussi est également cité dans l’affaire du financement de la campagne de Nicolas Sarkozy en 2007.Le JT
JT de 13h du jeudi 19 septembre 2019 L’intégrale
Les autres sujets du JT
1
Perquisition à LFI : Jean-Luc Mélenchon et cinq coprévenus face aux juges
2
Perquisition à LFI : Jean-Luc Mélenchon comparaît devant le tribunal de Bobigny
3
Délinquance routière : que dit la loi en cas de récidive ?
4
Seine-et-Marne : le château de Vaux-le-Vicomte cambriolé, les propriétaires ligotés
5
Journées du patrimoine : des sites fermés à Paris en raison de manifestations
6
Malaise chez les policiers : les heures supplémentaires ont explosé
7
Gaspillage : un magasin Go Sport jette des chaussures invendues et suscite l’indignation
8
Pensions alimentaires : bientôt la fin des impayés ?
9
Sécheresse : des habitants du Vaucluse évacués de leurs maisons fissurées
10
États-Unis : une campagne choc contre les armes à feu fait le buzz
11
Nord : une panthère noire a semé la frayeur à Armentières
12
Animaux de compagnie : quelles sont les règles à respecter ?
13
Lot : une salle de sport sur roues fait bouger les seniors
#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ? Cliquez ici pour nous alerter !Cela fait partie du projet de loi sur l’économie circulaire. Le Sénat a donné, mardi 24 septembre au soir, son feu vert à l’indice de “réparabilité” pour les équipements électriques et électroniques. Le texte, examiné en première lecture par les sénateurs, impose aux fabricants et vendeurs de communiquer aux consommateurs, à partir du 1er janvier 2021, une information “simple”, sur le modèle de l’étiquette énergie, quant à la “réparabilité” des équipements électriques et électroniques.L’indice prendrait la forme d’une note sur dix, établie sur la base de cinq critères, dont la disponibilité de la documentation technique et des pièces détachées et l’accessibilité et la démontabilité des pièces. “Le but c’est d’aider le consommateur à faire un choix éclairé”, a souligné la secrétaire d’Etat à la Transition écologique Brune Poirson. “C’est aussi un moyen d’avoir des gains de pouvoir d’achat pour certains consommateurs”, a-t-elle ajouté. Les modalités d’application seront fixées par décret en Conseil d’Etat.Click Here: Cheap Chiefs Rugby Jersey 2019
#AlertePollutionRivières ou sols contaminés, déchets industriels abandonnés… Vous vivez à proximité d’un site pollué ? Cliquez ici pour nous alerter ! Le récif corallien de l’Amazone, dans l’océan Atlantique, mesure environ 56 000 km². C’est l’un des plus grands récifs au monde. La mission de l’ONG Greenpeace menée à 100 km au large de la Guyane a mis en lumière des trésors de biodiversité. Elle a pu par exemple observer une dizaine d’espèces de cétacés, comme le rorqual de Bryde, espèce menacée.La mangrove de Guyane en danger”On parle d’un écosystème unique, jamais vu dans aucun autre endroit du monde que l’on connait à peine et qui est déjà mis en danger par le pétrole“, assure Thiago Almeida, de Greenpeace Brésil. Le nouveau président brésilien Jair Bolsonaro veut permettre l’implantation de 237 concessions pétrolières sur le récif. Une menace écologique pour le récif et la Guyane toute proche, notamment pour sa mangrove, exceptionnel puits de carbone et refuge pour les poissons. Un traité pour protéger la haute mer d’ici à 2030 est en cours de négociation à l’ONU.Click Here: All Blacks Rugby Jersey
Morte le dimanche 6 octobre à l’âge de 40 ans, cette femelle éléphant dénommée Naïma était la principale attraction du zoo de la capitale égyptienne depuis plusieurs décennies.La présence d’un caillot dans le cœur “Elle est tombée malade vers 7h dimanche… et tous les efforts ont été entrepris pour la soigner jusque dans l’après-midi”, a dit à l’AFP Mohamed Rajai, responsable du département de la conservation de la faune. “Les meilleurs vétérinaires accompagnés d’experts ont été dépêchés pour lui donner un traitement adéquat… mais elle n’a pas réagi” aux médicaments, a-t-il précisé. Après sa mort, le rapport médical “a montré qu’elle souffrait d’un caillot de sang dans le cœur”, a-t-il ajouté.Naïma est arrivée au zoo de Guizeh lorsqu’elle avait quatre ans en 1983. Très populaire parmi les habitants de la mégalopole cairote, elle était connue de plusieurs générations d’Egyptiens qui venaient l’observer lors de promenades en famille. “Je l’aimais beaucoup”, a dit sur Facebook un utilisateur lundi 7, tandis qu’un autre écrivait : “Dieu te soulage Naïma chérie”. Et sur un tweet : “Qu’elle repose en paix. Je lui ai rendu visite plein de fois, elle était toujours calme.”Mohamed Rajai a expliqué qu’“elle se portait très bien samedi et avait même joué avec les visiteurs (du zoo)”.Le plus ancien zoo d’Afrique Le lendemain, le responsable avait déclaré à une chaîne de télévision que les éléphants en captivité ont une espérance de vie plus courte que ceux qui vivent en liberté. “Les éléphants sont des animaux particulièrement sociables, qui vivent habituellement en communauté”, avait-il précisé.Le zoo de Guizeh a ouvert ses portes en 1891, dans le cadre d’un projet lancé au moment de l’ouverture du canal de Suez en 1869. Considéré comme le plus ancien zoo d’Afrique, il s’étend sur plus de 34 hectares parsemés d’espèces végétales rares importées de divers endroits du globe.Mais l’établissement avait été la cible de critiques de défenseurs des droits des animaux ces dernières années, pour des négligences ayant affecté les conditions de vie des animaux. Les critiques ont également dénoncé à plusieurs reprises des maltraitances sur certains animaux. Les éléphants d’Afrique sont classés comme “vulnérables” par l’Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature (UICN).Click Here: Putters
Les affrontements entre manifestants et forces de l’ordre ont fait cinq morts et plus de 2 000 blessés. La situation est très tendue en Equateur, après l’annonce du président Lenin Moreno d’augmenter de plus de 100% les tarifs de l’essence, en échange d’un prêt du FMI de 4,2 milliards de dollars. Depuis dix jours, un mouvement social secoue le petit pays andin, marqué également par des grèves et des blocages de puits pétroliers en Amazonie. Lenin Moreno a transféré lundi le siège du gouvernement à Guayaquil (sud-ouest) et l’état d’urgence a été décrété pour 60 jours, ainsi qu’un couvre-feu autour des institutions du pouvoir, avec 74 000 militaires et policiers ont été déployés.
El caos en #Quito no cesa. Las autoridades recomiendan a los ciudadanos permanecer en casa ⚠ pic.twitter.com/RYNZaAUXXp — Diario Expreso (@Expresoec) October 12, 2019
Fer de lance de la contestation sociale, les responsables indigènes rejettent la suppression des subventions au carburant, qui les affecte de plein fouet. Représentant 68% des pauvres dans le pays, ils travaillent principalement dans l’agriculture et voient s’envoler les coûts de transport pour l’écoulement de leurs produits. Samedi 12 octobre, la principale organisation indigène d’Equateur a toutefois annoncé qu’elle acceptait de participer au “dialogue direct” proposé par le président pour “faire baisser la violence”. “Après un processus de consultation avec les communautés, organisations, peuples, nationalités et organisations sociales, nous avons décidé de participer au dialogue direct” avec le chef de l’Etat, a déclaré la Confédération des nationalités indigènes de l’Equateur (Conaie) dans un communiqué.Click Here: cheap INTERNATIONAL jersey
Plusieurs faits divers récents ont mis en lumière la dramatique situation des élèves des écoles coraniques au Nigeria. Très répandues dans le nord du pays, on les appelle les écoles Almajiri. Dans celle de Kaduna, 300 élèves et étudiants subissaient viols et sévices. Dans l’Etat voisin de Katsina, la police locale a découvert le 12 octobre un autre établissement où quelque 300 élèves étaient victimes d’abus.Défendues par les uns pour leur rôle social, à savoir retirer de la rue des enfants délaissés par leurs parents, elles sont aussi décriées par les autres pour leurs fréquentes dérives. Comme c’était le cas pour l’école de Kaduna, elles échappent souvent à tout contrôle des autorités. A Kaduna, il y a eu viol, torture, enfermement…“Il s’agit d’un exemple clair de ce que vivent beaucoup d’enfants, y compris le fait d’être obligés de mendier dans la rue, d’être soumis à la violence, de dormir dans les pires conditions et de vivre dans de terribles conditions d’hygiène”, a expliqué à l’AFP Sabo Keana, responsable d’une ONG.La norme sociale au nord du paysLes enfants des rues sont devenus une norme culturelle dans le nord du Nigeria, tellement le pays est pauvre. Ce sont de jeunes garçons de 4 à 15 ans, souvent fruits d’unions polygames, premières victimes des difficultés financières de la famille. Sous couvert de leur donner un enseignement coranique, les parents se débarrassent de leurs enfants, les confient à ces instituts islamiques. Les autorités estiment à plus de neuf millions le nombre d’élèves présents dans ces écoles.“Le système manque de bons enseignants et d’un environnement assez sain”, écrit le professeur Idris Abdulqadir. “Les normes sont très basses en raison de l’émergence de Mallams coraniques semi-illettrés et à moitié analphabètes, qui utilisent le système comme moyen de vivre plutôt que comme un mode de vie.” Principe de base, la mendicité, pratiquée par les enfants pour payer le refuge très sommaire au sein de l’école coranique.Un système dévoyé et dangereux“Le système Almajiri est une couverture pour les individus à l’esprit criminel, qui abusent de l’enfant nigérian, de mineurs innocents et les exposent à des comportements antisociaux, et qui enfin les utilisent comme esclaves sexuels”, écrit le Guardian.En clair, le système a été dévoyé, explique Mohammed Ibrahim, porte-parole de l’ONG Arewa Consultative Forum, une organisation sociale du nord du pays. “Almajiri signifie aller à l’école islamique pour apprendre à lire le Coran et ses enseignements, pour le bénéfice social, économique et moral de l’enfant. Ceux que l’on voit mendier dans la rue sont juste des enfants abandonnés par leurs parents, ils ne sont pas des Almajiris.” Ces écoles sont autant de viviers pour les groupes terroristes, Boko Haram et autres.Echec d’un modèle mixte laïc-coraniqueL’ancien président Goodluck Jonathan avait lancé un programme de pensionnats modèles. Il s’agissait d’intégrer l’éducation occidentale à une base d’éducation islamique. Ce fut un échec. Moins de 5% des enfants ont rejoint ce nouveau réseau.Pour les défenseurs de ces instituts, les Almajiri offrent aux familles pauvres des services que l’Etat ne fournit pas. Cela permet de sortir les enfants du dénuement. En juillet 2019, la Chambre des députés a rappelé les Etats à leurs obligations quant à la scolarité des enfants, gratuite et obligatoire de 6 à 16 ans. La Chambre a également demandé à l’Etat fédéral de soutenir le réseau des écoles Almajiri pour lui permettre de construire au moins une école coranique par circonscription électorale d’ici 2021.Click Here: pinko shop cheap