A national Strike by Honduran Teachers Enters its Second Day
Teachers are protesting against the privatization of education and demanding payment of salary arrears and other socio-economic demands.
Called by the Federation of Honduran Teachers’ Organizations, the teachers are also rejecting the government’s intention to shift responsibility for education to municipalities, which undermines free education, local sources said.
They are also demanding payment of arrears in wages to thousands of teachers and to make the government pay the debt owed the National Institute of Teachers.
Protesters also demand respect for the Teachers’ Statute, which guarantees teachers’ rights and dignifies their work.
According to union leaders, the strike will spread to schools in the 18 provinces of the country.
Greece: Clashes Between the Police and Strikers
Greek riot police charged at a group of demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament as part of a 24-hour general strike to oppose austerity measures.
The police officers threw tear gas at dozens of young people, who threw back stones and Molotov cocktails, according to local news reports.
Using the motto: “Do Not Obey the Rich: Resist,” nearly 30,000 workers marched along major city streets under the watch of hundreds of police officers.
The general strike brought public transportation to a standstill in the country, causing the cancellation of more than a dozen flights at the Athens international airport.
State hospitals treated only emergency cases, while schools, city halls, daycare centers and other services remain closed.
Greece’s debt is equivalent to 340 billion euros, but it was able to avoid bankrupcy thanks to a 110,000-euro rescue plan from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
Brazil Resumes Search for Bodies of Political Activists
Brazilian experts resumed their search for the remains of political prisoners who disappeared during the military dictatorship and were buried in the Vila Formosa cemetery, in the state of Sao Paulo.
Brazil’s State News Agency reported that the Federal Police has set up a special room in the Institute of Forensic Medicine to identify the remains found so far.
The news agency said that the remains found could belong to Sergio Correia, a member of the National Liberation Group, one of the insurgent groups created to face up to the military regime that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985.