The Free

Hundreds of teachers face axe over Estonian racist xenophobic State Language Law in EU

from thefreeonline 9 May, 2024 Home Russia

25% of Estonians are ethnic Russians, yet schools and media are shut down and nearly 1000 Russian speaking teachers are to be sacked

Educators have been ordered to learn Estonian after the government effectively banned the Russian language in schools. Historically Estonia was a proud member of the Soviet Union for generations and the population is mixed.

/ dolgachov

Hundreds of educators in Estonia face losing their jobs after the government effectively banned Russian language schooling. Estonian Education Minister Kristina Kallas has been left “disappointed” after only 46 teachers passed language proficiency exams in March.

Last year, the Baltic state’s government introduced legislation that outlawed minority language education in the country, despite ethnic Russians making up nearly a quarter of its population. Starting from August 1, teachers who do not have B2 Estonian language proficiency certification will be unable to continue working.

According to Ingar Dubolazov, head of transition to Estonian language education, 518 teachers who do not have the certificate are working in schools, and 414 in kindergartens.

Anticipating that many of these teachers will not be able to obtain the necessary proficiency by August, Dubolazov stated that some local councils are planning to use a ‘1 teacher and 2 assistant’ system in kindergartens, where staff shortages arise.

Dubolazov also suggested that teachers who are demoted to the position of assistant while they learn the language and try to obtain C1 certification could be allowed to maintain their salary as “additional motivation.”

Estonian racism: EU State plans to ban ethnic Russians from voting

The education minister has also suggested that Estonian youngsters should stick to using their native language when communicating with Russian children during breaks between classes. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, no relation to Kristina Kallas, also suggested on Wednesday that all citizens should avoid using Russian and only speak Estonian, even if those they are talking to don’t understand the language.

Estonia’s elimination of minority language education has been regarded as a violation of human rights law by UN experts, who have stressed that the new legislation causes “grave concern.”

Last year, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published a report surmising that Estonia’s new education law introduces “restrictive and potentially discriminatory measures affecting the rights of ethnic and linguistic minorities in education” and “effectively eliminated” minority language as a medium of instruction.

They also decried the closure of a large number of Russian-language schools in the country, despite ethnic Russians making up “a significant portion of the country’s population” and protests from parents and children.

Moscow has also repeatedly accused Estonia of pursuing blatantly Russophobic policies as Tallinn has sided with Kiev in the Ukraine conflict and has cracked down on the Baltic state’s Russian residents.

Ukraine terrorists target Russian cities on Victory Day (photos)

from thefreeonline 9 May, 2024 03:02 Home Russia (banned)

The regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Krasnodar all came under attack overnight

Russian air defenses have intercepted Ukrainian drones over several regions, with the local authorities in Belgorod reporting multiple injuries among civilians, as well as damage to houses and other infrastructure.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday morning that Ukraine attempted to “carry out terrorist attacks” on Russian territory using the Czech-made RM-70 Vampire multiple launch rocket system and drones.

Officials said that air defense systems shot down 15 projectiles and one drone over Belgorod Region, with another two UAVs destroyed over Bryansk Region and three over Kursk Region.

However, the attacks resulted in at least one serious impact on the ground. At least eight people, including an 11-year-old girl, were injured in Belgorod as a result of the strikes, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. Four people were rushed to the hospital with various shrapnel wounds. The young girl was taken to a children’s hospital for treatment of a shrapnel wound in her foot.

Dozens of apartments in multi-storey buildings and a private house were damaged in the city of Belgorod, the official said. Some of the buildings suffered direct hits, with photographs of the aftermath showing extensive damage.

In some of the videos of the aftermath, cars parked next to the residential blocks are seen burning.

https://t.me/v_v_demidov/4019?embed=1

The Belgorod authorities have yet to establish the full scale of the damage.

The border region was targeted multiple times, with the authorities issuing air raid alerts on three separate occasions overnight. In the wider Belgorod district, residential buildings and cars were damaged as a result of strikes on the village of Dubovoe.

In a separate incident, at least six drones targeted an oil facility near Anapa in Russia’s Krasnodar Region, according to local emergency services. The attack reportedly caused some damage and triggered a fire, but resulted in no injuries.

It’s Okay -says Biden as Israel kills 23 women and kids and cuts all aid at Rafah crossing .. + photo essay

Israel cuts all supplies to Rafah and gets ability to expel a million “Terrorist” refugees into Sinai desert.

from thefreeonline on May 9 ’24 by Dave DeCamp, at Antiwar.com

Israeli tanks and soldiers took the border crossing as Israeli strikes pounded the city of Rafah, killing at least 23 Palestinians, including five women and six children.

Biden Gave Netanyahu the Green Light To Capture Rafah Crossing

Axios and Kirby say Biden ” not opposed” to attack and discussed plan with Netanyahu on Monday

President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel’s plans to capture the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza before the Israeli military launched the operation, Axios reported on Tuesday.

Israeli strikes Gaza's Rafah — A building damaged in Israeli air raids in Rafah. [Said Khatib/AFP]

« US reiterates “ironclad” support to Israel as Netanyahu launches assault on Rafah

The report said that the operation didn’t cross Biden’s “red line,” although it’s unclear if the US has actually set red lines for Israel. US officials have said they’re opposed to a “major operation” in Rafah since it would incur huge civilian casualties.

Biden admits Israel killed civilians with US bombsNon-combatants have been killed by US-made bombs during Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, US President Joe Biden admitted in a CNN interview on Wednesday.

But the capturing of the border crossing will have a devastating impact on civilians since it cut off vital aid deliveries, and it’s unclear when or if they will resume.

Israel launches great Rafah massacre-rejects Ceasefire and seizes key Gaza border crossing

A senior Israeli official told Axios that during the call with Netanyahu, Biden didn’t “didn’t pull the hand break on the capture of the Rafah crossing during the call.” Two US officials said Biden didn’t view the current Israeli operations as a “breaking point” in relations.

On Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US was not opposed to the operation.

“We’ve been very consistent about our concerns of a major ground operation in Gaza that would put at great risk the refugees that are still there, and nothing’s changed about that,” Kirby said. “The Israelis have told us … that that’s not what this is.” …..That’s Ok then…

He said that Israel assured the US that the operation was “of limited scope, scale, and duration, and aimed at cutting off Hamas’ ability to ship arms across the Rafah border.”

Israeli tanks and soldiers took the border crossing as Israeli strikes pounded the city of Rafah, killing at least 23 Palestinians, including five women and six children.

Peace and Justice Post

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About 1.4 million Palestinians, displaced several times, have sought shelter in the city of Rafah that borders Egypt.

The Israeli military has launched air raids on Rafah in southern Gaza after warning of an imminent ground offensive in the border city where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter since fleeing attacks across the enclave.

More than four months of relentless attacks by land, air and sea have flattened much of the Gaza Strip, pushing its population of 2.3 million to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.

International concern has in recent weeks centred on Rafah, where a ground invasion could displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across the frontier with Egypt.

The last city untouched by Israeli ground troops, Rafah also serves as the main entry point of humanitarian aid via neighbouring Egypt for desperately needed relief supplies.

Israel has warned it will expand its ground operations into Rafah if Palestinian armed group Hamas does not free the remaining captives held in Gaza by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in March.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Thursday that 99 people had been killed across the strip overnight, most of them women, children and elderly people.

The death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza has increased to 29,410 since October 7, the ministry said, adding that at least 69,465 people have been wounded.

Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, was expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday – his second stop in the region after Egypt as part of efforts by the United States to advance a deal that would see the captives exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and to broker a truce.

Matthew Miller, spokesperson of the US Department of State, said Washington was hoping for an “agreement that secures a temporary ceasefire where we can get the hostages out and get humanitarian assistance”, but declined to give details on the ongoing negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the army will keep fighting until it has destroyed Hamas and freed the remaining captives.