Majid Majidi has been making sensitive and trenchant films about kids in Iran for three decades and he’s still doing it in Sun Children ( Khorshid ), a shrewdly observed humanistic drama about some young teens scrambling to make their way in a difficult world. Winner of the Best Picture prize at last year’s Fajr Film Festival and an official Venice Festival entry, this brisk drama focuses sympathetically on several marginalized but striving kids whose every waking moments are devoted to survival strategies. The International Feature Oscar-shortlisted title from Iran is being distributed by Strand Releasing in the U.S. Related Story Int'l Critics Line: Anna Smith On Ivory Coast's Oscar-Shortlisted 'Night Of The Kings' Freckle-faced Ali (Rouhollah Zamani, winner of Venice’s Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor) works in an automobile garage and in the opening scene leads his three good buddies in a botched attempt to steal tires off fancy … [Read more...] about Int’l Critics Line: Todd McCarthy On Iran’s Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Sun Children’
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Woman, 2 Children Injured In Webster, NH House Fire
WEBSTER, NH (CBS) – Firefighters rescued a woman and two children from a house fire in Webster, New Hampshire Wednesday afternoon. When firefighters arrived, they reported heavy smoke and a woman who needed to be rescued from a window on the second floor. Firefighters used ladders to rescue the 37-year-old woman, a 9-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. They were taken to Concord Hospital by ambulance and later transferred to Mass. General Hospital for additional care and treatment. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Webster Police and Fire Departments. … [Read more...] about Woman, 2 Children Injured In Webster, NH House Fire
US Court Orders Gov’t to Release Migrant Children From Family Detention Centers by 17 July
"By July 17, 2020, ICE shall transfer Class Members who have resided at the FRCs [family residential centers] for more than 20 days to non-congregate settings through one of two means: (1) releasing minors to available suitable sponsors or other available COVID-free non-congregate settings with the consent of their adult guardians/parents; or (2) releasing the minors with their guardians/parents if ICE exercises its discretion", the order read. According to the ruling, there were 124 children in family detention centres in Texas and Pennsylvania, as of 8 June. The judge has demanded that the order be implemented with "all deliberate speed", pointing out "the severity of the outbreak in the counties in which FRCs are located" and the fact that at least 11 people detained at the Texas FRC were diagnosed with COVID-19. The judge also criticised President Donald Trump's administration for failure to comply with recommendations of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention … [Read more...] about US Court Orders Gov’t to Release Migrant Children From Family Detention Centers by 17 July
‘This is Not Okay’: AOC Decries Biden’s Reopening of Controversial Migrant Facilities for Children
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced the Biden administration on Tuesday for reopening a temporary facility for unaccompanied minors in Carrizo Springs, Texas and a shelter in Miami, Florida. The Democrat emphasised the perceived hypocrisy of the move, as now-Vice President Kamala Harris had protested outside the Florida site back in June 2019. At the time, a day after they clashed on stage in debates, several Democratic presidential hopefuls converged on the migrant detention centre in South Florida to voice their opposition to then-President Donald Trump’s handling of border security. I love this sign of post-debate Democratic unity. https://t.co/2hj3TBzQrN pic.twitter.com/HqXzc2MkTQ — Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) June 28, 2019 Now, the politician, also known by her initials as AOC, went on Twitter to say that this was ‘not okay, never has been okay, never will be okay’. This is not okay, never has been okay, never will be okay - no matter the … [Read more...] about ‘This is Not Okay’: AOC Decries Biden’s Reopening of Controversial Migrant Facilities for Children
Children’s hospitals, pediatricians urge Biden to prioritize youth mental health
Children’s hospitals and pediatricians are calling on the Biden administration to prioritize children’s mental, emotional and behavioral health in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) launched an awareness campaign on Wednesday to ask the administration and lawmakers to provide more funds to programs to address the escalating crisis among children and youth. The group is seeking increased funding for existing mental and behavioral health programs, through the Department of Health and Human Services’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration. ADVERTISEMENT They also think Congress should provide new funding for activities at the state and local level to support children, like telehealth, training for crisis response and school-based services. The digital advertising campaign is expected to run for several weeks with an … [Read more...] about Children’s hospitals, pediatricians urge Biden to prioritize youth mental health