Aiman Adlbi, president of the Islamic Commission of Spain, was detained on Tuesday night in Tenerife, police told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

The Islamic Commission is the highest level Muslim organization in Spain, acting as a liaison with the Spanish government and overseeing religious education and religious services in the country.

Spain’s National Police said that Adlbi was released after questioning and charges were brought against him.

The police spokesperson was unable to comment further, as the investigation remains open, but local media reported that the arrest was related to the funding of terror groups in Syria and the Middle East.

Adlbi, a 74-year-old doctor from Syria, was elected president of the commission last summer, after the former head, Riay Tatary, died of COVID-19./aa

As the US continues to open schools in tandem with its ongoing coronavirus vaccine rollout there have been "critical gaps" with in-person instruction along racial lines, a Biden administration survey found Wednesday.

Roughly half of all elementary schools have been reopened to some level of in-person learning, but most nonwhite students continued to be taught virtually.

The Institute of Education Sciences, an independent entity within the Education Department, found that among schools enrolling fourth-graders, 47% offered full-time in-person instruction in February. That figure falls to 38% for schools that enroll eighth graders.

There were sharp distinctions in in-person learning based on race. About 49% of white enrolled fourth graders were able to access in-person learning, compared to 28% of Black and 33% of Latino students.

The figures decrease across all racial groups heading into eight grade education, but white students continued to outpace their counterparts at that level as well. Roughly 37% of white eighth graders had access to in-person learning, nearly double the Black population at 19%, and far higher than Latinos at 21%.

The divides were even higher among Asian students that had just 10% access at the eighth-grade level and 15% at the fourth-grade level.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the data shows "critical gaps” for in-person learning between white and non-white students.

"While schools continue to show us what’s possible as they work to open their doors and meet students’ needs, we know that we still have a lot of ground to go," he said in a statement.

"We are committed to working with schools all across the country to get them reopened quickly and safely and to build confidence among families and educators. We owe it to our students - especially students in underserved communities and students with disabilities - to get all our schools opened safely," he added.

The education levels have likely increased from the figures in the latest report, which tracks openings from Feb. 22 through March 12.

The US began to emerge from its highest levels of coronavirus infections and deaths in February, and many jurisdictions eased restrictions beginning in the middle of that month./aa

Argentina remembered the 1976 military coup on Wednesday, mourning victims of a military dictatorship who were detained and killed.

"I embrace with love and respect mothers, grandmothers, children and relatives who lost their loved ones in the tragedy," President Alberto Fernandez said on Twitter before a scaled-down event because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The limited remembrance service was held in the Plaza de Mayo, with 13 banners displaying pictures of 30,000 people who were detained and disappeared during a dark chapter of Argentine history.

While adhering to social distancing protocols, the event culminated with the traditional slogan: “Now and always!," that recalls the missing that country says are still present.

Grandmothers and mothers of the Plaza de Mayo are set to honor victims later on Wednesday.

The group is made up largely of relatives of the children who disappeared.

They are still seeking to identify children who were adopted during the dictatorship.

Young children whose parents were murdered were adopted and never informed of their biological parents.

After the dictatorship ended in 1983, advancements in DNA technology have helped reunite children with their biological parents.

The Foreign Ministry launched a campaign on Wednesday that encourages Argentineans who live abroad who may have doubts about their identity to go to Argentine consulates.

Fernandez honored those who were detained or disappeared at a special event Saturday at the former-ESMA Navy Mechanics School, a large clandestine detention center during the dictatorship.

He praised the role of rights groups who have helped to bring justice.

Fernandez also awarded a number of influential groups with a prestigious award and more than 70 mothers and grandmothers were recognized for their work in fighting for “memory, truth and justice.”

Across Argentina, different sectors have paid tribute with several soccer teams paying their respects and offering support for those affected.

A military coup overthrew President Isabel Peron and installed a military junta on March 24, 1976.

Around 30,000 people were killed by state forces during the dictatorship, according to rights groups.

The majority were students, union leaders or political dissidents.

Those in charge considered them “subversives.”

Many were tortured before being killed and thrown from planes into the Río de La Plata estuary or the Atlantic Ocean.

After the dictatorship, Argentina enacted an amnesty, ruling those who had committed alleged crimes would not be prosecuted.​​​​​​​

But in 2003 the country overturned amnesty and several influential figures during the dictatorship were convicted of crimes against humanity./agencies

Tuberculosis killed nearly 10,000 people in Afghanistan last year, three times more than the COVID-19 fatalities, the top health official said on Wednesday.

Addressing a conference in the capital Kabul, Minister of Public Health Wahid Majrooh said that almost 50,000 people had tuberculosis in 2020 and 9,800 patients lost their lives to the disease.

“The World Health Organization estimates that 73,000 Afghans were infected with tuberculosis in Afghanistan last year. But our health system has been able to identify only about 50,000 due to the limitations created by the coronavirus outbreak. About 20% of these victims were children,” said Majrooh.

The health official said the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected efforts to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in Afghanistan, and many tuberculosis patients in the country could not be diagnosed and treated.

Most of the tuberculosis patients, Majrooh said, are women due to inadequate nutrition, low body immunity, and their lifestyle particularly in rural parts of the country.

Hajiani Samia, a 63-year-old tuberculosis patient in Kabul, told Anadolu Agency that she completed twice the nerve-wracking six-month course of a combination of antibiotics, but still continues to suffer from the disease.

“Perhaps, I missed the dose someday, that is why I still have the symptoms of the disease and continue to struggle with my breathing,” she said, adding the persistent use of antibiotics has severely affected her stomach.

According to health officials in Afghanistan, the pandemic left tuberculosis patients marginalized and reduced their access to health care.

The latest figures by the Health Ministry confirmed 50 new positive cases of COVID-19 and one death on Wednesday. It raised the confirmed cases to 56,226 and the deaths to 2,467.

According to Sima Samar, head of Afghanistan’s Tuberculosis Control Board, the donor community should not forget that numerous needy people are suffering from the disease, and need urgent attention, care, and support.

The WHO believes cultural barriers and stigma around tuberculosis as well as the deteriorating security situation continue to pose grim challenges in curtailing this deadly disease in Afghanistan./aa

Nigerian scientists have developed two vaccines against COVID-19, the government secretary announced Tuesday. 

Boss Mustapha, who is also chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said clinical trials for the new vaccines are underway.

"The vaccines will be used after completing clinical trials and obtaining certification," said Mustapha.

"This is a welcome development that will open a new vista in scientific breakthrough and will boost the morale and image of the medical industry in the country."

He called on all relevant agencies to provide the required support and enabling environment for the smooth conduct of the remaining protocols for the certification of the vaccines, with a view to encouraging and motivating other researchers.

At least 162,000 virus-related cases have been observed in the country and 2,031 people have died from the virus, while over 148,500 people have recovered from the disease.

Since originating in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 2.73 million lives in 192 countries and regions.

Over 124 million cases have been reported worldwide, with recoveries surpassing 70.3 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The US, Brazil and India remain the worst-hit countries in terms of cases./aa