Author: Andres Dave Mitchell

In a sprawling criminal investigation, all roads lead to the European Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights. Maria Arena is blaming her secretary. The Socialist MEP, who chairs the European Parliament’s human rights committee, accepted a trip to Qatar — and then failed to declare properly that the Qatari government paid for her flights and hotel, POLITICO can reveal. Arena has admitted the administrative misdemeanor, but blamed it on her office assistant who she said did not complete the paperwork as required. The senior MEP could now face sanctions including a financial penalty of up to €10,140 or being banned from…

The Ukrainian project “I Want to Live” on Oct. 23 called on North Korean soldiers to surrender to Ukrainian forces in a new Korean-language video. Launched in September 2022 by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, the 24-hour “I Want to Live” hotline helps Russian soldiers willingly surrender themselves or their units to the Ukrainian army. The Russian military is promised that after surrender, they will be held in compliance with the Geneva Conventions. “You must not die senselessly in a foreign land. You must not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home!” the…

Tajikistan officially banned the hijab, imposing hefty fines in its latest move to curb Islamic influence. The Central Asian nation of Tajikistan officially prohibited the wearing of hijabs and other “alien garments” this week, as the country’s parliament passed a new bill regulating Islamic clothing and Eid celebrations. The bill, approved by the upper house of parliament, Majlisi Milli, on June 19, comes after years of an unofficial clampdown on the hijab in the Muslim-majority country. Under the new law, individuals wearing hijabs or other banned religious clothing could face hefty fines of up to 7,920 somonis (approximately $700). Companies…

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights deplored “persistent and systematic” attempts to undermine the outcome of Guatemala’s elections and called for the will of voters to be upheld, after public prosecutors moved to overturn President-elect Bernardo Arevalo’s victory. On Saturday, Volker Turk, The UN’s human rights chief, noted that “Friday’s announcements, aimed at nullifying the outcome of the general elections and questioning the constitution and existence of the Movimiento Semilla party are extremely disturbing.” “Judicial harassment and intimidation against electoral officers and elected officials is unacceptable,” Turk said. On Friday, prosecutors threatened to annul the victory of Arevalo, who is set to…

International and regional leaders have rejected the latest attempt by Guatemalan prosecutors to prevent progressive President-elect Bernardo Arévalo from taking office on Jan. 14. Prosecutors asked a court Friday to strip Arévalo of his legal immunity and alleged that minutes seized during a raid of electoral offices showed that results from the presidential runoff vote he won in August had irregularities and were therefore void. Arévalo said the prosecution was seeking to undermine his ability to govern. Guatemala’s high electoral court, the Organization of American States and officials from the United Nations, the British Foreign Office and the European Union…

In the past couple of years, Reese Witherspoon took a hiking-filled girls trip in the Costa Rican mountains; Adam Scott fell in love with the country’s coffee; Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly went on an ayahuasca journey; Zac Efron filmed a Down to Earth With Zac Efron episode in an Alajuela Province sustainable commune; Emma Roberts eased into “the most beautiful reset,” she posted; Molly Sims, Netflix’s Scott Stuber and their kids zip-lined over the Tempisque River; and Natasha Lyonne, Freeform president Tara Duncan and Ronan Farrow rode horses on the beach. Other stars who have visited the country include Diane Kruger…

Hapag-Lloyd operates with three weekly calls, connecting the Bulgarian ports of Burgas and Varna to key locations in the Middle East, the USA, intra-Europe, and Asia. Additionally, from Bulgaria, Central and Eastern European countries are covered through the pan-European Rhine-Danube corridor, utilising truck and train. “Our new offices in Bulgaria demonstrate our commitment to the Black Sea region. Bulgaria is an attractive growth market for us with two major ports and good hinterland connections by road and rail,” said Juan Pablo Richards, Senior Managing Director Region South Europe at Hapag-Lloyd. “We are very pleased to open our own offices in…

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is urging the state Legislature to pass a major new education bill that would provide tax dollars for families who leave public schools for private schooling across his state, which is home to some of the country’s largest school districts. Here’s a closer look at the legislation, what its supporters and critics say and why these school choice initiatives have gained traction in 32 states so far. What does the Texas school choice bill do? Known as S.B. 1, the proposal would devote $500 million to education savings accounts (ESA) to provide financial support for families…

Nancy Marks and a Congressional Candidate Filed Fraudulent Fundraising Reports With the Federal Election Commission for the Purpose of Obtaining Financial Support for the Campaign CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Nancy Marks, the former treasurer for a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, pleaded guilty to conspiring with a congressional candidate to: (a) commit wire fraud; (b) make materially false statements; (c) obstruct the administration of the Federal Election Commission (FEC); and (d) commit aggravated identity theft. Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert. When sentenced,…

As we observe the 20th annual North Korea Freedom Week, we recognize the courage of the North Korean defector and human rights community, which continues to speak on behalf of the millions of North Koreans suffering abuses who are unable to advocate for themselves. The DPRK continues to exploit its own citizens, including through mass mobilizations of school children and forced labor, and divert resources that could benefit them to build up its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs. We remain deeply concerned about the plight of North Korean asylum seekers, including some 2,000 North Koreans detained…