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Top human rights prize targeted by Qatargate corruption suspects

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

BRUSSELS — The EU’s highest honor for human rights work was targeted by an allegedly corrupt network operating on behalf of foreign governments at the heart of the European Parliament, according to a cache of leaked documents. The annual Sakharov Prize was among the aspects of parliamentary work mentioned in a file where one of the key suspects logged activities that were allegedly part of the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the EU’s Parliament. The award, which hands €50,000 to an individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to freedom of thought, is the EU’s most prestigious honor in the field of human rights. Past winners include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and the Ukrainian people. On Tuesday, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola unveiled the 2023 Sakharov Prize, awarding it posthumously to Jina Mahsa Amini, the women’s rights activist in Iran whose murder sparked a wave of protests called the Women, Life, Freedom...

Poland’s laws on same-sex couples violate human rights code, court rules

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that the lack of any form of legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples in Poland breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.The court’s decision refers to five same-sex Polish couples whose application for marriage was rejected by the authorities as marriage can only be between a man and a woman, according to the Polish law.In a press release Tuesday, the Strasbourg-based court said it considered that Poland — which was governed for most of the last decade by the populist-nationalist Law and Justice party — had failed to comply with its duty to ensure that the applicants had a specific legal framework providing for the recognition and protection of their same-sex unions.That failure had resulted in the applicants’ inability to regulate fundamental aspects of their lives and amounted to a breach of their right to respect for their private and family life, the court added.EU-member Poland has long been accused by right...

EU takes first step to raise money for Ukraine from Russian frozen assets

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

BRUSSELS ― The European Commission presented a plan on Tuesday to funnel the proceeds from Russian assets frozen in the EU to help rebuild Ukraine.But the proposal — which has to be unanimously approved by EU countries — is merely a first step in what will probably be a drawn-out process that means the war-torn country is unlikely to see the money anytime soon.The issue is loosely tied to a wider discussion about a dedicated fund for Ukraine that will be held by EU leaders in a summit on Thursday and Friday.For months, EU officials have been exploring ways to skim off the earnings from assets worth some €200 billion that were immobilized in the EU since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.As Russian securities reach maturity and are reinvested by financial intermediaries, they generate a profit. The EU wants to target those revenues, said an EU official who was granted anonymity as they were not allowed to speak on the record.The Commission’s initial pr...

Patriots lose backup QB to AFC rival after minimal playing time

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

The Ravens are signing Patriots practice-squad quarterback Malik Cunningham to their active roster Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.Cunningham, an undrafted rookie who played in one game this season, released a statement to ESPN.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Will Taylor Swift be in Boston for the Patriots-Chiefs game? New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe credits Patriots O-line with fast start, takes blame for later struggles New England Patriots | Patriots defender has message for fans who want team to tank for draft pick New England Patriots | Bill Belichick gives detailed assessment of Patriots QB Bailey Zappe’s recent play New England Patriots | Patriots-Steelers film review: Did Bailey Zappe prove something in Pittsburgh? “I wanted to thank Mr. Kraft and coach Belichick for giving me (an) opportunity to play with the Patriots. I learned a lot from them,” the...

Biden will meet with families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas on Wednesday at the White House

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

By ZEKE MILLER and COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday will hold his first in-person meeting with the families of Americans taken hostage by Hamas during its brutal attack on Israel on Oct. 7, two White House officials said.It was not immediately clear how many families would be attending the White House meeting in person, or via videoconference. Biden has previously met with some family members virtually and spoken to others on the phone, officials said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s schedule.“We’re not going to stop until every hostage is returned home,” Biden told donors in Washington on Friday, saying the U.S. commitment to Israel is “unshakable.”Seven Americans remain unaccounted for after Hamas’ surprise air, sea and land incursion into Israeli towns, where the group killed about 1,200 Israelis — mostly civilians — and took more than 240 people hostage. Four Americans were released as part of ...

George Santos attorney expresses optimism about plea talks as expelled congressman appears in court

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

By PHILIP MARCELO (Associated Press)CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos ‘ lawyer expressed optimism about plea negotiations in Santos’ criminal fraud case Tuesday, successfully fending off prosecutors’ attempts to speed up the the ousted congressman’s trial.In Santos’ first court appearance since he was expelled from Congress earlier this month, his attorney, Joseph Murray, argued that it was premature to bring the September trial forward while the two parties were in talks to resolve the case.“We should focus on the plea deal. I believe they can be fruitful,” Murray told Judge Joanna Seybert in the federal court in Long Island. He also argued that he was “struggling” to keep up with “voluminous materials” produced by the government during the discovery process.Seybert sided with Murray, saying she would try to move the case “as expeditiously as possible” but that September seemed like the earliest possible date based on her current caseload. She set the next h...

Online sports betting to start in Vermont in January

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont sports fans will be able to bet online starting early next year when mobile sports betting kicks off in the state on Jan. 11, Republican Gov. Phil Scott announced Tuesday.The state Department of Liquor and Lottery picked DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Sportsbook to operate mobile sports wagering platforms in Vermont, he said.“I first proposed Vermont legalize sports wagering several years ago, and it’s good to see it come to fruition,” Scott said in a statement. “Vermonters and visitors alike will soon be able to access a regulated sports wagering marketplace, which will come with important consumer protections and generate revenue for the State.”He signed a bill into law in June legalizing online sports betting in Vermont, joining nearly three dozen other states. Each year the Department of Liquor and Lottery, in consultation with the Department of Mental Health, will provide a report to the Legislature on the im...

Georgia election worker says she feared for her life over fraud lies in Giuliani defamation case

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A Georgia election worker told jurors Tuesday that she feared for her life as she received a barrage of racist and threatening messages fueled by Rudy Giuliani’s false claims that she and her mother had rigged the 2020 election results in the state. Wiping away tears on the witness stand, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, read messages accusing her of treason and calling her a thug and a racist term. She recounted changing her appearance to try to hide as Giuliani and other allies of former President Donald Trump used surveillance footage to accuse her and her mother, Ruby Freeman, of committing voter fraud. “I was afraid for my life. I literally felt like someone going to come and attempt to hang me and there’s nothing that anyone will be able to do about it,” the 39-year-old said.Her emotional testimony came on the second day of a defamation trial that Giuliani’s ...

South Dakota vanity plate restrictions were unconstitutional, lawsuit settlement says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

South Dakota officials will no longer deny applications for personalized license plates based on whether the plate’s message is deemed to be “offensive to good taste and decency,” following the state’s admission that the language is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.The change is part of a settlement state officials reached in a lawsuit filed last month by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Lyndon Hart. His 2022 application to the Motor Vehicle Division for a vanity plate reading “REZWEED” was denied after state officials called it “in bad taste.”Hart runs a business called Rez Weed Indeed, which he uses to support the legal selling and use of marijuana on Native American reservations. Hart intended for the personalized license plate to refer to his business and its mission of promoting tribal sovereignty, the ACLU said. The section of the law allowing for denial of personalized plates based on the decency clause is “unconstitutional ...

Colorado cattle industry sues over wolf reintroduction on the cusp of the animals’ release

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:47:24 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Just weeks before the deadline for Colorado to begin reintroducing gray wolves under a voter-approved initiative, representatives of the cattle industry association are suing state and federal agencies in litigation that could delay the predators’ release.The Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association and Colorado Cattlemen’s Association say in the lawsuit filed Monday that U.S. Fish and Wildlife failed to adequately review the environmental effects of the plan to reintroduce up to 50 wolves over the next several years. The predators’ release in Colorado, voted for in a 2020 ballot measure, has already stirred controversy and sharpened divides between rural and urban residents. City dwellers largely voted for the measures that would most affect rural areas, where wolves can prey on livestock that help drive local economies. U.S. Fish and Wildlife did perform an environmental review in part on what is called the 10(j) rule, which would permit the killing of w...