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UN says Nicaragua’s human rights violations and persecution of dissidents are on the rise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua has increased human rights violations and persecution of the opposition as it ratchets up its efforts to stifle dissent, a United Nations group of experts monitoring the country said Tuesday.The Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, that the government continues increasing pressure on human rights defenders to force them to leave the country.That persecution has extended to the education sector, where the government has systematically cancelled the legal status of private universities and seized their campuses.“We have observed the intentional and severe deprivation of economic and social rights, in particular the right to education and academic freedom,” said Jan-Michael Simon, chair of the group. “Today, the university sector of Nicaragua as a whole no longer has independent institutions. Nicaragua is being stripped of its intellectual capital and critical voices, leaving the country’s pro...

Iran identifies 5 prisoners it wants from US in swap for Iranian-Americans and billions in assets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Tuesday identified the five prisoners it hopes to see freed in the United States in exchange for five Iranian-Americans now held in Tehran and billions in assets once held by South Korea. The acknowledgment by the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York comes as the Biden administration has issued a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. The moves by both Tehran and Washington appear to signal the prisoner swap is progressing as the money once held in South Korean won is converted into euros and moved to Qatar, where Iran will be able to use it for humanitarian purposes. In a statement to The Associated Press, Ali Karimi Magham, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, confirmed the list of prisoners that Tehran wants released. The five sought by the Iranians are:— Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, an Iranian charged in 2021 with allegedly...

WATCH LIVE | AJ Freund death, DCFS workers trial day 2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — The trial for two former Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers accused of child endangerment enters its second day Tuesday.The multiple felony charges filed in Sept. 2020 against Andrew Polovin and Carlos Acosta stem from the April 2019 death of five-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund of Crystal Lake. They are accused of having known Freund's life was in danger four months earlier yet not taking action. Previous Coverage: Nearly 20 police reports can be used in AJ Freund DCFS trial The bench trial began on Monday with the McHenry County State's Attorney providing an opening statement for the prosecution, and separate attorneys providing statements for each of the defendants.Following the opening statements, the prosecution began calling its witnesses. They included a Crystal Lake police officer, a doctor who examined Freund in Dec. 2018, a man who knew Freund's father through Alcoholics Anonymous, and a retired DCFS supervisor.The trial is expec...

'It was surreal': Chicago girl featured in Times Square Down syndrome video

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

NEW YORK — A 3-year-old Chicago girl was featured in Times Square over the weekend to represent those all over the country with Down syndrome.Olivia Smith was selected from over 2,400 applicants to have her smiling face put up in the Big Apple. After receiving the good news, her parents, Mike and Audrey, of Jefferson Park, made plans to drive to New York.The video presentation, which lasted an hour on Saturday, is an annual event in the New York City Buddy Walk. The National Down Syndrome Society puts on the walk and video with the goal of showcasing children, teens and adults with Down syndrome to promote inclusion.Olivia happy in Times SquareIt was Olivia's first time in New York and her parents said she was so excited.When her big moment came, Olivia and her parents were ready for it."When she's happy she loves to clap and when she saw herself she started clapping," father Mike Smith said. "The whole moment was surreal."The family then got to Central Park for the walk. The event ...

George Strait, Chris Stapleton will play Soldier Field in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

CHICAGO — A stadium tour that will feature two of the biggest names in country music will be making a stop in Chicago next year.On Tuesday, George Strait and Chris Stapleton announced an extension of their current performances at stadiums around the country into 2024, with Soldier Field being added to the list of venues.The pair will take the stage along with Little Big Town on the evening of Saturday, July 20, which was one of nine tour dates that were added on Tuesday. Aerosmith postpones Chicago stop on farewell tour For the Soldier Field show, aisle seating, early access, and VIP package presale tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, September 15 at 10 a.m. central time. Sales to the general public are slated to begin on Friday, September 22 at 10 a.m. central time. Here are the other dates that have been added to the May 4 - Indianapolis - Lucas Oil StadiumMay 11 - Jacksonville - EverBank StadiumMay 25 - Ames, Iowa - Jack Trice StadiumJune 1 - Charlotte - Bank of Ameri...

Viewers watching livestream bear cam spot lost hiker at Alaska national park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

(NewsNation) – Viewers watching a bear livestream at an Alaskan national park helped rescue a stranded hiker last week.On Sept. 5, a couple of "dedicated" bear-cam fans logged on to view a livestream from Katmai National Park — but instead of bears, they were treated to the sight of a man bundled in his rain jacket, speaking directly to the camera, according to Explore.org, which hosts the livestream.The man was barely audible, but viewers managed to recognize him mouthing the words "help me," NPR reported.One viewer alerted a moderator at Explore.org, who notified officials at Katmai National Park. The park's rangers “sprung into action and mounted a search, saving the man," Explore.org wrote. Bears are climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park A National Park Service spokesperson told The Washington Post that the hiker was caught in windy and rainy conditions with poor visibility before park rangers found him a few hours later and brought him back to safety.Katmai National Pa...

Travis County approves 12-week paid parental leave for county employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Effective immediately, eligible employees working for Travis County can take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.Travis County commissioners approved the program extension Tuesday. The vote came after commissioners received the first annual report on the county's paid parental leave policy, established in May 2022 under an initial eight-week model.The county's paid parental leave program is available to eligible employees "to bond and care for a child after the birth, adoption, or foster-to-adopt placement," per county documents. Under the initial implementation, the PPL program provided 320 hours, or eight weeks, of paid leave within a 12-month period. A prorated version was made available for part-time, eligible employees, as well.The PPL program was available for use "within the 12 months from the Parental Event date" and was available for one continuous use period, per county documents.From May 3, 2022 through May 31, 2023, 120 county employees u...

Texas Education Agency will delay A-F school ratings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today's top headlines for Sept. 12, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas Education Agency said Tuesday it will delay the release of A-F school ratings for one month. The A-F ratings were set to be released to the public on Sept. 28. "Analysis of that growth data shows that the 2021-22 growth was more anomalous than expected, so setting baselines that partially incorporate data from the 2021-22 school year may not adequately take into account the impact of the pandemic," according to TEA officials. Del Valle ISD joins lawsuit against Texas Education Agency over changes to accountability rating system The decision comes as several school districts, including Pflugerville ISD and Del Valle ISD, are suing Education Commissioner Mike Morath over the changes to how A-F ratings are calculated. The districts are asking a judge to stop the new scores' release temporarily. In the lawsuit, the districts claim the agency did not follow the law in notifying...

Texas DPS given $3.3 million grant to help reduce rape-kit backlog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today's top headlines for Sept. 12, 2023WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of Public Safety was awarded a grant of over $3 million to help reduce a backlog of untested DNA and rape kits in the state.The funding, which is a total of $3,378,789, comes through the Department of Justice as part of the Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program. The funding was authorized by the Debbie Smith Act, which helps provide funding to eligible governmental bodies to address the backlog of DNA evidence.This is an issue Texas has been dealing with for years. The Texas Forensic Science Commission worked in 2016 to streamline rape kits. In 2019, legislation to tackle a backlog of untested rape kits was introduced.Sen. John Cornyn has also fought to mitigate the process. He helped author three different laws in 2018 and 2019. Cornyn announced the grant on Tuesday.“As long as rape kits sit untested, authorities a...

WATCH LIVE: Paxton communicated with lawyer via encrypted messages, witness says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:43 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas’ Court of Impeachment reconvened Tuesday morning for the second week of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s trial, leading off with testimony from Brandon Cammack — the outside counsel Paxton hired to help investigate campaign donor Nate Paul’s claims that are central to the articles of impeachment. Affair and bribery: Witness testimony from day 5 of Paxton's trial Cammack, a Houston attorney, had about five years of experience when he was hired to investigate Paul's claims — which top deputies in Paxton's office had previously looked into and said testified that found to have no merits. Cammack testified Tuesday that he was excited to work for the attoney general's office and after meeting with Paul and his attorney, Michael Wynn, he thought Paul's claims were "serious, if true."Cammack told the jury that he was hired directly by Paxton who told him he would need "some guts to work on a case like this." He testified that the attorney general...