International

UN probes allegations Russians adopting Ukrainian children

AFP

The UN rights chief said Wednesday her office was investigating allegations that children are being sent from war-torn Ukraine to Russia and then offered up for adoption.

Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Michelle Bachelet said her office “has been looking into allegations of children forcibly deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”

These reportedly included children who were “taken from orphanages and subsequently offered for adoption in Russia,” she said.

20240410_mh_renta_728x90

20240426_bcr_censo_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

SSF

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said her office could not confirm the allegations, nor the number of children involved.

But she told the council: “we are concerned about the alleged plans of the Russian authorities to allow the movement of children from Ukraine to families in the Russian Federation, which do not appear to include steps for family reunification or respect the best interest of the child.”

“We will continue to closely follow the issue,” she said.

Several thousand young people are believed to have been moved to Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24.

The UN began raising concern in March about the risk of forced adoption of Ukrainian children, especially around 91,000 who were living in institutions or boarding schools at the beginning of the war, many of them located in the country’s embattled east.

20240410_mh_renta_728x90

20240426_bcr_censo_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

SSF

Asfhan Khan, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regional director for Europe and Central Asia, also warned this week that “adoption should never occur during or immediately after emergencies.”

Such children cannot be assumed to be orphans, and “any decision to move any child must be grounded in their best interests and any movement must be voluntary,” she told reporters, insisting “parents need to provide informed consent.”

“Regarding children that have been sent to Russia, we’re working closely to see with ombudspersons and networks how best we can document those cases,” Khan said, adding that there was currently no access to such children.

20240410_mh_renta_728x90

20240426_bcr_censo_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

SSF

International

President Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile

Chile offers residency and Chilean nationality to Nicaraguan opponents

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has implemented a nighttime curfew in three municipalities of the Biobío region following the murder of three police officers. The Chilean leader emphasized that “criminals will answer to Chile and its justice system.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Boric stated that he made the decision “after discussing with the General Director of the Carabineros, the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, the Head of National Defense, and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having also considered various alternatives and taking into account the needs of the ongoing investigation.”

He further detailed that “I have instructed to decree a curfew in the municipalities of Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa from midnight to 7:00 AM. Additionally, police and military presence will be intensified to our utmost capacity with joint patrols in the area.”

International

President López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series

Last Friday, before the 2024 Mexico City Series between the Astros and Rockies at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with representatives from both teams.

Through his social media, the President shared his interaction with executives from the Houston and Colorado teams, as well as with Astros’ Mexican pitcher, José Urquidy.

“Yesterday (Friday), before starting the tour, I had breakfast with executives and friends from the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies. There’s increasingly more baseball fever in our country,” López Obrador wrote.

The photos also featured former Mexican major leaguers Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla and Jorge de la Rosa, both of whom played for the Colorado team.

On Saturday night, the Houston Astros won the first game in the “capital inferno,” home of the Mexico City Red Devils, with a commanding score of 12 to 4.

This Sunday, the second game of the series will take place at AHH, with both teams arriving in Mexico on a losing streak. Another great Major League celebration is anticipated at the “fire diamond.”

International

Social media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad

An Iraqi TikToker, previously sentenced to prison last year for posting content deemed “indecent” on social media, was fatally shot in Baghdad on Friday, according to two security officials.

Om Fahad, who had tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram, gained fame for her videos featuring her in tight outfits dancing to Iraqi music, in a country that is predominantly conservative and patriarchal.

The young woman was shot by an assailant on a motorcycle while she was in her vehicle outside her home in central Baghdad, two security officials reported anonymously to AFP.

In February 2023, a court initially sentenced Om Fahad to six months in jail for “publishing various videos with indecent intentions that violate modesty and public morals.”