Europe | Spain | Career

Fresh abuse claims from women picking strawberries in Spain for UK market

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Human-rights lawyers are warning that abuse claims by Moroccans picking fruit in Spain for UK supermarkets could amount to “state-sponsored human trafficking”. The international lawyers say Spanish authorities have a legal duty to ensure the allegations by the women – that they have faced exploitation and abuse while harvesting strawberries – are properly investigated by the courts. Two months ago, the Observer reported on the case of 10 Moroccan womenwho had fought for more than a year to have their claims of rape, exploitation and abuse, investigated by the Huelva police and
Africa | Nigeria | Corruption

Nigerian police arrested 65 women in a raid. Some of the women say officers raped them

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In a sparsely decorated room in Nigeria's capital city of Abuja, seven women are seated in a row, their backs turned to the assembled media to remain anonymous. One after the other, the women recount horrific physical and sexual abuse they say they were subjected to following their arrests on April 27 by officers of a special task force that raided hotels and nightclubs in Abuja. The 65 women who were arrested say they were beaten and harassed by officers, who forced them into their vans and drove them to the police station, their lawyers and NGOs told CNN. The seven women in the vid
North America | United States | Corruption

FDA: Government Recommends Untested, Unlicensed Vaccines for Pregnant Women

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In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, the FDA has admitted, for the first time, that government agencies, including the CDC, are recommending vaccines for pregnant women that have neither been licensed for pregnant mothers by FDA nor tested for safety in clinical trials. The lawsuit, filed by Children’s Health Defense (CHD) attorney, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on behalf of Informed Consent Action Network(ICAN), a vaccine safety advocacy group, sought all clinical trial data used by FDA to approve influenza vaccines for pregnant women. The FDA’s terse reply: “We
North America | United States | Corruption

Sheila Jackson Lee Resigns from Head of Congressional Black Caucus

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has resigned from the top post of the Congressional Black Caucus following a former employee’s accusation that she was fired for reporting a rape. Recently, a lawsuit was filed by a former aide to Rep. Lee, alleging that she was fired after reporting that an employee of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation raped her. The litigant says that Lee deliberately fired her after she let it be known that she was planning to sue the Foundation.
Asia | Korea | Corruption

South Korea’s President Has Been Removed From Office After Court Upholds Impeachment

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South Korea's constitutional court has voted unanimously, 8-0, to uphold the impeachment of President Park Guen-hye, removing her from office after a 92-day leadership crisis and triggering a presidential election in the weeks to come. A snap election my be held within 60 days. The ruling, which was announced by the court's acting chief and televised live, made Park the nation's first democratically elected leader to be ousted. She was impeached by parliament on Dec. 9 on charges of letting a close friend meddle in state affairs, colluding with her to extort money from conglomerates, and ne
Latin America | Argentina | Corruption

Judge indicts former Argentine president in corruption case

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Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez was indicted Tuesday in a corruption case involving public works. Federal Judge Julian Ercolini approved charges of illicit association and fraudulent administration against Fernandez, and two former aides: ex-Planning Minister Julio de Vido and former Public Works Secretary Jose Lopez. Also named was businessman Lazaro Baez, whose Austral Construcciones company allegedly benefited from irregular contracts.
International | Corruption

Christine Lagarde, I.M.F. Chief, Is Found Guilty of Negligence

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Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was found guilty on Monday of criminal charges linked to the misuse of public funds during her time as France’s finance minister, a verdict that could force her out of her post. The judge hearing the case declined, however, to impose a fine or any jail time on Ms. Lagarde, who began her second five-year term at the I.M.F. in February. The scandal has overshadowed her work at the fund, to which she was appointed in 2011, after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director when he was accused of having sexua
Asia | Korea | Corruption

South Korean lawmakers vote to impeach President Park Geun-hye

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South Korean lawmakers on Friday impeached President Park Geun-hye, a stunning and swift fall for the country's first female leader amid protests that drew millions into the streets in united fury. After the vote, parliamentary officials hand-delivered formal documents to the presidential Blue House that stripped Park of her power and allowed the country's No. 2 official, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, to assume leadership until the Constitutional Court rules on whether Park must permanently step down. The court has up to six months to decide. Park will be formally removed from office if
North America | United States | Corruption

A Woman President For The United States? Absolutely…Just Not This Woman!

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There should never be a candidate for the Presidency of the Untied States, or any public office, that has as much scandal attached to her as does Hillary Clinton. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should not have been allowed to run, let alone become the Democratic nominee and there are a lot of questions regarding how she won the nominee. Femina.com, which highlights and showcases the good that women are doing around the world, cannot support the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. As her untrustworthy number continues to increase (NYT/CBS Poll: Hillary's Untrustworthy Rating Soars
International | Brazil | Corruption

Dilma Rousseff asks Brazil supreme court to delay impeachment process

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Brazil’s embattled president, Dilma Rousseff, has resorted to the country’s supreme court in a last-ditch attempt to avert likely defeat in a criticalimpeachment vote in congress that could lead to her removal from office. Rousseff’s attorney general, José Eduardo Cardozo, asked the top court for an injunction to suspend Sunday’s lower house vote until the full court can rule on what he called procedural irregularities in the impeachment process. Rousseff, already struggling with Brazil’s worst economic crisis in decades and a historic corruption scandal, has lost support with
International | Corruption

Tapie Affair: IMF head Christine Lagarde ordered to face trial by French court over tycoon payments

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A French court has ordered IMF boss Christine Lagarde to face trial over the part she played in the Tapie Affair, regarding a €400m (£291m, $433m) transfer to French business tycoon and entrepreneur Bernard Tapie. In September, France's main prosecutor recommended magistrates at the Cour de Justice de la Republique, which deals with crime allegations against government officials, drop the investigation. The magistrates were probing Lagarde's alleged negligence in regards to the affair when she was finance minister of the country. In 2008, when Lagarde served under Nicolas Sarkozy'sgov
Latin America | Guatemala | Corruption

Guatemala’s ex-vice president ordered held in jail during corruption trial

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A judge ordered Guatemala's former vice president to remain in jail Wednesday while she stands trial on charges of conspiracy, customs fraud and bribery, based on allegations that she accepted $3.7 million in bribes as part of the scandal that forced her from office. Judge Miguel Angel Galvez ruled that former Vice President Roxana Baldetti would not be allowed bail because she held an Italian passport and was considered a flight risk. On Monday, he ordered her to stand trial on charges of receiving bribes from businessmen to evade import duties. She denies any wrongdoing. Leaving the
North America | United States | Corruption

Nearly half want Hillary to stop campaigning

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The weight of all of Hillary Clinton’s many scandals and alleged crimes is catching up to her in the polls. Growing national security questions about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server during her time as secretary of State are drowning out much of her message as a presidential candidate and causing many of her fellow Democrats to worry about the future of her campaign. Is it time for Clinton to put her campaign on temporary hold? Voters are almost evenly divided on that question: the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely U.S. Voters
Latin America | Chile | Corruption

Three Issues Undermine Bachelet in Chile

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It remains to be seen how President Michelle Bachelet will weather the current discontent with her presidency, and whether she can effectively deal with the corruption that threatens her ability to govern. Chile’s Socialist president, Michelle Bachelet, was once one of the most popular leaders in Latin America, but a year into her second term in office her popularity has plummeted. One cannot engage in political discussion anywhere in Chile without hearing strong criticism of her government. According to the Santiago-based Center for Public Studies (CEP), by late April just 29% of respond