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runlai_jiang

Antiguan ex-president of UN general assembly faces $1m corruption charges | World news ... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...embly-faces-corruption-charges

corruption general assembly charges

shared by runlai_jiang on 04 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • Antiguan ex-president of UN general assembly faces $1m corruption charges
  • A former president of the United Nations general assembly turned the world body into a “platform for profit” by accepting over $1m in bribes and a trip to New Orleans from a billionaire Chinese real estate mogul and other businesspeople to pave the way for lucrative investments, a prosecutor charged on Tuesday
  • John Ashe, a former UN ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda who served in the largely ceremonial post from September 2013 to September 2014, faces conspiracy- and bribery-related charges along with five others, including Francis Lorenzo, a deputy UN ambassador from the Dominican Republic who lives in the Bronx.
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  • Dujarric said Ban was “shocked and deeply troubled” by the allegations that “go to the heart and integrity of the UN”.
  • Corruption is not business as usual at the UN.
  • Those charged in the criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court included Seng, who was arrested two weeks ago along with his chief assistant, Jeff C Yin, 29, a US citizen whose bail was revoked last week over allegations that he lied to investigators after his arrest.
  • Other money, they said, was used to lease a luxury car, pay his home mortgage, buy Rolex watches and custom suits, and construct a $30,000 basketball court at his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, where he was arrested on Tuesday. He opened two bank accounts to receive the funds and then underreported his income by more than $1.2m, officials said.
  • Prosecutors said two other arrested individuals were involved with Ng. They were identified as Sheri Yan, 57, and Heidi Park, 52, both naturalized US citizens who reside in China and helped facilitate the scheme, prosecutors said.
  • runlai_jiang on 04 Nov 16
     
    The Antiguan ex-president of UN general assembly, John Ashe accepted bribe from a chinese real estate buisness man and other businesspeople and was asked to benefit them for paving the way for lucrative investments. The president was charged. UN is not a usual corruption place and Antigua and Barbuda should rethink  its democracy system because our representative was even bribing.
evanpitt14

$1.25 MILLION DRUG BUST | Antigua Observer Newspaper - 0 views

antiguaobserver.com/1-25-million-drug-bust

shared by evanpitt14 on 03 Aug 16 - No Cached
  • estimated value of more $1 million
  • (ONDCP)
  • 533 pounds of compressed cannabis,
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • $1,066,000 and 5.6 kilos of cocaine, which was valued at $197,288.
  • $1,263,288.
  • charged with possession of cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cannabis and drug trafficking. They were slapped with additional charges of possession of cocaine, and being concerned in the supply of cocaine and drug trafficking
  • drug bust are ongoing
  • over 10 years in prison if they are indicted on all the charges
  • Class A drug and cannabis, which is a Class B drug, under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
  • pay more than $500,000 to the court for possessing cocaine
  • evanpitt14 on 03 Aug 16
     
    Earlier in 2016, there was a large drug bust in Antigua. This article shows how drugs are easy to access in the Islands because of the large quantities. It also shows how major charges can be for possession of the drugs.
Javier E

Venezuelan Opposition Politician Charged in Plot to Kill President - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...ation-plot-maduro-machado.html

latin america politics Venezuela power abuse

shared by Javier E on 05 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • The authorities in Venezuela charged a leading opposition politician on Wednesday with taking part in a plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro. The politician, María Corina Machado, was informed of the charge in a meeting with prosecutors but was not detained. The national prosecutor’s office said in a statement on its website that Ms. Machado was charged with conspiracy and that, if found guilty, she could be sentenced to eight to 16 years in prison.
  • Ms. Machado, who denies taking part in a plot, was a vocal supporter of widespread antigovernment protests this year. Another politician who supported the protests, Leopoldo López, was charged with promoting violence and has been imprisoned.
  • The State Department in Washington issued a statement saying, “We are deeply concerned by what appears to be the Venezuelan government’s continuing effort to intimidate its political opponents through abuse of the legal process.”
jblackwell2

Corruption in Colombia Could Derail FARC Peace Deal - 0 views

www.worldpoliticsreview.com/...a-could-derail-farc-peace-deal

politics colombia war peace corruption

shared by jblackwell2 on 02 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • Last month, the mayor of Colombia’s main port city, Buenaventura, was arrested on corruption charges
  • Corruption is a very big structural problem in Colombia. It permeates all levels of government and society, public and private.
  • Corruption is closely linked to other illegal and criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and illegal mining, which makes it much more difficult to tackle. Some surveys show that Colombians see corruption as the country’s main problem, even more than violence.
  • jblackwell2 on 02 Nov 16
     
    This article talks about the corruption in the Columbian government.
Ellie McGinnis

BBC News - Guatemala Rios Montt genocide trial to resume in 2015 - 0 views

www.bbc.co.uk/...world-latin-america-24833642

guatemala genocide politics crime latin america

shared by Ellie McGinnis on 10 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Gen Rios Montt, 87, was convicted of genocide and war crimes in May and sentenced to 80 years in jail.
  • A court official said that the judges were busy with other cases in 2014, but would resume the trial in January 2015.
  • The guilty verdict had been hailed by the victims and human rights groups as "historic". It was also the first time a former head of state had faced genocide charges in a court within his own country. But weeks later, Guatemala's top court ruled that the trial had been flawed.
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  • Human rights group Amnesty International called the ruling a "devastating blow for the victims of the serious human rights violations committed during the conflict".
  • An estimated 200,000 people were killed in Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war, the vast majority of them indigenous Mayans. Gen Rios Montt's 17 months in power are believed to have been one of the most violent periods of the war.
  • He is accused - among other charges - of ordering the deaths of 1,771 people of the Ixil Maya ethnic group during his time in office in 1982-83. He has denied any responsibility.
luckangeloja

Island Getaways Antigua and Barbuda Move to Decriminalize Pot - 0 views

panampost.com/...buda-move-to-decriminalize-pot

Drugs Antigua and Barbuda Legalization

shared by luckangeloja on 22 Oct 16 - No Cached
  • The twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda announced on Friday, May 8, the launch of a commission to oversee the process of decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of marijuana.
  • Hurst says the government wants to give young people with a criminal drug history a second chance.
  • Hurst explained that drug charges can interfere with young people, especially men, getting college scholarships or visas.
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  • The official cautioned, however, that this should not be considered a first step towards legalization, trade, or importation of marijuana, and pointed to the island of Jamaica as an example.
  • “We have not banned alcohol or tobacco, even though it has been proven that they are more addictive than marijuana,” she said earlier this year. “My point is that we should stop criminalizing our own youth in order to march to the beat of some other country’s drum.”
  • luckangeloja on 22 Oct 16
     
    This article talked about the possible legalization of marijuana in Antigua and Barbuda. The main reason for this proposal is for younger people who are caught with marijuana usually get into real legal trouble, and that can affect their possible scholarships or visas.
runlai_jiang

PM recommits to ending corruption in Antigua-Barbuda | Caribbean News Now - 0 views

www.caribbeannewsnow.com/-in-Antigua-Barbuda-27878.html

corruption ending

shared by runlai_jiang on 03 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • PM recommits to ending corruption in Antigua-Barbuda
  • he was president of the UN General Assembly, have “cast a pall of gloom over all of us and neighbouring Caribbean countries”, in a national broadcast on Sunday Prime Minister Gaston Browne promised to strengthen the structures and machinery of good governance in his country and put an end to all corrupt practices.
  • The implication of members of the former United Progressive Party (UPP) government, including the former prime minister, Baldwin Spencer, in bribery, money laundering and other corruption charges, has also caused us great alarm,” Browne said.
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  • , Ashe “gravely misrepresented the United Progressive Party government by implying that bribe money was necessary to gain an audience with me or my colleague ministers. That was never the case during the ten years of our administration.”
  • they have encountered a residue of corrupt practices from the former UPP regime, involving the abuse of public office and organized misappropriation of state resources.
  • We intend to have the best and most transparent governance structure in the Caribbean and beyond,” Browne said.
  • Browne noted that offences may also have been committed in Antigua under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which, he said, would be independently investigated by local law enforcement agencies.
  • that is their prerogative and there will be no political witch hunt by his government or the political party that he leads.
  • runlai_jiang on 03 Nov 16
     
    PM recommits to end corruption in Antigua and Barbuda. The former government gained much bribe from China. 
runlai_jiang

DEATH TO DEMOCRACY | Antigua Observer Newspaper - 0 views

antiguaobserver.com/death-to-democracy

democracy politics

shared by runlai_jiang on 04 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • Keeping the status quo on campaign financing is “the death of democracy.”
  • He is calling for a ban on private funding for political campaigns.
  • Samuel said there should be stringent laws that severely punish politicians through penalties and fines for using private funding for political campaign.
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  • “What they fail to realise is that they have no power, all the power is in the hands of those who make giant contributions.”
  • The head of the Electoral Commission said political campaigns should be paid for by the public purse, and that political organisations should find other ways to fund their campaigns
  • I believe a percentage of the budget should be allocated to the body that is responsible for election, ABEC, and that they will be charged with coming up with a formula to hand out donation to political parties for them to run their campaigns, and that private financing be totally banned,”
  • runlai_jiang on 04 Nov 16
     
    The Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission pointed out that private funding to political campaign groups is a risk toward democracy. The power is hold by the giant private contributors instead of the public. Thus, the funding should be paid by the public purse. He believes that a percentage of the budget should be allocated to the responsible election body and the money should be allocated in a formula, but the private financing should be banned.
evanpitt14

JAMAICANS NAMED IN $MILLION DRUG BUST | Antigua Observer Newspaper - 0 views

antiguaobserver.com/ans-named-in-million-drug-bust

shared by evanpitt14 on 03 Aug 16 - No Cached
  • $10.4 million drug haul that has resulted in the detention of four Jamaican nationals.
  • 00 pounds of cannabis.
  • ,
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  • 2
  • 6
  • possession, possession with intent to supply, and transfer of the illegal substance.
  • Two firearms with matching ammunition, and large sums of Eastern Caribbean and United States currency were sized in the operation.
  • motor van and a speedboat believed to be involved in the incident.
  • laundering charges,
  • The police in their quest to stem the flow of illegal drugs in and out of the country, as well as to rid the country of illegal firearms and ammunition, have to date seized millions of dollars’
  • 2,500 cannabis plants,
  • evanpitt14 on 03 Aug 16
     
    This is about another major drug bust in Antigua involving marijuana. This shows how it is a hotspot for supplying drugs to the US because of the vast amounts of US currency found. It also shows how it can be easy to transport it because of vehicles like speedboats. The police are working to end it but it won't be easy.
g-dragon

Scientists are turning salt water into drinking water using solar power - ScienceAlert - 1 views

www.sciencealert.com/inking-water-using-solar-power

shared by g-dragon on 13 Jun 16 - No Cached
    • g-dragon
      g-dragon on 13 Jun 16
       
      We all know that water is Antigua's first priority. As they run out of fresh water, their economy is dropping. They have been using reverse osmosis as a way to create fresh water, but that is a very costly method. This source states that they have a method of desalinating water that works well, cost efficient, good for the environment, and energy efficient. They use solar panels to charge a battery that powers a machine that removes salt. The machine pulls the salt ions out of the water and fresh water is left coming out. They say that this method wastes less water and the machine lasts longer and requires less maintenance. This method is something that Antigua should look into to help their water crisis. - Daniel Lin
rachelramirez

The fiasco that is the Nicaragua Canal, explained - Vox - 0 views

www.vox.com/...nicaragua-canal

canal du Nicaragua Nicaragua economy

shared by rachelramirez on 27 Jun 16 - No Cached
  • The fiasco that is the Nicaragua Canal, explained
  • The idea, at least, is that a bigger Nicaragua canal could accommodate the next generation of super-sized container ships that can’t squeeze through Panama’s locks. Nicaragua’s leaders have also promised the project could double GDP in one of Central America’s poorest countries.
  • The consortium in charge — the Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Group (HKND), led by Beijing-based telecom billionaire Wang Jing — has little experience with these sorts of projects and was awarded the contract in a secret deal with Nicaragua's Sandinista government.
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  • In its description, HKND says it will need more than 2,000 pieces of major construction equipment, four billion liters of diesel fuel, one billion liters of bunker fuel for the dredgers, 400,000 tons of explosives, and untold millions of tons of cement and steel. The company would have to import all of this stuff into Nicaragua and build entirely new ports and roads wide enough to fit the big equipment.
  • On that, Miranda was much more skeptical the canal could be built in five years for a cost of $50 billion.
  • The section of the proposed canal that stretches through Lake Nicaragua would pass by Ometepe Island, home to an active volcano, Concepción, that spews out ash every now and again.
  • Right now, ships that want to pass between the Pacific and the Atlantic use the Panama Canal, which is currently undergoing a major $5.25 billion expansion
  • The rationale behind the Nicaragua Canal, HKND insists, is that it will be able to accommodate the next generation of super-sized container ships that can hold nearly 23,000 containers at a time.
  •  One company that operates super-sized ships, Maersk, told CNBC that the canal was "not something we have a demand for, and we're not able, at this point, to tell whether we will use it."*
  • Jorge Huete-Pérez, a vice president of Nicaragua’s academy of sciences, told me that Lake Nicaragua is a national icon — a source of fisheries and tourism, but also a key freshwater reservoir for much of the nation.
  • Other biologists have pointed out that the canal’s route will slice through a variety of nature reserves that are homes to some 22 species vulnerable to extinction, from tapirs to jaguars to turtles.
  • One internal assessment obtained by Scientific American said that HKND’s process for acquiring land for preliminary access roads "did not meet international standards."
  •  The Sandinista government still promises that the project will create thousands of jobs and promote billions in investment, but skepticism is growing.
  • rachelramirez on 27 Jun 16
     
    Nicaragua's economy appears to be desperate for growth, so desperate that the government is taking the canal into serious consideration. Although the canal seems as though it would be beneficial, in the long run there would be serious environmental consequences. The issue that seems to be subtly highlighted in this article about Nicaragua is their need for more jobs, international recognition and relevance. Although the canal seems to be the solution to the issues of job creation, and international recognition, the canal is a far cry from the most effective solution for this country at this time.
Ellie McGinnis

2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) - 0 views

www.state.gov/...204049.htm

guatemala narcotics security us

shared by Ellie McGinnis on 04 Aug 13 - No Cached
  • more than 80 percent of the primary flow of the cocaine trafficked to the United States first transited through the Central American corridor in 2012.
  • Guatemala’s weak public institutions, pervasive corruption, and porous ports and borders to move illicit products, persons, and bulk cash.
  • Improved law enforcement efforts in Colombia and Mexico, among other factors, led to an increasing volume of precursor chemicals transiting Guatemala.
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  • Guatemala produces opium poppy and synthetic drugs for export
  • ombating drug trafficking one of his administration’s top priorities.
  • President Otto Perez Molina
  • government’s extensive anti-drug efforts and established a mobile land interdiction unit charged with targeting DTOs operating in remote areas
  • Guatemala’s pressing issues include high levels of violence fueled by the drug trade, money laundering, and other organized criminal activities; corruption within the police; and an overburdened and inefficient judicial system
  • Guatemala confronts continuing fiscal challenges in seeking to fund its counternarcotics initiatives. The country has the lowest tax collection rate in Central America and one of the lowest in Latin America.
  • Guatemala had the eighth-highest murder rate in the world
  • Guatemala worked with the United States to arrest high-profile traffickers in 2012
  • Guatemala is a party to the Central American Commission for the Eradication of Production, Traffic, Consumption and Illicit Use of Psychotropic Drugs and Substances
  • Inter-American Convention against Corruption
  • A maritime counternarcotics agreement with the United States is fully implemented
  • Guatemala is one of six countries (along with Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, France, Belize and the United States) that ratified the Caribbean Regional Agreement on Maritime Counter Narcotics, which is now in force.
  • 590 hectares of opium poppy on these missions
  • air interdiction efforts, supported by six U.S.-titled helicopters, have significantly deterred drug flights from entering the country.
  • Guatemala seized 4.7 metric tons (MT) of cocaine in 2012,
  • eight kilograms of heroin
  • $5.6 million in drug-related assets
  • United States intends to work with Guatemala to build capacity for proper storage and/or destruction.
  • uatemala lacks current information
  • underfunded with an annual budget of $450,000, of which approximately 80 percent was used to cover salaries
  • SECCATID developed a school-based drug prevention program, “My First Steps,
  • United States continues to work with the Guatemalan Police Reform Commission to address police reform.
  • Guatemala cooperated with the United States and regional partners on several important counternarcotics initiatives in 2012
  • Guatemala and the United States continued to collaborate on a range of ongoing citizen security, counternarcotics, law enforcement, and rule-of-law initiatives in 2012, including the Central America Regional Security Initiative. U.S. assistan
  • United States provided support to an inter-agency anti-gang unit that brought together the PNC, Attorney General’s office (MP), and analysts from the PNC’s criminal analysis unit (CRADIC) to investigate and dismantle local gang organizations.
  • .S. support for rule-of-law activities, Guatemala increased its capacity to prosecute narcotics traffickers, organized crime leaders, money launderers and corrupt officials.
  • productive relations with Guatemala and will continue to support the government’s efforts to improve its technical and organizational capacity in the security and justice sectors.
  • better equipped to combat narcotics-related crimes in the country by fully implementing the Organized Crime Law
  • The United States encourages the Government of Guatemala to continue implementation of the Asset Seizure Law; quickly implement an anti-corruption law enacted by the Congress in October; approve legislation to regulate the gaming industry; and reform its law governing injunctions, which is often used to delay processes and trials
  • Concrete and substantial police reform, with appropriate budgetary support, is necessary for sustained progress in Guatemala. 
Javier E

Peace-Talk Critic Takes Lead in Colombia Presidential Vote - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...-juan-manuel-santos-leads.html

colombia guerrilla war diplomacy

shared by Javier E on 26 May 14 - No Cached
  • “Colombians will have two options, between those who prefer an end to the war and those who want a war without end,” Mr. Santos said after the results were made public. His main challenger, Óscar Iván Zuluaga, a former treasury minister, received 29 percent of the vote, with more than 99 percent of polling stations counted, officials said. Mr. Santos received slightly more than 25 percent in the field of five candidates.
  • Mr. Santos, 62, had cast himself as the peace candidate and urged voters to empower him to finish talks he started in 2012 with the rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
  • Mr. Zuluaga, 55, an ally of the right-wing former president, Álvaro Uribe, has been a harsh critic of the talks and could break them off if he becomes president.Colombia, a country of 47 million people, is one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America and has received billions of dollars in American aid in recent years to combat drug trafficking and guerrilla groups.
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  • Mr. Zuluaga has charged that Mr. Santos is liable to concede too much to achieve peace, including allowing guerrilla leaders to skip serious punishment. He has said, however, that he would consider continuing the talks if the FARC stopped all criminal activity.Mr. Zuluaga’s closeness to Mr. Uribe has been a central element of his campaign. Mr. Uribe, a polarizing figure with a strong political base, backed Mr. Santos when he ran for president in 2010. But they later became fierce enemies, splitting over the peace talks, which Mr. Uribe opposed.
krystalxu

'But what about the railways ...?' ​​The myth of Britain's gifts to India | W... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...in-empire-railways-myths-gifts

history politics diplomacy economy British India

shared by krystalxu on 10 Oct 17 - No Cached
  • the British took what they could for 200 years, but didn’t they also leave behind a great deal of lasting benefit?
  • Indeed, the British like to point out that the very idea of “India” as one entity (now three, but one during the British Raj), instead of multiple warring principalities and statelets, is the incontestable contribution of British imperial rule.
  • The idea of India is as old as the Vedas, the earliest Hindu scriptures, which describe “Bharatvarsha” as the land between the Himalayas and the seas.
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  • Indian Muslims, whether Pathans from the north-west or Tamils from the south, were all seen by Arabs as “Hindis”
  • there is little doubt that some Indian ruler, emulating his forerunners, would have done so.
  • the dismantling of existing political institutions, the fomenting of communal division and systematic political discrimination with a view to maintaining British domination.
  • Later, in 1857, the sight of Hindu and Muslim soldiers rebelling together,
  • As early as 1859, the then British governor of Bombay, Lord Elphinstone, advised London that “Divide et impera was the old Roman maxim, and it should be ours”.
  • The effort to understand ethnic, religious, sectarian and caste differences among Britain’s subjects inevitably became an exercise in defining, dividing and perpetuating these differences.
  • entire new communities were created by people who had not consciously thought of themselves as particularly different from others around them.
  • many other kinds of social strife were labelled as religious due to the colonists’ orientalist assumption that religion was the fundamental division in Indian society.
  • the creation and perpetuation of Hindu–Muslim antagonism was the most significant accomplishment of British imperial policy
  • The British ran government, tax collection, and administered what passed for justice.
  • Indians were excluded from all of these functions.
  • As late as 1920, under the Montagu-Chelmsford “reforms”, Indian representatives on the councils – elected by a franchise so restricted and selective that only one in 250 Indians had the right to vote
  • Democracy, in other words, had to be prised from the reluctant grasp of the British by Indian nationalists.
  • British law had to be imposed upon an older and more complex civilisation with its own legal culture
  • only three cases can be found of Englishmen executed for murdering Indians, while the murders of thousands more at British hands went unpunished.
  • In his notorious 1835 Minute on Education, Lord Macaulay articulated the classic reason for teaching English, but only to a small minority of Indians
  • The language was taught to a few to serve as intermediaries between the rulers and the ruled
  • But the facts are even more damning.
  • the third-class compartments, with their wooden benches and total absence of amenities, into which Indians were herded, attracted horrified comment even at the time
  • their Indian mechanics became so adept that in 1878 they started designing and building their own locomotives.
  • today rely extensively on Indian technical expertise, provided to them by Rites, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways.
  • The process of colonial rule in India meant economic exploitation and ruin to millions, the destruction of thriving industries, the systematic denial of opportunities to compete, the elimination of indigenous institutions of governance, the transformation of lifestyles and patterns of living that had flourished since time immemorial, and the obliteration of the most precious possessions of the colonised, their identities and their self-respect.
  • In the 17th and 18th centuries, British shopkeepers tried to pass off shoddy English-made textiles as Indian in order to charge higher prices for them.
  • there is no earthly reason why this could not again have been the case, if its resources had not been drained away by the British.
  • Today Indians cannot live without the railways;
  • As I’ve often argued, you don’t need to seek revenge upon history. History is its own revenge.
lenaurick

2010 Human Rights Reports: Antigua and Barbuda - 0 views

www.state.gov/...154490.htm

human human rights politics latin america foreign policy economy

shared by lenaurick on 28 Aug 16 - No Cached
  • Antigua and Barbuda is a multiparty, parliamentary democracy with a population of approximately 100,000.
  • There were human rights problems in some areas, including excessive use of force by police, poor prison conditions, some limits on press freedom, societal discrimination and violence against women, sexual abuse of children, and discrimination against homosexuality.
  • There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings.
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  • Nonetheless, there were occasional reports of police brutality, corruption, excessive force, discrimination against persons on basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and allegations of abuse by prison guards.
  • Prison conditions were very poor. Her Majesty's Prison, the country's only prison, was overcrowded, did not have toilet facilities, and slop pails were used in all 122 cells
  • Prisoners and detainees had reasonable access to visitors, were permitted religious observances, and had reasonable access to complaint mechanisms and the ability to request inquiry into conditions.
  • Security forces consist of a police force, the small Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which coordinates law enforcement and prosecutorial action to counter narcotics trafficking. The police force had approximately 750 officers.
  • The constitution provides that criminal defendants should receive a fair, open, and public trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right. Trials are by jury. Defendants enjoy a presumption of innocence, have timely access to counsel, may confront or question witnesses, and have the right to appeal. In capital cases only, the government provides legal assistance at public expense to persons without the means to retain a private attorney
  • There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees
  • The constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, but the government respected these rights on a somewhat limited basis
  • There were no government restrictions on access to the Internet or reports that government monitored e-mail or Internet chat rooms. Individuals and groups could engage in the peaceful expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail. There were 75 Internet users per 100 inhabitants, according to Internet World Statistics.
  • The constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully, and citizens exercised this right in practice through periodic, free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage.
  • Members of the Organization of American States observer group reported that the elections were generally free and fair.
  • There were two women in the 19-seat House of Representatives and five women appointed to the 17-seat Senate. The governor general, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the president of the Senate, all appointed positions, were women. There were two women in the cabinet.
  • The Freedom of Information Act gives citizens the statutory right to access official documents from public authorities and agencies, and it created a commissioner to oversee the process. In practice citizens found it difficult to obtain documents, possibly due to government funding constraints rather than obstruction.
  • The constitution prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, creed, language, or social status, and the government generally respected these prohibitions in practice.
  • The Directorate of Gender Affairs, part of the Ministry of Labor, Public Administration, and Empowerment, established and publicized a crisis hotline for victims and witnesses to sexual assault, and managed a sexual assault center that coordinates responses to sexual assault. When rape cases are reported to the police, a female police officer accompanies the victim for both questioning and medical examinations at the center. Once the doctor's report is completed, an investigation commences.
  • n situations where the victim did not know her assailant, the cases rarely came to trial.
  • Violence against women, including spousal abuse, was a problem. The law prohibits and provides penalties for domestic violence, but many women were reluctant to testify against their abusers.
  • Sexual harassment is illegal, but it was rarely prosecuted. According to the Labor Department, there was a high incidence of sexual harassment incurred by employees in both the private and public sectors. However, only approximately 20 cases were formally reported during the year; the small number was believed to result from concerns about retaliation.
  • Women in society enjoy the same rights as men under the law. However, economic conditions in rural areas tended to limit women to home and family, although some women worked as domestics, in agriculture, or in the large tourism sector. Despite these limitations, women were well represented in the private and public sectors. There was no legislation requiring equal pay for equal work, but women faced no restrictions involving ownership of property.
  • Citizenship is acquired by birth in the country, and all children were registered at birth
  • Child abuse remained a problem. The press reported regularly on the rape and sexual abuse of children.
  • Statutory rape is illegal; the minimum age for consensual sex is 14. Despite a maximum penalty of 10 years to life, authorities brought charges against few offenders, and those convicted did not serve long jail terms due to lack of witness cooperation
  • Homosexual acts for both sexes are illegal under indecency statues, and some male homosexual acts are also illegal under anal intercourse laws.
  • Some LGBT persons claimed that homophobia impairs the willingness of HIV-positive persons to obtain treatment; however, there were no reports of violence or discrimination directed toward persons with HIV/AIDS.
  • Workers have the right to associate freely and to form labor unions. Approximately 60 percent of workers in the formal sector belonged to a union. Unions were free to conduct their activities without government interference
  • Labor law prohibits retaliation against strikers, and the government effectively enforced this prohibition.
  • he constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children.
  • The law stipulates a minimum working age of 16 years, which corresponds with the provisions of the Education Act. In addition persons under 18 years of age must have a medical clearance to work and may not work later than 10 p.m.
  • The minimum wage was EC$7.00 ($2.59) an hour for all categories of labor, which provided a barely adequate standard of living for a worker and family. In practice the great majority of workers earned substantially more than the minimum wage.
  • The law provides that workers are not required to work more than a 48-hour, six-day workweek, but in practice the standard workweek was 40 hours in five days
  • While not specifically provided for by law, in practice workers could leave a dangerous workplace situation without jeopardy to continued employment.
  • lenaurick on 28 Aug 16
     
    This article is about common issues that countries face, and how Antigua and Barbuda deals with these issues. For the most part, it seemed that Antigua and Barbuda was a relatively developed country with a strong and fair government, rights for children, good working conditions, and unrestricted access to internet. However there were also areas where Antigua and Barbuda needed improvements. For example their prisons are overcrowded, women continue to be victims of sexual assault, and homophobia is acceptable. Overall this article helped me to get a better sense of where Antigua and Barbuda stands on major issues.
lenaurick

Children of Antigua and Barbuda | Humanium - Together for Children's Rights - 1 views

www.humanium.org/...antigua-and-barbuda

children human rights policy education

shared by lenaurick on 12 Jun 16 - No Cached
    • g-dragon
      g-dragon on 12 Jun 16
       
      There is a huge problem concerning children's rights in Antigua and Barbuda. First of all, the country does not have enough schools and the ones there are are overcrowded. Higher education schools usually require a fee AND and entrance exam. This means that if you have no money or could not go to school, higher education is basically impossible. Third, the law system there is troubling. Eight year olds can get the same penalties as adults in court and any person under the age of eighteen can be imprisoned in the same jails as adults for life for a murder. Fourth, there is a problem of discrimination in this country. Girls, children born out of non- married parents, people in poverty, and the handicapped children face great discrimination. - Daniel Lin
  • The United Nations has thus been advising Antigua and Barbuda since 2004 to put an end to laws that authorize any form of violence against children.
  • Even though a number of steps have been taken, like providing free schoolbooks and uniforms, access to education remains very unequal in Antigua and Barbuda.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Antigua and Barbuda must therefore continue with its efforts towards universal access to education by promoting free schooling at all levels.
  • A law on corporal punishments still exists in these islands, and it authorizes physical punishment of children at home as well as in more official locations, such as school.
  • Antigua and Barbuda, a small country made of two islands, has made great efforts in the protection of children’s rights
  • Any child 8 years of age can be called before the court and risks the same penalties as an adult. Similarly, a minor (an individual under 16 years of age) may receive the same punishment as an adult if charged with a crime. In this way, it is possible for a person under 18 years of age to be imprisoned for life for a murder.
  • Once the minors are tried, they do not have any special conditions on retention: they are locked up in the same prisons and sections as adults,
  • Girls, children born out of wedlock, and those living in poverty experience differences in access to basic services.
  • Another source of discrimination stems from the absence of physical systems to accommodate handicapped children; t
evanpitt14

Another Jamaican busted with drugs at the airport | Antigua Observer Newspaper - 1 views

antiguaobserver.com/sted-with-drugs-at-the-airport

shared by evanpitt14 on 03 Oct 16 - No Cached
  • another attempt to smuggle drugs into
  • 47 and a-half pounds of cannabis in his possession.
  • from Kingston, Jamaica.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • 12 wrapped packages of compressed cannabis hidden inside.
  • Last month, another Jamaican national, 37-year-old Dwayne Omar Swaby of Manderville was arrested and charged for attempting to smuggle 18 pounds of compressed cannabis into the country
  • cans  of cheese and fruit juice.
  • evanpitt14 on 03 Oct 16
     
    This again shows that many people are choosing Antigua as a prime spot for importing and exporting drugs. There has been many Jamaicans arrested in the past year for illegal drug possession and distribution in Antigua. This shows that Antigua must improve security in airports and border patrol
luckangeloja

Antigua and Barbuda - 0 views

www.state.gov/...222680.htm

ONDCP Antigua and Barbuda Drugs Money Laundering Gaming (Online Not Online)

shared by luckangeloja on 19 Oct 16 - No Cached
  • An increase in drug trafficking, a large financial sector, and a growing internet gaming industry likewise add to its susceptibility. Antigua and Barbuda’s Office of National Drug Control and Money Laundering Policy (ONDCP) continues to strive to eradicate transnational drug trafficking, money laundering, and the financing of terrorism through a three-pronged approach in the areas of financial intelligence and investigation, AML/CFT compliance, and counternarcotics operations. The ONDCP’s analysis in 2013 shows that criminals exploit the financial system as financial institutions often fail to apply sufficiently rigorous due diligence investigation to suspicious transactions.
  • The Government of Antigua and Barbuda receives approximately $3,120,000 per year from license fees and other charges related to the internet gaming industry.
  • luckangeloja on 19 Oct 16
     
    This article discussed the control that the Office at National Drug Control and Money Laundering Policy (ONDCP) of Antigua and Barbuda has over problems involving drugs and money laundering. From this article, I was able to take away that the problems involving online and non-online gaming takes away from the focus of drug trafficking, which is a major problem in this country.
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