INTERNACIONAL
Trump urged to review UN immunity, lax visa rules amid national security concerns
A 1947 agreement outlining obligations as host of the United Nations continues to give employees and their family members relatively unfettered access to the U.S.
At a time of increased national security fears and immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, experts are urging a re-examination of the host nation agreement with an eye to the functional immunity granted to U.N. staff and the limited vetting given to those with U.N. visas.
«The United States appears to have taken a relaxed view of the individuals entering the country associated with the U.N., either as employees or as representatives of various country missions. And yet we know that U.N. employees have had, and continue to have, close, direct relationships with terrorist organizations, like UNRWA and Hamas,» Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital.
UN WATCHDOG PROJECT CALLS ON DOGE CAUCUS TO ‘AUDIT’ THE INTERNATIONAL ORG
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s minister for foreign affairs, talks with Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s U.N. ambassador, during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, April 24, 2023. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Bayefsky said there is «a disconnect between the welcome routine and the significant harm to American interests. Hosting the U.N. does not require the host country to facilitate or endure threats to its national security.»
The federal government grants G visas to employees, spouses and children of international organizations, including the U.N., who reside in, or are visiting, the U.S. According to the State Department’s website, «if you are entitled to a G visa, under U.S. visa law, you must receive a G visa. The exceptions to this rule are extremely limited.» The Department of State also explains that «Embassies and consulates generally do not require an interview for those applying for G-1 – 4 and NATO-1 – 6 visas, although a consular officer can request an interview.»
Hugh Dugan, a senior advisor to 11 U.S. former ambassadors to the U.N., told Fox News Digital that it «appears to me that the issuance of the G visas for [U.N. employees] is a relatively rubber stamp exercise.» While not requiring interviews of personnel has «become a matter of convenience, frankly, we should always be able to assess a threat to our country.»’
Dugan, a former National Security Council special assistant to the president and senior director for international organization affairs, said nations like Russia and China are only allowed to travel a certain distance from U.N. headquarters. «We are mindful of our adversaries’ activities and presence here, but the door is open to participate in the U.N. and the host country agreement makes that possible so that no country would be barred because of a certain political atmosphere or issue that might be brewing between us and them.»
Former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi displays the photo of Gen. Kasim Soleimani at the United Nations. (Peter Aitken for Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital asked the State Department whether it requires interviews for staff from adversarial member states, including Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, North Korea, Iran and China, but received no response. A State Department spokesperson reiterated that consular officers «have full authority to require an in-person interview for any reason.»
Peter Gallo, formerly an investigator with the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), told Fox News Digital that he is particularly concerned about the functional immunity granted to U.N. staff participating in activities related to their employment. Gallo explained that «U.S. legal system has come to accept that pretty much it’s a blanket coverage.» He added that «immunity breeds impunity.»
REPUBLICANS SEEK TO BLOCK THE REAPPOINTMENT OF UN OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF ANTISEMITISM
Gallo claimed that there is an epidemic of sexual offenses and misconduct among U.N. staff. He cited an incident in which a U.N. employee outside the U.S. sexually harassed «a young female in his department.» Gallo said it took two years after receipt of the investigation report for an investigation to be completed, which resulted in the demotion of the offending employee. Gallo said the employee who was harassed, and her harasser remained in the same organization.
Gallo said that if employees take part in misconduct while based at U.N. headquarters, the U.S. government should be able to examine cases and determine whether staff should retain their G visas.
Dugan said that if U.N. personnel «knew that [immunity] could be lifted at any time by us… they might start behaving a lot differently.»
China’s Vice President Han Zheng addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 21, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
In response to questions about whether U.N. staff have been accused of sexual misconduct in the U.S., or whether U.N. staff who engaged in misconduct have had their G visas revoked, a State Department spokesperson explained the department «generally does not provide» revocation statistics. They also said that «all visa applicants, no matter the visa type and where they are located, are continuously vetted. Security vetting runs from the time of each application, through adjudication of the visa, and afterwards during the validity period of every issued visa, to ensure the individual remains eligible to travel to the United States.»
The spokesperson said officials of the U.N. «are expected to respect applicable laws of the United States, including criminal laws. Failure to do so may constitute an abuse of privileges of residence.» They added that this «applies for those who hold diplomatic immunity for their positions as well.»
Among staff who have raised internal alarm bells is U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, who traveled to the U.S. in 2024 to deliver a report before the Third Committee of the General Assembly. Albanese, whose antisemitism has been condemned widely by senior U.S. diplomats and the State Department, was allowed to tour multiple U.S. college campuses while in the U.S.
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In addition to qualifying for «rubber stamp» G visas, staff of international organizations like the United Nations can qualify for green cards if they have spent half of at least seven years of employment inside the U.S., or have been in the U.S. for a combined total of 15 years prior to retirement.
INTERNACIONAL
Chloé Zhao, directora de ‘Hamnet’: “Me convertí en cineasta porque me costaba expresar mis emociones”
La cineasta china Chloé Zhao, ganadora de varios Óscar de Hollywood por Nomadland y ahora nominada en ocho categorías por Hamnet’, define su situación como “compleja”: “Puede ser un poco desagradable que a tu trabajo le pongan una etiqueta” en la que solo eres “ganador o no”, dice. “Creo que todos mis compañeros se sienten así porque todos somos muy sensibles. Así que a lo que nos aferramos es a la comunidad que existe dentro de nuestra industria, especialmente ahora mismo, y a apoyarnos mutuamente”, explica Zhao (43 años) en una entrevista antes de un encuentro en la Academia de Cine.
Todos los pronósticos señalan que el próximo 15 de marzo la cineasta recogerá varias estatuillas por su película sobre el dolor de Shakespeare y su esposa por la muerte de su hijo de 11 años, adaptación de la novela de Maggie O’Farrell, producida por Steven Spielberg, que está teniendo una gran respuesta en cines de distintos países, a cuyo público da las gracias.
Sobre sus orígenes en la industria audiovisual, asegura que hace las películas “por supervivencia”. “Sinceramente, me convertí en narradora y cineasta porque me costaba conectar, expresar o sentir mis emociones”, dice Zhao, que se define como neurodivergente. Sin embargo, sí es capaz de conectar con las emociones de otros -“la pérdida se siente igual, el desamor se siente igual, el amor se siente igual”- y de integrarse rápidamente en comunidades en apariencia muy diferentes.
Esta mujer que nació en China, se educó en Reino Unido y estudió cine en EE.UU., considera que “cuando no eres de un lugar y no tienes un profundo apego, en lo único en lo que puedes confiar es en estar completamente presente cuando estás con otro ser humano”. Con esta premisa consiguió obras como el excelente retrato del oeste americano contemporáneo de The Rider (2017) o la historia de una mujer mayor y pobre que debe buscarse la vida en los bellos pero hostiles paisajes estadounidenses de Nomadland (2020). “Es más fácil y seguro crear un mundo fantástico y contar las historias de otras personas” y “experimentar una especie de catarsis a través de la alquimia de la narración”, destaca.
Algo parecido es lo que le ocurre al personaje de Shakespeare en Hamnet’, que en la piel del actor Paul Mescal muestra dudas, debilidades y un dolor que vuelca en sus inmortales creaciones literarias. La imagen de un Shakespeare que llora chocó a algunos críticos que consideran excesiva la carga emocional de la película. Al respecto, la directora cree que “vivimos en una sociedad que, lamentablemente, no honra nada lo que no es productivo” y en la que a menudo se ocultan los duelos.
(Foto: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC)
“Preferimos vivir en verano todo el tiempo en lugar de honrar el invierno, cuando las cosas se están muriendo y se están preparando para el siguiente renacimiento”, defiende Zhao, quien explica que “si no te permites sentir duelo sin intelectualizarlo” no habrá una transformación. Ella misma, a medida que madura, también sigue un proceso de “curación”, ya que había partes sobre las que no se había permitido hacer un duelo.
“Cuanto más lo hago, más me doy cuenta de que el cine, si no pones cuidado, puede ser disociativo, en el sentido de que no estás en tu cuerpo, sino en tu cabeza”, reflexiona. Un ejemplo de esta corporeidad en la película de Hamnet sería la escena del primer parto de la esposa de Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway -en la película es Agnes, el nombre con el que también se le conocía-, interpretada por la actriz irlandesa Jessie Buckley. “El primer nacimiento en el bosque fue muy diferente al segundo, estaba mucho más en contacto con su cuerpo. El bosque, metafóricamente, es su conexión con su propio bosque interior; no solo con su cuerpo, sino con el linaje de las madres y las mujeres de su linaje”, subraya Zhao.
Fuente: EFE
Arts,Culture,Entertainment,Arts / Culture / Entertainment,North America
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FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of election integrity groups is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling that found federal law requires mail ballots to be received by Election Day.
The conservative-leaning groups, including the Honest Elections Project and the Center for Election Confidence, filed an amicus brief supporting the Republican National Committee’s challenge to Mississippi’s postmark deadline. They argue that federal law establishing a single Election Day requires ballots to be in election officials’ hands by the close of polls. The case could determine whether similar postmark-based deadlines in 14 states remain valid ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Supporters of the RNC’s position say a ruling affirming the lower court would establish a clear standard for when ballots must be received, though curtailing acceptance of late-arriving ballots would not guarantee that election officials won’t still be tabulating ballots in close races beyond Election Day.
«Counting ballots that are received after Election Day unnecessarily damages public trust in election outcomes, delays results, and violates the law,» Jason Snead, Honest Elections Project executive director, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
SUPREME COURT SAYS ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN CAN SUE OVER STATE MAIL-IN VOTING LAWS
Mail-in ballots are inspected at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on Nov. 4, 2025, in California. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Oral arguments in the case, Watson v. Republican National Committee, are set for March 23, and a decision is expected by the summer.
The case arose from a lawsuit brought by the RNC challenging Mississippi’s practice of counting mail ballots received up to five business days after Election Day if postmarked by that day.
The RNC chose to bring the case in the Republican-friendly U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which ruled in the RNC’s favor and found that federal law trumps the state’s deadline and requires ballots to be received by Election Day.
At issue is whether statutes establishing a single Election Day mean that all ballots must be received by that day to be valid. The election integrity groups argued that under the Supreme Court’s decision from three decades ago in Foster v. Love, the «final act of selection» must occur on Election Day and that receipt of a mail-in ballot constitutes casting a ballot, which cannot happen after Election Day by that standard.
Minnie Bounds, 74, fills out her ballot at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School on Nov. 07, 2023, in Jackson, Mississippi. After months of candidates campaigning, the state of Mississippi is voting today in the Governor’s race between Gov. Tate Reeves and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Snead said a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court would «protect the rights of voters and the integrity of the democratic process, and ensure that it is easy to vote but hard to cheat in future elections.»
The election integrity coalition argued that allowing ballots to arrive after Election Day can lead to delayed results and can chip away at voters’ confidence in elections.
The groups also pointed to recent U.S. Postal Service guidance that warned that postmarks might not reliably reflect when a ballot entered the mail.
HOUSE GOP MOVES TO REQUIRE PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, PHOTO ID TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTION
The Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jon Elswick)
Fourteen states and Washington, D.C., currently count ballots received after Election Day if postmarked on time.
Since the 2024 midterm election, four Republican-controlled states, Kansas, Ohio, Utah and North Dakota, have moved to require receipt by Election Day.
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A ruling upholding the 5th Circuit could invalidate the laws in the 14 states and require ballots to be in election officials’ hands by the close of polls. The decision is expected to affect the 2026 midterms.
Military and overseas ballots, which are governed by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, would likely remain unaffected.
supreme court,mississippi,elections,judiciary,voting,voter fraud concerns
INTERNACIONAL
Iran fires live missiles into Strait of Hormuz as Trump envoys arrive for nuclear talks
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Iran fired live missiles into the Strait of Hormuz during naval drills Tuesday and signaled it is prepared to close the strategic waterway if ordered by senior leadership, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.
The drills come as President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting senior Iranian officials in Geneva for a second round of nuclear talks.
Rear Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, said Tehran stands ready to shut down the strait, a critical global oil transit route, according to Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC.
Tasnim said traffic through the shipping corridor was suspended for several hours during the «Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz» exercise, which included missile launches from vessels, coastal positions and inland sites, as well as drone operations conducted in signal-jamming conditions.
TOP IRAN SECURITY OFFICIAL SEEN IN OMAN DAYS AFTER INDIRECT NUCLEAR TALKS WITH US
Iranian military personnel take part in the «Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz» exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 16, 2026. (Press Office Of The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) previously urged the IRGC in late January to carry out its announced two-day live-fire naval exercise «in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic.»
«U.S. forces acknowledge Iran’s right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters. Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization,» it said.
GLOBAL PROTESTS CALL FOR IRAN REGIME CHANGE IN MAJOR CITIES WORLDWIDE AFTER BLOODY CRACKDOWN
Iranian military personnel take part in the «Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz» exercise in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 16, 2026. (Press Office Of The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Trump administration has built up a large military presence in the Middle East as talks over Iran’s nuclear program continue, with U.S. officials signaling that any potential agreement would need to go beyond enrichment and address broader security concerns.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in February that for negotiations to be «meaningful,» they would need to address Iran’s ballistic missiles, its sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, its nuclear program and its treatment of its own people.
UK, FRANCE, GERMANY TRIGGER UN SANCTIONS ON IRAN OVER ‘SIGNIFICANT’ NUCLEAR PROGRAM DEFIANCE
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Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that he would be involved in the talks «indirectly.»
«They’ll be very important and we’ll see what can happen. It’s been – typically Iran’s a very tough negotiator. They’re good negotiators or bad. I would say they’re bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2’s in to knock out their nuclear potential,» he said. «And we had to send the B-2’s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal.»
iran,middle east,donald trump
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