Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade is under pressure from local officials to clarify his ties to Derrick Bernard, who was indicted for staging a hate crime during Mobolade’s mayoral campaign.

Bernard, who is black, scrawled a racial slur on a campaign sign and set a cross on fire in an incident described as a hoax to boost Mobolade’s candidacy.

The indictment revealed Bernard communicated with Mobolade about the hoax, including a message on the day of the incident promising his victory.

Despite initially denying contact with Bernard in two FBI interviews, Mobolade later stated he could not recall specifics.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to prosecute him, citing political and racial considerations.

In a statement to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Mobolade rejected the allegations without directly disputing the details. “My family and I are victims of a hate crime… I had no knowledge, warning, or involvement in this reprehensible act,” he said, adding that politically motivated websites spread misinformation.

City Councilman Dave Donelson and County Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez Jr. have called for transparency. Donelson asked, “Did he lie to the FBI in those two interviews?” Mobolade’s office dismissed the claims as “unfounded,” emphasizing respect for the ongoing investigation.

Former prosecutor George Brauchler criticized Mobolade in a Gazette op-ed, saying, “Lying to the FBI is a serious, go-to-prison crime.” He questioned Mobolade’s refusal to provide a clear denial, suggesting it raises further suspicion. Brauchler argued that the DOJ’s handling of the case undermines public trust.

The controversy deepened when reports revealed Bernard messaged Mobolade on election night to take credit for the win and later sought favors in return.

Calls for the mayor to address these allegations continue to mount, as local leaders and residents demand accountability.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, on Tuesday, declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition of being “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget bill.

“To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation.

“With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice,” he added.

The surprise move comes as Yoon’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party continue to bicker over next year’s budget bill. Opposition MPs last week approved a significantly downsized budget plan through a parliamentary committee.

The opposition has slashed approximately 4.1 trillion won ($2.8 billion) from Yoon’s proposed 677 trillion won budget plan, cutting the government’s reserve fund and activity budgets for Yoon’s office, the prosecution, police and the state audit agency.

“Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyse the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order,” Yoon said.

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Yoon, a former prosecutor, accused opposition lawmakers of cutting “all key budgets essential to the nation’s core functions, such as combatting drug crimes and maintaining public security… turning the country into a drug haven and a state of public safety chaos.”

The president went on to label the opposition, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, as “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime”.

Yoon described the imposition of martial law as “inevitable to guarantee the continuity of a liberal South Korea,” adding that it would not impact the country’s foreign policy.

“I will restore the country to normalcy by getting rid of anti-state forces as soon as possible,” he said, without elaborating further other than the martial law in place.

He described the current situation as South Korea “on the verge of collapse, with the National Assembly acting as a monster intent on bringing down liberal democracy”.

With martial law imposed, all military units in the South, which remains technically at war with the nuclear-armed North, have been ordered to strengthen their emergency alert and readiness postures, Yonhap news agency reported.

The entrance to the National Assembly has been sealed, and MPs have been barred from entering the building, according to Yonhap.

The imposition of emergency martial law comes as Yoon’s approval rating dropped to 19 percent in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.

Belgium has passed a landmark law granting sex workers the same rights to maternity pay, pensions, and employment protections as other workers.

On Sunday, the country’s lawmakers signed into law that ensures sex workers are treated as employees, entitling them to benefits such as maternity leave, pension contributions, and legal safeguards against exploitation.

The decision is a result of months of protests in 2022, prompted by the lack of state support for sex workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The historic change aims to offer sex workers greater legal recognition and workplace protections, marking a first for any country worldwide.

The law also extends significant protections to sex workers, guaranteeing the right to refuse sexual partners, specific acts, or to stop an act at any time.

In addition, employers of sex workers must meet rigorous standards, including having a business address in Belgium, maintaining a good character, and ensuring premises are equipped with panic buttons, clean linen, showers, and condoms.

The Belgian Union of Sex Workers said the law is “a huge step forward, ending legal discrimination against sex workers”.

Sophie, a sex worker in Belgium, told the BBC that the new law is an “opportunity for us to exist as people”.

Erin Kilbride, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the law should be emulated by every country in the world.

“This is radical, and it’s the best step we have seen anywhere in the world so far. We need every country to be moving in that direction.”