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A branch of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sent to Italy for the Winter Olympics will not carry out patrols and will have only an “advisory” role, Washington’s ambassador to Rome said on Wednesday.News of its deployment for the February 6-22 Games in Milan-Cortina has sparked anger in Italy, after the agency’s involvement in an often brutal crackdown on immigration in the United States.But US ambassador to Italy Tilman J. Fertitta said ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit will be “strictly advisory and intelligence-based, with no patrolling or enforcement involvement”.”At the Olympics, HSI criminal investigators will contribute their expertise by providing intelligence on transnational criminal threats, with a focus on cybercrimes and national security threats.”All security operations will remain the responsibility of Italian authorities,” he said after meeting Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.ICE operations in a number of US cities have triggered large-scale protests, and the recent killings of two demonstrators have caused outrage.Agents accused of violence there are from a different division than that earmarked for the Olympics.Fertitta said the HSI focuses on “cross-border criminal activity, ranging from investigating human smuggling, narcotics trafficking, child exploitation, financial crimes, intellectual property right theft, to recovering stolen art and antiquities”.The Italian authorities initially denied speculation that ICE would be present at the Games, then played down their role, suggesting that they would only be helping with security for the US delegation.US Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected at the opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium on February 6.Italy’s political opposition has asked the government to refuse the deployment, and protests are expected in the coming days in Rome and Milan.

A US immigration judge on Wednesday granted asylum to a Chinese man who fled his country after documenting sites of alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs, his mother and lawyer told AFP.Guan Heng, 38, had been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August, sparking fear among activists and supporters that he could be sent back to China where they said he would likely face persecution.But Guan was granted asylum Wednesday, a result that has become increasingly difficult in recent times.His lawyer, Chen Chuangchuang, told AFP that his actions “driven by his extraordinary moral courage, are worthy of US government protection.””We’ve been very moved, and thankful for everyone’s concern,” he said.Besides efforts by human rights activists, the top Democrat of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Raja Krishnamoorthi, also urged in December for Guan’s asylum petition to be granted.In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, he said the United States has “a legal responsibility to protect those who seek refuge in our country from persecution by authoritarian governments.”For now, Guan remains in detention and the Department of Homeland Security has a 30-day window where it could appeal the decision.”It’s unbelievable,” Guan’s mother, Luo Yun, said of the outcome. “I’m really, really happy.”She has spoken with her son since learning of the decision, and said he is similarly overwhelmed: “He had been anxious and unsettled about today’s hearing.”In late 2021, Guan published a 20-minute video online detailing his travel around the northwestern Xinjiang region in China.He was visiting places identified by a BuzzFeed investigation as detention facilities for Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities — or likely sites for such centers.Beijing has been accused of detaining more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslims since 2017, part of a campaign that the United Nations previously said could constitute “crimes against humanity.”China vehemently denies these allegations, claiming its policies have rooted out extremism in Xinjiang and boosted economic development.Guan left China after filming the videos, and entered the United States after travels through South America.Asked about her plans if Guan were released, Luo said: “The first thing I want to do is go shopping at a large supermarket with him, to finally be able to walk through the aisles hand-in-hand with my child.”

A man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison at a US court for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist highly critical of Tehran.Carlisle Rivera, 50, was arrested in November 2024 before carrying out the plan that the US Justice Department said was directed by the government of Iran. Alinejad is one of the most prominent dissident campaigners against Iranian authorities and for years has pushed for the abolition of the obligatory headscarf in Iran under the banner of “MyStealthyFreedom.”She left Iran in 2009.After the sentencing, Alinejad, 49, called on the United States to “take action against (those) in power in Iran” and to arrest its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Her remarks outside a New York courthouse came as US President Donald Trump upped his military threats against Iran on Wednesday. “Today’s sentence underscores the consequences of conspiring with a regime that relies on violence and intimidation to survive,” John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement. Another man who pleaded guilty in the plot, Jonathan Loadholt, will be sentenced in April.Alinejad was the target of another assassination attempt thwarted at the last moment in the summer of 2022.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday urged the US government to provide reassurances to World Cup visitors, days after images of federal immigration agents killing a second person in Minneapolis sent shockwaves around the world.The United States is co-hosting this summer’s football showcase with Canada and Mexico. Most of the games are being staged in the United States, with concerns growing among overseas visitors that they could be caught up in President Donald Trump’s often brutal immigration crackdown.”We need to show a better face to the world, that we are going to welcome people, that they’re not going to have immigration problems,” Bass said.Bass told reporters she was “sure” that sports fans visiting Los Angeles for the World Cup or the 2028 Summer Olympics would not be directly affected.”But I do think that message has to come from the White House as well. They are the ones that need to send that message,” she said.This month, immigration agents shot dead two Minneapolis protesters at point-blank range.The latest, intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti, was shot multiple times after being forced to the ground by camouflage-clad officers.Federal immigration agents have been deployed to several other major cities including Los Angeles, which will host eight World Cup games including the host nation’s opener and a quarter final.Trump has become closely associated with the upcoming World Cup, attending the tournament’s draw, where he was awarded a “FIFA peace prize.”Ross McCall, FIFA’s executive director for commercial operations, told AFP that football’s governing body was in “constant dialogue” with the Trump administration.”Everyone is incentivized to make this World Cup as safe and inclusive as it can be. So just know that that work is obviously going on,” he said.At Wednesday’s event, officials announced a series of fan zones with live screenings and other festivities across the Los Angeles area during the World Cup.These include the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a giant 78,000 capacity stadium that has hosted two Olympic Games, and world-famous Venice Beach.Earlier this week it was reported that a branch of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be deployed for next month’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.US ambassador to Italy Tilman J. Fertitta said Wednesday that those agents, from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, will have an “advisory” role.”I think it’s very frightening,” Bass said. “I think it sends a very scary message to the world.”

A nonprofit says authorities in the US capital Washington have failed to properly warn the public about a massive sewage leak into the Potomac River, thought to be among the largest such spills in the nation’s history.A six-foot-wide rupture in an aging line on January 19 released 40 million gallons of raw effluent until January 24, when DC Water, the city’s water utility, activated a bypass that channeled the flow through a canal and back into another section of the line.Overflow is still entering the river, albeit at a reduced rate, as workers try to plug the gap — efforts that have been hampered by subzero temperatures and one of the worst snowstorms in years, which has yet to be fully cleared days after it passed.Dean Naujoks of the nonprofit Potomac River Keeper Network said that while it was clear that authorities were doing their best to contain the spill, they had failed to adequately convey public-health risks to the public.”I’ve dealt with a lot of sewage spills, but this is definitely the largest I’ve ever dealt with,” he told AFP, adding his organization estimated that 300 million gallons had now entered the river.That figure is equivalent to around 450 Olympic-sized swimming pools and higher than a reported 230- million gallon spill along the US-Mexico border in 2017.Sampling by the group found levels of E. coli bacteria at 12,000 times higher than limits set by authorities for human contact, said Naujoks, who added that he returned to the rupture site again on Wednesday to test for other contaminants.E. coli is a type of bacteria that resides in mammal guts and is considered a proxy indicator for water quality and pollution levels. “It’s really concerning and yet, we’re the only ones doing the sampling,” he added.Public-health agencies typically issue advisories in summer, when people are more likely to recreate in the water, including paddling and fishing. So far, the state of Maryland has activated a shell fish consumption advisory, but the District of Columbia has not taken similar steps.The Potomac, which flows along Washington’s western edge and past its monuments, is both the capital’s defining waterway and a major source of drinking water for the region.The rupture occurred at Lock 10, just upstream of CIA headquarters in neighboring Virginia, creating a foul stench in the surrounding area.DC Water says there is no impact on drinking water because the Washington Aqueduct’s main intake points are upstream of the break.In an email to AFP, DC Water spokeswoman Sherri Lewis said: “After the overflow is fully contained and the pipe repaired, work will begin to assess the areas where the overflow occurred,” adding that the work would be carried out with relevant partner agencies.She added that the ruptured line was built in the 1960s and that DC Water had scheduled the section for remediation under a $625 million plan, but work had not yet begun.

When immigration officials came to arrest two men targeted for deportation, a community sprang into action to protest what they said was a brutal policy by an inhumane government.With little more than cellphones and a righteous sense of injustice, a handful of people spread the word that they needed to take a stand.Dozens, then hundreds, then thousands more arrived to confront the authorities to stop their neighbors being taken away.But this was not Minneapolis in 2026 — it was Scotland’s Glasgow in 2021. The community effort worked; the men were released.”Everybody to Kenmure Street” was perhaps the most timely documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.Director Felipe Bustos Sierra pieced together the events using cellphone footage from some of the estimated 2,500 people who answered the call from WhatsApp groups, book club text message circles or Facebook livestreams.What emerged was an uplifting portrait of a spontaneous, organic and leaderless protest in Pollockshields, an ethnically diverse suburb of Glasgow.  – ‘Drip, drip, drip’ -Tabassum Niamat had been up all night preparing a family feast for Eid al-Fitr, the celebration that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.”Suddenly, I got these text messages,” she told AFP. “I made my way to Kenmure Street, and lo and behold, what was in front of me was a big immigration van.”A dawn raid on the first day of Eid by a team from Britain’s Home Office (interior ministry) seemed designed to inflame tensions in an area with a large South Asian population.One quick-thinking campaigner crawled underneath the van as the arrests were happening inside a home — a place he would remain for over eight hours to prevent the van moving.”It was just maybe five of us at that point. And soon after, there was 10, then it was 20…just like drip, drip, drip, until there were so many of us I couldn’t see one end of Kenmure Street to the other,” said Niamat.A growing police presence did not deter the protesters, who set up a makeshift pantry in a bus stop offering food and drinks.The local mosque also threw open its doors to allow anyone — police officers or protesters — to use the toilets.”What do you do when guests arrive at your doorstep? You feed them, you look after them,” Niamat said.As news of the protest spread, a local human rights lawyer arrived and was able to negotiate the detainees’ unconditional release. No one was seriously injured in the spontaneous protest.- Van man -Many of the locals who told the story of the protest appeared on camera, but some key characters did not. Among them was the figure dubbed simply “Van Man,” whose name was not revealed, but whose words were spoken by actress Emma Thompson, appearing to be lying under a van.Partly, explained Bustos Sierra, this was to safeguard a person who became something of a legend around Glasgow after the protest.But it was also an effort to emphasize that this protest was a collective action, and a victory for everyone.”Van Man had the opportunity,” Bustos Sierra told AFP. “Anybody could have done this. Anybody should do this. It’s the only way we move forward.”The documentary premiered at Sundance two days before 37-year-old protester Alex Pretti was shot dead by US federal agents in Minneapolis as he demonstrated against a military-style immigration crackdown in the city.While the context was different — UK police are not routinely armed, and there were no signs in the film that pepper spray or batons were used on protesters — Niamat saw parallels with Minnesota.”If you come out for your fellow man, if you come out for the sake of humanity, if you come out because you believe what’s happening is wrong, you’re instantly going to feel connected, and you’ll want to stand together.”The Sundance Film Festival runs until February 1.

The White House and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday both denied a report that he had expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s mental health to other European leaders.Politico, citing European diplomats, said that nationalist leader Fico had told counterparts at a summit last week he was worried about the US leader’s “psychological state.”It also said Fico, a Trump ally, had used the word “dangerous” to describe how the US president came across when they met in Florida on January 17.”This is absolutely total fake news from anonymous European diplomats who are trying to be relevant. The meeting at Mar-a-Lago was positive and productive,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to AFP.The Slovak leader, who shares the same nationalist ideology as Trump, denounced the Politico report as “lies.””I strongly reject the lies of the hateful, pro-Brussels liberal portal Politico,” Fico said on X, posting in capitals like Trump often does on social media.Without directly mentioning Trump’s mental state, Fico said that he “did not speak informally with any prime minister or president about my visit to the US” and rejected Politico’s report about “how I assessed my meeting” with Trump.”No one heard anything, no one saw anything, there are no witnesses, but nothing prevented the Politico portal from coming up with lies,” he said.Following their meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Fico said he had “exceptionally important” talks with the US leader.The physical and mental health of 79-year-old Trump, the oldest person ever to be elected as US president, has become an extremely sensitive issue for the White House. Republican Trump, who turns 80 in June, has consistently portrayed his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden as decrepit while boasting about his own vitality.But there has been increasing speculation about Trump’s own health, including over frequent bruising on his hands, and footage of him apparently dozing in meetings.

The era of rules-based trade with the United States is “over,” Canada’s central bank governor said Wednesday, echoing a stark warning from the country’s prime minister that President Donald Trump’s impact on global trade is permanent.Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem made the comments during an interest rate announcement which held the key rate at 2.25 percent, citing “unpredictable” US trade policies.Macklem has repeatedly warned that the bank’s efforts to forecast the Canadian economy had grown increasingly difficult given the tariffs imposed and threatened by Trump.On Wednesday he made clear that he agrees with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who told the World Economic Forum last week that there would be no going back to a pre-Trump normal in the US-led international system. “It’s pretty clear that the days of open rules-based trade with the United States are over,” Macklem told reporters.In a speech that has captured global attention, Carney said “nostalgia is not a strategy,” urging middle-sized powers who have previously benefitted from the stability of US economic dominance to recognize that a new reality had set it. More than 75 percent of all Canadian exports go to the United States and the country remains uniquely vulnerable to Trump’s protectionism.Macklem said Canadian growth remains stunted by US policy. Trump’s global sectoral tariffs have hit Canada’s auto, steel, aluminum and lumber industries hard.But the most severe disruptions may be yet to come, Macklem stressed.Trump has so far broadly adhered to the existing North American free trade agreement, which he signed and praised during his first term.With the United States‑Mexico‑Canada Agreement (USMCA) still holding, more than 85 percent of all bilateral trade has remained tariff‑free.But talks on updating that deal are set for this year and the Trump administration has indicated it could seek major changes, or may move to scrap the pact entirely, an outcome that would upend the Canadian economy. “The upcoming review of the (USMCA) is an important risk,” Macklem said.A volatile geopolitical environment is also complicating Canada’s immediate economic future, he added. “I’m not going to go through every event, but the month of January has been pretty packed with new geopolitical risks,” Macklem said, in an apparent reference to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Trump’s threats on Greenland and the unrest in Iran.  – US Fed independence -Macklem also took aim at Trump’s efforts to exert political influence on the US Federal Reserve. “The US Federal Reserve is the biggest, most important central bank in the world and we all need it to work well,” Macklem said.”A loss of independence of the Fed would affect us all,” he warned, but stressed that for Canada the consequences of a politically influenced Fed would likely be far-reaching, given the integrated nature of the neighboring economies. An independent Fed “good for America,” Macklem said. Trump has been seeking to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations, while the Department of Justice is investigating Fed chairman Jerome Powell over the bank’s headquarters renovation.In a rare rebuke this month, Powell criticized the threat of criminal charges against him, saying this was about whether monetary policy would be “directed by political pressure or intimidation.”

The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday at its first policy gathering this year, citing robust economic growth, as the central bank resists President Donald Trump’s mounting pressure for cuts.The Fed’s 10-2 vote maintains rates at a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent, an outcome that was widely expected as officials await more data on the world’s biggest economy.In a statement on its decision, policymakers flagged that economic activity has been “expanding at a solid pace,” while the unemployment rate showed some “signs of stabilization.”But the Federal Open Market Committee saw two dissents.Fed Governor Stephen Miran, alongside Christopher Waller — who is seen as a potential candidate to succeed chairman Jerome Powell — both backed a quarter-percentage-point rate cut instead.The Fed has made quarter-point cuts at its last three policy meetings, as officials worried about the cooling jobs market. Miran, who was recently appointed by Trump, pushed for larger reductions each time.But solid GDP growth, relatively low unemployment and stubborn inflation have provided reasons to pause, putting officials again at odds with Trump, who has repeatedly urged for lower interest rates.Trump has sharply escalated pressure on the Fed since returning to the White House a year ago, taking steps that officials warn could threaten the bank’s independence from politics.The president has been seeking to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations, while his administration launched an investigation into Powell over the bank’s headquarters renovation.In a rare rebuke this month, Powell criticized the threat of criminal charges against him, saying this was about whether monetary policy would be “directed by political pressure or intimidation.”- Higher bar -“While the Fed has been politically pressured to cut rates, it is not pressed by the data,” said EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco.Officials appear to have converged on a near-term halt in rate reductions, with their debate now centering around what conditions justify further cuts — and how quickly these should take place.”The hurdle for additional near-term cuts has risen,” Daco said.Officials will be looking for “clearer, more durable evidence of disinflation” or renewed deterioration in the labor market before lowering rates again, he added.Recent weakness in the US dollar could cause further complications, making imported products more expensive for American consumers who are already hit by higher prices as Trump’s tariffs flow through supply chains.Financial markets generally expect the Fed to continue keeping rates unchanged until its June meeting, according to CME FedWatch.Looking ahead, all eyes are also on how Trump’s nominee to succeed Powell — whose chairmanship of the bank ends in May — shapes Fed policy.”We think inflation peaks and starts to turn lower (this year) but also importantly, we think a new Fed chair would be more open to helping to navigate lower interest rates,” said Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic.- Credibility issues -One issue is whether the new chairman can corral the rest of the rate-setting committee into more cuts, ING analysts said.Outside the Fed, it could be harder for the next chairman to convince investors that the bank will continue pursuing its mandate of low and stable inflation and maximum employment, independent of political influence, said Michael Strain of the conservative American Enterprise Institute.Given the way the Trump administration has targeted Powell, Strain added that “establishing credibility will be much more challenging” for Powell’s successor than previous Fed chiefs over the last few decades.Strain, who is AEI’s director of economic policy studies, also cautioned that the Fed may have gone too far in lowering rates last year.He warned that the labor market might be stronger than officials think, while there remains a risk that inflation accelerates again.”Certainly, the Fed should not continue to cut,” he said. “I’m worried the Fed’s going to have to hike in 2026.”

Veteran rock legend Neil Young has given Greenland residents free access to his catalogue, saying he hoped the gesture offered stress relief to those unsettled by US President Donald Trump’s threats.”This is an offer of peace and love,” the dual US‑Canadian musician said on his website.”I hope my music and music films will ease some of the unwanted stress and threats you are experiencing from our unpopular and hopefully temporary government,” Young wrote.After European pushback, Trump backed down on his threat to take Greenland, a mineral‑rich Danish autonomous territory.”All the music I have made during the last 62 years is yours to hear,” the 80‑year‑old Young said.Anyone with a cellphone number using Greenland’s country code can access the gift, which Young said is renewable “as long as you are in Greenland.”Young has been a long-standing critic of Trump. When Trump was elected to his first term in 2016, Young wrote a song called “Already Great” as a repudiation of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.