AFP USA

Natalia fled Russia fearing imminent arrest for her family’s opposition activism and sought political asylum in the United States. But instead of refuge, she found herself locked in jail for over a year, separated from her husband and children and dreading deportation.With the Trump administration stepping up removals as part of its sweeping anti-immigration crackdown, rights activists warn that deporting Russian dissidents puts them at risk of prison and persecution back home.”I supported the opposition, I supported opposition activists who were against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s regime,” Natalia told AFP in a phone interview from an immigration detention center in the southern state of Louisiana. “If I return to Russia, I will be arrested.”Clad in an orange prison uniform, Natalia shares a dormitory with about 60 other women sleeping in bunk beds. Showers and toilets are in the same room, behind curtains that don’t offer privacy or respite from the foul smell.Tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States, many by crossing the border from Mexico, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Moscow’s ensuing suppression of dissent.About 85 percent of Russian asylum claims adjudicated last year were approved, according to official data, but detainees, lawyers and rights groups say denials have increased in recent months, while detainees are subjected to arbitrary detention and not given a fair chance to defend themselves in court.Nearly 900 Russians, many of them asylum seekers, have been deported back home since 2022, official data shows.They include some 100 who were sent back under convoy over the summer on two specially chartered flights, precluding them from seeking refuge in a third country, according to the Russian America for Democracy in Russia (RADR) group and the Russian Antiwar Committee.The deportees faced lengthy interrogations on arrival and at least two of them were arrested, including a serviceman who deserted following the Ukraine invasion and an opposition activist, the groups said.”It’s a catastrophe,” said Dmitry Valuev, RADR’s president. “It cannot be done. They are deporting people who face real danger in Russia.”- ‘Deep sense of disappointment’ – Long-time political activists, Natalia and her husband campaigned for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose organization has since been outlawed and declared “extremist” in Russia, while his supporters were persecuted.After police searched their apartment outside Moscow in 2023, Natalia’s husband and their pre-teen son flew to Mexico and crossed the US border. In the United States, they surrendered themselves to immigration authorities and were released on parole to await their political asylum hearing in a midwestern state.Natalia followed them a year later, but ended up detained.She has spent nearly 1.5 years in jail, one of an estimated 1,000 Russian citizens held in immigration jails across the country, according to RADR.Lawyers say married couples are often sent to prison in different states, often depriving one of the spouses of a strong asylum case.In April, a judge denied Natalia’s request for political asylum, despite the family’s prior arrests for anti-government protests and a history of involvement with a banned opposition group. She has filed an appeal. “I have a deep sense of disappointment, I thought there is some kind of justice and reason here,” Natalia said. “I could never believe that I would be treated in court the same way as in Russia.”- ‘Completely inhumane’ – Another Russian asylum seeker held with Natalia has also lost her case and is awaiting removal. Her husband Yuri was deported on a commercial flight over the summer, after a year in detention, but was able to get off the plane in Morocco and buy a plane ticket to a third country.He worries, however, that his wife will not have that chance, as was the case with the two mass deportation flights.”It’s completely inhumane not to give people an opportunity to get off the flight,” Yuri told AFP from a South Asian country where he is currently staying. “Fine, you want to kick them out of America, but to do this?”US officials declined to comment on recent deportations of Russian citizens.At the Louisiana detention center, the days are long and grim.Natalia says security guards can throw away their meager belongings or forbid them to use a towel to keep warm during a walk outside. Some say they are going hungry and are not receiving proper medical care.”I don’t cry anymore, I know I need to live to see the appeal,” Natalia said. “My biggest sorrow is not being able to take part in my children’s lives. I know they need me.”

A Florida man was executed by lethal injection in the southern US state on Wednesday for the murders of his wife’s sister and her parents.David Pittman, 63, became the 12th person executed in Florida this year and the 31st in the United States.The execution was carried out at 6:12 pm (2212 GMT) at the Florida State Prison, authorities said.Pittman was sentenced to death in 1991 for the 1990 murders of Bonnie Knowles, 21, the sister of his estranged wife, and her parents, Clarence Knowles, 60, and Barbara Knowles, 50.They were stabbed to death and their home was then set on fire.Pittman’s lawyers sought a stay of execution, claiming he is intellectually disabled with an IQ of 70, but the appeals were denied.The 31 executions in the United States this year is the most since 2014 when 35 inmates were put to death.Florida has carried out the most executions, followed by South Carolina and Texas with four each.Twenty-six of this year’s executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment, and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”

US stocks finished mixed Wednesday while the dollar moved higher as markets digested the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates for the first time in 2025 and signaling it could enact two more cuts this year.The moves largely corresponded to market expectations and follow recent economic reports showing weaker job growth that Fed Chair Jerome Powell said justified a greater focus on the central bank’s labor market mandate compared with inflation.Equities initially strengthened on the decision, but trading was choppy thereafter as markets digested Powell’s press conference while trying to parse whether his message was more dovish or hawkish than expected.The dollar initially retreated but later strengthened, with gains against the euro and other currencies compared with Tuesday.The bounce in the dollar “could reflect the market’s view that the Fed didn’t sound quite as dovish as markets had hoped,” said James Stanley, senior strategist at Forex.com.”That said, it would be difficult to call a rate meeting when the bank cut rates and warned that rate cuts were expected at the final two meetings of this year as anything but dovish.”Fed policymakers walk a tightrope balancing inflation and labor market risks as they mull changes to interest rates.On Wednesday, the Fed said that “downside risks to employment have risen,” even as inflation has picked up and “remains somewhat elevated.”It noted that job gains have slowed while the unemployment rate — despite being low — also inched up.Based on the projections released Wednesday, policymakers appeared to be close to evenly split between those who expect at least two interest rate cuts later this year and those who anticipate one or fewer.Powell himself reiterated that additional interest rate actions would depend on upcoming economic data.A note from EY-Parthenon economist Gregory Daco said the Fed may proceed “more gradually” and make fewer than two additional cuts in 2025.”An October cut remains possible but would likely require a negative” September jobs report, said Daco, who currently anticipates a second 25-basis-point interest rate cut in December.In Europe, London and Frankfurt stocks ended the day higher while Paris dipped.In Britain, data showing UK inflation held at 3.8 percent in August reinforced expectations that the Bank of England will maintain its key rate on Thursday and for the remainder of 2025.The Bank of Canada cut its key lending rate as expected on Wednesday. Asian stocks traded mixed, after Tuesday’s tepid showing on Wall Street. – Key figures at around 2100 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.6 percent at 46,018.32 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.1 percent at 6,600.35 (close)New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 0.3 percent at 22,261.33 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,208.37 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,786.98 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 23,359.18 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.3 percent at 44,790.38 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.4 percent at 3,876.34 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.8 percent at 26,908.39 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1811 from $1.1867 on TuesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3626 from $1.3647Dollar/yen: UP at 147.00 yen from 146.48 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.70 pence from 86.95 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $64.05 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $67.95 per barrelburs-jmb/mlm

A well-financed campaign to build a casino in the heart of New York’s theater district collapsed Wednesday as a government-appointed panel voted down the proposal.Opposition to the project was led by community groups who said a casino would lure unsavory people and theater interests who argued it would cut into Broadway’s business.The Caesars Palace Times Square project, a venture whose sponsors include rap musician and entrepreneur Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation and the real estate firm SL Green, failed to clear a key hurdle at the Community Advisory Committee. The CAC, which is composed of representatives of state and local officials, voted down the proposed $5.4 billion project by 4-2.  City Council Member Erik Bottcher said he voted no after “countless” conversations with constituents.”This is not a decision I took lightly,” Bottcher, who had been considered a swing vote on the proposal, said in an Instagram post.”All economic development opportunities deserve strong consideration. I believe casinos must clear a particularly high bar, requiring a uniquely strong degree of community buy-in before being sited in a neighborhood,” he added.”Despite extensive outreach by the applicants, that level of support has not materialized.”Bottcher’s statement also pertained to his nay vote on a second proposed Manhattan casino, which also failed in a 4-2 vote, by a CAC with some overlapping membership to the Times Square site.The proposal, called the Avenir and based near the Javits Convention Center, was for a $7 billion mixed-use casino that included a 1,000-room luxury hotel, a public art complex and more than a dozen restaurants. Wednesday’s vote narrows the field of candidates vying for up to three state gaming licenses to six from eight. CACs for the remaining six sites will vote by September 30 in a process that is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Those chosen will pay at least $500 million for a license, plus tax payments that will help fortify New York’s fiscal profile at a time when President Donald Trump has pushed through social program cuts that will hit the state budget.- Heated debate -Supporters of the Times Square project included construction unions, neighboring restaurants and business groups that viewed the casino project as a source of additional customers.Other Caesars supporters included the Reverend Al Sharpton, whose organization was poised to oversee a new $15 million civil rights museum financed by the casino coalition if the Times Square proposal had been built.The venture promised $250 million in community investments, including Broadway ticket vouchers for casino customers, funding for tuition and health programs and millions in public safety and public bathrooms. The Caesars coalition expressed disappointment at the demise of a project they viewed as enhancing to the community.”We are proud of the work we’ve done over the past five years and grateful to the hundreds of organizations, businesses, Broadway artists, labor unions, and residents who supported this effort,” Caesars Palace Times Square said. “While we disagree with the outcome of this process, we remain committed to advocating for positive change in the city we love. We’ve built strong relationships with a community that is eager for progress, and we hope that those who opposed this project—both in the public and private sectors—will now bring the same energy and resources to solving the very real challenges facing Times Square.”Casino opponents had described the proposal as a beyond-the-pale solution that preys on seniors and other vulnerable populations, hitting out at Caesars’ largesse as cover for a bad idea. Some warned of a rise in crime, prostitution and child trafficking in the once-seedy neighborhood, which was home to porn theaters and adult businesses before they were banned in the 1990s.Broadway League President Jason Laks praised CAC members “who looked at the facts, listened to the residents, and stood up for this neighborhood and the theater community.” “This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods, and for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it,” Laks said in a statement. “A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here.”

The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the first time this year, flagging slower job gains and risks to employment as policymakers face heightened pressure under President Donald Trump.The Fed cut the benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points, to a range between 4.0 percent and 4.25 percent, while penciling in two more cuts this year.Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressed that the central bank remains “strongly committed” to maintaining its independence from politics, however, when asked about the addition of a key advisor to Trump among its ranks this week.He added that the Fed was “right to wait and see how tariffs and inflation and the labor market evolved” before lowering rates for the first time in nine months.Only new Fed Governor Stephen Miran — who has been serving in the Trump administration — voted against Wednesday’s decision. He favored a larger rate reduction of 50 basis points.The other 11 voting members of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) supported the quarter-point cut.Ryan Chahrour, an economics professor at Cornell University, said the vote appeared to signal “consolidation” among top Fed officials.”They want to be clear that they’re not influenced by political considerations, and I think they understand that lots of dissent in multiple directions sends a confusing message to markets,” he told AFP.- ‘Stark divide’ -Fed projections, however, reveal a “stark divide” on the need for additional cuts this year, said economist Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics.Among 19 Fed officials assessing the path of monetary policy, seven projected no further reductions — even as a narrow majority overall penciled in two more cuts.Pearce said such a divide is “unusual,” and expects the October rate decision could again depend on jobs data.Powell told a press briefing that the Fed’s economic projections should be viewed “through the lens of probability.”Policymakers walk a tightrope balancing inflation and labor market risks as they mull changes to interest rates.On Wednesday, the Fed said that “downside risks to employment have risen,” even as inflation has picked up and “remains somewhat elevated.”It noted that job gains have slowed while the unemployment rate — despite being low — also inched up.The bank has held rates steady this year, until now, as it monitored the effects of Trump’s tariffs on inflation.But Powell said the passthrough of tariffs to consumers has been slower and smaller than expected.”While there are inflation risks, the bigger risk right now is more Americans losing their jobs and a downward spiral starting toward a recession,” warned Navy Federal Credit Union chief economist Heather Long.The Fed lifted its 2025 growth forecast to 1.6 percent from June’s 1.4 percent projection, while making no change to unemployment and inflation forecasts.- ‘Political attention’ -Beyond economic concerns, the Fed faces intensified pressure from Trump this year — with the president repeatedly criticizing Powell and calling for major rate cuts.Besides appointing Miran when another official retired early, Trump moved in August to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, sparking a legal fight that could have prevented her from attending Wednesday’s gathering.Miran’s confirmation — without resigning from the White House Council of Economic Advisers — risks giving a sense of political influence over Fed decisions, EY chief economist Gregory Daco earlier told AFP.Already, Miran has come under fire from Democratic lawmakers for taking a leave of absence from his White House role rather than stepping down, a decision he attributed to his tenure at the Fed lasting only until January 31.Separately, the legal battle by Cook — the first Black woman on the Fed’s board of governors — could have broader implications for the bank.A federal appeals court ruled late Monday that Cook could remain in position while challenging her removal over alleged mortgage fraud. But the Trump administration plans to appeal — potentially bringing the case to the Supreme Court.The increased political attention is concerning, Daco said: “History has showed that in times when a central bank is under political influence, the economic outcomes are suboptimal.”This could mean higher inflation, lower growth and more financial market volatility.

Donald Trump was treated to a sumptuous royal state banquet in Windsor Castle Wednesday, rounding off the US president’s first full day of a historic second state visit to Britain.Before some 160 guests at the start of the lavish event, designed to play into the mercurial American leader’s love of pomp and pageantry, King Charles III praised what he called Trump’s “personal commitment” to seeking peace.For his part Trump described the visit as “one of the highest honours of my life”, paying tribute to the transatlantic relationship by calling the UK and the United States “two notes in one chord… each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together”.Trump and his wife Melania’s welcome earlier featured gun salutes, soldiers on horseback and a flypast by the Red Arrows as the visit unfolded far from the British public and marching protesters.The King and Trump laughed and joked as the US leader inspected troops at Windsor, west of London, in an elaborate spectacle featuring a carriage procession.Some 120 horses and 1,300 members of the British military — some in red tunics and gold plumed helmets — feted Trump during a ceremonial guard of honour that UK officials called the largest for a state visit to Britain in living memory.The president and first lady were greeted on arrival by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife, Catherine at Windsor after stepping off the Marine One helicopter under grey skies at 12:15 pm (1115 GMT). Inside a ring of steel and out of sight from thousands of demonstrators shouting anti-Trump slogans in London, William and Catherine then walked Trump and his wife a short distance to meet the waiting Charles and Queen Camilla.A 41-gun salute was fired simultaneously from six First World War-era guns on the castle’s east lawn, as a similar display took place at the Tower of London, in the capital.The Trumps and the royals were then taken in a black and gold coach, surrounded by cavalry, through the Windsor estate towards the nearly 1,000-year-old castle, where Trump and Charles inspected the guard of honour.The two also exchanged gifts, with the royals giving Trump a book to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence next year, and Trump gifting Charles a replica of a sword owned by President Dwight Eisenhower.- ‘Gifts’ -Britain is pulling out all the stops to dazzle the unpredictable Trump as the UK government tries to keep him onside during a host of international crises.The 79-year-old Republican is, however, being kept far away from the British public as polls indicate he remains unpopular, with the entire visit happening behind closed doors. An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London waving Palestinian flags and displaying banners with slogans including “Migrants welcome, Trump not welcome”.”I’m just scared of the way the world’s being taken over by really nasty men,” Jo Williamson, a 58-year-old funeral director from Kent, southeast England, told AFP.Trump is the first US president to receive two state visits, after his previous one with Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.At Windsor, he laid a wreath on the tomb of Elizabeth, Charles’s mother, who died in 2022, and viewed a collection of US-related items, including a letter sent from President Abraham Lincoln to Queen Victoria in 1862 after the death of Prince Albert.The Trumps also had a private meeting with William and Catherine, described by their Kensington Palace office as “warm and friendly”.Trump’s changeability on everything from tariffs to Ukraine and Gaza has caused global turmoil and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be hoping the president leaves on Thursday feeling the warm glow of royal soft power.- Epstein’s shadow -“A lot of things here warm my heart,” the president, who owns two golf resorts in Scotland, his mother’s homeland, said on arriving late Tuesday.The US leader may also relish a chance to escape a turbulent period at home, where the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has caused deep turmoil.But the spectre looms of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who is providing domestic headaches for both Trump and Starmer.Starmer will host Trump on the second day of the visit on Thursday at his country residence, Chequers.The pair will be buoyed by the announcement of billions of pounds of investment in each other’s economies, including from British pharmaceutical group GSK and Google, but there could be awkward moments.Starmer faces political troubles at home, after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his links to the late Epstein.

Christian Louboutin of scarlet-stiletto fame on Wednesday named Jaden Smith, who has followed in his superstar father Will’s footsteps as an actor and rapper, as artistic director of the French shoemaker’s men’s collection.”Jaden Smith will unveil four collections per year, including shoes, leather goods, and accessories,” the brand said in a statement.Louboutin, the head of his eponymous brand since its founding in 1991, will be handing over the reins of his menswear line for the first time. “One morning, I was swimming and I asked myself: ‘Why not Jaden?’,” the 62-year-old told Le Figaro newspaper.He is banking on Smith, 35 years his junior at 27, to inject “visibility” into the line, which has grown to account for a quarter of Louboutin’s revenue since launching in 2008. “I am convinced by his creativity, but I am also happy to have an intelligent voice from a different generation at my side,” Louboutin added.Smith said his elevation represented “one of the biggest honours” of his life.”I feel a lot of pressure to be able to live up to everything that Christian has done for the house, and also stepping into such a serious role,” he told American media outlet WWD.Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, was in the spotlight from a young age, acting in “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2006 and 2010’s “The Karate Kid” before turning towards music and fashion.While Smith the younger has already made a name for himself in with his brand MSFTSrep and a collaboration with sneaker-maker New Balance, he has never before headed a luxury fashion house’s entire line. “Today he lacks technique but he’s starting to learn,” Louboutin said, explaining that Smith had already made several visits to Italian factories.”What you cannot learn is enthusiasm and taste and passion. All that, he has,” the stylist added.Smith’s first collection will be unveiled at Paris Fashion Week for men in January 2026.

A dismembered corpse found rotting in an impounded Tesla registered to rising American rap star D4vd was that of a teenage girl, a US medical examiner has said.Los Angeles police discovered the body in the car’s trunk last week when they were called to a Hollywood tow yard by workers and neighbors who complained of a foul smell.When officers arrived, they found a badly decomposed body that multiple reports said was in pieces, wrapped in a plastic sheet in the electric vehicle’s front luggage compartment.The Los Angeles County medical examiner said the body was that of Celeste Rivas, who would be 15 years old if she were still alive.Entertainment outlet TMZ said Wednesday that its reporters had spoken to Celeste’s mother, who said her daughter had a boyfriend named David.The outlet carried a missing person poster published by Riverside County Sheriff seeking the whereabouts of Celeste, who was 13 when she went missing in Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, in April last year.The medical examiner’s office had earlier described the dead person as a woman of unknown age with wavy black hair.”The decedent was found severely decomposed inside a vehicle,” the statement said.”She appears to have been deceased inside the vehicle for an extended period of time before being found.”Los Angeles Police Department investigators said the Tesla had been parked in the tony Hollywood Hills area for nearly a month before being towed.TMZ reported that the car, registered in Texas, to David Anthony Burke — D4vd’s real name — had never been reported stolen.A representative for the singer said he had been informed of the discovery and was fully cooperating with investigators.The 20-year-old has continued a world tour since the grisly discovery, and is due to play at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles at the weekend.The young star shot to internet fame in 2022 when his “Romantic Homicide” became a breakout hit on TikTok.The tow yard where the car with the body was found sits a stone’s throw from Elon Musk’s new Tesla Diner, which opened to great fanfare in Hollywood in July.

Children are “uniquely and disproportionately” harmed by climate change, a medical expert told a US federal court Wednesday in a landmark constitutional case brought by young Americans challenging President Donald Trump’s fossil-fuel agenda.On the second and final day of a hearing in Missoula, Montana, the plaintiffs’ attorneys called Lori Byron — a former pediatric hospitalist with more than four decades of experience — to explain how a warming planet is impacting young people.The case, Lighthiser v. Trump, is emblematic of a growing global trend of using the courts to push climate action amid political inertia or outright hostility. At issue are three executive orders from the president that together seek to “unleash” fossil fuel development at the expense of renewable energy.Twenty-two plaintiffs represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust are also contesting actions they say undermine federal climate science in the United States — from firing experts to scrubbing reports and reversing the scientific foundation for regulating greenhouse gases.They are seeking a preliminary injunction that could pave the way for a full trial, while lawyers for the Trump administration and conservative-leaning states want the case thrown out, arguing it is undemocratic.Byron, who co-authored the state’s climate assessment and has served on an Environmental Protection Agency committee, testified that the state faces more extreme heat days by mid-century, longer and more severe wildfire smoke seasons, and an increase in “climate surprises” such as catastrophic floods.”They breathe more air, they drink more water, they eat more food per pound of body weight compared to adults,” Byron said, adding that children are especially vulnerable to illness and injury from heat and extreme weather because of their developing bodies and reliance on adults.The toll is not only physical but also psychological: “Their brains are still developing, and stability in their life is very important. When you get displaced or lose your home, those experiences can have mental health impacts that last for decades.”Byron’s testimony was followed by Isaiah H., a 17-year-old from Missoula, an aspiring athlete who spoke of his love for his home but said it was becoming harder to spend time outdoors and connect with nature as a result of worsening wildfires and declining snowfall.”When my brother was really little, we had to actually evacuate our house because the smoke was too bad… for his lungs,” he said.”As a 17-year-old, I shouldn’t be having to step in like this, and shouldn’t have to miss school and make up tests and assignments just to advocate for my health and safety.”Michael Gerrard, an environmental law professor, told AFP: “The plaintiffs are building a strong factual case about the causes and dangers of climate change.”He added: “It would be plowing new ground for a court to say that there is a substantive due process right under the US Constitution to a stable climate system.”