US judge orders humane conditions for migrant detainees at NY site

A US judge ordered Tuesday that migrants being held at a Manhattan federal facility where individuals are often arrested after attending court hearings to fight deportation be kept in humane conditions.Images have emerged showing unsanitary and cramped conditions in a holding room in New York City’s 26 Federal Plaza, where migrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are detained.Manhattan Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a temporary restraining order directing that no detainee be kept in less than 50 square feet (4.6 square meters) of space, without clean bedding and hygiene products, or be deprived of private attorney-client calls.ICE “shall not retaliate in any manner against Plaintiff (including in his or her immigration proceedings…) for complaining about any alleged violation of this temporary restraining order,” Kaplan ordered.Hundreds of migrants have passed through the facility as immigration officers have stepped up their arrests of those going through the immigration court in a downtown skyscraper.Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to deport large numbers of migrants, has encouraged authorities to be more aggressive as he seeks to hit his widely reported target of one million deportations annually. Since Trump’s return to the White House, Homeland Security agents have adopted the tactic — criticized by rights groups — of waiting outside immigration courts nationwide and arresting migrants as they leave at the end of asylum hearings.Armed agents with badges from different federal agencies loiter outside court hearings in the tower block in central New York, holding paperwork with photographs of migrants to be targeted, AFP has seen.In the complaint filed Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Foundation sued the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of Sergio Mercado and other unnamed detainees.The filing alleged that “immigrants (are) being detained in crowded rooms at a federal building in the heart of Manhattan without beds, sufficient food, hygiene products, access to showers, or the ability to communicate confidentially with attorneys.” “They bring this action to challenge these unlawful conditions of confinement and ban on attorney access,” said the class action suit.Eunice Cho, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s National Prison Project, said “today’s order sends a clear message: ICE cannot hold people in abusive conditions and deny them their Constitutional rights to due process and legal representation.””We’ll continue to fight to ensure that peoples’ rights are upheld at 26 Federal Plaza and beyond.”The judge set a deadline of August 18 for the government to respond to the claims in the complaint ahead of a ruling on a preliminary injunction.

US denounces Europe on speech in pared-down rights report

The United States on Tuesday alleged that human rights were worsening in Western Europe due to internet regulations, in a pared-down annual global report that spared partners of President Donald Trump such as El Salvador.The State Department’s congressionally required report historically has offered extensive accounts of all nations’ records, documenting in dispassionate detail issues from unjust detention to extrajudicial killing to personal freedoms.For the first report under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department trimmed sections and took particular aim at countries that have been in Trump’s crosshairs, including Brazil and South Africa.On China, which has been identified as a top US adversary across administrations, the State Department report said “genocide” was ongoing against the mostly Muslim Uyghur people, whose plight Rubio took up as a senator.But the report also took aim at some close US allies, saying human rights have worsened in Britain, France and Germany due to restrictions on online hate speech.In Britain, following the stabbing deaths of three young girls, authorities took action against internet users who falsely alleged that a migrant was responsible and urged revenge.The State Department report accused British officials of having “repeatedly intervened to chill speech.”State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, without naming Britain specifically, said online restrictions have targeted “disfavored voices on political or religious grounds.””No matter really how disagreeable someone’s speech may be, criminalizing it or silencing it by force only serves as a catalyst for further hatred, suppression or polarization,” Bruce told reporters.The criticism comes despite Rubio moving aggressively to deny or strip US visas of foreign nationals over their statements and social media postings, especially student activists who have criticized Israel.- ‘Less is more’? -Bruce said previous State Department rights reports had been “politically biased” and, on the level of detail, “sometimes less is more.”But a group of former State Department officials called some omissions “shocking,” like LGBTQ rights in Uganda, where a severe law against homosexuality passed in 2023.Democratic party lawmakers accused Trump and Rubio of treating human rights only as a cudgel against adversaries, inviting charges by Beijing and Moscow of US hypocrisy.Rubio’s State Department has “shamelessly turned a once-credible tool of US foreign policy mandated by Congress into yet another instrument to advance MAGA political grievances and culture war obsessions,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.The report said there were “no credible reports of significant human rights abuses” in El Salvador and instead noted a “historic low” in crime.President Nayib Bukele has unleashed a sweeping crackdown on crime, which rights groups say has put many innocent people in detention.Bukele took migrants from Trump’s mass deportation drive and held them in a maximum-security prison, where some have reported mistreatment too recently to be covered by the report.Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration admits was wrongly deported, filed a lawsuit alleging severe beatings, sleep deprivation and inadequate nutrition in El Salvador’s CECOT prison.The report trimmed down its section on Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. It acknowledged cases of arbitrary arrests and killings by Israel but said authorities took “credible steps” to identify those responsible.In contrast, the report said rights deteriorated in 2024 in Brazil, where Trump has decried the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, his ally accused of a coup attempt that echoes the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters.Brazil, the report said, has “undermined democratic debate by restricting access to online content deemed to ‘undermine democracy.'”The report also said rights “significantly worsened” in South Africa, where Trump has embraced the cause of the white minority.Amnesty International USA’s Amanda Klasing said the report sent a “chilling message” that the United States will overlook abuses if doing so suits its political agenda.”We have criticized past reports when warranted, but have never seen reports quite like this,” she said.

US denounces Europe on speech in pared-down rights reportTue, 12 Aug 2025 22:37:43 GMT

The United States on Tuesday alleged that human rights were worsening in Western Europe due to internet regulations, in a pared-down annual global report that spared partners of President Donald Trump such as El Salvador.The State Department’s congressionally required report historically has offered extensive accounts of all nations’ records, documenting in dispassionate detail issues from …

US denounces Europe on speech in pared-down rights reportTue, 12 Aug 2025 22:37:43 GMT Read More »

US indices power to fresh records after benign inflation data

Global stocks mostly rose on Tuesday, with Wall Street indices ending at fresh records as US inflation data showed a still-subdued impact from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.That, combined with Trump extending by 90 days a trade truce with China, cheered investors.New York jumped after the US consumer price index (CPI) reading for July showed annualized inflation at 2.7 percent, unchanged from a month earlier.Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished at fresh records.European markets were likewise boosted by the US inflation numbers, with all but Frankfurt rising.While the headline CPI figure was lower than expected, underlying price increases indicated that Trump’s tariffs were nevertheless starting to ripple through the US economy.Core inflation, which strips out volatile costs such as food and energy, accelerated in July to the fastest pace in six months.”Inflation from tariffs is beginning to feed into the core figure but not yet at the stage that is a major concern for markets,” said Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter, a wealth management firm.The dollar slipped against major currencies.Investors calculated that the CPI data was not enough to sway the US Federal Reserve away from an expected interest rate cut next month.The US central bank, which has an inflation target of two percent, also has to weigh other recent data, including signs in the labor market of slower economic growth.Trump has relentlessly pressured Jerome Powell to ease monetary policy, reiterating his call for the Fed Chairman to cut rates immediately in a sneering post on his Truth Social platform.Trump said he may allow “a major lawsuit” against Powell for his oversight of renovations of Federal Reserve buildings.Katy Stoves, investment manager at Mattioli Woods, warned however: “This gentle cooling of the economy will certainly not justify a cut of interest rates to one percent as President Donald Trump is calling for.”Oil prices were lower, after OPEC’s latest growth projections maintained estimates for 2025. The oil cartel raised its demand forecast for 2026, signalling it expected stronger global activity next year.Trump’s announcement on Monday that he would put off reimposing sky-high levies on China to November, to give more time for talks, buoyed market sentiment.Stock markets in Asia rose on the news, with Tokyo hitting a record.Investors are also awaiting a summit between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday, with the US president playing down the possibility of a breakthrough in ending the war in Ukraine.In corporate news, China’s real estate giant Evergrande Group said on Tuesday it will delist from Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the wake of its 2021 default. The company is emblematic of a years-long crisis in China’s property market.Intel rose 5.5 percent after CEO Lip-Bu Tan met with Trump, who praised the executive after previously calling for him to step down.- Key figures at around 2050 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 1.1 percent at 44,458.61 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 1.1 percent at 6,445.76 (close)New York – Nasdaq: UP 1.4 percent at 21,681.90 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 9,147.81 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,753.42 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.2 percent at 24,024.78 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.2 percent at 42,718.17 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 24,969.68 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,665.92 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1677 from $1.1615 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3501 from $1.3432 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.77 yen from 148.15 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.45 pence from 86.48 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $66.12 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $63.17 per barrel

US indices power to fresh records after benign inflation data

Global stocks mostly rose on Tuesday, with Wall Street indices ending at fresh records as US inflation data showed a still-subdued impact from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.That, combined with Trump extending by 90 days a trade truce with China, cheered investors.New York jumped after the US consumer price index (CPI) reading for July showed annualized inflation at 2.7 percent, unchanged from a month earlier.Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished at fresh records.European markets were likewise boosted by the US inflation numbers, with all but Frankfurt rising.While the headline CPI figure was lower than expected, underlying price increases indicated that Trump’s tariffs were nevertheless starting to ripple through the US economy.Core inflation, which strips out volatile costs such as food and energy, accelerated in July to the fastest pace in six months.”Inflation from tariffs is beginning to feed into the core figure but not yet at the stage that is a major concern for markets,” said Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter, a wealth management firm.The dollar slipped against major currencies.Investors calculated that the CPI data was not enough to sway the US Federal Reserve away from an expected interest rate cut next month.The US central bank, which has an inflation target of two percent, also has to weigh other recent data, including signs in the labor market of slower economic growth.Trump has relentlessly pressured Jerome Powell to ease monetary policy, reiterating his call for the Fed Chairman to cut rates immediately in a sneering post on his Truth Social platform.Trump said he may allow “a major lawsuit” against Powell for his oversight of renovations of Federal Reserve buildings.Katy Stoves, investment manager at Mattioli Woods, warned however: “This gentle cooling of the economy will certainly not justify a cut of interest rates to one percent as President Donald Trump is calling for.”Oil prices were lower, after OPEC’s latest growth projections maintained estimates for 2025. The oil cartel raised its demand forecast for 2026, signalling it expected stronger global activity next year.Trump’s announcement on Monday that he would put off reimposing sky-high levies on China to November, to give more time for talks, buoyed market sentiment.Stock markets in Asia rose on the news, with Tokyo hitting a record.Investors are also awaiting a summit between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Friday, with the US president playing down the possibility of a breakthrough in ending the war in Ukraine.In corporate news, China’s real estate giant Evergrande Group said on Tuesday it will delist from Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the wake of its 2021 default. The company is emblematic of a years-long crisis in China’s property market.Intel rose 5.5 percent after CEO Lip-Bu Tan met with Trump, who praised the executive after previously calling for him to step down.- Key figures at around 2050 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 1.1 percent at 44,458.61 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 1.1 percent at 6,445.76 (close)New York – Nasdaq: UP 1.4 percent at 21,681.90 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 9,147.81 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,753.42 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.2 percent at 24,024.78 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.2 percent at 42,718.17 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 24,969.68 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 3,665.92 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1677 from $1.1615 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3501 from $1.3432 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.77 yen from 148.15 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.45 pence from 86.48 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.8 percent at $66.12 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 percent at $63.17 per barrel

Nice, battu à Benfica, ne jouera pas la Ligue des champions

Nice, battu par le Benfica Lisbonne à l’Estadio da Luz (2-0) mardi soir au 3e tour préliminaire retour de Ligue des champions, a été loin de retourner une situation compromise depuis mercredi dernier (0-2 à l’aller) et disputera la Ligue Europa comme la saison dernière.Dans la phase de ligue de cette C3, Franck Haise aura pour mission de remporter un premier match européen avec les Aiglons, après trois nuls et cinq défaites la saison dernière et une piètre 35e place sur 36 équipes au final, auxquels il faut ajouter les deux défaites contre Benfica.Surpassés par les Portugais, qui affronteront le Fenerbahçe de José Mourinho pour une place dans la phase de groupe de la C1, les Niçois devront être bien meilleurs sur le plan physique et collectif. Les dirigeants, qui visent le recrutement du Brestois Mahdi Camara, devront renforcer un effectif trop limité.Face à une formation benfiquiste identique à celle qui avait débuté à l’Allianz Riviera, les Niçois ont encore dû faire avec une équipe très affaiblie, où le très jeune Coulibaly, 16 ans, passé professionnel cet été, a débuté son premier match avec les professionnel.-Trop d’absents et de manques-La liste des absents niçois faisaient d’ailleurs penser à celle des pires moments de la saison dernière lorsque 14 joueurs étaient sur le flanc en pleine phase de ligue de la Ligue Europa.Avant cette double confrontation, Haise devait déjà faire sans sept éléments: Ndayishimiye (genou), Bombito (tibia), Abdelmonem (genou), Abdi (pubalgie) en défense, Ndombélé (pubalgie) au milieu, ainsi que les attaquants Cho (en convalescence) et Guessand, alors sur le point de partir à Aston Villa. Depuis, Guessand est bien parti. Et Haise a perdu quatre nouveaux joueurs. Sanson (ischio-jambiers) et Dante (genou), blessés à l’aller, ainsi que Rosario, en instance de départ, ont vu le milieu algérien Hicham Boudaoui, malade et fiévreux de dernière minute, se joindre à eux parmi les absents.Dans ces conditions, il a fallu moins d’une demi-heure aux hommes de Bruno Lage pour assurer leur qualification. Les deux Norvégiens de l’équipe Andreas Schjelderup et Fredik Aursnes se sont occupés de tout. D’abord, sur un centre de Schjelderup, Aursnes a fait apprécier sa technique par un enchaînement contrôle-volée victorieux dans la surface (1-0, 19e). Puis le buteur a offert à son compatriote l’occasion de marquer à la suite d’un parfait centre en retrait (2-0, 27e).La belle reprise de volée de Jonathan Clauss sur le poteau (31e) pour répliquer, ainsi que le bon début de deuxième période des Aiglons n’allaient changer à l’impression globale. Nice, qui a déjà la tête tournée vers la réception de Toulouse samedi soir (21h00) pour la reprise de la Ligue 1, est tombé sur bien plus fort pour espérer passer.