AFP USA

A prominent US scholar of India who was arrested after allegations of retaining classified documents and meeting Chinese officials is denying the charges against him, his lawyers said Wednesday.Ashley Tellis, 64, who held senior positions under former president George W. Bush and remained an unpaid advisor to the State Department, was arrested Saturday and faces up to 10 years in prison.”Ashley J. Tellis is a widely respected scholar and senior policy advisor,” his lawyers, Deborah Curtis and John Nassikas, said in a statement.”We will be vigorously contesting the allegations brought against him, specifically any insinuation of his operating on behalf of a foreign adversary,” they said.A criminal affidavit made public Tuesday said that Tellis went into the State Department late on September 25 and appeared to print from a secret document on US Air Force techniques.It alleged that Tellis met repeatedly with Chinese officials at a restaurant in the Washington suburb of Fairfax, Virginia, and that at one dinner he appeared to leave a manila envelope.The charges announced by the Justice Department relate to improper handling of documents rather than the meetings, with an FBI special agent saying a search found more than 1,000 pages of top-secret or secret documents in his house.Tellis has been a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading Washington think tank, which said Wednesday that he has been put on administrative leave.Tellis, a naturalized American originally from India, helped negotiate the Bush administration’s civil nuclear cooperation deal with India, a landmark step to closer relations between the world’s two largest democracies.But Tellis in recent years has emerged as a leading contrarian in Washington about India, saying that New Delhi’s interests were not aligned on a host of issues including Ukraine.

United Airlines reported a slight dip in profits Wednesday as operating expenses ticked higher, adding that a strengthening demand outlook would boost fourth-quarter results.The big US carrier reported third-quarter profits of $949 million, down 1.7 percent from the year-ago level, as growth in operating expenses edged out the increase in revenues of 2.6 percent to $15.2 billion.The company estimated fourth-quarter profits of between $3.00 and $3.50 per share, better than Wall Street estimates. United is poised for a “strong” fourth quarter “as the demand environment strengthens,” said a United press release.The outlook echoes bullish commentary about consumer appetite earlier this month from Delta Air Lines.Both carriers have billed themselves as able to provide a premium-travel experience that emphasizes better onboard amenities in addition to reliable operations in an effort to strengthen brand loyalty. United’s press release emphasized perks such as Apple TV on board, increased investment on food quality and the introduction of Starlink Wi-Fi on flights, which is scheduled to launch on Thursday in a flight from Newark to Houston.The company promises Starlink on “every plane by 2027,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “Our customers value the United experience, making them increasingly loyal to United.”Shares of United fell 1.8 percent in after-hours trading.

Flawed engineering and inadequate testing contributed to the catastrophic implosion of a private submersible during a 2023 expedition to the Titanic wreckage, the US National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.Its report comes after a US Coast Guard investigation in August outlined a litany of issues with operator OceanGate’s conduct, as well as design flaws in its Titan submersible, that led to a “preventable tragedy” in which all five passengers were killed.”We found that OceanGate’s engineering process for the Titan was inadequate and resulted in the construction of a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel that contained multiple anomalies and failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements,” NTSB’s report said.”Because OceanGate did not adequately test the Titan, the company was unaware of the pressure vessel’s actual strength and durability, which was likely much lower than their target.”Additionally, OceanGate’s analysis of Titan pressure vessel real-time monitoring data was flawed, so the company was unaware that the Titan was damaged and needed to be immediately removed from service” after a previous dive, it added.OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush was joined on the doomed expedition by British explorer Hamish Harding, French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.Seats on the submersible cost $250,000 per person.Communications were lost with the SUV-sized submersible about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive on June 18, 2023, kicking off a dramatic search that briefly captivated the world.Debris was found a few days later on the ocean floor, about 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, and human remains were recovered when the sub was brought to the surface.Shortly after the tragedy, OceanGate halted all operations.Last year, the family of Nargeolet sued OceanGate for $50 million, accusing the US-based company of gross negligence.The wreckage of the Titanic sits 400 miles (644 kilometers) off the coast of Newfoundland and has become a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists since its discovery in 1985.The ship hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York, with 2,224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people died.

A federal judge on Wednesday “reluctantly” dismissed a lawsuit brought by young Americans accusing President Donald Trump’s administration of threatening their constitutional right to life and liberty through its aggressive fossil-fuel push.Judge Dana Christensen said that while the plaintiffs had presented “overwhelming” evidence that the government’s actions would worsen climate change and harm them, the case to overturn them “must be made to the political branches or to the electorate.””With this understanding in mind, the Court reluctantly concludes…that it cannot grant Plaintiffs the relief they seek,” he wrote.Trump, who received hundreds of millions of dollars from Big Oil in the runup to the 2024 election, has made expanded fossil fuel extraction the centerpiece of his energy policy, while curbing permits for solar and wind farms and ending tax credits for renewables. In a filing earlier this year, 22 plaintiffs — including several minors and represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust — asked the court to block three executive orders they said violated their inalienable rights by seeking to “unleash” more drilling.They also accused the administration of eroding federal climate science, leaving the public less informed about mounting dangers.Julia Olson, the youths’ lead lawyer, vowed to swiftly appeal.”We will definitely appeal and get it up to the Ninth Circuit as quickly as we can so that they can correct this injustice, and give these young people their right to be heard in the federal courts,” she told AFP. The Ninth Circuit is a higher court.She called the decision “completely wrong” and an “anathema to the entire US Constitution and the entire purpose of the separation of powers among the three branches of government,” adding it places fossil fuel interests “above the health and safety of children.”- Emotional testimony -During a two-day hearing last month in Christensen’s packed courtroom in Missoula, Montana, the youths described in vivid testimony how global warming had reshaped their lives.Among them was Joseph Lee, an undergraduate from California who suffered a life-threatening heat stroke, and Jorja McCormick of Livingston, Montana, who said she was traumatized by wildfires that forced her family to flee their home.Christensen, an Obama appointee known for previous environmental rulings, listened intently and frequently engaged with witnesses as the plaintiffs called experts in climate science, energy economics, politics and law and children’s health.Those included climatologist and Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Steve Running, and John Podesta, a former senior White House official who testified about the legal nature of executive orders.Government lawyers, on the other hand, did not call their own witnesses and did not focus on disputing the reality of climate change.Instead, they argued that the lawsuit was fundamentally undemocratic and echoed Juliana v. United States — a similar youth-led case that featured some of the same plaintiffs and wound through the courts for nearly a decade before the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal last year, closing it out.While lawyers for the youths contended the case differed from Juliana in key ways, Christensen disagreed and concluded that his hands were tied by the precedent set by that case.”Plaintiffs have presented overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing at a staggering pace, and that this change stems from the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, caused by the production and burning of fossil fuels,” Christensen wrote.He added that they had also shown “overwhelming evidence that implementation of the Challenged EOs will increase the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, thereby exacerbating the harms Plaintiffs experience from an already-warming climate.”But he ruled their injuries could not be redressed by a court, saying he was troubled by being asked to reset national energy policy to its state before Trump’s second term — and by the idea of having to monitor every climate action by the government if he sided with the plaintiffs.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said he was working to rally the private sector around a new $20 billion “facility” to support Argentina’s embattled economy.”We are working on a $20 billion facility that would be adjacent to our swap line, of private banks and sovereign wealth funds that I think would be more aimed at the debt market,” he told reporters in Washington.Bessent added that he had spent weeks working on the private-sector solution to Argentina’s upcoming debt payments, which would come on top of the $20 billion US swap line the US Treasury recently set up.”So that would be a total of $40 billion for Argentina,” he said, in remarks that triggered a rebound in Argentine stocks with some shares on the Merval index rising by almost 10 percent.Bessent’s comments mark the latest round of support from the administration of Donald Trump for Argentina’s right-wing populist leader Javier Milei, who faces an uphill battle in crucial midterm elections later this month.Milei enacted sweeping budget cuts after taking office in 2023 in a bid to quell inflation and turn the Argentine economy around, drawing fierce opposition and widespread protests.Last week, Bessent confirmed the Treasury had set up the $20 billion swap line with Buenos Aires, adding that it had already begun purchasing Argentine pesos to help support the currency on global markets. And on Tuesday, President Donald Trump hosted Milei at the White House, and threw his support behind him ahead of the elections.”If he loses, we are not going to be generous with Argentina,” he warned.The strong US showing of support for Argentina this week has unfolded on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington.The IMF, which has its own multi-billion dollar loan program with Buenos Aires, has supported America’s bilateral assistance for Argentina’s economy.In a broadcast interview on Wednesday, Milei said he was confident of US financial support so long as he remains in office, and vowed to maintain his libertarian agenda.”We continue to advance the ideas of freedom, so at least until 2027 we have that support assured,” he said, according to the dubbed-over voiceover of an English interpreter.Milei, an economist, voiced hope that the legislative elections would increase his base to allow him to pursue his policies.”I have no intention of changing course until the end of my term,” he said. “I am committed to the agenda of lowering taxes, deregulating and keeping the economy growing.”Bessent said Milei would continue to enjoy US support for as long as he had a veto on legislation in parliament. “It is not election-specific, it is policy-specific,” he said. “So as long as Argentina continues enacting good policy, they will have US support.”

A federal judge on Wednesday tossed a youth-led lawsuit accusing US President Donald Trump’s fossil-fuel agenda of trampling their inalienable rights, ruling that he lacked jurisdiction to intervene.In his written order, Judge Dana Christensen of Missoula, Montana, said that while the youth plaintiffs in Lighthiser v. Trump had presented “overwhelming” evidence showing the administration’s actions would further destabilize the climate and harm them, their case “must be made to the political branches or to the electorate.””With this understanding in mind, the Court reluctantly concludes…that it cannot grant Plaintiffs the relief they seek,” wrote Christensen.The 22 plaintiffs, including several minors and represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust, had sought a stay against three executive orders they said violated their constitutional rights to life and liberty by seeking to “unleash” fossil fuel development while sidelining renewable energy.They also accused the administration of eroding federal climate science, leaving the public less informed about mounting dangers.During a two-day hearing held in Christensen’s courtroom last month, the youth were given the opportunity to testify about the ways global warming had impacted their lives. The witnesses included Joseph Lee, an undergraduate from California who suffered a life-threatening heat stroke, and Jorja McCormick of Livingston, Montana, who said she was traumatized by wildfires that forced her family to evacuate.Christensen, who has issued favorable environmental rulings in the past, listened intently as the plaintiffs called experts in climate science, energy economics, politics, and children’s health.Government lawyers, on the other hand, did not call their own witnesses and did not spend significant time disputing the reality of climate change.Instead, they argued that the lawsuit was fundamentally undemocratic and echoed Juliana v. United States — a similar youth-led case that featured some of the same plaintiffs and wound through the courts for nearly a decade before the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal last year, closing it out.While lawyers for the youths contended the case differed from Juliana in key ways, Christensen ultimately disagreed.”Plaintiffs have presented overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing at a staggering pace, and that this change stems from the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, caused by the production and burning of fossil fuels,” Christensen wrote.He added that they had also shown “overwhelming evidence that implementation of the Challenged EOs will increase the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, thereby exacerbating the harms Plaintiffs experience from an already-warming climate.”But he maintained the injuries were not redressable by a court, saying he was troubled by being asked to reset national energy policy to the way it was before Trump took office a second time, and by the fact that his court would be required to monitor all of the administration’s actions if he sided with the youths.”The Court reads Juliana to mandate this outcome,” he said, but added that he would gladly hear the case on its merits if an appeals court, the Ninth Circuit, disagreed.

The White House said Wednesday it will likely lay off at least 10,000 federal workers during the US government shutdown as Republican President Donald Trump steps up pressure on Democrats.The shutdown has ground into its third week, with Congress deadlocked in a clash over spending and Trump following through on his threats to take a hatchet to the workforce in response.”I think we’ll probably end up being north of 10,000,” White House Office of Management and Budget chief Russ Vought said in an interview with the Charlie Kirk show when asked how many layoffs there would be.”We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy.”Court documents filed by the Department of Justice showed that more than 4,000 employees were fired on Friday, with the US Treasury and health, education and housing departments hardest hit.Vought said that was a “snapshot” and that there would be more.Trump has warned that continued refusal by Democrats to support a House-passed resolution to fund the government through late November would result in mass layoffs targeting workers deemed to be aligned with the opposition party.The US president has vowed to find a way to pay troops due to go without their paychecks for the first time, although the uncertainty is already leading to long lines of men and women in uniform at food banks.

The US Supreme Court appeared poised on Wednesday to restrict the use of race to draw electoral districts in a case that could cement Republican control over the House of Representatives — potentially even by next year’s crucial midterm vote.During two-and-a-half hours of oral arguments, the court’s right-wing majority appeared inclined to gut a six-decades-old civil rights law designed to ensure Black representation in Congress.African-Americans overwhelmingly vote Democratic and a ruling by the court neutering the 1965 Voting Rights Act could reorder the electoral map and give President Donald Trump’s Republicans a lasting structural advantage.The case centers around a challenge to a congressional map adopted by the Louisiana state legislature creating a second Black majority district.Blacks make up one-third of the population of Louisiana, which has six congressional districts.But following the 2020 census, Louisiana created a new congressional map that included only one Black majority district instead of the previous two.The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and others filed suit claiming the new map diluted Black voting power and violated the Voting Rights Act, passed during the civil rights movement to remedy historic racial discrimination.The Louisiana legislature released a new map last year with two Black majority districts that was met with the legal challenge from a group of “non African-American” voters.Opponents of the redrawn map argue that using race to design congressional districts is unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.Janai Nelson, an LDF attorney, noted that the Supreme Court had authorized race-based districting in the past to remedy discrimination, including in a recent Alabama case.Refusing to do so now, Nelson told the court, would constitute a “staggering reversal of precedent that would throw maps across the country into chaos.””The results would be pretty catastrophic,” she said. “We only have the diversity that we see across the south, for example, because of litigation that forced the creation of (minority) opportunity districts under the Voting Rights Act.”Benjamin Aguinaga, the Louisiana solicitor general, countered that “race-based redistricting is fundamentally contrary to our Constitution.””It requires striking enough members of the majority race to sufficiently diminish their voting strength, and it requires drawing in enough members of a minority race to sufficiently augment their voting strength,” Aguinaga said.Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the three liberals on the nine-member court, said no one is stopping the white plaintiffs who brought the case “from participating in the voting process.””No one is stopping them from trying to run candidates or support candidates that reflect their views,” Sotomayor said. “But the state is stopping Black voters from doing that in many districts because it’s packing them into areas where whites overwhelm them.”- ‘One-party control’ -Edward Greim, an attorney representing the white voters, questioned whether it was acceptable to create race-based districts “under our color blind constitution,” and even if so, he said “it was never intended to continue indefinitely.”This argument appeared to strike a chord with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative who could prove to be the crucial swing vote.The courts has ruled in the past that “race-based remedies are permissible for a period of time,” Kavanaugh said, but “they should not be indefinite and should have an end point.”A decision in the case is expected in June.Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House and an increase or decrease in the number of Black majority districts could help tip the balance in the midterms, when all 435 seats in the chamber will be up for grabs.According to a report by voting advocacy groups Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter, a court ruling striking down voting protections for minorities could lead to Republicans picking up an additional 19 House seats.”It’s enough to cement one-party control of the US House for at least a generation,” they said.The Louisiana voting case is being heard against a backdrop of redistricting moves in both Republican- and Democratic-ruled states.Republican-led Texas has drawn new congressional maps that could flip up to five House seats from Democrats to Republicans. Democratic-ruled California has responded with a redistricting push of its own.

Chris Anderson took over TED 25 years ago, when the internet was young and optimism abounded about the future it could deliver.Since then, the New York-based conference series has become globally known for its trademark “talks” sharing big ideas for a better world, while the internet is increasingly seen as a maelstrom of misinformation and social division.Anderson still sees technology, particularly artificial intelligence, as able to bring out the best in humanity, as he hands off leadership of the organization behind TED and its prestigious conferences to Khan Academy founder Sal Khan.”Conversations about possibility, about what we can build together, have always been at the heart of TED,” Anderson said in an interview with AFP.”It’s probably what the world needs now more than ever; it’s the antidote to people throwing barbs at each other.”Anderson cited social media as “the single biggest contributor to our dysfunction and to the falling out of love with technology” for many.He faulted ad-driven business models that tie profit to time people spend on tech platforms, no matter how disturbing or unhealthy the content holding their attention.”These algorithms have found that the best way to lock people in is to make them see the world as frightening and to see the ‘other’ as threatening them,” Anderson said.”It’s a tragedy.”Nonetheless, Anderson is a self-described optimist, confident that better things can be built.- Tedsters -The first Technology, Education, and Design (TED) gathering was held in Monterey, California in 1984.The annual conferences were drawing about 500 people when Anderson’s nonprofit Sapling Foundation took over in 2001.The roster of “Tedsters” includes renowned scientists, Hollywood celebrities, influential artists, and founders of tech firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Netflix.”I felt I’d come home to that heroic group of people dreaming about the future and what the future could be,” Anderson said.”They absolutely loved it,” he said of the atmosphere at TED.Anderson, who had been a successful publishing entrepreneur, made the risky move of releasing videos of the talks for free online.”It could have arguably wrecked the conference and stopped people from wanting to pay to come,” Anderson said.Instead, the opposite happened: as TED Talks spread around the world, so did interest in attending the conferences in person.”It’s completely thrilling seeing that TED didn’t just have to be for 500 people — it could be for many millions of people,” Anderson said.TED now produces podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed), and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages.- Best and worst selves -Anderson spearheaded the launch of the TEDx program, which lets local organizers host TED-style events, and brought young innovators into the fold with a fellowship program.A TED Audacious Project backing “wishes” by people seeking to do good has generated more than $3 billion for projects to make the world more sustainable, just, or beautiful, according to organizers.”The biggest thrill of TED has been discovering that the internet used the right way can be the most glorious gift,” Anderson said.Anderson, 68, touted Khan as an ideal successor to steward TED.Khan will continue to lead his online learning platform while also helping shape TED’s mission, particularly with AI.”You could argue that AI used right is capable of helping people become their best selves,” Anderson said, noting that education has long been central to TED.”Whereas social media often helps people become their worst selves.”

The EU will urge G7 partners to consider tapping immobilized Russian assets in aiding Ukraine, the bloc’s economy commissioner told AFP on Wednesday, as finance ministers of the group convene in Washington.Also on the Group of Seven ministers’ agenda are discussions on China’s recently announced curbs on rare earths, commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told AFP in an interview.European allies have been working on a plan to provide loans to Ukraine without an outright seizure of Russian assets that have been immobilized after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”UK and Canada have already indicated willingness to work alongside with the EU’s reparation loan model,” Dombrovskis said.”So, we’re also awaiting more concrete responses from (the) US and Japan,” he added on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s fall meetings in Washington this week.He stressed that G7 leaders earlier agreed at the finance ministers level to “work in a coordinated way.”Dombrovskis said he intends to outline the EU’s plans when G7 finance leaders gather, while encouraging partners to see what they can do with frozen assets in their territories. The leaders will also discuss work on further sanctions.Under the European Union’s plan, the EU would borrow funds from international deposit organization Euroclear in Belgium that have matured into cash, and the money would in turn be loaned to Ukraine.The understanding is that any funds Russia pays towards post-war reparations would be used to reimburse the Europeans.The Kremlin has said the EU plan amounts to “theft” and has threatened to retaliate. Meanwhile, Belgium is seeking guarantees that the bloc would share risks on the plan.- ‘We are ready’ -G7 leaders are also expected to discuss potential responses to China, after Beijing recently announced fresh export curbs involving the rare earth industry, triggering a fiery response from Washington.Early Wednesday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer slammed China’s move as a “global supply chain power grab,” saying that the United States and its allies would not go along with such a system of controls by Beijing.Dombrovskis told AFP that although no concrete decisions have been made at the EU level, “we are ready to engage and to coordinate those approaches, including at the G7 level.””We are willing to discuss what is the best way to approach it, both in the short-term, but also in the longer term. It’s obvious that we need to work on the diversification of our supply chains,” he said.EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Tuesday that the EU is coordinating with G7 partners on a response to China’s rare earths export controls, while engaging with China to find solutions.Asked about further progress to seek a reduction in US tariffs targeting EU goods, Dombrovskis noted Wednesday that “there’s a lot at stake economically.”He said he foresees further discussions on sector-specific tariffs, after Brussels managed to negotiate lower duties on auto exports to the United States.- ‘Sizable’ hit -Separately, Dombrovskis noted that a suspension of France’s pension reform would have significant implications, stressing the need for the eurozone’s second-largest economy to ensure it meets its budget commitments.On Tuesday, France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu backed the suspension of the unpopular 2023 reform — a key move to bolster his cabinet’s survival and draw his country out of political crisis.”There are quite sizable fiscal implications,” Dombrovskis said.”So, it’s important that indeed there are measures taken to ensure that France still meets its commitments in line with its medium-term fiscal structural plan,” he added.Freezing the pension reform would cost around 400 million euros ($463 million) in 2026 and 1.8 billion euros the following year, Lecornu previously said.He added that the shortfall should be covered by savings.France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU’s third-highest after Greece and Italy, and is close to twice the 60-percent limit fixed by EU rules.