WASHINGTON: A US judge said Wednesday he had found “probable cause” to hold President Donald Trump’s administration in contempt in a deportation case, raising the stakes in the White House’s confrontation with the justice system.
The White House said it planned an “immediate” appeal to the decision by District Judge James Boasberg, who had ordered the government to halt flights of more than 200 alleged gang Venezuelan members to El Salvador.
Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order on March 15 to halt the deportations, which were carried out under an obscure wartime law, the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which strips away the usual legal due process.
In a written opinion, the judge cited evidence that the government had engaged in “deliberate or reckless disregard” of his order when it proceeded with the flights.
“Defendants provide no convincing reason to avoid the conclusion that appears obvious... that they deliberately flouted this Court’s written Order and, separately, its oral command that explicitly delineated what compliance entailed,” he wrote.
The administration’s actions were “sufficient for the court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the government in criminal contempt,” Boasberg wrote.
The judge said the government would be offered a final chance to “purge such contempt” or face further court action.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has flirted with open defiance of the judiciary following setbacks to his right-wing agenda, with deportation cases taking center stage.
“We plan to seek immediate appellate relief,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement after the judge’s ruling.
“The President is 100 percent committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country.”
In invoking the Alien Enemies Act — which had only been used previously during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II — Trump said he was targeting transnational gangs he had declared foreign terrorist organizations.
That included the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua, but lawyers for several of the deported Venezuelans have said that their clients were not gang members, had committed no crimes and were targeted largely on the basis of their tattoos.
Trump has routinely criticized rulings that curb his policies and power, and attacked the judges who issued them, including Boasberg.
The Republican president said Wednesday that US courts are “totally out of control,” writing on his Truth Social platform: “They seem to hate ‘TRUMP’ so much, that anything goes!“
His administration is also under fire over its admission that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was living in the eastern state of Maryland and married to a US citizen, was deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador due to an “administrative error.”
A judge has ordered Trump to “facilitate” his return, an order upheld by the Supreme Court, but his government has said the court did not have the authority to order it to have him returned.
Trump has alleged that Abrego Garcia is “an MS-13 Gang Member and Foreign Terrorist from El Salvador,” while Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that he was “engaged in human trafficking.”
The man has never been charged with any crimes.
US judge says ‘probable cause’ to hold Trump admin in contempt
https://arab.news/gm43x
US judge says ‘probable cause’ to hold Trump admin in contempt
- Lawyers for several of the deported Venezuelans have said that their clients were not gang members, had committed no crimes and were targeted largely on the basis of their tattoos
Children die as USAID aid cuts snap a lifeline for the world’s most malnourished
Globally, 50 percent of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition in children were funded by USAID, and 40 percent of the supplies were produced in the US
DIKWA, Nigeria: Under the dappled light of a thatched shelter, Yagana Bulama cradles her surviving infant. The other twin is gone, a casualty of malnutrition and the international funding cuts that are snapping the lifeline for displaced communities in Nigeria’s insurgency-ravaged Borno state.
“Feeding is severely difficult,” said Bulama, 40, who was a farmer before Boko Haram militants swept through her village, forcing her to flee. She and about 400,000 other people at the humanitarian hub of Dikwa — virtually the entire population — rely on assistance. The military restricts their movements to a designated “safe zone,” which severely limits farming.
For years, the United States Agency for International Development had been the backbone of the humanitarian response in northeastern Nigeria, helping non-government organizations provide food, shelter and health care to millions of people. But this year, the Trump administration cut more than 90 percent of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall assistance around the world.
Programs serving children were hit hard.
Bulama previously lost young triplets to hunger before reaching therapeutic feeding centers in Dikwa. When she gave birth to twins last August, both were severely underweight. Workers from Mercy Corps enrolled them in a program to receive a calorie-dense paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition.
But in February, Mercy Corps abruptly ended the program that was entirely financed by USAID. Two weeks later, one of the twins died, Bulama said.
She has no more tears, only dread for what may come next.
“I don’t want to bury another child,” she said.
‘Very traumatic’
Globally, 50 percent of the therapeutic foods for treating malnutrition in children were funded by USAID, and 40 percent of the supplies were produced in the US, according to Shawn Baker, chief program officer at Helen Keller Intl and former chief nutritionist at USAID.
He said the consequence could be 1 million children not receiving treatment for severe malnutrition, resulting in 163,500 additional deaths per year. For Helen Keller Intl, its programs in Bangladesh, Nepal and Nigeria have been terminated.
“It is very traumatic,” said Trond Jensen, the head of the United Nations humanitarian office in Maiduguri, Borno’s capital, of the funding cuts, noting that other donors, including the European Union, have taken similar steps this year. “One of the things is the threat to the lives of children.”
UNICEF still runs a therapeutic feeding center nearby, which now supports Bulama’s surviving baby, but its capacity is stretched. It is turning away many people previously served by other aid groups that have pulled out due to funding cuts.
Intersos, an Italian humanitarian organization, has the only remaining facility providing in-patient services for malnutrition in Dikwa, treating the most perilous cases. Its workers say they are overwhelmed, with at least 10 new admissions of seriously malnourished children daily.
“Before the USAID cut, we made a lot of progress,” said Ayuba Kauji, a health and nutrition supervisor. “Now my biggest worry is high mortality. We don’t have enough resources to keep up.”
Intersos was forced to reduce its staff from 30 to 11 in Dikwa after the USAID freeze. Its nutrition and health facilities now operate solely on support from the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund, a smaller pot of money contributed by a few European countries. That funding will be finished in June.
The crisis is equally acute in Maiduguri, where the economy is reeling from massive terminations of aid workers. At another Intersos-run facility, 10 of the 12 doctors have left and four nurses remain, with 50 new admissions of malnourished children per week.
“It used to be far less,” said Emmanuel Ali, one of the remaining doctors.
Beyond nutrition
The effects of the funding cuts extend far beyond nutrition. At the International Organization for Migration’s reception center in Dikwa, thousands of displaced families and those escaping Boko Haram captivity are stranded. There are no new shelters being built and no support for relocation.
“Before, organizations like Mercy Corps built mud-brick homes and rehabilitated damaged shelters to absorb people from the IOM reception center,” said one official at the center, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the situation. “Now, that has stopped.”
Jensen, the UN humanitarian head in Maiduguri, said, “sadly, we are not seeing additional funding to make up for the US cuts.” He warned that vulnerable people could turn to risky ways of coping, including joining violent groups.
A global problem
The crisis in Nigeria is part of a larger reckoning. According to Kate Phillips-Barrasso, Mercy Corps’ vice president for policy and advocacy, 40 of its 62 US-funded programs with the potential to reach 3.5 million people in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Lebanon and Gaza have been terminated.
In Mozambique, where jihadist violence in the north has displaced over a million people since 2017, humanitarian organizations face steep shortfalls with “devastating” effects on the needy, said Frederico João, chairman of the forum of NGOs in the region.
More widely, the USAID funding cut compromises Mozambique’s health sector, especially in HIV/AIDS care, said Inocêncio Impissa, cabinet spokesman. The government now seeks alternative funding to prevent total collapse of health systems.
Swedish diplomat spy suspect has died, his lawyer says
- Sweden’s SAPO security service had detained the man on Sunday
- “I heard the tragic news this morning and my thoughts go to his family,” his lawyer said
STOCKHOLM: A Swedish diplomat who was recently questioned by police on suspicion of espionage has died, the man’s lawyer said on Friday.
Sweden’s SAPO security service had detained the man on Sunday and kept him for questioning until Wednesday, when he was released, although he remained subject to investigation, the country’s prosecution service has said.
“I heard the tragic news this morning and my thoughts go to his family,” his lawyer, Anton Strand, told Reuters.
Strand declined to comment on the cause of the man’s death.
The man had denied any wrongdoing and had made a complaint against the police over the handling of the case, Strand said.
Public broadcaster SVT has reported that the diplomat had served at several Swedish embassies and that SAPO was investigating a potential connection to the resignation of the government’s national security adviser last week.
Sweden’s foreign ministry confirmed that one of its employees had died but declined to comment further.
“We can regrettably confirm that an employee of the foreign service has passed away,” the ministry said in a statement to Reuters. “Out of concern for the relatives we will refrain from giving further detail.”
Third pair of Filipino conjoined twins prepares for life-changing surgery in Riyadh
- Maurice Ann and Klea Misa are traveling to Saudi Arabia on Saturday
- They are fully supported by the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program
MANILA: When Maricel Misa saw a social media post about Filipino conjoined twins separated in Saudi Arabia last year, she congratulated them and said she hoped her daughters would also get that chance one day. Little did she know that a few months later, they would be flying to Riyadh for the same life-changing help.
Misa, who owns a small shop with her husband in Lubang, a municipality on the island of Mindoro, learned that her children were joined at the head in her sixth month of pregnancy. At first, they did not believe the ultrasound reading and hoped everything would still be fine.
When the girls were born, their parents’ world suddenly turned upside down, but they soon overcame the shock and organized themselves to give Maurice Ann and Klea all the support they could afford.
“My husband gave up his work so that someone could stay home to take care of our children as they grew up. We know that they are not like other children. They need constant care, someone to assist them when walking, bathing, and eating every single day,” Misa told Arab News.
“What we are going through right now is really very tough, especially when it comes to their schooling … One of them, I’m not even sure if she’s learning well, because she’s always facing sideways. But by God’s grace, they’re learning a lot and have made friends. And thankfully, they’re not getting bullied by their classmates.”
Like all parents, she and her husband have always hoped their daughters would one day live like other children and become independent. Misa knew it was possible after the separation of another pair of Filipino conjoined twins made headlines last year.
“We saw a post from Saudi Arabia about conjoined twins from the Philippines who had undergone surgery there, and I commented, saying I hope we can be helped too. Someone noticed my comment and reached out to me,” she said.
“Not long after that, the Saudi Embassy called me and told me that our trip to Saudi Arabia for a medical evaluation had been approved. Now, we’re just waiting a few more days before we travel. We are really thankful for the help of the Saudi government. This is a huge blessing for us. I truly want my children to have a normal life. We are so incredibly thankful that the Saudi government noticed us, even though we are not their own people.”
Maurice Ann and Klea will be traveling to Riyadh on Saturday. The Saudi Embassy in Manila announced this week that all the costs will be borne by the Kingdom under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program and that they will receive specialized medical care in King Abdulaziz Medical City.
“Their case will be overseen by the esteemed medical and surgical team led by His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center,” the embassy said.
“This case marks the third instance of Filipino conjoined twins to be treated under this pioneering humanitarian program.”
Dr. Al-Rabeeah, who leads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, is one of the world’s most renowned pediatric surgeons. Since the establishment of the program in 1990, he and his team have separated more than 140 children who were born sharing internal organs with their siblings.
Next week, as Maurice Ann and Klea start their treatment in Riyadh, they will observe their seventh birthday.
“I have no other wish but for them to live a normal life, to be like other children. I want them to finish their studies and achieve their dreams. Even if one day we are no longer around, we want to be at peace knowing that they can take care of themselves because they are living normal lives. That’s all I truly hope for,” their mother said.
“This upcoming surgery of our twins, if it becomes successful, will bring such a huge change in our lives … They’ll finally have the freedom to live their own lives, thanks to the support of the Saudi government. This is truly a life-changing help for us.”
Conjoined twins are a rare phenomenon, estimated to occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births.
The first pair of Filipino conjoined twins, Ann and Mae Manz, were separated by Dr. Al-Rabeeah and his team in March 2004. They were joined at the abdomen, pelvis, and perineum. The second pair, Akhizah and Ayeesha Yusoph, were joined at the lower chest and abdomen and shared one liver. They were successfully separated under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program in September 2024.
Russia, Ukraine conclude first peace talks since 2022
- A Ukrainian diplomatic source said Russia was making “unacceptable” territorial demands in a bid to derail negotiations
- Speaking at a European summit in Albania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged a “strong reaction” from the world if the talks fail, including new sanctions
ISTANBUL: Russians and Ukrainians sat face-to-face for under two hours Friday in Istanbul for the first direct talks in over three years aimed at ending their war, with expectations low for breakthroughs.
Kyiv is seeking an “unconditional ceasefire” in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II which has also destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.
Moscow says it wanted to address the “root causes” of the conflict and revive failed 2022 negotiations in which it made sweeping territorial and political demands of Ukraine.
Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sat at the head of a table in front of Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian flags at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace — with Russian and Ukrainian delegations facing each other, footage from the room showed.
The talks concluded around 1220 GMT after just over 90 minutes, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
While the talks were ongoing, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told AFP that Russia was making “unacceptable” territorial demands in a bid to derail negotiations.
Further talks may take place later on Friday but are not planned, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.
Speaking at a European summit in Albania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged a “strong reaction” from the world if the talks fail, including new sanctions.
The two sides spent the 24 hours before the talks slinging insults at each other with Zelensky accusing Moscow of sending “empty heads” to the negotiating table.
Nevertheless, the fact the meeting was taking place at all was a sign of movement, with both sides having come under steady pressure from Washington to open talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to travel to Turkiye for the talks, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.
Zelensky said Friday Putin was “afraid” of meeting, and criticized Russia for not taking the talks “seriously.”
Both Moscow and Washington have also talked up the need for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump on the conflict.
“Contacts between presidents Putin and Trump are extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday, adding that “a meeting is undoubtedly necessary.”
Trump had said Thursday that nothing would be settled until the two leaders met.
“Our number one priority is a full, honest and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelensky said as talks were underway.
“This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy.”
If a ceasefire cannot be agreed, “it will be 100 percent clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy,” he added.
And in that case, “the world must respond. There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions on Russia’s energy sector and banks,” Zelensky said.
Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian officials in Istanbul held meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg and the national security advisers of Britain, France and Germany.
Rubio urged a “peaceful” end to the war and said “the killing needs to stop,” according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
A Ukrainian diplomatic source in Istanbul told AFP the delegation also wanted to discuss a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting.
But while the talks were ongoing, the source said Russia was advancing hard-line territorial demands.
“Russian representatives are putting forward unacceptable demands... such as for Ukraine to withdraw forces from large parts of Ukrainian territory it controls in order for a ceasefire to begin,” the source said.
They accused Moscow of seeking to “throw non-starters” so the talks end “without any results.”
Leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte slammed Putin for skipping the Istanbul talks.
Putin sent Vladimir Medinsky — a former cultural minister who is not seen as a key Kremlin decision-maker.
Rubio acknowledged that the Russian representation was “not at the levels we had hoped it would be at” and downplayed expectations for a breakthrough.
Russia’s Medinsky said Moscow saw Friday’s negotiations as a “continuation” of failed 2022 talks, which he led — a sign that Moscow’s hard-line demands have not changed.
But he pushed back against Zelensky’s criticism and insisted the Russian delegation has a mandate from Putin to “find possible solutions.”
Russia has repeatedly said it will not discuss giving up any territory that its forces occupy.
Kyiv’s chief negotiator is Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who has roots in Crimea, the peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.
Russia continued its attacks in the hours ahead of the talks, with Kyiv saying at least two people were killed.
Conflict and climate drive record global hunger in 2024, UN says
ROME: Acute food insecurity and child malnutrition rose for a sixth consecutive year in 2024, affecting more than 295 million people across 53 countries and territories, according to a U.N. report released on Friday.
That marked a 5% increase on 2023 levels, with 22.6% of populations in worst-hit regions experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse.
"The 2025 Global Report on Food Crises paints a staggering picture," said Rein Paulsen, Director of Emergencies and Resilience at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
"Conflict, weather extremes and economic shocks are the main drivers, and they often overlap," he added.
Looking ahead, the U.N. warned of worsening conditions this year, citing the steepest projected drop in humanitarian food funding since the report's inception -- put at anywhere between 10% to more than 45%.
U.S. President Donald Trump has led the way, largely shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides aid to the world's needy, cancelling more than 80% of its humanitarian programs.
"Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide," warned Cindy McCain, the head of the Rome-based World Food Programme.
Conflict was the leading cause of hunger, impacting nearly 140 million people across 20 countries in 2024, including areas facing "catastrophic" levels of food insecurity in Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali. Sudan has confirmed famine conditions.
Economic shocks, such as inflation and currency devaluation, helped push 59.4 million people into food crises in 15 countries -- nearly double the levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic -- including Syria and Yemen.
Extreme weather, particularly El Nino-induced droughts and floods, shunted 18 countries into crisis, affecting more than 96 million people, especially in Southern Africa, Southern Asia, and the Horn of Africa.
The number of people facing famine-like conditions more than doubled to 1.9 million -- the highest since monitoring for the global report began in 2016.
Malnutrition among children reached alarming levels, the report said. Nearly 38 million children under five were acutely malnourished across 26 nutrition crises, including in Sudan, Yemen, Mali and Gaza.
Forced displacement also exacerbated hunger. Nearly 95 million forcibly displaced people, including refugees and internally displaced persons, lived in countries facing food crises, such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia.
Despite the grim overall trend, 2024 saw some progress. In 15 countries, including Ukraine, Kenya and Guatemala, food insecurity eased due to humanitarian aid, improved harvests, easing inflation and a decline in conflict.
To break the cycle of hunger, the report called for investment in local food systems. "Evidence shows that supporting local agriculture can help the most people, with dignity, at lower cost," Paulsen said.
