Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

A federal judge has barred the Trump administration from withholding funds from 34 “sanctuary cities” and counties that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, in a ruling that widens an earlier order. The decision, issued on Friday by Judge William Orrick in San Francisco, extends protections to major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Denver and Albuquerque. Orrick, an appointee of Barack Obama, had previously ruled it unconstitutional for the administration to freeze funding for jurisdictions with sanctuary policies, siding with cities such as San Francisco, Sacramento, Minneapolis and Seattle that had challenged President Trump’s executive orders. Those cities…

US immigration authorities have said they intend to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Uganda, after the Salvadorian national declined an offer to be sent to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges and remaining in jail. The proposal was made late on Thursday, shortly before Ábrego’s release from a Tennessee jail the following day. He refused the deal and was freed on Friday to await trial in Maryland with his family. Later that day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed his lawyers that he would be deported to Uganda and must report to immigration authorities…

Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe  was admitted to hospital on Saturday, a day after he was charged with misusing public funds to pay for private international travel. The 76-year-old, who was remanded in custody on Friday, is accused of using state money to cover expenses for a two-day trip to the United Kingdom in September 2023. The visit was to attend a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton, where his wife was awarded an honorary professorship. Wickremesinghe has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his wife bore her own travel costs. The visit took place after his return from the…

Wildfires sweep CaliforniaMultiple wildfires have erupted across California as the state endures its most intense heatwave of the year, with conditions expected to persist through the weekend. The largest blaze, the Pickett fire, surged in size on Thursday in a remote part of Napa County and had scorched more than 3,200 acres (850 hectares) by Friday afternoon. Authorities issued evacuation orders and warnings for hundreds of residents around Calistoga, a wine-producing city in the region. Firefighters reported containment at just 5% as they battled the flames in extreme heat and rugged terrain. “Firefighter safety will be an emphasis once again…

Veldkamp, a former ambassador to Israel, announced his departure on Friday evening following a tense cabinet meeting which ended in deadlock.

Kilmar Ábrego García was freed from criminal custody in Tennessee on Friday to await trial at home in Maryland on human smuggling charges, following a court order for his release. Magistrate judge Barbara Holmes authorised the 30-year-old’s release, allowing him to rejoin his family for the first time since his return to the United States in June after a wrongful deportation to El Salvador earlier this year. Ábrego’s lawyer, Sean Hecker, said in a statement: “Today, Kilmar Ábrego García is free. He is presently en route to his family in Maryland, after being unlawfully arrested and deported, and then imprisoned,…

Menendez brothersLyle Menendez has been denied parole for his role in the 1989 killings of his parents, a day after his younger brother Erik’s bid for release was also rejected. The California parole board ruled against releasing the 57-year-old on Friday, with Governor Gavin Newsom holding the final decision on his case. Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez. The brothers, who were 21 and 18 at the time of the shootings, claimed they acted after years of sexual abuse by their father. Prosecutors argued…

French law punishes discrimination based on religion with up to three years in prison.

Ukraine has struck a key pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline, cutting Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU states still dependent on the route. The Unecha pumping station, located in Russia’s Bryansk region, was hit in a combined attack involving Himars rockets and drones, according to Bryansk’s governor, Alexander Bogomaz. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces commander, Robert Brovdi, confirmed responsibility for the strike. Hungary and Slovakia warned the European Commission that supplies could be suspended for at least five days. “Without this pipeline, the safe supply of our countries is simply not possible,” their foreign ministers,…

The FBI has raided the home of Donald Trump’s former national security adviser and vocal critic, John Bolton, as part of an investigation into the handling of classified documents. Federal agents carried out the search at Bolton’s residence in the Washington DC area at around 7am on Friday, according to the Associated Press, which cited a person familiar with the matter. A government source confirmed the raid to the Guardian but declined to provide further details. Bolton, who was not at home at the time, told CNN he had been unaware of the raid until reporters contacted him. The broadcaster…