USA
USA reporting, written for the person reading it.
USA · · 1 min
U.S. Deports Afghan Ally Relative Abroad
The United States on Saturday flew dozens of deportees to the Central African Republic, including a young Afghan man whose brothers worked with U.S. forces, AP reported via his lawyer and Human Rights First. A U.S. judge had blocked sending him back to Afghanistan over Taliban persecution fears after his family received threats tied to that military collaboration. One brother served in the Afghan National Army and now lives in the U.S.; another, a U.S.-trained pilot, was killed by the Taliban. The Bangui-bound flight carried 12 Afghans, eight Iranians, and people from Nepal and Nicaragua, advocates said. It is the second such CAR removal since June under secretive third-country deals spanning roughly two dozen nations. Immigration lawyers call the practice a workaround that can strand protected asylum seekers in countries they have no ties to, intensifying debate over due process and non-refoulement.
USA · · 1 min
U.S. Eyes 35% Betancourt Oil Cut
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that the U.S. government plans a 35% passive stake in Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt's North American Blue Energy Partners, citing people involved in the talks, Reuters said. Washington also plans preferential rights to buy 20% of the company's production at cost. The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital would structure the investment through penny warrants meant to yield equity without a large cash outlay. The report landed a day after President Donald Trump said the United States had secured majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan proven reserves through a private-business partnership—about a fifth of the OPEC nation's crude. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell pushed back: "The Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) does not take equity stakes in private companies," saying its role is limited to loans, loan guarantees, or technical assistance. The White House and the company did not immediately comment. A U.S. official told CBS News interim President Delcy Rodriguez granted a private joint venture a 100-year concession on those fields, with Washington controlling 55% via equity and at-cost offtake.
USA · · 1 min
US deports Afghan to Central Africa
The United States on Saturday deported dozens of people to the Central African Republic, including an Afghan man in his early twenties whose brothers collaborated with the U.S. military, lawyer Alma David and Human Rights First said. A U.S. judge had blocked sending him back to Afghanistan over Taliban persecution fears; AP-reviewed court documents said his family received Taliban threats because of that U.S. work. One brother lives in the United States after serving in the Afghan National Army; another, a U.S.-trained pilot, was killed by the Taliban. The flight landed in Bangui with 12 Afghans, eight Iranians, and people from Nepal and Nicaragua, said Savi Arvey of Human Rights First. Advocates say the Trump administration has used often-secret third-country deals to send thousands to about two dozen nations that are not their own — a workaround for people protected from return home. Saturday's flight was the second to CAR since June.