As Europe migration debate rages, Bologna businessman's death highlights human cost

By Claudia Cristoferi
Mon, August 3, 2026 

REUTERS

People march behind a banner calling for justice for Moroccan businessman Abderrahim Fakir during a demonstration in Bologna, Italy, July 26, 2026. REUTERS/Michele Lapini

BOLOGNA, Italy, Aug 4 (Reuters) - When tens of thousands of would-be migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week, Italy's right-wing prime minister Giorgia Meloni promptly said she would suspend a free-movement accord with Spain, even though Ceuta is excluded from the pact.

And when a distressed Moroccan businessman who feared repatriation despite having lived in Italy ‌for 36 years died after being stopped by police two weeks ago in Bologna, with viral footage showing two officers sitting on him to restrain him, the government jumped to the law ‌enforcers' defence.

Right-wing media depicted the man as another disorderly migrant causing trouble, highlighting drug convictions in his youth, while opposition politicians accused the government of racism and condoning police brutality.

What few did, in public at least, was ask who Abderrahim Fakir really was, and what might ​have caused his distress – something that sociologists and refugee agencies say reduces an immigration debate sweeping Europe to a caricature that prevents a more constructive response.

POLITICS AND 'DEHUMANISATION'

"The political agenda of many politicians requires the dehumanisation of migrants," said Maurizio Ambrosini, who teaches the sociology of migration at Milan's Statale University.

"If we don't see them as people in flesh and blood but as an abstract phenomenon, it becomes easier to tackle the issue without too much fuss or human considerations."

In the months before his death on July 19, Fakir, the 42-year-old owner of a small metalworking firm, appeared to those around him much as he always had: warm, sociable and quick to smile.

Yet underneath, he was trying to hold ‌together a carefully built life that seemed to be slipping inexorably out of ⁠control.

Videos shot by neighbours that day showed two police officers pinning him to the ground face-down, helped by a resident, and remaining on him for several minutes as he cried for help.

They had responded to reports of a man roaming around, yelling incoherently, kicking garage doors and banging on a car with its driver inside.

The next day, after ⁠the videos showing Fakir's last moments had circulated online, Bologna's centre-left mayor Matteo Lepore called a rally to demand accountability and in support of his family.

It drew thousands of peaceful citizens but turned violent when a small group marched towards police headquarters, hurling objects and injuring dozens of officers.

Government supporters demanded the mayor resign, the opposition blamed Meloni's tough law-and-order policies - and Fakir himself faded quickly from the picture.

AWAITING RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION AND AUTOPSY

But whatever the results of a pending autopsy, and investigations ​into ​the officers who subdued him and four Red Cross volunteers who looked on before trying to revive him, Fakir was nothing ​like any politician's caricature of an immigrant.

Interviews with his relatives, lawyer and friends reveal ‌a man trying to keep up appearances while struggling with problems in the business he had built and the extra stress of fearing expulsion to Morocco, having lived in Italy almost all his life.

His older sister Khadija said he had recently grown withdrawn and often skipped family gatherings, but no one suspected how anxious he was inside.

"He wanted to protect us. He would call to ask how I was and how the children were doing, and say everything was fine," she told Reuters.

Barbara Spinelli, Fakir's lawyer, had been helping him try to regain an Italian residence permit he had relinquished due to an extended stay in Morocco after his mother died in 2021.

"We were very close to resolving his situation, but in June the judge assigned to his case was suddenly transferred," Spinelli said. "He panicked, even though I reassured him it would soon be resolved."

At around the same ‌time, immigration authorities summoned Fakir, requesting verification of his status despite a court order allowing him provisionally to remain in Italy.

"He ​was terrified of being sent back to Morocco," Spinelli said.

WARNING SIGNS OF DISTRESS

On June 12, police found Fakir wandering, confused, in Castello ​d'Argile outside Bologna. The incident ended without complications, mayor Alessandro Erriquez told state-owned broadcaster RAI.

A few days ​later, he showed up at a Bologna hospital with a self-inflicted injury and asked for psychiatric help, family lawyer Fabio Anselmo said. Records of the incident described him as ‌depressed, but calm - a poor signal of the internal turmoil that would shortly burst ​into the open.

Fakir had come to Italy from Morocco ​at the age of six, and had lived in Bologna since 1995. Friends described him as outgoing and rooted in the local community.

"He was lively, always present in class, and was a great football player," said Riccardo, a former schoolmate who declined to give his surname.

After two convictions for drug offences committed as a teenager, Fakir had a series of jobs before setting up his own firms, ​first in logistics and most recently his metalworking business, which was facing difficulties.

Having ‌to lay off eight of his 12 employees had distressed him, his lawyer Spinelli said, yet Fakir hid his anguish from his family.

"He was always joking," recalled his 23-year-old niece Yossra. "His ​nieces and nephews were like his own children."

Unlike Yossra, Fakir's sister Khadija had been unable to watch the videos of her brother's final moments.

"My family trusts the Italian justice system and ​the police," she said. "We expect the truth to emerge."

(Writing by Claudia Cristoferi; editing by Gavin Jones and Kevin Liffey)

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EMPIRE - Monoskop 

4.3 The Multitude against Empire. 393. Notes. 415. Index. 473. Page 11. PREFACE. Empire is materializing before our very eyes. Over the past several decades, as ...

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MULTITUDE - Rebel Studies Library 

Page 1. MULTITUDE. WAR AND DEMOCRACY. IN THE AGE OF EMPIRE. MICHAEL HARDT ... Empire calls on war for its legitimation, the multitude calls on democracy as its ...

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EMPIRE, TWENTY YEARS ON | New Left Review 

Just as today's. Empire was formed in response to the insurgencies of the multitudes from below, so too, potentially, it could fall to them, as long as those.

India's 'cockroach' protesters have wounds consistent with pellet-gun fire, say experts

Geeta Pandey - BBC Correspondent, Delhi
Mon, August 3, 2026 


The face and body of Sahil Lochab, who appeared with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi at a press conference, are peppered with tiny holes [Congress Party]

Independent ballistic experts have told the BBC that injuries sustained by some Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters during last week's protest in the Indian capital were caused by pellet guns.

Warning: This story contains images some might find distressing

Central Delhi witnessed overwhelming violence on 20 July when tens of thousands of protesters tried to march to the parliament to seek education reforms and the resignation of the education minister.

Police and paramilitary personnel were seen brutally attacking the crowds with wooden sticks, batons and tear gas. Delhi Police said 60 protesters and 118 of their personnel were injured. CJP said the number of injured protesters was a lot higher than the official count.

In the days following the crackdown, the government has not confirmed media reports that pellet guns were used on protesters.

But the BBC has been able to confirm at least four cases where protesters have been treated at hospitals for wounds that experts say are caused by pellet guns.

Shotguns designed for bird hunting are sometimes referred to as pellet guns. They fire cartridges, known as "birdshot", containing 200 to 400 small metal pellets. When used against crowds, the pellets spread out in a wide arc, striking people indiscriminately. These guns are banned in several countries.

We have spoken to two of the injured men who believe they were hit by pellet guns fired by security forces. We have also shown photographs and videos of them and a third man to two independent armament and forensic experts. A senior official at a hospital has confirmed a fourth man who also received treatment for pellet wounds.

The experts say the dozens of tiny round punctures are tell-tale signs of injuries caused by birdshot.

"The injuries depicted are definitely from a pellet gun," UK-based ballistics forensic scientist Philip Boyce told the BBC, adding that the weapon used is "a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun".

"These pellet injuries can actually be quite devastating, especially at close range. The injuries I see [in Delhi] are not at close range, they're at least 50 feet. But they can actually still be devastating and potentially life-threatening even from 100 feet," he said.

NR Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services (ARES) in UK, told the BBC that "images and video from the protests show the police using shotguns for crowd control" and photos of "injuries are strongly consistent with the use of birdshot".

"While shotguns are a common tool in the less-lethal arsenals of many states, Indian law enforcement agencies have a long history of employing shotgun cartridges loaded with small lead pellets - known as 'birdshot' - in crowd-control scenarios. When loaded with birdshot cartridges, shotguns are sometimes referred to as 'pellet guns'," he added.

"But these pellets are not safe. They can result in life-changing or, occasionally, life-threatening injuries. They also pepper the body with toxic lead, which can sometimes be difficult to remove safely," he said.

That's why many countries have either banned them or restricted their usage. In the UK, Boyce says the guns are widely used for shooting birds and they're fairly freely available. But, he's "not aware" of any instance when they've been used for crowd control.

Shaikh Irshad Mansoori said scans showed he had more than 40 pellets in his body [Shaikh Irshad Mansoori]

In Indian-administered Kashmir - where pellet guns have been used since 2010 - official data, compiled by Human Rights Watch, shows they have injured several thousand people, killed at least 17 and blinded dozens.

If it's confirmed that the forces used pellet guns in Delhi, this would be the first time that India would have used them on its citizens in its capital city.

Two of the young men we spoke to told us they were injured in Connaught Place - a major hub near parliament - after 4pm local time on 20 July.

Mohit (name changed) said when he saw a security personnel aim his gun at him, he turned around and began running in the opposite direction.

"Two-three seconds later, I felt a burning sensation on my right arm and back," the 28-year-old journalist told the BBC.

Mohit said he kept running as a searing pain coursed through his body until he reached a café, bought a bottle of water and washed his wounds. "That's when I saw the tiny circular holes on my arm and upper back. I was completely freaked out."

An X-ray taken at Safdarjung hospital, where he was treated for his wounds, shows tiny objects embedded in his arm and upper torso. Medical records that he has shared with the BBC show he has 26 pellet wounds on his right elbow and four on his upper right back. The notes include a diagram showing where the objects are lodged in his body.

Mohit said the doctors told him that surgery could worsen his situation, but he worries about the damage "they can do in future since they remain lodged in my body or whether the ugly scars would ever go away".

"But after seeing photos of other victims who've been hit in the face, I'm feeling fortunate," he says.

Shaikh Irshad Mansoori, who works at a Gurugram-based firm, was not so fortunate.

He was walking from Connaught Place to Jantar Mantar, the main CJP protest venue, when "the police and RAF [Rapid Action Force, a paramilitary force] personnel began beating the crowd with sticks and firing tear gas, causing a stampede-like situation and panic".

"I was with a group of protesters and we were raising slogans when an RAF personnel pointed his gun at us. We didn't think he would fire, but then I suddenly heard a cracking sound nearby and pellets hit me on my left eyebrow and my chin."

Some protesters tried to stem his bleeding with items of clothing, hailed a passing vehicle and took him to Lady Hardinge hospital.

He said scans showed he had more than 40 pellets in his body, including three embedded deep in his neck, left eye muscle and under his nose that doctors told him needed to be taken out.

"Surgeons next morning removed seven pellets, but they had to leave the one in the neck as it was too risky to be taken out. They told me it's now part of your body. They've assured me that it would not cause any danger in future."

More than 10 days later, Irshad says he's "still in some pain".

A senior hospital official told the BBC that Irshad's injuries were caused by "pellet-type small particles", but would not say whether they were fired from a gun. "That's for the forensics to say once they've examined these pellets," they said.

When the first claims of pellet gun use emerged last week, Delhi police called it "completely false and misleading". They said they did not even possess pellet guns.

Since then, Indian media has reported that the shots were fired by the RAF, which reports to the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The BBC has reached out to CRPF chief Gyanendra Pratap Singh and also sent him questions on email. He's yet to respond.

A 28-year-old journalist, who did not want to be named, has shared his photos and X-ray with the BBC [User generated]

On Wednesday, government minister Jitendra Singh said in parliament that no "bullets" were fired and only tear gas was used. But he did not comment on the use of pellet guns.

He was responding to allegations by Rahul Gandhi, Congress party MP and leader of the opposition in the lower house, who demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah be sacked since both the Delhi police and CRPF report to Shah.

Last Saturday, Gandhi addressed a press conference accompanied by Sahil Lochab, a 19-year-old Delhi University student, who may lose an eye to pellet injuries.

One side of Sahil's face and the back of his right arm are peppered with tiny holes. Gandhi lifted his T-shirt to reveal dozens more wounds on his underarm and body.

In a video chat with Gandhi and in media interviews, Sahil said he supported the CJP protest, which centred around the issue of repeated paper leaks of key exams, because he wrote an exam to join the police force last year which was cancelled because of the same issue.

He had gone to the protest with three friends but got separated in the chaos when police charged the crowd with batons. He was shot while marching towards the security forces with other protesters.

"I couldn't see who fired the pellet gun but it came from the side where the forces were," he said. "My right eye was swollen so much that it felt it had popped out of my face, I couldn't raise my right arm. I was bleeding profusely and some of the protesters took me to the hospital."

His family, he told Gandhi, had tried to dissuade him from going to the protest, but "I couldn't stop myself".

"I want justice. Whoever did this to me doesn't deserve to be in power," he said.

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Clarification - 1 August: This story was updated to remove a reference to shotguns - or pellet guns - being widely used in the UK to shoot birds of prey, which is illegal.


'What was my fault?': How India's exam paper leak ended young lives

Soutik Biswas - BBC India correspondent
Mon, August 3, 2026 


Three days before his rescheduled exam, 17-year-old Kahaan Patel took his life [Reuters]


Three days before he was due to sit India's rescheduled medical entrance examination, 17-year-old Kahaan Patel jumped from the sixth floor of his family's apartment building in the western city of Ahmedabad.

When his family entered his bedroom after his death in the early hours of 18 June, it looked as though he might return at any moment.

His laptop was still open. Text books, notebooks, pens and markers lay scattered across his bed and study table. He was wearing his headphones when he jumped. In one corner stood his electric guitar, plugged into an amplifier. On the shelves were Harry Potter novels, a book on Elon Musk, a collection of Goosebumps horror novels and board games. There was a trophy for "consistent academic performance".



"The only thing missing," his father, Prashant Patel, says quietly, "was Kahaan."


Kahaan was one of at least 21 students who died by suicide, allegedly upset after this year's National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was cancelled because of a question paper leak, forcing nearly two million candidates to take the examination again.

Their deaths became the emotional core of an extraordinary youth uprising that spilled onto the streets of Delhi in July, where thousands demanded accountability for repeated exam failures. After days of protests led by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

But behind the politics were families like Kahaan's – left trying to understand how an examination scandal had become a matter of life and death.

For Prashant Patel, the story begins not with his son's death but with a dream.

After scoring well in school leaving exams, Kahaan announced that he wanted to become a doctor. There were no doctors in the family. His parents reorganised their lives around that ambition.

Prashant Patel moved his family to Ahmedabad so that his son could go to a better school and prepare for his exam [Reuters]

They moved from Surat, a diamond and textile hub, to Ahmedabad, Gujarat's largest city, so Kahaan could attend a better school and prepare seriously. His father, a lawyer, bought a flat close to both the high court and Kahaan's school, commuting between the two cities while Kahaan lived with his mother Veena and younger brother Rihaan.

"He took that decision himself," his father says. "We only supported him."

Kahaan wasn't the sort of teenager consumed only by textbooks.

He played football for his school team, devoured Harry Potter and Percy Jackson novels, loved science-fiction films and spent hours teaching himself hard-rock guitar riffs. He had recently secured a US visitor visa and was excited about returning to Disneyland after the exam, revisiting a place he had first seen on a family holiday 12 years earlier.

He had already tasted success.

After the 2024 paper leak, he took NEET as a practice attempt. His performance convinced both him and his teachers that he was on track.

On 3 May, he emerged from the exam convinced he had done enough and called his father.

"Daddy, I am so happy. I am feeling free, relaxed. I'm going for dinner with my friends. I'm enjoying."

After scoring well in school leaving exams, Kahaan announced that he wanted to become a doctor [BBC]

Prashant Patel remembers telling him: "This is your time. Enjoy."

Then came news that the paper had been leaked.

His parents tried to shield him from the reports, but it was impossible. Friends from his coaching classes were already discussing them. He rushed back from a farmhouse holiday with friends, scrambling to retrieve the notes and textbooks he had already given to younger students in case he had to sit the exam again.

Within days the government announced a retest.

"That was when he became angry," his father recalls.

"He kept asking me: 'Is this a system? Is this how it works? What is my fault? What is the fault of students who gave the exam honestly? Why is the government taking it so casually?'"

His father tried to reassure him. "I told him, 'This is the system. What can we do?'"

Now he wonders whether his words sounded like comfort or resignation.

"Maybe he was disappointed. Maybe he was suffering inside."

Nothing suggested a crisis.

On the evening of 17 June, the day before he died, Kahaan chatted cheerfully with his grandfather, who had just landed in Melbourne to be with his daughter, on a video call. Kahaan asked him to bring back Puma football boots, Levi's jeans and jackets.

Later that evening, he spoke to his father. As the call ended, his father offered one final reassurance: "I told him, 'You proved yourself once. You don't have to prove yourself again.'"

Babita Kumar holds a photograph of her brother, Pradeep Kumar, who took his own life before the NEET retest [Reuters]

Hours later, he was dead.

Only afterwards did friends tell his father how deeply the examination scandal had unsettled him.

"He kept asking why the people responsible couldn't take the right decisions," his father says. "He used to say, 'Is this a joke for our ministers to conduct examinations like this?'"

Kahaan's family was not alone in asking those questions.

Some 770km away, in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, another family was trying to understand an equally unimaginable loss.

Pradeep Kumar was 23.

His father, Rajesh Kumar, is a small farmer in a village where Pradeep was the only student preparing for NEET.

Rajesh, 45, had left school as a child. His wife had never been to school. Becoming a doctor would have made Pradeep one of the first in the family to climb into the professional middle class.

"He would tell me, 'I want to serve people so much that they will remember me,'" Rajesh says.

To finance that dream, he sold land and borrowed more than a million rupees ($10,480; £7,804) from a bank. Coaching in Sikar, one of India's biggest hubs for entrance exam coaching, cost a fortune.

Rajesh Kumar sold land and took a bank loan to finance his son, Pradeep's, education. [Reuters]

In 2022, Pradeep moved to Sikar for coaching, sharing a rented room with his older sister, Babita Kumari who was preparing for police recruitment exams. Two NEET attempts steadily improved his rank, bringing a government medical college within reach.

Then came his third attempt in May this year. The paper was leaked, the examination was scrapped and a retest ordered – meaning Pradeep would have had to sit NEET for a fourth time.

By then, his life was a relentless 16-hour cycle: up at 4.30am, coaching, self-study until 9pm, sleep, and repeat. Everything else was stripped away.

Pradeep refused to own even a mobile phone.

"I'll buy one after I'm selected," he would tell his father. "Phones distract me."

His only indulgence was a collection of about 10 inexpensive wristwatches, bought from roadside shops on trips between Sikar and home.

After sitting the exam on 3 May, he emerged smiling.

"This time my selection is guaranteed," he told his father.

The family planned to leave Sikar, return to their village and celebrate. Instead, the paper leak surfaced.

"We'll have to prepare again," Pradeep told his father stoically.

On the morning of 15 May, Rajesh did what he had done almost every day for four years. He sent milk and homemade curd to Sikar on the morning bus.

Pradeep phoned to say it had arrived.

Pradeep Kumar's only indulgence was a collection of inexpensive wristwatches, bought from roadside shops [Reuters]

He bought fresh okra from a roadside vendor and told his sister, "Go and have your bath. When you come back, we'll cook."

When she returned half an hour later, the room was locked. In the time she had been away, her brother had taken his own life.

"He never told me anything," Rajesh says. "He seemed happy."

His voice hardens when he speaks about the leak.

"I sold my land to educate him. Those who have money buy question papers. Those who study honestly are left behind."

Then he says something that has consumed him ever since.

"The government snatched away my son. If the paper had not leaked, Pradeep would be alive today. He would have been celebrating."

Kahaand and Pradeep came from different Indias.

One was the son of a lawyer who split his week between two cities. The other was the son of a farmer who mortgaged his future for his child's education. One dreamed of Disneyland after NEET. The other postponed buying a mobile phone until he became a doctor.

Yet both fathers are left asking the same question: how did children who believed they had earned their future lose faith in the very system meant to reward them?



Prashant Patel (left) joined the students' protest in Delhi after his son's death [BBC]

For weeks after Kahaan's funeral, Prashant Patel struggled to emerge from grief.

What finally drew him out was the students. He travelled to Delhi twice to join their protests in July.

"I wasn't there for compensation," he says. "I wanted accountability."

Weeks of protests forced education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on 25 July. The government expressed sympathy for the families of students who died by suicide and promised "maximum compensation in accordance with the rules and regulations".

But for Prashant Patel, the real legacy of the movement lay elsewhere.

He had watched students return to the streets after police action on 20 July.

"I wanted to thank them because they had become Kahaan's voice. If these children can come back after being beaten and still fight for justice," he says, "that gives me strength."

His son never found that voice.

"Kahaan didn't speak out," he says. "Instead, he took his own life."

He pauses.

"The other children spoke."

Then he says the words he wishes every parent – and every government – would hear.

"Our duty is to hear the voices of the young before they fall silent."

Another detainee dies at controversial NYC-area ICE facility

Michael Loria, 

USA TODAY
Mon, August 3, 2026 


Another detainee has died at a controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center outside New York City, the man's family announced Monday, Aug. 3.

Edwin Lopez Cornejo, a New Jersey resident detained on June 18 by immigration enforcement officers, died on Aug. 1 at Delaney Hall in Newark, his mother Maria Cornejo said in an emotional video posted to Facebook. Cornejo attributed the death of her son to him not receiving diabetes medications he required while in custody.

Cornejo said her son lived in the United States for nearly 20 years. She described him as hardworking and a good father to her granddaughter. According to family, Lopez Cornejo had a work permit.

"An excellent son," she said, "and I lost him to the hands of immigration authorities."

Lopez Cornejo's death comes as a record number of people have died in ICE custody amid the Trump administration's aggressive push for mass deportations. An earlier detainee at Delaney Hall died in December 2025.

Several deaths have been attributed to poor medical treatment. ICE has denied any accusations of poor treatment, even as witnesses in numerous lawsuits and news reports contradict official accounts of detainee treatment.

The Newark detention center is among ICE facilities where conditions have reportedly been poor, sparking hunger strikes and unrest inside the facility, and mass protests outside of it.


ICE agents detain a protester outside of the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 28, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The ongoing protests, which became tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of a hunger strike by detainees. (Adam Gray, Getty Images)

An ICE agent points his taser at protestors outside of the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 28, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The ongoing protests, which became tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of a hunger strike by detainees. (Adam Gray, Getty Images)

ICE agents use a chemical irritant as they clash with protestors outside of the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 28, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The ongoing protests, which became tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of a hunger strike by detainees. (Adam Gray, Getty Images)

Newark Police block the road leading to the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 28, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The ongoing protests, which became tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of a hunger strike by detainees. (Adam Gray, Getty Images)

Protestors link arms as they face off with ICE agents outside of the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall, where ICE is housing detained immigrants, on May 28, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The ongoing protests, which became tense over the holiday weekend, come amid reports of a hunger strike by detainees. (Adam Gray, Getty Images)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents use batons to forcibly push protesters back outside Delaney Hall on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Newark. Some of the detainees are currently hunger striking against alleged poor conditions inside the facility. Protesters were attempting to block vehicles from entering or exiting the facility. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents use mace to forcibly push protesters and members of the press back outside Delaney Hall on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Newark. Some of the detainees are currently hunger striking against alleged poor conditions inside the facility. Protesters were attempting to block vehicles from entering or exiting the facility. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com)

What does DHS say?

The Department of Homeland Security in a statement to USA TODAY denied accusations of medical neglect in the case of Lopez Cornejo.

"While in custody, Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals," an agency spokesperson said in a statement. "ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout their stay."

According to DHS, detainees receive a comprehensive health screening within 12 hours of booking and a full evaluation within 14 days.

DHS did not comment on claims from Lopez Cornejo's family that he had a work permit.

GEO Group, the company that runs the detention center, declined to comment.
What did his family say?

Lopez Cornejo's mother, in an emotional interview posted to Facebook, described her son as a hardworking father to her granddaughter.

She said her son was on his way to work when he was arrested by ICE. She said she learned of her son's death from the hospital where he was brought after he had already died.

The two last spoke Thursday, July 30, said Cornejo, adding her son spoke of being unwell and plans to get medical care though it was unclear when that would happen.

"That's one of the reasons for his death, I think, because of neglect, that they didn't give him the medications he had to take," she said.

Cornejo lamented that her son never got to see his 12-year-old daughter again before he died.

Daughter left 'an orphan'

Sebastiana Cornejo, Lopez Cornejo's aunt, slammed immigration authorities for leaving her niece an orphan.

"We ask them to stop these deportations, that they're separating families, kids they're leaving as orphans, without anyone's protection," the man's aunt said. "Who's going to protect them? Kids who are born American citizens. Why? Why are they detaining so many hardworking people? Even if we're immigrants we haven't hurt anyone, we came here to work, not to hurt anyone."
Family calls for justice

Lopez Cornejo's surviving family members, including his mother, aunt and brother all spoke publicly about their loss in an interview posted to Facebook. The group spoke behind blue medical masks but used their full names in a rare move among people who have lost loved ones to ICE.

According to the family, speaking up is about seeking justice for Lopez Cornejo and anyone in a similar situation.

"I know this pain that's gotten me, hasn't only gotten me, but many people in this country have felt these pains, but unfortunately in this recent case it's me because I lost my son," said Maria Cornejo, her voice breaking down. "And if justice isn't done, they're going to continue doing this, and we don't know how many more people we'll lose in this country."

Republicans want to talk about James Talarico’s manhood. Talarico says let them.

Calen Razor
Mon, August 3, 2026


He's eating barbecue. He's winning over Joe Rogan. He's challenging his opponent to mano-a-mano televised faceoffs.

James Talarico is determined not to let his GOP challenger Ken Paxton's and Republicans' attacks on his masculinity define him in what has emerged as one of the party's loudest tactics in the crucial Senate race.

The Texas Democrat is working to position himself as a candidate focused on issues he says men actually care about instead of speculation about his diet, sexuality and religious beliefs.

"They've even called me a vegan, and those are fighting words in the state of Texas," Talarico said at a San Antonio rally this summer.

"Nowadays our culture tells young men that greatness is tearing other people down, is trolling and owning and dominating. But my dad showed me what real greatness looks like. He inspired me to serve," Talarico said at another rally in Houston, referencing how his dad often mowed the lawn of his elderly widowed neighbor without asking.

Talarico's attempt to reclaim the masculinity narrative by confronting the issue head-on could help propel him to flip a seat Democrats haven't held in nearly four decades, and which could determine control of the Senate next year.

It comes as both parties, in Texas and across the U.S., are fighting to win male voters — especially young, Black or Hispanic men — who in 2024 lurched to the right to help Republicans take control of the White House and Congress. The issue of masculinity has also been turbo-charged during Donald Trump's second term, with the president hosting UFC fights on the White House lawn and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pushing for testosterone testing in the military.

If Talarico prevails, he could ultimately serve as a model for other Democratic candidates to connect with male voters or fend off Republicans who try to use issues of masculinity as a cudgel.

"Democrats need to be prepared for more of these attacks to come and understand how to handle them," Lucas Holtz, a senior political adviser at the centrist think tank Third Way, said in an interview.

Republicans think they've hit a nerve with Texas voters about Talarico's manhood. Members of the party have targeted the 37-year-old public school teacher-turned-state legislator for past statements endorsing a vegan lifestyle, suggesting that "God is nonbinary" and opposing legislation that erodes transgender rights.

"If you look at him, this is a guy who's publicly stated pretty bizarre things — that God is nonbinary," said Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) in an interview. "He's a total weirdo, and I think Texas voters recognize that."

Talaricosaid recently his comment on God's gender was meant to be "deliberately provocative" and that he meant God is beyond gender.

Third Texas Senate poll in a week shows Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton  USA TODAY

Republicans are also seizing on Talarico's unmarried status and smaller physical build to paint the Democratic candidate as weak and effeminate. Some have falsely called him gay or transgender. Paxton's very first ad of the general election campaign implied Talarico has low testosterone levels. And a conservative PAC released an AI-generated video of Talarico as an actress from "The Sound of Music" singing about wanting to give hormones to children.

Talarico opposes gender affirming care for minors, his spokesperson JT Ennis said.

"In Texas, there's a certain level of tough guy-ness that we all pretend to have in ourselves, and that we like in our elected officials," said Vinny Minchillo, a Texas-based Republican admaker who is not involved in the race. "If you push that the right direction, that especially does not sit well with Hispanic men and Black men."

Paxton's campaign and his allies think Talarico's previous comments on these issues put him out of touch with voters in both parties.

"Texans can spot an audition for a new identity and they know he is weak and woke on core Texas values," Paxton adviser Nick Maddux said in a statement. Maddux pointed to moves Talarico has made during the campaign he said shows flip-flopping, such as wearing a Texas flag shirt after calling the American flag a "complicated symbol."

"He is undoubtedly hurting Democrats," Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said in an interview about Talarico.

Some Hill Democrats say Republicans' fixation on Talarico's manhood is an attempt to distract from Paxton's weaknesses.

"They fear his strength, especially since he's running against the most notorious scumbag in American politics," Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said.

Paxton has faced an ethics complaint that was later dropped, a Justice Department corruption investigation for which he was not charged and securities fraud charges which were ultimately dismissed in an agreement. He was also impeached by the Texas GOP-led House for bribery and abusing his public office, which he called a "sham" coordinated by liberals, and was later acquitted by the Texas Senate.

Paxton also has a history of using cultural issues to his advantage, such as stoking anti-Muslim fears through campaign messaging.

Meanwhile, Talarico's campaign says they're not seeing evidence that the masculinity barbs are gaining traction, pointing to robust Democratic gains among Hispanic voters while also arguing that polling shows a toss-up general election contest. The campaign did not share specific data to support that its messaging to male voters was lifting Talarico's polling with that demographic.

Talarico has focused on issues he says affect many men — like lowering housing costs, stopping corporate landlord rent manipulation and curbing the influence of billionaire mega-donors in politics.

"Ken Paxton is picking these fights no one cares about to distract from the fact that he has no solutions to lower the cost of gas, groceries, or healthcare," Ennis said in a statement. "Real men serve others, weak men serve themselves."

Talarico also has tried to appeal to young men and Hispanic voters by placing ads during World Cup and NBA Finals games. And he's challenging Paxton to a series of televised debates, in which the two could spar on manhood and other issues. Paxton's team said he's agreed to the debates but they're still negotiating logistics and terms.

The Democrat's campaign also said it is trying to facilitate similar opportunities to Talarico's pivotal appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast last year, which boosted his national profile to millions of young men who make up Rogan's core audience. The podcaster — who during the interview exclaimed "you need to run for president," to Talarico — has continued to compliment the Texas Democrat and defend his views, including during a conversation with Vice President JD Vance last month.

Talarico has also fired back with his own jabs. He responded to Paxton calling him "Talafreako" by putting the phrase on T-shirts and selling them on his campaign website.

And Talarico turned on Paxton's low-testosterone message by telling MS NOW "I don't think guys my age are really concerned about that kind of thing," adding, "You've got these old guys lathered up in their fake tans throwing cheesy nicknames at each other."

Some public opinion research shows Talarico's strategy fits the 2026 moment.

The growing cost-of-living crisis — exacerbated by the deeply unpopular military conflict in Iran — and Trump's low approval ratings may mean the GOP's masculinity attacks fall flat this cycle, Luke Warford, founder and director of Texas Public Opinion Research, a nonpartisan public opinion research firm, said in an interview.

The top issues for men and young men in Texas center on affordability, the cost of living, economic growth and job creation, according to an aggregate of data shared with POLITICO from the group's latest surveys in May and June.

"We've got a really different scenario now where the Republicans are in power in Texas and nationally, so they own the things that are broken," Warford said. "There is a deep anti-establishment sentiment in this country and a deep frustration with the status quo particularly among men, and that could be a much stronger political force than the cultural attacks."

Matt Angle, founder of the Lone Star Project, a Democratic-aligned political action committee in Texas, said "there's no attack that should be ignored," but that Democrats are in a good position.

"Ken Paxton is no he-man. He's a thin-chested, soft spoken, weak guy," Angle said.

One warning sign for Talarico: a swath of male voters perceive him as too progressive, said Holtz, the Third Way adviser. Holtz noted a recent poll of men by the group in which 49 percent of respondents said the candidate was "too far left."

In focus groups held by the centrist think tank last year and this year, young men overwhelmingly pointed to the Republican Party as the better representative of men's priorities. Respondents in those groups associated Democrats with more social and cultural issues while tying Republicans with financial independence, finding a partner and starting a family.

On Capitol Hill, some Democrats are calling the conversation in Texas an opportunity to revisit the party's historic avoidance of issues that are important to men, which have made them more susceptible to criticism.

Rep. Marc Veasey, a moderate Texas Democrat, said in an interview that "Democrats, overall, need to do a better job of expressing some of the concerns that young men have."

"When we have people on our side who are attacking things like nuclear family structure and expecting everybody to fall in line, that's pure insanity," Veasey said. "There's this expectation with Democrats that men are just going to follow along, and they're not. We haven't figured out how to talk to them."

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said in an interview that Democrats tend to display examples of "traditional masculinity" rather than the "stereotypical masculinity" Republicans are attacking them for not adhering to. He pointed out he served in the Marines, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) played football and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) was an astronaut.

"What voters know is truly masculine is a politician who is going to take care of their needs and be a protector and be a provider for the family," Gallego added.

"When a man can't support his family because inflation is so fucking high, they're not going to care about who is on the ballot that is, quote unquote, 'not masc enough.'"

Democrats have a new problem as they try to win the Senate

Analysis by Aaron Blake, CNN
Mon, August 3, 2026 

From left, Democratic Senate candidates Mary Peltola of Alaska, James Talarico of Texas and Sherrod Brown of Ohio during their campaigns. - Getty Images, AP

The big hurdle for Democrats' Senate majority hopes at the start of the 2026 election cycle seemed clear: The map was terrible for them.

They needed to win at least two states that President Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024. It wasn't even clear they could put that many red states in play.

Now, polls increasingly suggest they have put more than enough of those states in play. But other hurdles that complicate their majority math have cropped up — creating an incredibly complex and high-stakes battle to control the Senate come 2027.

The good news for Democrats: Recent, early high-quality polling suggests red states are competitive. The bad news for the party: That might not be sufficient.

States in play

In Texas, a Fox News poll Friday showed Democratic state Rep. James Talarico at 51% among registered voters to state Attorney General Ken Paxton's 48%. It's merely the latest to show the race close to even.

In Iowa, state Rep. Josh Turek led by 4 points among registered voters in a Fox poll in late June. And he was neck and neck with GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson — 46% to 48% among likely voters — in a New York Times-Siena poll, also in late June.

In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown led by 8 points among registered voters in a Fox poll from early June. And he was running close with GOP Sen. Jon Husted — 47% to 50% among likely voters — in a Times-Siena poll from later that month.

And in Alaska, a Times-Siena poll showed Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola within 2 points of GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, is hugged by a supporter during a Juneteenth march in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, June 19, 2026. Talarico will face Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton in November's general election. - Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Mary Peltola launches her campaign as a Democratic candidate for Senate in Anchorage, Alaska, on January 17, 2026. Peltola will face Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan. - Kerry Tasker/Reuters

Polling at this stage can't be interpreted to predict results, of course, but it suggests that these candidates are doing what they need to do to make those states competitive.

Specifically, the Fox polls show the three Democrats they tested carrying independents by wide margins — including by more than a 2-1 ratio in Talarico's and Turek's cases. And both Talarico and Turek were both also carrying at least 23% of non-MAGA Republicans. (The Ohio poll didn't break out this group.)

Peltola also led 51%-37% among independents and took 8% of Republicans in the Times-Siena poll.

Whether Democrats can actually get over the hump in a state like Texas — where they've come close before, but haven't won a statewide race in more than 30 years — is a big question. But they've pretty evidently given themselves a chance to pick off two of those states.

Why it might not be enough

Democrats are suddenly dealing with complications in some friendlier states — namely, Maine and Michigan — and the new x-factor known as Sen. John Fetterman.

In Maine, Democrats were able to rid themselves of their Graham Platner problem. But it's not yet clear how much better his replacement, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, will ultimately fare under the new spotlight.

Troy Jackson speaks on July 25, 2026, in Bangor, Maine. - Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A University of New Hampshire poll in mid-July put Jackson at 49% to GOP Sen. Susan Collins' 46% among likely general election voters. But the same pollster once had Platner (prior to his bigger controversies) leading by between 9 and 11 points.

Michigan is Democrats' more immediate concern, where they're playing defense to hold onto a seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. There are major concerns among some establishment Democrats that Sen. Bernie Sanders-backed Abdul El-Sayed, who's facing Rep. Haley Stevens in Tuesday's Democratic primary, might jeopardize a purple state that Democrats would reasonably expect to win in a favorable year for their party.

(A case in point: Recent polls show Democratic candidates comfortably ahead — by around 10 points — in similarly situated swing states like Georgia and North Carolina.)

But perhaps the most unwelcome variable in this majority math might be Fetterman. The Pennsylvania senator, who has demonstrated a penchant for siding with Republicans and giving his party fits in recent months, has also increasingly flirted with switching parties.

Back in May, Fetterman wrote that he had "no plans to leave" the Democratic Party. But a couple weeks ago, he amended that posture by saying he would leave it if it adopts an anti-Israel posture — a topic causing significant strife within the party.

US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed holds a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, on July, 18, 2026. - Rebecca Cook/Reuters

US Sen. John Fetterman rides in an elevator outside the Senate Chambers during a vote in the U.S. Capitol Building on May 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Democrats have been trending more against Israel, reflecting the views of their base, though it isn't an "official" position, as Fetterman laid out. Still, given huge pressure from that base, the real question is how stringent a litmus test this is for the Pennsylvania senator.

That means Democrats could go into the November general election not even knowing how many seats they need to win. Do they need to flip four seats, including two red ones that Trump carried by significant margins, as they'd previously thought? Or do they need to actually win five and three, respectively?

Democrats clearly have the fundamentals on their side, and it's looking like the environment is conducive to them winning where they need to. Just like in the red states, polls show their candidates in Georgia and North Carolina have big leads among independents and are taking significant numbers of non-MAGA Republicans.

But it's also looking like it might not be red states that ultimately decide the fate of the Senate.

China's Solar Capacity Set to Overtake Coal This Quarter

By Charles Kennedy - Jul 31, 2026

China will have more installed solar power capacity than coal-fired generation capacity as early as this quarter, Chinese authorities have said.

As of the end of June, solar power capacity stood at 1,274 gigawatts (GW), just below the total coal-fired installed capacity of 1,275 GW.

“By the end of June, total solar power capacity had caught up with coal, effectively tying it as the country's largest primary power source,” says the mid-year report released by the China Electricity Council (CEC) cited by local media.

Renewable energy sources have become the leading driver of new power capacity additions, the report by the CEC said, as carried by China Daily.

In the first half of 2026, China's total non-fossil energy power generation grew by 8.5% from a year earlier, said Hou Wenjie, director of the statistics and data intelligence department at the CEC.

“The incremental growth of non-fossil energy power generation accounted for 70.7 percent of the total incremental power generation nationwide,” the official added.

Official Chinese data showed earlier this week that the share of coal in China's electricity output fell in the first half of 2026 to below 50% for the first time on record, in a landmark achievement of the Chinese policy to boost non-fossil power sources.

The share of coal averaged 49.7% of China's total electricity output in the first half of this year, official data showed on Thursday.

As the share of coal slipped, electricity generation from renewable energy rose by about 9% from a year earlier, according to the data from China's National Energy Administration (NEA).

Renewable energy accounted for 41.2% of China's total electricity generation in the first half of 2026, with wind and solar combined generating almost 25% of the total power output.

Despite the milestone of reducing coal power output to below 50% of total generation for the first time ever, China continues to rely on coal for power for industry and to maintain the reliability of the power grids.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com 

BP Completes Sale of German Refinery as Portfolio Overhaul Accelerates

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Aug 03, 2026

BP has completed the sale of its refinery in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, to Klesch Group, as the UK supermajor continues to streamline its business and high-grade its portfolio under CEO Meg O’Neill.

The transaction, whose sum was not disclosed, is part of BP’s continued focus on disciplined capital allocation and is also expected to lower the group’s underlying operating expenditure by around $1 billion, the supermajor said on Monday.

“By concentrating our capital on the assets and markets where bp can be most competitive, we are building a higher-value, more resilient downstream business that continues to supply the fuels and products our customers rely on,” said Richard Harding, interim executive vice president of Downstream at BP.

Earlier this year, BP streamlined its businesses, bundling these into two divisions, Upstream and Downstream, with trading connecting both to create value.

After the sale of the Gelsenkirchen refinery, BP retains a refining portfolio of five refineries serving key customers and markets across its downstream business, including Cherry Point and Whiting in the United States, and Castellón, Lingen, and Rotterdam in Europe.

The completion of the transaction for the Gelsenkirchen refinery comes days after BP formally launched a process to market its North Sea business amid the ongoing company overhaul to simplify the portfolio and invest in high-return projects.

The formal launch of a potential sale of the North Sea business came after months of speculation that BP would be divesting part or all of its operations in the UK North Sea to focus on reserve growth and long-term production opportunities outside the UK.

Last month, CEO O’Neill said that BP had started to simplify its portfolio and cut costs, and would make fewer but better choices in which projects to invest.

“We are taking concrete action to grow long-term value for shareholders: simplifying our portfolio, reducing costs, maintaining tight discipline on capex and strengthening the balance sheet,” O’Neill, the first female CEO of a Big Oil company, wrote in a LinkedIn post to reflect on the first 100 days as top executive of BP.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

 

India Moves to Rescue Renewable Energy Projects Stalled by Grid Shortages

By Irina Slav - Aug 03, 2026

The Indian government will consider waiving transmission charges for solar and wind energy developers facing delays in the commissioning of their projects due to transmission line shortages.

According to a Reuters report citing the country’s power regulator, the relief will only cover projects whose developers had signed at least seven-year power sale contracts by the end of this year. In earlier moves to stimulate more wind and solar, the government began phasing out interstate transmission charges for alternative energy generation projects in July last year.

There have been a number of solar, wind, and hybrid power generation projects delayed because there are not enough transmission lines to carry their output. The Indian Central Electricity Regulatory Commission will also consider extending the relief to battery storage projects as New Delhi seeks to diversify its electricity generation away from coal and gas.

India’s government has a target of building 500 GW of non-hydrocarbon generation capacity by 2030. Solar currently accounts for 29% of the country’s non-hydrocarbon generation capacity. Plans were to expand it from 162 GW currently to over 292 GW by 2030. This target is under threat, however, due to recent legislative changes seeking to reduce dependence on imported solar components from China, because while local module capacity is substantial, at 200 GW, solar cell manufacturing capacity is just 27 GW.

Still, solar power generation in India is expanding fast, with a record 44 GW in new capacity added during financial 2025/26. This fast growth, however, has run into obstacles such as the lack of enough transmission lines to connect all new capacity to the grid. Meanwhile, coal remains India’s biggest source of power generation, accounting for about 70% of total generation. This is seen falling to below 50% by 2035 thanks to the expansion in wind and, especially, solar.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

India’s Imports of Russian Crude Hit New High in July

By Tsvetana Paraskova - Aug 03, 2026

India keeps buying a lot of Russian oil, with July imports hitting a new all-time high and accounting for more than half of total Indian crude oil imports.

India’s crude oil imports from Russia rose to 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in July, up from the previous high of 2.7 million bpd in June, for the highest average monthly volume ever, according to vessel-tracking data by Kpler cited by the Times of India on Monday. 

Total Indian crude oil imports inched up slightly from June to stand at just over 5 million bpd in July, per the data.

The share of Russian oil in India’s overall crude imports was 55.5% last month, as Indian refiners continued to rely on Russian volumes amid threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and more recently, at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.  

Apart from record Russian volumes, Indian refiners boosted imports of crude from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as millions of barrels managed to make it out of the Persian Gulf during the mid-June-mid-July window in which the Strait of Hormuz was tentatively open to tanker traffic. India also imported crude from Kuwait for the first time since March, according to the shipping data compiled by Kpler.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained India’s second-largest crude oil supplier, behind Russia, as the UAE is raising production and shipments of crude loaded on tankers outside the Strait of Hormuz.

India continued to keep high levels of Russian imports in July even after the end of the U.S. waiver the previous month. The U.S. quietly let the waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil loaded on tankers expire on June 17, just as the U.S. and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding to continue negotiations on a deal.

Going forward, Russian crude will remain a key source of oil supply for India amid the highly uncertain shipping conditions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, analysts say.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com