North America

UPDATED: Two killed in California school shooting, teen in custody

by Frederic J. BROWN with Andrew MARSZAL in Los Angeles SANTA CLARITA, United States (AFP) —  A teenage boy gunned down fellow students at a California high school on his 16th birthday Thursday, killing two and wounding another three before turning the pistol on himself. The gunman was taken into custody in “grave” condition, police said, as officers stormed Saugus High School in Santa Clarita — the latest in a relentless cycle of classroom shootings […]

2 top US diplomats testify vs Trump in impeachment probe

  by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two top US diplomats delivered gripping testimony Wednesday about Donald Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate his potential 2020 rival Joe Biden, as the impeachment inquiry into the president shifted into a new phase of high-stakes televised hearings. Trump dismissed the probe in the Democratic-led House of Representatives as a “witch hunt” and said he was “too busy” to watch the first […]

Trump dodges US-Turkey rows to focus on Erdogan friendship

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday sidestepped rows snaring US relations with fellow NATO member Turkey, instead of telling visiting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is a “fan.” On a day when Congress was holding its first nationally televised hearings in the impeachment probe against Trump, the US president spent several hours meeting at the White House with Erdogan and claimed to be paying no attention to […]

Jimmy Carter hospitalized for procedure after recent falls: statement

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former US president Jimmy Carter was hospitalized on Monday for a procedure necessitated by a series of recent falls, The Carter Center said. Carter “was admitted to Emory University Hospital this evening for a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain, caused by bleeding due to his recent falls,” The Carter Center said in a statement, adding that the procedure would take place on Tuesday morning. © Agence France-Presse

Trump: Bolivia leader’s resignation sign to ‘illegitimate regimes’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Monday hailed the resignation of Bolivia’s leftist leader Evo Morales as a sign to “illegitimate” regimes and praised the role of the country’s military. “These events send a strong signal to the illegitimate regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua that democracy and the will of the people will always prevail,” Trump said, referring to two other leftist Latin American nations targeted by his administration. Trump said […]

Mexico offers asylum to Bolivia’s Morales: foreign minister

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico on Sunday said it was offering asylum to Bolivia’s President Evo Morales after 20 government officials and lawmakers had sought refuge at its embassy in La Paz. “Mexico, in accordance with its tradition of asylum and non-intervention, has received 20 personalities from the Bolivian executive and legislature in the official residence in La Paz, so we would also offer asylum to Evo Morales,” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on […]

Three charged in US with spying on Twitter users for S.Arabia

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) –Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced. The two Saudi citizens and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said. According to a court […]

China to resume Canadian beef, pork imports: Trudeau

by Michel COMTE OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — China has agreed to resume imports of Canadian beef and pork, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday, signaling a breakthrough in their tense relations. “Good news for Canadian farmers today: Canadian pork and beef exports to China will resume,” Trudeau said in a tweet. He lauded Canada’s new ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, who was appointed in September, and the country’s meat industry for working to reopen “this […]

Chile leader Pinera will not resign over protests

by Marie GIFFARD SANTIAGO, Chile (AFP) — Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera said Tuesday he will not resign in the face of deadly protests over inequality and poor social conditions that have entered their third week. Asked by the BBC in an interview whether he will step down, the billionaire conservative leader said: “No.” “These problems have been accumulating for the past 30 years,” Pinera said. “I am responsible (for) part of it and I assume […]

Trump calls for ‘war’ on cartels as nine US Mormons murdered in Mexico

by Joshua Howat Berger MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — US President Donald Trump offered Tuesday to help Mexico “wage war” on its cartels after three women and six children from an American Mormon community were murdered in an area notorious for drug traffickers. Gunmen ambushed the members of the LeBaron family — a large clan of Mormons who emigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century — as they traveled on a rural road Monday […]

US formally starts withdrawal from Paris climate accord

  by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Monday formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, making the world’s largest economy the sole outlier from the agreement. President Donald Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the reality and impact of climate change, with September the fourth month in the row with near- or record-breaking temperatures. The […]

At least nine American Mormon community members killed in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — At least three women and six children from an American Mormon community based in northern Mexico have been killed in an ambush, a relative of the victims said on Monday. Julian Lebaron said his cousin was on her way to the airport when she was attacked and shot in her car along with her four children in Rancho de la Mora, an area notorious for drug traffickers and bandits of […]