North America

US struggles to meet monkeypox vaccine demand

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States, which is forecasting an increase in monkeypox cases in the coming weeks, does not currently have enough vaccines to meet demand, a top health official said Friday. Concern has grown especially in New York, the epicenter of the US outbreak of the virus, with nearly 390 cases counted as of July 14. The United States has seen a total of 1,470 cases. The illness is characterized […]

Ivana Trump died of accidental ‘blunt impact’ to torso: official

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Ivana Trump, the first wife of the former US president, died of “blunt impact injuries” to the torso in an accident, New York’s chief medical examiner said on Friday. The statement did not specify the circumstances, but US media reported that police had been investigating whether the 73-year-old died falling down the stairs at her Manhattan home. A spokesperson for the New York Police Department told AFP in […]

Donald Trump’s first wife Ivana dies aged 73

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Ivana Trump — Donald Trump’s first wife and mother of his three eldest children — died on Thursday at the age of 73, the former president announced. Ivana Trump “passed away at her home in New York City,” Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. He did not provide a cause of death but the New York Times reported that law enforcement officials were investigating […]

US consumer prices surge 9.1%, a new 40-year high

  by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse US inflation surged to a fresh peak of 9.1 percent in June, further squeezing American families and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have taken a battering from the relentless rise in prices. Government data released Wednesday showed a sharp, faster-than-expected increase in the consumer price index compared to May driven by significant increases in gasoline prices. The 9.1 percent CPI spike over the past […]

Nearly 90 dead in Haiti gang violence, as country slides into chaos due to soaring prices, fuel shortages

  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — A week of gang violence in Haiti’s capital has left at least 89 people dead, a rights group said Wednesday, as soaring prices, fuel shortages and gang warfare accelerate a brutal downward spiral in the security situation in Port-au-Prince. The unrest erupted on July 7 between two rival factions in Cite Soleil, an impoverished and densely populated neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. As gunfire crackled in the slums for nearly a week, […]

Week of gang violence leaves 89 dead in Haiti capital: rights group

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — A week of clashes between rival gangs in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has left at least 89 people dead and dozens injured, a human rights group said Wednesday. The fresh violence, coupled with soaring food prices and fuel shortages all add to a brutal downward spiral in the security situation in the city. The unrest erupted on July 7 between two rival factions in Cite Soleil, an impoverished and densely populated […]

Twitter lawsuit accuses Elon Musk of contract breach

by Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Twitter on Tuesday sued Elon Musk for breaching the $44 billion contract he signed to buy the tech firm, calling his exit strategy “a model of hypocrisy,” court documents showed. The suit filed in the US state of Delaware urges the court to order the billionaire to complete his deal to buy Twitter, arguing that no financial penalty could repair the damage he has […]

Video shows hesitant police response to Uvalde school shooting

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A video of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, published Tuesday showed police waiting for more than an hour before breaching a classroom where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers. Steve McCraw, Texas’s public safety chief, has described the police response to the May 24 attack as an “abject failure” and said officers wasted vital time looking for a classroom key that was “never needed.” Surveillance camera video […]

Webb telescope reveals deepest image of early universe

by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON  (AFP)  – Humanity’s view of the distant cosmos will never be the same. The James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful to be placed in orbit, has revealed the clearest image to date of the early universe, US space agency NASA said Monday. The stunning shot, released in a White House briefing by President Joe Biden, is overflowing with thousands of galaxies and features some of the faintest objects observed, colorized […]

UN report: World population to surpass 8 billion by November 15

  On 15 November 2022, the global population will surpass 8 billion people for the first time, according to a new UN report. Speaking to journalists in New York on Monday (11 July), the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, said “the historic moment calls for celebration.” According to Spatolisano, “population growth is a tangible sign of our collective success in improving the living conditions of everyday people throughout the world.” […]

Iran to supply Russians with UAVs for Ukraine: White House

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Iran is planning to supply hundreds of drones with combat weapon capabilities to Russia for use in Ukraine, a top US official said Monday. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, said the information received by the United States supported views that the Russian military is facing challenges sustaining its weaponry after significant losses in Ukraine. “The Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred […]

Oil slides below $100 as euro sags further

NEW  YORK, United States (AFP) — Recession worries pushed the price of Brent oil briefly back under $100 on Wednesday, and the euro moved closer to parity with the dollar. European stocks rebounded thanks to lower bond yields and bargain hunting, while US stocks also advanced, climbing after Federal Reserve minutes maintained a tough line on inflation. Europe’s benchmark crude oil contract, Brent North Sea, fell briefly under $100 per barrel in afternoon deals, following […]