WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States believes there is a “genuine possibility” that North Korea could conduct a nuclear test or other saber rattling while Joe Biden is on his first trip as president to Asia, a top US official said Wednesday. “Our intelligence does reflect the genuine possibility” of nuclear-capable missile tests or a nuclear weapon test around the time of Biden’s trip, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. Biden departs […]
North America
Rare monkeypox outbreaks detected in N.America, Europe
Health authorities in North America and Europe have detected dozens of suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox since early May, sparking concern the disease endemic in parts of Africa is spreading. Canada was the latest country to report it was investigating more than a dozen suspected cases of monkeypox, after Spain and Portugal detected more than 40 possible and verified cases. Britain has confirmed nine cases since May 6, and the United States verified its […]
Canada reports dozen suspected cases of rare monkeypox virus
Health authorities in Canada’s Quebec province are investigating more than a dozen suspected cases of monkeypox, a rare but potentially serious virus, public broadcaster CBC reported Wednesday. The United States on Wednesday also confirmed a case of monkeypox in a man who had recently traveled to Canada, after European health officials confirmed dozens of cases earlier this week. The illness often starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle ache and swollen lymph nodes […]
UN chief warns of famine, urges Russia to free Ukrainian grain
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday of years of mass hunger and famine if a growing global food crisis goes unchecked as he urged Russia to release Ukrainian grain. Speaking at a major United Nations summit in New York, Guterres said the war in Ukraine was compounding global food insecurity already worsened by warming temperatures and the coronavirus pandemic. Guterres said that in just two years, the number of severely food insecure people has doubled […]
Foreign-born US workers reach pre-pandemic level: Census
The number of foreign-born workers in the United States neared pre-pandemic levels last year, reaching 17.4 percent, according to government data released Wednesday. The foreign-born labor force increased by 671,000 compared to 2020, rising to 27.9 million, the Labor Department said. However, it remains below the pre-pandemic level of 28.4 million. The unemployment rate for that group fell to 5.6 percent in 2021 from 9.2 percent the prior year. The size of the native-born […]
More than 100,000 people officially missing in Mexico
by Yussel Gonzalez © Agence France-Presse Mexico City, MEXICO (AFP) — More than 100,000 people are now listed as missing in violence-wracked Mexico, a grim milestone that the United Nations rights chief on Tuesday called “a tragedy of enormous proportions.” Rights groups appealed for urgent action to tackle disappearances that have skyrocketed during years of spiraling drug-related violence. The National Registry of Missing Persons, which has been tracking disappearances since 1964, said that as […]
Netflix trims staff to weather slowing growth
San Francisco, UNITED STATES (AFP) — Netflix on Tuesday said it laid off about two percent of its staff in a belt-tightening move after growth slowed at the once-booming streaming television service. “These changes are primarily driven by business needs rather than individual performance, which makes them especially tough, as none of us want to say goodbye to such great colleagues,” a spokesperson told AFP. About 150 employees have been laid off, most of […]
Biden attacks white supremacist ‘poison’ after racist shooting
by Nicholas Kamm with Sebastian Smith in Washington © Agence France-Presse Buffalo, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday called out what he branded the “poison” of white supremacist ideology behind a deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and said that racism is being stoked for political gain. Speaking in the city where a white teen is accused of murdering 10 African Americans in a neighborhood supermarket, Biden said, “What […]
US consumers remain resilient even as prices rise
by John Biers with Heather Scott in Washington © Agence France-Presse New York, UNITED STATES (AFP) — US consumers continued to increase spending in April, remaining resilient in the face of accelerating inflation, but retail giant Walmart still saw a big hit to its bottom line due to rising costs, according to reports released Tuesday. Home Depot, however, benefitted from the ongoing spending spree, reporting higher profits and a better outlook for the year. The […]
US shooter embraced racist ‘replacement’ theory online
by Paul HANDLEY The teenager charged with shooting dead 10 African Americans at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York followed an insidious racist creed gaining ground among white Americans that minorities are taking over society. The 18-year-old suspect Payton Gendron took explicit inspiration from the white supremacist gunman who murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019. The Christchurch killer had warned in a manifesto of a “Great Replacement” of white […]
Man attacked US church over ‘hatred of Taiwan’: probe
A man who padlocked a church and opened fire on its Taiwanese-American congregation, killing one person and injuring five others, was motivated by hatred of the island and its people, US investigators said Monday. David Chou jammed the doors shut using chains and superglue as dozens of parishioners enjoyed a post-service banquet at the church in Laguna Woods, near Los Angeles. The 68-year-old, an American citizen, also hid bags containing Molotov cocktails and spare ammunition […]
US in mourning, outrage after ‘racist’ mass shooting
by Jorge Uzon, with Maggy Donaldson in New York Agence France Presse BUFFALO, United States (AFP) — Grieving Buffalo residents held vigils Sunday after a white gunman who officials have branded “pure evil” shot dead 10 people at a grocery store in a “racist” rampage. The police commissioner for the US city in western New York, Joseph Gramaglia, told reporters the 18-year-old suspect did “reconnaissance” on the predominantly Black area surrounding Tops Friendly Market and […]





