WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US State Department approved Tuesday two major military equipment sales to Egypt of transport aircraft and radar systems, despite ongoing concerns in Washington over Cairo’s human rights record. The sale of 12 C-130 J Super Hercules transports and accompanying equipment is worth $2.2 billion. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale, still not finalized, “will improve Egypt’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing airlift […]
North America
Seven injured in US F-35 incident in South China Sea
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Seven US sailors were injured Monday in a Navy F-35C fighter “landing mishap” on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, the Navy said. The accident occurred while the F-35C Lightning II, a stealth combat aircraft, was attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson during routine flight operations, the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement. The pilot of the aircraft was in stable condition after ejecting and […]
Thousands march in Washington against Covid vaccine mandates
by Inès BEL AIBA WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Waving signs denouncing President Joe Biden and calling for “freedom,” several thousand people demonstrated in Washington Sunday against what some described as the “tyranny” of Covid-19 vaccine mandates in the United States. Speaker after speaker — including notorious anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust — took to the microphone in front of the white marble Lincoln Memorial to decry the […]
Covid-19 vaccines showed high efficacy against severe Omicron: US data
Covid-19 vaccines and boosters continued to have very high efficacy against severe outcomes during the Omicron wave of the virus, a large real-world study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed Friday. The paper evaluated data from more than 300,000 visits to emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and hospitalizations across 10 states from August 26, 2021 to January 5, 2022. During the period when the Delta variant was dominant, vaccine efficacy […]
US suspends 44 passenger flights to China operated by Chinese carriers
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States announced Friday that it was suspending 44 Chinese passenger flights from America to the Asian giant in response to restrictive moves by Beijing on US carriers under its Covid-19 protocols. China maintains strict controls over border entry including slashed flights and a “circuit breaker” policy where routes are halted if too many infections are brought in on the flights. China’s aviation authority used the circuit breaker policy […]
Biden, Japan’s Kishida to discuss Asia security, Ukraine
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will discuss deterrence in the Asia-Pacific region and a “united” Western alliance against Russian threats to Ukraine in a virtual meeting Friday, officials said. Biden has made restoring the importance of the US-Japanese relationship a priority since taking office exactly a year ago, following Donald Trump’s questioning of the benefit of US relationships with several major allies in both Asia […]
China, Russia block US push for UN sanctions on N.Koreans: diplomats
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP. China’s block came before a new closed-door Security Council meeting on North Korea, also requested by Washington, and was followed by Russia’s decision to similarly oppose the American proposal. Along with Beijing, Moscow has long held a line against increasing […]
Biden ‘didn’t anticipate’ level of Republican obstruction
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he did not anticipate the level of obstruction he has encountered from Republicans in Congress. “I didn’t overpromise,” Biden said at a press conference held to make his first year in the White House. “I did not anticipate that there’d be such a stalwart effort (by Republicans) to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden didn’t get anything done,” […]
Millions hunker down as storm hits eastern US
Millions of Americans hunkered down as a major winter storm hit the eastern United States with heavy snow and ice knocking power out for an estimated 145,000 customers as of Sunday evening. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm was bringing a miserable combination of heavy snows, freezing rain and high winds, impacting the southeast and coastal mid-Atlantic before moving up to New England and southern Canada. Some areas along the Appalachian mountain range […]
US, Japan leaders to talk Covid, security in virtual meet
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet virtually Friday to discuss bilateral ties as well as security in the Pacific region, the White House said. On the agenda will be fighting Covid-19 and climate change and exploring new technologies, according to a statement Sunday from the White House. “The meeting will highlight the strength of the US-Japan Alliance, which is the cornerstone of peace, security, […]
Former Haiti senator arrested in Jamaica over president’s murder
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A former Haitian lawmaker who is a suspect in the assassination of the country’s president has been arrested in Jamaica, Jamaican authorities said Saturday. Ex-senator Jean Joel Joseph, wanted in the July 7, 2021, killing of president Jovenel Moise, was arrested Friday evening, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said in a statement. The JCF “can confirm that a Haitian national; Jean Joel Joseph and three other members (of) his family […]
Huge Tonga volcanic eruption caused ‘signifcant damage’
A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered tsunami waves around the Pacific caused “significant damage” to the island nation’s capital and smothered it in dust, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Sunday. The eruption Saturday was so powerful it was recorded around the world, triggering a tsunami that flooded Pacific coastlines from Japan to the United States. The capital Nuku’alofa suffered “significant” damage, Ardern said, adding there had been no reports of injury […]
