WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon’s top general said Wednesday that China’s recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union’s stunning launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers’ space race. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile that would be very difficult to defend against. “What we saw was […]
North America
US mall shooting leaves two dead, four hurt
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two people were killed Monday and four others were injured — including a police officer — when a gunman opened fire in a shopping mall in the US state of Idaho. Police in Boise were called to the mall with reports “that at least one person was shot and down,” the city’s police chief Ryan Lee told reporters. They exchanged fire with a man matching the description 911 callers […]
Mexico City starts Covid vaccinations of minors at risk
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico on Monday began Covid-19 vaccinations for adolescents with chronic diseases in the capital, the latest step in an immunization drive in one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic. Authorities in Mexico City said they had begun using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to inoculate minors with comorbidities aged between 12 and 17 years old. Fifteen-year-old Paola Abigail Chocooj, who has diabetes, was among those participating, some in their school […]
Bomb cyclone slams rain-starved US west, bringing floods
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A “bomb cyclone” brought floods and landslides to drought-hit California as forest fire-scarred landscapes were unable to soak up record-breaking rains. Severe thunderstorms deluged the northern part of the state, with strong winds pummeling the area, toppling powerlines and trees and leaving at least two people dead. The cyclone roared in from the Pacific Ocean and struck San Francisco and Oakland, as well as the states of Oregon and […]
‘Facebook Papers’ hit as platform reports billions in profit
by Glenn CHAPMAN SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook announced over $9 billion in quarterly profits on Monday, hours after a US news collective published a deluge of withering reports arguing the company prioritizes its growth over people’s safety. The social media giant has been battling a fresh crisis since former employee Frances Haugen leaked reams of internal studies showing executives knew of their sites’ potential for harm, prompting a renewed US push for […]
Children to be exempt from US travel vaccine requirements
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Covid vaccine requirements taking effect next month for people entering the United States by air will not apply to children, a senior US official said Monday. “For children under 18 there is a uniform exemption from that vaccination requirement,” the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters two weeks ahead of the reopening of US borders to much of the world. The Biden administration announced earlier this […]
New York firefighters march against Covid vaccine mandate
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Vaccine-reluctant New York firefighters took to the streets Monday to demonstrate against the city’s requirement that they get inoculated against Covid-19 or risk losing their jobs. Several thousand municipal workers, mostly firefighters, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall in Manhattan carrying placards that read “Do we ask your vaccine status when you call 911?” and “Essential yesterday, unemployed today.” Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week […]
Burning cargo ship spews toxic gas off Canada’s Pacific coast
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — The Canadian coast guard has evacuated 16 people from a burning container ship that is expelling toxic gas off Canada’s Pacific coast, but there is “no safety risk” to those on shore, authorities said Sunday. The Zim Kingston is anchored off the city of Victoria in British Columbia, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca which marks the maritime border between Canada and the United States, according to the marine tracking […]
Inquiry into Alec Baldwin shooting focuses on custody of gun
by Huw GRIFFITH with Brian KNOWLTON in Washington Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The police investigation into a fatal shooting with a prop gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on a film set was focusing Saturday on the specialist in charge of the weapon and the assistant director who handed it to Baldwin. Ukraine-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was struck in the chest and died shortly after the incident Thursday in New […]
Biden delays release of JFK assassination files
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Friday it would delay the release of long-classified documents related to the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. President Joe Biden wrote in a statement that the remaining files “shall be withheld from full public disclosure” until December 15 next year — nearly 60 years after Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas in 1963. In 2018, former president Donald Trump released several thousand secret files on […]
Alec Baldwin says ‘heart is broken’ after fatally shooting cinematographer
by Anne Lebreton with Andrew Marszal in Los Angeles Agence France Presse SANTA FE, United States (AFP) — Hollywood star Alec Baldwin said his “heart is broken” Friday after he fatally shot a cinematographer with a prop gun on the set of a Western he was filming about an accidental killing. The US actor and producer said he was “fully cooperating” with a police investigation into the incident, which also left the film’s director […]
Biden says US would defend Taiwan against China invasion
BALTIMORE, United States (AFP) — The United States would defend Taiwan if the island were attacked by China, President Joe Biden said Thursday, a declaration welcomed by the democratic island that risks fury from Beijing. Authoritarian China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed. Beijing’s sabre-rattling has ramped up in recent years, exacerbating fears the island of 23 million people could become […]
