North America

UN chief urges US-China dialogue, warns of divisions

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged the United States and China to engage in dialogue, warning of an increasingly divided world. “I fear our world is creeping towards two different sets of economic, trade, financial and technology rules, two divergent approaches in the development of artificial intelligence — and ultimately two different military and geopolitical strategies,” Guterres said as he opened the annual UN General Assembly. “This is […]

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Biden bids to renew US leadership in UN speech

by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – President Joe Biden will tell the world Tuesday that the United States wants to avoid a Cold War with China, while pivoting from continuous post-9/11 conflicts to an era of US-led diplomacy. Biden’s first speech as US president to the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York faces a tough reception. He has spent his presidency branding countries like China and Russia as […]

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Trudeau’s Liberals win Canada election: TV projections

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals were returned to power Monday in a hotly contested election against the rookie Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, according to TV projections. But with polling stations likely to still be reporting results into the morning, it was not yet clear if the Liberals had gained enough seats to form a majority in parliament that would allow Trudeau to pass his agenda without opposition support. © Agence […]

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Bill Gates raises over $1 billion for clean energy

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Bill Gates’s nonprofit group Breakthrough Energy announced Monday that it has raised more than $1 billion from seven major companies, including ArcelorMittal and General Motors, to fund clean energy development. Early participants in the initiative, dubbed “Catalyst,” also include American Airlines, Bank of America, BlackRock, Boston Consulting Group and Microsoft. The amount raised so far tops $1 billion and has been given in the form of grants, shares and […]

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Vietnam to buy 10 million Cuban vaccine doses

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cuba agreed Monday to provide Vietnam with 10 million doses of its home-grown coronavirus vaccine, Abdala, for which the Asian nation has given emergency approval. A deal was signed between the two countries during an official visit by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the communist island, the government said. The agreement concerns an initial five million doses, but Vietnam has already authorized the purchase of 10 million doses in total, Cuban […]

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Two teens injured in US high school shooting

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two 17-year-olds were injured in a shooting at a high school in the US state of Virginia on Monday, officials said, adding that the suspect had been arrested after fleeing the scene. “One person — a male juvenile — is in police custody,” Newport News Police Department said in a statement after shots were fired at the Heritage High School. Police said a 17-year-old male and a 17-year-old female were […]

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US to end travel bans for vaccinated passengers

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States announced Monday it will lift Covid travel bans on all air passengers in November if they are fully vaccinated and undergo testing and contact tracing. The unprecedented restrictions had kept relatives, friends and business travelers around the world separated for many months as the pandemic grinds on. Jeffrey Zients, coronavirus response coordinator for President Joe Biden, told reporters the new “consistent approach” would take […]

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Trudeau future on the line as Canadians vote in pandemic election

  by Michel COMTE / with Genevieve NORMAND in Montreal Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian elections headed for a photo finish Monday with liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau, who is seeking a third term, threatened by a strong challenge from rookie conservative leader Erin O’Toole. Trudeau called the snap election hoping to parlay a smooth Covid-19 vaccine rollout — among the best in the world — into a new mandate to steer […]

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Body found matching description of US missing woman Petito: FBI

US law enforcement said Sunday a body found in a US national forest in Wyoming, where a search was underway for Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito, matches the description of the missing woman, whose disappearance has gripped the country. American authorities launched a massive search for 22-year-old Petito when her family filed a missing person report on September 11, after she mysteriously vanished during a road trip with her boyfriend. After a body was found in the […]

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Australia rejects French accusations of lying over subs deal

  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday rejected France’s accusations Canberra lied about plans to cancel a contract to buy French submarines, saying he had raised concerns over the deal “some months ago”. Australia’s decision to tear up a deal for the French submarines in favour of American nuclear-powered vessels sparked outrage in Paris, with President Emmanuel Macron recalling France’s ambassadors to Canberra and Washington in an unprecedented move. Canberra has stood firm as […]

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SpaceX all-civilian orbital crew completes historic mission

Four SpaceX tourists returned to Earth safely on Saturday after spending three days in space, successfully concluding the first orbital mission in history with no professional astronauts on board. The SpaceX Dragon capsule, whose heat shield allowed it to withstand descent, was slowed down by four large parachutes before splashing into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida at 7:06 pm (2306 GMT), according to a video feed by the company. “That was a […]

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Biden to host Covid-19 summit on Wednesday: White House

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit with world leaders on the coronavirus pandemic next Wednesday, a day after he addresses the United Nations General Assembly, the White House said Friday. “This meeting is about expanding and enhancing our shared efforts to defeat Covid-19” and will seek to “align on a common vision” against the virus, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. The summit will […]

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