North America

Trump, Republican lawmakers lash out at Biden after Kabul attack

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former president Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers lashed out at Democratic President Joe Biden on Thursday after 12 US troops were killed and 15 wounded in suicide bombings in Kabul. Trump, who has been sharply critical of Biden’s handling of the Afghan crisis, called Thursday’s suicide attacks in Kabul a “tragedy” and said they should have been prevented. “This tragedy should never have been allowed to happen, which makes […]

JUST IN: Biden warns Kabul bombers ‘we will hunt you down’

    WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden pledged on Thursday to hunt down the perpetrators of the suicide bombings in Kabul that killed 12 American troops. “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden said in an address from the White House during which he praised the slain US troops as “heroes.” Biden also vowed on Thursday that the United States […]

12 US troops killed, 15 wounded in Kabul attacks: US general

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Twelve US servicemen were killed and 15 wounded in suicide bombing attacks in Kabul on Thursday by Islamic State militants, the head of US Central Command said. “A number of Afghan civilians were also killed and injured in the attack,” General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters. “We’re still working to calculate the total losses.” McKenzie said the US airlift in Kabul would continue despite the attacks. “Let me be clear. […]

Mysterious ‘Havana’ syndrome imperils US diplomats

by Paul HANDLEY WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A mysterious affliction dubbed “Havana Syndrome” that has brought severe headaches, nausea and possible brain damage to US diplomats has many officials convinced they are under sustained attack using electronic weapons. On Tuesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris delayed for several hours a trip to Vietnam after the US embassy in Hanoi reported a possible case involving “acoustic incidents” there, raising concern she could be a target. […]

J&J says second dose of Covid vaccine boosts protection

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday a second dose of its Covid-19 vaccine boosted immunity beyond the first dose. In two clinical studies that have not yet been peer-reviewed, the additional shot evoked a nine-fold increase in antibodies to the coronavirus, the company said in a news release. President Joe Biden’s administration has announced plans for all Americans vaccinated with mRNA vaccines — Pfizer and Moderna — to receive a third […]

YouTube says it removed 1million ‘dangerous’ videos on Covid-19

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — YouTube said Wednesday it has removed more than one million videos with “dangerous coronavirus misinformation” since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The statement by the Google-owned video platform comes as social media platforms are under fire from political leaders for failing to stem the spread of false and harmful misinformation and disinformation about the virus and other topics. YouTube said in a blog post it relies on “expert consensus […]

Up to 1,500 Americans may still need evacuating from Afghanistan: Blinken

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — As many as 1,500 American citizens may still need to be evacuated from Afghanistan and the Taliban have pledged to allow some departures after US troops leave the country on August 31, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Blinken told reporters that at least 4,500 American citizens of the 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan have departed. He said officials have been in “direct contact” with another […]

Biden says US will complete Afghan pullout by August 31

  by Sebastian Smith with David Fox in Kabul Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States intends to complete its pullout from Afghanistan by August 31 and needs to withdraw rapidly because of a growing risk of terrorist attacks. “The sooner we can finish, the better,” Biden said of the plan to evacuate Americans, Afghan nationals and US troops from Taliban-controlled Kabul. “Each day of operations […]

Millions of Microsoft-stored data records mistakenly exposed

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Some 38 million records stored on a Microsoft service, including private information, were mistakenly left exposed this year, security firm UpGuard said Monday. The data, including names, addresses, financial information and Covid-19 vaccination statuses, was made vulnerable — but not compromised — before the problem was resolved, according to the digital security company’s investigation. Among the 47 affected organizations were American Airlines, Ford, JB Hunt and public agencies such […]

Mask wearing outdoors to be compulsory in US state

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Masks will have to be worn outside in Oregon, the state’s governor announced Tuesday, as the United States grapples with a surge in Covid-19 cases. The mandate, which takes effect Friday, makes the northwestern state the first in the country to re-introduce a rule that was common during the darkest days of the pandemic. “The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of […]

Biden declares ‘major disaster’ in Tennessee after deadly floods

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in the southern US state of Tennessee and approved federal funding after devastating floods over the weekend left at least 21 dead, the White House said in a statement said Tuesday. Tennessee was hit Saturday by what meteorologists called historic storms and flooding, dumping as much as 17 inches (38 centimeters) of rain. Rural roads, state highways, bridges and hundreds of homes […]

Over 4,000 US citizens evacuated from Afghanistan: official

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has evacuated “more than 4,000 American passport holders plus their families” since mid-August, a senior State Department official said Tuesday. “We expect that number to continue to grow in the coming days,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are continuing to contact the Americans who have previously registered with Kabul embassy to determine whether or not they are still in Afghanistan, and to help them […]