North America

Storm Amanda leaves at least 18 dead in Central America

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AFP) — Emergency workers were searching for seven people still missing Monday as El Salvador and its Central American neighbors picked through the destruction after the first named Pacific storm of the year left at least 18 people dead. Rescue teams were trying to locate the missing in floodwaters caused by torrential rain and high winds after Storm Amanda swept in from the Pacific on Sunday, El Salvador’s Interior Minister Mario […]

New York mayor declares 11pm city curfew amid protests

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday declared a city curfew from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am, as anti-racism protests grip the United States with regular outbreaks of violence and looting. Saying that “we support peaceful protest,” De Blasio said he made the decision in consultation with the state’s governor Andrew Cuomo, following the lead of many large US cities. In a joint statement the mayor and governor […]

Mexico tops 10,000 COVID-19 deaths: government

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 deaths passed 10,000 on Monday, the health secretary said. News of the updated toll — now 10,167 — came as Mexico announced it was gradually reopening its economy by reactivating its automotive, mining and construction sectors. © Agence France-Presse

#EBCphotojournalism: Protesters converge on White House, call for end to police brutality

WASHINGTON (Eagle News) — After another night of protests, that sometimes included looting, vandalism and violence, demonstrations that weren’t as violent but nonetheless passionate continued in the the nation’s capital on Monday afternoon, June 1, 2020. Protesters gathered in front of Lafayette Square, the park directly in front of the White House, to express their frustrations over racism and police brutality in the U.S. Protests like this were sparked by the death of an unarmed […]

US cities under curfew after fresh anti-race protests, looting

  by Charlotte PLANTIVE and Joy POWELL, with Ines BEL AIBA in Washington Agence France Presse MINNEAPOLIS, United States (AFP) — Authorities imposed curfews in the capital Washington and other major US cities Sunday to prevent fresh rioting after anti-racism protestors again took to the streets to voice their fury at police brutality. As the Trump administration branded instigators of five nights of rioting domestic terrorists, there were more confrontations between protestors and police and […]

US records 1,225 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded 1,225 coronavirus deaths on Friday, bringing its total to 102,798 since the global pandemic began, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The country has officially logged 1,745,606 overall cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, the Baltimore-based university’s tracker showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday). The latest numbers came as President Donald Trump said he was severing US ties […]

Trump cuts ties with WHO mid-pandemic, signals end of US funding for UN agency

by Susan Stumme with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was severing ties with the World Health Organization, signalling the end of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to the UN agency as the deadly coronavirus pandemic rages on. As Europe speeded along the path to reopening after months of crippling lockdowns, Trump’s move is likely to spark dismay, especially in other […]

New US jobless claims at 2.12 million as layoffs pass 40 mn

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Another 2.12 million people filed for unemployment in the United States last week, pushing total layoffs since the start of the coronavirus crisis to more than 40 million, a level not seen since the Great Depression, the Labor Department said. The new filings, however, showed that the pace of the layoffs was subsiding as the US economy slowly begins to reopen. © Agence France-Presse

Tropical storm Bertha forms off US Atlantic coast

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Tropical storm Bertha formed off the coast of the southeastern United States on Wednesday, becoming the second named storm to emerge before the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, US weather trackers said. Bertha was packing maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 kph), but was expected to weaken into a tropical depression as it crosses into South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said. The first named […]

Canadian court rules against Huawei exec fighting extradition

by David P. Ball VANCOUVER, Canada (AFP) — An executive for Chinese tech giant Huawei suffered a legal setback Wednesday when a Canadian judge ruled that proceedings to extradite her to the United States will go ahead. The decision on so-called double criminality, a key test for extradition, found that bank fraud accusations against Meng Wanzhou would stand up in Canada. The interim ruling denying Meng’s attempt to gain her freedom means she will continue […]

Pandemic puts up to 86-million children at risk of poverty: study

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could push as many as 86 million more children into poverty by the end of 2020, a joint study by Save the Children and UNICEF showed Wednesday. That would bring the total number of children affected by poverty worldwide to 672 million, an increase of 15 percent over last year, the two aid agencies said in a statement. Nearly two-thirds of those […]

Three days of rain thwart Florida reopening, cause severe flooding

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — South Florida residents were unable to enjoy the reopening of restaurants and beaches after two months of coronavirus lockdown, when three straight days of rain Tuesday caused severe flooding in Miami and other coastal cities. Floridians have received warnings for severe storms, tornadoes and flash floods since Sunday, as streets turned into rivers and electricity flickered. Images of cars flooded up to their windows have circulated on social media, as […]