North America

Ken Starr, celebrity lawyer Dershowitz join Trump defense team

by Sebastian Smith  Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Ken Starr, who was at the center of Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the 1990s, and America’s biggest celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz were announced Friday to be joining President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment defense. The administration has yet to unveil the full team but confirmed that White House counsel Pat Cipollone will be lead lawyer, backed by Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow. “President Trump has done […]

US girds for cyber threats from Iran as military clash fears ebb

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse Iran is widely expected to ramp up cyberattacks against the United States in response to the US killing of a top Iranian leader this month even as fears have receded about a military confrontation between the two countries. The simmering tensions since the US drone attack that killed Qasem Soleimani, who was by some measures the second most influential person in Iran, make it likely that Iran will seek […]

Global decision-makers gather in Davos

PARIS, France (AFP) – Stuart WILLIAMS Global decision-makers gather in Davos starting Tuesday for their annual meeting, with challenges facing the planet — from climate change to conflict in the Middle East — as imposing as the Alps that surround the Swiss resort. Observers fear the annual World Economic Forum will serve only to again expose the differences between East and West, the US and the EU, and business and activists in combating the most […]

5.3 magnitude earthquake hits southern Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Thursday, causing some damage, according to local authorities. The quake struck south of Ciudad Ixtepec, according to the National Seismological Service. “There is damage in the area near the isthmus due to tonight’s earthquake. We are monitoring the area,” state Civil Protection authorities said on Twitter. The local Civil Protection coordinator, Heliodoro Diaz, separately said that two houses […]

US Senate prepares to set Trump trial in motion

  by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Articles of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress will be formally read to the Senate Thursday, setting in motion a historic trial that threatens the US leader with removal from office. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will then be sworn in to preside over the trial and senators sworn in as jurors, as preparations get […]

Climate change linked heatwave caused mass starvation of seabirds

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Issam AHMED Around a million North Pacific seabirds known as common murres died during a 2015-16 heatwave that disrupted their food supply, scientists said Wednesday, the biggest mass mortality event ever recorded among avian species. Julia Parrish, an ecologist at the University of Washington and co-author of a paper on the subject published in the journal PLOS ONE told AFP that the increased frequency of such heatwaves appeared to […]

Pelosi signs articles of impeachment against Trump, House delivers them to Senate

WASHINGTON, DC (AFP) — Two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump were delivered from the US House to the Senate on Wednesday, setting in motion the trial of the 45th US president. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed the articles, which charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, before they were ceremonially walked through the Capitol to the Republican-controlled Senate. “So sad, so tragic for our country, that the actions taken by […]

Trudeau with thousands in Edmonton mourn victims of Iran plane crash

By Thomas I. Likness EBC Edmonton Bureau EDMONTON (Eagle News) — Across Canada on Sunday, thousands gathered to remember the 57 Canadians who perished when a Ukrainian airliner was shot down in Iran. In the western Canadian city of Edmonton, a standing room only crowd of more than 2,000 people packed a community sports centre to pay tribute to those who died. Many more, who could not be accommodated, watched the memorial online. Among those […]

Delta jet dumps fuel on California school playground

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A Delta airliner experiencing mechanical trouble on Tuesday dumped jet fuel onto a school playground in the Los Angeles area, leaving 20 students and several adults with minor injuries. Delta Flight 89 took off from Los Angeles en route to Shanghai and was forced to turn back due to engine trouble, a Delta spokesperson said. The plane landed safely around noon after dumping its fuel, which fell onto a […]

Before Taal Volcano eruption, Japan’s Mt. Shintake and Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano also spew ash, rocks

  Before Taal volcano in the Philippines erupted with steam and huge columns of ash on Sunday, Jan. 12, Japan’s Mount Shintake had also erupted on Saturday, Jan. 11, while Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano had also dramatically spewed a fiery cloud of ash and rock into the sky on Thursday, Jan. 9. In a span of four days, these three volcanoes spewed ash and steam, although there was no evacuation order issued in Japan and Mexico […]

Trump warns Iran not to kill protesters, door still open to talks

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – US President Donald Trump warned Iran Sunday against killing protesters who have risen up over the regime’s downing of a civilian airliner as his defense secretary left the door open to talks with Tehran without preconditions. Trump’s salvo came as Iran’s Islamic regime faced a challenge from angry street protests, having come to the brink of war with the US after a series of tit-for-tat confrontations. “To the leaders […]

At least 11 dead as storms sweep through US south

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Severe storms sweeping the southern US killed at least 11 people, authorities said, as tornadoes and high winds upturned cars, destroyed homes and left tens of thousands without power. The storms hit parts of the south on Friday and were expected to move east and north on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued flood and tornado warnings for several states. Among the dead were a policeman and […]