North America

Trump signs law supporting Hong Kong protesters

by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump signed a law Wednesday supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, likely angering Beijing just as Washington was hoping to ease the long-running US-China trade war. Trump had seemed reluctant to sign the bill but with almost unanimous US congressional support for the measure, he had little political room to maneuver. In a statement, Trump spoke of “respect” for Chinese President Xi Jinping and said he […]

Trump presents Conan the dog, ‘incredible’ hero of Baghdadi raid

  by Jerome CARTILLIER Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — “So this is Conan — right now, probably the world’s most famous dog.” In a stream of superlatives, Donald Trump on Monday introduced to the world the military dog involved in the raid that led to the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “Conan did a fantastic job,” the US president told the White House press corps, assembled for a […]

Court says White House must comply with impeachment subpoenas

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A Washington appeals court judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s top aides must comply with subpoenas issued by the impeachment investigation against him. In a case involving former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was subpoenaed in May by the House Judiciary Committee, Judge Ketanji Jackson ruled that senior administration officials cannot claim absolute immunity from testifying based on their closeness to the US leader. While Jackson ruled […]

Canada must pay up for military sexual assault victims

  OTTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada must pay almost a billion dollars in settlements to hundreds of military victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault and gender-based discrimination, a federal court ruled Monday. The victims, some of whom still work in the Canadian armed forces or the defense ministry, filed class action lawsuits in 2016 and 2017 after an independent investigation found “an underlying sexualized culture” in Canada’s armed forces “that is hostile to women and […]

US Defense Secretary asks for navy chief’s resignation

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Defense Secretary on Sunday asked the navy chief to resign in a dispute over an elite SEAL commando whose demotion for misconduct was reversed by President Donald Trump. Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher had been accused of war crimes in a high-profile case but was found guilty of a lesser offense. On November 15, Trump reversed the demotion handed down to him due to his conviction. The defense department […]

America grapples with ‘ghost guns’ amid epidemic of violence

  by Javier TOVAR Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — After his mother dropped him off at school, Nathan Berhow pulled a .45-caliber pistol out of his backpack, opened fire and killed two classmates, all using a weapon he’d assembled at home. Such guns are sometimes called “ghost guns” — unregulated, easy to put together and almost impossible to trace because they have no serial number. The parts are readily available online, […]

Top diplomat implicates Trump in explosive impeachment testimony

  by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A senior US diplomat directly implicated President Donald Trump Wednesday in a scheme to force Ukraine to probe a political rival, in bombshell testimony to a televised impeachment hearing. Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, told lawmakers he followed the president’s orders in seeking a “quid pro quo” deal for Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden in exchange for a White […]

Trump issues pardons in US war crimes cases

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned a former soldier convicted of murder and a Green Beret charged with killing a suspected Taliban bomb-maker, defying warnings that the move would be an abuse of the powers afforded him under the US Constitution. Trump dismissed a second degree murder conviction against Army First Lieutenant Clint Lorance, who is six years into a 19-year term for ordering soldiers in 2012 to fire […]

Gunman in US school shooting dies as police puzzled over motive

  by Andrew MARSZAL Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The teenager who gunned down classmates at a California high school before shooting himself died Friday, leaving detectives baffled over the motive of a Boy Scout with no obvious alarm bells in his background. Nathaniel Berhow died in a hospital one day after shooting himself in the head at the end of a 16th birthday rampage that left two fellow students dead. […]

Trump tests his electoral power in Louisiana governor’s fight

BOSSIER CITY, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump campaigned on Thursday for the Republican challenger in the Louisiana governor’s race, in what is seen as a test of his own political vitality as he battles an impeachment inquiry. Addressing a rally in Bossier City, Trump urged a crowd of thousands whose votes he will depend on for his own re-election bid next year to “send a message” by electing Republican Eddie Rispone on […]

UPDATED: Two killed in California school shooting, teen in custody

by Frederic J. BROWN with Andrew MARSZAL in Los Angeles SANTA CLARITA, United States (AFP) —  A teenage boy gunned down fellow students at a California high school on his 16th birthday Thursday, killing two and wounding another three before turning the pistol on himself. The gunman was taken into custody in “grave” condition, police said, as officers stormed Saugus High School in Santa Clarita — the latest in a relentless cycle of classroom shootings […]

2 top US diplomats testify vs Trump in impeachment probe

  by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two top US diplomats delivered gripping testimony Wednesday about Donald Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate his potential 2020 rival Joe Biden, as the impeachment inquiry into the president shifted into a new phase of high-stakes televised hearings. Trump dismissed the probe in the Democratic-led House of Representatives as a “witch hunt” and said he was “too busy” to watch the first […]