North America

‘Tiananmen Square’ crackdown in Hong Kong would harm trade deal: Trump

by Chris STEIN WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned China that carrying out a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters would harm trade talks between the two countries. “I think it’d be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it’s another Tiananmen Square,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey. “I think it’s a very hard thing to do if there’s violence.” The months-long […]

US issues warrant for seizure of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar

  by Paul HANDLEY with Amir HAVASI in Tehran Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Justice Department issued a warrant Friday for the seizure of the Iranian oil supertanker Grace 1, one day after a Gibraltar judge allowed the release of the detained vessel. The Justice Department alleged the ship was part of a scheme “to unlawfully access the US financial system to support illicit shipments to Syria from Iran by […]

US threatens visa ban on crew of Iran tanker

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday threatened a visa ban on the crew of an Iranian supertanker whose departure from Gibraltar Washington failed to block. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the Grace 1 was assisting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which the US deems a “terrorist organization,” meaning crew members “may be ineligible for visas or admission to the United States under the terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds.” © Agence France-Presse

Trump says Xi can ‘quickly and humanely solve’ HK standoff

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Xi Jinping can “humanely” resolve the violent standoff with protesters in Hong Kong and appeared to suggest meeting the Chinese leader. “I have ZERO doubt that if President Xi wants to quickly and humanely solve the Hong Kong problem, he can do it,” Trump tweeted from vacation at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. “Personal meeting?” he added in what appeared […]

Six US police wounded in Philadelphia shooting

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Six police officers were wounded in a shooting in the US city of Philadelphia on Wednesday after reportedly responding to drug activity, a department spokesman said. “SIX (6) PPD Officers shot – at area hospitals with nonlife-threatening injuries. Additional officers also receiving treatment for non-gunshot injuries,” Philadelphia police Sergeant Eric Gripp tweeted. “Suspect is still firing,” Gripp wrote around 6:20 pm local time (22:20 GMT). CBS News quoted police Captain […]

US Congress subpoenas 8chan website owner after mass shootings

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Congress subpoenaed the owner of 8chan Wednesday, 11 days after a Texas man posted a racist screed on the website just before massacring 22 people in El Paso. The House Committee on Homeland Security demanded website owner Jim Watkins testify before it on September 5 as part of work on how to counter extremist content online. The site has become known for carrying content and discussions from the […]

Canada’s Trudeau rebuked on ethics ahead of election

by Michel COMTE OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada’s ethics watchdog slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday, concluding in the lead-up October elections that he broke rules by arm-twisting his attorney general to settle a criminal case against engineering giant SNC-Lavalin. The scandal, revealed earlier this year, tarnished the prime minister’s golden boy image, cost two ministers and two senior officials their jobs and plunged his Liberals into a dead heat with the opposition Conservatives […]

Outrage as Trump administration weakens endangered species law

by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday finalized rollbacks to key provisions of the Endangered Species Act, a law supported by a large majority of Americans and credited with saving the gray wolf, bald eagle and grizzly bear. The move was met with anger by environmental groups and Democratic politicians, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, while two states announced they would take legal action. Amendments include removing […]

Conservative Giammattei elected Guatemala president

  by Henry Morales / Edgar Calderon  GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) — Conservative Alejandro Giammattei was elected as Guatemala’s president on Sunday, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off, the central American country’s electoral court said. With the results being updated in real time on the court’s website, the institution’s president Julio Solorzano declared the result “already irreversible.” Giammattei will succeed corruption-tainted outgoing President Jimmy Morales, who leaves office in January. “The aim […]

Chinese firms learn to adapt as US trade war rages

  by Ryan Mcmorrow  BEIJING, China (AFP) — Export-reliant Chinese companies are slashing prices, moving production abroad, creating new domestic markets and even rebranding goods as they try to survive the escalating trade war with the United States. Factories along the eastern coast, fish processors in the south, apple juice exporters in central China and farmers in the northeast have all been forced to change their business models since US President Donald Trump launched the […]

US border crossings plunge but immigration raids draw fire

by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — The Trump administration hailed a large drop in migrant border crossings Thursday but found itself under attack over a massive sweep of long-resident undocumented immigrants working in several Mississippi slaughterhouses. Detentions on the southern US border plunged for the second straight month in July after a deal with Mexico to block Central American migrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. US Border Patrol agents detained or […]

Three killed in US as small plane crashes into backyard

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Three people were killed Thursday when a small aircraft crashed into the backyard of a home in a residential neighborhood near Philadelphia, US police said. The single-engine propeller plane came down shortly after 6:00 am (1100 GMT) in Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania, around 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Philadelphia, according to local police. They said in a statement that they received a call from a resident “reporting a plane crash in […]