by Yemeli Ortega with Sandy Huffaker in San Ysidro Agence France Presse TIJUANA, Mexico (AFP) — US officials briefly closed a border crossing in southern California on Sunday after hundreds of migrants, part of the “caravan” condemned by President Donald Trump, tried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana, authorities announced. The dramatic shutdown took place only three days after Trump threatened to close the “whole border” with Mexico if “it […]
North America
California’s deadliest wildfire finally tamed
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The deadliest and most destructive fire in California’s history was finally brought totally under control by firefighters, more than two weeks after it erupted, authorities said on Sunday. The so-called Camp Fire, which broke out on November 8, is so far known to have killed 87 people although another 249 people remain unaccounted for. That figure has fallen sharply over the weekend, having stood at 474 on Friday. “#CampFire […]
US shuts border post as migrants try to cross from Mexico
by Yemeli Ortega with Sandy Huffaker in San Ysidro Agence France Presse TIJUANA, Mexico (AFP) — US officials closed a border crossing in southern California on Sunday after hundreds of migrants, part of the “caravan” condemned by President Donald Trump, tried to breach a fence from the Mexican city of Tijuana, authorities announced. The dramatic shutdown took place only three days after Trump threatened to close the “whole border” with Mexico if “it gets to […]
Hundreds of migrants push on to US-Mexico border bridge
TIJUANA, Mexico (AFP) — Tension mounted as hundreds of Central American migrants massed at a Mexican border town headed on Thursday for a bridge crossing to the United States as President Donald Trump renewed his threats to repel them. With US helicopters hovering overhead, a group made up mostly of men headed just after midday from the shelter they have been staying at since last week to the El Chaparral bridge around a kilometer (half […]
May defends draft Brexit deal agreed by EU, Britain
by Alice RITCHIE / with Damon WAKE in Brussels Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom(AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday fended off heavy opposition in parliament after Britain and the EU agreed on the outlines of post-Brexit ties as part of a draft deal due to be signed off by EU leaders. After briefing her cabinet in a hastily-arranged teleconference call, May addressed the House of Commons, saying the agreement was the “best […]
Trump says prepared for G20 meeting with China’s Xi
PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump insisted Thursday he was “very prepared” for a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next week at the G20 summit in Argentina, and suggested a deal could be reached to end the trade war. The president will meet Xi on the sidelines of the summit, which is taking place from November 30 to December 1 in Buenos Aires. “I have been preparing for it […]
US troops limited to batons on Mexico border
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US troops stationed on the border with Mexico ahead of the expected arrival of a Central American migrant caravan can intervene to quell violence but will be armed only with batons, Defense Minister Jim Mattis said on Wednesday. The White House has given almost 5,800 troops posted along the frontier guidance that they can come to the aid of any Customs and Border Protection agents who come under attack, Mattis […]
Trump rows with US Supreme Court chief of courts bias claim
by Chris LEFKOW and Sebastian SMITH Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump entered an extraordinary row Wednesday with the chief justice of the Supreme Court, claiming “shocking” bias against his policies in parts of the judiciary. He singled out the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, whose jurisdiction includes left-leaning California, tweeting that its rulings “are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!” Earlier, Chief Justice John Roberts, […]
Bannon, billionaire Guo unite behind China ‘crimes’
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Exiled Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui and Steve Bannon Tuesday implicated China in the seemingly accidental death of tycoon Wang Jian, accusing Beijing of murdering, imprisoning and torturing its own people on a massive scale. The two men used a news conference held amid tight security in a five-star New York hotel to announce that they were going to use a $100 million fund set up by Guo to investigate […]
US renews unfair trade accusations against China
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Washington on Tuesday said Beijing continued to foster the theft of American technological know-how, with officials there exacerbating matters in recent months. The renewed accusations from President Donald Trump’s administration come as markets grow pessimistic that the world’s two largest economies can resolve their burgeoning trade war any time soon. In an update to a report issued in March, the Office of US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Tuesday that […]
New barricades at US-Mexico border as migrant caravan arrives
by Yemeli ORTEGA Agence France Presse TIJUANA, Mexico (AFP) — Huge metal or concrete barricades and walls of concertina wire went up Monday on both sides of a bustling US-Mexico border crossing as a caravan of US-bound Central American migrants pours into Tijuana, the last stop before California. US authorities went so far as to briefly close the San Ysidro Port of Entry altogether — it is one of the busiest land border crossings in […]
US to give Saudis a pass even if Crown Prince behind murder
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to stick by ally Saudi Arabia even while admitting that de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have been behind the brutal murder of a dissident journalist. “It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event –- maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said in a statement. “We may […]





