North America

Forest fire threatens California’s fabled Yosemite

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A vast fire in northern California has destroyed 50 km2 (more than 12,000 acres), left one person dead and is threatening Yosemite National Park, authorities said Tuesday. The Ferguson fire has been raging in the Sierra Nevada forest since last Friday and was only five percent contained as of Tuesday, according to the California firefighting agency, Calfire, which also reported that one firefighter died in the operations. Some 1,500 […]

Trump tells critics of summit with Putin: “I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace”

  (Eagle News) — US President Donald Trump said he would “rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace” in deciding to push through with his historic summit on Monday, July 16, with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite criticism on the home front. Trump thanked President Niinisto of Finland for graciously hosting the summit, the first ever official meeting for the two world leaders after previous unofficial talks at the G20 Hamburg and APEC […]

Russia and US should “join ranks” and “work together” to address global challenges, says Putin

  (Eagle News) — Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of Russia and the United States “working together” saying that this was the only way to cope with a new set of global challenges, including threats of terrorism and transnational crime, and rising problems on the economy. In a news conference after his historic summit with US President Donald Trump in Helsinki, Putin said his negotiations with Trump “took place in a frank and […]

Trump vows ‘extraordinary relationship’ with Putin as summit opens

  by Dave Clark / Jitendra Joshi Agence France Presse   HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin began an historic summit on Monday vowing their determination to forge a reset of troubled relations between the world’s greatest nuclear powers. Trump, bent on forging a personal bond with the Kremlin chief despite allegations of Russian meddling in US politics, went into the summit blaming “stupidity” by his predecessors for plunging ties to […]

EU urges big powers to avert trade ‘conflict and chaos’

by Ben Dooley Agence France-Presse   BEIJING, China (AFP) — The European Union called Monday on the United States, China and Russia to work together to cool worsening global trade tensions, warning that they could spiral into violent “conflict and chaos.” The comments from EU Council President Donald Tusk comes as Washington and Beijing stand on the brink of an all-out trade war many fear could hammer the global economy, while the US has also picked […]

US lifts export ban on suppliers to China’s ZTE

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Friday formally lifted a crippling ban on exports to China’s ZTE, rescuing the smartphone maker from the brink of collapse after it was denied key components. The US Commerce Department said it would continue to monitor the company to prevent further violations of US sanctions on Iran and North Korea. “While we lifted the ban on ZTE, the Department will remain vigilant as we closely monitor […]

US indicts Russian intel officers ahead of Trump-Putin summit

by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Twelve Russian intelligence officers have been charged with hacking Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic Party in a stunning indictment just days before President Donald Trump meets with Vladimir Putin. The charges were drawn up by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is looking into Russian interference in the November 2016 vote and whether any members of Trump’s campaign […]

Under Trump, US-UK ‘special relationship’ looks tarnished

by Dario THUBURN Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — When British Prime Minister Theresa May became the first world leader to visit Donald Trump at the White House in January 2017, it appeared the historic friendship between the two nations was in good health. But a series of spats have driven the two leaders apart, culminating in the president’s extraordinary public criticism of May’s Brexit strategy as he arrived on a visit to […]

Honduras identifies 313 children separated from families in US

  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP) — A total of 313 Honduran children separated from their parents as a result of the United States’ “zero tolerance” immigration police have been identified by Honduran consular staff, an official said Thursday. Liza Medrano, Honduras’ director of migrant protection, told a news conference that the country’s consular officials in the United States visited shelters in search of children after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered the reunification of separated families. “We […]

Trump sending top team to Mexico to woo next president

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump is sending a team of top officials to meet Mexico’s president-elect on Friday to show the importance he places on the countries’ relationship, the US said, after months of deeply strained ties. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will lead a high-level delegation for meetings with anti-establishment leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who won a landslide victory in Mexico’s July 1 elections, opening a new chapter in what […]

Trump stuns NATO with demand to double defense spending

  by Damon Wake Agence France Presse Brussels, Belgium (AFP) — US President Donald Trump shocked allies at a fraught NATO summit on Wednesday by suddenly demanding that members double their defense spending commitments. Trump’s surprise demand came after he clashed with Chancellor Angela Merkel, calling Germany a “captive” of Russia because of its gas links and singling out Berlin for failing to pay its way. The summit in Brussels is shaping up as the […]

Toll from Nicaragua unrest hits 264: rights body

    WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The known death toll from a four-month crackdown on anti-government protests in Nicaragua has risen to 264, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said Wednesday. “As recorded by the IACHR since the start of the repression against social protests, to date, 264 people have lost their lives and more than 1,800 have been injured,” the commission’s chief Paulo Abrao told reporters. He was speaking at a meeting of the […]