North America

Guatemala volcano toll reaches 109: officials

GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) — The death toll from the eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano has reached 109, officials said Thursday. The National Forensic Sciences Agency said morgues had received the remains of 109 victims of Sunday’s eruption. The previous toll was 99. The agency said seven of the latest victims were in a temporary morgue installed close to the impact zone, in the now-devastated community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, south of the […]

Trade spat looms as Trump heads for hostile G7

by Dave Clark / and Laurence Benhamou © Agence France-Presse QUEBEC CITY, Canada (AFP) — Europe and hosts Canada warned US President Donald Trump on Thursday that they will not be intimidated at the G7 summit, despite fears that a trade war will weaken the Western alliance. With the leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies due in Quebec, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned the US leader that they would not roll over on […]

Top US, Russian military brass to meet in Helsinki

    HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Top US and Russian military officials will meet in Helsinki on Friday as part of recurring talks to prevent conflicts such as Syria and Ukraine from escalating, Finnish and US officials said. The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joe Dunford, will meet his Russian counterpart General Valery Gerasimov at an undisclosed location in the Finnish capital, the Finnish military announced Thursday. The men sometimes speak by […]

Trump hosts Japan PM, five days before summit with Kim

  by Jerome Cartillier © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — With less than a week to go before meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump plays host Thursday to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants his voice heard ahead of the unprecedented talks. Trump and Abe will hold a joint press conference at the White House in the early afternoon, before heading to Canada for what promises to be […]

17-year-old Fil-Am killed in Seattle brawl

(Eagle News) — A 17-year-old Filipino-American was killed after a brawl ensued in a Seattle park on Saturday, June 2. The Seattle Times reported that Ryan dela Cruz was out with his friends at Martha Washington Park when his group encountered another group, and “mayhem” ensued. The second group allegedly fired shots, and Dela Cruz was hit three times. Police are still investigating the cause of the brawl, but noted that Dela Cruz was not a […]

Hundreds of homes destroyed by volcano lava in Hawaii

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Hundreds of oceanfront homes have been destroyed by lava flow from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, officials said Tuesday. “We lost hundreds of homes in Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacationland overnight, but we don’t have exact figures,” Janet Snyder, a spokeswoman for Hawaii County, told AFP. She said the lost homes were in addition to 117 others destroyed since the volcano began erupting on May 3, forcing the evacuation of […]

US police arrest 11 men on child pornography charges

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Eleven Florida men, including employees of Disney and Legoland and a volunteer for the Boy Scouts, have been arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography, police said Tuesday. A total of 660 charges have so far been brought against the 11 suspects in the operation, dubbed “Guardians of Innocence II” by the police department of Polk County in central Florida and conducted across the month of May. Sheriff Grady […]

Nearly 200 missing, 75 dead from Guatemala volcano

by Edgar CALDERON / Henry MORALES Agence France-Presse GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) — Nearly 200 people are missing and at least 75 have been killed since Guatemala’s Fuego volcano began erupting over the weekend, officials said Tuesday. Seven communities in already devastated areas were evacuated as the volcano’s activity increased, with rescue operations halted. In the city of Escuintla, near the summit, panicked locals rushed to their cars to escape, causing chaotic traffic. An AFP photographer […]

California in spotlight as US voters cast ballots in primaries

  by Jocelyne Zablit © Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Voters cast ballots in eight US states for key primary elections on Tuesday, with all eyes on California, where the outcome could swing the balance of power in Congress. Democrats in the country’s most populous state are battling to ensure they come out on top in several congressional districts that voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. However, […]

Guatemala toll rises to 73 after strong explosion

  by Henry Morales  et Edgar Calderon © Agence France-Presse ALOTENANGO, Guatemala (AFP) — A powerful explosion sparked a mass evacuation Tuesday of areas already devastated near Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, which officials said has killed at least 73 people since it first erupted over the weekend. Seven communities were evacuated as the volcano’s activity increased, with rescue operations halted. In the city of Escuintla, near the summit, panicked locals rushed to their cars to escape, causing […]

Calls grow in Germany to expel disputed US envoy

by Hui Min Neo © Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A member of the German government on Tuesday accused the new US ambassador in Berlin of meddling in domestic politics and aggravating already tense ties, as left-wing parties called for the staunch ally of Donald Trump to be expelled. Richard Grenell took up his Berlin posting on May 8 and immediately irked Germany when he tweeted the same day that German companies should stop doing […]

Rights group says 121 dead in weeks of Nicaragua protests

    MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — At least 121 people have been killed in a wave of protests since April 18 against President Daniel Ortega’s government, Nicaragua’s main human rights group said Tuesday. The latest toll includes a young boy killed by gunfire during clashes Tuesday in the city of Granada between anti-government protesters and riot police, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said. It said 1,300 people had been wounded in the violence. A parish […]