North America

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 […]

Toll rises to at least 69 in Guatemala volcano as more bodies recovered

  by Henry Morales and Edgar Calderon Agence France Presse ALOTENANGO, Guatemala (AFP) —  Rescue workers pulled more bodies Monday from under the dust and rubble left by an explosive eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, bringing the death toll to at least 69. Of them, 17 have been identified so far, said Fanuel Garcia, head of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences. In addition, there are 46 people injured, most of them seriously, more than […]

Mexico court orders new probe into massacre of students

by Jean Luis Arce  © Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A court in Mexico has ordered a new probe into a crime that horrified the nation: the disappearance and suspected massacre of 43 students in 2014. Relatives of the missing welcomed the ruling, but the government questioned it and said it was reviewing the decision, which came from a federal court in the state of Tamaulipas. Mexico remains haunted by the unsolved mystery of […]

Toll rises in Guatemala volcano as more bodies recovered

  by Henry Morales and Edgar Calderon © Agence France-Presse ALOTENANGO, Guatemala (AFP) — Rescue workers Monday pulled more bodies from under the dust and rubble left by an explosive eruption of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano, bringing the death toll to at least 62. Fanuel Garcia, head of the country’s Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) — which is tasked with identifying the remains — told reporters that “so far, the INACIF is working on 62 bodies.” The […]

Where’s Melania? First lady’s vanishing act sparks speculation

    by Michael Mathes © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — She is known for her privacy and White House independence, often breaking with her husband’s schedule. But Melania Trump’s unusual 25-day absence from public view following surgery for a “benign” kidney condition has raised questions. The first lady was scheduled to re-emerge in the public eye later Monday at a private reception for families of US soldiers killed in action — her first […]

US Democrats to Trump: Don’t spoil historic opportunity with N. Korea

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Democrats on Monday urged President Donald Trump not to squander the “historic” opportunity of a face-to-face summit with North Korea’s leader, as the lawmakers opposed any easing of sanctions without complete and verifiable denuclearization. Affirming their support for Trump’s scheduled June 12 meeting with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, seven influential Democrats including Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Trump against signing a deal at any cost, and laid […]

Guatemala volcano eruption kills 25

GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) — At least 25 people were killed when Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted Sunday, belching ash and rock and forcing the airport to close, the country’s disaster agency said. “The toll was 25 dead as of 9:00 pm (0300 GMT Monday),” the spokesman for the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) said in a WhatsApp group. Search and rescue operations for the missing and dead have been suspended due to low light and […]

At least six killed as Guatemalan volcano erupts

  GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) — At least six people were killed when Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted Sunday, belching ash and rock and forcing the airport to close. The strong eruption was the second major one this year. The dead were from farming communities just south of the volcano who were trapped by hot lava flow, National Disaster Relief Agency spokesman David de Leon told reporters. Another 20 people have been injured, and more than 2,000 […]

US-NKorea summit on June 12 confirmed, Trump says after meeting Kim envoy

  by Andrew Beatty and Dave Clark Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Friday he will meet North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as originally scheduled on June 12 for a historic summit after extraordinary Oval Office talks with a top envoy from Pyongyang. Speaking after more than an hour of talks with Kim Yong Chol in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that denuclearization — and a formal […]