North America

Nicaraguan security forces move on opposition bastion

  MASAYA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Nicaraguan police and pro-government paramilitaries moved to reassert control over the city of Masaya by force Tuesday after residents of the opposition bastion declared themselves in rebellion against President Daniel Ortega. Bursts of gunfire resounded in three neighborhoods, including the main entrance to the city, where government forces have gained control, the head of the Nicaraguan Human Rights Association Alvaro Leiva said. Three people were killed in this unrest in Masaya, […]

Continue Reading →

US withdraws from ‘cesspool’ UN rights body

  by Dave Clark / with Carole Landry at the United Nations © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States | AFP The United States withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, condemning the “hypocrisy” of its members and its alleged “unrelenting bias” against Israel. The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, came to Washington to announce the decision alongside President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Both insisted the United States […]

Continue Reading →

In Trump rebuke, US Senate votes to reimpose ban on China’s ZTE

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate defied President Donald Trump by voting Monday to overrule his administration’s deal with Chinese telecom firm ZTE and reimpose a ban on high-tech chip sales to the company. Senators added an amendment targeting ZTE into a sweeping, must-pass national defense spending bill that cleared the chamber on an 85-10 vote. The company has been on life support ever since Washington said it had banned US companies from selling […]

Continue Reading →

Trump escalates China trade war with extra tariffs

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump escalated a growing trade war with China by unveiling plans Monday to impose 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. With the world’s two largest economies already engaged in a confrontation long feared by markets and industry, Trump said he was pushing forward with fresh punitive measures over Beijing’s “unacceptable” move to raise its own tariffs. “Further action must be taken to […]

Continue Reading →

US, S. Korea confirm suspending military drills

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The US and South Korean militaries confirmed Tuesday they have called off upcoming joint exercises, after President Donald pledged to halt the drills in the wake of his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Seoul, which has tens of thousands of US troops on its soil to help protect it from its hostile northern neighbour, said the suspension would affect the large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises slated for August. […]

Continue Reading →

Guatemala volcano search called off with nearly 200 unaccounted for

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) — Authorities on Sunday called off a search for the nearly 200 people missing since Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted earlier this month, devastating the surrounding countryside. Officials have confirmed the deaths of 110 people as a result of the volcanic eruption on June 3, but another 197 remain unaccounted for. A spokesman for the government’s civil protection agency, David de Leon, said the agencies involved decided to end the search “due to […]

Continue Reading →

Experts brew up advice on perfect cup of coffee

By Bobby Soriano New York Bureau NEW YORK (Eagle News) — Cup of joe. Morning brew. Kape. No matter what you call it chances are that either you or someone you know is an avid coffee drinker. But what goes into making a great cup of coffee? What can you do to improve the coffee you make at home? You will probably get a different answer from each person you ask. Industry experts were on […]

Continue Reading →

Major US military exercises with South Korea ‘suspended indefinitely’

  by Thomas Watkins, with Ben Dooley in Beijing Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military has indefinitely postponed major joint exercises with South Korea, an official told AFP on Thursday, acting on President Donald Trump’s pledge to halt the “provocative” military drills following his summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The move, a significant break in how the US and South Korean militaries have worked together for decades, came […]

Continue Reading →

Updated: Mexico declares ‘red alert’ for Tropical Storm Bud

LOS CABOS, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican authorities declared a “red alert” Thursday for the popular resort region of Los Cabos as Tropical Storm Bud closed in on the coast, whipping it with wind and rain. Under the measure, the highest level of alert, authorities will evacuate some 9,000 people from areas at high risk of flooding and other damage, said the head of emergency services for the state of Baja California Sur, Carlos Alfredo Godinez. “We […]

Continue Reading →

Trump prepares China tariff target list as confrontation escalates

  by Douglas Gillison © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Friday was due to unveil a final list of Chinese imports that would face punishing tariffs but it remained uncertain whether he would hold fire as part of a negotiating strategy. Imposing the tariffs would escalate the trade confrontation with Beijing, and potentially set off a round of tit-for-tat retaliation, which economists warn would damage the global economy. The deadline […]

Continue Reading →

Mexico declares ‘orange alert’ for Tropical Storm Bud

  LOS CABOS, Mexico (AFP) — Mexican authorities declared an “orange alert” Thursday for the popular resort region of Los Cabos as Tropical Storm Bud closed in on the coast, whipping it with wind and rain. “We ask people to redouble their preventive measures,” said Governor Carlos Mendoza of the state of Baja California Sur, declaring the second-highest alert level. With its turquoise water and picturesque beaches, the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico is a […]

Continue Reading →

Trump, America’s oldest first-time president, turns 72

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump turned 72 on Thursday, having returned to the fray of Washington politics after his grueling trip to Singapore for the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump in 2016 was the oldest person to assume the US presidency — he was 70 then — although Ronald Reagan was 73 when he was re-elected in 1984. Trump’s health, both physical and mental, have been the subject of […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 371 372 373 374 375 … 580