North America
Pentagon looks to counter ever-stealthier warfare
by Sylvie Lanteaume Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military has for years enjoyed a broad technological edge over its adversaries, dominating foes with superior communications and cyber capabilities. Now, thanks to rapid advances by Russia and China, the gap has shrunk, and the Pentagon is looking at how a future conflict with a “near-peer” competitor might play out. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson recently warned that both Russia and […]
Top Chinese, US officials to continue trade talks: Xinhua
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s top economic official Liu He spoke by phone with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday and “agreed to continue to communicate” on trade issues, the official Xinhua news agency said. The call came at a time of heightened tensions after US President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized tariffs on as much as $60 billion of Chinese imports, targeting sectors in which Washington says Beijing has stolen American technology. Liu He, […]
Sacramento residents protest against police shooting
SACRAMENTO, CA (Eagle News) –On Thursday evening just a few blocks from the state capitol, community members rallied together to protest what they consider as an injustice for Stephon Clark. According to protesters, Clark was an unarmed man who was shot 20 times by Sacramento Police Department. The protest blocked the path of people trying to enter the Sacramento King’s NBA Basketball Game being held at the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento. Clark, an African American […]
Senate passes huge US spending bill, sends it to Trump
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate passed a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill in dramatic dark-of-night fashion early Friday, overcoming hurdles that threatened to send the government into its third shutdown of 2018. Lawmakers stared down a self-imposed deadline of midnight Friday, when federal funding was set to expire, and passed the mammoth package by a vote of 65-32, with hours to spare. It now goes to the White House to be signed […]
Trump suspends metal tariffs for key US trade partners: White House
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized the suspension of controversial tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from key trade partners including the European Union, the White House said. “The tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the following countries are suspended until May 1, 2018,” the White House said in a statement, listing EU members states, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. © Agence France-Presse
US approves $1 billion in Saudi defense contracts
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States formally approved defense contracts totaling more than $1 billion with Saudi Arabia on Thursday, as the kingdom’s crown prince continued his American tour. The State Department confirmed it had green-lighted a $670 million deal for anti-tank missiles, a $106 million contract for helicopter maintenance and $300 million for ground vehicle parts. An official said the deals had been in the pipeline since President Donald Trump has announced […]
Texas bomber ‘not sorry’ on confession tape: report
CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — The man behind a series of package bombs that terrorized Texas state capital Austin left a recorded confession expressing no remorse and describing himself as a “psychopath,” a newspaper reported Thursday. Mark Conditt, who was wanted for a series of bombings over three weeks that killed two people and injured several others, died after detonating a bomb in his car Wednesday as police closed in. Police said the 23-year-old left […]
Trump unveils new tariffs punishing China for ‘theft’ of American tech
by Douglas Gillison Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Thursday hit China with tariffs on up to $60 billion of imports to retaliate against the “theft” of American intellectual property, ratcheting up trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The move was swiftly denounced by Beijing, which vowed to “fight to the end” if the United States persisted in the confrontation. The latest trade action sent stocks […]
Trump axes McMaster, names hawk Bolton as national security advisor
by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump named ultra-hardline Fox News pundit and former UN ambassador John Bolton as his new national security advisor Thursday, ousting embattled army general HR McMaster. McMaster’s exit is the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the White House that started with national security advisor Michael Flynn and has also included chief of staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon, […]
Zuckerberg apology fails to quiet Facebook storm
by Glenn Chapman / with Robin Millard in London Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States – A public apology by Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg failed Thursday to quell outrage over the hijacking of personal data from millions of people, as critics demanded that the social media giant go much further to protect user privacy. Speaking out for the first time about the harvesting of Facebook user data by a British firm linked to Donald Trump’s […]
Dashcam video shows final seconds before fatal Uber crash
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Dashcam footage of the first fatal self-driving car crash involving a pedestrian shows the Uber vehicle operator appearing to be distracted, then gasping in horror seconds before the impact. The driver can be seen looking down at something for nearly five seconds before finally gazing up the instant before the car hit a woman in Tempe, in the US state of Arizona on Sunday. Police there released the footage […]
