by Ian Timberlake Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US police hunted a semi-nude gunman who shot four people dead at a waffle restaurant Sunday after he fled from a “hero” who disarmed him. Police in the Tennessee city of Nashville said the suspect in the country’s latest mass shooting may have had “mental issues,” and the incident led the city’s mayor to issue an unusually blunt call for “comprehensive gun reform.” The […]
North America
US-China trade tension dominates IMF gathering
by Heather Scott © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Trade tensions between the United States and China, which threaten to spill over into the global economy, are dominating a gathering of world finance officials even as the Group of 20 avoided the topic on Friday. Official after official has called for disputes to be resolved through dialogue rather than unilateral tariffs, and warned about the threat to the economic recovery. French Economy […]
Cuba marks end of an era as Castro hands over to Diaz-Canel
by Alexandre Grosbois Agence France Presse HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cuba’s new president Miguel Diaz-Canel on Thursday became the country’s first leader in nearly 60 years who is not named Castro, pledging continuity for the Caribbean island during the historic transition of power. The silver-haired Diaz-Canel — a top Communist Party figure who has served as first vice president since 2013 — assumed power from Raul Castro, who himself took over from his elder […]
Ex New York mayor Giuliani joins Trump legal team
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is joining President Donald Trump’s personal legal team, Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow announced on Thursday. A week after federal agents raided the offices and residence of longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, Sekulow sought to bolster the force protecting the president from mounting challenges on several sides. “The president said, ‘Rudy is great. He has been my friend for a long time and wants […]
US Senate narrowly confirms Trump’s new NASA chief
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to head the space agency NASA, over objections from Democrats who warned he lacked a technical background. Jim Bridenstine, a congressman from Oklahoma, US Navy veteran, and former pilot, was confirmed on a 50-49 vote and will become the 13th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration seven months after Trump named him to lead the agency. Bridenstine, […]
Trump says hopeful for Kim summit, but not afraid to walk away
by Jerome Cartillier and Andrew Beatty in Washington Agence France Presse PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he hoped his improbable summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un would go ahead — but warned he was not afraid to walk away if the meeting appears unlikely to be “fruitful.” The odds of the Trump-Kim talks taking place were boosted by the shock news of secret weekend talks between CIA […]
Trump vows to work ‘very, very hard’ for Japanese held in N.Korea
PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would work to help Tokyo bring home from North Korea Japanese citizens who were abducted in the 1970s and 1980s to help Pyongyang train its spies. Trump, who was addressing reporters with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at his side, said: “We will work very hard on that issue and we will work hard to try and bring those folks back — […]
Trump says CIA chief met Kim in North Korea, as peace deal mooted
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump confirmed Wednesday that his CIA chief has held secret talks with North Korea’s leader in Pyongyang, as the South said it was exploring paths to a peace deal with the nuclear-armed North. Seoul’s push for discussions on formally declaring an end to inter-Korean hostilities was the latest in a series of diplomatic initiatives involving the divided Korean peninsula that would have been unthinkable just months […]
Senate Republicans push for Pompeo secretary of state vote
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Republicans are pushing for a confirmation vote next week on Mike Pompeo becoming secretary of state, even though his nomination may not receive majority support in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Some key Republicans say, Pompeo, who currently heads the Central Intelligence Agency, is likely to be confirmed by the full Senate, as he made the rare move of privately courting Democrats who do not serve on the committee […]
Barbara Bush: America’s ‘First grandmother’
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Barbara Bush cast herself as an enthralled spectator of her husband’s rise to the presidency, but once in the White House, it was America’s “First Grandmother” who stole the public’s heart. White-haired and matronly, Bush, who died Tuesday at the age of 92, was decidedly unfashionable, her signature large pearls notwithstanding. But she honed that staid image shrewdly during George H.W. Bush’s tenure in […]
US-N. Korea talks ‘at highest levels’ but not Trump-Kim: WH
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has had contacts at the highest levels with North Korea but Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have not spoken directly, the White House said late Tuesday. The Washington Post reported that CIA chief Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to Pyongyang over the first weekend of April and met with Kim. The meeting was part of an effort to prepare for a historic meeting in the […]
Japan-US trade surplus edges down as Abe, Trump meet
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s politically sensitive trade surplus with the US edged down in March, government data showed Wednesday, as the two countries’ leaders held talks over the thorny issue of bilateral trade. Japan logged a surplus in March of 623.1 billion yen ($5.9 billion) with the US, down 0.2 percent, as imports of American-made cars and aircraft climbed, according to the finance ministry data. The fresh data comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo […]





