North America

US will continue aiddrops into Gaza, White House says

(AFP) — The United States will continue dropping essential aid from the air into the Gaza Strip, the White House said Tuesday, after Palestinian militant group Hamas called for them to end following fatal drownings and stampedes. “Air drops are one of the many ways that we are helping to provide desperately needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and we will continue to do so,” the National Security Council said in a statement, after Hamas […]

Dali, the ship that brought down Baltimore bridge

PARIS, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – The Dali container ship that caused the collapse of a key bridge in Baltimore is recently built and flies under Singapore’s flag. It was constructed by the Korean Hyundai shipyard in 2015 and is 300 metres long (985 feet), 48 metres wide and 24.8 metres tall, with gross tonnage of 95,000 tonnes, making it an average-sized container ship. It had left Baltimore port at 1 am local time Tuesday […]

Port blocked by Baltimore bridge collapse is key hub for US shipping

BALTIMORE, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, named after the poet who penned the lyrics to the US national anthem, used to carry an average of around 31,000 passengers a day across one of the busiest harbors in the United States. Its nighttime collapse, within seconds of being struck by a container ship, is likely to cause substantial economic damage for as long as it continues to force the closure of […]

Major US bridge collapses as cargo ship plows into pylon

By Aziz EL MASSASSI BALTIMORE, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday after being struck by a container ship, sending multiple vehicles and people plunging into the frigid harbor below. Dramatic nighttime footage showed a 300-meter vessel hitting a pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing most of the steel-built structure crashing into the Patapsco River within seconds. Vehicles could be seen on the […]

Baltimore bridge collapses after ship collision

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – The Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after a ship collided with it, the Maryland Transportation Authority said early Tuesday. “I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike,” the MTA posted on social media platform X, referring to the interstate highway. It urged drivers to avoid the route over the Patapsco River, which it called an “active scene”. Earlier, the MTA had said interstate […]

US teen fatally shoots self with officer’s gun at sheriff station

LOS ANGELES, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – A teenage girl shot herself dead with a deputy’s gun in the lobby of a sheriff’s station in California, authorities said Monday. The girl, who has not been named, began hammering on the door of the station in City of Industry, near Los Angeles, on Sunday evening. As officers went to open the door, the girl managed to grab a service weapon from one of them. “The juvenile […]

Mexican forces search for 24 possible kidnapping victims

CULIACÁN, Mexico, March 24, 2024 (AFP) – Mexican authorities were searching Saturday for two dozen people in Sinaloa state reported to have been kidnapped along with more than 40 others who have since been found alive. The governor of the coastal state in northwest Mexico — home to the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel — had said earlier Saturday that 18 people had been found out of 25 missing, and did not explain the significant jump […]

Under pressure, Trump goes on attack as $454 mn deadline looms

NEW YORK, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – Donald Trump lashed out at prosecutors Friday as the clock ticked down on the possible seizure of his assets and threatened bankruptcy if he fails to come up with cash to pay a half-billion dollar bond. The former president, who is running again in this year’s election, is under pressure after a New York court ruled that he, his sons and his family company lied about the value […]

US lawmakers race to avert weekend government shutdown

By Frankie TAGGART WASHINGTON, March 21, 2024 (AFP) – US lawmakers released a $1.2 trillion package in the early hours of Thursday to complete the 2024 federal budget — teeing off a sprint to sign it into law before a government shutdown looming at the weekend. The six-bill, 1,012-page package represents the largest and most contentious section of federal funding, with cash running out at midnight on Friday night for three-quarters of the government, including […]

Trump owes $454 million for fraud, but can he actually pay it?

By Nicolas REVISE NEW YORK, March 21, 2024 (AFP) – Donald Trump is up against a fast-approaching deadline to secure a half-billion dollar bond as he appeals his financial fraud case, facing possible bankruptcy or the seizure of his assets if he fails. The former president, who has clinched the Republican nomination for this year’s presidential election, is appealing his $355 million penalty, plus interest, after a New York court ruled that he, his sons […]

US sues Apple: DOJ alleges illegal monopoly practices with iPhone

By Alex PIGMAN WASHINGTON, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – The US Department of Justice sued Apple on Thursday, accusing the tech giant of illegally maintaining a monopoly for its iPhone by stifling competition and imposing exorbitant costs on consumers. The lawsuit, also brought by multiple US states, said Apple raked in hundreds of billions of dollars by allegedly making it difficult for consumers to switch to cheaper smartphones and devices. The long anticipated case against […]

Large group of migrants force way across Texas border

HOUSTON, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – A “large group of migrants” crossing into the United States from Mexico broke through razor wire Thursday and rushed the border wall, the border patrol said, the latest episode in a simmering national immigration crisis. Illegal immigration is a hugely contentious topic in the United States, and an issue already figuring prominently in the campaign for the November presidential election. Republicans blame President Joe Biden for the recent record […]