North America

Defying Trump threat, UN rejects US decision on Jerusalem

by Carole Landry Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Defying President Donald Trump’s threat to cut off funding, the United Nations approved by a resounding vote on Thursday a motion rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, in what Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour called a “massive setback” for the United States. An additional 21 countries did not turn […]

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YouTube prankster pleads guilty to fatally shooting boyfriend

by Nova Safo Agence France Presse CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — A YouTube prankster from the US state of Minnesota has admitted to fatally shooting her boyfriend in a botched video stunt she hoped would go viral. Monalisa Perez, a 20-year-old mother-of-two, believed her husband Pedro Ruiz would be shielded by a thick book as she took aim from close range in front of onlookers. She pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree manslaughter and agreed to […]

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Donald Trump tastes victory — at last

by Jerome Cartillier Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States  (AFP) — Looking out over the South Lawn of the White House, flanked by the lawmakers who had just handed him the greatest victory of his tumultuous young presidency, Donald Trump drank in the scene. For this most unconventional of presidents — impulsive, unpredictable, so often frustrated by the exercise of power — it was payback time at last. In the chill December air, under a pale sky dotted […]

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Trump triumphs as Congress passes sweeping tax cuts

by Michael Mathes Agence France-PresseUnited States – President Donald Trump hailed a historic victory Wednesday as the US Congress passed a massive Republican tax cut plan, handing him his first major legislative achievement since taking office nearly a year ago. The House voted along party lines to green-light a $1.5 trillion overhaul that will impact every corner of the US economy through dramatic tax cuts for corporations and temporary reductions for individuals. “I promised the American […]

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Catholic Church sells 1914-built church edifice in Philadelphia, USA to Iglesia Ni Cristo

Mater Dolorosa church closed and sold due to dwindling mass attendance, and mounting operational deficits   (Eagle News) — An old Catholic church edifice built in 1914 in Philadelphia was recently sold by the Catholic Church to the Iglesia Ni Cristo, four years since it was closed due to dwindling mass attendance. The Iglesia Ni Cristo, a global Christian Church first registered in the Philippines on July 27, 1914, bought the Mater Dolorosa Catholic church […]

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White House blames North Korea for cyberattack

by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House on Tuesday publicly accused North Korea of launching a massive cyberattack that hit 150 countries last May — hobbling networks from Britain’s public health system to FedEx. “After careful investigation, the United States is publicly attributing the massive ‘WannaCry’ cyberattack to North Korea,” said White House homeland security advisor Tom Bossert. “We do not make this allegation lightly, we do so […]

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Returning winds churn up heightened alert in fire-hit California

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — After a couple of days of respite heavy winds are expected to return Wednesday to the California area plagued by a massive fire, potentially hindering the efforts of firefighters battling in an already dry climate. The fire has already destroyed at least 272,000 acres (110,000 hectares) — nearly the size of the city of Los Angeles — and is just 55 percent contained since it began December 4, according […]

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Trump on verge of tax victory as US Senate passes overhaul

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate narrowly approved a sweeping tax overhaul early Wednesday, putting President Donald Trump on the brink of his first major legislative triumph nearly a year after he took office. Hours earlier, Trump’s $1.5 trillion deficit-busting tax cuts cleared the House of Representatives, but a rare last-minute snag over parliamentary rules will force the lower chamber to vote on the updated package once […]

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After US Republicans’ tax elation, a hangover may loom

by Douglas Gillison Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump and his Republican Party are in a party mood as they prepare to enact the most sweeping tax cuts in three decades — but analysts warn the country may wake up to a hangover. The centerpiece of the $1.5 trillion legislation is a series of deep cuts for businesses that Republican leaders say will spur productivity and job creation and nudge […]

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Tax cut passes US House, heads to Senate for crunch vote

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a landmark tax overhaul Tuesday, bringing Donald Trump one step closer to a major legislative triumph as the first year of his presidency draws to a close. Republicans received zero Democratic support as they passed the contentious $1.5-trillion package of tax cuts for businesses and individuals that critics say will particularly benefit the wealthy. The most comprehensive revamp of the nation’s […]

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Three dead, 100 hurt in US train derailment: police

by Kathryn Elsesser Agence France Presse DUPONT, United States (AFP) — An Amtrak passenger train traveling on a new route for the first time derailed Monday in Washington state, killing at least three people as cars plunged off a bridge onto a busy highway at the height of morning rush hour, officials said. The train, which was carrying 77 passengers and seven crew, derailed in DuPont about halfway between Tacoma and the state capital Olympia […]

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Trump sends mixed message with ‘America First’ security strategy

by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump used the launch of his first National Security Strategy on Monday to laud the benefits of cooperation with Russia, a striking departure from the document’s more combative tone toward the Kremlin. Unveiling a text that pilloried both Russia and China as “revisionist powers” bent on rolling back American interests, Trump hailed recent counterterror cooperation between Moscow and Washington. Trump claimed that […]

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