North America

Renewed US-Russia rift threatens slim Syria peace hope

by Francesco Fontemaggi/ and Dave Clark © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The latest US and Russian bid to find enough common ground on which to build some hope for Syria is in trouble, just days ahead of talks that could make or break the peace process. A United Nations mediator has called on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and a beleaguered opposition coalition to send envoys to Geneva on November 28 to resolve the seven-year-old civil […]

Russia again vetoes bid to renew Syria gas attacks probe

by Carole LANDRY Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – Russia on Friday cast a second veto in as many days at the UN Security Council to block the renewal of a UN-led investigation to identify the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria. A draft resolution put forward by Japan would have extended the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) for 30 days to allow time for negotiations on a wider compromise. But Russia used its veto […]

Trump tweets about Al ‘Frankenstien’: ‘where do his hands go?’

(Reuters) — U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on the sexual harassment allegations against Senator Al Franken on Thursday (November 16), calling the Democrat “Frankenstein” on Twitter. “And to think that just last week he (Franken) was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women,” Trump tweeted. A radio broadcaster accused Franken earlier on Thursday of touching her breasts while she slept and forcing a kiss on her in 2006 when […]

Thousands more US troops arrive in Afghanistan: general

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Approximately 3,000 additional American troops have now been deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump’s revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Pentagon had previously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an increase requested by the commander on the ground, General John Nicholson. “We’ve just completed a force flow into Afghanistan,” Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told […]

US athletes released by China apologize for shoplifting, thank Trump

by Frankie Taggart Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Three US college basketball players detained in China for shoplifting publicly apologized Wednesday and thanked President Donald Trump for helping secure their release. Trump had personally asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to intervene to free UCLA’s LiAngelo Ball — the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie star Lonzo Ball — and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, who were arrested last Tuesday in Hangzhou. The […]

Canada announces rapid response force for peacekeeping

 by Michel Comte  Agence France-Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada will boost its support for United Nations peacekeeping missions by mobilizing a rapid response force of 200 soldiers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday. Details of the plan — part of a long-awaited announcement by the government in Ottawa — however still need to be sorted out with the UN, and the troop numbers fall far short of the 600 pledged one year ago. “The conflicts we […]

Wife of California shooter found dead under floorboards

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Detectives searching the home of a man who went on a shooting rampage in northern California said Wednesday they had found his wife’s body under the floorboards, raising the death toll to five. Police in Tehama County believe Kevin Janson Neal shot her dead on Monday night before he began roaming the streets the following morning, armed with two semi-automatic rifles and selecting targets apparently at random. “We believe that is […]

Senate panel debates US president’s nuclear authority

by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US senators probed the limits of a president’s unilateral power to launch a nuclear attack Tuesday, an increasingly weighty debate as tensions rise between an unpredictable Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. The closely watched debate, organized and chaired by a prominent Republican Trump critic, addressed a hypothetical presidential decision to launch a nuclear first strike against an adversary. “Let’s just recognize […]

UPDATED: Four killed in California mass shooting

by Jocelyne Zablit Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Four people were killed and nearly a dozen were wounded, including several children, when a gunman went on a rampage Tuesday at multiple locations, including a school in rural northern California. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston told reporters that the assailant was killed by police following the mass shooting, which began around 8:00 am (1600 GMT) at a home in Rancho Tehama […]

Federal court approves part of Trump’s latest travel ban

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A US appeals court allowed President Donald Trump to proceed with part of the latest version of his travel ban Monday, but it created an exemption for foreigners with American ties. The ruling by the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco bars citizens of six Muslim-majority countries who do not have a “bona fide” relationship with a person or entity already in the US. The White […]

US won’t walk away from Syria war until talks progress: Mattis

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US-led coalition will forge ahead in its fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq until a UN peace process makes further headway, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday. “We’re not just going to walk away right now until the Geneva Process has traction,” he told reporters. “You need to do something about this mess now, not just fight the military part of it and then say […]

Strong quake rocks Costa Rica

San José, Costa Rica (AFP) — Two people died of heart attacks attributed to shock from the seismic disturbance, a spokesman for the public safety ministry told national media. The quake occurred at 8:28 pm local (0228 GMT) on the Central American country’s Pacific coast, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles), close to the popular tourist beach town of Jaco, according to the US Geological Survey. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a […]