North America

US warns companies smuggling fuel to North Korea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — White House National Security Advisor HR McMaster warned Tuesday that shipping companies caught smuggling goods into North Korea could be making their “last delivery” anywhere. McMaster said UN sanctions have not halted deliveries of essential goods like refined fuel products that North Korea wants. The smuggling is done by ship-to-ship transfers, he said, suggesting that foreign vessels are moving the goods on the high seas to North Korean ships that take them […]

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Canada to buy 18 used Australian jets

by Michel Comte © Agence France-Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada announced Tuesday it would buy 18 used Australian jets instead of new Boeing Super Hornets, signaling limits in its unwavering friendship with its US neighbor. A little more than a year after saying it would buy 18 Super Hornets for more than $5 billion, and amid trade tensions, Ottawa formally rejected the deal in favor of used planes from Australia. Senior government and military officials said […]

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New York bomber not on Bangladesh terror list: Dhaka police

by Shafiqul Alam Agence France Presse Bangladesh police scrambled Tuesday for details about alleged New York subway bomber Akayed Ullah, but uncovered few early leads that might shed light on what might have driven him to try and kill commuters with a homemade bomb. US police say the 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh set off a crude bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage on Monday but the device failed to […]

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Over 6,000 firefighters battling southern California blaze

by Veronique Dupont Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Thousands of firefighters were battling one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history Monday as it crept relentlessly up the Pacific coast and forced new evacuations. As a wildfire near Los Angeles was brought under control, fire crews were being redeployed to battle the Thomas Fire northwest of America’s second-largest city. Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters were assisting nearly 6,400 firefighters trying to […]

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Trump wants Congress to fix ‘lax’ immigration after NY attack

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Monday that a bomb attack by a 27-year-old from Bangladesh on New York’s subway system underscored the “urgent need” for Congress to enact immigration reform. Three people were slightly injured after the attacker’s pipe bomb exploded only partially, while the suspect was sent to a hospital with apparently severe burns and wounds on his torso and hands. “First and foremost, as I have been saying since […]

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‘Terror’ bomber strikes New York subway, three hurt

by Catherine Triomphe Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A 27-year-old from Bangladesh detonated a home-made pipe bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage during the morning rush hour Monday, injuring three people and putting the city on edge just six weeks after a deadly truck attack. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the bombing an “attempted terrorist attack,” as police identified the suspect, who alone […]

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‘Terror’ bomber strikes NY subway, three hurt

by Catherine TRIOMPHE Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States – A man carrying a pipe bomb strapped to his body detonated it in a crowded New York subway passageway during the morning rush hour Monday, seriously injuring himself but only lightly injuring three others. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the bombing an “attempted terrorist attack,” and identified the 27-year-old man identified as Akayed Ullah. The blast took place at the height of morning rush hour in […]

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Winds whip California fires as they spread south

by Veronique DUPONT / Robyn Beck Agence France-Presse BONSALL, United States (AFP) — Thousands of firefighters battled raging wildfires in California on Saturday that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the Los Angeles area, as well as outbreaks closer to San Diego. Nearly 700 structures including multi-million dollar mansions have been destroyed by wildfires raging on six different fronts, but despite the intensity of the blazes, authorities have reported only one fatality. […]

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Wildfires rage across southern California; first death reported

by Veronique Dupont Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Firefighters on Thursday battled raging wildfires across southern California that have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, including residents on the outskirts of Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city. Winds with hurricane-force gusts of up to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour) fueled the blazes, creating apocalyptic scenes of hillsides engulfed in billowing smoke and towering plumes of […]

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Wildfires scorch homes of the rich and famous in Los Angeles

by Veronique Dupont Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Replica Tuscan castles, minimalist mansions and country cottages in the rarefied Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles could soon be reduced to ashes, their owners’ fame and wealth providing little immunity against California’s latest raging wildfires. “We’re evacuating the street you must leave!” a police officer barked into a bullhorn, amid the din of helicopters and airplanes dropping fire retardants. “The fire is at […]

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US asks China for help stopping mail-order opioids

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The United States has asked China to crack down on postal shipments of synthetic opioids, which President Donald Trump says are fueling a US drug-abuse crisis, a State Department official said Wednesday. Because synthetic opioids, such as the highly potent drug fentanyl, are hard to detect in the mail, fighting drug trafficking into the United States has become “a completely different ballgame,” said James Walsh of the State Department’s Bureau […]

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Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; sparks firestorm

by Andrew Beatty with Mike Smith in Jerusalem Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump recognized the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, prompting an almost universal diplomatic backlash and fears of new bloodshed in the Middle East. Trump’s defiant move, making good on a core campaign pledge, ended seven decades of US ambiguity on the status of the Holy City, which is vociferously claimed by both Israelis and […]

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