North America

US says Assad may be preparing chemical attack; warns ‘heavy price’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing a chemical weapons attack that would result in the “mass murder” of civilians, the White House said Monday, warning the regime would pay a “heavy price” if it goes ahead. The White House said the preparations were similar to those undertaken by the Assad regime ahead of an apparent chemical attack on a rebel-held town. Washington launched a strike against a Syrian airbase […]

US-India ties have ‘never been stronger’: Trump

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump declared Monday that ties between Washington and New Delhi had “never been stronger” after holding his first talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As Modi hailed the US as his country’s primary partner in its rapid social and economic transformation, Trump paid tribute to the Indian leader for overseeing growth rates which are faster than any other major economy in the world. “The relationship […]

Trump says N.Korea threat must be ‘dealt with rapidly’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump called on Monday for the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic programs to be “rapidly” tackled, as he thanked visiting Indian leader Narendra Modi for rallying behind sanctions on Pyongyang. “The North Korean regime is causing tremendous problems and is something that has to be dealt with, and probably dealt with rapidly,” Trump told reporters in the White House Rose Garden after holding his first […]

Neapolitan Mastiff is surprise winner in annual ugliest dog contest

CALIFORNIA, United States (Reuters) — The winner of the 2017 annual Ugliest Dog Contest in Petaluma, California, was a far cry from its previous predecessors. Martha, a three-year-old 125-pound (57-kilo) black Neapolitan Mastiff, won the judge’s hearts on Friday (June 23) with her drooping face, out-competing over a dozen fellow contestants including the mostly hairless Chinese Crested breed that normally dominates the annual contest. The Mastiff wins a $1,500 prize, a trophy and a trip […]

Key US Republican threatens to block arms to Gulf

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A top Republican lawmaker on Monday threatened to block United States arms sales to members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council including Saudi Arabia until their escalating rift with Qatar is resolved. “All countries in the region need to do more to combat terrorism, but recent disputes among the GCC countries only serve to hurt efforts to fight ISIS and counter Iran,” Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations […]

Life in jail for serial killer Canadian nurse

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — A former nurse who confessed to murdering eight elderly residents who were under her care at retirement homes in eastern Canada was sentenced Monday to life in prison. Elizabeth Wettlaufer faced a possible 200 years in jail, but the judge in Canada’s Ontario province opted for eight concurrent sentences with no parole for at least 25 years. The stout, bespectacled 50-year-old came forward and admitted having fatally injected her victims with […]

Trump claims victory as court partially reinstates travel ban

by Paul Handley Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States Supreme Court on Monday partially reinstated Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban targeting citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries, prompting the president to claim a victory for national security. The court said it would examine the case in full in October but said the ban could now be enforced for travelers from the targeted countries “who lack any bona fide relationship with […]

Travel ban ruling ‘victory for national security’: Trump

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –Donald Trump hailed Monday’s Supreme Court ruling which partially reinstates the United States president’s travel ban targeting citizens from six mainly Muslim countries as a victory for national security. “Today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision is a clear victory for our national security,” Trump said in a White House statement. “It allows the travel suspension for the six terror-prone countries and the refugee suspension to become largely effective. As president, I cannot allow […]

China’s top diplomat holds talks with Trump on N. Korea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — China’s top diplomat told President Donald Trump that Beijing was willing to keep working with Washington to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula — days after the United States leader implied that Chinese efforts had failed. The meeting between State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Trump at the White House on Thursday also came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged China to step up diplomatic and economic pressure on […]

Countdown begins to total solar eclipse across U.S.

MARYLAND, United States (Reuters) — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Wednesday (June 21) is expected to detail its plans to study and promote a celestial show that will darken skies from Oregon to South Carolina. During the August 21 eclipse, the moon will pass between the sun and Earth, blocking the face of the sun and leaving only its outer atmosphere, or corona, visible in the sky. It is the first coast-to-coast total eclipse […]

Tillerson urges China to put more pressure on N. Korea

by Dave Clark / Thomas Watkins Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday urged Chinese officials to apply greater diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to force Pyongyang to rein in its nuclear weapons program. Tillerson’s remarks came after he and Pentagon chief Jim Mattis met with the Chinese visitors at the State Department, where Mattis said he saw scope for an improved defense relationship. […]

Guatemala mudslide kills 11: officials

GUATEMALA City, Guatemala (AFP) — A mudslide in an indigenous village in Guatemala killed 11 people and injured at least nine more on Tuesday, the emergency services said. Heavy rains caused the mudslide that swept away five houses in the western village of San Pedro Soloma, said the head of the National Disaster Reduction Coordinator, Sergio Cabanas. Television footage from the scene showed people searching through the wreckage of the village, in a mountainous area […]