North America

CIA chief says ‘nothing imminent’ in US-N.Korea standoff

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — CIA director Mike Pompeo offered assurances Sunday there was “nothing imminent” in the US standoff with nuclear-armed North Korea but said he wouldn’t be surprised if Pyongyang conducted another missile test. Pompeo’s remarks cap a week in which US President Donald Trump vowed “fire and fury” if North Korea continued to threaten the United States with nuclear weapons, and Pyongyang countered by announcing plans to test-launch missiles toward Guam. […]

White House defends Trump’s response to Virginia violence

by Jerome Cartillier with Brian Knowlton in Washington Agence France-Presse BEDMINSTER, United States (AFP) – The White House on Sunday struggled to defuse the growing criticism of President Donald Trump’s initial failure to explicitly condemn white supremacists for their role in the violent protest Saturday in Virginia, insisting that his condemnation included all such groups. A woman died and 19 people were injured in the city of Charlottesville when a car plowed into a crowd […]

Amid calls for restraint, Trump again cites ‘military’ option on N. Korea

by Brian Knowlton, with Yanan Wang in Beijing WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump and his French counterpart pledged Saturday to work to denuclearize North Korea, but Trump again invoked the grim possibility of “military measures” if other steps should fail. Trump’s latest warning came amid a flurry of international calls — from China, the North’s key ally, as well as Russia, Germany, Britain and the United Nations — for the […]

US forces ‘ready’ to protect Guam against N. Korea: W. House

(Agence France Presse) — United States military forces “stand ready” to safeguard Guam after after North Korea threatened to fire ballistic missiles toward the American Pacific island territory, the White House said early Saturday. During a call with Guam Governor Eddie Calvo, President Donald Trump “reassured” him that “United States forces stand ready to ensure the safety and security of the people of Guam, along with the rest of America,” a statement read. It said White House Chief of […]

Trump to talk with China’s Xi on NKorea crisis

BEDMINSTER, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said he would have a phone call on Friday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to discuss the stand-off over North Korea’s nuclear drive. “That phone call (with Xi) will take place tonight,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey after talks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and UN ambassador Nikki Haley. “We have been working very closely with China and with other countries.” China has […]

Trump says US military ‘locked and loaded’ on N.Korea

  by Maggy Donaldson in Washington / with Laurent Thomet in Beijing Agence France Presse President Donald Trump on Friday once again upped the ante in his war of words with North Korea, warning Pyongyang that the US military is “locked and loaded” in the event of a misstep by the totalitarian state. Ignoring appeals from China for restraint, Trump launched another rhetorical salvo at the North to keep its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile […]

Video: Guam residents express confidence US military can intercept any missile near island

https://youtu.be/koxm-tgFlMM   Residents of Guam interviewed by Agence France Presse TV expressed confidence that the US military will be able to protect the island, and intercept any missile that would be launched by North Korea. Francis Abino, Guam resident, said “North Korea does not have a chance to penetrate any missiles into the Mariana Islands, to the Territory of the United States. Due to the fact that the military has major capabilities to intercept anything […]

N Korea war would be ‘catastrophic,’ diplomacy bearing fruit: Mattis

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday warned that war with North Korea would be “catastrophic” and said diplomatic efforts were yielding results. Speaking at an event in California, Mattis said his mission and responsibility was to have military options ready “should they be needed” but stressed the US effort is currently focused on diplomacy. “The American effort is diplomatically led, it has diplomatic traction, it is gaining diplomatic […]

Trump thanks Putin for expelling US embassy staff

BEDMINSTER, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering the United States embassy in Moscow to slash its staff — boasting that this would cut payroll costs. Last month, the Kremlin demanded that Washington reduce its diplomatic footprint in Russia by 755 employees — both US diplomats and local staff — and close two compounds. This was seen as marking a historic new low in post-Cold war […]

US Navy sails close to artificial island in S. China Sea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A United States warship on Thursday sailed close to an artificial island China has built up in the South China Sea, as part of a “freedom of navigation” operation, a US official said. The USS John S. McCain destroyer sailed within six nautical miles of Mischief Reef, part of the disputed Spratly Islands south of the Paracel Islands. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP a Chinese frigate […]

Possible scenarios for next stage of N. Korea crisis

by Thomas Watkins Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program heated further Thursday, with President Donald Trump underscoring his threat to rain “fire and fury” on Kim Jong-Un, saying the stark warning maybe “wasn’t tough enough.” The latest escalation in the long-simmering stand-off has set the world on edge, with stock markets down and jittery observers now openly pondering whether the risk of nuclear conflict is real. […]