North America

Obama warns ‘democracy itself’ at stake in US election

CLEVELAND, United States (AFP) – by Andrew BEATTY US President Barack Obama warned Friday that American “democracy itself” is on the ballot in November’s presidential election, as White House concern grows about the lasting impact of Republican Donald Trump’s scorched-earth campaign. At a fiery campaign event for Democrat Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, Obama trashed Trump as a dictator-in-the-making, but also voiced concerns about how Trump’s legion of supporters might react to a possible election […]

Continue Reading →

Melania Trump threatens People Magazine with lawsuit

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Melania Trump threatened People Magazine and a former staff reporter with legal action late Thursday over “false and completely fictionalized” statements in the writer’s account of Donald Trump forcing himself on her during a 2005 interview. The Republican presidential candidate’s wife denied that she encountered or conversed with writer Natasha Stoynoff in New York, tweeting a letter from her lawyer demanding a “prominent retraction and apology” of certain statements in […]

Continue Reading →

Obama pays tribute to late Thai king as ‘close friend’ of US

PITTSBURGH, United States (AFP) — US President Barack Obama extended condolences Thursday to Thailand for the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, calling him a “close friend” and partner of the United States. Obama paid tribute to the king, whose death at age 88 was announced Thursday, as a “tireless champion” for Thailand’s development, praising his “unflagging devotion” to improving the lives of his subjects. Obama’s warm words for the monarch belie difficult recent relations with […]

Continue Reading →

Michelle Obama leads charge against ‘disgraceful’ Trump

by Daniel WOOLLS WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Michelle Obama has said she looks forward to a quieter, calmer life after politics. But on Thursday she hit the campaign trail with a vengeance. Her voice quivering with emotion, the wildly popular first lady launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump’s sexually aggressive talk about women, calling it “disgraceful,” especially coming from a man running for president. “It has shaken me to my core in a […]

Continue Reading →

People line up for early voting in Ohio

  (Reuters) — Although the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election is less than a month away, the first ballots were cast in Ohio on Wednesday (October 12) as several states began early voting, NBC reported. People lined up at this polling place in Cleveland and Cincinnati to take advantage of early voting. 1.1 million ballots are estimated for the state of Ohio, NBC said. Thirty-eight of the 50 U.S. states have some form of early […]

Continue Reading →

Two women say Trump touched them inappropriately

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–Two women have accused Donald Trump of touching them inappropriately in the past, The New York Times reported Wednesday, with one saying she was groped and another recounting him kissing her on the mouth — charges that the Republican presidential nominee hotly denied. The report follows the release of a video from 2005 last Friday in which Trump was caught on a “hot mic” bragging about groping women. The bombastic billionaire was grilled […]

Continue Reading →

FBI investigates ‘intentional’ Connecticut plane crash

NEW YORK, United States (AFP)– The FBI is investigating an “intentional” crash of a small plane in Connecticut that killed a Jordanian student and injured an American flight instructor, officials and US media said Wednesday. The plane exploded in a fireball on Tuesday in East Hartford, about 120 miles (192 kilometers) northeast of New York. The flight instructor, who survived the crash, told investigators it was not an accident, The New York Times reported. The dead person […]

Continue Reading →

Small plane crashes on Connecticut street

A small plane crashed on Tuesday (October 11) on a street in East Hartford, Connecticut, with the pilot injured and a passenger unaccounted for, police said. “There were two occupants of that aircraft, one of which was transported to the hospital, the second is unaccounted for at this time,” said East Hartford Police sergeant Joshua Litwin. Litwin said the plane had taken off from Hartford-Brainard Airport but he didn’t know why the plane came down. […]

Continue Reading →

Trump trails Clinton by 8 points after tape scandal, debate – Reuters/Ipsos poll

  By Chris Kahn NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump has fallen further behind Hillary Clinton and now trails her by 8 points among likely voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll, with 1 in 5 Republicans saying his vulgar comments about groping women disqualify him from the presidency. The national tracking poll was launched after Sunday night’s second presidential debate, where Trump was pressed to explain his comments in a 2005 videotape about […]

Continue Reading →

EU, Colombia deliver aid to Haiti

The international community is stepping up to provide aid for hurricane-ravaged Haiti, with more than 20 tonnes (22 tons) of food and medical supplies arriving in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday (October 11) from Colombia. Haiti is reeling after Hurricane Matthew tore through the country, flattening homes and leaving many locals with little more than just their clothes on their back. As flood waters begin to recede the difficult task ahead is providing those left homeless with […]

Continue Reading →

Apple, Samsung take battle to US Supreme Court

by Sébastien BLANC WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The epic legal battle pitting Apple against its bitter rival Samsung over the design of the iPhone reaches a new level Tuesday when it heads to the US Supreme Court. The high court is set to hear arguments over financial damages the South Korean smartphone giant owes Apple for allegedly violating design patents by producing copycats of its groundbreaking smartphone. Observers are watching the case closely to […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 508 509 510 511 512 … 580