North America

Polls: Clinton builds on gains after first debate

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton has firmed up her lead over rival Donald Trump one week after their bruising first head-to-head debate, new polls released Monday showed. Results from a nationwide poll by Politico and Morning Consult has Clinton surging, with 42 percent support from likely voters compared to 36 percent for Trump in a four-way race that includes two lesser-known candidates. The result is a four-point climb for […]

Kingston streets flood quickly as first bands of Matthew drop heavy rains

Major roads in Kingston, Jamaica quickly flooded on Sunday (Oct 2) as the first bands of Hurricane Matthew lashed the Caribbean island. Cars quickly stalled as rain-drenched owners attempting to push their vehicles through streets that flooded within minutes of the torrential downpour. Inland waterways quickly overflowed onto streets adding flooding conditions. The storm was advancing northwest at 5 miles per hour (7 km per hour), located about 295 miles (475 km) southeast of Kingston […]

14-year-old boy critically injured in shootout with St. Louis police – officials

St. Louis Police shot and wounded a 14-year-old boy who fired at officers first Sunday (October 1) morning according to officials. Local officials say at about 9:25 a.m., (1225 GMT) the teenager, black, fired one shot at police, after a short pursuit, before police returned fire. A witness said two young boys were on the street when a police car drove past them. The witness, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation, […]

Colombia FARC says committed to peace talks despite vote loss

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Colombia’s FARC rebels vowed Sunday they were committed to continuing peace efforts despite voters having rejected an accord between the force and the government to end their half-century conflict. The FARC maintains “its willingness to use dialogue as the only weapon for building the future,” the group’s leader Timoleon Jimenez said in a speech in Havana, Cuba, where the accord was negotiated. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

US, UN weigh in on Duterte’s Hitler remarks, call them “troubling”

  (Reuters) — The U.S. State Department on Friday (September 30) called “troubling” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s comments likening himself to Adolf Hitler and saying he would be happy to exterminate 3 million drug users. “America’s … partnership with the Philippines is … based on a mutual foundation of shared values and that includes our shared belief in human rights and human dignity,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. “President Duterte’s comments are a significant departure from […]

12 bodies found in western Mexican river

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AFP) — Authorities have recovered 12 bodies in a western Mexican river near a lake popular among US tourists, as suspicion about the deaths turned toward two drug gangs on Thursday. Three bodies were found in the Lerma river on Thursday afternoon, after nine others were recovered in the first three days of the week, said Eduardo Almaguer, the top prosecutor in Jalisco state. “Twelve bodies have been found in the Lerma river […]

US paper facing threats for endorsing Clinton

by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A conservative Arizona newspaper is facing death threats and losing subscriptions after it broke with tradition by endorsing Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump for US president, a senior editor told AFP Thursday. The Phoenix-based Arizona Republic, the state’s largest newspaper, announced in an editorial on Tuesday that it is backing a Democrat for the first time since it was founded in 1890 on the grounds that […]

Princess Charlotte says first word in public on Canadian tour

Britain’s Princess Charlotte, 1, spoke for the first time in public on Thursday (September 29) during her family’s Canadian tour, uttering the word “pop” while she and her brother played with balloons. Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are on week-long trip to Canada. It was the first time the couple have brought their children Charlotte and George, 3, on an official visit to the country. The family was in Victoria, […]

US orders families of govt personnel to leave DR Congo

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday ordered families of government personnel stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo to leave amid fears about escalating violence, the State Department said. “The potential for civil unrest is high in parts of Kinshasa and other major cities,” it said, referring to the country’s capital in a statement. “As a result of the deteriorating security situation, family members of US government personnel have been ordered […]

One dead, 114 hurt as New Jersey train crash causes major damage

by Thomas URBAIN HOBOKEN, United States (AFP) — A speeding commuter train that plowed into a New Jersey station during morning rush hour Thursday, killing one person and injuring 114, has caused major destruction at the transport hub and gateway to Manhattan. The train entered the Hoboken station “at a high rate of speed” and “crashed through the barriers, bringing it into the interior wall” of the terminal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said. A […]

US-Philippines military alliance ‘ironclad’: Pentagon chief

SAN DIEGO, United States (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Thursday that America’s alliance with the Philippines was “ironclad,” despite that country’s president vowing a day earlier to end joint military exercises. “As it has been for decades, our alliance with the Philippines is ironclad,” Carter said, addressing troops aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, docked in San Diego. On Wednesday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he would soon end joint military […]

Clinton hits Trump over Cuba embargo ‘violation’

by Andrew BEATTY CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Donald Trump Thursday of breaking the law by violating the US trade embargo with Cuba, slamming her rival as dishonest and willing to put his interests before the country. Clinton said Trump’s business interests in Cuba in the 1990s “appear to violate US law, certainly flout American foreign policy,” as she accused him of misleading American voters. Newsweek earlier reported that Trump hotel […]