North America

Underfire Obama heads to flood-hit Louisiana

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – by Andrew BEATTY Fresh from a two-week vacation, President Barack Obama visits flood-hit Louisiana on Tuesday, hoping to offer support to devastated communities and silence his critics. Obama has been lampooned for not cutting short his Martha’s Vineyard holiday to visit the Gulf Coast state, where heavy rains have submerged thousands of homes. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited flood-struck communities last week and goaded the golf-loving president about his absence. “Honestly, […]

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Trump demands closure of Clinton Foundation

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Hillary Clinton shut down the charitable foundation run by her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, branding it a “corrupt enterprise.” “The Clintons have spent decades as insiders lining their own pockets and taking care of donors instead of the American people,” the Republican presidential candidate said in a statement. “It is now clear that the Clinton Foundation is the most corrupt enterprise in […]

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Japan’s first lady visits Pearl Harbor

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — The wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has visited Pearl Harbor, bombed by Japanese planes nearly 75 years ago in an attack that brought the United States into World War II. It was not clear exactly when Akie Abe made the visit. But she posted 11 pictures on her official Facebook page, apparently early Monday. “I offered flowers and my prayers at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor,” she wrote. […]

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Landmark Hearst Castle closed as California wildfires bear down

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Firefighters in California said they are making progress slowing the advance of several devastating wildfires, but authorities ordered the temporary closure of a historic villa in the path of one dangerous inferno. The iconic Hearst Castle, also known as San Simeon, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the state, drawing millions of visitors each year, according to local tourism officials. Administrators of the castle — a national […]

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UN’s Ban condemns Turkey wedding bombing

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon decried Sunday the suicide bombing that killed 51 people at a wedding in southeastern Turkey, and called for swift punishment for the perpetrators. “The secretary-general condemns yesterday’s terrorist attack on a wedding party in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey,” Ban’s office said in a statement. “This act, reportedly carried out by a suicide bomber, killed at least 50 people and wounded dozens of others,” […]

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Washington condemns Turkey wedding bombing

WASWHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Sunday blasted the “heinous” suicide bombing that killed 51 people in Turkey, and offered its assistance to Ankara in the fight against “the scourge of terrorism.” “The United States strongly condemns yesterday’s heinous attack,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. “We extend heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of the victims and we wish a full and speedy recovery for the many […]

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Local Zika spreads to tourist hotspot Miami Beach

  MIAMI, United States (AFP) – by Leila MACOR Kerry SHERIDAN Five new cases of Zika have been found in the tourist hotspot of Miami Beach, signaling the spread of local transmission of a virus blamed for birth defects, officials said Friday. Pregnant women and those who want to become pregnant are urged to stay away from two areas — a 1.5 square mile (3.9 square kilometer) section of Miami Beach and a neighborhood north of […]

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Harley-Davidson in $15m pollution settlement with US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson on Thursday entered a $15 million settlement with US authorities who accused the company of making and selling illegal devices that increased air pollution from its bikes. The company, the iconic American manufacturer of large and loud motorcycles, agreed to buy back and cease selling so-called “super tuners,” which improved performance but increased hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions. The company has produced and sold about 340,000 […]

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Trump campaign chief Manafort: Dark knight of lobbyists

by Jennie MATTHEW NEW YORK , United States (AFP) — Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s campaign chairman thrust into the headlines this week in connection with a Ukrainian corruption investigation, is a formidable Republican strategist who spent years lobbying for rogues and dictators. The smooth-talking, sharply dressed 67-year-old has become the public face of the most controversial US presidential campaign in living memory: a professional spokesman who never strays off message as he bats aside allegations […]

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California wildfire puts 82,000 at risk

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – by Veronique DUPONT A fire raging east of Los Angeles spread rapidly Wednesday, posing a threat to more than 82,000 people and prompting the governor of California to declare a state of emergency. More than 1,300 firefighters were battling the giant blaze and more were on the way, but as of early Wednesday they had been unable to contain the inferno. Dramatic local TV news footage captured from the front […]

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Trump shakes up campaign team again as Clinton surges

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – by Jennie MATTHEW Donald Trump on Wednesday restructured his campaign team for the second time in two months, fending off suggestions that his presidential run is in crisis as polls show Hillary Clinton cruising towards victory. The Republican White House nominee, who is tanking in swing states to his Democratic rival, hired a news executive from a virulently anti-Clinton website as his campaign CEO and promoted a leading Republican strategist […]

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Trump in Milwaukee addresses unrest over police shooting

WISCONSIN, United States (Reuters) — U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has called for more police on the streets and said Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is “against the police”, at a rally in the suburb of West Bend, Wisconsin on Tuesday (August 16). Trump visited Milwaukee, days after the city was hit by unrest over the fatal police shooting of a black man, and said initial evidence pointed to the shooting being justified. Trump has […]

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