North America

Saipan in “state of disaster” as typhoon Soudelor makes direct hit

(Eagle News) — Before entering the Philippines, supertyphoon Soudelor passed over Saipan late Sunday night and early Monday, wreaking havoc on the island as its powerful winds ripped off roofs of homes, toppled power poles and its rains flooding roads and establishments, including power plants. The Pacific Daily News reported that typhoon Soudelor made a direct hit on Saipan which has been delared as in a “state of disaster.” Hundreds of Saipan residents are now  in […]

Republican presidential candidates gather in New Hampshire

  (Reuters) — Republican U.S. presidential candidates were in Manchester, New Hampshire, to test their messages at a forum on Monday (August 3) broadcast live on U.S. cable network C-SPAN. Fourteen of the 17 candidates faced off in Manchester, N.H. for the Voters Issues Forum at Saint Anselm College. Each candidate was asked questions by a moderator based on a random draw. While Donald Trump decided not to attend, illegal immigration was a dominant theme. […]

National Guard troops mobilized to fight northern California wildfire

  (Reuters) — A wildfire raging through the foothills and canyons of northern California’s coastal mountains more than doubled in size as it roared into its fifth day on Sunday (August 2), leaving two dozen homes in charred ruins and displacing thousands of residents. The blaze, which has scorched about 54,000 acres (21,853 hectares) east of Lower Lake, a town about 110 miles (180 km) north of San Francisco, was the fiercest of 20 large […]

U.S. military strikes Islamic State targets in Iraq – video

(Reuters) — The U.S. military released a video on Sunday (August 2) of what it says are successful coalition air strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq. In a statement, the military said the strikes “successfully destroyed a Da’esh (ISIL) vehicle-borne improvised explosive device facility August 1, 2015 near Makhmur” in coordination with the Iraqi government. The United States and its allies carried out 18 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and six in […]

Mexico breaks its own record for largest “torta” sandwich

JULY 30 (Reuters) — An army of chefs in Mexico City on Wednesday (July 29) crafted a 65-metre-long (213-feet-long) monster sandwich – making it the biggest sandwich ever made in Latin America. Local authorities and dozens of local business rolled up their sleeves to prepare the sandwich – known as ‘torta’ in Mexico. Thousands of pieces of bread, lettuce, onion and tomato were mixed with hundreds of liters of mayonnaise, mustard and spicy sauces for […]

Cincinnati police officer indicted in shooting death of black man

(Reuters) — A University of Cincinnati police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man has been charged with murder after a grand jury investigation, the Hamilton County prosecutor said on Wednesday (July 29). Prosecutor Joseph Deters, speaking bluntly at a news conference to announce the charges, called the July 19 death of Samuel Dubose, 43, “senseless” and totally unnecessary. He said Ray Tensing, the white officer who shot Dubose in the head, never should […]

Cuba’s Fidel Castro appears in media at event recognizing agricultural workers

  (Reuters) — Cuban state media released on Saturday (July 11) images of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro at an event recognizing agriculture workers. The images show the former leader posing with workers during the event on Thursday (July 09). Fidel Castro presented the workers with certificates of achievement in the production of food and highlighted their achievements despite global challenges like climate change, droughts and international conflicts. The 88-year-old former leader made a rare […]

U.S. fighter jet pilot rescued in aftermath of plane collision

(Reuters) — A pilot of a U.S. military aircraft was rescued on Tuesday (July 7) after safely ejecting from his fighter jet that had collided with a small plane in midair over South Carolina. The collision between the fighter jet and a Cessna C-150 occurred at around 11 a.m. near Moncks Corner, north of Charleston, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The two people aboard the Cessna were both killed, a spokesman for […]

America celebrates its 239th birthday with fireworks in the nation’s capital

(Reuters) — Americans marched in star-spangled parades, ran relay races, gathered for fireworks shows and crowned a new world hot dog eating champion as they celebrated Independence Day in traditional style on Saturday (July 4). Possible security threats, wildfires in the West and rainy weather on the East Coast apparently did little to dampen the spirits of celebrants decked out in red, white and blue from their headbands to their shoelaces The crowd in Washington, D.C. […]

2015 global airline profits rise to $29 bln forecast

JUNE 9 – (Reuters) Global airlines raised their forecast for 2015 industry profits by more than 17 percent to $29.3 billion, almost doubling from last year and heralding a boom for carriers in North America that stand to reap half the worldwide total. SHOWS: MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 8, 2015) (REUTERS – ACCESS ALL) 1. DELEGATES AT CONFERENCE 2. SIGN READING IATA AGM 3. DELEGATES IN LOBBY 4. PROJECTION SCREEN WITH OLD PLANE […]

Oklahoma gets hit by floods after torrential rains

(Reuters) — High water levels caused damage near Lake Texoma in Bryan County, Oklahoma on Wednesday (May 27). Water rose past 640 feet (195km) and is now covering Cartwright bridge, according to reports. The bridge was rebuilt following a flood in 2007 and local media reports that officials said it wasn’t supposed to flood again. . The high water levels come as torrential rains battered Oklahoma and Texas, where at least 15 people have been […]

Crews work to clean California beach fouled by oil pipeline spill

MAY 21 (Reuters) — Cleanup crews fanned out on Wednesday (May 20) across an oil-fouled California beach to scoop up gobs of petroleum spewed from a ruptured pipeline in the largest oil spill to hit the pristine but energy-rich Santa Barbara coastline in nearly two decades. The breach was believed to have spilled up to 2,500 barrels (105,000 gallons) of crude petroleum, five times more than initially estimated after Tuesday’s rupture, the pipeline company said […]