International

Trump promises ‘renewal of the American spirit’

  by Michael Mathes / Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump pledged a “renewal of the American spirit” Tuesday, as he tempered his most inflammatory rhetoric while fleshing out his nationalist agenda during a landmark speech to Congress. Transposing hardline campaign promises into a presidential key, Trump offered the most restrained and detailed explanation yet of his America-first world view. He criticized threats against Jewish community centers and […]

Continue Reading →

New York City plans to open 90 new shelters as homeless ranks swell

NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — New York plans to open 90 new shelters as city officials struggle to get a handle on homelessness, which has climbed to its highest level in almost a century, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday (February 28). The move is intended to ease crowding in current shelters and allow the city to move away from housing people in “cluster sites,” which have been criticized as expensive and unsafe. […]

Continue Reading →

Trump vows new merit-based US immigration system

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to introduce a new merit-based immigration system to regulate new arrivals in the United States and reduce the flow of unskilled workers. Trump said an Australian-style immigration system would “save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class.” © Agence France-Presse

Continue Reading →

Veterans chief is ‘designated survivor’ during Trump speech

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Veterans Affairs chief David Shulkin was absent from President Donald Trump’s address to Congress Tuesday, as he was chosen to be “designated survivor,” the White House said. It is a longstanding US custom for a member of the cabinet to stay away from the Capitol during presidents’ addresses to Congress, also attended by the vice president and cabinet members and lawmakers. This is done so that someone would be left […]

Continue Reading →

Opening Congress speech, Trump decries threats to US Jewish centers

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump opened his maiden speech to Congress on Tuesday by asserting his commitment to civil rights and condemning the recent wave of threats targeting Jewish centers across the United States. “Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation’s path toward civil rights and the work that still remains,” Trump began by saying. “Recent threats targeting Jewish community […]

Continue Reading →

Trump to work with Muslim allies to defeat IS: excerpts

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump is pledging to work with Muslim countries to fulfill his campaign pledge to defeat the Islamic State group. According to excerpts from a planned speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump will dismiss the jihadist group as “a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women and children of all faiths and beliefs.” “We will work with our allies, including our […]

Continue Reading →

Trump to promise tough immigration laws, ‘historic’ tax reform

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump will use a maiden prime-time speech to Congress to flesh out his policy agenda Tuesday, promising tougher immigration enforcement and “historic tax reform.” “By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars and make our communities safer for everyone,” he is expected to say, according to excerpts released by the White House. “Our economic team is developing historic tax […]

Continue Reading →

Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria sanctions

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a United Nations resolution backed by Western powers that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use. The measure drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine votes in favor at the Security Council, while three countries opposed it — China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained. UN resolutions require that there be nine positive votes and […]

Continue Reading →

Met Museum chief resigns amid expansion and deficits

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art resigned Tuesday as the New York institution struggles to tame a budget deficit despite pulling in record crowds. Thomas P. Campbell, a British expert on tapestries who has been director and chief executive officer of the Met since the beginning of 2009, said he would step down at the end of June. The Met, one of the world’s largest museums with collections […]

Continue Reading →

Iraqi civilians flee fighting, privation in west Mosul

by Sara Hussein Agence France Presse SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Hundreds of civilians fled through the desert Tuesday to escape fighting and privation in Mosul, joining thousands of others who left their homes amid dire conditions in the city’s west. Iraqi forces launched a major push on February 19 to recapture the west of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, retaking the airport and then advancing north. Security forces reached the southernmost […]

Continue Reading →

To secure Mosul, Iraq army makes desert push with US help

by Sara Hussein Agence France-Presse TALUL AL-ATSHANA, Iraq – Much of the fighting for west Mosul will be at close quarters, but Iraq’s battle against the Islamic State group is also being waged in the open desert. On a dusty ridge west of Iraq’s second city, the army’s 9th Division is advancing through exposed territory in a push to sever the road between west Mosul and the IS-held town of Tal Afar. The main route from […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 1,854 1,855 1,856 1,857 1,858 … 2,428