Tag: United States

FBI chief confirms probe of possible Russia links to Trump team

by Paul HANDLEY Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time Monday that the agency is investigating Russian interference in last year’s presidential election and notably Moscow’s possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign. He also rejected Trump’s claim that predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower in New York, saying both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department had no evidence to support such allegations. […]

Continue Reading →

‘No evidence of collusion’ between Trump campaign, Russia: US lawmaker

by Stephanie GRIFFITH Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A congressional panel so far has found “no evidence” that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president’s potential Russia ties. Based on “everything I have up to this morning — no evidence of collusion,” by Trump’s team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of […]

Continue Reading →

Xi, Tillerson seek stronger ties as N. Korea hails rocket progress

by Dan Martin Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged in talks Sunday to work to strengthen a relationship strained by disputes over North Korea and trade. Xi met Tillerson in Beijing just hours after nuclear-armed North Korea tested the US-China relationship anew by announcing a provocative rocket engine trial, and with delicate negotiations under way for a Xi summit with President Donald […]

Continue Reading →

Military action against N. Korea an ‘option’: Tillerson

By Park Chan-Kyong SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — United States military action against nuclear-armed North Korea is an “option on the table,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday after warning the policy of strategic patience with Pyongyang was over. In strong statements that appear to signal a sea change in American policy towards the isolated country, the US’ top diplomat said North Korea’s burgeoning missile and nuclear programs must be halted. “Certainly we do not […]

Continue Reading →

Trump vows to fight revamped travel ban freeze

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to fight a federal court ruling halting his revised temporary ban of refugees and nationals from six Muslim-majority countries, describing the decision as “judicial overreach.” “The law in the constitution gave the president the power to suspend immigration when he deems it to be in the national interest of our country,” he said at a rally in Nashville, Tennessee, following the decision […]

Continue Reading →

Chinese premier warns US against ‘trade war’

By Patrick Baert BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday warned the United States against starting a trade war while expressing optimism that the world’s two largest economies could keep relations steady despite Donald Trump-era frictions. “We don’t want to see any trade war breaking out between the two countries. That wouldn’t make our trade fairer,” Li told reporters at a press conference closing China’s annual parliamentary session. “No matter what bumps […]

Continue Reading →

State of emergency declared in parts of US due to Winter Storm Stella

by Jennie MATTHEW Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Large swaths of the United States East Coast declared a state of emergency, cancelled flights and shut schools as millions braced for potentially the worst winter storm of the season with up to two feet of snow forecast to fall. Winter Storm Stella is expected to begin overnight with accumulation becoming most intense Tuesday morning, combined with winds of up to 60 miles per […]

Continue Reading →

14 million more uninsured under Republican plan in 2018: US budget office

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — About 14 million fewer Americans will have health insurance next year under the new Republican plan to replace Obamacare, a nonpartisan congressional analysis projected Monday, heaping pressure on President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge for broader coverage. By 2026, that number would shoot up to 24 million, the Congressional Budget Office projected, in perhaps the most alarming revelation in its highly-anticipated […]

Continue Reading →

Merkel meets Trump amid tense ties

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Europe’s most powerful leader, Angela Merkel, meets for the first time next week America’s flamboyant President Donald Trump whose arrival in the White House has sent shockwaves across the Atlantic. While former United States president Barack Obama had labelled Merkel his “closest international partner,” there has been little known contact between the German leader and Trump since he took office. Trump’s criticism of Germany over issues ranging from its record-trade surplus […]

Continue Reading →

Intruder arrested for breaching White House grounds

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An intruder with a backpack was arrested for breaching the White House grounds while United States President Donald Trump was there, the US Secret Service said Saturday. After scaling an outer perimeter fence at the Washington executive residence just before midnight on Friday, the suspect was arrested by uniformed secret service officers, the agency said in a statement obtained by AFP. Authorities did not find dangerous materials inside the backpack […]

Continue Reading →

Amal Clooney urges Iraq to allow probe of IS crimes

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney on Thursday urged Iraq to agree to a UN investigation of atrocities committed by the Islamic State group and bring those responsible for crimes to justice. Clooney, who represents Yazidi women who escaped from IS enslavement, was addressing UN member-states for the second time in six months to appeal for action to prosecute IS militants. “Why is it that nothing has been done?” Clooney […]

Continue Reading →

US skeptical about N. Korea talks, says Kim Jong-Un not ‘rational’

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday voiced skepticism about calls for talks with North Korea, saying leader Kim Jong-Un was behaving irrationally and would likely not respond to diplomatic advances. “We are not dealing with a rational person,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley told reporters following a closed-door meeting of the Security Council to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launches. In a reference to China, which is calling for a return […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 25 26 27 28 29 … 64