Washington, United States | AFP | The US military must be ready to respond to a potential invasion of Taiwan as soon as this year, a senior admiral said Wednesday, signaling heightened alarm over Beijing’s intentions towards the island. Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of US naval operations, is the latest senior official in Washington to raise concerns that China’s President Xi Jinping may be much more willing than previously thought to seize Taiwan. His comments […]
Tag: US
Former US president Donald Trump to testify in defamation case against rape accuser
New York, United States | AFP | Former US president Donald Trump is expected to testify Wednesday in a defamation case pitting him against a prominent American columnist who says he raped her in the 1990s. E. Jean Carroll, 78, alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store. Last week, a New York federal court judge rejected a motion by Trump, who has denied the accusation, to further delay his […]
Europe’s police keep wary eye on threat from 3D-printed guns
Paris, France | AFP | by Anne-Sophie LABADIE A growing number of seizures of guns made at home from 3D-printed parts are raising alarm bells for European police over an emerging threat. For now, interest among far-right activists may be limited, say analysts — and fears of a society awash with print-it-yourself weapons remain far-fetched. But homemade guns have become more widespread since 2013, when a US weapons enthusiast first showed off a mostly 3D-printed […]
Netflix subscriber numbers re-ignite after chilly start to year
San Francisco, United States | AFP | by Glenn CHAPMAN Netflix on Tuesday reported that it gained more than 2 million subscribers in the recent quarter, calming investor fears that the streaming giant was losing paying customers. The company said it ended the third quarter with slightly more than 223 million subscribers worldwide, up some 2.4 million, after seeing subscriber ranks ebb during the first half of the year. Netflix shares shot up more […]
US citizen jailed in Saudi for tweets on Khashoggi, Yemen: son
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | A US citizen jailed in Saudi Arabia is being punished for “mild” Twitter posts on topics including the war in Yemen and the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, his son told AFP on Wednesday. Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-year-old of Saudi origin, was this month sentenced to 16 years in prison, the latest in a spate of what human rights groups describe as draconian sentences for social […]
Biden to release 15 mln barrels from US oil reserves: official
Washington, United States | AFP | President Joe Biden will announce Wednesday he’s putting the final 15 million barrels on the market from a record release of US strategic oil reserves, with more releases possible if energy prices spike, a senior US official said. The new tranche of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will be “completing the 180 million barrel release authorized in the spring,” in response to price hikes linked to Russia’s […]
US officials not invited to Saudi investment forum: organiser
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | US government officials have not been invited to a Saudi investment conference planned for later this month, its organiser told AFP Monday, saying he did not want the gathering “to become a political platform”. The decision not to invite American officials, a departure from previous years, comes as tensions rise between longtime partners Washington and Riyadh over the Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel’s recent vote to cut oil production by […]
Trump aides blocked accurate Covid information: US probe
Washington, United States | AFP | Former US president Donald Trump’s administration prevented health officials from providing accurate information about Covid-19 in a bid to back up his overly optimistic view of the outbreak, according to a congressional report released Monday. Senior staff at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told investigators Trump aides bullied staff and tried to rewrite their reports in a bid to align guidance with the president’s public […]
US police open homicide inquiry after four dismembered bodies found
Washington, United States | AFP | Police in Oklahoma have opened a murder investigation after the discovery of four dismembered bodies in a river in the small town of Okmulgee in the central US state, law enforcement officials said Monday. Four friends disappeared on the evening of Sunday, October 9, after having left the home of one of them by bicycle, sparking a large search. Investigators finally discovered four dismembered bodies in a river on […]
Five dead in North Carolina shooting, suspect captured
The suspect has been taken into custody. — Raleigh Police (@raleighpolice) October 14, 2022 Washington, United States | AFP | A shooting Thursday in North Carolina’s capital Raleigh left at least five people dead, including an off-duty police officer, officials in the southeast US city said, adding that a suspect had been captured. Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the shooting occurred near the Neuse River Greenway, a popular trail in the area. “This is a […]
Florida school shooter avoids death penalty, gets life in prison
Fort Lauderdale, United States | AFP | by Gerard Martinez with Chris Lefkow in Washington A US jury on Thursday rejected the death penalty and backed life imprisonment for Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people at a Florida high school, in a sentence that shocked and angered some relatives of the victims. Cruz, 24, wearing a striped sweater and large glasses, stared down expressionless at the defense table as the verdict was read […]
Netflix to debut subscription with ads
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Netflix on Thursday said a subscription option subsidized by ads will debut in November across a dozen countries as the streaming service strives to jumpstart stalled growth. Netflix reported a loss of 970,000 subscribers in the second quarter along with stagnant profits, and its share price is down 63 percent from this time last year despite rising slightly on the ad-tier news. The new “Basic with Ads” subscriptions will […]





