Tag: US

With calm and candor, Michael Cohen torches Trump

By Maggy DONALDSON NEW YORK, May 14, 2024 (AFP) – For more than a decade Michael Cohen worked his way into Donald Trump’s inner circle, a loyal attack dog who fought vehemently on behalf of his boss. In return he wanted what any hound desires — a treat, a pat on the head, or at least a moment in the sun. On Monday the latter was his, though perhaps not as he’d originally envisioned. Cohen […]

Third time could prove lucky for aurora viewers around the world

By Issam AHMED with AFP bureaus around the world WASHINGTON, May 13, 2024 (AFP) – Anyone who missed the dazzling auroras dancing across night skies earlier this weekend will get another chance Sunday evening, as the powerful geomagnetic storm hitting the Earth is expected to intensify yet again. “Several intense Coronal Mass Ejections are still anticipated to reach the Earth’s outer atmosphere by later today,” the US National Weather Service said. Those ejections — expulsions […]

First patient to get gene-edited pig kidney transplant dies

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2024 (AFP) – The first living patient to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the procedure, the US hospital that carried it out said. “Mass General is deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Mr. Rick Slayman. We have no indication that it was the result of his recent transplant,” the Boston hospital said in a statement issued late Saturday. In a world first, surgeons at […]

First ‘extreme’ solar storm in 20 years brings spectacular auroras

By Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, May 11, 2024 (AFP) – The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows in skies from Tasmania to Britain — and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend. The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun — came just after 1600 GMT, according […]

Boeing Starliner crewed mission postponed shortly before launch

By Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo with Issam Ahmed in Washington CAPE CANAVERAL, May 7, 2024 (AFP) – The first crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spaceship was dramatically called off around two hours before launch after a new safety issue was identified, officials said Monday, pushing back a high-stakes test mission to the International Space Station. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were strapped in their seats preparing for liftoff when the call for a “scrub” […]

Columbia University cancels main graduation ceremony due to Gaza protests

NEW YORK, May 6, 2024 (AFP) – Columbia, the prestigious New York university at the heart of US campus protests against the war in Gaza, announced Monday that it has canceled the main ceremony for graduating students next week. The Ivy League institution said it would “forego the university-wide ceremony that is scheduled for May 15” and hold a series of smaller events instead. “We are determined to give our students the celebration they deserve, […]

Driver dies after ramming car into White House gate

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2024 (AFP) – A driver died after crashing a car into the exterior gate of the White House late Saturday, the US Secret Service said. “Shortly before 10:30pm a vehicle traveling at a high speed collided with an outer perimeter gate on the White House complex,” the service said in a statement on social media platform X, adding there was “no threat” to the White House itself. Officers arriving at the scene […]

Hamas official says group will not accept truce that does not end Gaza war

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, May 4, 2024 (AFP) – A senior Hamas official on Saturday said the group would not accept a truce that did not completely end the Gaza war, accusing Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of “personally hindering” a deal. Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators met a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Saturday in the latest bid to halt the devastating almost seven-month-old war that has triggered worldwide protests. They were to hear the […]

Investigators say bodies in Mexico likely those of missing surfers

TIJUANA, Mexico, May 5, 2024 (AFP) – Three bodies recovered from a cliff-top shaft in Mexico’s crime-hit Baja California state are very likely those of two Australian brothers and an American who disappeared on a surfing trip, local investigators said Saturday. The bodies were in an “advanced state of decomposition” when they were hoisted out of a shaft a few steps from the edge of the Pacific Ocean cliff, said state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade. […]

Clashes at UCLA pro-Palestinian protests in US campus unrest

Clashes broke out on Wednesday at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, as dozens of universities around the United States struggle to contain similar protests. Protesters and counter-protesters were seen clashing with sticks, and tearing down metal barricades, TV footage showed. Others were seen launching fireworks or hurling objects at each other in the dark — lit up with laser pointers and bright flashlights. Tear smoke was also fired […]

Embracing hostage families, Blinken urges Hamas to accept ‘very strong’ deal

TEL AVIV, May 1, 2024 (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Hamas to accept a “very strong” ceasefire-for-hostages offer as he vowed to put a priority on families seeking to reunite with loved ones. In rare scenes for the top US diplomat, who has faced furore at home and abroad over President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its campaign against Hamas, Blinken was greeted outside his Tel Aviv hotel […]