Tag: US

Is recession the only way out of US inflation scourge?

by Heather Scott  Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A massive interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve and promises of more to come are fueling warnings that the only offramp from the searing price hikes engulfing American families is a full-blown recession. The Fed remains hopeful it can slow activity and demand, cooling the blistering pace of inflation, without derailing the world’s largest economy. But skepticism is growing about the chances of […]

US urges Russia ‘humane treatment’ of Americans captured in Ukraine

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday urged Russia to treat any American volunteers captured while fighting alongside Ukrainian troops as prisoners of war guaranteed humane treatment. The State Department also said that a third American was believed to be missing in Ukraine in addition to two military veterans who were reportedly seized by Russian forces in a pitched battle last week. “The Russians have certain obligations and members of the Ukrainian […]

US panel recommends Covid vaccines for youngest children

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A panel of experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended Covid-19 vaccines Wednesday for children under five, the final age group awaiting immunization in most countries. Formal authorizations for Moderna and Pfizer should follow soon, with the first shots in arms expected early next week, just over a year-and-a-half after the first Covid vaccines were greenlighted for the elderly […]

YouTube Shorts touts 1.5 bn users, taking on TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube on Wednesday said that more than 1.5 billion people monthly tune into its Shorts video service, which competes with global sensation TikTok. Alphabet-owned YouTube and Facebook-parent Meta both added short-form video sharing formats to their services after TikTok — which late last year said it topped a billion users — became the rage. YouTube Shorts went live less than two years ago, adding videos of no longer than […]

Small gun makers boom as US demand soars

by Joshua Melvin  Agence France-Presse GOFFSTOWN, United States (AFP) — Tony Hook flipped through cell phone pictures of finished work by his New Hampshire shop, explaining how one customer wanted mementos of major life events: a gun to mark each of his children’s births. Smaller gun makers like him are booming in the United States, thanks to ravenous and sometimes specialized demand for pricey limited-production pistols and custom rifles, engraved with bible passages or the […]

Zelensky ‘grateful’ for new US arms package to Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he was “grateful” for a new American arms package to Kyiv after speaking to US President Joe Biden. “The United States announced new strengthening of our defense, a new $1 billion support package,” Zelensky said in an evening address. “I am grateful for this support, it is especially important for our defense in (the eastern region of) Donbas.” Biden announced an arms package to Ukraine […]

US panel weighs authorizing Covid vaccines for youngest children

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — After months of anxious wait for some parents, a panel of experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration will meet Wednesday to weigh recommending Covid vaccines for the nation’s youngest children. Children under five are the only age group not yet eligible for Covid immunization in the United States and most other countries. If, as expected, panelists vote in favor of greenlighting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, formal […]

Top US, Chinese national security figures hold ‘candid’ talks

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — The top Chinese and US security advisers have held lengthy talks, with both sides describing them as “candid” following days of acrimonious exchanges over Taiwan and other flashpoint issues. Readouts of the meeting in Luxembourg on Monday were toned down compared with last week, when China’s defence minister warned his country would not “hesitate to start a war” over Taiwan, while the US defense secretary blasted Beijing’s “provocative, destabilising” military […]

US Senate gun measures gain support despite limited scope

  by Paul Handley Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two horrific massacres in recent weeks have succeeded in bringing Democrats and Republicans close to the most significant federal legislation addressing US gun violence in three decades. Twenty senators — 10 from each party — reached a deal Sunday to put through legislation that would tighten some rules on gun sales and put more resources toward mental health treatment. The 10 Republicans are just […]

Hollywood stars pen letter calling for responsible gun depictions

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Hollywood stars including Amy Schumer, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo signed a letter published on Monday calling for movies and television shows to depict responsible gun ownership and to limit scenes involving children with firearms. The open letter, penned in response to recent US mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, was also signed by top producers J.J. Abrams (“Lost”), Shonda Rhimes (“Bridgerton”) and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy. “Cultural attitudes […]

US gas price hits a record $5 a gallon: auto group

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The average price of premium gasoline at the pump has surpassed $5 a gallon for the first time in the United States, the American Automobile Association (AAA) reported Saturday. That record level, coming on top of months of soaring inflation, represents the latest bad news for President Joe Biden just five months before crucial midterm elections. A year ago, the average price of gas in the US was […]

Russia’s McDonald’s renamed ahead of grand re-opening

Former McDonald’s restaurants in Russia have been renamed “Vkusno i tochka” (“Delicious. Full Stop”), the new owner said ahead of their grand re-opening later on Sunday. “The new name is Vkusno i tochka,” Oleg Paroyev, the director general of the new group, told a press conference in Moscow. Replete with a new logo to replace the Golden Arches, the restaurant on Moscow’s Pushkin Square — where the very first McDonald’s opened its doors to long […]