Tag: US

California ban on selling semi-automatic guns to young adults overturned

California’s ban on the sale of semi-automatic weapons to adults under the age of 21 violates the country’s constitution, a US federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. California has in recent years passed several laws tightening the regulation of firearms, which, according to recently released federal data, were linked to more than 45,000 deaths nationwide in 2020. Buyers under 21 years old are already prohibited from purchasing handguns in California, but a new law that went […]

Baby formula shortage sends US parents into panic

by Delphine TOUITOU It’s a nightmare for parents. The United States is in the grip of a severe shortage of baby formula — with a mass product recall aggravating pandemic supply chain woes — sending families on sometimes desperate hunts for the vital supplies. And it has been going on for months, according to Sara Khan, the mother of three children aged 10, seven and six months. “I’ve known about this issue for almost seven […]

US nears 1 mn Covid dead, early epicenter New York seeks to move on

by Peter Hutchison © Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The United States is about to cross the threshold of one million deaths from Covid-19, a grim milestone that comes as cities like New York try to turn the page on the pandemic despite threats of another surge. “It’s unfathomable,” Diana Berrent, one of the first people in New York state to catch coronavirus, said of the toll that far exceeds epidemiologists’ worst […]

US congratulates Philippines’ Marcos

The United States said Wednesday it will seek close security ties with the Philippines under its next president, the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In a phone call, US President Joe Biden congratulated Ferdinand Marcos Jr on his recent election win, the White House said late Wednesday Washington time. “President Biden underscored that he looks forward to working with the President-elect to continue strengthening the US-Philippine Alliance, while expanding bilateral cooperation on a wide […]

Saudi Aramco becomes world’s most valuable company

Saudi Aramco on Wednesday dethroned Apple as the world’s most valuable company as surging oil prices drove up shares and tech stocks slumped. The Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company, billed as the largest oil producing company in the world, was valued at $2.42 trillion based on the price of its shares at close of market. Apple, meanwhile, has seen its share price drop over the past month and was valued at $2.37 […]

US eyes trade deal-lite as ASEAN leaders gather

by Shaun TANDON The United States is preparing a scaled-back version of a trade pact as Southeast Asian nations gather in Washington, where President Joe Biden is seeking to show solid commitment in the face of a rising China. Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will meet Biden for dinner Thursday at the start of a two-day summit, part of a renewed US focus on Asia after months of intense effort on Ukraine. […]

US seeks ‘close partnership’ with Marcos despite ‘challenges’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will seek close security ties with the Philippines under its next president, the son of late president Ferdinand Marcos, despite “challenges” due to historical baggage, a US official said Wednesday. “There are some historical considerations that probably make this — at least initially — there will be some challenges in the communication,” said Kurt Campbell, the top White House official on Asia. “But obviously (the) Philippines plays […]

Russians ‘pushed away’ from Kharkiv as Washington boosts aid

by David Stout with Dmitry Zaks in Kramatorsk Agence France Presse Ukraine said Wednesday it was pushing Russian troops away from the country’s second city Kharkiv but facing stiff resistance, as Washington predicted that Vladimir Putin was ready for a long war. With President Joe Biden warning that Ukraine would within days likely run out of funds to keep fighting, the US House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to send a $40 billion aid package […]

North Korea fires submarine-launched missile after US nuclear warning

  SEOUL, North Korea (AFP) — North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile Saturday, Seoul said, its second missile launch in three days after the United States warned Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test. North Korea has dramatically ramped up its sanctions-busting missile launches this year, conducting 15 weapons tests including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017. The Saturday launch comes two days before South […]

US probes five child deaths, 109 cases linked to mystery liver disease

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 109 childhood cases of a mysterious form of hepatitis, including five reported deaths, the agency said Friday. It is part of an unexplained global phenomenon involving hundreds of cases, with Indonesia this week also reporting three deaths. Britain on Friday announced its case count had increased to 163, the majority aged under five, with no deaths. “Investigators both […]

Biden announces $150 mn more weapons for Ukraine

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden announced Friday a new US weapons package worth $150 million for Ukraine’s fight to repel Russia’s invasion. “I am announcing another package of security assistance that will provide additional artillery munitions, radars, and other equipment to Ukraine,” Biden said, while warning that funding was close to running out and urging Congress to authorize more. According to a senior US official, the package includes 25,000 155mm artillery […]

Russian oligarch’s yacht seized in Fiji on US request

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) —  Authorities in Fiji have seized the $300 million yacht of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov after the US Justice Department requested the vessel be held for violating sanctions and for alleged ties to corruption, the department said Thursday. The five-year-old, 348-foot (106 meter) “Amadea” was berthed in Lautoka, Fiji in the South Pacific when local authorities took control of it based on a US warrant and a Justice Department request. “The […]