WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –Amazon chief Jeff Bezos said he was “heartbroken” Saturday after at least six people were killed at an Amazon warehouse in the US state of Illinois when it was struck by a tornado. “The news from Edwardsville is tragic,” Bezos tweeted about the town where the facility was located. “We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones.” […]
Tag: US
Powerful tornadoes kill 83 across six US states
by Cyril JULIEN Agence France Presse MAYFIELD, United States (AFP) — Rescuers were desperately searching for survivors early Sunday after dozens of devastating tornadoes tore through six US states, leaving at least 83 people dead, dozens missing and towns in ruin. President Joe Biden called the wave of tornadoes, including one that travelled more than 200 miles, “one of the largest” storm outbreaks in American history. “It’s a tragedy,” a shaken Biden, who pledged […]
China brands US democracy ‘weapon of mass destruction’ following US-organized Summit for Democracy
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China branded US democracy a “weapon of mass destruction” on Saturday, following the US-organised Summit for Democracy which aimed to shore up like-minded allies in the face of autocratic regimes. China was left out of the two-day virtual summit — along with countries including Russia and Hungary — and responded by angrily accusing US President Joe Biden of stoking Cold War-era ideological divides. “‘Democracy’ has long become a ‘weapon of […]
Facebook misidentified thousands of political ads: study
PARIS, France (AFP) — Facebook misidentified tens of thousands of advertisements flagged under its political ads policy, according to a study released Thursday, which warned that the failure could lead to political manipulation. Researchers at Belgium’s KU Leuven university and New York University examined 33.8 million Facebook ads that ran on the social media site between July 2020 and February 2021. “This is the first known study to quantify the performance of Facebook’s political ad […]
US authorizes Pfizer Covid booster for people aged 16 and 17
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday expanded authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid booster to include 16- and 17-year-olds, amid growing concern over the Omicron variant’s ability to overcome immunity conferred by two shots. The FDA’s decision comes a day after the companies released the results of lab tests that showed three doses appeared effective against Omicron, while two doses were probably not enough to stop infection — […]
US authorizes drug Evushield developed by AstraZeneca as Covid preventive treatment in some cases
“Evushield” to be used only for those who have a weakened immune system or those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Wednesday authorized the use of synthetic antibodies developed by AstraZeneca to prevent Covid-19 infections in people who react badly to vaccines. It was the first time the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization for such a purely preventative treatment. The FDA […]
Father, son charged with starting huge California forest fire
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A father and son have been arrested on charges of starting a huge forest fire that burned more than 200,000 acres in northern California this summer, local officials said. David Smith, 66, and Travis Smith, 32, were charged with starting a fire which led to the conflagration known as the Caldor Fire on August 14 near Lake Tahoe, a densely forested area popular with tourists. It took firefighters 67 […]
Biden convenes more than 100 nations for world ‘democracy’ summit
by Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden, who took office amid the biggest US political crisis in decades, hosts representatives of more than 100 countries for a democracy summit Thursday that is drawing fire from China and Russia. The event, held by video link because of the coronavirus pandemic, is billed by the White House as US leadership in an existential struggle between democracies and powerful autocracies or dictatorships. “Make no […]
Biden calls for carbon neutral federal government by 2050
WASHINGTON D.C., United States (AFP) – President Joe Biden is to sign an order Wednesday to make the federal government carbon neutral by 2050 via a panoply of clean-energy initiatives including electric vehicles and environmentally friendly buildings. The executive order, announced by the White House, directs the government to replace its fleet of gas-guzzling vehicles with electric cars and trucks by 2035 and ensure federal buildings are carbon-free by 2045. “The president is building on […]
US boss apologizes after laying off 900 employees over Zoom
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The CEO who last week laid off 900 employees in a single Zoom call has apologized after he attracted sharp criticism when the video was posted on social media. Vishal Garg, head of online mortgage originator Better.com, convened employees over the video streaming platform and told them “if you are on this call, you are part of the unlucky group being laid off,” according to a video posted online. […]
Woman’s body recovered from car in water by Niagara Falls
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A woman in her sixties was found dead in a car that was stuck on rocks in a river just yards from Niagara Falls on the US-Canadian border on Wednesday, police said. The discovery of the car with a body inside it triggered a dramatic Coast Guard helicopter recovery of the woman’s remains, although the car remained in the rapids after the body was recovered. Police in the city […]
Florida manatees will be fed to prevent starvation
MIAMI, Florida (AFP) – Florida’s manatees — which are increasingly facing starvation, largely as a result of pollution — are going to be fed directly by wildlife officials, in what they called an “unprecedented” step to prevent further die-off. The pilot program will start with Indian River Lagoon, on the Sunshine State’s east coast southeast of Orlando, federal and state authorities announced Wednesday. Many manatees migrate to this area in winter, to bask in the […]





