Tag: US

China says US biggest threat to peace in South China Sea

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China accused the US of becoming “the biggest driver of militarization” in the contested South China Sea, as tensions between Washington and Beijing look set to swamp a regional Asian summit. US-China rivalry is expected to dominate discussion at this year’s ASEAN conference, which comes just days after Beijing launched ballistic missiles in the flashpoint waters as part of live-fire exercises. Beijing claims the majority of the resource-rich South China Sea, […]

US revokes visas for 1,000 Chinese under Trump order

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has revoked visas of more than 1,000 Chinese students and researchers under an order by President Donald Trump that accused some of them of espionage, the State Department said Wednesday. Trump, in a May 29 proclamation as tensions rose with Beijing on multiple fronts, declared that some Chinese nationals officially in the United States for study have stolen intellectual property and helped modernize China’s military. The State […]

Ominous orange sky gives San Francisco apocalyptic tint

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — People in San Francisco and elsewhere in California woke Wednesday to a deep orange sky that triggered apocalyptic visions in a year already rife with disturbing events. Skies so dark at times that it appeared more night than day were accompanied in some places with ash falling like snow, the cause being massive wild fires filling the air with smoke and cinders. “The orange skies this morning are a […]

Hundreds of Oregon homes destroyed by US wildfires

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Hundreds of homes have been lost to massive and unprecedented Oregon wildfires with a potentially historic number of fatalities feared in the northwestern US state, governor Kate Brown said Wednesday. More than 300,000 acres are burning across Oregon including 35 major wildfires, with at least five towns “substantially destroyed” and mass evacuations taking place. “This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfire in […]

Weird weather: Colorado goes from solar to polar in 24 hours

DENVER, United States (AFP) — Coloradans were ditching the suntan lotion Tuesday and pulling out warm gloves and boots as the western US state went from blazing summer heat to snowfall in just one day. In the state capital Denver, the temperature was around 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday morning it had dropped to 36F, and it could cool further as the day wears on, forecasters say. “Drastic change to […]

Pres. Duterte confers Order of Sikatuna on outgoing US Ambassador Kim

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the Order of Sikatuna on US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim during his farewell call in Malacanang on Monday, Sept. 7. The Order of Sikatuna is an order of diplomatic merit conferred upon diplomats, officials, and nationals of foreign states who have rendered conspicuous service in fostering, developing, and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines. President Duterte also congratulated the outgoing US ambassador for his […]

First 5G iPhone expected at Apple online event Sept 15

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Apple on Tuesday fired off invitations to a September 15 online event expected to star the first iPhone tailored for superfast 5G telecom networks. The typically tight-lipped technology titan revealed only that the presentation would be streamed starting at 1700 GMT from its headquarters in Silicon Valley. Copies of the emailed invitation spread quickly on social media, featuring a video-snippet version of the Apple logo in blue that unraveled […]

US biker rally may have led to 260,000 new Covid-19 cases: study

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A massive motorcycle rally held in the US state of South Dakota last month may have been responsible for 260,000 new coronavirus cases, according to an analysis published Tuesday. This figure, which came from a paper that hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed, would represent the biggest Covid-19 spreading event documented in the US to date. The study was published by the Institute of Labor Economics and conducted by economists at the […]

Californians airlifted from fires as dangerous winds arrive

by Josh EDELSON / with Andrew MARSZAL in Los Angeles TOLLHOUSE, United States (AFP) — Dangerous dry winds whipped up California’s record-breaking wildfires and ignited new blazes Tuesday, as hundreds were evacuated by helicopter and tens of thousands were plunged into darkness by power outages across the western United States. The arrival of strong gusts after the Labor Day weekend’s unprecedented temperatures saw most of California placed under severe weather warnings, with 14,000 firefighters battling […]

California fires burn record 2 million acres

  NORTH FORK, United States (AFP) — Wildfires in California have torched a record more than two million acres, the state fire department said Monday, as an uncontrolled blaze forced many residents to flee their homes. The record was hit as the wildfire season still has roughly two months to go in the most populous US state and as thousands of firefighters were battling flames during a scorching heat wave. “In the past 33 years […]

Helicopters rescue over 200 trapped in California wildfire

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — More than 200 people were airlifted to safety after being trapped by a fast-moving wildfire near a popular recreation area in northern California, officials said Sunday. The evacuees climbed aboard military helicopters after the blaze, in bone-dry conditions, cut off ground escape routes from Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Fresno. Flames moved in so fast that at one point […]

US vote-by-mail begins as White House campaign turns ugly

  by Jerome Cartillier with Michael Mathes in Wilmington, Delaware Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US election is officially open: North Carolina on Friday launched vote-by-mail operations for the November 3 contest between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, which is getting uglier by the hour. With two months until Election Day, Trump is seizing on fears over violent protests in US cities and questioning the integrity of voting by […]