MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Florida, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the southeastern US, has surpassed half a million cases and now has a death toll of more than 7,600, state health authorities said Wednesday. The Florida Health Department reported only 5,409 new daily cases in its latest count, a considerable drop after recent figures of around 10,000 new infections per day in recent weeks. The number of cases however may have […]
Tag: US
China says US cabinet visit to Taiwan ‘endangering peace’
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said Wednesday a visit by a top US cabinet member to Taiwan was endangering peace and stability in the region, with relations between the two powers at historic lows. Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei said US health secretary Alex Azar would lead a delegation to the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as part of China and has vowed to one day seize. “China firmly opposes official exchanges between the […]
SpaceX completes test flight of Mars rocket prototype
HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — SpaceX on Tuesday successfully completed a flight of less than a minute of the largest prototype ever tested of the future rocket Starship, which the company hopes to use one day to colonize Mars. “Mars is looking real,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted in response to a fan. The current Starship prototype is fairly crude: it’s a large metallic cylinder, built in a few weeks by SpaceX teams on the […]
US announces ‘highest level’ visit in decades to Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — The United States on Wednesday announced its “highest level” visit in decades to Taiwan, a move sure to infuriate China at a time when relations between Washington and Beijing are at historic lows. Washington’s trade office in Taipei confirmed that health chief Alex Azar would lead an upcoming delegation to the self-ruled island, which China’s communist leaders claim and have vowed to one day seize. “This marks… the first Cabinet member […]
US adds 1,300 virus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US on Tuesday added 1,302 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The world’s largest economy also added 53,847 new cases of the virus, the Baltimore-based institution’s tracker showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Wednesday). The US has now recorded 4,765,170 total cases with 156,668 deaths, making it by far the worst-hit country in the world. But President Donald Trump […]
Storm Isaias pounds US East Coast, one killed in New York
by Peter HUTCHISON NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Tropical storm Isaias pounded the US eastern seaboard with driving rain and strong winds on Tuesday, cutting power to over one million households and felling trees, including in New York. At least one person was killed in New York City after a tree fell on their car, while another was critically injured by a falling branch, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Wind gusts up to 78 […]
US tests intercontinental ballistic missile
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Tuesday successfully tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a launch directed from an airborne command center, the Air Force said. The missile was launched at 12:21 am (0721 GMT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, travelling 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) over the Pacific Ocean before landing in the sea near the Marshall Islands. “The test demonstrates that the United States’ nuclear […]
Pompeo offers US help to Lebanon after ‘horrible tragedy’
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday offered US assistance to Lebanon after Beirut was rocked by massive blasts. “We are monitoring and stand ready to assist the people of Lebanon as they recover from this horrible tragedy,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter. Pompeo in an accompanying statement said that the United States will wait for the findings of Lebanese authorities on the cause of the explosions, which killed at least […]
US announces clinical trial of antibody treatment for COVID-19
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US has begun late stage clinical trials into a drug formulated to fight COVID-19, officials said Tuesday. The medicine is an antibody against the new coronavirus called LY-CoV555, which was identified in the blood sample of a recovered patient by Canada’s Abcellera Biologics. It was then developed synthetically for mass production by US-based Lilly Research Laboratories in partnership with Abcellera. The Phase 3 trial will initially enroll some […]
Isaias makes landfall in North Carolina as Category 1 hurricane
MYRTLE BEACH, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Isaias slammed into North Carolina Monday as a category one storm, with winds of up to 85 miles (140 kilometers) an hour, the US National Hurricane Center said. The storm came ashore in the southern part of the state near Ocean Isle Beach at 11:10 pm (0310 GMT Tuesday). Meteorologists warned of heavy rain and potentially life-threatening storm surges. © Agence France-Presse
Unspeakable horror’: the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
by Kyoko HASEGAWA Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan this week marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed over 200,000 people and left many more deeply traumatised and even stigmatised. Here are some facts about the devastating attacks: – The bombs – The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in western Japan on August 6, 1945 by the US bomber Enola Gay. The bomb, […]
US East Coast braces for hurricane after Florida escapes
by Logan Cyrus MYRTLE BEACH, United States (AFP) — Tropical Storm Isaias was set to regain hurricane strength Monday before slamming into the US eastern seaboard, bringing life-threatening storm surges to North and South Carolina. The storm, currently 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, was packing sustained winds of 70 miles (100 kilometers) per hour, with wind speeds predicted to increase during the day. Isaias is forecast to “make landfall tonight as […]





