Tag: US

Microsoft to keep exploring TikTok deal after talks with Trump

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Microsoft announced Sunday it would continue talks to acquire the US operations of popular video-sharing app TikTok, after meeting with President Donald Trump who seemingly backed off his earlier threats to ban the Chinese-owned platform. “Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” the company said in a statement, […]

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Threat to Florida eases as Isaias slated to remain tropical storm

by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Isaias roared closer to the Florida coast Sunday, threatening to bring strong winds, flash flooding and storm surges but no longer expected to regain hurricane strength. The tropical storm was packing sustained winds of 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour Sunday evening as it moved northwest off the state’s east coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Florida’s coast was experiencing heavy wind gusts. The NHC said […]

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Firefighters struggle to contain blaze in southern California

LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) — More than 1,300 firefighters were battling a blaze that was burning out of control Sunday in southern California, threatening thousands of people and homes east of Los Angeles. The so-called Apple Fire that broke out Friday near the city of San Bernardino has so far charred more than 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares), sending up columns of smoke visible from far away. It was so smoky that authorities declared an air […]

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Pandemic an ‘apocalypse’ for restaurants in US

by Jocelyne ZABLIT Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — For Gabriel Gordon and his wife Lena, the small restaurant they opened 14 years ago in the coastal California town of Seal Beach was a dream project and the cornerstone of their future success. But this weekend, Beachwood BBQ, which had become a staple in the community, permanently shut down — yet another casualty of the carnage the coronavirus pandemic has unleashed on […]

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US counts 61,262 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States counted 61,262 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 pm Saturday (0030 GMT Sunday), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. It was the fifth consecutive day with more than 60,000 infections recorded, according to the Baltimore-based university. There were also 1,051 deaths in the 24-hour period. The US has now tallied more than 4.6 million cases and 154,319 deaths, making it […]

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Trump says will bar TikTok from US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he will bar fast-growing social media app TikTok from the United States as American authorities have raised concerns the service could be a tool for Chinese intelligence. US officials and lawmakers in recent weeks have voiced fears of the wildly popular video platform being used by Beijing for nefarious purposes, but the company has denied any links to the Chinese government. Media reports circulated earlier […]

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Hurricane Isaias lashes Bahamas on way to virus-hit Florida

by Leila MACOR MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Isaias lashed the Bahamas as it churned toward Florida, bringing new dangers to a US state suffering record deaths from an unrelenting coronavirus outbreak. The category one storm, packing winds of up to 85 miles (136 kilometers) an hour, gained strength after sweeping over the Dominican Republic. As of 0600 GMT Saturday, it was an expansive storm, moving northwest at a speed of 14 mph, kicking […]

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Florida hits another record virus death toll as hurricane looms

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Hurricane Isaias was barreling towards Florida on Friday, a day after the state registered a record 253 coronavirus deaths and authorities closed down some COVID-19 testing centers to prepare for the looming storm. Florida has emerged as a major new epicenter of the US battle against the disease, with confirmed cases recently surpassing New York and now second only to California. The state toll has leapt over the past week […]

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Train derails in Arizona causing massive fire

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A freight train derailed and caught fire on a bridge in Arizona on Wednesday, but there were no reports of injuries in what a witness described as a “scene from hell.” The accident near Phoenix took place at around 6:15 a.m., prompting a massive fire visible for miles and sending some 100 firefighters, police and paramedics to the scene. Tim McMahan, a spokesman for Union Pacific, told AFP that […]

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PHL Ambassador to the US greets Iglesia Ni Cristo on 106th anniversary

  (Eagle News) — Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez sent his greetings to the Iglesia Ni Cristo on the occasion of the Church’s 106th anniversary. In his video greetings, Ambassador Romualdez notes how the Church had fostered “a sense of connectedness that empowers and gives hope during this time of crisis” among its members, and thanked the Church for the help it had extended to various communities around the world amid […]

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Hurricane Douglas spares Honolulu, skirts Hawaii

by Ronen ZILBERMAN HONOLULU, Hawaii (AFP) — Hurricane Douglas swept north of Hawaii late Sunday, sparing Honolulu but still posing a threat to Kauai on the northwestern end of the Pacific island chain. The storm was expected to skirt north of Kauai as it barrels past the Hawaiian islands, packing 90 mile per hour (150 kph) winds, the National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane warnings for Oahu were cancelled but remained in effect for Kauai and […]

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Chinese authorities take over closed US consulate in Chengdu

by Leo Ramirez and Noel Celis CHENGDU, China (AFP) — The American flag was lowered at the US consulate in Chengdu on Monday and Chinese authorities entered the building as Beijing carried out a Cold War-style retaliatory closure of the mission. Relations have deteriorated in recent weeks in an intensifying standoff between Washington and Beijing, with the Chengdu mission ordered to shut in retaliation for the forced closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas. […]

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