BAVISPE, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called “La Linea” massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted. The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets Monday as they drove on a rural road between Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States. Eight other children […]
Tag: US
Three charged in US with spying on Twitter users for S.Arabia
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) –Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced. The two Saudi citizens and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said. According to a court […]
Erdogan, Trump announce Washington talks on November 13
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to the United States next week to meet Donald Trump, the Turkish presidency said Wednesday, amid heightened tensions between the two countries. In a telephone conversation, “the two leaders reconfirmed that they will meet in Washington on Wednesday, November 13, on President Trump’s invitation,” the Turkish presidency said. Erdogan had threatened to cancel his visit due to disputes over the Syrian conflict and the US […]
Xi, Macron unite on climate after US withdraws from Paris pact
by Jérôme RIVET Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Wednesday that the Paris climate pact was “irreversible”, showing a united front after Washington formally withdrew from the accord this week. The joint declaration came at the end of Macron’s second visit to China, which started on Monday in Shanghai and included talks on trade and the Iranian nuclear issue. The French leader […]
US navy prepares allies to ‘protect navigation’ in Gulf
by Mohamad Ali Harissi On Board the RFA Cardigan Bay in the Gulf, Undefined (AFP) — The United States is training Gulf allies to “protect navigation” in the region’s troubled waterways, as it seeks to build an alliance to contain Iran. Washington’s three-week International Maritime Exercise (IMX), which started on October 21, came after a number of commercial vessels were attacked in the Gulf from May, ratcheting up regional tensions. Washington and other Western powers […]
US formally starts withdrawal from Paris climate accord
by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Monday formally notified the United Nations that it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, making the world’s largest economy the sole outlier from the agreement. President Donald Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the reality and impact of climate change, with September the fourth month in the row with near- or record-breaking temperatures. The […]
Boeing successfully tests Starliner space capsule abort system
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule successfully performed an emergency abort test Monday, meeting a key requirement before it can take US astronauts to the International Space Station as early as next year. The test took place in the New Mexico desert at the White Sands Missile Range and lasted around 95 seconds. The Starliner was set on a small launch pad with four engines to simulate an emergency in which the […]
US accuses Beijing of ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea
by with Shaun Tandon in Washington / Dene CHEN BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — The United States on Monday accused China of intimidation in the South China Sea as it put forward its strongest language yet rejecting Beijing’s claims in the strategic, dispute-rife waters. The Pacific powers traded tit-for-tat barbs over the South China Sea at a regional summit in Bangkok, with Beijing accusing the United States of ratcheting up tensions in the waters, a key […]
SE Asia leaders snub US meeting after Trump skips ASEAN summit
by Jenny VAUGHAN / Joe Freeman Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Several Southeast Asian leaders snubbed a meeting with US officials on Monday after President Donald Trump decided not to attend a regional summit in Bangkok. Just three leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) showed up to the session, along with a host of foreign ministers. Trump has been accused of turning his back on Asian allies for […]
US says it is ‘extremely engaged’ in Asia after Trump skips ASEAN meet
by Joe Freeman Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross insisted Monday that his country remained “extremely engaged” with Asia despite Donald Trump skipping a regional leaders summit. Ross and US national security advisor Robert O’Brien are the most senior members of the Washington delegation in Bangkok for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, also attended by Indian, South Korean and Japanese leaders. Previous meetings have been […]
New California fire grows as crews make headway on other blazes
by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A new wildfire in California grew to nearly 9,000 acres (3,700 hectares) on Friday, sending thousands of people fleeing and further stretching resources in a state struggling with a spate of wildfires this season. The so-called Maria Fire erupted Thursday evening in Ventura County, 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, and burned out of control through the night, driven by high winds and threatening […]
Malaysia rejects ‘less than $2bn’ Goldman offer over 1MDB
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia rejected a compensation offer of “less than $2 billion” from Goldman Sachs for the role of its subsidiaries in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, an aide to the country’s prime minister said Saturday. Huge sums were stolen from Malaysian state fund 1MDB in a fraud allegedly involving former prime minister Najib Razak and his cronies, and spent on everything from high-end real estate to a luxury super-yacht. Goldman’s role has […]





