Tag: US

US death toll from vaping-related illness hits 12

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Twelve people in the United States have died from vaping-related illness, health officials said on Thursday, reporting 805 cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarette use. The latest toll was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which said the specific substance causing the illnesses has not yet been identified. However, most patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC, the principal psychoactive compound in […]

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N.Korea praises Trump, hopes for progress towards summit

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea on Friday praised US President Donald Trump as “different from his predecessors” as well as “wise” and “bold” as Pyongyang angles for a possible new summit between their leaders. According to Kim Kye Gwan, advisor to North Korea’s foreign ministry, the idea of holding a new summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is “highly topical these days in the US”, the official wrote in […]

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Texas executes man for murdering family

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Texas on Wednesday executed a man who murdered three family members, following a trial in which a bailiff wore a tie depicting a syringe in an apparent reference to the lethal injection procedure. Robert Sparks, 45, was pronounced dead at 6:39 pm local time (2339 GMT). He was sentenced to death in 2008 for stabbing to death his wife as well as his two stepsons aged nine and 10, before […]

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Trump announces ‘first stage’ of ‘phenomenal’ Japan trade deal

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that the initial stage of a new trade deal with Japan had been finalized, describing it as a “phenomenal” agreement. Sitting next to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said the leaders “formally announce the first stage of a phenomenal new trade agreement,” adding “this is a big chunk, but in the fairly near future we are going to have a lot more.” […]

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Trump calls Democratic impeachment inquiry a ‘joke’

by Sebastian Smith / with Paul Handley in Washington NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A downbeat Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed as a “joke” the grounds laid out for the impeachment inquiry into him, as Democrats stood firm in accusing the US president of a “mafia-style shakedown” of his Ukrainian counterpart. Trump denied claims he abused his office by repeatedly urging President Volodymyr Zelensky to probe his rival Joe Biden — as confirmed in […]

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US stocks rise, pound falls as markets weigh impeachment, trade

by John BIERS NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Wall Street stocks rallied Wednesday following upbeat comments from Donald Trump on China trade talks, while US investors largely shrugged off the just-announced impeachment investigation of the US president. Among other markets, the British pound retreated on Brexit uncertainty, while oil prices fell after a report showed higher US oil inventories. Trump’s strident remarks on China at the United Nations had been among the factors that […]

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Facebook exempts political speech from fact-checking

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook will not fact-check the statements politicians post to the site, the social network announced Tuesday ahead of the US 2020 elections, even as it works to discredit false information meant to manipulate public opinion. While the social network relies on third-party fact-checkers, including news organizations such as AFP, to help it discredit viral misinformation, it will stop short of wading into the veracity of political claims. “We don’t […]

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First Arab set for ISS says voyage will make ‘history’

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The Emirati astronaut who will make history by becoming the first Arab on the International Space Station said Tuesday he had received support from around the world before his “dream” mission. Hazzaa al-Mansoori, 35, is set to blast into space accompanied by Russia’s Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir onboard a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Mansoori, who will spend eight days on the ISS, will be […]

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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tepid no more on Trump impeachment

by Michael Mathes WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Nancy Pelosi, already the most powerful woman in US political history, has just launched an extraordinary and turbulent process which — if it fulfills its goal — would oust a sitting American president. After resisting fellow Democrats’ calls to impeach Donald Trump from the moment she became speaker of the US House of Representatives in early January, the tough-as-nails lawmaker changed course Tuesday, announcing an “official impeachment […]

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Macron: ‘lost opportunity’ if Trump, Rouhani don’t meet

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said that this week’s UN summit would be a “lost opportunity” if his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani does not meet US President Donald Trump. In a three-way chat with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a smiling Macron said that if Rouhani “leaves the country without meeting with President Trump, honestly this is a lost opportunity because he will not come back in a few months.” […]

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Hong Kong protesters optimistic on US rights legislation

by Ian Timberlake WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Prominent Hong Kong protesters expressed optimism Saturday that US legislators will pass by year’s end a bill aimed at defending civil rights in the global financial hub roiled by pro-democracy demonstrations and accusations of police abuse. The activists testified on Tuesday at a congressional hearing that examined the legislation. The bill, which enjoys wide support in Congress, would end Hong Kong’s special trading status with the United […]

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US emphasizes diplomacy in standoff with Iran

by Jim MANNION The United States said Sunday it will make its case against Iran at the United Nations this week, insisting it wants to give diplomacy “every opportunity to succeed” in the wake of a devastating attack on a vital Saudi oil complex. Setting the stage for President Donald Trump’s address to the annual UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put aside threats of US military retaliation against Iran for […]

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