TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran said Monday that no cyber attack against the Islamic republic has ever succeeded, after American media reported the US launched one last week amid a standoff between the two countries. “The media are asking about the veracity of the alleged cyber attack against Iran. No successful attack has been carried out by them, although they are making a lot of effort,” telecommunications minister Mohammad Javad Azarari Jahromi said on Twitter […]
Tag: US
North Korean leader receives ‘excellent’ letter from Trump: KCNA
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a personal letter of “excellent content” from US President Donald Trump, the country’s state media said Sunday, amid a nuclear deadlock between Pyongyang and Washington. Talks have been stalled since the collapse of a second summit between the two leaders in February after they failed to agree on what the North would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief. The […]
Pompeo heads to Saudi Arabia, UAE for Iran crisis talks
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday he will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for talks on the crisis sparked by Iran’s downing an American drone. “We’ll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned and how we can build out a global coalition” on Iran, he said. Iran shot down a US Global Hawk drone on Thursday, saying […]
Protectionism slammed as Southeast Asian leaders rally to trade pact
by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI / Dene-Hern Chen Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Southeast Asian leaders made an impassioned plea against protectionism at a regional summit in Bangkok Sunday, warning that a dragging US-China trade spat could hammer their export-led economies. Tit-for-tat tariffs between Washington and Beijing have cast a dark cloud over global growth forecasts and experts warn any drop-off in spending by the world’s two biggest economies is likely to hit Southeast Asia […]
Trump postpones nationwide immigration enforcement sweep
By COLLEEN LONG and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday delayed a nationwide immigration sweep to deport people living the United States illegally, including families, saying he would give lawmakers two weeks to work out solutions for the southern border. The move came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump on Friday asking him to call off the raids. But three administration officials said scrapping the operation was […]
Trump orders immigration sweep targeting 2,000 families: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump has ordered border agents to begin a mass roundup as early as Sunday of some 2,000 migrant families that have received deportation orders, US media reported Friday. The news follows the president’s announcement on Twitter Monday that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials would begin deporting “millions of illegal aliens,” although he gave little detail. The tweet sped up operations that were already underway, […]
ASEAN seeks conclusion of China-led trade deal this year: Thai PM
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Southeast Asian leaders are eager to sign a sweeping China-led trade pact by the end of this year, Thailand’s prime minister said Friday, with further talks expected at a Bangkok summit on the world’s biggest commercial deal. Beijing is seeking to shape the rules of free trade across the Asia-Pacific, as America retreats from multilateral deals under US President Donald Trump. The China-crafted Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) includes all […]
Trade disputes to dominate as ASEAN meets in Bangkok
by Jenny Vaughan Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Southeast Asian leaders will dissect the impact of the US-China tariff war this weekend at a Bangkok summit, with Beijing determined to drive forward a trade pact sweeping in 40 percent of global commerce — but excluding America. Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea and Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims are also likely to make the agenda at the two-day Association of Southeast […]
Sailing among the stars: how photons could revolutionize space flight
by Ivan Couronne WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A few days from now, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will lift off from Florida, carrying a satellite the size of a loaf of bread with nothing to power it but a huge polyester “solar sail.” It’s been the stuff of scientists’ dreams for decades but has only very recently become a reality. The idea might sounds crazy: propelling a craft through the vacuum of space with […]
Iran says it has shot down US drone over its territory: TV
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it had shot down a US “spy drone” over its territory after it violated Iranian airspace, according to Iranian state television. “The US-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force” in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan, the Revolutionary Guard added, according to the English-language Press TV. © Agence France-Presse
US says Saudis can do more after UN Khashoggi probe
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US official said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia should do more to ensure accountability over the death of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi but stopped short of blaming the crown prince after a UN probe linked him to the killing. Brian Hook, who is in charge of pushing President Donald Trump’s hawkish line on Iran, was asked about US support of Tehran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia as he testified before Congress. […]
Xi heads to North Korea to meet Kim ahead of Trump talks
by Sebastien Berger with Poornima Weerasekara in Beijing BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a historic trip to Pyongyang on Thursday, rebooting a troubled alliance as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump. Xi will be the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang’s nuclear provocations and Beijing’s […]





