BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said two US warships sailed near disputed islands in the South China Sea without permission on Monday in the latest US challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims in the region. The Chinese navy asked the US vessels to leave after they entered waters adjacent to Gaven and Chigua reefs in the Spratly Islands, which Beijing calls Nansha, the foreign ministry said. The move comes on top of trade tensions as […]
Tag: US
Trump awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Tiger Woods, fresh off his epic comeback victory in the Masters, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. Presenting the golfing great with the nation’s highest honor, Trump praised Woods’ “relentless will to win, win, win.” “These qualities embody the American spirit of pushing boundaries, defying limits and always striving for greatness,” the president said. Trump congratulated Woods on “your […]
Ex-Goldman banker pleads not guilty on 1MDB charges in US court
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – A former Goldman Sachs banker pleaded not guilty Monday in New York to bribery and other charges in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal after being extradited from Malaysia. Malaysian Ng Chong Hwa, 51, a former managing director at the bank charged in both Malaysia and America over the 1MDB fraud, was extradited to the US on Friday, Malaysian attorney-general Tommy Thomas said. Also known as Roger Ng, the defendant was […]
US-China trade dilemma: how to hold Beijing’s feet to the fire
by Delphine TOUITOU WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US and Chinese officials say a historic deal ending their ongoing trade war could be imminent, but a key question is how can Washington be sure Beijing will live up to its end of the bargain? With up to 100 Chinese officials reportedly expected next week in Washington, with the possibility of unveiling a grand agreement after months of tensions, that question is hanging over the talks. […]
Alaska’s thaw threatens prehistoric sites once frozen in time
by Jocelyne Zablit Agence France Presse QUINHAGAK, United States (AFP) — The first artifact — a wooden mask — was discovered in 2007 by a child who stumbled upon it while playing on the beach near his home in Quinhagak, a village in western Alaska that sits by the Bering Sea. Over the following months, hundreds of similar objects — baskets, finely carved harpoon shafts, lip plugs, wooden dolls, ivory tattoo needles — emerged […]
Scars of torture at US reform school for boys won’t go away
by Leila Macor Agence France Presse FORT MYERS, United States (AFP) — Jerry Cooper says he endured torture and cruelty that were everyday things for decades at a reform school in Florida, turning him into something horrible. As authorities prepare to investigate a possible new set of unmarked graves on the school grounds after dozens were found a few years ago, apologies are finally coming in. But 60 years after he was abused, Cooper […]
Abe ready to meet N. Korea’s Kim ‘unconditionally’: media
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “unconditionally” in a bid to restore diplomatic ties between the two historic foes, a daily said Thursday. Abe, seen as a foreign policy hawk, has recently softened his rhetoric towards Pyongyang, calling for a summit with Kim to resolve an emotional row over past kidnappings of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang agents. In an interview with the […]
Cuba May Day parade defies Trump over Maduro support
by Carlos BATISTA / Moises AVILA HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — The scent of the Cold War hung over Cuba’s May Day parade where marchers bellowed defiance against US President Donald Trump for his threats to punish the Communist-run island’s support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by extending the six-decade US embargo. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans turned out in the capital Havana, many of them gathering on Revolution Square from before dawn under the still-illuminated […]
Like Uber, but for organs: first kidney delivered by drone
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A kidney needed for transplantation has been delivered by a drone for the first time ever, the University of Maryland Medical Center said, a development that could herald faster and safer organ transport. The specially designed high-tech drone was fitted with equipment to monitor the kidney along its three-mile (five kilometers) journey to its recipient: a 44-year-old woman from Baltimore who had spent eight years on dialysis before the procedure. […]
US, Chinese negotiators hold ‘productive’ trade talks
by Elizabeth LAW Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Top US and Chinese trade negotiators held productive talks in Beijing on Wednesday, the American side said, as the economic superpowers head towards an endgame in a dispute that has hit businesses with bruising tariffs. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, a close aide to President Xi Jinping on economic matters, met with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin ahead of […]
JUST IN: At least two dead in US university campus shooting: staff
CHARLOTTE, United States (AFP) — At least two people were killed and several wounded Tuesday in a shooting at the University of North Carolina’s Charlotte campus, staff and local media reported. “Shots reported near Kennedy. Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately,” the university’s office of emergency management tweeted. The Charlotte Observer said two people were dead and two others had life-threatening injuries. The local Fox television affiliate identified the dead as boys aged 17 […]
China sentences another Canadian to death for drug trafficking
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese court sentenced a second Canadian man to death for drug trafficking on Tuesday amid diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and Beijing. The court in southern Guangdong province said the Canadian, Fan Wei, and 10 others — including an American and four Mexicans — had been part of an international narcotics syndicate working out of Taishan city between July and November 2012. The group produced and sold 6.34 kilos (14 pounds) […]





