Tag: US

Hollywood stars among dozens charged over college entrance scam

by Thomas URBAIN “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and fellow Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin were among dozens indicted Tuesday in a multi-million dollar scam to help children of the American elite cheat their way into top universities. The accused, who also include chief executives, financiers, the chairman of a prominent law firm, a winemaker and fashion designer, allegedly cheated on admissions tests and arranged for bribes to get their children into prestigious schools including Yale, […]

Continue Reading →

US 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge arrives in Manila; Fil-Am sailors among crew, excited with visit

  The United States 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrived in Manila on Wednesday, March 13, for the ship’s first port visit to the Philippines since 2016. The 7th fleet team and Blue Ridge crew, including Filipino-American soldiers, will also engage in community service and cultural exchange events ashore. “Our nations are longstanding allies and our navies have worked together for generations,” said Vice Adm. Phillip Sawyer, commander of the U.S. 7th […]

Continue Reading →

Several charged in US over Chinese student visa scheme

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Several California residents were arrested Tuesday in connection with a scheme to help Chinese nationals obtain student visas by hiring people to take English proficiency exams for the foreign students. Federal authorities allege that those involved in the plot used counterfeit Chinese passports to impersonate 19 different students who were required to take the so-called TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam in order to get a […]

Continue Reading →

Pressure builds on US to ground Boeing 737 MAX jets after Ethiopia crash

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States stood increasingly isolated Tuesday over its refusal to ground Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, after a second deadly crash in less than five months prompted governments worldwide to ban the aircraft. Despite the aviation giant’s assurances that the plane is safe and reliable, the European Union, Britain and India joined China and other countries that either grounded the best-selling workhorse plane or banned it from their airspace as […]

Continue Reading →

US regulators order improvements to Boeing jet after latest crash

  by Heather Scott Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US regulators have ordered Boeing to make urgent improvements to its popular 737 Max 8 aircraft after the second deadly accident in a few months prompted the grounding of fleets around the world. Singapore Tuesday banned the use of the high-tech jet in its airspace, becoming the latest in a growing list of jurisdictions worried about the safety of the flagship plane. On […]

Continue Reading →

US, China negotiators talk but no date for Trump-Xi trade summit

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Top US and Chinese officials held phone talks Tuesday to discuss the next steps in trade negotiations, Chinese state media said, as the White House said no date has been set for a summit. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer spoke with Beijing’s top economic official Liu He over the phone to discuss “key issues” on trade, the official news agency Xinhua reported. The top negotiators also […]

Continue Reading →

Jaguar that attacked selfie-taking US woman won’t be put down

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A jaguar that attacked a woman at a US zoo after she jumped a barrier to take a selfie with the animal will not be put down, officials said. “We can promise you nothing will happen to our jaguar,” the Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona tweeted on Saturday. “She’s a wild animal and there were proper barriers in place to keep our guests safe – not a wild animals […]

Continue Reading →

US opposes incremental denuclearization of N. Korea: envoy

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A top US envoy said Monday Washington’s goal is the complete denuclearization of North Korea by the end of Donald Trump’s first term, insisting it will not settle for incremental disarmament. “We are not going to do denuclearization incrementally,” said Stephen Biegun, the special US envoy for North Korea. While stressing he was not bound by an artificial calendar, Biegun said the administration wanted to accomplish the complete and verified […]

Continue Reading →

US demands Boeing modify 737 MAX after crash: FAA

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — US federal aviation authorities said Monday they will order Boeing to modify its 737 MAX 8 aircraft, including anti-stalling software and maneuvering system updates, after two of the planes crashed in five months. The Federal Aviation Administration told international civil aviation authorities that it “anticipates mandating these design changes… no later than April,” although it did not ground the fleet. Boeing is also set to update its training requirements […]

Continue Reading →

Pelosi says Trump ‘just not worth’ impeaching

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, America’s most powerful Democrat, said in remarks published Monday that she does not support impeaching Donald Trump, arguing the Republican president is “just not worth it.” “I’m not for impeachment,” Pelosi told The Washington Post in a wide-ranging interview, the strongest signal yet that the Democratic leadership is deeply hesitant about taking such an explosive step to remove a sitting president. “Impeachment is so divisive to […]

Continue Reading →

USA’s three-time cycling world champ Catlin dead at 23

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — American cyclist Kelly Catlin, a three-time world champion and 2016 Rio Olympic runner-up in team pursuit, has died at age 23, USA Cycling confirmed Sunday. Catlin was part of the US team pursuit squads that captured world titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018 but she withdrew from the American team that failed to defend the title February 27-28 at the 2019 worlds in Poland. “The US cycling community suffered a […]

Continue Reading →

Trump to seek another $8.6 billion for border wall

by Jim Mannion WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will seek $8.6 billion in fresh funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border in the 2020 budget request, likely triggering another fight with Congress, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday. The request, which is to be formally unveiled Monday, would far exceed the $5.7 billion Trump demanded last year, which led to an impasse that resulted in a 35-day partial […]

Continue Reading →
1 … 346 347 348 349 350 … 490