CHICAGO, United States (AFP) — Three American citizens of Kenyan descent have been charged with conspiring to support the Islamic State group after an arrest at a Michigan airport foiled their alleged plot, authorities announced Tuesday. The three men, all in their 20s and related to each other, allegedly recorded videos pledging their allegiance to IS and discussed a potential car attack in the United States if one of them was unable to travel overseas […]
Tag: US
Trump tells spokeswoman ‘not to bother’ with press briefings
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has told his chief spokeswoman Sarah Sanders “not to bother” with formal media briefings in the White House, because journalists don’t cover her fairly. “The reason Sarah Sanders does not go to the ‘podium’ much anymore is that the press covers her so rudely & inaccurately, in particular certain members of the press,” Trump tweeted. “I told her not to bother, the word gets […]
Butterflies, the unlikely victims of Trump’s border wall
by Inès BEL AIBA Agence France Presse MISSION, United States (AFP) — In Mission, Texas, the construction of part of a long-promised wall on the border with Mexico to stem the tide of undocumented migrants is already in progress. Among the many who will be affected? Butterflies. Mission, located in the lower Rio Grande Valley, is home to the National Butterfly Center, a private non-profit 100-acre (40-hectare) preserve dedicated to conservation of the insects in […]
Wall Street wary of progressive Democrats on the House finance committee
Washington, United States | AFP | Sunday 1/20/2019 by Elodie CUZIN avec Luc OLINGA à New York Wall Street is bunkering down for a wave of intense scrutiny as a group of progressive Democrats, including social media star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have joined a powerful House of Representatives committee overseeing banking activities. “It’s a huge victory,” said Ocasio-Cortez, at 29 the youngest member of Congress and a self-described socialist — a word that shocks conservatives, who brandish it as a […]
NASA and China collaborate on Moon exploration
by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The space agencies of the United States and China are coordinating efforts on Moon exploration, NASA said Friday, as it navigates a strict legal framework aimed at protecting national security and preventing technology transfer to China. “With the required approval from Congress, NASA has been in discussions with China to explore the possibility of observing a signature of the landing plume of their lunar […]
Trump to make ‘major announcement’ about shutdown
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will make a “major announcement” Saturday about the long-running US government shutdown and the situation on the country’s southern border. The partial shutdown — which began when Trump refused to sign off on budget legislation that did not include funding for his planned border wall — enters its fifth week on Saturday. “I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern […]
Striking teachers march in LA as talks held to end walkout
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Tens of thousands of striking teachers and supporters marched in Los Angeles on Friday, as talks to end the crippling walkout offered hope of a settlement between the union and school district officials. Some 30,000 teachers walked off the job on Monday, after two years of contract negotiations on salaries, class sizes and more staffing failed. The strike is affecting about 500,000 students and has cost the district — […]
Trump, Kim to meet anew in month after N.Korean visits White House
by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump will meet for the second time with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un around the end of February, the White House said Friday, after a top general from Pyongyang paid a rare visit to Washington. Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol, a right-hand man to the North Korean strongman, met the embattled president at the White House for an unusually long 90 […]
Singapore picks US F-35 fighter jet over Europe, China rivals
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore has chosen the F-35 warplane to replace its ageing fighter jets, opting for the US aircraft over European and Chinese models, the defense ministry said Friday. The affluent city-state, which has one of Asia’s best equipped militaries, had earlier said it was evaluating Lockheed Martin’s F-35 along with Europe’s Eurofighter Typhoon and Chinese-made stealth warplanes. “The F-16s will have to retire soon after 2030 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter […]
Top N.Korean in Washington to prepare new Trump summit
by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A top North Korean general was paying a rare visit Friday to Washington, where he is expected to meet President Donald Trump to finalize a new summit aimed at denuclearization and easing decades of hostility. Kim Yong Chol, a right-hand man to leader Kim Jong Un, is the first North Korean dignitary in nearly two decades known to have spent the night in the […]
Palace: US NGO report calling PHL a “war zone in disguise” is “remarkable in ignorance and bias”
(Eagle News)–The Palace on Friday, Jan. 18, branded as “remarkable in ignorance and bias” the report of a United States-based non-government organization that said the Philippines was a “war zone in disguise.” “Not having presented any proof that it has conducted factual investigation in the country as to the conditions obtaining, it is reasonable to believe that its conclusions (are) based on allegations made by groups that are hopelessly and blindly critical of the Duterte […]
US officials consider lifting China tariffs: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US officials have considered lifting tariffs on Chinese imports to calm volatile stock markets and encourage Beijing to make concessions in current trade talks, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. American and Chinese trade officials have until March 1 to resolve their trade war, to prevent a sharp increase in punitive US duties on $200 billion in Chinese goods. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin raised the idea of revoking tariffs on […]
