WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump shocked the US establishment by pulling out of Syria. In a letter to Trump, Mattis suggested his world view, which favors traditional alliances and standing up to “malign actors,” stands at odds with the president’s. “Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other […]
Tag: US
Pinterest planning 2019 stock market debut: report
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Popular online bulletin board Pinterest is getting ready for a stock market debut early next year at a valuation of $12 billion or more, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The San Francisco-based startup could have an initial public offering of shares as soon as April, according to Journal, which did not name sources for the information. Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board platform, with users decorating their […]
Trump orders full withdrawal of US troops from Syria
by Thomas WATKINS Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States will withdraw all of its troops from Syria, a US official said Wednesday, after President Donald Trump claimed America has “defeated ISIS” in the war-ravaged country. The stunning move will have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications — and plunges into uncertainty the fate of US-backed Kurdish fighters who have been tackling Islamic State jihadists, hundreds of whom remain in Syria. “We have defeated […]
US Federal Reserve raises lending rate; signals slower pace ahead
by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, a move sure to anger President Donald Trump, but it also sent a clear signal it expects to slow its rate increases next year. The Fed’s fourth rate increase of the year, which sent Wall Street tumbling in mid-afternoon, moved the central bank squarely into the crosshairs of the president, who said a […]
Catholic Church’s Pope Francis accepts US bishop’s resignation over misconduct with minor
VATICAN CITY (AFP) — Catholic Church’s Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Los Angeles auxiliary bishop Alexander Salazar over his “inappropriate behaviour” with a minor, the Vatican said Wednesday. The case is the latest in a litany of child sexual abuse scandals to have rocked the Roman Catholic Church of 1.3 billion followers around the world. The Vatican said an investigation by the Archbishop of Los Angeles had found suspicions about Salazar’s behavior […]
Civil rights groups call for Facebook to purge Zuckerberg from board
by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Dozens of civil rights groups on Tuesday called on Facebook to purge Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg from its board for blunders including “weaponizing anti-Semitism.” Advocacy and rights group took direct aim at Zuckerberg and Sandberg for Facebook enlisting Definers Public Affairs to conduct research on company critics. “You retained the services of Definers Public Affairs to investigate, undermine and attack our […]
Trump panel recommends guns in schools to keep US students safe
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A safety panel set up by US President Donald Trump in the wake of numerous school shootings recommended Tuesday that schools consider arming staff, using veterans as guards and reversing Obama-era guidelines. The Federal Commission on School Safety panel, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was set up after the February massacre in Parkland, Florida, when a former student shot dead 17 people, sparking mass gun control protests. The […]
Trump signals retreat on wall funding, but shutdown threat remains
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump backed off his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding Tuesday, but his subsequent offer was rejected by congressional Democrats, leaving the opposing sides struggling to avert a partial US government shutdown. Trump had stood firm for days, declaring he needed the funds to build the controversial wall, defiantly proclaiming last week that he would be “proud” to stop some […]
Washington careens toward government shutdown with no deal in sight
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An intensifying spending standoff sent US lawmakers scrambling Monday to avert a partial government shutdown, with Republican and Democratic leaders deadlocked over President Donald Trump’s demands for border wall funding. As Washington barreled toward a shuttering of key federal agencies in just four days, the White House appeared dug in on Trump’s call for Congress to budget $5 billion in 2019 to fund a […]
Saudi Arabia slams US Senate vote as ‘interference’
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia on Sunday rejected as “interference” a US Senate resolution to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi. “The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was built on untrue allegations and affirms a total rejection of any interference in its internal affairs,” the foreign ministry said in […]
N. Korea hits latest US sanctions, says these may ‘block path to denuclearization’
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea has condemned the United States over its latest sanctions measures, warning the policy could “block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever”. The warning from the North on Sunday came days after the US said it was imposing sanctions on three senior North Korean officials over human rights abuses. The sanctioned officials include Choe Ryong Hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to leader […]
President Duterte witnesses return of historic bells in Balangiga; credits collective efforts of Filipinos, Americans for bells’ return
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte said both the Filipino people and the American people should be credited for the return of the historic Balangiga Bells, as he acknowledged the “long and tedious process” as well as “several efforts” made by his predecessors for the return of the bells 117 years since they were taken as war trophies by American soldiers. During the turn-over ceremony of the bells on Saturday, December 15, at the Balangiga […]





