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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday he “absolutely” agrees the Pentagon should create a new command dedicated to space, but he stopped short of fully endorsing President Donald Trump’s order to create a whole new Space Force. Trump in June ordered the creation of Space Force, which he said would become the sixth branch of the US military, arguing the Pentagon needs a dedicated service to tackle vulnerabilities […]
by Kerry Sheridan Agence France Presse TAMPA, United States (AFP) — NASA is poised to launch a $1.5 billion spacecraft on a brutally hot journey toward the Sun, offering scientists the closest-ever view of our strange and mysterious star. After the Parker Solar Probe blasts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on August 11, it will become the first spacecraft ever to fly through the Sun’s scorching atmosphere, known as the corona. Understanding how the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The first round of President Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs on China will hit the full $50 billion in goods starting August 23, the government announced Tuesday. Washington already imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese products on July 6. But it held off on a final $16 billion as a result of concerns raised by US companies. Although the move was expected, it cements the view that there appears to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The sharp diplomatic row between Saudi Arabia and Canada has left Washington — partners and allies of both — in a bind, but the State Department on Tuesday nevertheless urged Riyadh to respect due process for detained activists. Saudi Arabia has expelled Canada’s ambassador, recalled its own envoy and cut off trade ties with Ottawa after the US neighbor denounced a crackdown on rights activists in the kingdom. “Both sides […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — From the time of his electoral campaign, Donald Trump was one of the biggest opponents of Iran and the hard-won nuclear agreement, which he tore up in May. His stated aim is to stop Iran’s ballistic program and its influence in the Middle East. ‘Nuclear holocaust’ On August 16, 2015, the American billionnaire and Republican presidential frontrunner says that the nuclear accord with world powers will not prevent Iran from […]
by Javier Tovar Agence France-Presse CLEARLAKE OAKS, United States (AFP) — Two blazes mercilessly charring northern California have grown so rapidly that they became the US state’s largest in recorded history Monday, authorities said. Collectively dubbed the Mendocino Complex, the wildfires have burned through 283,800 acres (114,850 hectares) — an area nearly the size of the sprawling city of Los Angeles — and are just 30 percent contained, according to state fire authority CalFire. Two […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)–Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” did not fall off with movie fans, notching a second straight week atop the box office in North American theaters and besting new Disney film “Christopher Robin,” industry data showed Monday. “Fallout,” the sixth stunt-filled edition in the popular “M:I” franchise, took in $35.3 million in its second weekend of release, putting its total so far at $124.8 million, according to Exhibitor Relations. Critics […]
by Chris Lefkow Agence France-Presse ALEXANDRIA, United States (AFP) — Rick Gates, the prosecution’s star witness in the trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chief Paul Manafort, testified Monday that he conspired with his ex-boss to hide millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts from US tax authorities. In riveting testimony before a packed courtroom, the 46-year-old also admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Manafort during the decade the pair worked together […]
by Eric Randolph with Thomas Watkins in Washington Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — The leaders of Iran and the United States traded accusations Monday as the clock ticked down to Washington’s reimposition of sweeping sanctions on Tehran, which dismissed Donald Trump’s offer of talks on a new nuclear deal. After Trump told Iran to change its “destabilizing” behavior or risk further economic isolation — while leaving the door open to negotiation — Iranian President […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Internet giants launched an offensive Monday against far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who is now banned from Apple, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube. The move, described by Jones as a “coordinated communist-style crackdown,” came after months of criticism against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube calling for them to do more to combat disinformation and hate discourse. Jones, whose site InfoWars has accused victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting of […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador vowed Monday his country would not be threatened by a wall, in a thinly veiled rebuke to US President Donald Trump’s jabs across the border. “Mexico is going to become a power — and will change the balance of power. Nobody will threaten us that our borders will be closed or militarized,” warned Lopez Obrador, who takes office December 1. “This will be possible […]
by Eric Randolph with Thomas Watkins in Washington Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranians were bracing on Monday for the return of US sanctions against the backdrop of angry protests and a corruption crackdown that are roiling the embattled government of President Hassan Rouhani. The country has seen days of sporadic protests and strikes in multiple towns and cities driven by concerns over water shortages, the economy and wider anger at the political system. […]
