Tag: US

US launches missile strike against Syria; 59 precision-guided missiles hit airfield

PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump ordered a massive military strike against Syria on Thursday in retaliation for a chemical attack with a sarin-like nerve agent which Washington blames on President Bashar al-Assad. A White House official said 59 precision-guided missiles hit Shayrat Airfield in Syria, where the US believes Tuesday’s deadly attack was launched. The official had earlier given the number of missiles involved as 70. The missiles were blasted […]

Russia warns US over possible military action in Syria

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Russia warned the United States on Thursday that there could be “negative consequences” if Washington takes military action against Syria. “All responsibility if military action occurs will be on the shoulders of those who initiated such a doubtful tragic enterprise,” Russian Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told reporters following a closed-door Security Council meeting on Syria. Safronkov said he had been “frank” during the meeting, telling the council: “We have to […]

Trump on Xi: ‘We’re going to have a very, very great relationship’

PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump struck a positive note as he sat down to dinner Thursday with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying the pair are going to have “a very, very, great relationship.” “We’ve had a long discussion already and so far I have gotten nothing, absolutely nothing, but we have developed a friendship, I can see that,” Trump told reporters as he, Xi and their wives prepared […]

Brains of ‘super-agers’ don’t shrink as fast as others

by Kerry Sheridan MIAMI, United States (AFP) — As we age, our brain shrinks, but a select group of elders known as “super-agers” lose less brain volume than regular seniors, which may help them stay sharp, researchers said Tuesday. The findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association show that super-agers, 80 and older, have a significantly thicker brain cortex than people who are aging normally. The cortex is the largest part of the […]

Global stock markets edge higher ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Global stock markets moved tentatively higher on Tuesday, with a narrower United States trade deficit boosting Wall Street modestly ahead of a key US-China summit later this week, dealers said. European markets sloughed off earlier weakness caused by the Saint Petersburg metro attack Monday, which left 14 dead, dozens wounded and had initially sent investors rushing for haven investments like gold and the yen. US stocks also finished higher […]

Tesla now 2nd largest US automaker as competitors’ sales falter

    by Nova SAFO Agence France Presse CHICAGO, United States — Tesla on Monday became the second-largest United States car maker in terms of market capitalization, displacing Ford, whose sales lagged amid concerns about the ability of the US market to keep growing. Many major auto makers reported US sales declines in March compared to a year ago, but Tesla over the weekend said it saw a huge jump in vehicles delivered to consumers […]

Syrian people do not want Assad in power: US envoy to UN

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United States believes the Syrian people do not want President Bashar al-Assad to remain in power and does not accept that he could stand in elections, Ambassador Nikki Haley said Monday. Haley told a news conference that Assad is a “war criminal,” “a hindrance to peace for a long time” and that his treatment of Syrians was “disgusting.” The ambassador was asked about whether US Secretary of State […]

Tillerson will make first trip to UN for meeting on North Korea

  UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will make his first visit to the United Nations later this month to chair a UN Security Council meeting on North Korea, the US envoy said Monday. The April 28 meeting on non-proliferation and North Korea will be “timely” following a US-China summit this week, US Ambassador Nikki Haley told reporters. The United States holds the presidency of the Security Council […]

S. Korea, Japan, US hold drill against N. Korea submarines

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea, Japan and the United States held a joint naval exercise Monday aimed at countering missile threats from North Korean submarines, Seoul’s defense ministry said, amid mounting concerns over the hermit state’s weapons program. Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year. The three-day […]

Israel’s latest missile interceptor enters service

HATZOR, Israel (AFP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the latest addition to Israel’s missile defenses meant that those seeking to destroy the Jewish state would be endangering their own existence. He was speaking at a formal ceremony to hand the “David’s Sling” system from its developers over to its Israeli air force operators. The medium-range interceptor, developed with United States backing, is designed to fill the gap between the longer-range Arrow missile defence […]

US urges China to take ‘action’ against North Korea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump warned in an interview published Sunday that the United States is prepared to act unilaterally to deal with North Korea’s nuclear program if China proves unwilling to help. “Well, if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times of London. Trump’s comments come ahead of his meeting Thursday and […]

US imposes sanctions on N. Korean entities over nuclear program

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States Treasury hit 11 North Korean business representatives and an industrial firm with sanctions Friday, seeking to further isolate the country’s economy for pursuing nuclear weapons. Most of the officials were based in China and Russia for companies the Treasury said acquire materials, technology and financial support for North Korea’s defense industry. The company named to the sanctions blacklist was North Korea-based Paeksol Trading Corporation, which the Treasury […]