LOS ANGELES, Oct 6, 2023 (AFP) – A US man who groped a sleeping passenger on a plane was jailed Thursday for nearly two years. Mohammad Jawad Ansari, 50, put his hand on the inner thigh of a woman as she slept in the middle seat of a flight from Cleveland to Los Angeles in February 2020. The victim, who was wearing a dress, woke up and pushed Ansari’s hand away before leaving her seat […]
Tag: US
Trump told Australian businessman US nuclear subs secrets: report
WASHINGTON, Oct 6, 2023 (AFP) – Former president Donald Trump shared classified information about US nuclear submarines with an Australian businessman shortly after he left office, in a meeting at his Florida private members club Mar-a-Lago, US media said Thursday. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, identified the businessman as billionaire Anthony Pratt, who heads one of the world’s largest packaging companies. ABC News, which first revealed the story, said Pratt later shared sensitive […]
US warplanes shoot down Turkish drone in Syria, escalating tensions between NATO allies
By W.G. DUNLOP WASHINGTON, Oct 5, 2023 (AFP) – US warplanes on Thursday shot down a Turkish drone that was deemed a threat to American forces in Syria, the Pentagon said — an incident likely to raise tensions between the NATO allies. The shootdown came as Turkey targeted Kurdish forces in Syria following a suicide bombing in Ankara that was claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). US troops observed drones carrying out strikes early […]
NY Attorney General: “I will not be bullied” in $250 million civil fraud suit against Trump
By Andrea Bambino with Chris Lefkow in Washington NEW YORK, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – New York Attorney General Letitia James hit back at Donald Trump on Wednesday over his virulent attacks on the $250 million civil fraud suit she brought against him, saying she will “not be bullied.” “The Donald Trump show is over,” James told reporters after the 77-year-old former president left court at the midpoint of Wednesday’s proceedings. Before leaving, Trump railed […]
Taiwan to probe firms over Huawei chip plants in China
TAIPEI, Oct 5, 2023 (AFP) – Taipei has said it will investigate if Taiwanese firms that helped Huawei build semiconductor factories violated US sanctions against the Chinese tech giant. Huawei, a leader in 5G telecom equipment, has been at the centre of the intensifying US-China rivalry over advanced tech in recent years. The United States and its allies have curtailed its access to major markets and advanced tech — including chip making — over fears […]
Developing story: Five injured in Baltimore campus shooting: police
WASHINGTON, Oct 4, 2023 (AFP) – At least five people were injured in a shooting on a university campus in the eastern US city of Baltimore late Tuesday, police said. The shooting took place on the campus of the historically Black university Morgan State around 9:25 pm (0125 GMT on Wednesday), Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley told reporters. Five people between the ages of 18 and 22 had been injured in the incident, but none […]
US cracks down on fentanyl trafficking with sanctions on China-based network
WASHINGTON, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – The United States announced sanctions Tuesday on a China-based network for producing and distributing chemicals used to make drugs including those fueling a deadly national fentanyl crisis. President Joe Biden’s administration has made the fight against fentanyl a priority, with the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of deaths in recent years. The sanctions targets include 25 individuals and entities based in China, alongside three other parties in […]
Trial of disgraced crypto star Bankman-Fried begins
By Thomas URBAIN NEW YORK, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, former CEO of one of cryptocurrency’s biggest exchanges, began Tuesday with a jury set to determine if he committed massive fraud by stealing billions of dollars from clients. The 31-year-old — once one of the most respected figures in crypto — now faces decades in prison and could see his name stand alongside Bernie Madoff and Elizabeth Holmes as the […]
Trump admonished by New York fraud trial judge over online post
By Andréa BAMBINO NEW YORK, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial slapped a limited gag order on the former president after he insulted a court clerk in a social media post on Tuesday. “Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable,” Judge Arthur Engoron said as Trump sat at the defense table during the second day of his high-profile trial in a Manhattan courtroom. […]
Florida man convicted of two murders executed by lethal injection
MIAMI, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – A Florida man convicted of murdering two women in 1996 was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, local media said. Michael Zack, 54, was put to death at the Florida State Prison in the town of Raiford, the Pensacola News Journal reported. The newspaper said the lethal drug cocktail was administered at 6:02 pm and Zack was pronounced dead 12 minutes later. Zack was sentenced to death in 1997 […]
Meta plans to charge Europeans for ad free Facebook and Instagram: source
WASHINGTON, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – Meta is proposing to offer European users a subscription-based version of Instagram and Facebook if they would rather not be tracked for ads, a source said on Tuesday. The idea, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes as the social media giant seeks to comply with a growing list of EU regulations designed to curb the power of US big tech. The company founded by Mark Zuckerberg makes […]
United orders 110 new planes from Boeing, Airbus
By Daniel AVIS NEW YORK, Oct 3, 2023 (AFP) – United Airlines announced Tuesday it had ordered a total of 110 new planes from Boeing and Airbus, and secured options to purchase 90 more, in a major deal signaling confidence in the aviation sector. The US airline said in a statement it had ordered 50 Boeing 787-9 and 60 Airbus A321neo aircraft, with deliveries due to begin in 2028. The combined orders are worth $22.4 […]
