Tag: US

Gunman on the run after five people shot dead in Texas

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2023 (AFP) – Police were searching for a gunman believed to have shot dead five Hondurans including an eight-year-old child at a house in Texas, the local sheriff said Saturday, in the latest mass shooting to hit the United States. Investigators believe the gunman had been firing his AR-15 style gun in a neighboring yard when the victims asked him to stop, as they were trying to get a baby to sleep, […]

DiCaprio and Scorsese talk ‘Killers’ as Rihanna hits CinemaCon

  LAS VEGAS, April 27, 2023 (AFP) – Martin Scorsese unveiled the first footage from his film “Killers of the Flower Moon” Thursday at CinemaCon, where his lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop superstar Rihanna were among the surprise guests. Dark Western “Killers” is Scorsese’s sixth movie with DiCaprio, and his tenth with Robert De Niro — but the first time the legendary director has ever brought his go-to A-listers together. A true story of […]

US climate activists smear paint on Degas sculpture enclosure

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 (AFP) – Climate activists attacked a famous Degas sculpture in a Washington museum Thursday, smearing its Plexiglas enclosure with paint. The French artist’s wax sculpture of ‘La petite danseuse de quatorze ans’ was attacked with stripes of red and black paint, the National Gallery of Art reported. The incident was one of the first of its kind in North America. The gallery said in a statement to AFP that the work […]

US growth cools in first quarter as recession fears deepen

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2023 (AFP) – US economic growth lost steam in the first quarter this year, said the Commerce Department on Thursday, as the possibility of a mild recession brews while consumer spending weakens. Consumption has provided a boost to the world’s biggest economy, giving it a strong start to 2023, but recent banking sector turmoil and rising interest rates are likely to weigh on the outlook. US gross domestic product rose at an […]

Meta surges as earnings beat expectations after belt tightening

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Shares in Facebook parent Meta surged Wednesday after the internet titan reported it made a profit of $5.7 billion in the first quarter of this year, beating forecasts after a massive wave of cost-cutting and layoffs. The profit came on revenue of $28.6 billion and as the number of people using Facebook every month grew to just shy of three billion, an earnings report […]

Biden, Yoon warn North Korea of nuclear response to any attack

by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol warned North Korea it would face a nuclear response and the “end” of the leadership there if Pyongyang uses its own arsenal. Speaking at the White House after Oval Office talks during only the second state visit so far in the Biden presidency, the two leaders said the US security shield for South […]

Netflix to invest $2.5 bn in South Korean content

by Claire LEE Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Netflix will invest $2.5 billion in South Korean content over the next four years, the streaming giant’s CEO Ted Sarandos announced after meeting with the country’s President Yoon Suk Yeol in Washington. South Korea has cemented its status as a global cultural powerhouse in recent years, thanks in part to the explosive success of the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” and the hit Netflix series “Squid Game”. […]

US prisoners compete in unique Louisiana rodeo

ANGOLA, United States (AFP) — At the sprawling Louisiana prison known as “Angola,” inmates clad in black and white stripes go toe-to-toe with horses and bulls at a unique rodeo event now in its 57th year. The rodeo, described on its website as the “wildest show in the south,” features about a dozen events in which prisoners and professional cowboys compete under the watchful eyes of prison guards and the viewing public. Like a typical […]

Biden, 80, expected to announce second term bid

by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden was expected to announce Tuesday he is running for a second term, plunging at the record age of 80 into a ferocious new White House campaign — and potential rematch against Donald Trump. “Stay tuned,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday. The Democrat was expected to release a video message, just as he did exactly four years ago […]

South Korea’s Yoon heads to US ahead of Biden summit

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol flew to Washington Monday for a six-day state visit, as the allies move to bulk up military cooperation over North Korea’s expanding nuclear threats. Pyongyang has conducted another record-breaking string of sanctions-defying launches this year, including test-firing the country’s first solid-fuel ballistic missile this month — a key technical breakthrough for Kim Jong Un’s military. In response, Yoon has pulled South Korea closer to […]

Whispers, hints, and non-denials ahead of supposed Biden 2024 launch

No one at the White House will openly tell you Joe Biden is announcing his 2024 re-election campaign next Tuesday. And no one will tell you he isn’t. Including Joe Biden. Asked by AFP as he crossed a sun-drenched Rose Garden on Friday whether he was announcing, the president playfully answered: “I don’t know.” Welcome to the Biden mystery reveal party. Here’s what we know. Major US media, led by The Washington Post, quoted multiple […]

US government personnel evacuated from Sudan’s capital

The US military evacuated American embassy staff from Khartoum, President Joe Biden said late Saturday, calling for an end to the “unconscionable” fighting in Sudan’s capital between the army and a paramilitary group. “Today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US Government personnel from Khartoum,” Biden said in a statement, adding that the embassy was “temporarily suspending operations.” As the violence entered its second week, Biden pushed for an […]