WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Friday announced a directive formalizing a policy of normalization with Cuba and unveiling a new round of loosened trade and travel rules. In a statement, Obama said the directive lays out an official framework for continuing normalization aimed at making it “irreversible.” “This new directive consolidates and builds upon the changes we’ve already made, promotes transparency by being clear about our policy and intentions, and […]
Tag: USA
US military closes a prison camp at Guantanamo Bay
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – by Thomas WATKINS The US military has closed a maximum-security detention center at Guantanamo Bay, an official said Thursday, as the controversial prison’s population continues to dwindle. Guantanamo’s Camp 5 lockup, built in 2004 at a cost of $17 million, closed August 19 and will be converted into a medical center with a psychiatric wing for detainees, facility spokesman Navy Captain John Filostrat told AFP. Only a “handful” of detainees had remained […]
Apple pickers take advantage of last weekend before school begins in Maryland, USA
Apple Trees in Poolesville, Maryland
Olympics: USA goes 5-0 as Thompson dumps slump
by Dan Martin RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — NBA marksman Klay Thompson shook off his Rio slump to net 30 points but the USA laboured again to defeat France Sunday as Olympic basketball heads for the knockout rounds. The 100-97 victory means the two-time defending gold medallists have won their group at 5-0 but must wait until Monday to learn their quarter-final opponent. Australia, meanwhile, beat Venezuela 81-56 to finish second in Group A […]
USA to head to Rio without James
NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — LeBron James was a glaring absentee from the United States Olympic lineup as USA Basketball unveiled its squad for the Rio Games on Monday (June 27). U.S. media reported last week that James, who led the Cavaliers to victory over the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game NBA Finals series, had asked USA Basketball to remove his name from Olympic consideration. The three-times NBA champion and four-times league Most […]
Russia wins annual Battle of Nations championship
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Reuters) — Fully equipped with armor and weapons, men and women from all over the world traveled back in time for the World Championships in Full Contact Medieval combat. The participants use weapons from the Middle ages in the championship, held in the Czech capital this year. The goal is to recreate the rawness of the medieval battle. Replicas of historical weapons like swords, axes or halberds are needed. The only difference […]
US warns Russia it will defend allies as NATO command passes
STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) Tuesday 5/3/2016 – US Defence Secretary Ash Carter warned Tuesday that NATO would defend its allies against Russian “aggression” as he presided over the passing of the alliance’s European command to a new general. Carter said NATO would “keep the door open for Russia” for cooperation on global security challenges if Moscow abandoned its “sabre-rattling”. “But it’s up to the Kremlin to decide. We don’t seek a cold, let alone hot, war with […]
Oregon native tribe uneasy with militia’s standoff over land rights
Members of the Native American tribe near Burns, Oregon, where an armed standoff between a self-styled militia and the federal government has been taking place, said they want the occupation of the land to end. At an emotional news conference in Burns, Oregon on Wednesday (January 6), tribal leaders denounced the occupiers’ claims that they want to help local residents, and said the protesters’ ignorance of the region’s real history was offensive. “We don’t got […]
Florida woman died after hospital thought she was faking: lawyers
A Florida woman who collapsed and later died after being arrested for refusing to leave a rural hospital emergency room may have lived if medical staff and police had not assumed she was faking illness, her lawyers said on Wednesday (January 6). Barbara Dawson, 57, complained of abdominal pains at Calhoun Liberty Hospital in the Florida Panhandle town of Blountsville five days before Christmas, but medical staff examined and released her. When she refused to […]
El Niño-strengthened storm brings rain, floods to California
An El Niño-strengthened storm brought widespread rain to drought-stricken California on Tuesday (January 05), triggering flooding that clogged roadways, and authorities warned residents about possible mud slides. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued flash flood watches for much of the coast from San Diego to San Francisco and said storms would linger through Friday (January 08). The service forecast widespread rain and mountain snow. The weather service warned of flooding on urban roads, as […]
Police officer in fatal S. Carolina shooting out on bail
A white police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man after a South Carolina traffic stop was released from jail on $500,000 bail on Monday (January 4). Michael Slager, a North Charleston police officer who was fired after the incident, was jailed since his April arrest in the death of Walter Scott, 50. The fatal shooting was caught on video by a bystander and intensified a national debate on […]
