MEXICO CITY, Dec 29, 2023 (AFP) – Gunmen killed six people at a party in northwestern Mexico on Friday, including an alleged criminal believed to have been targeted in the attack, authorities said. “Initial investigations indicate that it was a direct attack against the leader of a criminal group who had arrest warrants for attempted femicide, homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty and criminal association,” the Sonora state prosecutor’s office said. It said the unidentified target […]
North America
West Coast battered by rogue waves, leaving injuries and destruction in its wake
By Huw GRIFFITH LOS ANGELES, Dec 29, 2023 (AFP) – Huge surf was battering the US West Coast on Friday, with forecasters warning of more danger ahead after a rogue wave swept pedestrians off their feet and swamped a hotel. Rollers as high as 30 feet (nine meters) were expected to lash parts of California and Oregon as a powerful storm capped a year of wild — and often wet — weather for the region. […]
SpaceX launches secretive US military spacecraft on research mission
WASHINGTON, Dec 29, 2023 (AFP) – SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket blasted back into space on Thursday night to ferry the US military’s secretive X-37B drone to a research mission. After weeks of delays, the rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:07 pm Eastern Time (0107 GMT Friday) in a liftoff livestreamed on SpaceX’s website. It is unclear where exactly the uncrewed and autonomously operating spacecraft is headed on its seventh mission. […]
US state of Maine blocks Trump from its Republican presidential primary
By Anita Chang BEATTIE WASHINGTON, Dec 29, 2023 (AFP) – The US state of Maine on Thursday blocked former president Donald Trump from its Republican presidential primary ballot, becoming the second state to disqualify him over his role in the January 2021 assault on the US Capitol. Maine’s top election official, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, said in her ruling that the events of January 6, 2021 “occurred at the behest of, and with the […]
US releases final package of authorized military aid for Ukraine
WASHINGTON, Dec 27, 2023 (AFP) – The US government on Wednesday announced what it said was the last remaining package of weapons available for Ukraine under existing authorization, with Congress now needing to decide whether to keep supporting Kyiv’s battle against Russian invasion. “The year’s final package” includes air-defense and artillery munitions, the State Department said in a statement. It added that Congress, where Republicans are split on supporting Ukraine, should “act swiftly” to renew […]
Apple wins watch ban pause in US patent feud
WASHINGTON, Dec 27, 2023 (AFP) – A federal court handed Apple a victory on Wednesday by suspending a ban on the US sale of its latest watch models in a feud over patents with health company Masimo. “We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year,” an Apple spokesperson said in an email to AFP. “Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, including the […]
Miracle on I-94: Driver rescued after nearly week trapped
By Michael Mathes WASHINGTON, Dec 27, 2023 (AFP) – A man who crashed his truck under an Indiana bridge and was pinned for nearly a week in the wreckage — unable even to reach his cellphone — has been found alive in what was described as a miracle. Two men scouting for fishing holes Tuesday in Salt Creek, near the town of Portage, were hailed for discovering the gravely injured man, who told them he’d […]
White House urges ‘serious scrutiny’ of US Steel takeover deal
WASHINGTON, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – A proposed deal that would see US Steel Corp bought by Japan’s Nippon Steel should be closely investigated by American authorities, the White House said Thursday, warning it could have national security implications. Unveiling the planned transaction this week, the two companies depicted the deal as a marriage of the holders of top technologies that would boost steel output and accelerate efforts toward decarbonization. But US Steel’s possible sale […]
Supreme Court declines to fast-track Trump ‘absolute immunity’ case
By Chris Lefkow WASHINGTON, Dec 22, 2023 (AFP) – The US Supreme Court declined on Friday to immediately hear former president Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution, potentially delaying his 2020 election interference trial. Special Counsel Jack Smith had asked the nation’s highest court to take up the immunity case on an expedited basis, bypassing the federal court of appeals. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices […]
Colorado paramedics found guilty of negligent homicide in Elijah McClain’s death
WASHINGTON, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – A jury in the western US state of Colorado on Friday found two paramedics guilty of negligent homicide in the death of a Black man who was put in a chokehold and injected with ketamine during his arrest, US media said. The August 2019 death of Elijah McClain, an unarmed 23-year-old Black man, died several days after a struggle with police and after being injected with the sedative by […]
Colombian ex-soldier pleads guilty in Haiti president assassination plot
MIAMI, Dec 22, 2023 (AFP) – A former Colombian soldier pleaded guilty Friday in a US federal court to conspiracy to assassinate Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead in 2021 in Port-au-Prince. Mario Antonio Palacios, 45, pleaded guilty in a Miami federal court after entering into a cooperation agreement with prosecutors. Until agreeing to a plea deal, he had for months denied having had any role in the assassination of the former president. […]
Trump’s former lawyer Giuliani files for bankruptcy after $148M defamation verdict
By Nicolas REVISE with Chris LEFKOW in Washington NEW YORK, Dec 21, 2023 (AFP) – Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, just days after being ordered to pay $148 million in damages for defaming two Georgia poll workers. The former mayor of New York, in a bankruptcy petition seeking protection from his creditors, listed assets of between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities of between $100 million and […]
