WASHINGTON, Sept 21, 2023 (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the US Congress on Thursday to face skeptical Republicans threatening to cut off massive aid for his country’s fight against Russia and to reassure his American backers that Ukraine can win. The United States has spearheaded Western support for Ukraine in its desperate fight against the full-scale invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2022. To date, more than $100 billion in […]
North America
US federal judge, 96, suspended over ‘mental fitness’
The oldest US federal judge, at age 96, was suspended from her duties Wednesday over questions about her mental competency, in a case evoking the debate over elderly politicians like Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Pauline Newman, an appellate court judge since 1984, was accused by colleagues of working too slowly and of frequently appearing confused, agitated and belligerent, which raised concerns of “disability,” according to the ruling by the Judicial Council of the US […]
Top US military officer approved after abortion dispute delay
By W.G. DUNLOP US senators voted Wednesday to confirm General Charles Brown as the country’s next top military officer, one of hundreds of nominations that have been stalled by a lawmaker’s protest against Pentagon abortion access policies. Brown was approved 83-11 and will become the second Black officer to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — after Colin Powell from 1989-1993 — at a time when the Pentagon is headed by Lloyd […]
President Biden urges UN to authorize international security mission in Haiti
UNITED NATIONS, United States, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden urged the United Nations on Tuesday to authorize a multinational “security support mission” led by Kenya to deal with gangs in strife-torn Haiti. “I call on the Security Council to authorize this mission now. The people of Haiti cannot wait much longer,” Biden told the UN General Assembly in New York. Haitian authorities and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been pleading for […]
India denies involvement in slaying of Sikh leader in Canada
NEW DELHI, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – India on Tuesday rejected the “absurd” allegation that its agents were behind the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bombshell accusation sent already sour diplomatic relations to a new low. Ottawa also expelled a diplomat it described as the head of India’s foreign intelligence service in Canada, prompting a tit-for-tat order from New Delhi for a Canadian diplomat to leave. Trudeau said […]
Musk says X could charge all users ‘small monthly payment’ to combat bots
PARIS, Sept 19, 2023 (AFP) – Elon Musk has sparked outrage among fans of his social media platform X by suggesting he might introduce a monthly fee for all users, in what would be the biggest shake-up since he took over the site then known as Twitter last October. During a talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Musk said that introducing a small monthly payment for X would combat the “armies of […]
Black bear captured after shutting down Disney World rides
MIAMI, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – An apparently hungry black bear forced a brief shutdown of some attractions at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida until it was captured, officials said. Local television station Fox 35 said more than a dozen popular rides at the Orlando theme park were closed after the bear was sighted in a tree, including the “Haunted Mansion” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “During the fall, bears are more active as […]
US finds debris from missing F-35
WASHINGTON, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – Debris from a stealth jet that went missing after the pilot ejected has been found, the US military said Monday, after a day in which failure to track the $80 million aircraft drew amazement and ridicule in equal measure. The debris field from the F-35 was found in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston (JBC), officials said in a statement posted on X, formerly […]
Too stealthy? US military jet disappears from skies
WASHINGTON, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – The US military scrambled Monday to locate a stealth jet that went missing after the pilot ejected — with the failure to track the aircraft drawing amazement and ridicule in equal measure. When the F-35 disappeared over South Carolina on Sunday, Joint Base Charleston (JBC) issued a plaintive call on social media asking for anyone who had information to call in. Flight tracking sites showed several search aircraft focused […]
US, Iran release prisoners in $6 billion swap deal
DOHA, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – Arch-foes the United States and Iran each released five detainees on Monday in a prisoner swap deal that also gives Tehran access to $6 billion in long-frozen oil funds. The five Americans freed by Iran, including a businessman arrested in 2015, landed in Doha just before 5:40 pm (1440 GMT) on a Qatari jet, hours after the unblocked funds were credited to Iranian accounts in Qatari banks. The five […]
Pres. Biden grants clemency to Iranians as US confirms prisoner swap
NEW YORK, Sept 18, 2023 (AFP) – The United States on Monday confirmed a prisoner swap with Iran and said that President Joe Biden had granted clemency to five Iranians jailed or awaiting trial for non-violent crimes. A US official said that seven US citizens were on a Qatari plane that departed Iran. They include three previously identified Americans — Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Sharqi — and two who wish to remain anonymous. […]
Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels
NEW YORK, Sept 17, 2023 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of New York on Sunday, calling for increased action against climate change ahead of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Taking up multiple city blocks, protesters from some 700 organizations and activist groups carried signs reading “Biden, end fossil fuels,” “Fossil fuels are killing us” and “I didn’t vote for fires and floods” in a demonstration that came […]