NEW YORK (AFP) – New York’s iconic Flatiron Building was auctioned off Tuesday for $161 million to a group of investors led by real estate developer Jeffrey Gural, after the previous bidding’s winner failed to complete the transaction, organizers said. The sale of the world-famous skyscraper took place outdoors in lower Manhattan with seven bidders registered and about a hundred people present, Mannion Auctions told AFP. The property — on a wedge-shaped lot at the […]
North America
Mexico keeps close watch on ash-spewing volcano
SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — A volcano southeast of the Mexican capital spewed more gas and ash into the sky on Tuesday as authorities maintained their warning level at one step below red alert. Dozens of shelters have been opened near Popocatepetl — located around 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) from Mexico City — which has seen various periods of increased activity since awakening from decades-long slumber in 1994. The government is […]
Canada wildfire fight turns corner after rain
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — A weeks-long battle against wildfires in western Canada finally reached a “turning point” on Monday with scattered rains reported over hotspots and more precipitation to come, officials said. The wildfires in Alberta province have displaced tens of thousands of people and scorched more than 945,000 hectares. “We have received rain, I understand, on almost every wildfire that’s currently burning in the province except those in the far north,” Christie Tucker of […]
What happens if the US fails to raise its debt ceiling?
By Beiyi SEOW, Daniel AVIS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden and Republicans in Congress have resumed crunch talks aimed at averting a damaging US debt default, which Treasury officials recently warned could come as early as June 1. Biden has maintained that default would have “catastrophic” consequences, and is urging Republicans to agree to a “clean” increase to US borrowing limits — known as the debt ceiling — before […]
US states reach agreement to save dwindling Colorado River
By Huw GRIFFITH Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Western US states said Monday they have reached an agreement to cut the amount of water they take from the dwindling Colorado River, which is threatened by a quarter of a century of drought and worsening climate conditions. The plan comes after years of bitter wrangling, with states refusing to give ground even as the water course has reached crisis point, threatening drinking […]
Three years after George Floyd: hopes dashed, progress mixed
By Inès BEL AIBA Agence France-Presse MINNEAPOLIS, May 22, 2023 (AFP) – It’s been nearly three years since a white police officer put his knee on George Floyd’s neck, asphyxiating the African-American man and sparking mass protests against racism and police violence. As the anniversary approaches of the May 25, 2020 killing — which was captured on video and went viral around the world — AFP came back to ask his aunt, a protester, […]
Montana TikTok ban unrealistic and misguided: experts
By Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — A total ban of TikTok in the US state of Montana is set up to face an epic battle in the courts, but many experts wonder whether the law is even technically possible. Montana is the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year as debate escalates over the impact and security of the popular video app […]
Blinken condemns attack on US convoy in Nigeria
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday vowed that the United States would hold accountable the perpetrators behind a deadly attack on a US convoy in Nigeria which he said had been involved in a flood response. No group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack in Nigeria’s southeast Anambra State, but an outlawed separatist group has been blamed for repeated raids on police and security services in the region. “We […]
Canada seeks foreign help to fight spreading wildfires
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada called for foreign help Wednesday to combat wildfires burning out of control and spreading across vast swathes of the western half of the country. The fires that have devastated the oil-producing Alberta province have in recent days spread to neighboring British Columbia and Saskatchewan as well as the Northwest Territories. Some 2,500 firefighters from across Canada backed by 400 military personnel have been deployed across Alberta to try to tame […]
Prince Harry, Meghan in ‘near catastrophic’ car chase: spokesperson
NEW YORK, May 17, 2023 (AFP) – Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi in New York, a spokesperson for the couple said Wednesday. The incident happened on Tuesday night after Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, attended an awards ceremony in America’s financial capital. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was with them in the vehicle, the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to AFP. “Last night, The […]
Theranos founder Holmes ordered to prison, pay victims
SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2023 (AFP) – Fallen US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes must begin serving prison time after a judge denied her latest request to remain free while appealing her fraud conviction. Holmes was sentenced to just over 11 years in prison for defrauding investors with her Silicon Valley start-up Theranos. She was scheduled to begin serving prison time on April 27, but her lawyers lodged a last-minute appeal on procedural issues after an […]
Biden cuts back Asia tour as hopes rise of debt deal
By Daniel AVIS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden and opposition Republican leaders on Tuesday offered hope of a deal that could avoid a catastrophic US debt default, although the president was forced to shorten an upcoming Asia tour for further crisis talks. After the latest negotiations ended without a breakthrough, Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters there was still “a lot of work to do” to break the high-stakes standoff […]