by Charlotte PLANTIVE Leonardo DiCaprio was in Washington Monday — not to press lawmakers on his environmental causes or to film another blockbuster hit, but rather to testify in a political corruption trial featuring a 90s hip-hop star and a disgraced Malaysian financier. Pras Michel, a member of the US musical trio The Fugees, is facing charges for allegations of helping to secretly funnel money from Low Taek Jho — the Malaysian businessman at the […]
North America
From the Cold War to the Ukraine war: NATO in brief
PARIS, France (AFP) — NATO is the world’s biggest military alliance, bringing together 30 European and North American countries who commit to defend each other in the event of attack. After Finland joins on Tuesday, it will have 31 members. The alliance was formed at the start of the Cold War to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression but its remit and reach have expanded over time. Here is a brief history […]
Police, journalists greet Trump but few New Yorkers
by Andrea BAMBINO and Celine GESRET Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Hoards of reporters, police and barriers greeted Donald Trump when he arrived at his Manhattan residence Monday — but only a small group of supporters. Just before midday, authorities closed off Trump Tower to the public, as a heavy police presence and barricades surrounded the building situated on Fifth Avenue. A tiny group of Trump supporters staged a demonstration that relied […]
Top Republican McCarthy to meet Taiwanese president in US
Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 4/3/2023 Republican US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday he would meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, a move China said would be a provocation. “On Wednesday, April 5, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be hosting a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library,” his office announced in a statement. China has warned the United States that it is “playing with fire” over […]
Trump heads into unknown as New York arraignment looms
by Gerard Martinez, with Michael Mathes in Washington Agence France-Presse WEST PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump is expected to fly Monday to New York for his historic arraignment on criminal charges, taking the United States and the office of the presidency into uncharted and potentially volatile territory. The 76-year-old billionaire was indicted last week by a grand jury on a series of counts related to a hush-money payment made to an adult […]
Squeezed by high costs, US tenants grapple with eviction
Alexandria, United States | AFP | Sunday 4/2/2023 by Beiyi SEOW For nearly eight years, driving for a ride-hailing platform and making deliveries helped Laine Carolyn pay her bills — but a sudden deterioration in health forced her to stop work and fall behind on rent. Carolyn, 32, is among an increased number of US tenants confronting eviction risks in the face of high inflation, elevated rents and with the end of pandemic-era aid. […]
Mexico: Two die when hot-air balloon catches fire
Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Sunday 4/2/2023 Two people have died after a hot-air balloon flying near Mexico’s famed Teotihuacan archeological site caught fire, the government said Saturday. “The passengers jumped from the balloon,” the government of the state of Mexico said in a statement, adding that a child suffered burns. It identified the victims as a 39-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, without providing their names. It said the minor had suffered second-degree […]
Deadly storms and tornadoes sweep through US
Washington, United States | AFP | The death toll from a major storm system that has lashed the south-central and eastern US with devastating winds and powerful tornadoes has risen to 18, with dozens of others injured, officials said Saturday. A spokesperson for the emergency management agency in Tennessee, one of the states hardest hit by storms which have struck since Friday, confirmed seven weather-related fatalities to AFP. That came on top of […]
‘Catastrophic’ tornado hits US state of Arkansas, leaves 24 injured
Washington, United States | AFP | Saturday 4/1/2023 A “catastrophic” tornado tore through the southern US state of Arkansas on Friday, and authorities said it caused “widespread damage” and left 24 people hospitalized. One witness, Lara Farrar, told AFP that damage in West Little Rock was “shocking” with roofs torn off buildings. No immediate fatalities were reported. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote that she had activated the National Guard to assist emergency services working […]
Florida lawmakers approve permit-free concealed weapons
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Residents in the US state of Florida will be able to carry concealed firearms without a license, according to legislation approved Thursday by the state’s Republican-led Senate and supported by Governor Ron DeSantis. The bill, which passed Florida’s House of Representatives last week, cleared the Senate on a 27-13 vote, at the state legislature in Tallahassee. When the measure becomes law, those wishing to carry a concealed weapon in public […]
Nine dead in crash of two US Army helicopters
by W.G. Dunlop Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Two US Army helicopters crashed during a nighttime training mission in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers on board, a general said Thursday. The crash — which involved variants of the Black Hawk designed for medical evacuation — was the deadliest such incident in more than eight years. The aircraft were flying in formation with pilots using night vision goggles during a routine training exercise, and […]
Trump indicted, first US president to face criminal charges
by Nicolas REVISE Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A New York grand jury on Thursday indicted Donald Trump over hush money payments made to a porn star, making him the first ever serving or former US president to face criminal charges. The historic indictment of the 76-year-old Republican — who denies all wrongdoing in connection with the payments made ahead of the 2016 election that sent him to the White House — […]