Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday an “unidentified object” was shot down over northwestern Canada, one day after US officials said they had shot down a similar object over Alaska. “Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled, and a US F-22 successfully fired at the object,” Trudeau tweeted. I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and […]
North America
US shoots down ‘high-altitude object’ over Alaska
A US fighter jet shot down an unidentified object drifting high over Alaska on Friday, the White House said, just six days after the downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon sparked a fresh diplomatic rift with Beijing. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was unclear what the purpose or origin of the new object was, but said that it was taken down because, floating at 40,000 feet, it was a […]
Haitian schools becoming targets of violence: UNICEF
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Schools in Haiti, previously considered safe havens from the Caribbean nation’s turmoil, have become increasingly targeted by violent groups, UNICEF warned Thursday. The UN agency reported that since the beginning of the school year last October, 72 schools had seen acts of violence — including kidnappings, ransacking and looting — a nine-fold increase over a year ago. “This includes at least 13 schools targeted by armed groups, one school […]
Texas executes man who admitted murders but said trial was tainted
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US state of Texas on Wednesday executed a man sentenced to death for a triple murder despite claims by his lawyers that his trial was tainted by racial bias. John Balentine, a 54-year-old African American, received a lethal injection, nearly 25 years after he shot three white teenagers as they slept. Balentine was pronounced dead at 6:36 pm local time (0036 GMT Thursday) in the city of Huntsville, the […]
Two children killed in ‘deliberate’ bus crash into Quebec day care
by Anne-Sophie THILL and Justine LEBLOND Agence France-Presse LAVAL, Canada (AFP) — A bus driver rammed his vehicle into a day care center near Montreal Wednesday, killing two four-year-old children in what police believe was a deliberate act. One child died on the scene and another in an ambulance, Canadian authorities said, after several children were trapped under the vehicle when it slammed into the building in the suburb of Laval at around 8:30 am […]
Biden says US ‘not looking for conflict’ with China
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the United States is “not looking for conflict” with China despite tensions over the shooting down of what US officials say was a Chinese spy balloon. “We’re going to compete fully with China, but… we’re not looking for conflict — and that’s been the case so far,” he said in an interview with the PBS network. Biden’s comments apparently sought to defuse tensions over […]
As Biden calls for ceasefire, Republicans do battle
by Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Joe Biden may have preached unity but new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s frosty expression and the Republican jeers throughout the State of the Union speech told the story of a partisan night. In a potent reminder of how the balance of power has shifted, Biden delivered his annual address — and perhaps his pitch for another term in the White House — in the shadow […]
Pres. Biden urges US unity and vows to restore blue-collar pride
Washington, United States | AFP | Wednesday 2/8/2023 by Sebastian Smith and Shaun Tandon President Joe Biden touted America’s “unbroken” democracy and resurgent economy in an optimistic State of the Union speech Tuesday — as he sought to persuade skeptical voters that at 80 he still has what it takes to takes to run for reelection. Biden’s address before Congress and tens of millions of television viewers was a chance for the Democrat, who is […]
Developing story: US economy better positioned to grow than any ‘on Earth:’ Biden
Washington, United States | AFP | President Joe Biden said in an address to Congress Tuesday that the US economy is better positioned to grow “than any country on Earth,” despite disruptions from Covid-19 and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “The pandemic disrupted our supply chains and Putin’s unfair and brutal war in Ukraine disrupted energy supplies as well as food supplies,” Biden said during his State of the Union address. “But we’re better positioned than […]
Biden to urge US unity and ‘blue collar’ economic revival
by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden will tell Americans Tuesday that US democracy is “bruised” but “unbroken” in a State of the Union speech appealing to Republican opponents to unite in building a blue-collar economy, according to excerpts from the White House. Biden, who is expected soon to announce a bid for a second term, despite being already 80 years old, will use the address before the full […]
China says US shooting down balloon ‘damaged’ relations
BEIJING, China (AFP) — A US decision to shoot down a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed had veered off course has “seriously impacted and damaged” relations between the two countries, China’s foreign ministry said Monday. The aircraft, which Washington said was a spy balloon, had spent several days flying over North America, leading the United States to call off a planned visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Washington on Saturday said a […]
Northeast US, Canada gripped by Arctic blast
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A “generational” Arctic blast brought dangerously cold temperatures to swaths of the northeastern United States and Canada on Saturday, with forecasters warning that frostbite can occur in just five minutes. Atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire state, the wind-chill factor reached minus 78 degrees Celsius (minus 108 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. That broke the previous low recorded there of minus 74 C, the […]
