International

US, Mexico play up increased security cooperation

by Dave Clark / Joshua Howat Berger Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted Friday the US and Mexico are bolstering cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, brushing aside concerns about the impact of his boss Donald Trump’s anti-Mexican barbs. The US-Mexican relationship has been strained by Trump’s attacks on Mexican immigrants and the North American Free Trade Agreement — and his insistence on building a border wall. Critics say […]

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Arms dealer indicted for ammo sold to Las Vegas shooter

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – An Arizona man was charged Friday with making armor-piercing ammunition without a license and selling it to the Las Vegas gunman whose October killing spree left 58 concert-goers dead. Stephen Paddock, 64, killed himself after the rampage carried out from his hotel suite on Las Vegas’ famed Strip on October 1 — the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history. Douglas Haig, 55, is charged with one count of conspiracy to […]

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Trump, Republicans release memo targeting FBI’s Russia probe

by Paul HANDLEY / Andrew BEATTY Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Donald Trump and his Republican allies unleashed a controversial memo accusing the FBI of bias and abuse of power Friday, intensifying a high-stakes fight between the White House and prosecutors investigating the president’s campaign team. Trump defied his own FBI director and the Justice Department to declassify the four-page Republican document, which implies malfeasance and partisanship at the very top of American law enforcement. […]

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Outgoing Fed chief Yellen says no Wall Street ‘bubble’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Outgoing Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen said Friday she did not believe the major gains on Wall Street in recent months qualified as a “bubble,” but nevertheless warned investors to remain cautious. Yellen, who leaves her post on Saturday and will be replaced on Monday by Jerome Powell, made the comments in an interview with PBS television before the Dow closed down more than 650 points, its biggest drop since June 2016. […]

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Golf: Fowler, DeChambeau top Phoenix leaderboard

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Rickie Fowler survived late miscues to share the lead at the US PGA Tour Phoenix Open alongside Bryson DeChambeau on Friday, as two-time defending champion Hideki Matsuyama withdrew injured. Fowler, ranked seventh in the world, got off to a blazing start at TPC Scottsdale with four birdies in his first six holes. He finished with seven birdies in his five-under 66 for 10-under 132. He pushed his lead to as […]

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N. Korea flouts sanctions, earning $200 mln from banned exports: UN

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – North Korea is flouting UN sanctions by exporting coal, iron, steel and other commodities banned under UN sanctions, earning nearly $200 million in revenue last year, a UN report said Friday. A UN panel of experts also found evidence of North Korea’s ongoing military cooperation with Syria to develop its ballistic missile and chemical weapons programs, and with Myanmar. North Korea “continued to export almost all the commodities prohibited in the […]

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Football: Champions League need unites Liverpool and Tottenham

by Kieran CANNING Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will be separated by just two points, but united in one ambition when they meet at Anfield on Sunday with a top-four finish imperative for both. Failing to earn a Champions League place could stall the steady progress overseen by Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino. Klopp’s men hold a marginal advantage as they sit third, two points ahead of Spurs, who are fifth, […]

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Christopher Wray, ‘low key’ FBI director in eye of the storm

by Chris Lefkow Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Christopher Wray, President Donald Trump’s hand-picked FBI director, told senators during his confirmation hearing not to be put off by his soft-spoken manner. “No one should mistake my low-key demeanor as a lack of resolve,” Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Anybody who thinks that I would be pulling punches as the FBI director sure doesn’t know me very well.” Just six months into the job, the […]

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Nassar hearing halted as father lunges at disgraced doctor

by Nova SAFO Agence France-Presse CHICAGO, United States (AFP) – A father whose three daughters say they were sexually abused by Larry Nassar lunged at the disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor in a Michigan courtroom Friday, bringing his sentencing hearing to an abrupt halt while order was restored. The disruption came on the last day of victim impact statements before Nassar — already condemned to spend dozens of years behind bars on child sex abuse and pornography […]

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Disputed memo alleging FBI abuse released on Trump’s okay

by Paul HANDLEY / Jerome CARTILLIER Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – The US Congress released a Republican memo Friday alleging abuse of power in investigations of Donald Trump’s election campaign, after the president accused his own Justice Department and FBI of bias against him. In authorizing the explosive move — denounced by his opponents as a bid to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of his team’s ties with Russia — Trump set up an extraordinary […]

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Five dead after two army helicopters crash in France

  MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — Five people were killed Friday after two army helicopters crashed near the southern French resort town of Saint-Tropez, police said. “The helicopters collided. There were three crew in one and two in the other. All are dead,” police said in the nearby town of Brignoles, adding that one body had still to be recovered from the wreckage. The Var region prefecture said two army aviation service helicopters based at nearby […]

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Fear and diplomacy fuel Qatar’s military spending

by David Harding Agence France-Presse DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Since the Qatar diplomatic crisis started, one response by the emirate has become increasingly clear — Doha is using its extraordinary wealth to fund a massive push in defense spending. A flurry of military contracts have followed since Saudi Arabia and its allies dramatically cut all ties with Qatar last June, accusing the 2022 World Cup host of sponsoring terrorism and cosying up to Riyadh’s bitter regional rival, […]

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