International

Florida Republican Rubio re-elected to US Senate: networks

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Republican US Senator Marco Rubio, once a rival to Donald Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, won his bid for re-election in Florida, a state disappointed Democrats had hoped to reclaim, networks projected Tuesday. The 45-year-old Rubio beat back a challenge from Democrat Patrick Murphy to hold onto his US Senate seat and win a second term. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

George W Bush votes ‘none of the above’ in US election

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — George W. Bush cast a protest vote of sorts in the US election, with an aide saying Tuesday the former president chose “none of the above” rather than fellow Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Hillary Clinton. Bush had previously signaled that he intended to sit out the race, after his younger brother Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, was defeated in the 2016 Republican Party primary. “President and Mrs. […]

Clinton, Trump notch early wins as US polls start closing

by Jennie MATTHEW / With Dave Clark in Washington NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump locked up their first state wins Tuesday as polling stations closed in the eastern United States, with the world waiting anxiously to see who will head to the White House. Some 200 million Americans were asked to make a historic choice — between electing the nation’s first woman president, or handing the reins of power […]

In Paris, ‘almost’ foolproof Harry’s Bar votes Hillary

by Gina DOGGETT PARIS, France (AFP) — Hillary Clinton scored a landslide victory Tuesday in a traditional Harry’s Bar “straw poll”, garnering 513 votes to 188 for Donald Trump at the legendary Paris watering hole. “Harry’s Bar never fails” to pick the winner, the owner Isabelle MacElhone told AFP before adding: “Well, hardly ever.” In fact, Harry’s has missed the mark only twice in nine decades — first when Democrat Jimmy Carter won in 1976 […]

California polling site on lockdown after shooting: reports

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two polling stations in California were placed on lockdown Tuesday following a nearby shooting that killed one person and wounded three, the authorities said. The shooting took place in early afternoon in the city of Azusa, 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, Vanessa Lozano, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told AFP. Officers arriving at the scene found “multiple shooting victims” and came under fire, Azusa […]

Trump in last-minute appeal to voters: ‘Don’t let up

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Republican White House nominee Donald Trump on Tuesday made a last-minute appeal to voters to turn out, saying the election was “far from over,” just a few hours before the first East Coast polling stations close. Trump was looking to garner 11th hour votes in some key battleground states including Florida — without the Sunshine State, his path to the US presidency is slim at best. “Don’t let up, […]

US music stars rally voters on social media

NEW YORK, United States (AFP)Top US musicians took to social media Tuesday urging fans to vote after a presidential campaign in which celebrities overwhelmingly backed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Pop superstar Taylor Swift — who had been silent about the election — posted a picture of herself on Instagram dressed casually as she waited in a long line at a polling station. Although Swift — who performed at the 2008 Republican convention but generally stays […]

Decision time for Americans: Clinton or Trump

by Ivan Couronne, with Michael Mathes in Washington NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Millions of Americans voted Tuesday for their new leader in a historic election that will either elevate Democrat Hillary Clinton as their first woman president or hand power to maverick populist Donald Trump. As the world held its collective breath, Americans were called to choose between two radically different visions for the most powerful nation on Earth. While Clinton has a […]

Iraqi Kurds seize IS-held town near Mosul

BASHIQA, Iraq (AFP) – by Maya Gebeily with Delil Souleiman in Ain Issa, Syria Iraqi Kurdish forces have seized the town of Bashiqa near Mosul from the Islamic State group, an official said Tuesday, as US-backed militia forces advanced on the jihadists’ Syrian stronghold Raqa. Capturing Bashiqa would be one of the final steps in securing the eastern approaches to Mosul, three weeks into an offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the country’s second city. Iraqi […]

Clinton casts her vote in historic US election

CHAPPAQUA, United States (AFP) – Hillary Clinton cast her ballot early Tuesday as the extraordinary US presidential race draws to a close, with the divided nation choosing whether to elect its first woman president or populist Donald Trump. Chanting “Madam President,” about 150 supporters turned out to cheer on the Democratic nominee who voted with husband Bill Clinton at an elementary school near their home in Chappaqua, New York. “I’m so happy, I’m just incredibly happy,” […]

New Hampshire hamlet gets US Election Day rolling

DIXVILLE NOTCH, United States (AFP) — The US presidential election got underway — on a small scale — as seven people in a tiny New Hampshire village cast their ballots at the stroke of midnight. Dixville Notch has had the honor of launching the voting, symbolically, since 1960. A man named Clay Smith was the first of the seven residents — five men and two women — to cast ballots as Tuesday’s long awaited Election […]

Obamas join Clinton at Philadelphia rally

by Andrew BEATTY PHILADELPHIA, United States (AFP) — Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday made an Election Eve show of political force at a massive rally in Philadelphia — with her president husband Bill, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle at her side. Clinton urged the roughly 40,000 people gathered near Independence Hall — where the Founding Fathers adopted both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution — to reject her “loose […]