by Brigitte DUSSEAU WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A dozen or so states are particularly important in the US presidential election — states where the race is tight and the outcome could throw the contest one way or the other. As their campaigns progress, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump spend increasing amounts of time in these battlegrounds, all but ignoring the rest of the country. The United States has an indirect electoral system in which […]
International
The US presidential election: a how-to guide
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The American presidential election falls this year on November 8. The quadrennial exercise always takes place on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, as prescribed by the US Constitution. How the voting system works The vote, by universal suffrage, is conducted in a single round in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (the city of Washington, which is not part of any state). Voters choose among […]
Trump v Clinton: the second TV debate
Details on the second TV debate between presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in St Louis, Missouri on October 9.
Antonio Guterres, refugee champion to UN chief
by Thomas Cabral LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Guterres, nominated Thursday to be the next UN secretary-general, is a self-described man of action who earned his stripes as the world body’s refugee chief, tirelessly pressing rich nations to do more. An engineer by training and fervent Catholic, Guterres, 67, fought unflaggingly for migrants’ rights over a decade as UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. He repeatedly […]
Hurricane toll in Haiti soars to 264: local media
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AFP) — The death toll in Haiti from Hurricane Matthew has risen to at least 264, local media Radio Television Caraibes reported on Thursday. The devastation in the poorest country in the Americas is concentrated in the southwest, which remains cut off two days after the Category Four storm hit. The previous official death toll stood at 108. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
Florida shelters quickly reach capacity, turning some away
by Leila MACOR JACKSONVILLE,United States (AFP) — Shelters along the eastern coast of Florida were jammed Thursday amid a frantic race to protect people and pets from the “potentially catastrophic” effects of Hurricane Matthew as the deadly storm barrels in from the Caribbean. The largest shelter in the quaint beach city of St. Augustine — founded in the 16th century by Spanish explorers — had reached its capacity of 500 people, and authorities were refusing […]
Creepy clown sightings spook America
by Jocelyne ZABLIT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A series of creepy clown sightings across the United States has caused a wave of hysteria, forcing police and schools to scramble to contain spreading jitters, and even the White House to weigh in. The spooky sightings were first reported in August in South Carolina when police were called in to investigate what turned out to be bogus accounts of men dressed as clowns trying to […]
International community slams fresh call for war in S.Sudan
NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) – The international community on Thursday hit out at a call from South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar for renewed war with the government, raising concerns about heavy fighting in recent weeks. Machar, the former vice president, last month urged “a popular armed resistance” against his rival Salva Kiir’s government, in a statement from Khartoum where he is in exile. In a joint statement, the European Union, Norway, the United States and […]
Deadly Hurricane Matthew strengthens, threatening US
MIAMI, United States (AFP) – by Kerry SHERIDAN with Daniel Woolls in Washington Residents of the US state of Florida scrambled to escape the path of Hurricane Matthews on Thursday as it pounded the Bahamas after leaving 27 people dead in the Caribbean. The storm, which is swirling near the northwest Bahamas, is expected to intensify to a Category Four hurricane as it moves northwest towards Florida. Matthew, the worst storm to hit the Caribbean […]
Syria army seizes rebel territory in heart of Aleppo
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – by Sara HUSSEIN Syrian government forces advanced against rebels inside Aleppo on Thursday, making their biggest gains in the ravaged city in years just hours after announcing they would ease their air bombardment. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said loyalist fighters now controlled around half of the Bustan al-Basha district near the centre of the divided metropolis. “It’s the most important advance for the regime in Aleppo since 2013,” said […]
Blast at Syria-Turkey border kills 20 rebels: monitor
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — At least 20 Syrian rebels were killed in a blast at a border crossing with Turkey on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based monitoring group said it was unclear what caused the blast at the Atme crossing between Turkey and the northern Syrian province of Idlib, adding that around 20 people had also been wounded. Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news agency confirmed the blast left 20 people dead […]
Hurricane Matthew pounds portions of central Bahamas: US monitor
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Deadly Hurricane Matthew was roaring through the central Bahamas early Thursday after leaving a trail of destruction in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, a US-based monitor reported. “Matthew (is) pounding portions of the central Bahamas,” the latest bulletin from the National Hurricane Center said, adding the storm was expected to intensify as it approaches the US state of Florida. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
