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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — One of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, Hope Hicks, has tested positive for Covid-19, US media reported Thursday. The White House would not officially confirm the reports from The New York Times, Bloomberg and other outlets that Hicks has the virus. The spotlight will immediately turn to Trump himself, since Hicks was traveling with him on Air Force One just this Tuesday to fly to Cleveland for the first presidential […]
by Michael Mathes, with Roberto Schmidt in Greensburg, Pennsylvania Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump scrambled Wednesday to quell an uproar over his failure to explicitly denounce white supremacist groups during his debate debacle with Joe Biden, who branded his election rival a “national embarrassment.” The bitter adversaries returned to the campaign trail one day after their off-the-rails showdown in Cleveland made headlines less for the substance than […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate passed a budget bill Wednesday that avoids an imminent government shutdown and extends funding weeks beyond the November 3 presidential election, after Democrats reached a deal with the White House and Republicans. The bipartisan text, which easily cleared the Senate 84 votes to 10 a week after it passed the House of Representatives, now goes to the White House. President Donald Trump would need to sign […]
NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) — A shallow 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the Pacific island nation of Tonga on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Despite the intensity of the quake, the Tonga Meteorological Service issued a brief statement saying there was no threat. The quake, downgraded from an initially reported magnitude 6.7, struck at a depth of 35 kilometres about 210 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of the country’s capital, […]
by Salima Lebel KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Kuwait prepared Wednesday to swear in its new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and to receive the body of his half-brother, the late ruler Sheikh Sabah who died in the US at the age of 91. The body of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, an acclaimed diplomat and mediator who ruled for 14 years, is expected to arrive in Kuwait City later on Wednesday. He died the day […]
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, regarded as the architect of the nation’s modern foreign policy, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, according to the royal court. “With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn… the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait,” said Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, the minister in charge of royal affairs, in a televised statement. State television had cut […]
CALISTOGA, United States (AFP) — Two California wildfires that ravaged Napa’s famous wine region and killed three people exploded in size Tuesday as firefighters faced a weeks-long battle to contain the blazes. The so-called Glass Fire enveloping some of northern California’s world-famous vineyards has scorched 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) and remains zero percent contained, despite the efforts of some 1,500 firefighters. Celebrated Napa wineries such as Chateau Boswell and part of Castello di Amorosa have […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Disney announced Tuesday it will cut 28,000 jobs from its US parks and experiences division, pointing to depressed demand caused by the coronavirus and uncertainty on when it will recover. The cuts were needed in light of social distancing requirements, exacerbated by tough restrictions imposed by the California state government, the company said in a press release. About two-thirds of the affected employees are part-time staff. “Over the past […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York’s daily rate of positive coronavirus tests climbed to 3.25 percent over the last 24 hours, with a sharp increase in cases among Orthodox Jewish communities, authorities said Tuesday. The elevated rate, which was at 1.93 percent just the day before, marks a worrisome step for a city that has made drastic progress in fighting the coronavirus. New York City, where more than 23,800 people have died of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The World Bank on Tuesday said it has asked its board of directors to approve $12 billion to help poor countries purchase and distribute eventual vaccines against Covid-19. The bank has already implemented emergency response programs in 111 countries and the extra money, if approved, would be aimed at low- and middle-income countries. “An effective and safe Covid-19 vaccine is the most promising path forward for the world to reopen […]
by Saul Loeb with Sebastian Smith in Washington CLEVELAND, United States (AFP) — Frontrunner Joe Biden and an increasingly struggling Donald Trump traded jabs Tuesday hours ahead of a first presidential debate that promised to be as nasty and unpredictable a clash as American voters have ever seen. Before they’d even met on the stage in Cleveland for the first of three 90-minute live television showdowns, Biden made public his tax returns to capitalize on […]
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Up to 100 million additional doses of any eventual safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines will be secured for delivery to poorer countries in 2021, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced Tuesday. The announcement means 200 million doses have been secured from the Serum Institute of India, following a previous announcement in August from Gavi and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that they had secured an initial 100 million doses from SII, […]
