New York, United States | AFP | Ford is recalling 874,000 of its best-selling F-series pickup trucks due to fire risk from the engine block heater system, the company announced Friday. The problem occurs when there is corrosion in a connector in the engine block heater, which is used in …
Read More »UN fails to reach deal on budget shortfall as US funding dips
United Nations, United States | AFP | United Nations member states failed to come up with a deal Friday to make up for a $220 million budget black hole left by the United States downsizing its contribution to peacekeeping operations, diplomats said. The United States had paid around 28 percent …
Read More »US charges Chinese national for stealing energy company secrets
Washington, United States | AFP | The US Justice Department announced Friday the arrest of a Chinese national who allegedly stole trade secrets from a US oil company he worked for. Tan Hongjin, 35, was arrested on Thursday in Oklahoma where he lived as a permanent resident. The Justice Department …
Read More »US government shutdown would impact 800,000 federal employees
Washington, United States | AFP | A threatened shutdown of the US government would see hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed and many more working without pay. President Donald Trump warned Friday that a shutdown could last a “very long time” unless Democrats in the Senate join Republicans and …
Read More »US govt shuts down at midnight as House adjourns with no deal
Washington, United States | AFP | The US House of Representatives adjourned Friday without Congress passing a spending deal, assuring a partial government shutdown at midnight as President Donald Trump and lawmakers remain at odds over border wall funding. Operations for several key agencies will cease in the early hours …
Read More »Trump’s foreign policy in spotlight after military withdrawals
Washington, United States | AFP | US politicians and international allies scrambled Friday to make sense of President Donald Trump’s momentous foreign policy decisions for Syria and Afghanistan — epic reversals that prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to quit. Trump’s historic moves to pull out of Syria and slash troop …
Read More »No Christmas miracle expected as US govt shutdown looms
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Friday gave the clearest signal yet that the US government will partially shut down at midnight, likely leaving hundreds of thousands of federal employees with coal in their Christmas stockings instead of paychecks. Concern — and frustration — in Washington …
Read More »Boeing lands jet deals with Nigeria, Saudi for $9.3 bn
Paris, France | AFP | US planemaker Boeing on Friday said it had agreed deals worth an overall $9.3 billion to sell 50 jets to Nigeria’s Green Air and 30 to Saudi carrier flyadeal. The company lauded the Nigeria accord, which includes a further 50 options, as the largest signed …
Read More »US arrested 10,000 gang members in 2018: immigration agency
Miami, United States | AFP | The US this year arrested over 10,000 members of “transnational gangs,” its immigration enforcement agency announced Thursday — including over 2,000 members of MS-13, regularly cited as a threat by US President Donald Trump. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it also deported …
Read More »Apple risks iPhone ban in Germany after court case loss
Berlin, Germany | AFP | A German court on Thursday ruled in favour of US chipmaker Qualcomm in a patent dispute case against Apple, which could lead to a ban on sales of iPhones in Germany. This marks a second major win for Qualcomm in a month after a court …
Read More »