America

Issued on: 20/09/2020 – 05:19 An envelope addressed to the White House and intercepted by U.S. authorities contained a substance identified as ricin, a deadly poison that appeared to have been sent from Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Saturday. Advertising Read more An RCMP spokesman confirmed "it has received a request for assistance from the FBI in connection with a suspicious letter sent to the White House." The RCMP added "the FBI conducted an analysis on the substance found in the envelope. This report indicated the presence of ricin, a toxic substance." RCMP said it working with the FBI but declined to discuss further details. The envelope was intercepted at a government mail center before it arrived at the White House. Asked about the reports, the FBI said the agency and "U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service partners are investigating a suspicious letter received at a U.S. government mail facility. At this time, there is no kn..

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will nominate a woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, a move that would tip the court further to the right following the death of liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Advertising Read more "I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman," Trump said at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. "I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men." As Trump spoke, supporters chanted: "Fill that seat." He praised Ginsburg as a "legal giant … Her landmark rulings, fierce devotion to justice and her courageous battle against cancer inspire all Americans." Earlier, he praised two women as possible replacements: conservatives he elevated to federal appeals courts. Trump named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees for a lifetime appointment to the highest U.S. court. It would be his third appointment during his f..

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will nominate a woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, a move that would tip the court further to the right following the death of liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Advertising Read more "I will be putting forth a nominee next week. It will be a woman," Trump said at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. "I think it should be a woman because I actually like women much more than men." As Trump spoke, supporters chanted: "Fill that seat." He praised Ginsburg as a "legal giant … Her landmark rulings, fierce devotion to justice and her courageous battle against cancer inspire all Americans." Earlier, he praised two women as possible replacements: conservatives he elevated to federal appeals courts. Trump named Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th Circuit and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit as possible nominees for a lifetime appointment to the highest U.S. court. It would be his third appointment during his f..

Issued on: 20/09/2020 – 04:38 U.S. President Donald Trump said he supports a deal that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app in August. Advertising Read more He told reporters at the White House he backs the deal with TikTok owner ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart to create a new company that will assume TikTok's U.S. operations called TikTok Global. The U.S. Treasury said in a statement "Oracle will be responsible for key technology and security responsibilities to protect all U.S. user data. Approval of the transaction is subject to a closing with Oracle and Walmart and necessary documentation and conditions to be approved by" the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The Commerce Department said on Saturday it will delay by one week an order that had been set to take effect late Sunday that would stop Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc from offering TikTok in their U.S. app stores..

Issued on: 20/09/2020 – 04:38 U.S. President Donald Trump said he supports a deal that will allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, after threatening to ban the Chinese-owned app in August. Advertising Read more He told reporters at the White House he backs the deal with TikTok owner ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart to create a new company that will assume TikTok's U.S. operations called TikTok Global. The U.S. Treasury said in a statement "Oracle will be responsible for key technology and security responsibilities to protect all U.S. user data. Approval of the transaction is subject to a closing with Oracle and Walmart and necessary documentation and conditions to be approved by" the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The Commerce Department said on Saturday it will delay by one week an order that had been set to take effect late Sunday that would stop Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc from offering TikTok in their U.S. app stores..

Issued on: 19/09/2020 – 07:03 Peru's Congress voted against removing President Martín Vizcarra in an impeachment trial on Friday, quelling political tensions in the copper giant in the midst of an economic recession brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Advertising Read more The opposition-dominated Congress cast 32 votes in favor of ousting Vizcarra, short of the 87 out of 130 required to remove him from office on the grounds of "moral incapacity" over alleged links to a case of irregular government contracts with a little-known singer. There were 78 votes against the measure and 15 abstentions. Congress voted last week to begin impeachment proceedings, but Vizcarra was expected to survive the Friday ballot after key opposition lawmakers distanced themselves from the plan to oust him despite anger over an economic slump and a severe coronavirus outbreak. Vizcarra, who does not have his own party representation in the legislature, struck a defiant tone earlier on Frida..

Issued on: 18/09/2020 – 14:11 The closure of schools means increased inequalities for California students © France 24 screen grab In California, the 2020 school year has begun with 100 percent virtual instruction. With about 3,000 new Covid-19 cases being confirmed daily, the states 10,000 public schools will remain closed. And the governor says the closures could last the entire school year. That would put 7 million students and 300,000 teachers into the new world of distance learning. And that is where inequalities are emerging. Families with means are using private tutors and specRead More – Source [contf] [contfnew] france24 [contfnewc] [contfnewc]

Issued on: 18/09/2020 – 02:16 Bolivias conservative interim president, Jeanine Anez, on Thursday withdrew her candidacy for the Oct. 18 election, after opinion polls showed her lagging against the socialist party of ex-leader Evo Morales. Advertising Read more Anez made the announcement in a video message. She took office during a power vacuum late last year following an election that sparked widespread protests and eventually led to the resignation of long-term leader Morales. Anezs candidacy had sparked controversy, Read More – Source [contf] [contfnew] france24 [contfnewc] [contfnewc]

Issued on: 17/09/2020 – 17:09 A statue of a Spanish conquistador overlooking the Colombian city of Popayán has been torn down by members of indigenous groups in the latest case of a monument to a historical figure with links to racism or colonialism being targeted by protesters. Advertising Read more The statue of Sebastián de Belalcázar had stood above Popayán, the Colombian city he founded, since 1937. But on Wednesday, September 16, indigenous people armed with ropes pulled the statue from its pedestal, toppling what they say is a symbol of the country's colonial past. Images of the statue being pulled down were posted on social media and protesters could be heard cheering and celebrating as the structure toppled. It came amid a protest by the indigenous Misak, Nasa and Pijao communities against the "cultural and physical extermination" of native Colombians in the 500 years since Spanish conquest, AFP reported. De Belalcázar founded Popayán in 1537 during the Spanish..

Issued on: 17/09/2020 – 04:59 President Donald Trump expressed renewed confidence Wednesday that a viable Covid-19 vaccine would be ready by October, directly contradicting a top administration health expert and facing fierce criticism from his Democratic election rival Joe Biden. Advertising Read more Trump sowed confusion about the issue with an extraordinary public rebuke of one of his top health experts who said masks were a leading weapon for fighting the pandemic and that a vaccine was unlikely to be widely available until mid-2021. “I think he made a mistake when he said that. Thats just incorrect information,” Trump told reporters referring to Senate testimony by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield. “Were very close to that vaccine as you know… We think we can start sometime in October” or shortly thereafter, Trump said. “I believe he was confused,” he said of Redfield. “I am just telling you we are ready to go as soon as the vaccine ha..