North America

Washington, Feb 8 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has fired two officials who had testified before the Congressional committee during the impeachment process by the House of Representatives, three days after he was acquitted by the Senate of all charges.

The two officers are the Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert on the National Security Council of the White House.

Washington, Feb 08 (PTI) China is doing a good job on its fight against the deadly coronavirus that has taken the lives of large number of people, President Donald Trump has said, adding that the US was helping them out.

"China is working very hard. Late last night, I had a very good talk with President Xi and we talked mostly about the coronavirus," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "I think they are doing a very professional job."

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 08 (APP): ISIL/Da’esh “remains at the centre of the transnational terrorism threat”, despite the loss of its last stronghold in Syria and the death of its leader, a senior UN official has told the Security Council.

In presenting the latest UN report on ISIL/Da’esh, Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, urged the international community to remain united in fighting the group’s reach, which extends to Africa, Europe and Asia.

NEW YORK, February 08 (APP): More than a hundred Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have expressed strong disapproval at President Donald Trump’s plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

An open letter, initiated by Democratic Congressmen Alan Lowenthal and Andy Levin, warned that Trump’s plan, which he calls “deal of the century'” would pave the way for a “permanent occupation of the West Bank.”

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — The United States has officially reacted to plans by Guinean president Alpha Conde to revise the consitution in a move aimed at running for a third term in office.

Condé announced in a statement this week that the country will hold a two-way vote on March 1 – for legislative elections and a controversial constitutional referendum.

US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, posted on Twitter that America was “concerned over Guinea’s current plan to hold legislative elections and a constitutional referendum on March 1.

HAVANA, Feb 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An award-winning Cuban dissident who was detained this week announced that he has been released without charge but barred from a planned trip to Europe for a meeting on human rights.

Guillermo Farinas, a 58-year-old psychologist, is a leading voice in the opposition to Cuba’s communist government and won the European Parliament’s Sakharov human rights prize in 2010.

Farinas was arrested Tuesday in the central city of Santa Clara, where he lives, as he planned to go to the Spanish Embassy in Havana to pick up travel documents.

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States criminalized transactions with Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa, saying it wanted to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to cede power.

Under the new sanctions, anyone in the United States will be banned from any transactions with Conviasa, which stands for Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios.

8 February 2020; AFP: The US economy saw an explosion of new hiring in January, possibly helped by mild weather but nonetheless getting the year off to an impressive start, according to key government data released Friday.

The surprising gain will be a boon to President Donald Trump, who has emerged intact from his impeachment and trial and can now trumpet his economic record as he battles to win re-election in November.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the European Union could team up to counter the dominance of China’s Huawei Technologies in next-generation 5G telecoms technology, but not if Washington continues to threaten tariffs against Brussels, a senior German conservative lawmaker said late on Friday.

Norbert Roettgen, a member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, said he told U.S. officials during a visit to Washington that he saw opportunities for greater transatlantic cooperation on 5G that would benefit both sides.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Mick Mulvaney will remain as his acting chief of staff amid media reports that the aide's future at the White House is in doubt.

"That was a false report. I have a great relationship with Mick," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for an event in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The president also said he has "a great relationship with Mark," referring to retiring North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, reportedly a possible replacement of Mulvaney.