North America

08 Jan 2019; DW: The Trump administration has downgraded the diplomatic status of the European Union's delegation to the United States, an EU official has confirmed to DW. The demotion happened at the end of last year without notice.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- World Bank Group (WBG) President Jim Yong Kim announced on Monday that he will be stepping down from his position after more than six years at the international lending institution.

World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva will assume the role of interim president effective Feb. 1, the World Bank said in a statement.

Kim's resignation from the World Bank came unexpected as he was appointed to a second five-year term as president of the multilateral development bank in 2016.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nearly half of the 11,466 federal employees in Alaska have been furloughed or working without pay because of a partial government shutdown in Washington, local news outlet said Sunday.

About 5,624 people who are in unappropriated status are waiting for President Trump to strike a deal with Congress on any solution that facilitates re-opening of the federal government, so that they can get paid in time, the Must Read Alaska reported.

New York, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- New York City has raised its minimum wage to 15 U.S. dollars an hour this year in an effort to fight against poverty.

The new minimum wage, which is set at 15 dollars per hour for all businesses with 11 employees or more, went into effect on the last day of 2018.

For businesses with 10 employees or less, the minimum wage they have to pay is 13.5 dollars per hour. By the end of this year, these businesses will also have to pay 15 dollars an hour to their employees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expressing optimism about trade negotiations with China as U.S. officials are expected in Beijing for talks aimed at easing a trade battle.

Trump said Sunday he spoke recently to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump says: “I really believe they want to make a deal. The tariffs have absolutely hurt China very badly.”

After several tit-for-tat tariff increases, the leaders agreed Dec. 1 to postpone further hikes. American officials are due in Beijing Monday.

Both governments face pressure to reach a settlement.

06 Jan 2019; DW: The US national security adviser signals a pause in planned troop withdrawals. The move abruptly announced by President Trump last month was initially expected to be completed within weeks.

US troops will not leave northeastern Syria until "Islamic State" (IS) militants are completely routed and US-allied Kurdish fighters are protected, US President Donald Trump's national security adviser said on Sunday.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The White House has sent national security adviser John Bolton on a mission to allay Israel’s concerns about President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

The pullout announced before Christmas was initially expected to be completed within weeks, but the timetable has slowed as the president acceded to requests from aides, allies and members of Congress for a more orderly drawdown.

PHOENIX (AP) — A woman said to have been in a vegetative state for at least a decade at a private health care facility in Phoenix reportedly gave birth recently, triggering a police investigation and reviews by state agencies in a situation that the state governor’s office called “deeply troubling.’”

Azfamily.com, a news website for television stations KPHO and KTVK, first reported late Thursday that, according to sources not identified by the website, a woman gave birth Dec. 29 living at a Hacienda HealthCare facility where the staff was unaware that she was pregnant.

Police in California on Saturday said three people were killed and four were injured in a shooting at a bowling alley near Los Angeles.

Sergeant Ronald Harris of the Torrance Police Department confirmed to AFP that officers responded at 11:54 pm on Friday to reports of gunfire at Gable House Bowl.

He added all seven victims were male. Three were pronounced dead at the scene, with two others taken to hospital.

Witnesses told The Los Angeles Times there had been a fight at the gaming complex.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Senior Trump administration officials and Democratic congressional staffers met Saturday without achieving any breakthrough in ending a partial government shutdown and breaking a deadlock over funding for a proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.

A readout provided by the office of Vice President Mike Pence, who led the administration's team, said "the conversation was productive" and both sides agreed to meet again Sunday afternoon.