USA

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.

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.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- In its semi-annual monetary policy report delivered to Congress on Friday, the U.S. Federal Reserve said that the current stance of monetary policy was appropriate as downside risks to the U.S. economy had receded.

"Downside risks to the U.S. outlook seem to have receded in the latter part of the year (2019), as the conflicts over trade policy diminished somewhat, economic growth abroad showed signs of stabilizing, and financial conditions eased," the report said.

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — The younger of two students charged in a school shooting in suburban Denver that killed a classmate pleaded guilty on Friday under an agreement that gives him a chance to be paroled after serving about 25 years in prison.

Alec McKinney, 16, pleaded guilty to 17 felonies, including a first-degree murder charge, in the May 7, 2019, shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch that killed Kendrick Castillo, 18. He will be sentenced May 18.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The pilot of the helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe Bryant and eight others was almost out of blinding clouds when he suddenly plunged and crashed into a Southern California hillside, investigators and aviation experts indicated.

Ara Zobayan had told air traffic control he was climbing to 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) and he rose to 2,300 feet (701 meters), according to an investigative update released Friday from the National Transportation Safety Board.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential front-runners Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg beat back a barrage of attacks during a debate as rivals raised persistent questions about their ideology and experience, hoping to sow doubts about their ability to defeat President Donald Trump.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Extreme wind gusts, blowing snow and widespread flooding made traveling treacherous on Friday as a storm system moved into the northeastern United States, leaving rising water and at least five deaths in its wake across the South.