North America

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday sanctioned two Chinese shipping companies suspected of helping North Korea evade sanctions — the first targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since its nuclear negotiations with the U.S. in Hanoi last month ended without agreement.

“The maritime industry must do more to stop North Korea’s illicit shipping practices,” Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton tweeted. “Everyone should take notice and review their own activities to ensure they are not involved in North Korea’s sanctions evasion.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — By the time California’s presidential primary election arrived in 2016, Bernie Sanders was a beaten man. This time around, everything has changed.

The senator from Vermont was an insurgent outsider three years ago in a head-to-head race against Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state whose grip on the Democratic nomination was effectively unshakeable by the time California’s primary was held in June that year.

22 Mar 2019; AFP: The five largest publicly listed oil and gas majors have spent $1 billion since the 2015 Paris climate deal on public relations or lobbying that is "overwhelmingly in conflict" with the landmark accord's goals, a watchdog said Friday.

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 U.S. states face an elevated risk for flooding through May, with the potential for major or moderate flooding in 25 states, according to an outlook released Thursday by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The majority of the country is favored to experience above-average precipitation this spring, increasing the flood risk, said the outlook.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged after concluding a two-day policy meeting, in a move that met market expectations and reflected the central bank's patient approach regarding monetary policy changes.

In support of the goals of fostering maximum employment and price stability, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent, the central bank said in a statement.

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI) The United States will continue to impose additional import tariff on Chinese products till the time a trade deal is reached with the country, President Donald Trump has said.

"We're not talking about removing them. We're talking about leaving them for a substantial period of time, because we have to make sure that if we do the deal with China that China lives by the deal," Trump told reporters on the south lawns of the White House Wednesday.

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI) Donald Trump has prioritised peace efforts in Afghanistan and his special envoy has initiated direct talks with the Taliban, but the US President will not accept a "bad deal" on efforts to end America's longest war, the White House has said.

According to a senior Trump administration official, America has "contingency" plans, which might involve "military options" if the peace talks fail to yield desired results.

19 Mar 2019; AFP: President Donald Trump heaped praise Tuesday on right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro -- and received plenty back -- in announcing a special relationship that he said could even see the Latin American country join NATO.

At a joint news conference on the sun-soaked Rose Garden lawn, Trump and the man dubbed "Trump of the Tropics" let the mutual compliments flow.

20 Mar 2019; DW: The investigation claims at least 14 civilians were killed as a result of airstrikes targeting al-Shabab insurgents. US-led airstrikes in Somalia have tripled under the Trump administration and look set to increase.

A damning new report by Amnesty International accuses US military forces of killing at least 14 civilians and injuring eight others in Somalia over the past two years.

19 Mar 2019; DW: A US jury concluded on Tuesday that the Roundup weed killer was a "substantial factor" in causing cancer in a 70-year-old California man.

The ruling is a blow to Bayer, whose subsidiary Monsanto makes the herbicide. The trial could pave the way for more cases linking glyphosate in Roundup to the development of cancer.

Details of the case: