North America

Another deadly terror in Florida - one suspect killed

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Police in the Florida city of Jacksonville said Sunday a mass shooting has led to multiple fatalities, and the lone shooter is dead at the scene.

"Multiple fatalities at the scene, many transported," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said on twitter, following up on earlier reports of the shooting in Jacksonville Landing, a downtown market place.

The police said that one suspect, a white male, has been killed, and that after thorough search of the shooting scene it was determined that the shooter acted alone.

U.S. 2nd Fleet to extend boundary to Russia: senior Pentagon official

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A senior U.S. Navy official said Friday that the U.S. 2nd Fleet will expand its operation space past the Arctic Circle and reach close to Russia.

"A new 2nd Fleet increases our strategic flexibility to respond - from the Eastern Seaboard to the Barents Sea," Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson said aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which is currently at Norfolk in the U.S. state of Virginia.

US-China trade talks end with no breakthrough

Washington, Aug 24 (AP) US and Chinese negotiators ended two days of meetings without breaking a deadlock over trade that has unnerved financial markets and disrupted global commerce.

The delegations "exchanged views on how to achieve fairness, balance and reciprocity in the economic relationship," Lindsay Walters, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. She did not mention further talks.

A Chinese Commerce Ministry statement said the talks were "constructive and frank" but gave no details. It said the two sides would "maintain contact."

UN meet brings together civil society, young people to address global challenges

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 67th United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization Conference kicked off Wednesday, bringing together some 2,000 representatives from over 300 non-governmental organizations to discuss issues of global concern.

Alison Smale, under secretary-general for global communications, UN Department of Public Information, said stronger links to civil society provide the greatest chance for dealing with global problems that no country can solve alone.

Prisoners in US strike to protest 'modern slavery'

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON; 22 Aug 2018; AA: Inmates in at least 17 U.S. states on Tuesday began one of the largest prison strikes in U.S. history.

The strike, which is scheduled to last until Sept. 9, is being led by inmates of the legal group Jailhouse Lawyers Speak.

The group said prisoners will take part in work strikes, sit-ins, and hunger strikes.

US hits Chinese pipes with 132% import duties

On the eve of renewing talks to try to defuse the spiraling trade dispute with China, the US Commerce Department hit the country with import duties of 132 percent on metal pipe.

Commerce said China was selling the large diameter welded pipe used in the oil and gas industry far below the fair price, and that dumping harms US industry, according to the preliminary decision.

US imports of the pipe from China last year totaled $180 million.

Two Trump lieutenants found guilty, president implicated

22 Aug 2018; AFP: Donald Trump stood accused of conspiring to commit campaign finance fraud and two of his closest aides faced jail time Tuesday, after court proceedings delivered a legal and political one-two punch to his embattled presidency.

In a drama that played out simultaneously across two US cities, a court found one former aide guilty of eight charges -- and the other pleaded guilty to another eight -- stemming from the federal investigation into the 2016 presidential election.

Trump's former campaign chief Manafort convicted on 8 counts

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman of U.S. President Donald Trump, was on Tuesday found guilty on eight out of 18 criminal charges of bank and tax fraud by a jury at the federal court in northern Virginia, according to multiple news reports.

Manafort's conviction is the first secured at trial by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. Five of the guilty verdicts were for filing false tax documents, and the other three involved foreign bank account registration and bank fraud.

Top U.S. adviser says preventing Iran from nuke weapons "top priority"

JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is "a top priority for the United States."

Speaking at the start of their meeting in Jerusalem, Bolton said that Iran's military capabilities are "a question of the highest importance for the United States."

"It's why we've worked with our friends in Europe to convince them of the need to take stronger steps against the Iranian nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs," he said.

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