site.news_by_theme United States
US gun laws vary widely
The horrific shooting that has left 20 young children and six adults dead in rural Connecticut revived the familiar US gun law debate, where restrictions vary widely between different states.
16 December 2012
Iran sympathises after 'tragic' US school shooting
Iran was quick on Saturday to express condolences after the "tragic" shooting rampage that left 26 people dead, including 20 small children, at an elementary school in the United States.
15 December 2012
Roma plight one of Romania's major challenges: ambassador
Discrimination against the Roma is one of the biggest challenges facing Romania, the outgoing US ambassador has told AFP, comparing their plight to that of blacks in the American deep south of his childhood.
15 December 2012
US to deploy Patriot missiles, troops to Turkey: report
The United States plans to send two rocket-intercepting Patriot missile batteries and 400 military personnel to Turkey to deter Syrian attacks.
15 December 2012
Coca-Cola FEMSA to acquire Philippine bottler
Coca-Cola FEMSA of Mexico is to take control of the US soft drink firm's bottling operations in the Philippines in a $688.5 million cash deal.
15 December 2012
Hugh Jackman gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Australian actor Hugh Jackman got a Hollywood double whammy Thursday as he was nominated for a Golden Globe and got his star on Tinseltown's famous Walk of Fame on the same day.
15 December 2012
Many Americans see hint of Apocalypse in extreme weather
A third of Americans believe the intensity of recent natural disasters is linked to the Apocalypse described in the New Testament, according to a poll released Thursday.
15 December 2012
Clinton holds the key to 2016 White House race
Will she, won't she, will she, won't she, will she join the dance? To borrow from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," that's the question on everyone's lips about Hillary Clinton and the 2016 White House race.
15 December 2012
Susan Rice folds US secretary of state bid
Susan Rice asked President Barack Obama not to pick her as his next secretary of state Thursday, after becoming a lightning rod for Republicans over the raid on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
15 December 2012
Spielberg takes awards lead with Golden Globe nods
Steven Spielberg's presidential drama "Lincoln" led nominations for the Golden Globes Thursday with seven nods, its second top billing in two days as Hollywood's awards season kicks off.
15 December 2012
20 kids, 6 adults massacred in US school
A heavily armed young gunman slaughtered 20 small children and six adults at a school in an idyllic Connecticut town on Friday, in one of the worst mass shootings in US history.
15 December 2012
NASA probes set to smash into Moon
NASA will smash two tiny probes into the Moon on Monday after they spent months gathering data from orbit miles above the lunar surface.
14 December 2012
Obama, Boehner meet in fiscal cliff talks
President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner held surprise talks Thursday, as time ran short for hopes of a pre-Christmas deal to solve a fiscal crisis that could cause a recession.
14 December 2012
Hubble plumbs the universe, yields images of early galaxies
The Hubble Space Telescope is giving scientists a look at the oldest galaxies ever seen, dating back some 13.3 billion years -- providing a glimpse into how the cosmos must have looked right after the Big Bang.
14 December 2012
Mitsubishi Bank fined $8.6 mn for flouting US sanctions
Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan's biggest bank, must pay US authorities a fine totaling some 8.6 million dollars for flouting US sanctions on Iran, Sudan, Myanmar and Cuba.
14 December 2012
US financier tied to Pinochet money laundering dies
Texas financier and media magnate Joe Allbritton, who lost the scandal-racked Riggs bank to a hostile takeover after it was fined for helping Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet launder money, has died at the age of 87.
13 December 2012
Rock stars shine at Hurricane Sandy benefit gig
Rock music royalty, including the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and Paul McCartney, joined in a stellar line-up Wednesday to raise money for victims of superstorm Sandy.
13 December 2012
Syria regime using missiles, barrel bombs: US
The Syrian regime has begun using missiles and barrel bombs against rebels, a top US official said Wednesday, signaling a dangerous escalation of the deadly 21-month-old conflict.
13 December 2012
'Worrying' increase in global child trafficking: UN
Children -- most of them girls -- now make up 27 percent of all human trafficking cases, marking an alarming increase in recent years.
13 December 2012
In long-awaited move, Obama recognizes Syrian rebels
President Barack Obama proclaimed Syria's newly reframed opposition as the "legitimate" representative of the nation's people Tuesday.
13 December 2012