america Archives - Page 4 of 5

Arizona wildfire near Yarnell kills 19 firefighters

July 3, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least 19 US firefighters have been killed battling a wildfire in central Arizona, local officials say.

They died while fighting the blaze threatening the town of Yarnell, about 80 miles (130km) north-west of Phoenix.

The fire was started by lightning on Friday and has spread rapidly to 2,000 acres (800 ha) amid high heat, low humidity and strong winds.

Arizona and other parts of the western US – including California – had near-record temperatures over the weekend.

It is the highest death toll for firefighters in a single incident since 9/11.

“We are heartbroken about what happened,” US President Barack Obama said in a press conference in Tanzania on Monday. Earlier he called the deceased firefighters heroes.

Bugging allegations threaten EU-US trade pact

July 3, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

French President Francois Hollande has said allegations that the US bugged European embassies could threaten a huge planned EU-US trade deal.

He said there could be no negotiations without guarantees that spying would stop “immediately”.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said he did not know the truth of the claims but sought to down play them.

Meanwhile, Russian and US security agencies are reportedly discussing how to deal with the man behind the leaks.

Former CIA-analyst Edward Snowden is believed to be at an airport in Moscow, seeking a destination safe from the US where he is wanted for prosecution over the leaking of thousands of classified documents.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and US’s President Barack Obama have ordered the chiefs of their respective agencies, FSB and FBI, to find a way out of the impasse, a senior Russian official said.

US confirms four American citizens killed by drones

May 23, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The US attorney general has acknowledged four US citizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009.

In a letter to the Senate judiciary committee, Eric Holder defended the targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki.

But he said Awlaki’s 16-year-old son as well as two other individuals were “not specifically targeted by the US”.

The disclosure comes as President Barack Obama prepares to make a speech on counter-terrorism and the drone programme on Thursday.

The president will “discuss why the use of drone strikes is necessary, legal and just, while addressing the various issues raised by our use of targeted action”, administration officials said.

Russia and United States agree to hold Syria Conference

May 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Russia and the US have agreed to work towards convening an international conference to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry announced it would follow on from an Action Group for Syria meeting in Geneva last June.

Mr Kerry said they would try to “bring both sides to the table”.

Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in the last two years by differences over Syria.

Iran’s Khamenei rejects US nuclear talks offer

February 7, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Iran’s supreme leader has dismissed a US offer of one-to-one talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech posted online that the US was proposing talks while “pointing a gun at Iran”.

On Saturday, US Vice-President Joe Biden suggested direct talks, separate to the wider international discussions due to take place later this month.

But the US widened sanctions on Iran on Wednesday, aiming to tighten a squeeze on Tehran’s ability to spend oil cash.

Iran, which is subject to an array of international sanctions, has long argued that its nuclear programme is for energy generation and research.

Tehran’s critics believe the government is developing nuclear weapons.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have held a series of negotiations with Iran over the years.

But they have often ended with Iran demanding the West lifts sanctions as a condition to any nuclear move, and the Western powers refusing.