WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Bristling with anger, President Barack Obama branded Wednesday’s defeat of gun reform in the U.S. Senate as “shameful,” accused lawmakers of caving to the gun lobby, and promised to fight on.A deeply emotional Obama ―using disdainful language, and surrounded by relatives of gun victims, including some of the 20 kids gunned down in the Newtown massacre ― accused the firearms lobby of lying to halt change.He spoke after a bid to expand background checks for gun buyers, the most

Some 60 to 70 people were killed and hundreds were injured by an explosion at a fertilizer plant outside Waco, Texas, local media reported, citing the local emergency manager.The report could not be immediately verified by AFP, but KWTX television cited West Emergency Management Services Director George Smith as confirming the death toll.The explosion comes as the United States was on edge as it pieces through deadly explosions that hit the Boston marathon on Monday, followed by letters, apparen

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked a legislation that sought to toughen restriction on gun sales, sparking outrage from the bill’s backers and victims of mass shootings in the country.Patricia Maisc, a survivor of the 2011 Tucson shooting that killed six people and injured 18 including U.S. Congresswoman Gabriel Gifford, cried “Shame on you!” as the measure fell. She was ejected from the chambers, but her words left the room ringing with cold disappointment shared by many.U.S. President Barack

Syria's president accused the West on Wednesday of backing al-Qaida in his country's civil war, warning it will pay a price “in the heart” of Europe and the United States as the terror network becomes emboldened.Bashar Assad also lashed out at Jordan for allowing “thousands” of fighters to enter Syria through its borders and warned that the “fire will not stop at Syria's border.” The rare TV interview with the government-run Al-Ikhbariya channel marking Syria's independence day comes as the emba

A U.S. man was arrested and accused of sending letters to President Barack Obama and a senator that tested positive for the poison ricin, setting Washington on edge a day after the deadly Boston Marathon bombings.The FBI said Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, of Mississippi was arrested Wednesday. The FBI said there was no indication of a connection between the letters and the Boston bombing. The letters were postmarked April 8, before the marathon.Authorities still waited for definitive tests on the lette

The U.S. Senate blocked bipartisan legislation Wednesday aimed at tightening restrictions on the sale of firearms, a huge defeat for President Barack Obama and a rejection of personal pleas by families of the victims of last winter's mass elementary school shooting in Connecticut.An attempt to ban assault-style and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines were also rejected in series of showdown votes four months after a gunman killed 20 school children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Ele

FIB says no arrest yet

Serbia and Kosovo raised hopes of a breakthrough deal after hours of talks between their premier Wednesday as the EU made a final push to normalize ties and turn a page on the continent's last trouble-spot.European Union foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton called surprise talks in Brussels between Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaci that kicked off in the morning just two weeks after an EU-brokered dialogue between the Balkans pair broke down despite two year

Letters sent to President Barack Obama and a Mississippi senator tested positive for poisonous ricin in preliminary checks, and authorities chased a stream of false alarms about seemingly suspicious packages and mail sent to senators in Washington and beyond.Authorities still waited for definitive tests on the letters to Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker which had raised concern Wednesday at a time when many people were jittery after the Boston bombings.An FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by The Ass

SHANGHAI (AFP) ― H7N9 bird flu has claimed two more lives in Shanghai, Chinese state media said on Tuesday, bringing the death toll from the disease to 16.China has confirmed 77 human cases of H7N9 avian influenza since announcing two weeks ago that it had found the strain in people for the first time.The new strain of the flu had been confined to the eastern city of Shanghai and nearby Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui until Saturday when the first case was reported in Beijing.It has since spread wes

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― U.S. federal authorities intercepted a letter that contained the deadly poison ricin and was bound for the Washington office of Senator Roger Wicker, officials said on Tuesday.The letter was detected during a routine mail inspection at an off-site facility and did not reach the U.S. Capitol or Wicker’s office, a Senate aide said, citing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who discussed the security breach with lawmakers.“The Senate mail handling facility that services members’