[Graphic News] Macao celebrates 20th anniversary

　The former Portuguese colony of Macao on Friday marks the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule under the “one country, two systems” principle also in place in Hong Kong.　Macao owns some of the world’s largest casinos operated by multinational casino companies and is economically quite dependent on its gambling industry.　Macao, Asia’s most famous gambling hub, had 41 casinos and nearly 36 million tourists visited in 2018. (AFP)

World NewsDec. 19, 2019

Ozil cut from video game in China over Xinjiang comments

SHANGHAI (AFP) -- Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has been deleted from Chinese versions of the popular Pro Evolution Soccer mobile game, the title's China distributor has said, as the fallout continued over his criticism of the country's treatment of its Uighur minority.US-listed Chinese internet company NetEase said it removed Ozil from the game due to his "extreme comment about China."Ozil, a German national of Turkish origin, condemned China's crackdown on Muslim minorities in the we

World NewsDec. 19, 2019

Impeached Trump says Democrats 'consumed with hatred'

BATTLE CREEK (AFP) -- US President Donald Trump railed against a Democratic Party "consumed with hatred" after he was impeached Wednesday for abuse of power and obstructing Congress.  "While we're creating jobs and fighting for Michigan, the radical Left in Congress is consumed with envy and hatred and rage, you see what's going on,"  the Republican leader seethed at campaign rally in the state. "These people are crazy." Trump said the Democratic Party, wh

World NewsDec. 19, 2019

House votes to impeach Trump for obstruction of Congress

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US House of Representatives voted 229-198 on Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for obstruction of Congress.Trump was facing two articles of impeachment -- for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- and both articles were passed in the Democratic-majority House. The House impeached Trump for abuse of power by a 230-197 vote.The 45th US president is just the third occupant of the White House in US history to be impeached.Trump will now face a trial in the S

World NewsDec. 19, 2019

Trump impeached for abuse of power

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump was impeached for abuse of power in a historic vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, setting up a Senate trial on removing him from office after three turbulent years.By a 230 to 197 vote in the Democratic-majority House, the 45th US president becomes just the third occupant of the White House in American history to be impeached.Democrats said they had "no choice" but to formally charge the Republican president, whose impeachment

World NewsDec. 19, 2019

Solemnity, tension for Trump impeachment reckoning

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- As lawmakers trickled into the US House of Representatives Wednesday to debate the impeachment of Donald Trump, the congresswoman who gaveled in the session felt the full weight of history upon her shoulders."Of course I was nervous," House Democrat Diana DeGette told AFP just outside the chamber, after presiding over the opening hours of debate on whether to charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress."It's a big responsibility, it's sobering,

World NewsDec. 19, 2019

Xi heads to Macau for China handover anniversary party

MACAU (AFP) -- Chinese president Xi Jinping will land in Macau on Wednesday as the city prepares to mark 20 years since the former Portuguese colony was returned, a celebration that stands in stark contrast to months of unrest in neighbouring Hong Kong.Security has been ramped up ahead of Xi's three-day visit which culminates on Friday's anniversary.China's authoritarian leadership is keen to showcase Macau as a successful example of its "one country, two systems" model, with party lea

World NewsDec. 18, 2019

US says China 'can't hide' Uighur plight after Arsenal retaliation

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday denounced China for its heavy-handed actions against Arsenal over footballer Mesut Ozil's support for incarcerated Uighurs, saying Beijing could not hide reality.Arsenal distanced itself from Ozil but Beijing dropped state television broadcasts of the English Premier League club's Sunday match -- a move that could have major commercial ramifications in the lucrative Chinese market. "China's Communist Party propaganda outlets c

World NewsDec. 18, 2019

Impeachment vote set for Wednesday as Trump rages

WASHINGTON  (AFP) -- An enraged US President Donald Trump said he was being subjected to an "attempted coup" and a witch trial as Democrats set a historic impeachment vote for Wednesday.In an extraordinarily angry six-page letter, Trump on Tuesday told Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the Democratic-led House of Representatives, that "history will judge you harshly."Referring to a famous miscarriage of justice and religious extremism in the 17th-century United States, resulting

World NewsDec. 18, 2019

China says Arsenal's Ozil 'deceived by fake news'

SHANGHAI (AFP) -- China accused Mesut Ozil Monday of being "deceived by fake news" and said he should visit Xinjiang to see for himself after the Arsenal footballer decried the treatment of the region's Uighur minority.Ozil, a German national of Turkish origin, condemned China's crackdown on Muslim minorities in the western region in a tweet Friday and criticised Muslim countries for failing to speak up about the alleged abuses.Arsenal have distanced themselves from his comments, but t

World NewsDec. 17, 2019

UK exit poll suggests majority for Johnson's Conservatives

LONDON (AP) -- An exit poll in Britain's election projected Thursday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party would likely win a solid majority of seats in Parliament, a decisive outcome that should allow Johnson to fulfill his plan to take the UK out of the European Union next month.The survey, released just after polls closed, predicted the Conservatives would get 368 of the 650 House of Commons seats and the Labour Party 191. That would be the biggest Tory majority for several d

World NewsDec. 13, 2019

US and China near deal that would suspend planned tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration and China are close to finalizing a modest trade agreement that would suspend tariffs that are set to kick in Sunday, de-escalating their 17-month trade war."We're close to a deal," said Myron Brilliant, the US Chamber of Commerce's head of international affairs, who has been briefed by both sides.Brilliant said the administration has agreed to suspend Trump's plans to impose tariffs on $160 billion in Chinese imports Sunday and to reduce exi

World NewsDec. 13, 2019

US Fed says will focus on low inflation, global economy

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The Federal Reserve kept its key lending rate unchanged on Wednesday but said it will turn its sights to low inflation and developments in the world economy.That was a signal that central bankers, who have repeatedly pledged to change course if needed, are monitoring the global slowdown and persistent absence of price pressures, which could open the door to further rate moves.At its final meeting of 2019, the Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee left the benchma

World NewsDec. 12, 2019

Six dead in hours-long New York-area shootout

JERSEY CITY (AFP) -- Six people including a police officer and two suspects were killed during an hours-long shootout across a New York suburb not far from the Statue of Liberty, local officials said."Our officers were under fire for hours," Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly told reporters after the latest high-profile US shooting.In addition to the officer and the suspects, three civilians were killed in the incident that began around midday at a cemetery and ended in a store, Ke

World NewsDec. 11, 2019

Heroism, devastation after deadly N. Zealand volcano eruption

WHAKATANE (AFP) -- Tales of heroism, devastation and horrifying injuries emerged Tuesday after New Zealand's smouldering White Island volcano exploded, killing an estimated 13 people.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said five people had died and eight more were presumed dead after Monday's eruption, while dozens of injured had been airlifted to hospitals across the country.Among the 47 people caught on the island during the sudden eruption were tourists from Australia, the United States, Britain, C

World NewsDec. 10, 2019

Official: China hopes for US trade pact as tariff hike nears

A Chinese official says Beijing wants a prompt settlement of its trade war with Washington. A deputy commerce minister said Monday that Beijing wants "satisfactory results as soon as possible.'' The official gave no details of talks on a "Phase 1" deal announced by President Donald Trump in October. Another US tariff hike on $160 billion of Chinese imports is due to take effect Sunday. China announced Friday it was carrying out a promise to waive punitive tariffs on American

World BusinessDec. 9, 2019

World Anti-Doping Agency imposes 4-year ban on Russia

The Russian flag and national anthem were banned from next year's Tokyo Olympics and other major sports events for four years on Monday.Russia's hosting of world championships in Olympic sports also face being stripped after the World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee approved a full slate of recommended sanctions as punishment for state authorities tampering with a Moscow laboratory database.Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in major events only if they are not implicated in posi

World NewsDec. 9, 2019

[Graphic News] Majority of Americans see North Korea as enemy: poll

　A majority of Americans view North Korea as an enemy, a recent survey showed, putting the communist nation atop a list of countries in terms of enemy perceptions.　The poll of 1,500 people, carried out last month by the London-based research data group YouGov and the Economist magazine, showed that 56 percent of Americans consider North Korea to be an enemy of the United States, up from 51 percent in August. 　The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of 14 countries. The enemy percept

World NewsDec. 9, 2019

Finland picks youngest-ever prime minister

HELSINKI (AFP) -- Finland's Social Democrats elected a 34-year-old former transport minister to the post of prime minister on Sunday, making her the youngest head of government in the country's history.Sanna Marin narrowly won Sunday's vote to replace outgoing leader Antti Rinne, who resigned on Tuesday after losing the confidence of the coalition partner Centre Party over his handling of a postal strike."We have a lot of work to do to rebuild trust," Marin told reporters on Sunday nig

World NewsDec. 9, 2019

Hong Kongers mark half a year of protest with mammoth rally

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong's streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city's pro-Beijing leaders they had a "last chance" to end the political crisis.Organisers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub's main island as the protests marked six months, a vivid illustration of the hostility that still seethes towards t

World NewsDec. 9, 2019