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 News Dec. 19, 2019

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 News Dec. 18, 2019

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 News Dec. 18, 2019

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 News Dec. 18, 2019

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 News Dec. 17, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- A North Korean man is likely to face money-laundering charges in the United States after a Malaysian court approved his extradition Friday, in a case his lawyers claim is politically motivated. Mun Chol -myong has denied FBI claims that he led a criminal group that violated sanctions by supplying luxury goods to his isolated homeland and laundered funds through front companies. The 54-year-old, who has lived in Malaysia with his family for a decade, was arrested in May foll

North Korea Dec. 13, 2019

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 News Dec. 12, 2019

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -- The United States on Wednesday warned North Korea of consequences if it makes good on threats of a spectacular weapons test in the New Year, while offering flexibility if it stays in talks.Frustrated by the lack of sanctions relief after three summits with President Donald Trump, North Korea has vowed an ominous "Christmas gift" if the US does not come up with concessions by the end of the year.At the UN Security Council, the US ambassador, Kelly Craft, voiced c

North Korea Dec. 12, 2019

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole has agreed to a record-setting nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, US media reported Tuesday.Yahoo Sports, USA Today and MLB.com cited sources at the Major League Baseball owners' meetings in San Diego in reporting the deal, which was not immediately confirmed. Cole, 29, was widely considered the top free agent pitcher available this season after becoming a star with the Houston Astros.His reported deal comes just a da

Baseball Dec. 11, 2019

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 News Dec. 11, 2019

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 News Dec. 10, 2019

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Tensions are quickly rising between the United States and North Korea, which has ramped up pressure as it demands concessions by President Donald Trump's administration by the end of the year.The United States called a UN Security Council meeting for Wednesday on North Korea's series of rocket launches, the latest return to antagonism as diplomacy languishes.Monday's announcement came two days after North Korea claimed to have carried out a "very important" but othe

North Korea Dec. 10, 2019

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States on Monday called a UN Security Council meeting this week on the risk of North Korean "provocation" as Pyongyang demands US concessions by a year-end deadline.The United States, which holds this month's presidency of the Security Council, is scheduling the session instead of a planned meeting on human rights in North Korea, one of the world's most authoritarian states.This week's meeting will provide "a comprehensive update on recent developmen

North Korea Dec. 10, 2019

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 News Dec. 9, 2019

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 News Dec. 9, 2019