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Singapore edges out US as world’s most competitive economy

Singapore has climbed one notch to become the world's most competitive economy, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), overtaking the United States . Singapore scored 84.8 out of a 100 on WEF's scale, beating other countries especially in terms of infrastructure quality and the openness of its economy, the organisation said in a report released on Tuesday. The average global score was 60.7. In the US, uncertainty among business leaders, lower domestic competition and reduced trade openness were among the factors that set the country behind in 2019, WEF said...

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US-Mexico border apprehensions fall in September but remain high

The Trump administration on Tuesday said arrests at the US-Mexico border fell in September for the fourth month in a row, and credited cooperation from Mexico and Central American countries in cracking down on migrants . But due to record high numbers of crossings this spring, nearly one million migrants were arrested and deemed inadmissible for entry to the United States in the 2019 fiscal year, which began in October 2017 and ends in September, Mark Morgan acting commissioner of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said at a news conference...

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Guterres warns UN may not have money to pay staff next month

The United Nations may not have enough money for staff salaries next month if member states do not pay what they owe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned. He told the 193-member UN General Assembly's budget committee on Tuesday that if he had not worked since January to cut spending then "we would not have had the liquidity to support" the annual gathering of world leaders last month . "This month, we will reach the deepest deficit of the decade. We risk ... entering November without enough cash to cover payrolls," said Guterres...

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WH blocks ambassador's impeachment testimony; Dems vow subpoena

The Trump administration on Tuesday blocked an ambassador from testifying to the United States House of Representatives impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump 's dealings with Ukraine, a move top House Democrats promised to counter with a subpoena. The chairmen of three House committees leading the impeachment investigation said they would compel testimony from US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a Trump donor who started his diplomatic job in July. The investigators...

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Fresh Brexit legal drama as EU blasts Boris 'blame game'

British campaigners have launched a fresh legal challenge to ensure the United Kingdom asks the European Union for a Brexit delay in the event Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to obey the law. Tuesday's court action opened as Johnson, who insists the UK must leave the EU on October 31 with or without a deal, was accused of engaging in a "stupid blame game" by European Council President Donald Tusk. Downing Street overnight claimed the EU had made a Brexit agreement "impossible", with an anonymous...

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Azerbaijan PM resigns, president replaces him with loyalist

Azerbaijan 's President Ilham Aliyev has appointed a technocrat and close ally as the Caucasus country's new prime minister after his predecessor suddenly resigned, officials said. "The president has appointed his economic adviser Ali Asadov as new prime minister," parliament speaker Oktay Asadov told legislators on Tuesday. "Prime Minister Novruz Mammadov has tendered his resignation which has been accepted by the president," he added. Legislators approved the nomination in a 105 to 0 vote. The reason for Mammadov's resignation has not been given...

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'Gift of nature from Damascus': Cypriot village smells the roses

Agros village, Cyprus - Every morning in May, Nasir Karoub, a Syrian from Damascus, wakes up at 5am. He takes his scissors and apron to the rose fields of Agros, a village tucked away in the Cypriot Troodos mountains, before the precious flowers he has been harvesting drop their petals. This has been his routine for the past eight years. "Around 30 kilos of roses need to be picked up every day to keep up the pace," Karoub told Al Jazeera. "And the process needs to be fast, because these roses blossom early in the morning and their scent fades within just a few hours...

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UN, NGOs accused of bungling effort to educate Rohingya children

On May 13, a group of Rohingya refugee education leaders had the rare chance to ask some of the questions that had been weighing on their minds for more than two years. For the first time, they were meeting representatives from the United Nations and international NGOs tasked with providing education to about half a million Rohingya refugee children living in camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh . Minutes of the meeting obtained by Al Jazeera, show how the community leaders questioned the officials about...

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Paul Kagame should not fear opposition

On September 23, just two days before Rwandan President Paul Kagame addressed the UN General Assembly, opposition politician Sylidio Dusabumuremyi was stabbed to death by unknown assailants at his workplace. He was the national coordinator of the Forces Democratiques Unifiees - better known as FDU-Inkingi party. In July, his colleague Eugene Ndereyimana, an FDU-Inkingi legislator from eastern Rwanda, disappeared and has not been seen since. And in March, Anselme Mutuyimana, a spokesman for the same party, was found dead in the forests of western Rwanda...

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Opposition parties beat 'war wing' in Kosovo elections

Opposition parties won the night in Kosovo's election on Sunday, taking the lead over former guerrillas who have dominated politics for the past decade. The leftist-nationalist Vetevendosje was in first place with nearly 26 percent of the vote, just ahead of the centre-right LDK with more than 90 percent of ballots counted, the electoral commission said. Fed up with widespread corruption and poverty, voters delivered a heavy rebuke to the outgoing government led by former independence fighters from Kosovo's 1990s war with Serbia...

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'It's beautiful to watch': India hosts its first-ever NBA game

Mumbai, India - Mumbai hosted the first-ever NBA games on Indian soil with the stadium packed with spectators - some of whom were still struggling to understand basketball etiquette - giving loud applause with chants of "NBA! NBA!" and "We love basketball!". In a cricket-loving nation, basketball has long struggled to make a mark, and the NBA launched a campaign to expand its fanbase to India before the pre-season games between the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers. Mumbai's iconic landmark,...

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Saudi Arabia to allow foreign couples to rent hotel rooms

Saudi Arabia has lifted some restrictions on women travelling in the kingdom, with new guidelines allowing women to rent hotel rooms without a male guardian present, and foreign men and women to share a room without proof of marriage. The easing of stringent regulations governing social interactions comes after Riyadh launched its first tourist visa scheme, as part of efforts to open up the country to foreign visitors and diversify its oil-reliant economy. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National...

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Naga leader Muivah wary of India after Kashmir status scrapped

Camp Hebron, Nagaland - Thuingaleng Muivah, leader of India's oldest rebel organisation, has told Al Jazeera that he felt the Indian government's abrupt decision to strip Kashmir's special status was "unacceptable". The 85-year-old leads the National Socialist Council of Nagalim - Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) - northeast India's largest rebel outfit with an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 members fighting for independence for more than four decades. NSCN-IM, formed in 1980, along with other armed groups based...

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President Maithripala Sirisena to not contest Sri Lanka polls

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has decided not to run in the country's presidential election next month. Sirisena's name was not on a list of 41 candidates who paid deposits by Sunday's noon deadline to contest the November 16 presidential poll, according to Election Commission records. Sirisena caused a constitutional crisis last year when he sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa , a former political rival. The Supreme Court later ruled against Sirisena's action and reinstated Wickremesinghe...

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Iraq's protests and the reform farce

Upheaval in Iraq will continue as long as the ruling oligarchy makes no room for a political opposition to emerge.

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In Ethiopia, a forgotten refugee in her own land

Displaced from home, Amina Yuya and her neighbours feel abandoned by the Abiy government that promised to support them.

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Mind-controlled exoskeleton allows paralysed man to walk

A French man who became quadriplegic after an accident four years ago has walked again with the aid of a revolutionary mind-controlled exoskeleton. Researchers at the University of Grenoble in France developed the technology that translates brain waves into mechanical movement. The 28-year-old man, identified only as Thibault, was paralysed after falling from a balcony in 2015. Since then, his spinal cord had not been able to transmit signals from his brain to his limbs. At first, Thibault practiced...

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Court rejects challenge to Gotabaya Rajapaksa's citizenship

A Sri Lankan court has dismissed a case seeking the cancellation of the citizenship of presidential hopeful Gotabaya Rajapaksa , clearing the way for him to register as a candidate in elections next month. Two civil activists had asked the Court of Appeal to withdraw Rajapaksa's citizenship, saying he renounced it in 2003 to become a citizen of the United States and regained it two years later in an irregular manner. The three-judge panel on Friday unanimously rejected the case, saying it had no merit...

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All you need to know about Kosovo's snap parliamentary elections

Kosovo , Europe's youngest country is gearing up for its fourth parliamentary elections since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The vote to decide a new prime minister is being held on Sunday. The elections come after Kosovo's Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj stepped down in July, saying he had been summoned as a suspect for questioning before a Hague-based court investigating alleged war crimes committed during the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. On his way out, he urged Kosovo's president to call an early parliamentary poll...

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Iraq protests: All the latest updates

Nationwide protests broke out across Iraq on Tuesday, as thousands of mostly young men demonstrated against corruption and calling for an end to endemic corruption in the oil-rich country. Protesters have also called for improved public services such as electricity and water. Security forces have responded using water cannon, tear gas, live rounds and rubber bullets. Dozens of protesters have been killed and hundreds more wounded. Tensions have been exacerbated by a near-total internet blackout as the authorities seek to prevent protesters communicating with each other or posting footage of the chaotic demonstrations...

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Online all the time: Southeast Asia's booming internet economy

Take a ride on a metro train or bus in any major Southeast Asian capital, be it Singapore , Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila or Jakarta, and it is pretty much guaranteed that many, if not most of the passengers will be looking at or listening to a mobile device of some sort, most likely connected to the internet. According to a new report by US tech giant Google, Singapore wealth fund Temasek and consultancy firm Bain & Co the growth of the mobile internet is transforming the region's economy. "Today,...

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Cyprus calls Turkey gas exploration 'provocative and aggressive'

Cyprus has called Turkey's decision to send another oil and gas drilling ship into waters off its coast an " utterly provocative and aggressive" violation of its sovereign rights. Ankara has employed " bullying tactics of an era long gone" by sending the most recent drill ship to a region off the island's southwestern coast, the presidency said in a strongly worded statement on Friday. "This new provocation is exemplary of Turkey's defiance of the European Union's and the international community's repeated calls to cease its illegal activities," it said...

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UN: 'Alarming' spike of 82 percent in Afghan child casualties

Worsening security across Afghanistan has led to 14,000 violations against children in the past four years, including nearly 3,500 killed and 9,000 injured, a UN report said. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the alarming level" of grave violations committed by all sides in the 18-year war and the fact that children "continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict". Of serious concern, he said, was the nearly 12,600 children verified to have been killed or injured in 2015-2018 represented almost one-third of all civilian casualties...

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Trump's America: Great again or big failure? Mehdi Hasan challenges the US president’s adviser, Stephen Moore, on the…

In this episode of Head to Head , Mehdi Hasan asks Donald Trump 's senior economic adviser Stephen Moore about "Trumponomics", the US president’s leadership style, and racism. Trump has made promises to more than double previous economic growth, revive industries like coal, and slash the debt and the deficit. But has he delivered? The national debt is now skyrocketing to levels not seen since World War II and the trade war with China has experts fearing a global recession. "Trump makes grandiose promises," Moore told Hasan. "He exaggerates and sometimes I wish he wouldn’t do that. But if you compare...

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Facebook removes accounts from UAE, Nigeria, Egypt and Indonesia

Facebook has removed several pages, groups and accounts on its platforms from the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, citing "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" aimed at misleading social media users. A total of 443 Facebook accounts, 200 pages and 76 groups, as well as 125 Instagram accounts, were removed, the social media platform said on Thursday. They were traced to three separate and "unconnected" operations, one of which was operating in three countries, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Nigeria; and two others in Indonesia and Egypt, to spread misleading posts and news articles...

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Hong Kong moves to ban face masks as protests continue

Embattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam invoked the use of emergency powers on Friday, allowing the government to ban face masks at protests , in an attempt to further clamp down on pro-democracy rallies that have rocked the city since June. Lam said that the ban will take effect on Saturday, October 5. Reports said that the ban will be effective as early as midnight. "Violence...

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Campaigners in court bid to make Johnson obey Brexit law

Glasgow, United Kingdom - Campaigners opposed to the United Kingdom 's withdrawal from the European Union will take to a Scottish court on Friday to compel Prime Minister Boris Johnson to comply with the will of Parliament. In September, Conservative rebels and opposition members of the House of Commons united to force the Conservative government to ask for a three-month extension to its scheduled EU departure date of October 31 if no European exit deal had won parliamentary approval by October 19...

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Hong Kong protester shot by police charged with assault, rioting

Tsang Chi-kin charged with two counts of assaulting police and one count of rioting during a protest on Tuesday.

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Iraq imposes curfew in Baghdad after deadly protests

An indefinite curfew has been imposed in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, after two days of violent protests over unemployment and corruption descended into violence and left at least nine people dead and injured hundreds. Since erupting in Baghdad on Tuesday, the protests have spread to other cities in the country's south posing a challenge to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's one-year-old government. The death toll rose to nine on Wednesday after at least five protesters and one policeman were shot dead in Nasiriyah, a provincial health official told AFP news agency...

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Ships with one million tonnes of grain stuck outside Iran's ports

Vessels with soya beans and corn have been held up due to payment crisis, as Tehran relies on imports for many foods.

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Ex-Dallas officer gets 10 years for killing unarmed neighbour

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced by a Texas jury to 10 years in prison on Wednesday after finding her guilty of murder for walking into a neighbour's apartment thinking it was her own and shooting him as he ate ice cream. The same jury took less than six hours on Tuesday to find Guyger, who is white, guilty in the 2018 killing of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black PwC accountant. His death sparked street protests last year, particularly when prosecutors initially opted to bring the lesser charge of manslaughter against Guyger, 31...

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Ghani, Abdullah camps claim victory in Afghanistan election

The camps for the top rivals in Afghanistan's election, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and President Ashraf Ghani , have both claimed victory after the first round of voting on Saturday, even though official counting is still under way. "We have the most votes in this election," Abdullah said at a news conference on Monday, without offering evidence. "The results will be announced by the IEC [Independent Election Commission], but we have the most votes. The election is not going to go to a second round...

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Locked out: Why is Amazon blocking Iranians from its services?

In early August, Iranians took to Twitter to report that they had received emails from Amazon Web Services (AWS) informing them that their accounts had been disabled in compliance with United States government sanctions and export control regulations. For those trying to conduct individual and business transactions in an economy under siege from sanctions , the loss of AWS is a potentially crippling blow. AWS, a subsidiary of US tech giant Amazon.com, Inc, provides an array of "cloud" computing services over the internet to individuals, companies and governments...

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Democrats to subpoena White House for Ukraine documents

House committee issues notice of legal action seeking all messages and documents from more than 25 officials.

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'Biggest crackdown' under Sisi condemned after thousands arrested

Amnesty International says Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 2,300 people over a period of two weeks.

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Why are Iraqis protesting against the government? Biggest demonstrations since PM Adel Abdul Mahdi came to power last…

Iraq 's barely year-old government is being forced to deal with the largest nationwide protests since taking over. Riot police contained demonstrators in the capital, Baghdad, on Wednesday, 24 hours after bullets and tear gas shells were fired. At least three people died and hundreds of others were injured in Baghdad as well as other cities. The mostly young protesters are angry at high levels of corruption, unemployment, and poor public services. Are Iraq's leaders listening? And why is the government...

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Iran women married to foreigners can pass citizenship to children

Iran 's legislative vetting body has ratified a bill that allows children born to Iranian women and foreign men to obtain Iranian nationality, according to state media. The approval was announced by Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai on Wednesday, more than four months after the proposal was passed by the Iranian parliament, according to the Republic News Agency (IRNA). Made up of 12 members, half of whom are appointed by the supreme leader, the Guardian Council has the mandate of approving draft laws that are compatible with religious legislation and the constitution...

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Mounting fears over slowing growth slam US stocks

Stocks extend losses for a second day after report showed signs of weakness in US labour market.

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'My best friend': Khashoggi fiance pays tribute year after murder

Istanbul, Turkey - At 1:14pm, a minute of silence was observed by Jamal Khashoggi 's fiancee and close friends outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The time precisely marked the journalist's entry into the building on October 2 one year ago, where he was met by a team of Saudi agents who killed him and dismembered his body. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz was one of the speakers to address an audience of dozens heavily guarded by police and military personnel. "He was my best friend," Cengiz said...

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Mark the Khashoggi anniversary by freeing jailed activists

A year ago today, I spoke on the phone to Hatice Cengiz, who introduced herself, with a trembling voice, as the fiancé of my friend Jamal Khashoggi . She was standing outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, extremely concerned that he had not emerged since he entered two hours earlier. I urged her not to leave until Turkish police arrived, and hastily moved to alert anyone I thought could help. My worst fear was that Saudi officials would try to kidnap Jamal and take him back to Saudi Arabia - he...

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Several killed as Iraq protests escalate, spread nationwide

At least three protesters and one policeman have been killed in Iraq 's southern city of Nasiriya , according to a monitoring group, after nationwide anti-government protests devolved into violence that saw security forces fire live rounds and tear gas for a second straight day. The deaths on Wednesday came a day after at least two protesters - one in the capital, Baghdad, and one in Nasiriya - were killed and hundreds of people were wounded in clashes between police and protesters angry at unemployment, corruption and poor public services...

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'Depressed, frightened': Minors held in Kashmir crackdown

Boys as young as 9 in police custody in violation of juvenile laws, authorities deny action against minors.

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Tyler's stolen youth: Compensating the wrongly convicted

Tyler Edmonds was 13 years old when he confessed to a murder he didn't commit. Two decades on he still pays the price.

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Tunisia court leaves presidential hopeful Nabil Karoui in prison

Tunisia 's court of appeal has rejected a fresh request to release presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, according to his lawyers. The ruling on Tuesday came less than two weeks before the second round of voting which will see the media magnate compete with 61-year-old retired law professor Kais Saied on October 13. "Unfortunately the indictment chamber... refused the release request," lawyer Kamel Ben Messoud told AFP news agency, adding that he planned on meeting Karoui's other lawyers to decide their next move...

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Hong Kong police shoot protester as violent clashes escalate

Hong Kong, China - In stark contrast to Beijing's triumphant display of military might marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong on Tuesday was engulfed in running street battles between riot police and protesters. An 18-year-old demonstrator was shot by police at point-blank range in the chest and remained in critical condition. At least 30 others were being hospitalised. Over the past 16 weeks, Hong Kong has been rocked by anti-government protests,...

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Ex-Dallas officer guilty in shooting death of her neighbour

A Dallas jury found former police officer Amber Guyger guilty on Tuesday of murder when she accidentally walked into a neighbour's apartment thinking it was her own and shot him dead as he ate ice cream. The September 6, 2018, killing of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black accountant, by Guyger, who was coming off a 13-1/2-hour shift, sparked street protests - particularly when prosecutors initially opted to bring the lesser charge of manslaughter against the white former officer. Cheers could be heard in the Dallas County, Texas, court after the verdict was read...

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Iran open to starting dialogue with Saudi Arabia: Speaker

The speaker of Iran 's parliament has said Tehran is open to the idea of starting a dialogue with regional rival Saudi Arabia . Ali Larijani made the comments in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera that aired on Tuesday, days after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ( MBS ) told CBS he would prefer a peaceful resolution with Iran in settling regional security disputes, as opposed to military conflict. "Iran is open to starting a dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region," Larijani said in Tehran...

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Son of jailed British-Iranian: 'My dad's never been political'

Son of Anoosheh Ashoori, accused of spying for Israel, says geopolitical tensions impede campaign for freedom.

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How risky is eating red meat for your health?

Cutting back on red meat is standard medical advice to prevent cancer and heart disease - but a review of dozens of studies has concluded that the potential risk is low and evidence uncertain. In new guidelines published on Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine , a panel of researchers from seven countries suggested that "adults continue current unprocessed red meat consumption". The advice - which immediately drew a sharp reaction from other experts - added that adults should also "continue current processed meat consumption"...

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China's economy 70 years on: By the numbers

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The memory of Srebrenica is fading away

As survivors of the Bosnia massacres are leaving this world, the threat of history repeating itself is bigger than ever.

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Yemen's Houthi rebels release Saudi attack video

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Sunday broadcast footage they said was of a major attack into Saudi Arabia in August that killed or wounded 500 soldiers with thousands of others surrendering. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, described an ambush on the Saudi forces that then developed into an "all-out" cross-border offensive that trapped the troops inside Saudi Arabia. "More than 200 were killed in dozens of [missile and drone] strikes while trying to escape or surrender," Saree said. The fighting took place in the southern region of Najran with video images aired showing armoured vehicles hit by blasts and surrendering soldiers...

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Is Europe shifting towards the US on Iran?

The September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia 's oil industry have ratcheted up tensions in a region already on edge from an escalating standoff between the United States and Iran. The attacks, which knocked out five percent of the world's crude supply, were claimed by Yemen 's Houthi rebels. But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo swiftly blamed Iran, and President Donald Trump hinted at military action saying his country's military was "locked and loaded". Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejected any...

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Experts warn glacier on Mont Blanc in danger of collapsing

The Planpincieux, a hanging and temperate glacier that extends for 1,327sq km, is at risk of falling down Mont Blanc.

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Batteries: A powerful way to tackle climate change?

Countries have been falling behind in meeting the emissions standards they agreed to under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, but the solution could be just a (rather large) battery cell away, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). Renewable energy can be intermittent: solar panels do not produce electricity when it is dark, and wind turbines cannot do their job when the air is still. But batteries can store excess power when it is very sunny or windy, and pump the extra energy back into electricity grids when it is not...

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Afghan presidential election: Security still tops voters' mind

Kabul, Afghanistan - After months of false starts and doubts, Afghanistan is finally heading towards its fourth presidential election. The road to the polls has been anything but certain, as a series of talks between the United States and the Taliban in the Qatari capital, Doha, threatened to derail the entire process. The constant questioning of the polls continued until US President Donald Trump sent out a series of angry tweets declaring the talks dead after a Taliban-claimed bombing resulted in deaths of at least 14 Afghan civilians and a US soldier...

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Democrats call contents of whistle-blower complaint 'disturbing'

Washington, DC - US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff told reporters on Wednesday that allegations laid out in the whistle-blower complaint concerning President Donald Trump were "very credible" and "deeply disturbing". After previously resisting calls from members of Congress to release the complaint, the White House sent its contents to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees on Wednesday. "The report reinforces our concerns," said House Democrat Mike Quigley. "It's serious...

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Macron tightens migration stance: 'We can't host everyone'

President Emmanuel Macron has said France "cannot host everyone", intensifying his tough rhetoric on immigration. Macron had last week signalled a tougher line on immigration in the second half of his mandate, arguing the government must stop voters drifting to the far-right. "France cannot host everyone if it wants to host people well," Macron told Europe 1 in an interview from the United Nations in New York where he is attending this week's annual General Assembly ( UNGA ). Macron said France had...

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Afghanistan's presidential election: All you need to know

People of Afghanistan will head to the polls on Saturday to pick their next president, even as the threat of violence and concerns over electoral fraud could lead many to stay home. The vote, the fourth since the Taliban's removal from power by a United States -led coalition in 2001, comes as heavy fighting between the armed group and government forces has led to a spike in the number of civilians killed. The Taliban has already threatened to target election rallies and polling stations, while in...

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Beijing unveils world's largest airport ahead of 70th anniversary

Beijing's new airport, the Daxing International, was officially opened on Wednesday by Chinese President Xi Jinping , days before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The facility will be able to handle 45 million passengers by 2021, 72 million by 2025 and 100 million eventually in 2040, and cost an estimated $17.5bn to build, according to the Daxing airport's website , "With a 46km (28.6 miles) distance from [Beijing's] Tiananmen Square ... Daxing Airport aims to become the main airport hub of the region," it said...

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Trump impeachment inquiry: All the latest updates

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday that the United States House of Representatives would launch a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump , acquiescing to mounting pressure from fellow Democrats and plunging a deeply divided nation into an election-year clash between Congress and the president. The announcement came amid reports that Trump may have abused his presidential powers and sought help from a foreign government to undermine former Vice President Joe Biden, the current Democratic frontrunner, and help his own re-election...

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British MPs to return to work as Johnson faces calls to resign

UK parliamentarians will return to work on Wednesday after the nation's highest court decreed on Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's controversial five-week suspension of Parliament was unlawful. In a unanimous verdict, the 11 justices at the UK Supreme Court ruled that Parliament had effectively not been prorogued, upholding the decision by the Scottish Court of appeal in Edinburgh on September 11, and paving the way for the House of Commons to resume at 11:30am (1030 GMT) on Wednesday....

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'We're a mess': Egypt's economic woes fuel anger against el-Sisi

On the surface, Egypt 's economy seems to be doing well. Since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi signed on to a tough International Monetary Fund-backed reform programme in 2016, growth rates have accelerated, reaching 5.5 percent this year, the highest since 2010. Inflation has hit its lowest in four years, while debt and deficit rates are on a downward trend. As Egypt emerges from the IMF's $12bn loan programme, economists and investors are hailing it as "the best reform story in the Middle East" and listing it among the world's fastest-growing economies...

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African refugees abandon busy Cypriot cities for sleepy villages

Palaichori, Cyprus - With the arrival of the evening bus from Nicosia, the central square of Palaichori - a village nestled in a valley of Cyprus's Troodos mountains - briefly becomes a centre of activity. At surrounding coffee shops, customers turn to watch the traffic back up as bus passengers spill into the street. In a place where a passing car stirs locals' curiosity, the loud conversations over the noise of the bus's engine have shattered the staid atmosphere of the square. Most of the dialogue...

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FBI: US soldier discussed killing activists, bombing network

A United States Army soldier shared bomb-making instructions online and also discussed killing activists and bombing a news network, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. Jarrett William Smith, a 24-year old private first-class infantry soldier stationed at Fort Riley , Kansas, was charged with one count of distributing information related to explosives and weapons of mass destruction. Prosecutors allege Smith discussed his plan to kill far-left-leaning "Antifa" activists and described how to build a bomb that could be triggered by calling a mobile phone...

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What is behind the Saudi campaign against Hamas?

On September 9, Hamas issued a surprising official statement condemning the arrests of some of its supporters residing in Saudi Arabia . Since April, dozens of Palestinians, Jordanians and Saudi citizens have been arrested and accused of belonging to and supporting Hamas by collecting donations for the group. Some have allegedly been tortured, others have been deported; many have had their assets frozen and their financial transfers monitored. In addition, strict controls on r emittances to the Palestinian territories have been imposed, which almost completely cut them off over the summer...

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Repatriations and refunds: States react to Thomas Cook collapse

British travel operator Thomas Cook, which ran hotels, resorts and airlines ferrying 19 million people a year to 16 different countries, has collapsed under a pile of bankruptcy. The firm went out of business on Monday after it failed to secure a rescue package from its lenders. The collapse has left some 600,000 customers stranded abroad, forcing governments and insurance companies to coordinate a huge operation to bring them all home. Here's how affected countries are responding: United Kingdom...

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World’s poor get less than 1 cent a day for climate change: Oxfam

The costs of battling climate change are increasing for the world's poorest communities, as they struggle with more extreme weather patterns and insufficient aid, the UK-based aid group Oxfam said on Monday. "People in Mozambique and the Horn of Africa are facing mounting human and financial costs from climate-related disasters they did least to create," Oxfam said in a statement . A new report by Oxfam showed that the 48 least developed countries in the world are receiving between $2.4bn to $3.4bn...

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Dozens of civilians killed in Afghan forces' anti-Taliban attack

At least 40 civilians at a wedding party have been killed during a raid conducted by Afghan special forces on a Taliban hideout, officials said. Abdul Majed Akhand, deputy provincial councilman, said the majority of the dead were women and children attending the wedding ceremony in Musa Qala district on Sunday night. "Some 40 people were killed and 18 others were wounded and were brought to the hospital," he told AFP news agency. "All the victims were civlians". On Monday, Omar Zwak, the provincial...

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'You live in fear if you want to say something about Israel'

Berlin, Germany - A German jury's decision to strip British Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie of a literary prize, because of her pro-Palestinian activism, underscores how ignoring Palestinian rights has become normalised in Germany , according to pro-Palestinian figures in the country. On September 18, days after its initial decision, the eight-member jury of the Nelly Sachs Prize, named after the German-Jewish Nobel laureate, a poet and playwright, withdrew its $16,000 award over Shamsie's support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement...

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Emmy Awards: Game of Thrones wins again as Fleabag surprises

Fantasy saga Game of Thrones fantasy took home the top drama prize for the fourth time at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, and became the most decorated fictional show in the awards’ history, but it was British writer and actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge who stole the show with her dark comedy, Fleabag. Game of Thrones ended with 12 awards for its final season, including Peter Dinklage who won best supporting actor for the fourth time. "This all started in the demented mind of George R.R. Martin," said Game...

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Oil attacks: What's next for Saudi Aramco and world oil markets?

We ask why Saudi Arabia's billion-dollar defences failed to protect its oil facilities and how it affects oil prices.

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Made in Eastern Europe: Garment workers denied basic rights

Names marked with an asterisk* have been changed to protect interviewees' identities. Romania and Bulgaria - On July 10, on the outskirts of Covasna, a small mountainous town in Romania's central region of Transylvania, about 30 garment factory workers who were recently made redundant launched a protest outside their workplace - the Textile Blue Wash factory. With the building's gate locked behind them, and its yard empty, they demanded their jobs back and called for salaries of up to two months to be paid...

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Planet SOS: Voices from the front lines of the climate crisis From the jungles of French Guiana to Somalia and New York…

As millions of people across the world take to the streets calling for action against climate change, Planet SOS speaks to some of the protesters who are taking part, including a Ugandan activist who was inspired by Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg . We follow her from her home on the outskirts of Kampala as she prepares to travel to New York. Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor James Bays sits down with Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, ahead of the climate summit he is hosting next week...

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Every part of the globe is feeling the heat of the climate and ecological emergency. Many of the world's leading scientists are warning of an existential crisis in the face of irreversible and adverse changes to the earth's climate...

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'We hugged and cried': Families struggle to meet jailed Kashmiris

Hameeda Begum described her arduous journey from the Himalayan region of Indian-administered Kashmir to the hot and humid room in Agra Central Jail in northern Uttar Pradesh state, where the exhausted 70-year-old was waiting to see her son. A man in his early twenties offered her a bottle of water, saying, "Don't lose hope. You are not alone." Hameeda drew a long sigh, placed her hand on the man's hand and spoke in a barely audible voice: "May God give us patience." Other Kashmiri families watched as they sat on a steel bench, waiting to see their own jailed relatives...

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China, Solomon Islands establish diplomatic relations

China and the Solomon Islands have established diplomatic relations days after the Pacific island nation severed ties with Taiwan. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Solomon Islands' Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeremiah Manele signed an agreement to form ties at a government guest house in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on Saturday. "We look forward to the quick development of bilateral relations between China and the Solomons," said Wang, pledging to support the country in moving "forward in the development path it has chosen for itself"...

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In rare protests, Egyptians demand President el-Sisi's removal

Rallies in several Egyptian cities after businessman Mohamed Ali accused el-Sisi of corruption, called for resignation.

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Football: Roma's online campaign helps find five missing children

A social media campaign by Italian football side AS Roma has helped to locate a fifth missing child around the world since its launch in June. The Italian club, in partnership with different charities, has been using videos of its transfer announcements to feature the faces and share details of missing children on its social media platforms. A 16-year-old girl from London, who went missing on July 12, appeared in seven different videos before she was found, the club announced on Thursday, making her the second teenager recovered in the UK and fifth worldwide...

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US sanctions Iran's central bank in wake of Aramco attacks

The United States Department of the Treasury on Friday slapped sanctions on Iran 's central bank and its sovereign wealth fund, ratcheting up the pressure on Tehran nearly a week after attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure that Riyadh and Washington have blamed on Iran. Speaking at a White House press conference alongside visiting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Donald Trump described Friday's action as the "highest level of sanctions". Trump has said he wants a peaceful...

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Climate strike: Almost 100,000 Londoners stage protests

More than 200 demonstrations took place across the UK as workers were actively encouraged to join protesting students.

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Indonesia's president delays vote on law banning extramarital sex

Joko Widodo , the president of Indonesia , has ordered a delay in a parliamentary vote on a new penal code criminalising gay and premarital sex following a public outcry. Widodo said on Friday that he made the decision after considering public opinion. He said the bill should not be voted on by members of the current House of Representatives, whose terms end in early October, and deliberations should be conducted by the new legislators. "After hearing from various groups with objections to aspects...

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Why I am striking on September 20

Earlier this month, I woke up to the news that a catastrophic hurricane was fast approaching my home in Florida. Living in the southern state for 14 years, I have gotten used to weather emergencies every year. However, what I have found difficult to comprehend is why year after year the US government continues to ignore the plight of impoverished communities (mostly people of colour) who suffer disproportionately more during the hurricane season; and why, given the abundant scientific evidence that such weather emergencies are getting worse, there is little action being taken...

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Twitter suspends thousands of fake accounts from UAE

Twitter has suspended a large network of 4,258 accounts which it said were operated exclusively from the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ), employing fake names and tweeting mostly about Qatar and Yemen. It also removed a network of 267 accounts in the UAE and Egypt which Twitter said were engaged in a "multi-faceted information operation" targeting Qatar and Iran while amplifying messages supportive of the Saudi government. The company said those accounts were managed by a private company called DotDev,...

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Britain's Thomas Cook scrambles for $250m to avert collapse

The United Kingdom 's Thomas Cook scrambled on Friday to find an extra 200 million pounds ($251m) to satisfy its lenders and secure the survival of the world's oldest holiday company. Last month, Thomas Cook, the pioneer of the package tour, agreed to key terms of a 900 million pound ($1.1bn) recapitalisation plan with Chinese shareholder Fosun and its banks. Thomas Cook, which employs 21,000 people across 16 countries, warned on Friday that this could mean shareholders losing all of their investment...

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The sun is setting on Vikram lander but not on Chandrayaan-2

On Saturday, as the sun sets on the lunar South Pole, the shadows cast will darken any hope of communicating with India's fatally damaged Vikram lander. The Indian space agency does not expect the onboard communications and scientific equipment to survive the South Pole's 14 Earth days of lunar night when surface temperatures plunge to minus 180 degrees Celsius. Despite the September 7 loss of the lander, India 's ambition to take its place among the spacefaring nations endeavouring to exploit the moon's water and mineral riches has not cooled, but it has become more difficult to realise...

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El Salvador: Jailed ex-president gets two more years for bribery

Court finds Elias Antonio Saca guilty of offering $10,000 in a bid to obtain information on a case against him.

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'No Planet B': Hundreds of thousands join global climate strike

Hundreds of thousands of protesters, many of them school students, have gathered in towns and cities across the Asia Pacific region, kicking off a day of worldwide protests calling for action against climate change ahead of a United Nations summit. From the Pacific Islands to New Zealand , Australia and Thailand , protesters took to the streets on Friday, demanding their governments take urgent steps to tackle the climate crisis and prevent an environmental catastrophe. Organisers estimated 300,000...

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Trump's asylum ban will worsen a crisis the US helped create

The Trump administration's near-total ban on asylum seekers at the southern border is illegal and immoral.

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Russia blasted at UN for 'carpet bombing' Syria

United Nations - Russia and China nixed a draft UN Security Council resolution on Thursday that called for a truce in northwest Syria , where government forces seek to overtake the last rebel stronghold in the country's brutal civil war. The double-veto marked the thirteenth time Moscow blocked UN action on Syria, and the seventh time for Beijing, in an eight-year conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and divided world powers. The document, drafted by Kuwait, Belgium and Germany,...

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Renewed calls for Qatar to address treatment of migrant workers

Doha, Qatar - There have been renewed calls for Qatar to address and review its treatment of migrant workers after a new Amnesty International report revealed that "hundreds of migrant workers" have been forced to give up on "justice" and return home "penniless" since March 2018. Qatar and its labour laws have been under the spotlight ever since the country was named the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Its government has pledged to resolve labour disputes in the run-up to the tournament. In the...

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British people on financial ‘knife edge’ as Brexit looms: Charity

British households are increasingly struggling with debt, at rates that are worrying charities in the United Kingdom . Between January and June 2019, the StepChange Debt Charity said it experienced its busiest ever start to a year with a record 331,337 new clients reaching out for help with their debt problems. The statistics painted a "bleak picture" of the scale of the UK's debt problem, the charity said in a statement on Wednesday, marking a 2 percent rise in new clients over the past six months and a 6 percent rise since 2016...

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Ethiopia rejects Egypt plan to operate Nile dam

Ethiopia has said it will not accept a proposal by Egypt to operate the hydropower dam Addis Ababa is building on the Nile, calling Cairo's plan "inappropriate". Sileshi Bekele, Ethiopia's minister for water, irrigation and energy, said on Wednesday Addis Ababa will put forward a different proposal. "The proposal from Egypt was unilaterally decided...(it) didn't consider our previous agreements," he said. "We can't agree with this ... we will prepare our counter proposal." Will the largest dam in...

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Afghanistan: US confirms drone attack that killed 30 farmers

US says drone attack intended to hit ISIL hideout killed at least 30 in what it fears may be 'collateral damage'.

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The savvy startup founder who helps Kashmiris overcome crackdown

New Delhi, India - Javid Parsa, a 31-year-old restauranteur and social media star who was born Bandipora, a picturesque district in Indian-administered Kashmir , is the epitome of a startup founder. On his feed, he can usually be seen smiling and talking to his cooks or pictured in selfies with customers. A former Amazon employee and MBA graduate, with about 30,000 followers on social media, he quit a corporate job in Hyderabad in 2014 to return to Kashmir and set up a chain of street food restaurants - Parsa's...

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Who is Robert O'Brien, Trump's national security adviser pick?

Washington, DC - Within a day of announcing his shortlist of five candidates for the White House's top security job, US President Donald Trump tweeted that he picked Robert O'Brien as John Bolton's replacement as national security adviser. "I have worked long and hard with Robert," Trump tweeted in his announcement of the replacement. "He will do a great job!" Speaking alongside Trump after the announcement, O'Brien said "we've got a number of challenges" and it was a privilege to be picked to serve in the position...

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Human rights groups take climate fight to big corporations

While climate advocacy groups have long relied on environmental arguments for why fossil fuels should be sidelined, a paradigm shift appears to be taking place. Not only are ecological activists stressing the impact that greenhouse gas emissions have on the Earth, but now they are also invoking human rights law to wage an epic battle against the carbon-centric status quo. More than 200 representatives of indigenous peoples, labour groups, legal bodies and environmental organisations issued a historic declaration on Wednesday merging human rights with climate justice...

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Khan warns Pakistanis against joining anti-India fight in Kashmir

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned citizens against joining the fight in Kashmir , saying the Indian authorities were waiting for "any excuse" to crack down on the residents in the Himalayan territory. "If someone from Pakistan goes to India and he thinks he will fight in Kashmir ... the first person he will be inflicting cruelty on is the Kashmiris. He will have acted as an enemy of the Kashmiris," Khan said during a speech in Torkham on the border with Afghanistan on Wednesday. Tensions...

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Saudi Arabia signals resilience as it presses on with Aramco IPO

Aramco attacks exposed vulnerabilities in kingdom's oil infrastructure, but officials say revenues are not impacted.

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Honduras strict abortion law: Women judged no matter the verdict

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - On a rainy day two years ago, 26-year-old domestic worker Lucia* was sent outside to shut the gate of her employer's home i n a rural area on the outskirts of the Honduran capital . Her employers didn't want the sheep to get out. As Lucia headed back inside, she slipped and fell, hitting her back on the ground, according to court documents. She didn't know it at the time, but she was 24 weeks pregnant. During the early hours the following morning, Lucia screamed in pain....

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