BAN TA KLANG (AFP) -- Separated from their mothers, jabbed with metal hooks, and sometimes deprived of food -- many Thai elephants are tamed by force before being sold to lucrative tourism sites increasingly advertised as "sanctuaries" to cruelty-conscious travellers.Balanced precariously on hind legs, two-year-old Ploy holds a ball in her trunk and flings it towards a hoop, one of many tricks she is learning in Ban Ta Klang, a traditional training village in the east.Here young elepha

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong's Christmas celebrations were marred by sporadic clashes between police and pro-democracy activists on Wednesday as the city's pro-Beijing leader said the festive season was being "ruined" by demonstrators.Police used pepper spray and tear gas as activists held small flashmob protests in malls and multiple districts across the city.In Mong Kok, an area that has seen frequent clashes over the last six months, police fired multiple rounds of tear gas to dispe

VATICAN CITY (AFP) -- Christmas was celebrated all around the world on Wednesday, with Pope Francis appealing for peace in many of the world's hotspots while festivities were muted for Filipinos battered by a typhoon, as well as in strike-bound France."May Christ bring his light to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the Middle East and in various countries of the world," Francis said in his traditional Christmas message at the Vatican, singling out the crises in Vene

CHENGDU (AFP) -- China made overtures on trade to Japan and South Korea and offered support for an infrastructure initiative as it hosted the leaders of its two neighbours this week amid strained ties with the US.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Beijing was willing to strengthen economic cooperation with Japan in third-country markets.At the meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral summit in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Li a

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A white-bearded man robbed a bank two days before Christmas, but threw the stolen cash in the air and wished passers-by a merry Christmas, US media reported.Colorado police confirmed in a statement an "older white male" robbed the Academy Bank in Colorado Springs after threatening workers with an unidentified weapon and leaving with an unknown amount of money around midday Monday. "He started throwing money out of the bag and then said, 'Merry Christmas!"

LONDON (AFP) -- Tottenham Hotspur have failed with their appeal against Son Heung-min's red card, the Football Association announced Tuesday.The South Korean winger saw red in the second half of Spurs' 2-0 loss at home to Chelsea in a spiteful London derby on Sunday after VAR confirmed he had kicked out at Blues defender Antonio Rudiger after being fouled. Tottenham launched an appeal but the FA upheld his red card, meaning Son will now serve a three-game ban ruling him out of the matches at hom

CHENGDU (AFP) -- China hosted the leaders of squabbling neighbours South Korea and Japan for their first official meeting in over a year on Tuesday, flexing its diplomatic muscle with America's two key Asian allies and seeking unity on how to deal with a belligerent North Korea.The gathering in the southwestern city of Chengdu was held with the clock ticking on a threatened "Christmas gift" from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that could reignite global tensions over its nuclear progra

LONDON (AFP) -- The latest racism row engulfing English football took a fresh turn Monday amid reports Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min as well as Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger had been abused by spectators during Sunday's fractious London derby.Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium saw referee Anthony Taylor halt play during the second half when Rudiger complained of hearing monkey noises from spectators.Moments earlier, the Chelsea defender had been involved in a clash

SINGAPORE (AFP) -- A brief kiss between two women in the new "Star Wars" movie was cut from the version released in Singapore, local media said."The Rise of Skywalker", the conclusion to the nine "Star Wars" films that stars Daisy Ridley, was released in the Asian city-state on Thursday.The film contains a brief scene where two minor female characters share a kiss -- but the moment is omitted in the version screened in Singapore, according to Yahoo Lifestyle SEA. Th

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump touted a "very good talk" Friday with Xi Jinping on a deal to resolve their trade war, while Chinese media said Xi had complained about US interference in Hong Kong and elsewhere.Trump tweeted that China "already started large scale" increases in purchases of US farm goods, in line with the deal.However, he did not give a date for when the so-called "phase one" agreement will actually be signed. "Formal signing being arrange

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

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

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

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

BARCELONA (AFP) -- Barcelona and Real Madrid could not be separated on Wednesday in a Clasico that was overshadowed by violent clashes between Catalan independence protestors and police outside Camp Nou.After being postponed in October, there were renewed fears of unrest around Spain's most famous fixture and while the match was only briefly interrupted by yellow beach balls thrown onto the pitch, outside the stadium, chaos ensued.Masked protesters had set bins on fire and thrown rocks and glass

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,

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

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

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

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