BEIJING (AFP) -- China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets starting Sunday, according to the country's information technology authority, as Beijing continues to tighten cyberspace controls.In September, China's industry and information technology ministry issued a notice on "safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens online", which laid out rules for enforcing real-name registration.The notice said t

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong police on Friday ended their two-week siege of a university campus that became a battleground with pro-democracy protesters as activists vowed to hold fresh rallies and strikes in the coming days.Renewed calls to hit the streets came after Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam refused further political concessions despite a landslide victory for pro-democracy parties in local elections last weekend.Sunday's district council polls delivered a stinging rebuke to the finan

TOKYO (AFP) -- Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, an ardent conservative who worked to forge a stronger military alliance with the United States, has died at the age of 101, local media said Friday.In office for five years from November 1982 to November 1987, Nakasone was known for trying to integrate the nation defeated in World War II as a full-fledged member of the West during the Cold War era. He poured his efforts into strengthening security ties with the US at a time of inte

BAGRAM (AFP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday the US had resumed talks with Taliban insurgents as he made a surprise trip to Afghanistan to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with troops.On a brief visit to Bagram Airfield outside the capital Kabul, Trump served turkey dinner to soldiers, posed for photographs and delivered a speech after meeting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani."The Taliban wants to make a deal and we're meeting with them and we're saying it has to be a ceasefire,"

BEIJING (AFP) -- China warned Thursday that it was ready to take "firm countermeasures" against the United States after President Donald Trump signed a law supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong."The nature of this is extremely abominable, and harbours absolutely sinister intentions," the foreign ministry said in a statement, without specifying what measures Beijing might take.Trump signed the law on Wednesday, after it received almost unanimous US congressional sup

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong's government on Thursday expressed "extreme regret" after US President Donald Trump signed legislation backing pro-democracy protests, accusing Washington of "interfering" in the city's domestic affairs. "The two acts are obviously interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs," a government official said in a statement, warning the move would "send the wrong message to the protesters". (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump signed a law Wednesday supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, likely angering Beijing just as Washington was hoping to ease the long-running US-China trade war.Trump had seemed reluctant to sign the bill but with almost unanimous US congressional support for the measure, he had little political room to maneuver.In a statement, Trump spoke of "respect" for Chinese President Xi Jinping and said he hoped the "leaders and represent

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The House Judiciary Committee said Tuesday it would begin hearings on December 4 in the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, inviting the US president and his lawyer to attend.Lawmakers in the Democratic-led House of Representatives spent the last two weeks publicly questioning witnesses including White House officials and diplomats over allegations Trump abused the power of his office when he pressured Ukraine to launch investigations that would help him

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- "So this is Conan -- right now, probably the world's most famous dog."In a stream of superlatives, Donald Trump on Monday introduced to the world the military dog involved in the raid that led to the death of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."Conan did a fantastic job," the US president told the White House press corps, assembled for a brief, unannounced ceremony with the Belgian Malinois and its handler."So brilliant, so smart," s

POMPEII (AFP) -- Magnificent thermal baths designed to be the jewel of Pompeii but destroyed by a volcanic eruption before they could be completed opened to visitors for the first time on Monday after a painstaking excavation.Marble pillars and blocks lie where they were abandoned when the city was submerged by a pyroclastic flow from Mount Vesuvius in the 79 AD disaster.But excavators also found a victim of the disaster, the skeleton of a child who had sought shelter there in vain.The architect

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Billionaire Michael Bloomberg formally entered the race to be US president Sunday, pledging to "rebuild America" as he joined the crowded field of Democrats seeking to take on Donald Trump.Bloomberg's personal fortune of $50 billion is likely to shake up the open Democratic contest, with the declaration of his candidacy coming just three months before the first primary votes."The stakes could not be higher. We must win this election. And we must begin rebuilding

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp was headed for a thumping victory in district council elections, local media reported on Monday, a vote widely seen as a referendum on the Beijing-backed government's handling of months of violent political unrest.Counting was still under way following record turnout in Sunday's elections, but results so far indicated that candidates favouring calls for greater democracy were on course to seize a shock majority of the 452 seats contested, media r

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Hong Kong voted in district council elections Sunday in a ballot the city's pro-democracy movement hoped would send a message to the Beijing-backed government.The run-up to Sunday's polls has seen a muting of major rallies and violent clashes between police and protesters, respite for a city battered by nearly six months of unprecedented political unrest.Protest forums have urged citizens to vote and to pause acts of disruption in case the government pushes back the polls, whi

LONDON (AFP) -- Prince Andrew on Wednesday said he was cancelling his public engagements, as the outcry over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein showed no sign of abating.Queen Elizabeth II's second son has been under pressure since a television interview broadcast Saturday in which he defended his links to the disgraced financier, who was found dead in a New York prison in August.An increasing number of organisations and initiatives backed by Prince Andrew have said they

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US lawmakers Wednesday overwhelmingly approved legislation that supports human rights and democracy in Hong Kong and also backs the territory's anti-China protesters, sending the measure opposed by Beijing to President Donald Trump.The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act passed the House of Representatives by 417 to 1, one day after the Senate unanimously passed the measure, provoking an outcry from Beijing.The bill requires the US president to annually review the favora

LONDON (AFP) -- Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Jose Mourinho as their new head coach after sacking Mauricio Pochettino, the club said on Wednesday. The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager has signed a contract that runs until the end of the 2022/23 season, the north London club said in an online statement.Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy said: "In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room." (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US Senate unanimously adopted legislation Tuesday supporting "human rights and democracy" in Hong Kong and threatening to revoke its special economic status, angering China which promptly summoned a US diplomat and threatened countermeasures.The lawmakers also approved a measure that would ban the sale of tear gas, rubber bullets and other equipment that have been used by security forces to suppress pro-democracy protests for nearly six months.Chinese vice forei

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States no longer believes that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are illegal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday in the latest pro-Israel shift by Washington.The statement puts the United States at odds with virtually all countries as well as UN Security Council resolutions and was hailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of President Donald Trump who is days away from potentially losing office."After caref

BEIJING (AFP) -- China insisted Tuesday it held the sole authority to rule on constitutional matters in Hong Kong, as it condemned a decision by the city's high court to overturn a ban on face masks worn by pro-democracy protesters.The statement could further fan the flames in Hong Kong after months of violent protests over concerns that Beijing is chipping away at the autonomy of the financial hub.The ban on face-covering came into force in October, when the city's unelected pro-Beijing leader

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President Donald Trump said Monday he is "strongly" considering accepting a challenge from opposition Democrats to testify in his own impeachment investigation.After the speaker of the lower house, Nancy Pelosi, upped the ante by suggesting that Trump come forward to tell the "truth," the Republican president said he was keen.Pelosi suggested "that I testify about the phony Impeachment Witch Hunt. She also said I could do it in writing," Trump tw