The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has raised at least $11 billion in a share offering in Hong Kong, netting the city's biggest offering since 2010 despite recent political turmoil.Alibaba said Wednesday that it has set the price for the offering at 176 Hong Kong dollars ($22.50) per share. The price is a 2.9% discount for the closing price for its shares traded in New York. It's also below the original maximum offer price of $188 Hong Kong dollars.The company's shares are due to begin trading

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A key UN committee approved a resolution Thursday condemning North Korea's widespread human rights violations which may amount to crimes against humanity -- a decision denounced by the country's UN mission as "politically motivated" and based on "fabrications."The resolution, sponsored by the European Union and joined by the United States and others, was approved by consensus by the General Assembly's human rights committee, with a bang of the chai

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that he is open to the possibility of altering American military activities in South Korea if it would help advance a diplomatic deal with North Korea to eliminate its nuclear program.In an interview with reporters flying with him to Seoul, Esper said any changes in military exercises or training would be done in ways that did not jeopardize troops' combat preparedness. And he said they would be done in consultation with the South Ko

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Impeachable or not?Both Democrats and Republicans see the televised impeachment hearings starting this week as their first and best opportunity to shape public opinion about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.Democrats believe the testimony will paint a vivid picture of presidential misconduct. Republicans say it will demonstrate just how lacking the evidence is for impeachment.They agree on one thing: The stakes are very high.Democrats plan a narrow foc

TOKYO (AP) -- Well-wishers are gathering along a central Tokyo street hours before Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are expected to greet them from a royal motorcade under tight security.  Police have set up 40 security checkpoints. Selfie sticks, bottles and banners -- and even shouting -- are not allowed inside the restricted zone. Naruhito succeeded his father Akihito on May 1 following his abdication, and formally ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in a palace ceremony last

BUSAN (AP) -- A notorious South Korean facility that kidnapped, abused and enslaved children and the disabled for a generation was also shipping children overseas for adoption, part of a massive profit-seeking enterprise that thrived by exploiting those trapped within its walls, The Associated Press has found. The AP, which previously exposed a government cover-up at Brothers Home and a far greater level of abuse than earlier known, has now found that the facility was part of an orphanage pipeli

NEW YORK (AP) -- Fifty years ago, beloved entertainer Carol Burnett appeared on the very first broadcast of a quirky TV program that featured a bunch of furry puppets. Blink and you might miss it, but Burnett followed a cartoon about a witch called Wanda, which was loaded with words beginning with the letter w. "Wow, Wanda the Witch is weird," Burnett commented. And then -- poof -- she was gone. That show was "Sesame Street" and Burnett, like a lot of kids, was inst

HONG KONG (AFP) -- A man went on a knife rampage in Hong Kong late Sunday leaving at least five people wounded, including a local pro-democracy politician who had his ear bitten off, capping another chaotic day of political unrest in the city.Flashmob rallies erupted inside multiple shopping centers across the international finance hub over the afternoon, sparking frequent clashes with riot police.The violence was less sustained than Saturday when police and protesters fought hours of cat and mo

NEW YORK (AP) -- McDonald's chief executive officer has been pushed out of the company after violating company policy by engaging in a consensual relationship with an employee, the corporation said Sunday.The fast food giant said former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook demonstrated poor judgment, and that McDonald's forbids managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates.In an email to employees, Easterbrook acknowledged he had a relationship with an employee

TOKYO (AP) -- A fire has spread among structures at Shuri Castle on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, nearly destroying the UNESCO World Heritage site. Firefighters were still battling the blaze a few hours after the fire started early Thursday and nearby residents were evacuated to safer areas, Okinawa police spokesman Ryo Kochi said.The fire in Naha, the prefectural capital of Okinawa, started from the castle's main structure. The main Seiden temple and a Hokuden structure, or north temple,

The shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world's most wanted man, is dead after being targeted by a U.S. military raid in Syria, President Donald Trump said Sunday."Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead," Trump announced at the White House, saying the U.S. had "brought the world's number one terrorist leader to justice." As U.S. forces bore down on him, Trump said al-Baghdadi fled into a tunnel with three of his children

LONDON (AP) — A fourth person was arrested in connection with the deaths of 39 people found in the back of a container truck in southeastern England, British police said Friday as the investigation into one of the country’s worst human smuggling cases geared up.Police said a 48-year-old man from Northern Ireland was arrested Friday at England’s Stansted Airport on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. The arrest came after police arrested a man and a woman

Hong Kong's government, faced with months of pro-democracy protests that have spiraled into violence, on Friday invoke emergency powers to ban masks from street demonstrations. A look at how some other countries have dealt with masked protesters:FRANCEIn March, following months of often violent yellow vest protests, the French Parliament passed a bill backed by President Emmanuel Macron's government to further prevent violence during protests and to help authorities maintain order. The so-called