In its biggest military funeral in decades, France is honoring 13 soldiers killed when their helicopters collided over Mali while on a mission fighting extremists affiliated with the Islamic State group.                     A few thousand people, veterans, uniformed military units and ordinary residents,  lined the Alexander II Bridge and the esplanade leading toward the gold-domed Invalides monument in Paris on Monday to pay their respects, as 13 hearses drove slowly past.                     French President Emmanuel Macron and Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will preside over the funeral ceremony at the Invalides, a former military hospital that houses Napoleon’s tomb.                     The 13 coffins, draped in the French tricolor, arrived in France over the weekend.                     Tuesday’s crash was France’s highest military death toll since 1983. The French military says it was the result of complex coordination during a combat operation and has dismissed a claim of responsibility by an IS-linked group. The flight recorders were recovered and an investigation has begun.                     The deaths draw new attention to a worrying front in the global fight against extremism, one in which France and local countries have pleaded for more support. In a surge of violence this …

At least 26 people were killed when their bus careered into a ravine in the northwest of Tunisia, officials said in a new toll. The health ministry said late Sunday that 17 people were also injured in the accident in a mountainous region popular with Tunisian tourists. The disaster was one of the most deadly accidents in a country whose poor road safety record has sparked criticism of officials. All those aboard the bus were Tunisian, the ministry said. The bus had set off from Tunis towards the picturesque northern mountain town of Ain Draham, a popular autumn destination for domestic visitors. The interior ministry had earlier reported the deaths of 22 out of the 43 people aboard, saying the bus had “fallen into a ravine after crashing through an iron barrier.” The health ministry said later that four more passengers had died of their injuries. An AFP team that visited the site saw the twisted remains of the bus in the ravine near a river bed, surrounded by scattered bodies. The top of the bus appeared to have been torn off and seats were strewn across the site. President Kais Saied and outgoing Prime Minister Youssef Chahed later visited …

Samoa ordered a government shutdown to help combat a devastating measles outbreak Monday, as five more children succumbed to the virus, lifting the death toll in the tiny Pacific nation to 53. The government said almost 200 new measles cases had been recorded since Sunday, with the rate of infection showing no sign of slowing despite a compulsory mass vaccination program. The scheme has so far focussed on children but Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said it was time to immunize everyone in the 200,000 population aged under 60. To achieve the goal, he said government services and departments would close on Thursday and Friday this week in order to allow all public servants to assist with the mass vaccination campaign throughout the country. He said only electricity and water utility workers would be exempt and called on the nation to stand together to contain the outbreak. “In this time of crisis, and the cruel reality of the measles epidemic, let us reflect on how we can avoid recurrence in the future,” Malielegaoi said in a national address. Since the crisis began in mid-October, there have been 3,728 measles cases, accounting for almost two percent of the population. Infants are …

Hong Kong is set to record its first budget deficit in 15 years, the city’s finance chief warned Monday, as the business hub reels from the twin shocks of the trade war and seething democracy protests. In the latest grim assessment for the city, financial secretary Paul Chan told lawmakers that the economy was set to contract 1.3 percent in 2019 hitting the city’s usually bulging coffers. Chan blamed the 2019-2020 deficit on decreased tax revenues, a slowdown in land sales and recent economic sweeteners he unveiled in a bid to win over the public during a tumultuous year of unrest. “At the end of the financial year, the SAR government will be in the red,” Chan said, using an abbreviation for the Hong Kong government. “Hong Kong’s economy is now in extremely difficult times,” he added, as he called for political violence to cease. The city has been battered by nearly six months of protests triggered by rising public anger over China’s rule and the police’s response to protests.   Crowds are pushing for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability but the city’s pro-Beijing leadership has refused any major political concessions. The increasingly violent rallies have hammered the retail …

What does Brexit have to do with Vietnam? It seems a strange question, but there are several ways that Britain’s planned divorce from the European Union would be likely to affect the Southeast Asian nation. These effects can be put in three broad categories. First, Vietnam has finished negotiating a trade agreement with the EU, but Brussels appears too preoccupied to ratify the agreement until it has tied up Brexit once and for all. Second, if Britain is out of the EU, then some European products would become more expensive, so British consumers would look for cheaper alternatives, such as from Vietnam. And third, Britain has been looking for new trade agreements to join if it is no longer in the EU bloc, and that includes joining a major agreement already signed by Vietnam. That agreement, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, formerly known as the TPP, includes nations around the Asia Pacific and used to include the United States until President Donald Trump pulled the country out in 2017. When Britain first suggested the idea of joining the TPP, in 2018, it was met with a lot of raised eyebrows — Britain is not a Pacific power, …

The United States reportedly flew a reconnaissance plane over South Korea on Monday, marking the second intelligence-gathering flyover this week, according to an aviation tracker cited by several South Korean news sources. The aircraft — thought to be an RC-135W — was first reported on Twitter flying west to east across South Korea at an altitude of around 31,000 feet at approximately 8:26 a.m. The spy plane was spotted by Aircraft Spots, an account that monitors military aircraft movements.  The same account reportedly identified a U.S. Air Force U-2S plane flying over Seoul on December 1, while South Korean media reported similar recent flights by U-2S, EP-3C, E8C and RC-135V jets. The United States’ most recent reconnaissance flight took place just days after North Korea launched its 13th projectile this year — “a super large multiple rocket launcher” — on Nov. 28. “Monitoring like this is routine, and we can assume that the U.S. military is surveilling North Korea at all times,” C. Harrison Kim, a North Korea expert and professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, told VOA. “But at the same time, the recent missile launches from North Korea are seen as a provocation and so, given the …

Clashes sparked by suspected cartel gunmen in a northern Mexican town killed 20 people this weekend, authorities said, putting more pressure on Mexico’s president to curb gang violence after the United States vowed to label the gangs terrorists. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, mindful of efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to designate Mexican drug gangs as terrorist groups, repeated on Sunday that he would not accept any intervention from abroad, while doubling down on his strategy of trying to contain the cartels. But the killings clouded celebrations marking Lopez Obrador’s first year in office, which were buffeted by a march in Mexico City by thousands of people protesting the violence. The government of the northern state of Coahuila said local security forces killed 14 gunmen on Saturday and Sunday, after a major gunfight broke out in the small town of Villa Union near the Texas border. Earlier, the state government had said police had shot dead 17 cartel members. Four police were also killed in the shootouts, which broke out around midday on Saturday, sparking fresh criticism of the government’s approach to handling the powerful gangs. The bodies of two unarmed civilians apparently murdered by the gunmen were also …

Former congressman and retired Navy admiral Joe Sestak is giving up his efforts to be the next president of the United States. The Democratic candidate told supporters on Twitter Sunday he is dropping out of the race. He thanked all those who backed his candidacy, calling it an honor to be able to run. Sestak blamed his failure to make an impact on the race in part because he said he lacked the “privilege of national press.” Sestak barely registered in the polls and failed to qualify for any of the Democratic debates.   …

A statue of U.S. civil rights leader Rosa Parks has been unveiled in Montgomery, capital of the southern state of Alabama. The unveiling Sunday marks the 64th anniversary of the day Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. “Today, on the second official Rosa Parks Day, we honor a seamstress and a servant, one whose courage ran counter to her physical stature,” said Mayor Steven Reed, the city’s first African American mayor. “She was a consummate contributor to equality and did so with a quiet humility that is an example for all of us.” On December 1, 1955, Parks was on her way home when she was asked to vacate her seat for a white man. She refused. Her subsequent arrest led to the 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system, organized by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., then pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The statue is located at Montgomery Plaza, about 9 meters from the spot where Parks is believed to have boarded the bus. Parks’ small act of defiance made her a major symbol of the civil rights movement. She died in 2005 at …

A U.S. State Department official accused China of attempting to erase the Muslim identity of Uighurs by seeking to demolish or close places of worship in Xinjiang in northwest China. The official, who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity, said the Chinese Communist Party in its campaign against the Uighur minority has removed religious symbols from places of worship, imposing strict surveillance on them. “As part of its ongoing attempts to eradicate the Islamic faith and “re-educate” Muslims, Beijing has closed or destroyed mosques, shrines, burial grounds, and other Islamic structures, perhaps more,” the official told VOA. “Mosques permitted to remain open have been stripped of certain features like minarets and domes and are heavily monitored by surveillance cameras and security personnel,” the official said, adding that Beijing’s acts have denied Muslims the ability to practice their faith in public. Artush Eshtachi Grand Mosque is seen in Artush, in China’s northwest Xinjiang province. (Photo by Marie Bourquin; photo courtesy of Bahram Sintash) An estimated 13 million ethnic Uighurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities are believed to live in the Xinjiang region. The Chinese government since early 2017 has been accused of a harsh crackdown in the region through …

Unknown gunmen opened fire on a church in eastern Burkina Faso Sunday, killing at least 14 people. Officials say the attack took place in the town of Hantoukoura, near the border with Niger. Soldiers are hunting for the attackers who fled on motor scooters after gunning down worshipers during a Sunday mass. No one has claimed responsibility, but Islamic extremists are suspected. Christians and others had lived peacefully in the Muslim majority country until a series of attacks blamed on jihadists spilled over from neighboring Mali last year, leaving hundreds dead.   …

India said Saturday that ties with Japan are key to stability in the Indo-Pacific region as the two countries held their inaugural foreign and defense ministerial dialogue in New Delhi with an aim to further bolster their strategic partnership. The security talks focused on cooperation in building a free and open Indo-Pacific in view of China’s growing footprint in the region. They took place following a decision by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, during a summit between the leaders last year. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar headed the Indian delegation, while the Japanese side was led by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Taro Kono. Singh held talks with Kono on a range of issues. The Press Trust of India news agency reported that the two ministers discussed deepening ties in the development of weapons and military hardware. India and Japan said in a joint statement that the “further strengthening of bilateral cooperation was in mutual interest of both countries and would also help in furthering the cause of the peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a meeting with …

This week at a summit in Britain, world leaders mark the 70th anniversary of NATO.  President Donald Trump, who has bashed the military alliance and made comments about slashing U.S. backing for it, will attend.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports that, meanwhile, back in the United States, the impeachment inquiry into accusations of presidential misconduct moves to a new phase. …

New Orleans police say 11 people were wounded in a shooting early Sunday on the edge of the city’s famed French Quarter. A police news release said two people were in critical condition. No arrests were announced by midday Sunday. Police Supt. Shaun Ferguson told The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune that a person of interest has been detained, but it was not immediately clear whether the person had any connection to the shooting. Police said 10 people were taken to two hospitals and another walked in. Further details haven’t been released. The shooting happened about 3:20 a.m. on a busy commercial block of Canal Street that has streetcar tracks and is near many hotels. Ferguson said police quickly responded to the scene as patrols were heightened for this weekend’s Bayou Classic, the annual Thanksgiving weekend rivalry football game between Grambling State and Southern University at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Kenneth Culbreth told The New Orleans Advocate/The Times-Picayune that he had gone into a CVS pharmacy in the early morning hours to make a quick purchase. Moments later, he walked out to a crime scene.  “On my way out of the CVS, I heard pops,” Culbreth said. “It was so many, I …

A passenger bus plunged off a bridge onto a frozen river in Siberia on Sunday, killing 19 of the more than 40 people on board, authorities said. A tire on the bus burst as it was crossing the bridge over the Kuenga river in eastern Siberia’s Zabaikalsky region. The vehicle, which was traveling from Sretensk to Chita and carried 40 passengers, skidded off the road and onto the ice. “Nineteen people died and 21 received various injuries,” the office of the governor of the Zabaikalsky region said in a statement. Two preschool-aged children were reportedly among the dead. National television broadcast footage of the mangled wreckage of the bus, which lay upside down on the snow-covered ice surrounded by ambulances and fire engines. Nineteen people including a 12-year-old girl were hospitalized. More than 70 people and two helicopters with medics were involved in the rescue operation, officials said. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told his deputy Tatyana Golikova to do everything to help the families of the victims, the government said. “The head of government expressed condolences to the families of those who died,” the government said in a statement. The Investigative Committee, which probes serious incidents, said it had opened …

Israel has announced a plan for a new Jewish settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims and is a longtime flashpoint for violence. Palestinian officials condemned the move. Israel’s new defense minister Nafatali Bennet announced his approval for a new Jewish neighborhood in Hebron, where about 1000 Jews live surrounded by 200,000 Palestinians. He said the settlement, which will be built near the city’s old market, will double the number of Jewish settlers in Hebron. He also said it will create “territorial continuity” between an existing Jewish neighborhood and the holy site of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, which Muslims call the Ibrahimi mosque. The announcement said that the market’s buildings will be demolished and replaced with new stores. It said Palestinians who own ground floor shops will receive the new shops. Jewish hardliners welcomed the move. The Jewish Committee of Hebron called it an act of historic justice, saying the market has been under Jewish ownership since the early 19th century. But Palestinians sharply condemned the Israeli decision. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat blamed the US for the move, saying it was quote “the first tangible result of the US …

President Donald Trump is heading to London this week to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Leaders Meeting. Forged at the start of the Cold War, NATO is celebrating its 70th anniversary and the summit is designed to affirm the strength of the alliance. But European leaders are bracing for Trump ahead of the meeting as they continue to question Washington’s commitment to NATO. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report from London.   …

Greece’s prime minister says he will ask other NATO members at the alliance’s London summit to support Greece in the face of fellow member Turkey’s attempts to encroach on Greek sovereignty, notably last week’s agreement with Libya delimiting maritime borders in the Mediterranean. Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the ruling conservative New Democracy party’s congress Sunday that the alliance cannot remain indifferent when one of its members blatantly violates international law and that a neutral approach is to the detriment of Greece, which has never sought to ratchet up tensions in the area. Cyprus, Egypt and Greece have all condemned the Libyan-Turkish accord as contrary to international law. The foreign ministers of Egypt and Greece, Sameh Shoukry and Nikos Dendias, were discussing the issue Sunday in Cairo.   …

The devastating impact of global warming that threatens humanity is a pushback from Nature under assault, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned Sunday ahead of a key climate conference. “For many decades the human species has been at war with the planet, and now the planet is fighting back,” he said, decrying the “utterly inadequate” efforts of the world’s major economies to curb carbon pollution. “We must stop our war against nature, and science tells us we can do it.” Guterres flagged a U.N. report to be released in a few days confirming the last five years are the warmest on record, with 2019 likely to be the second hottest ever. “Climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent, more deadly, more destructive,” he said on the eve of the 196-nation COP25 climate change talks in Madrid. Every year, air pollution associated with climate change kills seven million people, he noted, adding that human health and food security are at risk. The U.N. chief’s comments were clearly aimed at the handful of countries responsible for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions, though he did not call them out by name. President Donald Trump has set in motion the process that would …

Joyous Congolese dancing and singing have enlivened St. Peter’s Basilica, as Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass for Catholics from the violence-wracked African nation and denounced arms suppliers for helping to fuel the conflict. The whoops of joy and the chorus of rhythmically-swaying Congolese approaching the altar Sunday was a vivid contrast with the usual solemn religious ceremonies at the Vatican basilica. In his homily, Francis prayed that conflict cease, noting peace was “gravely threatened in the east of the country.” He decried weapon suppliers, lamenting “conflicts fed by those enriching themselves with arms.” Recently, rebels in eastern Congo have targeted Ebola response workers, compounding difficulties in containing the outbreak. A Mass’ end, a Congolese nun urged Francis, who has expressed hopes in the past to visit Congo, to come.     …

Iraq’s parliament voted on Sunday to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, following weeks of violent anti-government protests that have rocked the country. Abdul Mahdi’s decision to quit on Friday came after a call by Iraq’s top Shi’ite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for parliament to consider withdrawing its support for Abdul Mahdi’s government to stem the violence. “The Iraqi parliament will ask the president of state to nominate a new prime minister,” a statement from parliament’s media office said. Lawmakers said Abdul Mahdi’s government, including the prime minister himself, would stay on in a caretaker capacity following Sunday’s vote until a new government was chosen. Under the constitution, President Barham Salih is expected to ask the largest bloc in parliament to nominate a new prime minister to form a government, a move expected to trigger weeks of political wrangling. Anti-government protesters gather on Rasheed Street during clashes with security forces in Baghdad, Nov. 29, 2019. Iraqi forces have killed nearly 400 mostly young, unarmed demonstrators since mass anti-government protests broke out on Oct. 1. More than a dozen members of the security forces have also died in clashes. Abdul Mahdi’s resignation, though welcomed by protesters, …

Albania’s prime minister is asking the international community for financial aid and expert assistance following last week’s earthquake. Edi Rama said at a Cabinet meeting Sunday, “Simply, this is humanly impossible to do this [reconstruction] alone.” He said the budget is being reshaped to deal with the earthquake’s aftermath, but Albania still needs international support.   Rama said he has written to U.S. President Donald Trump to ask for help. U.S. and European Union civil engineers are working with local experts in Albania to assess the damage.   Rescuers from France and Switzerland operate at a collapsed building after the 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Durres, western Albania, Nov. 29, 2019. The mayor of Durres, one of the hardest hit towns, resigned Sunday after public outcry about remarks she made that she was “pleased” that only 50 people had died in the earthquake.  Valbona Sako said she was “hurt by the overwhelming negative reaction to a statement I made under stress that exceeds my strength.” The search and rescue operation for earthquake survivors in Albania ended Saturday, the prime minister said. The small town of Thumane, experienced the highest death toll from Tuesday’s quake with 26 people killed, six of whom belonged …

Britain’s politicians are bracing for a two-day visit to London by U.S. President Donald Trump and wondering how the trip may affect the most volatile and toxic British election in decades, one likely to shape the country for generations. Trump arrives in London Monday for a two-day trip to attend what’s shaping up to be a fiery NATO summit, hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. With 10 days to go before Britons vote in their third general election in less than four years, the ruling Conservatives are enjoying healthy opinion poll leads, which suggests they have a chance to pull off a 68-seat majority in the House of Commons. However, Johnson’s aides are fearful of risking anything that could upset their momentum and reverse the trend. They worry the norm-shattering Trump may fire off controversial remarks concerning the election, Brexit and a future transatlantic free-trade deal with Britain, one the country would need desperately to compensate for a break with Europe. Johnson’s aides are playing for safety first — a caution that’s seen Johnson reduce his TV interviews and debate appearances in the final days of the election campaign. In an era of political upsets and scrambled politics the …