Algeria’s presidential campaign is in trouble. Candidates are struggling to fill rally venues, campaign managers have quit, voters have pelted campaign headquarters with tomatoes and eggs, and the country’s 9-month-old pro-democracy movement calls the whole thing a sham. The five candidates seeking to replace President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the Dec. 12 election have failed to captivate a disillusioned public. Bouteflika was pushed out in April after 20 years in power amid an exceptional, peaceful protest movement, and now demonstrators want a wholesale change of political leadership. Instead, the election is managed by the long-serving power structure of this oil- and gas-rich country with a strategic role in the Mediterranean region. Instead of new faces, two of the candidates are former prime ministers and one is a loyalist of Algeria’s influential army chief. The Hirak protest movement held their 41st weekly demonstrations Friday, denouncing the presidential election. But for the first time, thousands of pro-government supporters held their own rally Saturday. An Algerian woman holds a banner reading “No to foreign interference” during a march against EU interference into Algeria’s policy, Nov. 30, 2019 in Algiers after the European Parliament on Thursday condemned the reality of human rights in Algeria. The …

A huge crowd took to the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday, some driven back by tear gas, to demand more democracy and an investigation into the use of force to crack down on the six-month-long anti-government demonstrations. Thousands turned out, from hardened youthful protesters in black outfits and face masks to parents with their children. Marching near the waterfront on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour, they sought to keep the pressure on city leader Carrie Lam after pro-democracy candidates won district council elections a week earlier. “If we don’t walk out, the government will say it’s just a youth issue, but this is a Hong Kong problem that affects all of us,” Lily Chau said as she pushed her toddler in a stroller. “If we are scared, the government will continue to trample on our rights.” Many held up a hand to indicate the five demands of the movement and shouted “Five demands, not one less” and “Disband the police force.” Pro-democracy protesters raise their hands to symbolize the five demands of the pro-democracy movement during a rally in Hong Kong, Dec. 1, 2019. Riot gear and tear gas Police in riot gear were out in force for …

Donald Trump faces a process that could end with his removal as president of the United States. Impeachment hearings underway now in the House of Representatives represent the beginning part of what is prescribed by the U.S. Constitution. In today’s installment of American Impeachment, VOA’s Steve Redisch takes you through the responsibilities of the House of Representatives.   …

Environment ministers and experts from nearly 200 countries meet in Madrid Monday for annual United Nations climate talks. Presided by Chile and hosted by Spain, the so-called Cop 25 follows a raft of alarming studies — and real-life evidence — of climate change’s potentially catastrophic fallout. From the Spanish capital, Lisa Bryant reports for VOA this might be the last year the U.S. is part of the talks.   …

A Northern California high school football team will play for a championship Saturday one year after most of the players and coaches lost their homes to a wildfire that nearly destroyed their town. Paradise High School will face Sutter Union High School for the Northern Section Division III championship. The game comes just more than a year after the Camp Fire mostly destroyed the town of Paradise, burning down roughly 19,000 buildings and killing 85 people. Most of the people who lived in Paradise have moved away. But many have returned on Friday nights to watch the football team’s remarkable season. “The football team has come to represent all of us,” Paradise Mayor Jody Jones said. “There is not a whole lot that gets emotional about this whole fire. But I have to tell you, every time I have to tell someone who is not from Paradise the story of our football team, I start crying.” Paradise High School has a football tradition, consistently fielding competitive teams. The school produced Jeff Maehl, a wide receiver who played for the University of Oregon in the 2011 BCS national championship game and later played for two NFL teams. Last year, the school …

A tiny wooden relic that some Christians believe to be part of Jesus’ manger arrived Saturday in its permanent home in the biblical city of Bethlehem 1,400 years after it was sent to Rome as a gift to the pope. Sheathed in an ornate case, cheerful crowds greeted the relic with much fanfare before it entered the Franciscan Church of St. Catherine next to the Church of the Nativity, the West Bank holy site where tradition says Jesus was born. A wooden relic believed to be from Jesus’ manger is seen at the Notre Dame church in Jerusalem, Nov. 29, 2019. Christians are celebrating the return to the Holy Land of a tiny wooden relic believed to be from Jesus’ manger. ‘A great joy’ The return of the relic by the Vatican was a spirit-lifting moment for the Palestinians. It coincides with Advent, a four-week period leading up to Christmas. Troubled Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is bracing for the occasion, where pilgrims from around the world flock to the city. Young Palestinian scouts played bagpipes and the crowd snapped pictures as a clergyman held the silver reliquary and marched toward the church. Christians make up a small minority …

Authorities say nine people have been killed after a plane crashed in South Dakota. Peter Knudson with the National Transportation Safety Board told The Associated Press 12 people were aboard the Pilatus PC-12 when it crashed about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, shortly after taking off from Chamberlain, about 140 miles (225.3 kilometers) west of Sioux Falls. Knudson says nine people were killed and three were injured. The single-engine plane was bound for Idaho Falls, Idaho. Media reports say Chamberlain and central south-central South Dakota were under a winter storm warning at the time of the crash. Knudson says weather will be among several factors NTSB investigators will review, but no cause has yet been determined. He says inclement weather is making travel to the site difficult. No further information was immediately available.   …

The number of suspected cases of measles on the Pacific island of Samoa has more than doubled over the past week to 3,530, and deaths related to the outbreak rose to 48 from 20 a week ago, the country’s Ministry of Health said Sunday. Samoa has become vulnerable to measles outbreaks as the number of people becoming immunized has declined with the World Health Organization (WHO) saying vaccine coverage is about 31%. The government started a mandatory vaccination program Nov. 20 after declaring a state of emergency because of the outbreak. The health ministry said in its statement that 57,132 people have since been vaccinated. Schools and universities have been closed and most public gatherings banned on the island state of 200,000, located south of the equator and half way between Hawaii and New Zealand. Of the 48 deaths, 44 where among children younger than 4. Since Saturday, there have been 173 new cases of measles recorded and four people have died. Neighboring New Zealand and a number of other countries and organizations, including the U.N. agency UNICEF, have delivered thousands of vaccines, medical supplies and have sent medical personnel to help with the outbreak. Measles, a highly contagious virus …

Paris, London and Berlin on Saturday welcomed six new European countries to the INSTEX barter mechanism, which is designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against trade with Iran by avoiding use of the U.S. dollar. “As founding shareholders of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), France, Germany and the United Kingdom warmly welcome the decision taken by the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, to join INSTEX as shareholders,” the three said in a joint statement. The Paris-based INSTEX functions as a clearing house allowing Iran to continue to sell oil and import other products or services in exchange. The system has not yet enabled any transactions. Washington in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the international agreement governing Iran’s nuclear program and reinstated heavy sanctions against Tehran. The accession of the six new members “further strengthens INSTEX and demonstrates European efforts to facilitate legitimate trade between Europe and Iran,” France, Germany and Britain said. It represents “a clear expression of our continuing commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” — the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal — the trio added. They insisted Iran must return to full compliance with its commitments under the deal “without delay.” …

China accused the U.N. high commissioner for human rights of emboldening “radical violence” in Hong Kong by suggesting the city’s leader investigate reports of excessive use of force by police.  The U.N. commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, wrote in an opinion piece Saturday in the South China Morning Post that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam’s government must prioritize “meaningful, inclusive” dialogue to resolve the crisis.  She urged Lam to hold an “independent and impartial judge-led investigation” into police conduct in the protests. It has been one of key demands of pro-democracy demonstrations that have roiled the territory since June.  China’s U.N. mission in Geneva said that Bachelet’s article interferes in the internal affairs of China and exerts pressure on the city’s government and police, which “will only embolden the rioters to conduct more severe radical violence.”  FILE – U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet attends a session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sept. 9, 2019. It said Bachelet made “inappropriate comments” on the situation in Hong Kong and that the Chinese side had lodged a strong protest in response.  Since the unrest began, protesters have disrupted traffic, smashed public facilities and pro-China shops, and hurled …

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s Fine Gael party failed to win any of the four by-elections held to fill parliamentary vacancies Saturday, a blow ahead of a general election he plans to hold in the next six months. The governing center-right party had held one of the seats left empty after four lawmakers successfully ran for European elections in May. Its main rival Fianna Fail captured two of the seats, a gain of one, while left-wing Sinn Fein and the Green Party added a lawmaker each in the 158-seat Irish parliament. The Fine Gael-led minority government has ruled through a cooperation deal with Fianna Fail that they extended last year as the uncertainty created by Britain’s protracted exit from the European Union kept either side from calling an election. Both have identified the second quarter of 2020 as their preferred date to go to the polls again and, with the two dominant parties of Irish politics closely matched in most opinion polls, whoever edges it will likely lead another minority government. A boost for rivals While a gain was good news for center-right Fianna Fail, Sinn Fein’s win in one of two Dublin contests was also a welcome boost for …

EU antitrust regulators are investigating Google’s collection of data, the European Commission told Reuters Saturday, suggesting the world’s most popular internet search engine remains in its sights despite record fines in recent years. Competition enforcers on both sides of the Atlantic are now looking into how dominant tech companies use and monetize data. The EU executive said it was seeking information on how and why Alphabet unit Google is collecting data, confirming a Reuters story Friday. “The Commission has sent out questionnaires as part of a preliminary investigation into Google’s practices relating to Google’s collection and use of data. The preliminary investigation is ongoing,” the EU regulator told Reuters in an email. A document seen by Reuters shows the EU’s focus is on data related to local search services, online advertising, online ad targeting services, login services, web browsers and others. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has handed down fines totaling more than 8 billion euros to Google in the last two years and ordered it to change its business practices. Google has said it uses data to better its services and that users can manage, delete and transfer their data at any time. …

Mexican security forces killed at least five suspected cartel gunmen in a shootout Saturday in a town near the U.S. border, authorities from the northern state of Coahuila said, during a moment of heightened bilateral tension over violent gangs.  The Coahuila attorney general’s office said in a statement that state security officials shot the five suspects during clashes in the small town of Villa Union, about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the border city of Piedras Negras.  Around midday, heavy gunfire began ringing out, and a convoy of armed pickup trucks could be seen moving around Villa Union, according to video clips posted by social media users. Others showed plumes of smoke rising from the town.  They also posted photos of burned-out vehicles and the Villa Union mayor’s office riddled with bullet holes. Reuters could not vouch for the authenticity of the video or photos.  Lopez Obrador: No help needed The outbreak of violence occurred during a testing week for the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who on Friday said he would not accept any foreign intervention in Mexico to deal with violent criminal gangs. Lopez Obrador said Mexico would handle the problem.  Earlier in the week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, sparking concerns the move could …

Corruption, poor economies, political autonomy and personal freedom are among the many issues driving demonstrators’ demands for reform around the world. Demonstrators clash with riot police during a protest demanding greater social reform from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Nov. 12, 2019. Chile. Protests began in October in the capital, Santiago, over proposed hikes in subway fares. Protests soon spread around the country, with Chileans demanding income equality, better health care and more money for education. At least 22 people have been killed. Colombia. Protests began in November over a list of issues, including lack of a national economic plan, corruption and the killing of human rights activists. Protests have drawn more than 250,000 people. At least three people have been killed. Czech Republic. In November, more than 200,000 people in Prague demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis over allegations of fraud. Ecuador. Protests and riots erupted in October over President Lenin Moreno’s austerity measures that proposed ending fuel subsidies and cutting the benefits and salaries of civil servants. The protests ended after indigenous groups and the Ecuadorian government reached a deal. Egypt. Rare protests were held in Cairo, Alexandria and several other cities Sept. 20 and 27, accusing …