North America

12 Jan 2019; AFP: A 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering the parents of an American teen as part of a calculated plot to kidnap her, police said Friday, after 13-year-old Jayme Closs was found alive following three months in captivity.

The subject of a nationwide search since her parents were found murdered in their home in rural Wisconsin in October, Closs made a seemingly miraculous escape Thursday afternoon, seeking help from a neighbor who alerted authorities.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- As the clock struck midnight, the U.S. partial government shutdown over disputed congressional funds for President Donald Trump's border wall entered its 22nd day on Saturday, marking the longest government closure in U.S. history.

There is still no compromise in sight, no deal, and no easy alternative.

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Friday stepped up its battle against starvation in Yemen with a 32-million-U.S. dollar transfer of funds from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to the humanitarian relief effort in the war-scarred country.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock and the Executive Director of the World Food Program (WFP) David Beasley announced the contribution here at UN Headquarters.

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Rachael Weatherly is a senior adviser for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but she’s considering trying to get a job at a grocery store.

Weatherly is among the 800,000 federal employees who aren’t getting paychecks for the first time Friday because of the lingering government shutdown.

They are scaling back spending, canceling trips, applying for unemployment benefits and taking out loans to stay afloat, with no end in sight for a partial shutdown that enters its 21st day Friday and will be the longest in history by this weekend.

11 Jan 2019; AFP: The world's oceans are heating up at an accelerating pace as global warming threatens a diverse range of marine life and a major food supply for the planet, researchers said Thursday.

The findings in the US journal Science, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, debunk previous reports that suggested a so-called pause in global warming in recent years.

11 Jan 2019; AFP: Holiday shopping reports released Thursday underscored anew the challenges US retailers face in the Amazon era -- even if consumers are willing to open their wallets to spend.

The updates were a mixed bag overall, with several retailers reporting small or moderate increases in comparable store sales during the critical November-December period.

But a report from Macy's aroused the most angst on Wall Street, after the chain slashed its profit forecast even as it signaled a modest increase in sales.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled his planned trip later this month to the Swiss ski resort of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.

"Because of the Democrats intransigence on Border Security and the great importance of Safety for our Nation, I am respectfully cancelling my very important trip to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum," the president tweeted.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, will testify before the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee next month, the panel's chairman announced Thursday.

"I thank Michael Cohen for agreeing to testify before the Oversight Committee voluntarily," said the committee's chairman, Elijah Cummings, in a statement on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a bill to fund the Treasury Department, the IRS and other agencies for the next year as part of a Democratic strategy to reopen the government on a piecemeal basis.

The Democratic-controlled House voted 240-188 on Wednesday to approve the funding bill, which also would reopen the Federal Communications Commission, the Small Business Administration and the federal judiciary, among other agencies.

Eight Republicans joined 232 Democrats to support the bill.

TORONTO (AP) — China’s ambassador to Canada accused the country Wednesday of “white supremacy” in calling for the release of two Canadians detained in China last month, while describing the detentions as an “act of self-defense.”

The arrests were in apparent retaliation for the arrest of a top Chinese tech executive in Canada.

But Ambassador Lu Shaye’s charged in op-ed in the Ottawa-based Hill Times that Western countries are employing a “double standard” in demanding the immediate release of the Canadians.