WASHINGTON: As the Senate formally opened the impeachment trial on whether to remove Donald Trump from office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog on Thursday dealt the Republican president a blow by concluding that the White House violated the law by withholding security aid approved for Ukraine by US lawmakers. Democrat Adam Schiff, who heads a team of seven House of Represen­tatives …

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said United States must remain engaged in Afghanistan’s reconstruction even if it succeeds in withdrawing troops and ending its longest war. The foreign minister is currently in the United States on the third leg of his mission to defuse tensions in the Middle East, having already visited Tehran and Riyadh as part of …

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia does not want to escalate a palm oil spat with India by talking of any retaliation for now, two government sources said on Thursday, after the prime minister’s media adviser called for tighter regulations on Indian expatriates and products. Malaysia is instead betting on diplomacy to quell India’s anger at Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaking out against …

China’s economic growth cooled to its weakest in nearly 30 years in 2019 amid a bruising trade war with the United States, and more stimulus is expected this year as Beijing tries to boost sluggish investment and demand. But data on Friday also showed the world’s second largest economy ended the rough year on a somewhat firmer note as a …

At least 11 American troops were injured in an Iranian attack on an Iraqi base where American soldiers were deployed, US Central Command said on Thursday, although the US military had previously maintained there were no casualties. “While no US service members were killed in the Jan 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from …

The Taliban will implement a 10-day ceasefire with US troops, a reduction in violence with Afghan forces and discussions with Afghan government officials if it reaches an agreement with US negotiators in talks in Doha, two sources have said. If an agreement is reached, the move could revive hopes for a long-term solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. The news …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party on Friday slammed the editorial policies of billionaire Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post, even as his e-commerce firm Amazon announced plans to create a million jobs in the country by 2025. Vijay Chauthaiwale, the chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) foreign affairs department, said there was “a lot of problem” with the newspaper’s coverage …

As he addressed Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time since 2012, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said President Donald Trump is a “clown” who only pretends to support the Iranian people. Khamenei said Trump will “push a poisonous dagger” into the nation’s back. He said the outpouring of grief at the funeral for Iran’s top general, who …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Tuesday’s death of Cesar Cortes is the first fatality in a U.S. school in 2020, but already the fifth school shooting this year. Statistics from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security showed 111 separate school shootings in 2019. Eleven students died in those incidents last year. Statistics also show the vast majority of school shooters …

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — We have learned new details after a student was charged with manslaughter and released to juvenile authorities after police say he shot another student to death at Bellaire High School. Prosecutors believe the 16-year-old who allegedly shot 19-year-old senior Cesar Cortes did not intend to harm his friend. Sources tell ABC13 the shooting was unintentional, and …