At least two dead, 11 wounded in French Christmas market shooting
A lone gunman shot dead at least two people and wounded 11 others near a Christmas market in the city of Strasbourg on Tuesday (Dec 11) evening before fleeing, police said.
The motive was not immediately clear but, with France still on high alert after a wave of attacks commissioned or inspired by Islamic State militants since early 2015, the counter-terrorism prosecutor opened an investigation.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the gunman was known to security services, and the local prefecture said he had previously been identified as a danger to security.
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Canadian detained in China as Huawei CFO returns to court
Canada confirmed on Tuesday (Dec 11) that one of its citizens was detained in China but said it saw no explicit connection to the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies.
Confirmation of the detention came soon after the executive, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, returned to a packed Vancouver courtroom for a bail hearing in a case that has angered Beijing.
Canadian analysts had predicted China would retaliate after Meng's arrest last week at the request of US authorities.
Trump, Democrats row over funding for Mexico border wall
Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders rowed at the White House on Tuesday (Dec 11) over the president's threat to stop funding the US government if he doesn't get money for a Mexico border wall.
"If we don't get what we want, I'll shut down the government," Trump said during a heated exchange. "I will be the one to shut it down."
He spoke at a meeting with Chuck Schumer, the senior Democrat in the Republican-dominated Senate, and Nancy Pelosi, who is likely to become speaker in the newly Democrat-controlled House in January.
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Google CEO: No plans to launch Chinese search engine
Google has "no plans" to relaunch a search engine in China though it is continuing to study the idea, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told a US congressional panel on Tuesday (Dec 11) amid increased scrutiny of big tech firms.
Lawmakers and Google employees have raised concerns the company would comply with China's internet censorship and surveillance policies if it re-enters the Asian nation's search engine market.
Google's main search platform has been blocked in China since 2010, but the Alphabet Inc unit has been attempting to make new inroads into the country, which has the world's largest number of smartphone users.
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McDonald's to curb antibiotic use in its beef supply
McDonald's Corp said on Tuesday (Dec 11) it plans to reduce the use of antibiotics in its global beef supply, fueling projections that other restaurants will follow suit.
The move by the world's biggest fast-food chain addresses concerns that the overuse of antibiotics vital to fighting human infections in farm animals may diminish the drugs' effectiveness in people.
McDonald's becomes the biggest beef buyer to tackle the issue in cattle, potentially creating a new standard for livestock producers and threatening sales by drug companies.
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