<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-officials-not-aware-of-escape-of-islamic-state-extremists-mike-pence-leaving-for-turkey-in-24-hours-256166">US&nbsp;Vice President Mike Pence</a> and President Donald <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-lawyer-giuliani-was-paid-500000-to-work-for-company-run-by-arrested-ukrainian-american-businessman-256142">Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani</a> said on Tuesday they will not cooperate with a US&nbsp;House of Representatives <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-diplomat-testifies-at-house-impeachment-enquiry-on-trumps-ukraine-dealings-256157">impeachment enquiry</a>, prompting a leading Democrat to say that would strengthen the case against the president.

The Pentagon also said it would not comply with lawmakers' request for documents related to Trump's effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival, further illustrating Trump's determination to stonewall the Democratic-led impeachment effort, which threatens to consume his presidency.

"The evidence of obstruction of Congress continues to build," Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, one of the leaders of the impeachment effort, said at a news conference.

Other US&nbsp;government officials have not been as reluctant to cooperate.

A senior US&nbsp;diplomat, George Kent, said in closed-door testimony that he had been alarmed by efforts by Giuliani and others to pressure Ukraine, according to one lawmaker who heard his testimony.

"He was pretty detailed in talking about some of the shady characters Giuliani was dependent on for misinformation," Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly told reporters.

House Democrats are focussing on Trump's request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to look into unsubstantiated allegations about Joe Biden, the former vice president and a leading contender to become the Democratic nominee to run against Trump in the November 2020 US&nbsp;presidential election.

If the Democratic-controlled House votes to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - the Republican-controlled Senate would then hold a trial on whether to remove the president from office. Success is seen as unlikely at this point as few Republican senators have criticized Trump.

A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday found that 43 per cent US&nbsp;adults believe Trump should be impeached, and 42 per cent said he should not be impeached. Another 14 per cent said they were not sure.

Kent, who has spent much of his career fighting corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere, is the second career diplomat to testify as part of the probe after being subpoenaed. The White House and State Department had ordered them not to appear.

His testimony backed up accounts from other US&nbsp;government insiders who have said they were unnerved by Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine.

Diplomats testify

Marie Yovanovitch, the former US&nbsp;ambassador to Ukraine, on Friday accused the Trump administration in the testimony of recalling her in May based on false claims.

Kent also said that a top White House official, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, picked the officials who would handle Ukraine policy after the sitting ambassador was abruptly recalled in May.

"Here is a senior State Department official responsible for six countries, one of which is Ukraine, who found himself outside of a parallel process that he felt was undermining 28 years of US&nbsp;policy in promoting the rule of law in Ukraine. And that was wrong. He used that word, 'wrong'," Connolly said of Kent.

Two of those officials, US&nbsp;ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker, a special representative for Ukraine, worked with Giuliani to pressure Ukrainian officials to launch investigations that could benefit Trump, according to communications provided to the committee.

Volker resigned his post in late September. Sondland is due to testify later in the week in response to a congressional subpoena.

Lawmakers on Monday heard from Fiona Hill, Trump's former Russia adviser, who said she and her then-boss, former national security adviser John Bolton, were also alarmed by the effort.

Hill told lawmakers that Bolton characterized Giuliani as "a hand grenade who is going to blow everybody up," according to two sources familiar with her testimony. A Bolton spokeswoman said he would have no comment on the testimony.

Giuliani had faced a Tuesday deadline to produce the requested documents. His lawyer, Jon Sale, said the documents were protected by legal principles that shield attorney-client communications and presidential communications.

"This appears to be an unconstitutional, baseless, and illegitimate 'impeachment inquiry,'" Sale wrote, echoing language the White House used last week.

Pence's lawyer, Matthew E. Morgan, also cited the White House's response, saying the House had not voted to authorise the inquiry.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said no vote is necessary.

"There is no requirement that we have a vote and so at this time we will not be having a vote," Pelosi told a news conference.

Hunter Biden denies wrongdoing

The investigation is focussed on the July call in which Trump pressed Zelenskiy to have Ukraine officials investigate Biden and his businessman son, Hunter Biden, who had been on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

Hunter Biden, 49, denied doing anything improper in past work for the company but acknowledged he had benefited professionally from his father's political career in an interview with ABC News that aired on Tuesday.

Joe Biden has denied Trump's allegations of corruption.

Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US&nbsp;ally to dig up dirt on Biden after withholding $391 million in US&nbsp;security aid intended to help combat Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine. Zelenskiy agreed to investigate. Trump eventually allowed aid.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended his request to Zelenskiy during the phone call, which prompted a formal whistleblower complaint by a person with a US&nbsp;intelligence agency.

US Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Tuesday they will not cooperate with a US House of Representatives impeachment enquiry, prompting a leading Democrat to say that would strengthen the case against the president.

US Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on Tuesday they will not cooperate with a US House of Representatives impeachment enquiry, prompting a leading Democrat to say that would strengthen the case against the president. The Pentagon also said it would not comply with lawmakers' request for documents related to Trump's effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political rival, further illustrating Trump's determination to stonewall the Democratic-led impeachment effort, which threatens to consume his presidency. "The evidence of obstruction of Congress continues to build," Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, one of the leaders of the impeachment effort, said at a news conference. Other US government officials have not been as reluctant to cooperate. A senior US diplomat, George Kent, said in closed-door testimony that he had been alarmed by efforts by Giuliani and others to pressure Ukraine, according to one lawmaker who heard his testimony. "He was pretty detailed in talking about some of the shady characters Giuliani was dependent on for misinformation," Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly told reporters. House Democrats are focussing on Trump's request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to look into unsubstantiated allegations about Joe Biden, the former vice president and a leading contender to become the Democratic nominee to run against Trump in the November 2020 US presidential election. If the Democratic-controlled House votes to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - the Republican-controlled Senate would then hold a trial on whether to remove the president from office. Success is seen as unlikely at this point as few Republican senators have criticized Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday found that 43 per cent US adults believe Trump should be impeached, and 42 per cent said he should not be impeached. Another 14 per cent said they were not sure. Kent, who has spent much of his career fighting corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere, is the second career diplomat to testify as part of the probe after being subpoenaed. The White House and State Department had ordered them not to appear. His testimony backed up accounts from other US government insiders who have said they were unnerved by Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine. Diplomats testify Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, on Friday accused the Trump administration in the testimony of recalling her in May based on false claims. Kent also said that a top White House official, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, picked the officials who would handle Ukraine policy after the sitting ambassador was abruptly recalled in May. "Here is a senior State Department official responsible for six countries, one of which is Ukraine, who found himself outside of a parallel process that he felt was undermining 28 years of US policy in promoting the rule of law in Ukraine. And that was wrong. He used that word, 'wrong'," Connolly said of Kent. Two of those officials, US ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker, a special representative for Ukraine, worked with Giuliani to pressure Ukrainian officials to launch investigations that could benefit Trump, according to communications provided to the committee. Volker resigned his post in late September. Sondland is due to testify later in the week in response to a congressional subpoena. Lawmakers on Monday heard from Fiona Hill, Trump's former Russia adviser, who said she and her then-boss, former national security adviser John Bolton, were also alarmed by the effort. Hill told lawmakers that Bolton characterized Giuliani as "a hand grenade who is going to blow everybody up," according to two sources familiar with her testimony. A Bolton spokeswoman said he would have no comment on the testimony. Giuliani had faced a Tuesday deadline to produce the requested documents. His lawyer, Jon Sale, said the documents were protected by legal principles that shield attorney-client communications and presidential communications. "This appears to be an unconstitutional, baseless, and illegitimate 'impeachment inquiry,'" Sale wrote, echoing language the White House used last week. Pence's lawyer, Matthew E. Morgan, also cited the White House's response, saying the House had not voted to authorise the inquiry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said no vote is necessary. "There is no requirement that we have a vote and so at this time we will not be having a vote," Pelosi told a news conference. Hunter Biden denies wrongdoing The investigation is focussed on the July call in which Trump pressed Zelenskiy to have Ukraine officials investigate Biden and his businessman son, Hunter Biden, who had been on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. Hunter Biden, 49, denied doing anything improper in past work for the company but acknowledged he had benefited professionally from his father's political career in an interview with ABC News that aired on Tuesday. Joe Biden has denied Trump's allegations of corruption. Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US ally to dig up dirt on Biden after withholding $391 million in US security aid intended to help combat Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine. Zelenskiy agreed to investigate. Trump eventually allowed aid. Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended his request to Zelenskiy during the phone call, which prompted a formal whistleblower complaint by a person with a US intelligence agency.

Pence, Giuliani will not cooperate in US House impeachment inquiry

Turkey launched an offensive targeting Syrian Kurdish fighters last week after US troops allied to them pulled out.

Erdogan rejects US ceasefire call on Syria

The US&nbsp;Treasury&nbsp;Secretary&nbsp;Steven&nbsp;Mnuchin&nbsp;said on Monday that an additional round of&nbsp;tariffs&nbsp;on Chinese imports will likely be&nbsp;imposed&nbsp;if a&nbsp;trade&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with&nbsp;China&nbsp;has not been reached by then, but added that he expected the agreement to go through.

"I have every expectation - if there's not a&nbsp;deal, those&nbsp;tariffs&nbsp;would go in place - but I expect we'll have a&nbsp;deal," he said in an interview with CNBC when asked about a round of&nbsp;tariffs&nbsp;scheduled for&nbsp;December&nbsp;15.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump said on Friday that&nbsp;China&nbsp;and the United States had reached the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-announces-partial-trade-deal-with-china-255358"> first phase</a> of a&nbsp;trade&nbsp;deal&nbsp;that covered agriculture, currency and some aspects of intellectual property protections, and would ease the reciprocal&nbsp;trade&nbsp;restrictions that the world's two largest economies have been imposing for&nbsp;15&nbsp;months.

But officials on both sides have said more work is needed to finalize the accord, and Trump acknowledged the agreement could still collapse.&nbsp;US&nbsp;Trade&nbsp;Representative Lighthizer said on Friday that Trump had not made a&nbsp;decision about the&nbsp;December&nbsp;tariffs.

Mnuchin&nbsp;said more&nbsp;trade&nbsp;negotiations at various levels would take place over the coming weeks, including a phone call between himself, Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, and talks between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Asked about a dispute between&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-organisers-cancel-nba-fan-event-amid-free-speech-row-254851">China&nbsp;and the&nbsp;US&nbsp;National Basketball Association </a>stemming from a tweet by Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey expressing support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong,&nbsp;Mnuchin&nbsp;said he hoped the two sides could come to a solution.

The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that an additional round of tariffs on Chinese imports will likely be imposed if a trade deal with China has not been reached by then, but added that he expected the agreement to go through.

The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that an additional round of tariffs on Chinese imports will likely be imposed if a trade deal with China has not been reached by then, but added that he expected the agreement to go through. "I have every expectation - if there's not a deal, those tariffs would go in place - but I expect we'll have a deal," he said in an interview with CNBC when asked about a round of tariffs scheduled for December 15. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that China and the United States had reached the first phase of a trade deal that covered agriculture, currency and some aspects of intellectual property protections, and would ease the reciprocal trade restrictions that the world's two largest economies have been imposing for 15 months. But officials on both sides have said more work is needed to finalize the accord, and Trump acknowledged the agreement could still collapse. US Trade Representative Lighthizer said on Friday that Trump had not made a decision about the December tariffs. Mnuchin said more trade negotiations at various levels would take place over the coming weeks, including a phone call between himself, Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, and talks between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Asked about a dispute between China and the US National Basketball Association stemming from a tweet by Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey expressing support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Mnuchin said he hoped the two sides could come to a solution.

Tariffs to be imposed by December 15 in case of no-deal: US Treasury to China

Asian markets mostly rose but investor caution returned as the optimism fanned by Donald Trump's much-vaunted <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-announces-partial-trade-deal-with-china-255358">China trade deal</a> wore off, while the pound was boosted by a report saying a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brexit-on-october-31-a-priority-for-british-government-queen-255851">Brexit </a>deal was taking shape.

While Friday's mini agreement between the world's economic superpowers put off fresh tariffs and saw them reach common ground on some issues, observers pointed out it was light on detail and left other major levies in place.

And, despite Trump's insistence that the "phase one" agreement was "the greatest and biggest deal", Beijing said it wanted to hold more talks and called for a delay in more tariffs before it would sign.

Equity traders, who have been under pressure from the trade war as well as the slowing global economy and worries about Brexit among others, seized on the news and sent regional markets surging Monday.

But they struggled to build on that as questions swirled over the value of the deal.

"It has taken precisely one working day of the new week for optimism to fade about the US-China trade deal lite/mini/part one," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst for Asia-Pacific at OANDA.

"The rhetoric-high, but detail-light trade announcement in Washington DC on Friday has been tempered by China being both a lot more circumspect and requesting additional talks before signing an agreement."

He said that while he expected the two to hammer out something for Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping to sign before they are due to meet next month, "the pseudo-deal itself represents nothing more than a holding action".

"Everyone's a winner, but everything stays the same, as no progress on the hard stuff has occurred in reality."

Still, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that officials would hold further talks by phone this week and next to finalise the deal, while he also defended it on CNBC.

"There is a fundamental agreement in principle," he said. "There are still some issues that need to be worked out in wording but I would say we have every expectation that phase one will close.

In early trade, Hong Kong and Sydney were each down 0.1 percent, and Shanghai slipped 0.6 percent.

Manila and Jakarta also fell but Tokyo jumped 1.7 percent by lunch as dealers returned from a long weekend to play catch-up with the rest of Asia.

Singapore, Seoul and Wellington were all 0.2 percent higher while Taipei added 0.4 percent.

On currency markets, the pound rebounded after Britain's Daily Telegraph said a divorce deal was taking shape,<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-and-uk-bid-to-save-brexit-talks-before-key-summit-255299"> EU and British negotiators </a>hailing a positive day of talks on the Northern Ireland issue.

The paper quoted unnamed sources as saying there was "cautious optimism", while the BBC said the EU is considering holding an emergency summit to push through a possible deal. It said there was not enough time to get anything done before a summit set for this week.

The reports will come as welcome news after European officials played down the chances of an agreement that had been aired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar last week.

Sterling was up against the dollar and euro on Tuesday, with David Kelly at JP Morgan Asset Management saying the Johnson-Varadkar talks had sparked a "whirlwind of diplomacy between the British government and the Europeans to try to come up with an agreement this week".

He added in a note: "While it is by no means certain that the UK and Europe can agree to a deal or that such a deal can make it through the UK parliament, there does appear to be recognition from the British side that any Brexit deal will have to treat Northern Ireland very differently from the rest of the UK.

"In the multiple permutations of Brexit endgames, this has reduced the risk of a damaging 'no deal' Brexit."

Asian markets mostly rose but investor caution returned as the optimism fanned by Donald Trump's much-vaunted China trade deal wore off, while the pound was boosted by a report saying a Brexit deal was taking shape.

Asian markets mostly rose but investor caution returned as the optimism fanned by Donald Trump's much-vaunted China trade deal wore off, while the pound was boosted by a report saying a Brexit deal was taking shape. While Friday's mini agreement between the world's economic superpowers put off fresh tariffs and saw them reach common ground on some issues, observers pointed out it was light on detail and left other major levies in place. And, despite Trump's insistence that the "phase one" agreement was "the greatest and biggest deal", Beijing said it wanted to hold more talks and called for a delay in more tariffs before it would sign. Equity traders, who have been under pressure from the trade war as well as the slowing global economy and worries about Brexit among others, seized on the news and sent regional markets surging Monday. But they struggled to build on that as questions swirled over the value of the deal. "It has taken precisely one working day of the new week for optimism to fade about the US-China trade deal lite/mini/part one," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst for Asia-Pacific at OANDA. "The rhetoric-high, but detail-light trade announcement in Washington DC on Friday has been tempered by China being both a lot more circumspect and requesting additional talks before signing an agreement." He said that while he expected the two to hammer out something for Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping to sign before they are due to meet next month, "the pseudo-deal itself represents nothing more than a holding action". "Everyone's a winner, but everything stays the same, as no progress on the hard stuff has occurred in reality." Still, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday that officials would hold further talks by phone this week and next to finalise the deal, while he also defended it on CNBC. "There is a fundamental agreement in principle," he said. "There are still some issues that need to be worked out in wording but I would say we have every expectation that phase one will close. In early trade, Hong Kong and Sydney were each down 0.1 percent, and Shanghai slipped 0.6 percent. Manila and Jakarta also fell but Tokyo jumped 1.7 percent by lunch as dealers returned from a long weekend to play catch-up with the rest of Asia. Singapore, Seoul and Wellington were all 0.2 percent higher while Taipei added 0.4 percent. On currency markets, the pound rebounded after Britain's Daily Telegraph said a divorce deal was taking shape, EU and British negotiators hailing a positive day of talks on the Northern Ireland issue. The paper quoted unnamed sources as saying there was "cautious optimism", while the BBC said the EU is considering holding an emergency summit to push through a possible deal. It said there was not enough time to get anything done before a summit set for this week. The reports will come as welcome news after European officials played down the chances of an agreement that had been aired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar last week. Sterling was up against the dollar and euro on Tuesday, with David Kelly at JP Morgan Asset Management saying the Johnson-Varadkar talks had sparked a "whirlwind of diplomacy between the British government and the Europeans to try to come up with an agreement this week". He added in a note: "While it is by no means certain that the UK and Europe can agree to a deal or that such a deal can make it through the UK parliament, there does appear to be recognition from the British side that any Brexit deal will have to treat Northern Ireland very differently from the rest of the UK. "In the multiple permutations of Brexit endgames, this has reduced the risk of a damaging 'no deal' Brexit."

Asian markets edge up but caution keeps traders in check

The Democratic-led United States&nbsp;House of Representatives' impeachment enquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned George Kent, a US&nbsp;career diplomat who has spent much of his career fighting corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The probe is focused on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate unsubstantiated allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, a top contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and Biden's son, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hunter-biden-admits-error-in-judgment-but-insists-no-wrongdoing-256123">Hunter Biden</a>.

The younger Biden, 49, denied doing anything improper in past work for a Ukrainian energy company, in an interview with ABC News that aired on Tuesday.

But he expressed regret that his association with the Burisma Group gave "some very unethical people" an opening to "to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father. That's where I made the mistake."

Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for US&nbsp;policy toward six former Soviet republics including Ukraine, arrived on Capitol Hill wearing a red bow tie and ignored shouted questions from reporters.

Kent appeared after receiving a congressional subpoena after the State Department directed him not to testify, an official involved in the impeachment inquiry said.

His appearance comes one day after Trump's former Russia adviser, Fiona Hill, gave three House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry details of a high-level meeting between US&nbsp;and Ukrainian officials that included her then-boss, former national security adviser John Bolton, and Gordon Sondland, the US&nbsp;ambassador to the European Union, according to a person familiar with the testimony.

Hill recounted that Sondland raised the issue of investigations and that she and Bolton became alarmed that he was referring to the investigation into the Bidens, the person said. The pair left the meeting and Bolton advised her to consult with John Eisenberg, the top NSC lawyer.

The New York Times reported that Bolton was similarly troubled by activities toward Ukraine being coordinated by the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, along with other administration officials.

"Giuliani's a hand grenade who's going to blow everybody up," Hill quoted Bolton as saying, according to the newspaper.

A Bolton spokeswoman said he would have no comment on the testimony.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-lawyer-giuliani-was-paid-500000-to-work-for-company-run-by-arrested-ukrainian-american-businessman-256142">Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US</a>&nbsp;ally to dig up dirt on Biden after withholding $391 million in US&nbsp;security aid intended to help combat Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine. Zelenskiy agreed to investigate. Trump eventually allowed aid.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended his request to Zelenskiy. The elder Biden also denied wrongdoing.

Gordon Sondland, the US&nbsp;ambassador to the European Union, is due to testify later in the week, in response to a congressional subpoena.

Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, faces a Tuesday deadline to produce documents related to the Ukraine matter subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee. He has not said whether he will comply.

'Disinformation campaign'

On Friday, Marie Yovanovitch, the former <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-claims-a-victory-in-china-trade-war-but-us-farmers-want-details-256006">US&nbsp;ambassador to Ukraine</a>, defied a State Department order to refuse to cooperate with the House probe, giving scathing testimony in which she accused the Trump administration of recalling her from Kiev-based on false claims.

According to State Department emails contained in a package of material shared with congressional staff last month and later seen by Reuters, Kent told colleagues that Yovanovitch had become the target of a "classic disinformation operation."

Yovanovitch in her Friday appearance denied Giuliani's allegations that she provided a "do not prosecute list" to Ukrainian officials to protect Biden and others.

"One key sign of it being fake is that most of the names are misspelt in English, we would never spell most that way," Kent said in the email to colleagues.

Kent suggested the department push back by "circling in red all the misspellings and grammar mistakes and reposting it," as the US&nbsp;Embassy in Moscow has done to counter propaganda.

Kent, who majored in Russian language and literature at Harvard, has held several jobs requiring him to grapple with corruption in Ukraine, which ranks 120th of 180 nations in a Transparency International corruption perceptions index.

Before taking up his current job, Kent served as the deputy chief of mission at the US&nbsp;Embassy in Kiev from 2015 to 2018 and as the senior anti-corruption coordinator in the State Department's European Bureau from 2014 to 2015.

One former US&nbsp;official said Kent had been among the most vigilant officials within the State Department in reporting on corruption in Ukraine and in seeking to combat it.

The Democratic-led United States House of Representatives' impeachment enquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned George Kent, a US career diplomat who has spent much of his career fighting corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The Democratic-led United States House of Representatives' impeachment enquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday questioned George Kent, a US career diplomat who has spent much of his career fighting corruption in Ukraine and elsewhere. The probe is focused on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate unsubstantiated allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden, a top contender for the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump in the 2020 presidential election, and Biden's son, Hunter Biden. The younger Biden, 49, denied doing anything improper in past work for a Ukrainian energy company, in an interview with ABC News that aired on Tuesday. But he expressed regret that his association with the Burisma Group gave "some very unethical people" an opening to "to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father. That's where I made the mistake." Kent, a deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for US policy toward six former Soviet republics including Ukraine, arrived on Capitol Hill wearing a red bow tie and ignored shouted questions from reporters. Kent appeared after receiving a congressional subpoena after the State Department directed him not to testify, an official involved in the impeachment inquiry said. His appearance comes one day after Trump's former Russia adviser, Fiona Hill, gave three House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry details of a high-level meeting between US and Ukrainian officials that included her then-boss, former national security adviser John Bolton, and Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, according to a person familiar with the testimony. Hill recounted that Sondland raised the issue of investigations and that she and Bolton became alarmed that he was referring to the investigation into the Bidens, the person said. The pair left the meeting and Bolton advised her to consult with John Eisenberg, the top NSC lawyer. The New York Times reported that Bolton was similarly troubled by activities toward Ukraine being coordinated by the president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, along with other administration officials. "Giuliani's a hand grenade who's going to blow everybody up," Hill quoted Bolton as saying, according to the newspaper. A Bolton spokeswoman said he would have no comment on the testimony. Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US ally to dig up dirt on Biden after withholding $391 million in US security aid intended to help combat Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine. Zelenskiy agreed to investigate. Trump eventually allowed aid. Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended his request to Zelenskiy. The elder Biden also denied wrongdoing. Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, is due to testify later in the week, in response to a congressional subpoena. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, faces a Tuesday deadline to produce documents related to the Ukraine matter subpoenaed by the House Intelligence Committee. He has not said whether he will comply. 'Disinformation campaign' On Friday, Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, defied a State Department order to refuse to cooperate with the House probe, giving scathing testimony in which she accused the Trump administration of recalling her from Kiev-based on false claims. According to State Department emails contained in a package of material shared with congressional staff last month and later seen by Reuters, Kent told colleagues that Yovanovitch had become the target of a "classic disinformation operation." Yovanovitch in her Friday appearance denied Giuliani's allegations that she provided a "do not prosecute list" to Ukrainian officials to protect Biden and others. "One key sign of it being fake is that most of the names are misspelt in English, we would never spell most that way," Kent said in the email to colleagues. Kent suggested the department push back by "circling in red all the misspellings and grammar mistakes and reposting it," as the US Embassy in Moscow has done to counter propaganda. Kent, who majored in Russian language and literature at Harvard, has held several jobs requiring him to grapple with corruption in Ukraine, which ranks 120th of 180 nations in a Transparency International corruption perceptions index. Before taking up his current job, Kent served as the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Kiev from 2015 to 2018 and as the senior anti-corruption coordinator in the State Department's European Bureau from 2014 to 2015. One former US official said Kent had been among the most vigilant officials within the State Department in reporting on corruption in Ukraine and in seeking to combat it.

United States diplomat testifies at House impeachment enquiry on Trump's Ukraine dealings

A hashtag for deleting Facebook has begun trending again after it was revealed that CEO Mark Zuckerberg had reportedly held informal meetings with conservative influencers.

#DeleteFacebook trends after secret meetings revealed

One of the major issues that define US President Donald Trump's time in the White House is - the looming shadow of Russia.

Did Russia install a yes-man at the White House? Is Trump deciding in favour of Kremlin?

This particular doubt seems more and more legitimate when one looks at US foreign policy in West Asia, especially Syria.

Because Russia has gained from strength to strength in the region since the Syrian crisis.&nbsp;

on WION edit, we will explore the changing political dynamics in West Asia.

Eight years ago, the US entered Syria without an invitation.

The stated mission was to fight the ISIS. First, the US supplied arms to the rebels of free Syria army. In 2014, the Pentagon even trained the rebels to fight ISIS.

But the real motive of the US was to gain influence in oil-rich Syria. That aspect came out in the open with the covert program 'Timber Sycamore'.

So what did this covert project aim to do?

Again, this is a weapons supply and training initiative. But the motto was to fight the Russian forces that backed the Bashar-al-Assad government 
. 
After Trump became president, this project was cancelled.

Now, Trump's sudden and dangerous decision to withdraw the US troops from Syria has pushed the country to the brink of a serious crisis.

Besides, the decision makes Russia the biggest power centre in the country. As we speak - Turkey is invading Syria and US president has threatened some 'friendly' sanctions on Ankara.

Yes, we are not living in the era of the cold war. But if this battle for influence in West Asia is viewed from a historical perspective, then right now, it looks like a game&nbsp;set and match for Moscow.

And it's not only Syria, Russia's influence in Iraq has also risen by leaps and bounds in the last few years.&nbsp;

Earlier this year, Iraq sought to improve co-operation with Moscow in 'all fields'.

Yes, the US still retains considerable hold over Iraq, but Russia is ahead in the battle for influence thanks to the backdoor entry in this power game through Iran.

And interestingly, the long arm of Russia extends to both Iran and Saudi Arabia - the arch-rivals.

The simple fact of the matter is - if there is a country that is inevitable for West Asia, that country is Russia.

And Putin uses this power in his well-crafted hegemony of the OPEC- the oil cartel.

Russia, without being a member of OPEC, controls the production levels and, as a consequence, prices. The last couple of OPEC meetings are a testimony to Russia's absolute dominance. The OPEC wasn't able to decide on production levels until Russia participated.

Besides controlling oil markets, Russia wants to dominate West Asia's defence market too.

In essence, Russia's president is the de-facto power centre in West Asia. And Vladimir Putin only has his American counterparts - Bush, Obama and now Trump to thank. 
 
 
(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

One of the major issues that define US President Donald Trump's time in the White House is - the looming shadow of Russia. Did Russia install a yes-man at the White House?

One of the major issues that define US President Donald Trump's time in the White House is - the looming shadow of Russia. Did Russia install a yes-man at the White House? Is Trump deciding in favour of Kremlin? This particular doubt seems more and more legitimate when one looks at US foreign policy in West Asia, especially Syria. Because Russia has gained from strength to strength in the region since the Syrian crisis. on WION edit, we will explore the changing political dynamics in West Asia. Eight years ago, the US entered Syria without an invitation. The stated mission was to fight the ISIS. First, the US supplied arms to the rebels of free Syria army. In 2014, the Pentagon even trained the rebels to fight ISIS. But the real motive of the US was to gain influence in oil-rich Syria. That aspect came out in the open with the covert program 'Timber Sycamore'. So what did this covert project aim to do? Again, this is a weapons supply and training initiative. But the motto was to fight the Russian forces that backed the Bashar-al-Assad government . After Trump became president, this project was cancelled. Now, Trump's sudden and dangerous decision to withdraw the US troops from Syria has pushed the country to the brink of a serious crisis. Besides, the decision makes Russia the biggest power centre in the country. As we speak - Turkey is invading Syria and US president has threatened some 'friendly' sanctions on Ankara. Yes, we are not living in the era of the cold war. But if this battle for influence in West Asia is viewed from a historical perspective, then right now, it looks like a game set and match for Moscow. And it's not only Syria, Russia's influence in Iraq has also risen by leaps and bounds in the last few years. Earlier this year, Iraq sought to improve co-operation with Moscow in 'all fields'. Yes, the US still retains considerable hold over Iraq, but Russia is ahead in the battle for influence thanks to the backdoor entry in this power game through Iran. And interestingly, the long arm of Russia extends to both Iran and Saudi Arabia - the arch-rivals. The simple fact of the matter is - if there is a country that is inevitable for West Asia, that country is Russia. And Putin uses this power in his well-crafted hegemony of the OPEC- the oil cartel. Russia, without being a member of OPEC, controls the production levels and, as a consequence, prices. The last couple of OPEC meetings are a testimony to Russia's absolute dominance. The OPEC wasn't able to decide on production levels until Russia participated. Besides controlling oil markets, Russia wants to dominate West Asia's defence market too. In essence, Russia's president is the de-facto power centre in West Asia. And Vladimir Putin only has his American counterparts - Bush, Obama and now Trump to thank. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Changing political dynamics in West Asia

US President Donald Trump on Monday authorized <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-imposes-sanctions-on-turkey-amid-conflict-in-northern-syria-255959">sanctions on Turkey's leaders</a>, reimposed steel tariffs and ended talks on a trade deal, seeking to punish the historic ally for its <a href="wionews.com/world/turkey-says-eu-shielding-terror-elements-by-criticising-syria-offensive-255938">deadly offensive into Syria</a>.

Trump also said he was reimposing tariffs of 50 per cent on Turkish steel -- one of a series of measures taken last year to win the release of a detained US pastor, and which contributed to a plunge in the value of the country's lira currency.

In May, Trump reduced tariffs back to 25 per cent, in line with levels the protectionist-minded president has imposed on other trading partners including the European Union.

The US Treasury also slapped punitive sanctions on Turkey's defence minister and two other ministers.

Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, and Energy Minister Fatih Donmez were placed on the Treasury's sanctions blacklist, freezing their US assets and banning US or US-related transactions with them.

Watch video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-turkeys-offensive-in-syria-gives-new-lease-of-life-to-isis-255943/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The defence and energy ministries were also hit with sanctions, the Treasury said.

"The United States is holding the Turkish government accountable for escalating violence by Turkish forces, endangering innocent civilians and destabilizing the region," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The sanctions seek mainly to lock the designated individuals and organizations out of the global financial system, by threatening to penalize any international banks with a US presence involved in transactions with those on the blacklist.

US President Donald Trump on Monday authorized sanctions on Turkey's leaders, reimposed steel tariffs and ended talks on a trade deal, seeking to punish the historic ally for its deadly offensive into Syria.

US President Donald Trump on Monday authorized sanctions on Turkey's leaders, reimposed steel tariffs and ended talks on a trade deal, seeking to punish the historic ally for its deadly offensive into Syria. Trump also said he was reimposing tariffs of 50 per cent on Turkish steel -- one of a series of measures taken last year to win the release of a detained US pastor, and which contributed to a plunge in the value of the country's lira currency. In May, Trump reduced tariffs back to 25 per cent, in line with levels the protectionist-minded president has imposed on other trading partners including the European Union. The US Treasury also slapped punitive sanctions on Turkey's defence minister and two other ministers. Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, and Energy Minister Fatih Donmez were placed on the Treasury's sanctions blacklist, freezing their US assets and banning US or US-related transactions with them. Watch video: The defence and energy ministries were also hit with sanctions, the Treasury said. "The United States is holding the Turkish government accountable for escalating violence by Turkish forces, endangering innocent civilians and destabilizing the region," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The sanctions seek mainly to lock the designated individuals and organizations out of the global financial system, by threatening to penalize any international banks with a US presence involved in transactions with those on the blacklist.

US Treasury slaps punitive sanctions on Turkey's defence minister

Hunter Biden denied any wrongdoing in his business dealings in Ukraine and China but acknowledged he exercised poor judgment and cashed in on the fame of his last name.

In an interview to be aired Tuesday on ABC News, Biden said he had failed to anticipate how those activities would be become fodder for critics of his father, former vice president Joe Biden, as he runs for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"Did I make a mistake? Maybe in the grand scheme of things," Biden said in the interview, excerpts of which were released ahead of its airing Tuesday evening before another Democratic presidential debate.

"But did I make a mistake based on some ethical lapse? Absolutely not," Biden, 49, insisted.

"I don’t think there’s a lot of things that would have happened in my life if my last name wasn’t Biden," Biden said.

Biden held a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, while his father was vice president under Barack Obama and helped engineer the ouster of that country's prosecutor general on grounds he was weak on corruption.

A lawyer for Biden Jr&nbsp;said Sunday that Biden is leaving his position on the board of a Chinese private equity company.

Hunter Biden has kept out of public view since the impeachment scandal surrounding President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine erupted last month.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-trump-says-he-wont-tie-biden-concerns-to-trade-deal-with-china-253812">Trump has disparaged Biden Jr</a>&nbsp;and taunted him with tweets like this one last week: "WHERE'S HUNTER?"

Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated charges that Biden Sr&nbsp;intervened in Ukraine to protect his son. And news that Trump's request in a July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine that he <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-has-violated-his-oath-of-office-he-should-be-impeached-biden-254850">probe the Bidens</a> has triggered the fast-moving impeachment investigation that is now consuming the Trump administration.

Biden Jr said in the interview that the administration has spread a "ridiculous conspiracy theory" about his work in Ukraine.

"I gave a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father," Biden said.

"That’s where I made the mistake. So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever," he added.

Hunter Biden denied any wrongdoing in his business dealings in Ukraine and China but acknowledged he exercised poor judgment and cashed in on the fame of his last name.

Hunter Biden denied any wrongdoing in his business dealings in Ukraine and China but acknowledged he exercised poor judgment and cashed in on the fame of his last name. In an interview to be aired Tuesday on ABC News, Biden said he had failed to anticipate how those activities would be become fodder for critics of his father, former vice president Joe Biden, as he runs for the Democratic presidential nomination. "Did I make a mistake? Maybe in the grand scheme of things," Biden said in the interview, excerpts of which were released ahead of its airing Tuesday evening before another Democratic presidential debate. "But did I make a mistake based on some ethical lapse? Absolutely not," Biden, 49, insisted. "I don’t think there’s a lot of things that would have happened in my life if my last name wasn’t Biden," Biden said. Biden held a lucrative position on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, while his father was vice president under Barack Obama and helped engineer the ouster of that country's prosecutor general on grounds he was weak on corruption. A lawyer for Biden Jr said Sunday that Biden is leaving his position on the board of a Chinese private equity company. Hunter Biden has kept out of public view since the impeachment scandal surrounding President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine erupted last month. Trump has disparaged Biden Jr and taunted him with tweets like this one last week: "WHERE'S HUNTER?" Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated charges that Biden Sr intervened in Ukraine to protect his son. And news that Trump's request in a July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine that he probe the Bidens has triggered the fast-moving impeachment investigation that is now consuming the Trump administration. Biden Jr said in the interview that the administration has spread a "ridiculous conspiracy theory" about his work in Ukraine. "I gave a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father," Biden said. "That’s where I made the mistake. So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever," he added.

Hunter Biden admits error in judgment but insists no wrongdoing

On WION Edit, we are going to look at the interest of top politicians in brokering and mediating peace.

This is now becoming an easy way to attain prominence. There are specific multi-lateral forums for this purpose.

Yet, leaders want their few minutes of glory. One lure is the possibility of the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1990, the then-Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev was given a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing the cold war to a peaceful end.

Now we are taking anything away from Gorbachev, but the fact of the matter is - the Soviet economy could not sustain communism.

So Gorbachev had a role, but he was neither responsible for the fall of the communist dictatorship or peace. Besides, the early years after the fall of the Soviet Union were riddled with poverty and conflict in the region.

The second mistake took place in 2009.

When the same Nobel Peace Prize was given to Barack Obama 'For his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples'.

The same Barack Obama under whose rule, the US entered Syria without an invitation. The same Barack Obama who oversaw a crisis in West Asia. But yet - recognition comes with pretention.&nbsp;

It's easy to pretend to be a messiah of peace and get noticed.

But the fun here is - even leaders like Imran Khan and Donald Trump are trying to be messengers of peace with their dodgy reputations.

Trump even said recently that he deserves a Nobel Prize for his efforts in mediating peace.

Now, the problem here is geopolitical conflicts have a history and history makes it a difficult task to settle disputes.

But leaders, egged on, by the overestimation of their abilities - try to muddle the pool and take credit for tiny achievements.

This approach is highly problematic. History is full of examples - take for instance the case of Norway and the European Union trying to broker peace between the Sri Lankan government and LTTE in the early years of this Millenium.

Or the case of India trying to broker peace between the two sides in the late 1980s.

Needless to say - the attempts only ended in a civil war, death of a former prime minister of India and bloodshed.

So should no global leader play peace mediator? We are not saying that.

We are saying that if there is a conflict - the best a third party can do is to bring the warring factions to the negotiating table.

And once that's done - it's for the stakeholders to decide the parameters of peace negotiations not for third parties.

Now organisations like the UN are established for this very purpose. So why do we need individual leaders to play peace brokers?

This is a complex issue. Russia can be a peace broker between Syria and Turkey because it is a stakeholder in the conflict.

Russia's support is the lifeblood of the Syrian government. Hence there is interest.

Similarly, the US and Russia can play a role in deescalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran again, because it's their weapons that will wreak havoc if there is a conflict.

What explains a person like Imran Khan trying to broker peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia?

This is nothing - but a foolish attempt at image-building.

New Delhi always insists that bilateral issues should be discussed between the two parties involved. And this pertains not only to Kashmir and Pakistan but to every other issue as well.

Such a stance is rooted in common sense because right now we live in a world where leaders want to poke their nose on issues that should least bother them.&nbsp; 
 
WION Edit: Mediating peace is becoming a way to attain prominence)

 
&nbsp;

On WION Edit, we are going to look at the interest of top politicians in brokering and mediating peace. This is now becoming an easy way to attain prominence. There are specific multi-lateral forums for this purpose.

On WION Edit, we are going to look at the interest of top politicians in brokering and mediating peace. This is now becoming an easy way to attain prominence. There are specific multi-lateral forums for this purpose. Yet, leaders want their few minutes of glory. One lure is the possibility of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1990, the then-Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev was given a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing the cold war to a peaceful end. Now we are taking anything away from Gorbachev, but the fact of the matter is - the Soviet economy could not sustain communism. So Gorbachev had a role, but he was neither responsible for the fall of the communist dictatorship or peace. Besides, the early years after the fall of the Soviet Union were riddled with poverty and conflict in the region. The second mistake took place in 2009. When the same Nobel Peace Prize was given to Barack Obama 'For his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples'. The same Barack Obama under whose rule, the US entered Syria without an invitation. The same Barack Obama who oversaw a crisis in West Asia. But yet - recognition comes with pretention. It's easy to pretend to be a messiah of peace and get noticed. But the fun here is - even leaders like Imran Khan and Donald Trump are trying to be messengers of peace with their dodgy reputations. Trump even said recently that he deserves a Nobel Prize for his efforts in mediating peace. Now, the problem here is geopolitical conflicts have a history and history makes it a difficult task to settle disputes. But leaders, egged on, by the overestimation of their abilities - try to muddle the pool and take credit for tiny achievements. This approach is highly problematic. History is full of examples - take for instance the case of Norway and the European Union trying to broker peace between the Sri Lankan government and LTTE in the early years of this Millenium. Or the case of India trying to broker peace between the two sides in the late 1980s. Needless to say - the attempts only ended in a civil war, death of a former prime minister of India and bloodshed. So should no global leader play peace mediator? We are not saying that. We are saying that if there is a conflict - the best a third party can do is to bring the warring factions to the negotiating table. And once that's done - it's for the stakeholders to decide the parameters of peace negotiations not for third parties. Now organisations like the UN are established for this very purpose. So why do we need individual leaders to play peace brokers? This is a complex issue. Russia can be a peace broker between Syria and Turkey because it is a stakeholder in the conflict. Russia's support is the lifeblood of the Syrian government. Hence there is interest. Similarly, the US and Russia can play a role in deescalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran again, because it's their weapons that will wreak havoc if there is a conflict. What explains a person like Imran Khan trying to broker peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia? This is nothing - but a foolish attempt at image-building. New Delhi always insists that bilateral issues should be discussed between the two parties involved. And this pertains not only to Kashmir and Pakistan but to every other issue as well. Such a stance is rooted in common sense because right now we live in a world where leaders want to poke their nose on issues that should least bother them. WION Edit: Mediating peace is becoming a way to attain prominence)

WION Edit: Mediating peace is becoming a way to attain prominence

The Democratic-led US&nbsp;House of Representatives will crank up its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-democrats-subpoena-pentagon-docs-in-impeachment-inquiry-254451">impeachment inquiry</a> into President Donald Trump this week as lawmakers return after a two-week recess, with closed-door testimony from current and former administration officials looming.

The headline event could be testimony on Thursday from Gordon Sondland, the US&nbsp;ambassador to the European Union, that was rescheduled after Trump's administration blocked a previously scheduled appearance.

Sondland, a political appointee and Trump political donor rather than a career diplomat, participated in a text message exchange that Democrats have said reveals the internal concern among aides that the Republican president's pressure on Ukraine to investigate a political rival, Joe Biden, was improper.

The House Intelligence Committee, leading the impeachment inquiry, is scheduled on Monday to hear from Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian Affairs on Trump's National Security Council.

The impeachment inquiry focuses on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Biden, a top contender for the Democratic nomination to face him in the 2020 presidential election, and Biden's businessman son Hunter Biden.

Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US&nbsp;ally to dig up dirt on a domestic political rival after withholding $391 million in US&nbsp;security aid intended to help combat Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Trump has denied wrongdoing. The inquiry could prompt the House to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - leading to a trial in the Senate on whether to remove Trump from office. The Senate is led by Trump's fellow Republicans, who have shown little inclination toward removing him.

The Intelligence Committee also is scheduled to hear from Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent and State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl, a top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"We expect to announce additional testimony from relevant witnesses in the coming days and remain prepared to compel testimony through duly authorized subpoenas as appropriate," Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said in a letter to House Democrats on Friday.

The most compelling details could come from Sondland, who is expected to discuss the text message exchange with Bill Taylor, the top US&nbsp;diplomat in Ukraine.

Sondland is expected to be asked why he relayed from Trump to other diplomats that the president said no "quid pro quos" connecting the Biden investigation with the US&nbsp;aid and to respond to media reports that he may not believe Trump`s insistence about no linkage between the two matters. Quid pro quo is a Latin term meaning a favor for a favor.

Zelenskiy agreed to investigate. Trump eventually allowed the aid.

Pressure&nbsp;on&nbsp;Giuliani

Lawmakers also may debate whether to seek to compel testimony from Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney who was pushing for Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.

On Thursday, two Giuliani associates - Ukraine-born Lev Parnas and Belarus-born Igor Fruman - who helped him with his efforts to investigate the Bidens were charged with scheming to violate US&nbsp;campaign finance laws.

Giuliani has defended his actions as proper in his role as Trump's lawyer.

A source familiar with the probe said that as part of the investigation into Parnas and Furman, federal investigators, including Manhattan prosecutors, are "examining Giuliani's interactions" with the two men.

Giuliani disputed that, saying he would have expected to have heard from prosecutors.

"I think the probe is a malicious rumor," Giuliani told Reuters.

Giuliani already has a subpoena from the Intelligence Committee demanding that he produce documents related to Ukraine by Tuesday. He has not said whether he will comply.

The Democratic-led US House of Representatives will crank up its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump this week as lawmakers return after a two-week recess, with closed-door testimony from current and former administration officials looming.

The Democratic-led US House of Representatives will crank up its impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump this week as lawmakers return after a two-week recess, with closed-door testimony from current and former administration officials looming. The headline event could be testimony on Thursday from Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, that was rescheduled after Trump's administration blocked a previously scheduled appearance. Sondland, a political appointee and Trump political donor rather than a career diplomat, participated in a text message exchange that Democrats have said reveals the internal concern among aides that the Republican president's pressure on Ukraine to investigate a political rival, Joe Biden, was improper. The House Intelligence Committee, leading the impeachment inquiry, is scheduled on Monday to hear from Fiona Hill, former senior director for European and Russian Affairs on Trump's National Security Council. The impeachment inquiry focuses on a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Biden, a top contender for the Democratic nomination to face him in the 2020 presidential election, and Biden's businessman son Hunter Biden. Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US ally to dig up dirt on a domestic political rival after withholding $391 million in US security aid intended to help combat Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine. Trump has denied wrongdoing. The inquiry could prompt the House to approve articles of impeachment - formal charges - leading to a trial in the Senate on whether to remove Trump from office. The Senate is led by Trump's fellow Republicans, who have shown little inclination toward removing him. The Intelligence Committee also is scheduled to hear from Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent and State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl, a top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "We expect to announce additional testimony from relevant witnesses in the coming days and remain prepared to compel testimony through duly authorized subpoenas as appropriate," Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said in a letter to House Democrats on Friday. The most compelling details could come from Sondland, who is expected to discuss the text message exchange with Bill Taylor, the top US diplomat in Ukraine. Sondland is expected to be asked why he relayed from Trump to other diplomats that the president said no "quid pro quos" connecting the Biden investigation with the US aid and to respond to media reports that he may not believe Trump`s insistence about no linkage between the two matters. Quid pro quo is a Latin term meaning a favor for a favor. Zelenskiy agreed to investigate. Trump eventually allowed the aid. Pressure on Giuliani Lawmakers also may debate whether to seek to compel testimony from Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney who was pushing for Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. On Thursday, two Giuliani associates - Ukraine-born Lev Parnas and Belarus-born Igor Fruman - who helped him with his efforts to investigate the Bidens were charged with scheming to violate US campaign finance laws. Giuliani has defended his actions as proper in his role as Trump's lawyer. A source familiar with the probe said that as part of the investigation into Parnas and Furman, federal investigators, including Manhattan prosecutors, are "examining Giuliani's interactions" with the two men. Giuliani disputed that, saying he would have expected to have heard from prosecutors. "I think the probe is a malicious rumor," Giuliani told Reuters. Giuliani already has a subpoena from the Intelligence Committee demanding that he produce documents related to Ukraine by Tuesday. He has not said whether he will comply.

Returning from recess, Democrats press Trump impeachment inquiry

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday the Pentagon would cooperate with the congressional impeachment enquiry -- in an apparent break with President Donald Trump's policy to thwart the probe.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday the Pentagon would cooperate with the congressional impeachment enquiry -- in an apparent break with President Donald Trump's policy to thwart the probe. Esper said his department would try to comply with a subpoena from House Democrats seeking records relating to the withholding of US military aid to Ukraine. "We will do everything we can to cooperate with the Congress," Esper said on CBS's Face The Nation. Esper's reassurance came days after the White House announced it would not cooperate with the Democratic-led House of Representatives, calling its impeachment push illegitimate and unconstitutional. Trump himself has been using Twitter to bombard the public with conspiracy theories about a secret "deep state" trying to remove him from power. Democrats slapped subpoenas Monday on the Pentagon and White House budget office, demanding documents tied to Trump's withholding of military aid to Ukraine. The chairmen of three House panels leading the investigation are seeking information related to Trump pressing his Ukrainian counterpart to uncover dirt on 2020 US presidential contender Joe Biden -- and the alleged conditioning of aid on that favour. The materials are "necessary for the committees to examine... the reasons behind the White House's decision to withhold critical military assistance to Ukraine that was appropriated by Congress to counter Russian aggression," they said. Esper told Fox News Sunday that administration officials and Trump himself may place restrictions on the release of documents demanded by the subpoena. "I don't know the status of what that document preparation is. I don't know what restrictions they will have internally," Esper said. "The White House has a say on the release of documents as well. There are a number of things that play into this."

Pentagon chief vows to cooperate with congressional impeachment probe

The Syria-Turkey border security is worsening due to sustained battles that left large numbers of Syrians fleeing their homes. The U.S. President Donald Trump continued to defend on Saturday his controversial decision to pull some U.S. troops out of an area of Syria where they had been supporting Kurdish forces. Watch this video to know more.

Day 5 of Turkey's military operation in Syria

The Syria-Turkey border security is worsening due to sustained battles that left large numbers of Syrians fleeing their homes. U.S. President Donald Trump continued to defend on Saturday his controversial decision to pull some U.S. troops out of an area of Syria where they had been supporting Kurdish forces.

Security worsening at Turkey-Syria border, Trump continues to defend his decision

After pop icon, Rihanna, legendary actor Robert De Niro took a jab at US President Donald Trump addressing him as a 'dirty player'&nbsp;attempting to harm institutions in order to 'save himself'. 
 
Ahead of the international premiere of his upcoming film '<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/the-irishman-new-trailer-ray-romano-brings-comic-element-in-martin-scorsese-directorial-252328">The Irishman</a>'&nbsp;at the BFI London Film Festival, De Niro took the stage and said, ''Today, everything's been turned upside-down because of Trump because he's such a dirty player."&nbsp; 
 
He added how strange it seems to him that the President is even 'getting away with it'. ''He won't get away with it forever, but he is getting away with saying these things about every institution," he added. 
 
Pressing on the need to protect the institutions plus 'the Fourth Estate, the press', the Oscar winner added, "he's trying to destroy them and for only one reason: to save himself. And we all know this". 
 
De Niro got deeper into politics criticising the Republicans who according to the actor, 'are just so afraid to do anything, to stand up'. 
 
While on his UK trip, the 76-year-old also gave an interview to the news agency, where he said that the US&nbsp;has 'a gangster president'&nbsp;adding, I can't wait to see him in jail. 
 
"His upcoming release 'The Irishman'&nbsp;is set to open on streaming service Netflix on November 27 and will be released in select UK cinemas on November 8.

pop icon Rihanna &nbsp;got candid about her views on the US President<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/donald-trump-is-most-mentally-ill-human-being-in-america-rihanna-255023"> Donald Trump calling him an 'ill human'.</a>

After pop icon, Rihanna, legendary actor Robert De Niro took a jab at US President Donald Trump addressing him as a 'dirty player' attempting to harm institutions in order to 'save himself'.

After pop icon, Rihanna, legendary actor Robert De Niro took a jab at US President Donald Trump addressing him as a 'dirty player' attempting to harm institutions in order to 'save himself'. Ahead of the international premiere of his upcoming film 'The Irishman' at the BFI London Film Festival, De Niro took the stage and said, ''Today, everything's been turned upside-down because of Trump because he's such a dirty player." He added how strange it seems to him that the President is even 'getting away with it'. ''He won't get away with it forever, but he is getting away with saying these things about every institution," he added. Pressing on the need to protect the institutions plus 'the Fourth Estate, the press', the Oscar winner added, "he's trying to destroy them and for only one reason: to save himself. And we all know this". De Niro got deeper into politics criticising the Republicans who according to the actor, 'are just so afraid to do anything, to stand up'. While on his UK trip, the 76-year-old also gave an interview to the news agency, where he said that the US has 'a gangster president' adding, I can't wait to see him in jail. "His upcoming release 'The Irishman' is set to open on streaming service Netflix on November 27 and will be released in select UK cinemas on November 8. pop icon Rihanna got candid about her views on the US President Donald Trump calling him an 'ill human'.

Robert De Niro slams US President Donald Trump, calls him a dirty player

A <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-announces-partial-trade-deal-with-china-255358">partial US-China deal</a> may only offer a temporary tariff reprieve because it lacks specifics and leaves the thorny issues for later, analysts said, allowing both economic powers to claim success.

Friday's initial agreement -- which included increasing US farm product purchases, and also&nbsp;covers intellectual property, financial services and currencies -- finally breaks an 18-month trade spat.

Engulfed in an impeachment inquiry, US President Donald Trump heralded the deal as a major&nbsp;breakthrough.&nbsp;

But it will take weeks to finalise and the details are not clear -- nor will it roll back tariffs already in place on hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade.

"The lack of specificity and even the fact this baby stepped agreement could take weeks to iron out, quickly cooled trader optimism," said Axi Trader analyst&nbsp;Stephen Innes.

After earlier attempts at a truce between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping did not pan out businesses remained cautious, Innes said.

There is "fear this could be more of the same old lather rinse and repeat trade detente followed by trade escalation," he said.

For now, Washington will hold off on a massive tariff increase planned for next week and -- as negotiations progress -- new December tariffs could also be cancelled, US officials said.

Trump said China had pledged to rapidly increase purchases of American farm products to $40-50 billion -- a stunning feat, and more than double 2017 levels.

But China is yet to confirm these details.

"Substantial progress had been made in such areas as agriculture, intellectual property rights protection, exchange rate, financial services, expansion of trade cooperation, technology transfer and dispute settlement," state-run Xinhua news agency reported citing Liu He, the country's top negotiator.

"The two sides also discussed arrangements for future consultations," Liu said when he met Trump Friday, according to Xinhua.

Previously, Trump has blamed China for backtracking on its promises.

'Major deal unlikely'&nbsp;

On Friday, the US president played up the "substantial phase one" deal as a result of his hard-line stance with China.

"It's not much and it doesn't get us very far in the big issues, so whether it will lead to anything important is still very unclear," said&nbsp;Barry Naughton, an expert on China's economy at the University of California, San Diego.

The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily warned in an editorial Saturday the trade war would only be resolved by "abolishing all tariffs."

But to get there, the two sides need to address issues such as scaling back Chinese government subsidies that have skewed competition, and opening up sectors dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

In a step in towards that, China recently announced a timetable to remove foreign ownership limits in finance companies beginning next year.

Beijing also passed a foreign investment law in March, promising a level playing field for overseas investors, addressing a major US complaint.

But "a significant improvement is... not very likely," said Song Houze, a research fellow at The Paulson Institute.

"The existence of thorny issues like SOE and tech make a major deal unlikely, which means the existing tariff will most likely stay."

The latest truce, however, was essential for both sides as both face cooling domestic growth, he said.

'Off the table'

US restrictions on Chinese investments in its high-tech sectors -- blocking Huawei from government contracts -- and sanctions on a series of China's tech giants have also cast a shadow on trade negotiations.

The US commerce department said last week it will blacklist 28 Chinese entities it says are implicated in rights violations and abuses in China's Xinjiang region.

"Even if the US and China reach a comprehensive trade deal, the US will likely tighten restrictions on China's access to technology in the coming years," said Wang Tao, head of Asia economics at UBS Investment Bank.

"The US has elevated this issue to national security and it may be hard to reverse, no matter what kind of agreement they reach (or not) on Huawei," said Wang Tao, head of Asia economics at UBS Investment Bank.

A partial US-China deal may only offer a temporary tariff reprieve because it lacks specifics and leaves the thorny issues for later, analysts said, allowing both economic powers to claim success.

A partial US-China deal may only offer a temporary tariff reprieve because it lacks specifics and leaves the thorny issues for later, analysts said, allowing both economic powers to claim success. Friday's initial agreement -- which included increasing US farm product purchases, and also covers intellectual property, financial services and currencies -- finally breaks an 18-month trade spat. Engulfed in an impeachment inquiry, US President Donald Trump heralded the deal as a major breakthrough. But it will take weeks to finalise and the details are not clear -- nor will it roll back tariffs already in place on hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade. "The lack of specificity and even the fact this baby stepped agreement could take weeks to iron out, quickly cooled trader optimism," said Axi Trader analyst Stephen Innes. After earlier attempts at a truce between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping did not pan out businesses remained cautious, Innes said. There is "fear this could be more of the same old lather rinse and repeat trade detente followed by trade escalation," he said. For now, Washington will hold off on a massive tariff increase planned for next week and -- as negotiations progress -- new December tariffs could also be cancelled, US officials said. Trump said China had pledged to rapidly increase purchases of American farm products to $40-50 billion -- a stunning feat, and more than double 2017 levels. But China is yet to confirm these details. "Substantial progress had been made in such areas as agriculture, intellectual property rights protection, exchange rate, financial services, expansion of trade cooperation, technology transfer and dispute settlement," state-run Xinhua news agency reported citing Liu He, the country's top negotiator. "The two sides also discussed arrangements for future consultations," Liu said when he met Trump Friday, according to Xinhua. Previously, Trump has blamed China for backtracking on its promises. 'Major deal unlikely' On Friday, the US president played up the "substantial phase one" deal as a result of his hard-line stance with China. "It's not much and it doesn't get us very far in the big issues, so whether it will lead to anything important is still very unclear," said Barry Naughton, an expert on China's economy at the University of California, San Diego. The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily warned in an editorial Saturday the trade war would only be resolved by "abolishing all tariffs." But to get there, the two sides need to address issues such as scaling back Chinese government subsidies that have skewed competition, and opening up sectors dominated by state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In a step in towards that, China recently announced a timetable to remove foreign ownership limits in finance companies beginning next year. Beijing also passed a foreign investment law in March, promising a level playing field for overseas investors, addressing a major US complaint. But "a significant improvement is... not very likely," said Song Houze, a research fellow at The Paulson Institute. "The existence of thorny issues like SOE and tech make a major deal unlikely, which means the existing tariff will most likely stay." The latest truce, however, was essential for both sides as both face cooling domestic growth, he said. 'Off the table' US restrictions on Chinese investments in its high-tech sectors -- blocking Huawei from government contracts -- and sanctions on a series of China's tech giants have also cast a shadow on trade negotiations. The US commerce department said last week it will blacklist 28 Chinese entities it says are implicated in rights violations and abuses in China's Xinjiang region. "Even if the US and China reach a comprehensive trade deal, the US will likely tighten restrictions on China's access to technology in the coming years," said Wang Tao, head of Asia economics at UBS Investment Bank. "The US has elevated this issue to national security and it may be hard to reverse, no matter what kind of agreement they reach (or not) on Huawei," said Wang Tao, head of Asia economics at UBS Investment Bank.

Partial US-China trade deal only 'baby step' as thorny issues remain

thousands Have Fled Their Homes & Hundreds Killed As Turkey's Military Offensive In Syria Continues For The Third Day.

Gravitas: Trump Offers To Mediate Between Turkey & Kurds

President Donald Trump on Friday said <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-trade-talks-to-resume-thursday-white-house-254346">Chinese and American officials</a> were working toward meaningful <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/gold-holds-firm-as-optimism-fades-for-us-china-trade-talks-254716">progress in trade talks</a>, boosting hopes for a detente in the two economies' damaging trade war.

As negotiators concluded the second day of talks, Beijing and Washington appeared close to announcing an incremental bargain, marking a positive turn after a summer of acrimony and escalation.

The good mood was a rapid improvement after a week in negotiations had appeared headed for a dead end as Washington blitzed China with aggressive maneuvers tied to ethnic persecution in Xinjiang and other matters.

For the moment, US tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese merchandise are due to rise on Tuesday.

But even a partial win would be a boon for Trump, who faces an impeachment firestorm and a stinging criticism in Congress for his treatment of Kurdish allies in Syria, only the latest episodes of the White House's perpetual turmoil.

A cheerful morning tweet from Trump fed a rally in stocks, with Wall Street erasing the week's losses as investors bet a partial pact would see the United States postpone next week's scheduled tariff increases on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese imports.

"Good things are happening at China Trade Talk Meeting. Warmer feelings than in recent past, more like the Old Days," Trump said on Twitter shortly after officials resumed negotiations for a second day.

"All would like to see something significant happen!"

Trump is due later Friday to meet with Beijing's top trade envoy Liu He in a sign the two sides expect to make a positive announcement.

The president added in a later tweet he would also be able to skip the process of congressional approval: "When the deal is fully negotiated, I sign it myself on behalf of our Country. Fast and Clean!"

Congress has yet to ratify a revamped North American trade pact which Trump signed last year.

Since the China trade war began last year, &nbsp;moments of comity and cheer have more than once been shattered, giving way to jolting deteriorations in relations between the two sides.

In the spring, officials said a deal was more or less at hand, only to have Washington resume tariff increases in May, accusing Beijing of reneging on core commitments already put down in writing.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang also told reporters on Friday that China hoped "to promote positive progress" in the talks.

Media reports this week have drawn the contours of a partial deal that, while not addressing Trump's biggest gripes about China's trade practices, would offer something for both sides.

China will continue to increase purchases of US farm exports and pledge to refrain from currency manipulation while Washington will suspend a tariff increase, Bloomberg reported.

Myron Brilliant, head of international affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, told reporters on Thursday he had spoken with both sides and that an agreement on currency could emerge this week.

Not just tariffs

"I think that could lead to a decision by the US administration not to put forward a tariff rate hike on October 15," he said.

The US Treasury in August branded China a currency manipulator, accusing Beijing of deliberately weakening the RMB to gain unfair trade advantages, making good on a Trump campaign pledge.

Where matters go from there remains to be seen, however.&nbsp;

China has so far balked at Trump's demands for profound changes in the way Beijing manages its economy, which analysts say could politically undermine the Communist Party.

In an editorial on Friday, the party-owned China Daily said a partial deal "is a more feasible objective and one that would be in the common interests of both sides."

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has continued to examine ways in which it could exert more pressure on Beijing beyond simply taxing Chinese imports.

Washington accuses China of attempting to dominate the global industry through massive state intervention in markets, theft of intellectual property, hacking and subsidies, accusations shared by Europe and Japan.

Larry Kudlow, a top White House economic aide, said this week this could include heightened regulatory scrutiny of Chinese companies operating in the United States.

President Donald Trump on Friday said Chinese and American officials were working toward meaningful progress in trade talks, boosting hopes for a detente in the two economies' damaging trade war.

President Donald Trump on Friday said Chinese and American officials were working toward meaningful progress in trade talks, boosting hopes for a detente in the two economies' damaging trade war. As negotiators concluded the second day of talks, Beijing and Washington appeared close to announcing an incremental bargain, marking a positive turn after a summer of acrimony and escalation. The good mood was a rapid improvement after a week in negotiations had appeared headed for a dead end as Washington blitzed China with aggressive maneuvers tied to ethnic persecution in Xinjiang and other matters. For the moment, US tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese merchandise are due to rise on Tuesday. But even a partial win would be a boon for Trump, who faces an impeachment firestorm and a stinging criticism in Congress for his treatment of Kurdish allies in Syria, only the latest episodes of the White House's perpetual turmoil. A cheerful morning tweet from Trump fed a rally in stocks, with Wall Street erasing the week's losses as investors bet a partial pact would see the United States postpone next week's scheduled tariff increases on hundreds of billions of dollars in Chinese imports. "Good things are happening at China Trade Talk Meeting. Warmer feelings than in recent past, more like the Old Days," Trump said on Twitter shortly after officials resumed negotiations for a second day. "All would like to see something significant happen!" Trump is due later Friday to meet with Beijing's top trade envoy Liu He in a sign the two sides expect to make a positive announcement. The president added in a later tweet he would also be able to skip the process of congressional approval: "When the deal is fully negotiated, I sign it myself on behalf of our Country. Fast and Clean!" Congress has yet to ratify a revamped North American trade pact which Trump signed last year. Since the China trade war began last year, moments of comity and cheer have more than once been shattered, giving way to jolting deteriorations in relations between the two sides. In the spring, officials said a deal was more or less at hand, only to have Washington resume tariff increases in May, accusing Beijing of reneging on core commitments already put down in writing. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang also told reporters on Friday that China hoped "to promote positive progress" in the talks. Media reports this week have drawn the contours of a partial deal that, while not addressing Trump's biggest gripes about China's trade practices, would offer something for both sides. China will continue to increase purchases of US farm exports and pledge to refrain from currency manipulation while Washington will suspend a tariff increase, Bloomberg reported. Myron Brilliant, head of international affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, told reporters on Thursday he had spoken with both sides and that an agreement on currency could emerge this week. Not just tariffs "I think that could lead to a decision by the US administration not to put forward a tariff rate hike on October 15," he said. The US Treasury in August branded China a currency manipulator, accusing Beijing of deliberately weakening the RMB to gain unfair trade advantages, making good on a Trump campaign pledge. Where matters go from there remains to be seen, however. China has so far balked at Trump's demands for profound changes in the way Beijing manages its economy, which analysts say could politically undermine the Communist Party. In an editorial on Friday, the party-owned China Daily said a partial deal "is a more feasible objective and one that would be in the common interests of both sides." Meanwhile, the Trump administration has continued to examine ways in which it could exert more pressure on Beijing beyond simply taxing Chinese imports. Washington accuses China of attempting to dominate the global industry through massive state intervention in markets, theft of intellectual property, hacking and subsidies, accusations shared by Europe and Japan. Larry Kudlow, a top White House economic aide, said this week this could include heightened regulatory scrutiny of Chinese companies operating in the United States.

Donald Trump says 'warmer feelings' in US-China trade talks

Donald Trump says he hopes to mediate between Turkey and the Kurds

Turkey's Syria Invasion: U.S. President Trump offers to mediate

Winner to be announced on October 11. Who will win Nobel Peace Prize 2019?

Top Contenders for Nobel Peace Prize

Two foreign-born Florida businessmen associated with U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to funnel foreign money to U.S. political candidates, officials said

Trump Impeachment Probe: Trump donors charged in Campaign Impeachment Probe

Turkey pounded Kurdish militia in northeast Syria for a second day on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee and killing at least dozens of people in a cross-border assault on U.S. allies that has turned the Washington establishment against President Donald Trump.

Turkey Invades Syria and attacks Kurds

The US President Donal Trump played superstar Prince’s hit song ‘Purple Rain’ again during a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday without seeking permission from his Estate that manages everything related to the American singer.&nbsp;

Using the song from his collection reportedly violated the agreement made by Trump’s campaigners and the Prince Estate in 2018. The same came to notice when the Estate shared the written agreement on Twitter.&nbsp;

The letter states that the campaign’s legal representatives said it would not use any Prince songs in connection with Trump campaign events, per the estate’s request that was made after Trump used the song during pre-Election Day rallies. They wrote, “President Trump played Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs.”

Read the letter here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump played Prince’s “Purple Rain” tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs. <a href="https://t.co/FuMUPzSWOe">pic.twitter.com/FuMUPzSWOe</a>
— Prince (@prince) <a href="https://twitter.com/prince/status/1182484599781416960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

As stated in the letter, a law firm that represented Trump’s campaign at the time acknowledged the Estate’s request and stated the campaign would abide by it.

The letter further read, “Your letter requests, on behalf of the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson (‘Prince’) that the Campaign refrain from using Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ or any other Prince music in connection with Campaign rallies or other Campaign events. Without admitting liability, and to avoid any future dispute, we write to confirm that the Campaign will not use Prince’s music in connection with its activities going forward.”

This is not the first time that Trump campaign managers have used various artists’ songs during rallies without so much as taking permission from them. The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Aerosmith, among others, on previous occasions have asked the President to stop using their songs.

The US President Donal Trump played superstar Prince’s hit song ‘Purple Rain’ again during a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday without seeking permission from his Estate that manages everything related to the American singer.

The US President Donal Trump played superstar Prince’s hit song ‘Purple Rain’ again during a rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday without seeking permission from his Estate that manages everything related to the American singer. Using the song from his collection reportedly violated the agreement made by Trump’s campaigners and the Prince Estate in 2018. The same came to notice when the Estate shared the written agreement on Twitter. The letter states that the campaign’s legal representatives said it would not use any Prince songs in connection with Trump campaign events, per the estate’s request that was made after Trump used the song during pre-Election Day rallies. They wrote, “President Trump played Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs.” Read the letter here: President Trump played Prince’s “Purple Rain” tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs. pic.twitter.com/FuMUPzSWOe — Prince (@prince) October 11, 2019 × As stated in the letter, a law firm that represented Trump’s campaign at the time acknowledged the Estate’s request and stated the campaign would abide by it. The letter further read, “Your letter requests, on behalf of the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson (‘Prince’) that the Campaign refrain from using Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ or any other Prince music in connection with Campaign rallies or other Campaign events. Without admitting liability, and to avoid any future dispute, we write to confirm that the Campaign will not use Prince’s music in connection with its activities going forward.” This is not the first time that Trump campaign managers have used various artists’ songs during rallies without so much as taking permission from them. The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Aerosmith, among others, on previous occasions have asked the President to stop using their songs.

Prince Estate calls out Trump for using the iconic singer's song 'Purple Rain' at a rally, again

By James L Gelvin

Turkey’s attack on Kurdish-run territory in northern Syria will likely snuff out a radical experiment in self-government that is unlike anything I have seen in more than 30 years studying the Middle East.

In a surprise October 6 statement, President Donald Trump announced the US would withdraw its troops from northern Syria.

Approximately 1,000 American soldiers had been stationed in that region as a buffer separating Kurdish forces – who had been working with the Americans in the fight against the Islamic State – from Turkish troops. Turkey feared that the Syrian Kurds would link up with Turkey’s Kurdish minority who have demanded autonomy or independence.

On October 9, the Turkish military began its assault, pummeling Kurdish-held territory with artillery and airstrikes. Kurds are rapidly evacuating the region and at least 24 people have been killed in northern Syria. Retaliatory strikes from Syria have killed civilians in southern Turkey.

According to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Turkey’s goal is to create a buffer zone separating Syria’s Kurds from the Turkish border.

But his country’s attack will do much more than that. If successful, it will destroy the most full-fledged democracy the Middle East has yet to see.

A different way to govern

The Kurds call their autonomous region in Syria “Rojava,” meaning “the land where the sunsets.”

Kurdish-led forces took possession of this swath of territory in northern and eastern Syria from direct Syrian government control in 2012. Then they successfully defended it against the Islamic State.

Kurdish Syria is a small portion of a territory, known as Kurdistan, that includes parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Kurdistan is home to approximately 25-35 million Kurds, a cultural and ethnic minority in the Middle East.

The key to understanding the Rojava project, as those involved often refer to it, is the notion of “confederalism.” In this form of government, local units – in this case, Kurdistan’s “autonomous regions” – come together in a federation yet retain a great deal of autonomy.

Because sovereign power belongs to the local units and not to a central government, Kurdish confederalism differs from an American-style federal system.

The Kurds are so serious about devolving power to the local level that Rojava’s charter requires each of its three regions to have its own flag. And within each region, local elected councils are in charge. They organize garbage collection, adjudicate disputes and manage public health and safety.

Confederalism sets the Kurds apart from almost every other government in the Middle East.&nbsp;

Across the region, power is concentrated at the top. Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, is an authoritarian leader who has ruthlessly crushed his opponents in the country’s eight-year civil war. Egypt has a military government. Saudi Arabia has a king.

But Rojava would be an exceptional society almost anywhere.

Rojava’s charter guarantees freedom of expression and assembly and equality of all religious communities and languages. It mandates direct democracy, term limits and gender equality. Men and women share every position in government. Kurdish women have fought the Islamic State in Syria as soldiers in an all-female militia.

In a region where religion and politics are often intertwined, the Kurdish state is secular. Religious leaders cannot serve in politics. Rojava’s charter even affirms the right of all citizens to a healthy environment.

Surrounding countries, including Syria, also have constitutions with eloquent endorsements of political and human rights.

In Rojava, however, the constitution is actually in effect. Syrian Kurds have realized the dream of the 2010-2011 pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world.

Rojava’s downsides

Internal cleavages in Syria’s Kurdish community undermine the Rojava project – namely, the perpetual jockeying for power between rival Kurdish clans and the struggle for preeminence among Turkish, Syrian and Iraqi Kurds.

The Kurds also have a troubled relationship with Syria’s Arabs and other groups. Beginning in the 1960s, the Syrian government began moving other populations to Kurdish territory to challenge Kurdish dominance there, sparking Kurdish resentment.

The devastation wrought by the Islamic State – such as the mass murder of the Yazidis, a religious minority within the Kurdish community, and sexual enslavement of their women – further fueled this resentment.

There have been numerous reports of Kurdish soldiers taking violent revenge against captured Islamic State members, alleged collaborators and even entire villages suspected of aiding the Islamic State enemy.

The Kurdish region of Syria also has some politically problematic origins.

The Syrian-Kurdish Democratic Union Party – Rojava’s leading political party – played an outsized role in the creation of Rojava. The party is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a far-left militant group that has fought against the Turkish government, first for the independence of Kurds from Turkey in the 1980s and 1990s, then – in the early 2000s – for their autonomy within Turkish borders.

Many Kurds in Rojava consider PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan a national hero. It was Ocalan who came up with the idea of confederalism in the first place, back in 2005.

But both Turkey and the United States consider the PKK to be a terrorist organization. The PKK is currently conducting an insurgency against the Turkish government.

Danger ahead 
 
The Rojava project is now in imminent peril.

Even if Turkey hadn’t launched its military offensive, Rojava would probably still have a tenuous future.

The Syrian-Kurdish Democratic Union Party has refused to take sides in the Syrian civil war. Its vision, now realized, lay elsewhere.

Nevertheless, it is doubtful that the Syrian regime will reward Kurds for their relative impartiality during the civil war. Nor is it likely that the regime will reward them for limiting their goal to autonomy instead of independence.

The reason: Rojava sits atop Syria’s largest oil fields.

(James L Gelvin is Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of California, Los Angeles)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/turkish-attack-on-syria-endangers-a-remarkable-democratic-experiment-by-the-kurds-125105">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

By James L Gelvin Turkey’s attack on Kurdish-run territory in northern Syria will likely snuff out a radical experiment in self-government that is unlike anything I have seen in more than 30 years studying the Middle East.

By James L Gelvin Turkey’s attack on Kurdish-run territory in northern Syria will likely snuff out a radical experiment in self-government that is unlike anything I have seen in more than 30 years studying the Middle East. In a surprise October 6 statement, President Donald Trump announced the US would withdraw its troops from northern Syria. Approximately 1,000 American soldiers had been stationed in that region as a buffer separating Kurdish forces – who had been working with the Americans in the fight against the Islamic State – from Turkish troops. Turkey feared that the Syrian Kurds would link up with Turkey’s Kurdish minority who have demanded autonomy or independence. On October 9, the Turkish military began its assault, pummeling Kurdish-held territory with artillery and airstrikes. Kurds are rapidly evacuating the region and at least 24 people have been killed in northern Syria. Retaliatory strikes from Syria have killed civilians in southern Turkey. According to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, Turkey’s goal is to create a buffer zone separating Syria’s Kurds from the Turkish border. But his country’s attack will do much more than that. If successful, it will destroy the most full-fledged democracy the Middle East has yet to see. A different way to govern The Kurds call their autonomous region in Syria “Rojava,” meaning “the land where the sunsets.” Kurdish-led forces took possession of this swath of territory in northern and eastern Syria from direct Syrian government control in 2012. Then they successfully defended it against the Islamic State. Kurdish Syria is a small portion of a territory, known as Kurdistan, that includes parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Kurdistan is home to approximately 25-35 million Kurds, a cultural and ethnic minority in the Middle East. The key to understanding the Rojava project, as those involved often refer to it, is the notion of “confederalism.” In this form of government, local units – in this case, Kurdistan’s “autonomous regions” – come together in a federation yet retain a great deal of autonomy. Because sovereign power belongs to the local units and not to a central government, Kurdish confederalism differs from an American-style federal system. The Kurds are so serious about devolving power to the local level that Rojava’s charter requires each of its three regions to have its own flag. And within each region, local elected councils are in charge. They organize garbage collection, adjudicate disputes and manage public health and safety. Confederalism sets the Kurds apart from almost every other government in the Middle East. Across the region, power is concentrated at the top. Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, is an authoritarian leader who has ruthlessly crushed his opponents in the country’s eight-year civil war. Egypt has a military government. Saudi Arabia has a king. But Rojava would be an exceptional society almost anywhere. Rojava’s charter guarantees freedom of expression and assembly and equality of all religious communities and languages. It mandates direct democracy, term limits and gender equality. Men and women share every position in government. Kurdish women have fought the Islamic State in Syria as soldiers in an all-female militia. In a region where religion and politics are often intertwined, the Kurdish state is secular. Religious leaders cannot serve in politics. Rojava’s charter even affirms the right of all citizens to a healthy environment. Surrounding countries, including Syria, also have constitutions with eloquent endorsements of political and human rights. In Rojava, however, the constitution is actually in effect. Syrian Kurds have realized the dream of the 2010-2011 pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world. Rojava’s downsides Internal cleavages in Syria’s Kurdish community undermine the Rojava project – namely, the perpetual jockeying for power between rival Kurdish clans and the struggle for preeminence among Turkish, Syrian and Iraqi Kurds. The Kurds also have a troubled relationship with Syria’s Arabs and other groups. Beginning in the 1960s, the Syrian government began moving other populations to Kurdish territory to challenge Kurdish dominance there, sparking Kurdish resentment. The devastation wrought by the Islamic State – such as the mass murder of the Yazidis, a religious minority within the Kurdish community, and sexual enslavement of their women – further fueled this resentment. There have been numerous reports of Kurdish soldiers taking violent revenge against captured Islamic State members, alleged collaborators and even entire villages suspected of aiding the Islamic State enemy. The Kurdish region of Syria also has some politically problematic origins. The Syrian-Kurdish Democratic Union Party – Rojava’s leading political party – played an outsized role in the creation of Rojava. The party is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a far-left militant group that has fought against the Turkish government, first for the independence of Kurds from Turkey in the 1980s and 1990s, then – in the early 2000s – for their autonomy within Turkish borders. Many Kurds in Rojava consider PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan a national hero. It was Ocalan who came up with the idea of confederalism in the first place, back in 2005. But both Turkey and the United States consider the PKK to be a terrorist organization. The PKK is currently conducting an insurgency against the Turkish government. Danger ahead The Rojava project is now in imminent peril. Even if Turkey hadn’t launched its military offensive, Rojava would probably still have a tenuous future. The Syrian-Kurdish Democratic Union Party has refused to take sides in the Syrian civil war. Its vision, now realized, lay elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is doubtful that the Syrian regime will reward Kurds for their relative impartiality during the civil war. Nor is it likely that the regime will reward them for limiting their goal to autonomy instead of independence. The reason: Rojava sits atop Syria’s largest oil fields. (James L Gelvin is Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of California, Los Angeles) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Turkish attack on Syria endangers a remarkable democratic experiment by the Kurds

BJP president Amit Shah on Friday revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump that Kashmir is an internal matter of India and he need not interfere in it.

"This has been our consistent stand for years that we will not tolerate any kind of interference in Kashmir. If any country tried to speak on Kashmir, we said that it is our internal matter, be it American President or anyone else. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said clearly that Kashmir is our internal matter and you need not interfere," said Shah at an election rally.

Shah said the Congress and the NCP have opposed the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and in Maharashtra Assembly polls, the voters should ask them about their stand on Kashmir issue.

"In the integration of Kashmir with India, Article 370 was the biggest hurdle. In 70 years, no other Prime Minister showed the courage to abrogate Article 370 but Narendra Modi did it," he said.

"Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad said in Parliament that river of blood would flow in Kashmir if Article 370 is repealed. But I would like to share with you that not even a drop of blood was flown after Article 370 was revoked," added Shah.

"The Congress and the NCP opposed the abrogation of Article 370. When they come to you asking for votes, you should ask what is their stand on it," said Shah.

Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, divesting Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcating it into two UTs -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Maharashtra is scheduled to go to polls on October 21. The BJP is in alliance with the Shiv Sena. The Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the NCP.

The counting of votes will take place on October 24.&nbsp;

BJP president Amit Shah on Friday revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump that Kashmir is an internal matter of India and he need not interfere in it.

BJP president Amit Shah on Friday revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump that Kashmir is an internal matter of India and he need not interfere in it. "This has been our consistent stand for years that we will not tolerate any kind of interference in Kashmir. If any country tried to speak on Kashmir, we said that it is our internal matter, be it American President or anyone else. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said clearly that Kashmir is our internal matter and you need not interfere," said Shah at an election rally. Shah said the Congress and the NCP have opposed the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and in Maharashtra Assembly polls, the voters should ask them about their stand on Kashmir issue. "In the integration of Kashmir with India, Article 370 was the biggest hurdle. In 70 years, no other Prime Minister showed the courage to abrogate Article 370 but Narendra Modi did it," he said. "Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad said in Parliament that river of blood would flow in Kashmir if Article 370 is repealed. But I would like to share with you that not even a drop of blood was flown after Article 370 was revoked," added Shah. "The Congress and the NCP opposed the abrogation of Article 370. When they come to you asking for votes, you should ask what is their stand on it," said Shah. Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, divesting Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcating it into two UTs -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Maharashtra is scheduled to go to polls on October 21. The BJP is in alliance with the Shiv Sena. The Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the NCP. The counting of votes will take place on October 24.

PM Modi told Donald Trump not to interfere in Kashmir: Amit Shah

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden called for the impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time on October 9 in his strongest indictment of the Republican leader's actions involving Ukraine.

Trump should be impeached says Biden

Rihanna is all pepped up for her upcoming 'visual autobiography'&nbsp;to hit markets soon, but before that happens, the singer got candid about her views on the US President Donald Trump calling him an "ill human". 
 
Criticizing Trump's responses to the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings earlier this year, the singer said, "It is devastating". 
 
"People are being murdered by war weapons that they legally purchase. This is just not normal. That should never, ever be normal. And the fact that it's classified as something different because of the color of their skin? It's a slap in the face," Variety quoted the singer as opening up on the cover story of Vogue magazine. 
 
Terming this as 'racist', and saying that "the most ill human being in America right now seems to be the president," Rihanna added, "Put an Arab man with that same weapon in that same Walmart and there is no way that Trump would sit there and address it publicly as a mental health problem". 
 
The pop icon even went on to explain why she would never headline the Super Bowl show despite the fact that her mentor Jay-Z has made a pact with NFL to produce the show, the 'Diamonds'&nbsp;singer added, "I couldn't dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. 
 
"Admitting that there are certain things "within that organisation" which she doesn't agree with, the singer added, "I just couldn't be a sellout. I couldn't be an enabler." 
 
On the work front, the pop star is looking forward to her 504-page picture autobiography which is set to hit bookstands on October 24. 
 
Exuding her joy and excitement over releasing a book on her, Rihanna in a statement said, "I am so excited to share this collection of incredible images. I'm very grateful to the talented photographers and artists who contributed."&nbsp;

Rihanna is all pepped up for her upcoming 'visual autobiography' to hit markets soon, but before that happens, the singer got candid about her views on the US President Donald Trump calling him an "ill human".

Rihanna is all pepped up for her upcoming 'visual autobiography' to hit markets soon, but before that happens, the singer got candid about her views on the US President Donald Trump calling him an "ill human". Criticizing Trump's responses to the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings earlier this year, the singer said, "It is devastating". "People are being murdered by war weapons that they legally purchase. This is just not normal. That should never, ever be normal. And the fact that it's classified as something different because of the color of their skin? It's a slap in the face," Variety quoted the singer as opening up on the cover story of Vogue magazine. Terming this as 'racist', and saying that "the most ill human being in America right now seems to be the president," Rihanna added, "Put an Arab man with that same weapon in that same Walmart and there is no way that Trump would sit there and address it publicly as a mental health problem". The pop icon even went on to explain why she would never headline the Super Bowl show despite the fact that her mentor Jay-Z has made a pact with NFL to produce the show, the 'Diamonds' singer added, "I couldn't dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. "Admitting that there are certain things "within that organisation" which she doesn't agree with, the singer added, "I just couldn't be a sellout. I couldn't be an enabler." On the work front, the pop star is looking forward to her 504-page picture autobiography which is set to hit bookstands on October 24. Exuding her joy and excitement over releasing a book on her, Rihanna in a statement said, "I am so excited to share this collection of incredible images. I'm very grateful to the talented photographers and artists who contributed."

Donald Trump is the most mentally-ill human being in America: Rihanna

US&nbsp;President Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;on Thursday will hold his&nbsp;first&nbsp;campaign&nbsp;rally&nbsp;since Democrats<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-begins-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-call-to-ukraine-leader-251866"> launched an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry&nbsp;against him,</a> choosing a large arena in a&nbsp;Democratic&nbsp;stronghold&nbsp;in Minnesota to mount his latest public defense.

Supporters of the Republican president will gather inside the 20,000-seat Target Center in Minneapolis for the 7 p.m. CDT&nbsp;rally, while protesters promise to voice their opposition outside.

Trump’s path to re-election in November 2020 depends on clinching a cluster of farm and Rust Belt states decided by slim margins in 2016. Minnesota, which&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;lost by 1.5 percentage points to Democrat Hillary Clinton, is a key target, his campaign said.

Unlike 2016, when it spent little money and time in the Midwestern state, the campaign has already hired staff and organized voters there. Thursday's visit marks the president's fourth trip to the state in the past 16 months.

The visit comes against the backdrop of an&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;investigation by the&nbsp;Democratic-led US&nbsp;House of Representatives that has upended Washington.

The probe centers on a whistleblower’s allegations that&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;used military aid to secure a promise from Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading candidate for the 2020&nbsp;Democratic&nbsp;presidential nomination, and his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-remains-defiant-as-impeachment-enquiry-against-him-intensifies-252755">Trump&nbsp;has denied wrongdoing.</a> The White House said on Tuesday it would refuse to participate in the "partisan and unconstitutional"&nbsp;impeachment&nbsp;inquiry.

Alex Conant, a Republican strategist born in Minnesota, said the&nbsp;rally&nbsp;venue held a symbolic meaning.

"I think he wants to have the biggest crowd possible. If he gets 15,000 to 20,000 people on a Thursday night in Minneapolis, that sends a signal," Conant said.

Trump's visit has generated local backlash. The city's mayor was criticized for initially suggesting&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;was not welcome. The Minneapolis police union began selling pro-Trump&nbsp;T-shirts after the police chief said off-duty officers could not wear their uniforms to political events.

Vice President Mike Pence, who is also making a visit to Minnesota on Thursday, is scheduled to meet with the police union.

City and state leaders are holding several news conferences on Thursday to highlight&nbsp;Democratic&nbsp;causes and publicly reject&nbsp;Trump's platform. Local labor leaders are planning a late-afternoon march to protest&nbsp;Trump's visit.

"I believe in the people of Minnesota. In the end, I think we will see people voicing their opinions without any incident," said Amy Koch, a Republican strategist in Minnesota who plans on attending the&nbsp;rally.

No Republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since Richard Nixon in 1972.

A poll released by Alliance for a Better Minnesota on Wednesday showed 52 per cent&nbsp;of registered voters in the state would vote for the&nbsp;Democratic&nbsp;candidate next year, while 42 per cent would vote for&nbsp;Trump. The survey of 1,175 voters was conducted with the left-leaning Public Policy Polling.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday will hold his first campaign rally since Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry against him, choosing a large arena in a Democratic stronghold in Minnesota to mount his latest public defense.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday will hold his first campaign rally since Democrats launched an impeachment inquiry against him, choosing a large arena in a Democratic stronghold in Minnesota to mount his latest public defense. Supporters of the Republican president will gather inside the 20,000-seat Target Center in Minneapolis for the 7 p.m. CDT rally, while protesters promise to voice their opposition outside. Trump’s path to re-election in November 2020 depends on clinching a cluster of farm and Rust Belt states decided by slim margins in 2016. Minnesota, which Trump lost by 1.5 percentage points to Democrat Hillary Clinton, is a key target, his campaign said. Unlike 2016, when it spent little money and time in the Midwestern state, the campaign has already hired staff and organized voters there. Thursday's visit marks the president's fourth trip to the state in the past 16 months. The visit comes against the backdrop of an impeachment investigation by the Democratic-led US House of Representatives that has upended Washington. The probe centers on a whistleblower’s allegations that Trump used military aid to secure a promise from Ukraine’s president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm. Trump has denied wrongdoing. The White House said on Tuesday it would refuse to participate in the "partisan and unconstitutional" impeachment inquiry. Alex Conant, a Republican strategist born in Minnesota, said the rally venue held a symbolic meaning. "I think he wants to have the biggest crowd possible. If he gets 15,000 to 20,000 people on a Thursday night in Minneapolis, that sends a signal," Conant said. Trump's visit has generated local backlash. The city's mayor was criticized for initially suggesting Trump was not welcome. The Minneapolis police union began selling pro-Trump T-shirts after the police chief said off-duty officers could not wear their uniforms to political events. Vice President Mike Pence, who is also making a visit to Minnesota on Thursday, is scheduled to meet with the police union. City and state leaders are holding several news conferences on Thursday to highlight Democratic causes and publicly reject Trump's platform. Local labor leaders are planning a late-afternoon march to protest Trump's visit. "I believe in the people of Minnesota. In the end, I think we will see people voicing their opinions without any incident," said Amy Koch, a Republican strategist in Minnesota who plans on attending the rally. No Republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since Richard Nixon in 1972. A poll released by Alliance for a Better Minnesota on Wednesday showed 52 per cent of registered voters in the state would vote for the Democratic candidate next year, while 42 per cent would vote for Trump. The survey of 1,175 voters was conducted with the left-leaning Public Policy Polling.

Trump to host first post-impeachment inquiry rally in Democratic stronghold

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Thursday that Donald Trump tried to blackmail him by withholding military aid to Kiev in a phone call between the two leaders.

"There was no blackmail," the comedian-turned-politician told a news conference. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-asked-ukraine-leader-to-investigate-biden-cal-transcript-confirms-252046">A transcript of the phone</a> conversation showed Trump asked Zelensky to investigate his political rival Joe Biden.

The US president's request that Zelensky probe the activities of Joe Biden's son Hunter has <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-begins-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-call-to-ukraine-leader-251866">sparked an impeachment probe in the US</a>, with the Democrats looking into whether Trump used a delayed aid package as leverage. &nbsp;

Trump wanted Kiev to investigate Hunter Biden's activities in Ukrainian gas firm Burisma.

"The story with Burisma has nothing to do with weapons," Zelensky told the press conference, held in a Kiev food court.

The sole aim of the phone call, he said, was to plan a meeting with Trump.

He added that there were no "conditions" from the US side to set up the meeting.

"We just wanted to establish relations," he said.

Text messages released by Democrats show Kurt Volker, Trump's former US special envoy to Ukraine, telling a top Zelensky aide that he should open an investigation in return for a visit to Washington.

Opponents of Trump say the president used promised financial aid as leverage over the Ukrainian leader in a bid to pressure him into launching an investigation into Biden.

Following the phone call, Zelensky said his defence minister told him "there is a problem, the money has been blocked."

But he said the issue was not discussed in the phone call with Trump.

Zelensky said the phone call will not affect relations between Washington and Kiev.

Trump alleges that Joe Biden tried to block a Ukraine corruption probe into his son's business partner, a Ukraine gas tycoon.

Burisma says it is the largest private producer of natural gas and one of Ukraine's leading gas groups.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Thursday that Donald Trump tried to blackmail him by withholding military aid to Kiev in a phone call between the two leaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Thursday that Donald Trump tried to blackmail him by withholding military aid to Kiev in a phone call between the two leaders. "There was no blackmail," the comedian-turned-politician told a news conference. A transcript of the phone conversation showed Trump asked Zelensky to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. The US president's request that Zelensky probe the activities of Joe Biden's son Hunter has sparked an impeachment probe in the US, with the Democrats looking into whether Trump used a delayed aid package as leverage. Trump wanted Kiev to investigate Hunter Biden's activities in Ukrainian gas firm Burisma. "The story with Burisma has nothing to do with weapons," Zelensky told the press conference, held in a Kiev food court. The sole aim of the phone call, he said, was to plan a meeting with Trump. He added that there were no "conditions" from the US side to set up the meeting. "We just wanted to establish relations," he said. Text messages released by Democrats show Kurt Volker, Trump's former US special envoy to Ukraine, telling a top Zelensky aide that he should open an investigation in return for a visit to Washington. Opponents of Trump say the president used promised financial aid as leverage over the Ukrainian leader in a bid to pressure him into launching an investigation into Biden. Following the phone call, Zelensky said his defence minister told him "there is a problem, the money has been blocked." But he said the issue was not discussed in the phone call with Trump. Zelensky said the phone call will not affect relations between Washington and Kiev. Trump alleges that Joe Biden tried to block a Ukraine corruption probe into his son's business partner, a Ukraine gas tycoon. Burisma says it is the largest private producer of natural gas and one of Ukraine's leading gas groups.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denies Trump tried to 'blackmail' him

By Cynthia Hooper

The Russians are calling it “Ukrainegate.”

“I never thought I’d say it, but CNN is right,” remarked one pundit on Russia 1, the county’s most-watched television station. “The person who wins in this situation is Putin.”

Commentary in Russian media about the impeachment investigation of US President Donald Trump in many ways echoes the language of US&nbsp;coverage. Just a few of the jokes are different.

“Of course, if Trump is impeached, he could probably return here, if you believe the American press,” laughed one Moscow-based moderator.

As a historian who studies contemporary Russia, I have seen the pro-Kremlin Russian political and media establishment grow increasingly skilled at spinning stories to highlight US political weaknesses over the past five years – since conflict between the US and Russia first erupted over Russia’s annexation of a portion of Ukraine.

This latest scandal, revolving around a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is a gift for those wishing to advertise US dysfunction without seeming to engage in heavy-handed censorship or promote obviously deceptive propaganda.

One tactic is comedy. In a catchy YouTube feature by the Kremlin-funded English-language media service RT, titled “Ukrainegate: The Next Best Thing,” an enthusiastic young woman with a British accent gives a synopsis of the impeachment investigation. In less than three minutes, she succeeds in mocking both the US and Ukrainian presidents, the US political system, and the ignorance and condescension of the average Democratic operative.

She begins: “Despite all the effort that went into Russiagate, the claims against Donald Trump just won’t stick. Luckily for the Democrats, there are plenty more Eastern European countries that can be used to bring down a president.”

Ukraine is, of course, the country she’s referring to. “If you squint, it could even be Russia,” she says. “It’s big, it’s cold, and everyone speaks Russian … sort of.”

Who is to blame?

Most Russian newspapers are echoing Republican condemnation of Democrats for allegedly concocting another scandal involving Trump after failing to find proof his campaign colluded with Russia to swing his 2016 election.

“The Democrats are making a laughingstock of themselves. If they are not careful, this could end up exposing a lot of Democratic corruption dating back to the Clinton years. But at least it’s keeping them busy – otherwise, they’d return to interfering in the Russian economy.” So remarked one panellist to general applause on “Vecher” (“Evening”), a popular prime-time talk show with pro-Putin host Vladimir Soloviev.

“The actions of US Democrats are exposing their country to global ridicule,” wrote Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Facebook.

Russian pundits are also presenting the US intelligence community as highly politicised and unreliable. Many repeat variants of Trump’s own angry tweets, accusing the security organs of trying to orchestrate a coup.

At the opening of Russian Energy Week in Moscow on October 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin likewise criticised their actions, which he claimed had little to do with defending rule of law.

During Watergate, Putin said, US President Richard Nixon got into trouble “for eavesdropping on his political rivals. But here we have a totally different situation. Here Trump was eavesdropped on … and some kind of anonymous employee of the special services distributed that&nbsp; 
information.”

Trump slump

Even in defending Trump, the Russian establishment casts him as far more vulnerable than their own leader.

Putin, meanwhile, is taking a cool, professorial tone in describing the US&nbsp;situation to international audiences.

“I was taught long ago to be aware that any of my conversations could end up published,” Putin remarked at the Energy Week panel, alluding to his past training in espionage. He claimed that, consequently, he had nothing to hide and did not oppose making public the transcripts of his meetings with Trump.

Nevertheless, even independent Russian media services generally critical of the Kremlin have pointed out that Trump, not Putin, might be the one with something to hide. Citing The Washington Post, internet news company Meduza reported that in one redacted meeting Trump held in 2017 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Trump allegedly said that “he wasn’t greatly upset about Russian meddling in the American presidential election of 2016, given that America has done the same thing in many other countries.”

Russian talk show hosts, meanwhile, are expressing incredulity at the fact that a sitting US president can’t apparently manage to keep his would-be secrets secret.

As nationalist Eduard Limonov argued: “If I were in Trump’s position, I’d create my own secret service, answering only to me, and I wouldn’t drink or eat anything that wasn’t vetted by my own people.”

Even as Russian commentators defend both Trump and to some extent Ukrainian leader Zelenskiy, they also are taking the opportunity to remind viewers that the two men both lack political experience. Trump probably thought he and Zelenskiy, the star of a popular television sitcom before he became president, could be “kindred spirits, able to reminisce about promising TV careers ruined by a move into politics,” RT joked.

Looking like a global leader

Amid a barrage of increasingly sensational Western headlines, Russian journalists can allow the US media to do their work for them. Selective quotes from US coverage of Washington’s bitter political battles are held up, in the Russian press, as examples of US hypocrisy and decay.

At the same time, Russian leaders are presenting themselves as statesmanlike and above the fray. Their benevolent attitude, at least for the moment, appears to extend to Ukraine, thanks to Zelenskiy’s apparent willingness to make peace with the Kremlin.

“I don’t envy him,” said Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on a trip to Cuba, refusing to get drawn into a reporter’s question about whether “Zelenskiy has become Trump’s Monica Lewinsky” but still laughing at the jest.

Meanwhile, Putin continues to position himself to look strong on the global stage. Taking questions with a panel of oil and gas executives in Moscow on October 2, he joked about planning to interfere in 2020 US elections.

But, speaking the next day at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi to an audience that included the King of Jordan and the presidents of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Philippines, Putin emphasised that today’s complex world requires global cooperation and a sense of “common responsibility.”

Taking the tone of a parent talking about a small child, Putin suggested the US try hard to correct its all-consuming domestic chaos. He stressed that Moscow will be willing to work with whomever the future US leader might be.

(Cynthia Hooper is Associate Professor of History, College of the Holy Cross)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-russia-talk-of-trump-impeachment-is-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-124689">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

By Cynthia Hooper The Russians are calling it “Ukrainegate.” “I never thought I’d say it, but CNN is right,” remarked one pundit on Russia 1, the county’s most-watched television station.

By Cynthia Hooper The Russians are calling it “Ukrainegate.” “I never thought I’d say it, but CNN is right,” remarked one pundit on Russia 1, the county’s most-watched television station. “The person who wins in this situation is Putin.” Commentary in Russian media about the impeachment investigation of US President Donald Trump in many ways echoes the language of US coverage. Just a few of the jokes are different. “Of course, if Trump is impeached, he could probably return here, if you believe the American press,” laughed one Moscow-based moderator. As a historian who studies contemporary Russia, I have seen the pro-Kremlin Russian political and media establishment grow increasingly skilled at spinning stories to highlight US political weaknesses over the past five years – since conflict between the US and Russia first erupted over Russia’s annexation of a portion of Ukraine. This latest scandal, revolving around a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is a gift for those wishing to advertise US dysfunction without seeming to engage in heavy-handed censorship or promote obviously deceptive propaganda. One tactic is comedy. In a catchy YouTube feature by the Kremlin-funded English-language media service RT, titled “Ukrainegate: The Next Best Thing,” an enthusiastic young woman with a British accent gives a synopsis of the impeachment investigation. In less than three minutes, she succeeds in mocking both the US and Ukrainian presidents, the US political system, and the ignorance and condescension of the average Democratic operative. She begins: “Despite all the effort that went into Russiagate, the claims against Donald Trump just won’t stick. Luckily for the Democrats, there are plenty more Eastern European countries that can be used to bring down a president.” Ukraine is, of course, the country she’s referring to. “If you squint, it could even be Russia,” she says. “It’s big, it’s cold, and everyone speaks Russian … sort of.” Who is to blame? Most Russian newspapers are echoing Republican condemnation of Democrats for allegedly concocting another scandal involving Trump after failing to find proof his campaign colluded with Russia to swing his 2016 election. “The Democrats are making a laughingstock of themselves. If they are not careful, this could end up exposing a lot of Democratic corruption dating back to the Clinton years. But at least it’s keeping them busy – otherwise, they’d return to interfering in the Russian economy.” So remarked one panellist to general applause on “Vecher” (“Evening”), a popular prime-time talk show with pro-Putin host Vladimir Soloviev. “The actions of US Democrats are exposing their country to global ridicule,” wrote Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Facebook. Russian pundits are also presenting the US intelligence community as highly politicised and unreliable. Many repeat variants of Trump’s own angry tweets, accusing the security organs of trying to orchestrate a coup. At the opening of Russian Energy Week in Moscow on October 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin likewise criticised their actions, which he claimed had little to do with defending rule of law. During Watergate, Putin said, US President Richard Nixon got into trouble “for eavesdropping on his political rivals. But here we have a totally different situation. Here Trump was eavesdropped on … and some kind of anonymous employee of the special services distributed that information.” Trump slump Even in defending Trump, the Russian establishment casts him as far more vulnerable than their own leader. Putin, meanwhile, is taking a cool, professorial tone in describing the US situation to international audiences. “I was taught long ago to be aware that any of my conversations could end up published,” Putin remarked at the Energy Week panel, alluding to his past training in espionage. He claimed that, consequently, he had nothing to hide and did not oppose making public the transcripts of his meetings with Trump. Nevertheless, even independent Russian media services generally critical of the Kremlin have pointed out that Trump, not Putin, might be the one with something to hide. Citing The Washington Post, internet news company Meduza reported that in one redacted meeting Trump held in 2017 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Trump allegedly said that “he wasn’t greatly upset about Russian meddling in the American presidential election of 2016, given that America has done the same thing in many other countries.” Russian talk show hosts, meanwhile, are expressing incredulity at the fact that a sitting US president can’t apparently manage to keep his would-be secrets secret. As nationalist Eduard Limonov argued: “If I were in Trump’s position, I’d create my own secret service, answering only to me, and I wouldn’t drink or eat anything that wasn’t vetted by my own people.” Even as Russian commentators defend both Trump and to some extent Ukrainian leader Zelenskiy, they also are taking the opportunity to remind viewers that the two men both lack political experience. Trump probably thought he and Zelenskiy, the star of a popular television sitcom before he became president, could be “kindred spirits, able to reminisce about promising TV careers ruined by a move into politics,” RT joked. Looking like a global leader Amid a barrage of increasingly sensational Western headlines, Russian journalists can allow the US media to do their work for them. Selective quotes from US coverage of Washington’s bitter political battles are held up, in the Russian press, as examples of US hypocrisy and decay. At the same time, Russian leaders are presenting themselves as statesmanlike and above the fray. Their benevolent attitude, at least for the moment, appears to extend to Ukraine, thanks to Zelenskiy’s apparent willingness to make peace with the Kremlin. “I don’t envy him,” said Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on a trip to Cuba, refusing to get drawn into a reporter’s question about whether “Zelenskiy has become Trump’s Monica Lewinsky” but still laughing at the jest. Meanwhile, Putin continues to position himself to look strong on the global stage. Taking questions with a panel of oil and gas executives in Moscow on October 2, he joked about planning to interfere in 2020 US elections. But, speaking the next day at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi to an audience that included the King of Jordan and the presidents of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Philippines, Putin emphasised that today’s complex world requires global cooperation and a sense of “common responsibility.” Taking the tone of a parent talking about a small child, Putin suggested the US try hard to correct its all-consuming domestic chaos. He stressed that Moscow will be willing to work with whomever the future US leader might be. (Cynthia Hooper is Associate Professor of History, College of the Holy Cross) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

For Russia, talk of Donald Trump impeachment is the gift that keeps on giving

The United States has not given Turkey <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-launches-land-operation-in-northeast-syria-arab-league-to-hold-emergency-meeting-254862">a green light to invade Syria</a>, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, but added that Ankara had "legitimate security concerns" and that President Donald Trump made a decision to move American soldiers out of harm's way.

"That's just false. The United States didn't give Turkey a green light. We'll continue to be in a position to do what we need to do to keep the American people as safe as we possibly can from this threat. But it is not only in Syria. It emanates from Iraq,'' Pompeo said.

''There are a dozen other countries where the threat from radical Islamic terrorism continues to exist, and we the United States, has to make sure we position our forces our resources, appropriately to reduce that threat to the United States," Pompeo added.

Speaking to broadcaster PBS Pompeo said that China's treatment of Muslims, including the Uighurs, in western China was an "enormous human rights violation" and Washington will continue to raise the issue.

"This is not only an enormous human rights violation, but we don't think it's in the best interests of the world or of China to engage in this kind of behaviour," Pompeo told PBS.

Shocking video shows hundreds of blindfolded and bound Uighur Muslims

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/shocking-video-shows-hundreds-of-blindfolded-and-bound-uighur-muslims-254903/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping was responsible, Pompeo said: "Xi Jinping leads the country just like the leader of a tank platoon, a small business or a country is responsible for the things that happen in your name."

Pompeo also said it was "wholly appropriate" for President Donald Trump to ask Ukraine's leader to investigate corruption in his country.

"I found that to be wholly appropriate to try to get another country to stop being corrupt," Pompeo said in an interview on PBS's "NewsHour" program.

Pompeo has said he listened to the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in which Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.

The call has sparked a US House of Representatives' impeachment probe of Trump.

The United States has not given Turkey a green light to invade Syria, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, but added that Ankara had "legitimate security concerns" and that President Donald Trump made a decision to move American soldiers out of harm's way.

The United States has not given Turkey a green light to invade Syria, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, but added that Ankara had "legitimate security concerns" and that President Donald Trump made a decision to move American soldiers out of harm's way. "That's just false. The United States didn't give Turkey a green light. We'll continue to be in a position to do what we need to do to keep the American people as safe as we possibly can from this threat. But it is not only in Syria. It emanates from Iraq,'' Pompeo said. ''There are a dozen other countries where the threat from radical Islamic terrorism continues to exist, and we the United States, has to make sure we position our forces our resources, appropriately to reduce that threat to the United States," Pompeo added. Speaking to broadcaster PBS Pompeo said that China's treatment of Muslims, including the Uighurs, in western China was an "enormous human rights violation" and Washington will continue to raise the issue. "This is not only an enormous human rights violation, but we don't think it's in the best interests of the world or of China to engage in this kind of behaviour," Pompeo told PBS. Shocking video shows hundreds of blindfolded and bound Uighur Muslims Asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping was responsible, Pompeo said: "Xi Jinping leads the country just like the leader of a tank platoon, a small business or a country is responsible for the things that happen in your name." Pompeo also said it was "wholly appropriate" for President Donald Trump to ask Ukraine's leader to investigate corruption in his country. "I found that to be wholly appropriate to try to get another country to stop being corrupt," Pompeo said in an interview on PBS's "NewsHour" program. Pompeo has said he listened to the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in which Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. The call has sparked a US House of Representatives' impeachment probe of Trump.

US did not give 'green light' to Turkey's Syria incursion: Mike Pompeo

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