Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's cabinet issued a series of reforms early Sunday after an "extraordinary" session overnight in response to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-says-this-must-stop-after-iraqi-protest-violence-kills-nearly-100-253995">sweeping anti-government rallies</a> that have left nearly 100 dead.

Iraqis have gathered in Baghdad and across the south since Tuesday to demand widespread government reforms, which Abdel Mahdi had promised to tackle when he came into power just under a year ago.

Early Sunday, his cabinet <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/innovative-iraqis-dodge-net-blackout-to-illuminate-protest-violence-253984">issued a decree</a> including more than a dozen planned reforms, including land distributions, military enlistment and increased welfare stipends for needy families.

In response to staggering youth unemployment, which has reached around 25 per cent according to the World Bank, the government said it would create large market complexes and boost benefits for those without work.

In the southern city of Kut last month, a young Iraqi man died after he set himself alight in despair after authorities seized his mobile kiosk.

The public sector remains the largest employer in Iraq, a country of 40 million people, but it has struggled to absorb new university graduates in recent years.

Local authorities also recently cleared housing units built without proper permits, which a total of three million Iraqis live in across the country.

Starting Tuesday, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraqi-authorities-lift-baghdad-curfew-253920">protesters gathered in Baghdad</a> and spread to the country's Shiite-majority south, defying an internet blackout, tear gas and even live rounds.

The mainly male, young crowds say they are not backed by any political or religious establishment and have attacked a broad range of political party offices.

The Iraqi Human Rights Commission said Saturday that 99 people have died and nearly 4,000 have been wounded since protests kicked off.

The government has officially designated those killed as "martyrs," granting their families a special set of benefits.

Parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi also <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-protest-death-toll-nears-100-rights-panel-253906">pledged a range of reforms</a> in a meeting with lawmakers on Saturday, but did not hold his planned legislative session as the body failed to reach quorum.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's cabinet issued a series of reforms early Sunday after an "extraordinary" session overnight in response to sweeping anti-government rallies that have left nearly 100 dead.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi's cabinet issued a series of reforms early Sunday after an "extraordinary" session overnight in response to sweeping anti-government rallies that have left nearly 100 dead. Iraqis have gathered in Baghdad and across the south since Tuesday to demand widespread government reforms, which Abdel Mahdi had promised to tackle when he came into power just under a year ago. Early Sunday, his cabinet issued a decree including more than a dozen planned reforms, including land distributions, military enlistment and increased welfare stipends for needy families. In response to staggering youth unemployment, which has reached around 25 per cent according to the World Bank, the government said it would create large market complexes and boost benefits for those without work. In the southern city of Kut last month, a young Iraqi man died after he set himself alight in despair after authorities seized his mobile kiosk. The public sector remains the largest employer in Iraq, a country of 40 million people, but it has struggled to absorb new university graduates in recent years. Local authorities also recently cleared housing units built without proper permits, which a total of three million Iraqis live in across the country. Starting Tuesday, protesters gathered in Baghdad and spread to the country's Shiite-majority south, defying an internet blackout, tear gas and even live rounds. The mainly male, young crowds say they are not backed by any political or religious establishment and have attacked a broad range of political party offices. The Iraqi Human Rights Commission said Saturday that 99 people have died and nearly 4,000 have been wounded since protests kicked off. The government has officially designated those killed as "martyrs," granting their families a special set of benefits. Parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi also pledged a range of reforms in a meeting with lawmakers on Saturday, but did not hold his planned legislative session as the body failed to reach quorum.

Iraqi prime minister pledges reforms to calm angry protests

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay suggested Sunday that Britain is open to compromise with the European Union over new United Kingdom proposals for Northern Ireland, but urged Brussels to show "creativity and flexibility".

Barclay reiterated <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-presses-uk-to-resubmit-brexit-plan-as-end-game-looms-254002">Prime Minister Boris Johnson's latest plans for a managed withdrawal from the bloc on October 31</a> were "a broad landing zone" ahead of "intense negotiations in the coming days".&nbsp;

"We need to get into the intensive negotiations... to clarify what the deal is," Barclay told the BBC.&nbsp;

"We've set out very serious proposals including a compromise on our side... We now need to see creativity and flexibility on the EU side in order to reach that deal", he added.

However, the European Union have reacted tepidly to the plans and urged London to offer a revised, viable way forward.

The two sides will resume crunch talks Monday, with time running out ahead of a crucial EU summit on October 17-18.

"If the offer from the UK turns out to be a take-it-or-leave-it, it's going to be very difficult I see in agreeing," Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins told the BBC on Sunday.

"It's fully dependent on the will of Mr Johnson because from the European side, we're always open and looking towards a deal."

'No more dither'

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-and-ireland-sceptical-of-a-brexit-breakthrough-after-pm-johnsons-offer-253849">The British proposals submitted to Brussels on Wednesday</a> centre on how to manage the post-Brexit border between British province Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Johnson wants Northern Ireland's devolved assembly - which has been suspended for almost three years - to vote every four years on whether to maintain EU rather than British regulations there.

He has also proposed the province leaves the EU's customs union along with the rest of Britain, with required checks to rely on untried technology and carried out away from the sensitive border.

Brussels has said the plans "do not provide a basis for concluding an agreement".

It sees the potential for rampant smuggling while Ireland is concerned hardline Northern Irish unionists would have an effective veto.&nbsp;

Barclay hinted that Britain could be willing to consider alternatives to the role of Northern Irish assembly to break the deadlock.

"We can obviously... discuss that mechanism, but the key issue is the principle of consent to any regulatory zone," he said.

Similarly, on the thorny issue of customs, the Brexit Secretary struck a conciliatory note.

"In the detail of the negotiations, of course, we can get into the detail as to how operationally they work, what legal certainty is required," he said.

Barclay will travel to Amsterdam later Sunday for Brexit talks while Johnson has been phoning European leaders this weekend to sell his plans.

In identical articles for two Brexit-backing British tabloids, Johnson called for EU flexibility and reiterated that the country will leave the bloc later this month with or without a deal.

"They should be under no illusions or misapprehensions," he wrote in the Sunday Express.

"There will be no more dither or delay. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boris-johnson-tells-court-he-may-seek-brexit-delay-documents-253806">On October 31 we are going to get Brexit done</a>", he added.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay suggested Sunday that Britain is open to compromise with the European Union over new United Kingdom proposals for Northern Ireland, but urged Brussels to show "creativity and flexibility".

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay suggested Sunday that Britain is open to compromise with the European Union over new United Kingdom proposals for Northern Ireland, but urged Brussels to show "creativity and flexibility". Barclay reiterated Prime Minister Boris Johnson's latest plans for a managed withdrawal from the bloc on October 31 were "a broad landing zone" ahead of "intense negotiations in the coming days". "We need to get into the intensive negotiations... to clarify what the deal is," Barclay told the BBC. "We've set out very serious proposals including a compromise on our side... We now need to see creativity and flexibility on the EU side in order to reach that deal", he added. However, the European Union have reacted tepidly to the plans and urged London to offer a revised, viable way forward. The two sides will resume crunch talks Monday, with time running out ahead of a crucial EU summit on October 17-18. "If the offer from the UK turns out to be a take-it-or-leave-it, it's going to be very difficult I see in agreeing," Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins told the BBC on Sunday. "It's fully dependent on the will of Mr Johnson because from the European side, we're always open and looking towards a deal." 'No more dither' The British proposals submitted to Brussels on Wednesday centre on how to manage the post-Brexit border between British province Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. Johnson wants Northern Ireland's devolved assembly - which has been suspended for almost three years - to vote every four years on whether to maintain EU rather than British regulations there. He has also proposed the province leaves the EU's customs union along with the rest of Britain, with required checks to rely on untried technology and carried out away from the sensitive border. Brussels has said the plans "do not provide a basis for concluding an agreement". It sees the potential for rampant smuggling while Ireland is concerned hardline Northern Irish unionists would have an effective veto. Barclay hinted that Britain could be willing to consider alternatives to the role of Northern Irish assembly to break the deadlock. "We can obviously... discuss that mechanism, but the key issue is the principle of consent to any regulatory zone," he said. Similarly, on the thorny issue of customs, the Brexit Secretary struck a conciliatory note. "In the detail of the negotiations, of course, we can get into the detail as to how operationally they work, what legal certainty is required," he said. Barclay will travel to Amsterdam later Sunday for Brexit talks while Johnson has been phoning European leaders this weekend to sell his plans. In identical articles for two Brexit-backing British tabloids, Johnson called for EU flexibility and reiterated that the country will leave the bloc later this month with or without a deal. "They should be under no illusions or misapprehensions," he wrote in the Sunday Express. "There will be no more dither or delay. On October 31 we are going to get Brexit done", he added.

Brexit minister hints United Kingdom could soften stances in European Union talks

Outsider candidates challenged <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tunisia-in-sprint-to-arrange-poll-after-president-dies-247587">Tunisia's political elite</a> on Sunday as voters returned to the polls weeks after a presidential election that reshaped the country's post-Arab Spring political landscape.

The ink-stained fingers once proudly displayed after the&nbsp;2011 revolution were briskly wiped clean as Tunisians fed up with the status quo cast ballots for MPs for the third time since the uprising.

The vote comes after traditional political parties were eclipsed in favour of independent candidates during the first round of presidential polls last month in a trend that looked likely to continue.

Sixty-year-old voter Mohamed Daadaa said he had "no hope for a positive change" in Tunisia.

"I don't trust anyone or any political party. Life just gets worse in this country," he said.

More than 15,000 candidates on 1,500 lists are contesting 217 seats in a parliament dominated by the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha in alliance with centrist party Nidaa Tounes, which has been decimated by infighting.

Polling stations for the seven-million electorate are to remain open until 1700 GMT, with preliminary official results scheduled for Wednesday although exit polls will be released from late Sunday.

Surveys circulated informally due to a ban on their publication predict Ennahdha will lose ground to the new Qalb Tounes (Heart of Tunisia) party of jailed business tycoon Nabil Karoui, who has won a place in a two-way presidential runoff on October 13.

The sidelining of the ruling political class in the first round on September 15 was rooted in frustration over a stagnant economy, high unemployment, failing public services and rising prices.

But monitors worried voters on Sunday found little inspiration at the ballot box.

"People no longer trust the old parties, and they <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tunisia-parliamentary-speaker-to-be-interim-president-238447">don't know the new ones</a>, so they're not motivated in this election," said Ali Rekiki, who works with Tunisian electoral monitor Mourakiboun.

New movements vie for vote

Karoui, a media mogul held since August on money-laundering charges, came second behind Kais Saied, an independent law professor, in the first round of presidential voting.

Courts have rejected several appeals for his release during campaigning.

Interim president Mohammed Ennaceur - filling in since the death of Beji Caid Essebsi in July brought forward the vote for head of state -&nbsp;warned Friday that Karoui's detention could have "serious and dangerous repercussions on the electoral process".

The presidential race may have overshadowed the legislative contest, but parliament is responsible for tackling the main challenges facing Tunisian society.

A strong showing for Qalb Tounes could bolster Karoui's campaign and supporters say it might make a case for him to take over as prime minister if he loses to Saied.

The socially conservative professor has not come out in support of any party.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tunisia-extends-nationwide-state-of-emergency-until-year-end-ahead-of-presidential-vote-246910">With the electorate tired of political manoeuvring</a> and the failure to improve living conditions since the ouster of late longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, new movements have been vying for votes.

Aich Tounsi, which calls itself an "anti-party", has emerged from the civil society movement, while Islamist populist lawyer Seifeddine Makhlouf's Karama aims to take seats from Ennahdha, which has been weakened by past alliances with political elites.

With the plethora of parties and movements in contention, the stage is set for complex and rowdy negotiations before any side emerges with the minimum 109 seats needed to head Tunisia's next government.

In the runup to the vote, Qalb Tounes and Ennahdha have officially ruled out forming an alliance.

Parliament will have two months to agree on the formation of a new government in a country hailed as the Arab Spring's sole democratic success story but straining to meet the revolution's other demands of "work and dignity".

While it has succeeded in curbing terrorist attacks that rocked the key tourist sector in 2015, Tunisia's economy remains hampered by austere International Monetary Fund-backed reforms.

Outsider candidates challenged Tunisia's political elite on Sunday as voters returned to the polls weeks after a presidential election that reshaped the country's post-Arab Spring political landscape.

Outsider candidates challenged Tunisia's political elite on Sunday as voters returned to the polls weeks after a presidential election that reshaped the country's post-Arab Spring political landscape. The ink-stained fingers once proudly displayed after the 2011 revolution were briskly wiped clean as Tunisians fed up with the status quo cast ballots for MPs for the third time since the uprising. The vote comes after traditional political parties were eclipsed in favour of independent candidates during the first round of presidential polls last month in a trend that looked likely to continue. Sixty-year-old voter Mohamed Daadaa said he had "no hope for a positive change" in Tunisia. "I don't trust anyone or any political party. Life just gets worse in this country," he said. More than 15,000 candidates on 1,500 lists are contesting 217 seats in a parliament dominated by the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha in alliance with centrist party Nidaa Tounes, which has been decimated by infighting. Polling stations for the seven-million electorate are to remain open until 1700 GMT, with preliminary official results scheduled for Wednesday although exit polls will be released from late Sunday. Surveys circulated informally due to a ban on their publication predict Ennahdha will lose ground to the new Qalb Tounes (Heart of Tunisia) party of jailed business tycoon Nabil Karoui, who has won a place in a two-way presidential runoff on October 13. The sidelining of the ruling political class in the first round on September 15 was rooted in frustration over a stagnant economy, high unemployment, failing public services and rising prices. But monitors worried voters on Sunday found little inspiration at the ballot box. "People no longer trust the old parties, and they don't know the new ones, so they're not motivated in this election," said Ali Rekiki, who works with Tunisian electoral monitor Mourakiboun. New movements vie for vote Karoui, a media mogul held since August on money-laundering charges, came second behind Kais Saied, an independent law professor, in the first round of presidential voting. Courts have rejected several appeals for his release during campaigning. Interim president Mohammed Ennaceur - filling in since the death of Beji Caid Essebsi in July brought forward the vote for head of state - warned Friday that Karoui's detention could have "serious and dangerous repercussions on the electoral process". The presidential race may have overshadowed the legislative contest, but parliament is responsible for tackling the main challenges facing Tunisian society. A strong showing for Qalb Tounes could bolster Karoui's campaign and supporters say it might make a case for him to take over as prime minister if he loses to Saied. The socially conservative professor has not come out in support of any party. With the electorate tired of political manoeuvring and the failure to improve living conditions since the ouster of late longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, new movements have been vying for votes. Aich Tounsi, which calls itself an "anti-party", has emerged from the civil society movement, while Islamist populist lawyer Seifeddine Makhlouf's Karama aims to take seats from Ennahdha, which has been weakened by past alliances with political elites. With the plethora of parties and movements in contention, the stage is set for complex and rowdy negotiations before any side emerges with the minimum 109 seats needed to head Tunisia's next government. In the runup to the vote, Qalb Tounes and Ennahdha have officially ruled out forming an alliance. Parliament will have two months to agree on the formation of a new government in a country hailed as the Arab Spring's sole democratic success story but straining to meet the revolution's other demands of "work and dignity". While it has succeeded in curbing terrorist attacks that rocked the key tourist sector in 2015, Tunisia's economy remains hampered by austere International Monetary Fund-backed reforms.

Outsiders battle political elite as Tunisia votes

With secret satellites, pricey messages abroad and&nbsp;clandestine file transfers, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-protest-death-toll-nears-100-rights-panel-253906">young Iraqis are circumventing an internet blackout</a> aimed at stifling several days of bloody protests in the capital and beyond.&nbsp;

Authorities restricted access to Facebook and Whatsapp after anti-government demonstrations began on Tuesday,&nbsp;before ordering a total network shutdown on Wednesday.

The termination of Wifi, 3G and 4G access left protestors with just regular phone calls and mobile messages -- a few notable exceptions aside.&nbsp;

Ahmad, 29, works at an internet service provider that helped implement the government's shutdown, but still has internet access at its headquarters.&nbsp;

"I go to the protests in the morning and shoot video on my phone, then use the internet at work to upload them to Facebook or send them to media outside Iraq," he said, using a fake name for fear of retribution or legal action by the government.

Protesters say the internet outage is an attempt to suppress reports of security forces using indiscriminate force including tear gas, live rounds and water cannons.

Ahmad showed AFP footage he planned to send to international media later that evening -- shots could be heard fired across a mostly-empty street in Baghdad&nbsp;as Ahmad and fellow protesters took cover behind a concrete barrier.

"Friends are even giving me the footage they shoot on flash drives so everyone outside Iraq can see what's happening here," said Ahmad.&nbsp;

Before Tuesday, many Iraqis had taken to Facebook and Instagram to call for initial protests against a range of grievances: unemployment, mass government corruption, nepotism, poor public services, and more.&nbsp;

Images of young men and women marching towards the emblematic Tahrir Square flooded social media the first day, using the hashtag #save_Iraqi_people.&nbsp;

When restrictions on Facebook began, Iraqis acted quickly: many downloaded virtual private network (VPN) applications.

Others even began surreptitiously posting the details of the next protests in the comments section of Cinemana, a popular streaming service in Iraq.

But those avenues were shut off by the systemic shutdown.

Those that could afford to, therefore, erected costly satellites on their rooftops to get a window into the outside world.

'Follow the gunfire'

Nearly 100 people have died in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-protests-death-toll-rises-to-73-over-3000-injured-rights-commssion-253886">demonstrations since Tuesday</a>, most of them protesters but also personnel from the security forces, according to authorities.&nbsp;

"They’re trying to fight us not just with arms, but with this blackout," said 31-year-old protester Osama Mohammad.&nbsp;

"We used to check the different neighbourhoods' Facebook pages to know where to go for protests. Now we just follow the sound of gunfire," Mohammad told AFP.

"If they cut off regular phone lines, we'll be completely blind," he noted.&nbsp;

For 25-year-old women's rights activist Rasha, taking to the streets carries too much risk, but she says she has found a different way to get involved.

Every day, her male friends text her dozens of updates from protest squares across the country, which she then texts and phones through to friends in the United Arab Emirates and Europe.

"I'm an intermediary. I can’t protest myself so this is the least I can do," she said, telling AFP the phone credit she buys has cost her around $100 (90 euros) per day for the last three days.

Rasha, who comes from Baghdad, is also saving videos and other unpublished material from one of the first protests that turned violent. She attended that initial demonstration.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"They think we'll forget they fired at us, they think people won’t know. But I've got the videos and I'll publish everything I saw that day the minute the internet comes back," she said.&nbsp;

Jaafar Raad, an unemployed 29-year-old Iraqi who has frequently protested, is also storing dozens of images and videos to release once the blackout is lifted.

He even records voice notes from the protests themselves in applications like Whatsapp and Facebook, so that the audio messages will automatically send to friends abroad and international media outlets as soon as the internet returns.&nbsp;

"People must know what happened to us. This is so we can hold those <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraqi-authorities-lift-baghdad-curfew-253920">behind the violence</a> accountable," he told AFP.&nbsp;

With secret satellites, pricey messages abroad and clandestine file transfers, young Iraqis are circumventing an internet blackout aimed at stifling several days of bloody protests in the capital and beyond.

With secret satellites, pricey messages abroad and clandestine file transfers, young Iraqis are circumventing an internet blackout aimed at stifling several days of bloody protests in the capital and beyond. Authorities restricted access to Facebook and Whatsapp after anti-government demonstrations began on Tuesday, before ordering a total network shutdown on Wednesday. The termination of Wifi, 3G and 4G access left protestors with just regular phone calls and mobile messages -- a few notable exceptions aside. Ahmad, 29, works at an internet service provider that helped implement the government's shutdown, but still has internet access at its headquarters. "I go to the protests in the morning and shoot video on my phone, then use the internet at work to upload them to Facebook or send them to media outside Iraq," he said, using a fake name for fear of retribution or legal action by the government. Protesters say the internet outage is an attempt to suppress reports of security forces using indiscriminate force including tear gas, live rounds and water cannons. Ahmad showed AFP footage he planned to send to international media later that evening -- shots could be heard fired across a mostly-empty street in Baghdad as Ahmad and fellow protesters took cover behind a concrete barrier. "Friends are even giving me the footage they shoot on flash drives so everyone outside Iraq can see what's happening here," said Ahmad. Before Tuesday, many Iraqis had taken to Facebook and Instagram to call for initial protests against a range of grievances: unemployment, mass government corruption, nepotism, poor public services, and more. Images of young men and women marching towards the emblematic Tahrir Square flooded social media the first day, using the hashtag #save_Iraqi_people. When restrictions on Facebook began, Iraqis acted quickly: many downloaded virtual private network (VPN) applications. Others even began surreptitiously posting the details of the next protests in the comments section of Cinemana, a popular streaming service in Iraq. But those avenues were shut off by the systemic shutdown. Those that could afford to, therefore, erected costly satellites on their rooftops to get a window into the outside world. 'Follow the gunfire' Nearly 100 people have died in the demonstrations since Tuesday, most of them protesters but also personnel from the security forces, according to authorities. "They’re trying to fight us not just with arms, but with this blackout," said 31-year-old protester Osama Mohammad. "We used to check the different neighbourhoods' Facebook pages to know where to go for protests. Now we just follow the sound of gunfire," Mohammad told AFP. "If they cut off regular phone lines, we'll be completely blind," he noted. For 25-year-old women's rights activist Rasha, taking to the streets carries too much risk, but she says she has found a different way to get involved. Every day, her male friends text her dozens of updates from protest squares across the country, which she then texts and phones through to friends in the United Arab Emirates and Europe. "I'm an intermediary. I can’t protest myself so this is the least I can do," she said, telling AFP the phone credit she buys has cost her around $100 (90 euros) per day for the last three days. Rasha, who comes from Baghdad, is also saving videos and other unpublished material from one of the first protests that turned violent. She attended that initial demonstration. "They think we'll forget they fired at us, they think people won’t know. But I've got the videos and I'll publish everything I saw that day the minute the internet comes back," she said. Jaafar Raad, an unemployed 29-year-old Iraqi who has frequently protested, is also storing dozens of images and videos to release once the blackout is lifted. He even records voice notes from the protests themselves in applications like Whatsapp and Facebook, so that the audio messages will automatically send to friends abroad and international media outlets as soon as the internet returns. "People must know what happened to us. This is so we can hold those behind the violence accountable," he told AFP.

Innovative Iraqis dodge net blackout to illuminate protest violence

United States Secretary of State <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/protesters-burn-us-and-nato-flags-during-pompeo-visit-in-athens-253964">Mike Pompeo</a> on Saturday accused members of Congress of harassing his department to obtain documents linked to an impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump.

"There's been a congressional increase that harassed and abused State Department employees by contacting them directly and seeking to have them provide documents... that belong to the State Department, that are official US government records," he said during a visit in Greece.&nbsp;

"That's harassment. And I'm never going to let that happen to my team", he added.

The US congressional committees leading the impeachment probe cranked up the heat on the White House this week amid mounting evidence that Trump may have illicitly used his office to enlist Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's help to damage the bid of 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden in exchange for military aid.

After dodging questions for days, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/greece-can-be-pillar-for-regional-stability-pompeo-253933">Pompeo</a> finally confirmed Wednesday that he had been on the telephone call when Trump pressed Ukraine for damaging information on Biden.

Pompeo's Democratic critics say he is now a "witness" caught in a conflict of interest that should rule him out of decisions on how the State Department deals with the investigation.

He has been accused of "stonewalling" the investigation and trying to limit what his staff could discuss if they testify.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-was-on-the-call-says-pompeo-on-trump-call-to-ukraine-leader-253318">Pompeo</a>, who has been subpoenaed in the probe, said Saturday his department would provide "all the documents required by the law", at a press conference in Athens.

The US top official was in Greece to reinforce cooperation with its NATO ally, signing an amendment to a mutual defence agreement.

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday accused members of Congress of harassing his department to obtain documents linked to an impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump.

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday accused members of Congress of harassing his department to obtain documents linked to an impeachment investigation against President Donald Trump. "There's been a congressional increase that harassed and abused State Department employees by contacting them directly and seeking to have them provide documents... that belong to the State Department, that are official US government records," he said during a visit in Greece. "That's harassment. And I'm never going to let that happen to my team", he added. The US congressional committees leading the impeachment probe cranked up the heat on the White House this week amid mounting evidence that Trump may have illicitly used his office to enlist Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's help to damage the bid of 2020 Democratic rival Joe Biden in exchange for military aid. After dodging questions for days, Pompeo finally confirmed Wednesday that he had been on the telephone call when Trump pressed Ukraine for damaging information on Biden. Pompeo's Democratic critics say he is now a "witness" caught in a conflict of interest that should rule him out of decisions on how the State Department deals with the investigation. He has been accused of "stonewalling" the investigation and trying to limit what his staff could discuss if they testify. Pompeo, who has been subpoenaed in the probe, said Saturday his department would provide "all the documents required by the law", at a press conference in Athens. The US top official was in Greece to reinforce cooperation with its NATO ally, signing an amendment to a mutual defence agreement.

Pompeo blasts 'harassment' by Congress over impeachment probe

Protesters on Saturday&nbsp;burned the United States&nbsp;and NATO flags in Athens as the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/greece-and-united-states-update-mutual-defence-cooperation-pact-253940"> US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with Greek government officials</a>.

Thousands marched outside the US&nbsp;Embassy in the Greek capital, holding up signs that read "Pompeo go home," and threw red paint on a statue of former US&nbsp;President Harry Truman in the city centre.

Greece and the United States have traditionally close relations even though many blame Washington for its tacit support for a military junta that ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974. Protest marches to the US&nbsp;Embassy are an annual event.

Demonstrators, which included supporters of the Greek Communist Party, held banners against<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/greece-can-be-pillar-for-regional-stability-pompeo-253933"> Greek - US military cooperation</a>. The United States uses a base on the island of Crete for naval and sea operations in the region.

Protesters on Saturday burned the United States and NATO flags in Athens as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with Greek government officials. Thousands marched outside the US Embassy in the Greek capital, holding up signs that read "Pompeo go home," and threw red paint on a statue of former US President Harry Truman in the city centre.

Protesters on Saturday burned the United States and NATO flags in Athens as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with Greek government officials. Thousands marched outside the US Embassy in the Greek capital, holding up signs that read "Pompeo go home," and threw red paint on a statue of former US President Harry Truman in the city centre. Greece and the United States have traditionally close relations even though many blame Washington for its tacit support for a military junta that ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974. Protest marches to the US Embassy are an annual event. Demonstrators, which included supporters of the Greek Communist Party, held banners against Greek - US military cooperation. The United States uses a base on the island of Crete for naval and sea operations in the region.

Protesters burn US and NATO flags during Pompeo visit in Athens

A Thai judge shot himself in the chest in front of a packed court after acquitting several murder suspects and decrying the kingdom's judicial system in an impassioned speech broadcast on Facebook Live.

Critics say <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/meghalaya-troops-from-india-thailand-participate-in-annual-joint-military-exercise-maitree-252506">Thailand's</a> courts often work in favour of the rich and powerful while delivering swift and harsh sentences on ordinary people for minor offences.&nbsp;

But it is virtually unheard of for judges to criticise the system.

Kanakorn Pianchana, a judge at Yala court in the heart of the insurgency-battered Thai south, was delivering the verdict for five Muslim suspects in a gun murder case on Friday afternoon.

He acquitted the group, delivered a courtroom plea for a cleaner justice system, before pulling out a handgun and shooting himself in the chest.&nbsp;

"You need clear and credible evidence to punish someone. So if you're not sure, don't punish them," the judge said addressing the court and broadcasting his words on his phone on Facebook live.

"I'm not saying that the five defendants didn't commit the crimes, they might have done so... But the judicial process needs to be transparent and credible... punishing wrong people makes them scapegoats."

The Facebook feed then cut, but witnesses said Kanakorn recited a legal oath in front of the former Thai king's portrait, before shooting himself in the chest.

"He is being treated by the doctors and is out of danger," Suriyan Hongvilai, the spokesman of the Office of the Judiciary, told AFP on Saturday.

"He shot himself because of 'personal stress'. But the cause behind the stress is not clear and will be investigated," he said.

''No Thai judge has ever breached protocol by making similar statements on the wider justice system'', he added.

A lawyer working with the suspects said Judge Kanakorn had ruled the prosecutor's evidence was insufficient to convict.&nbsp;

"Right now the five are still being detained and are waiting to see if the state prosecutor appeals their acquittal," Abdulloh Hayee-abu, of the Muslim Attorney Centre in Yala told AFP.&nbsp;

Over 7,000 people have died in 15 years of conflict in the Malay-Muslim majority southern region.&nbsp;

Thousands of suspects have been jailed for acts linked to the insurgency, many under emergency laws imposed on the restive region.

Advocacy groups in the Thai south have long accused security forces of trumping up charges against Muslim suspects and using emergency laws to drive cases through the courts.

A Thai judge shot himself in the chest in front of a packed court after acquitting several murder suspects and decrying the kingdom's judicial system in an impassioned speech broadcast on Facebook Live.

A Thai judge shot himself in the chest in front of a packed court after acquitting several murder suspects and decrying the kingdom's judicial system in an impassioned speech broadcast on Facebook Live. Critics say Thailand's courts often work in favour of the rich and powerful while delivering swift and harsh sentences on ordinary people for minor offences. But it is virtually unheard of for judges to criticise the system. Kanakorn Pianchana, a judge at Yala court in the heart of the insurgency-battered Thai south, was delivering the verdict for five Muslim suspects in a gun murder case on Friday afternoon. He acquitted the group, delivered a courtroom plea for a cleaner justice system, before pulling out a handgun and shooting himself in the chest. "You need clear and credible evidence to punish someone. So if you're not sure, don't punish them," the judge said addressing the court and broadcasting his words on his phone on Facebook live. "I'm not saying that the five defendants didn't commit the crimes, they might have done so... But the judicial process needs to be transparent and credible... punishing wrong people makes them scapegoats." The Facebook feed then cut, but witnesses said Kanakorn recited a legal oath in front of the former Thai king's portrait, before shooting himself in the chest. "He is being treated by the doctors and is out of danger," Suriyan Hongvilai, the spokesman of the Office of the Judiciary, told AFP on Saturday. "He shot himself because of 'personal stress'. But the cause behind the stress is not clear and will be investigated," he said. ''No Thai judge has ever breached protocol by making similar statements on the wider justice system'', he added. A lawyer working with the suspects said Judge Kanakorn had ruled the prosecutor's evidence was insufficient to convict. "Right now the five are still being detained and are waiting to see if the state prosecutor appeals their acquittal," Abdulloh Hayee-abu, of the Muslim Attorney Centre in Yala told AFP. Over 7,000 people have died in 15 years of conflict in the Malay-Muslim majority southern region. Thousands of suspects have been jailed for acts linked to the insurgency, many under emergency laws imposed on the restive region. Advocacy groups in the Thai south have long accused security forces of trumping up charges against Muslim suspects and using emergency laws to drive cases through the courts.

Thai judge shoots himself in court after railing at justice system

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he was determined to meet North Korea's leader to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents, maintaining an offer to talk despite the country's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-says-it-successfully-tested-new-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile-253370">missile launches.</a>

"I am determined to meet with Chairman Kim Jong Un face-to-face, with no preconditions, to resolve the all-important abduction issue," Abe said in a policy speech at the beginning of a parliamentary session.

In 2002, North Korea admitted its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese decades before. Japan says 17 of its citizens were abducted, five of whom were repatriated. North Korea has said eight are dead and another four never entered the country.

Abe has vowed to pursue the issue until all of the abductees come home.

Staunch US&nbsp;ally Japan and North Korea have been rivals for decades. During periods of tension, North Korea has threatened to rain destruction down on Japan, and North Korea has test-fired missiles into the seas near Japan and even over it.

Japan has condemned North Korea's missile test this week, which Abe called a violation of United Nations sanctions.

North Korea said it had successfully <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/north-korea-says-successfully-tested-new-submarine-launched-ballistic-missile-kcna-253359">test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile from the sea</a>, to contain external threats and bolster self-defence, ahead of fresh nuclear talks with the United States.

Wednesday's launch was the most provocative by North Korea since it resumed dialogue with the United States in 2018 and a reminder by Pyongyang of the weapons capability it has been aggressively developing.

"As for the North Korean situation, we will do our utmost to secure the safety of the people, while working closely with the United States and cooperating with the international community," Abe said in his speech.

Turning to ties with South Korea, soured by a feud over wartime labour that has spilt over into trade and security matters, Abe reiterated a call for Seoul to observe a promise to Tokyo.

Last October, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered some Japanese firms to compensate Koreans forced to work in their mines and factories during World War Two.

Japan, which says the matter was settled by a 1965 treaty, calls the court decision a violation of international law.

"South Korea is an important neighbour. I would like to ask them to observe a promise made between nations, based on international law."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he was determined to meet North Korea's leader to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents, maintaining an offer to talk despite the country's missile launches.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he was determined to meet North Korea's leader to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents, maintaining an offer to talk despite the country's missile launches. "I am determined to meet with Chairman Kim Jong Un face-to-face, with no preconditions, to resolve the all-important abduction issue," Abe said in a policy speech at the beginning of a parliamentary session. In 2002, North Korea admitted its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese decades before. Japan says 17 of its citizens were abducted, five of whom were repatriated. North Korea has said eight are dead and another four never entered the country. Abe has vowed to pursue the issue until all of the abductees come home. Staunch US ally Japan and North Korea have been rivals for decades. During periods of tension, North Korea has threatened to rain destruction down on Japan, and North Korea has test-fired missiles into the seas near Japan and even over it. Japan has condemned North Korea's missile test this week, which Abe called a violation of United Nations sanctions. North Korea said it had successfully test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile from the sea, to contain external threats and bolster self-defence, ahead of fresh nuclear talks with the United States. Wednesday's launch was the most provocative by North Korea since it resumed dialogue with the United States in 2018 and a reminder by Pyongyang of the weapons capability it has been aggressively developing. "As for the North Korean situation, we will do our utmost to secure the safety of the people, while working closely with the United States and cooperating with the international community," Abe said in his speech. Turning to ties with South Korea, soured by a feud over wartime labour that has spilt over into trade and security matters, Abe reiterated a call for Seoul to observe a promise to Tokyo. Last October, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered some Japanese firms to compensate Koreans forced to work in their mines and factories during World War Two. Japan, which says the matter was settled by a 1965 treaty, calls the court decision a violation of international law. "South Korea is an important neighbour. I would like to ask them to observe a promise made between nations, based on international law."

Japan PM seeks meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un despite missile launch

Canadian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canadian-pm-trudeau-dissolves-parliament-launches-campaign-for-october-21-election-249077">Justin Trudeau</a>, trying to revive his electoral fortunes after the emergence of embarrassing&nbsp;photographs, used the first televised campaign debate on Wednesday to launch repeated attacks on his main rival.

Polls suggest Trudeau's left-leaning Liberals could lose power to the opposition Conservatives of Andrew Scheer on October&nbsp;21 amid voter unhappiness with images of Trudeau in blackface, as well as other scandals.

Trudeau, variously interrupting and talking over Scheer, took the offensive from the start during the French-language debate in the politically important province of Quebec.

He first suggested Scheer would be open to reviving the debate on abortion.

"Do you - as a party leader, as a father and a husband - believe women should have a choice?" Trudeau asked Scheer.

There are few restrictions on abortion in Canada and the Conservatives have traditionally steered clear of the topic, fearing they could alienate progressive voters.

"Quebecers can be confident that a Conservative government led by me will not reopen this debate," Scheer responded.

Jagmeet Singh of the left-leaning New Democrats and Yves-Francois Blanchet of the separatist Bloc Quebecois - the other two leaders in the debate hosted by private channel TVA - also criticized Scheer on the issue.

"We are seeing that three of us are aligned on values, the values of Quebecers, and we have a fourth, a Conservative party that is not aligned ... on the rights of women," said Trudeau.

French is the predominant language in Quebec, Canada's second-most populous province that accounts for 78 of the 338 seats in the federal House of Commons.

The Liberals had been confident of adding to the 40 Quebec seats they won in 2015 but now face a challenge from the Conservatives as well as the Bloc, which wants independence for the province of 8.4 million people.

Scheer, whose French is the least fluent of the four leaders, sometimes stumbled over his words and on occasion looked flustered. The Conservative chief, who says Canadians are most interested in tackling the high cost of living, later accused Trudeau of planning to raise taxes.

After Scheer accused Trudeau of harbouring a secret agenda to decriminalize all drugs, the Liberal leader replied: "Again, we see the politics of fear that you are promoting."

The exchanges were the first between the leaders of the major parties since the blackface photos emerged last month, temporarily derailing Trudeau's campaign.

None of the leaders mentioned the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/justin-trudeaus-blackface-apology-rings-hollow-and-highlights-anti-arab-stereotypes-251432"> blackface incident.</a>

TVA has the biggest audience of any news channel in Quebec. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp will host an English-language debate on October&nbsp;7 and another French-language session on October&nbsp;10.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, trying to revive his electoral fortunes after the emergence of embarrassing photographs, used the first televised campaign debate on Wednesday to launch repeated attacks on his main rival.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, trying to revive his electoral fortunes after the emergence of embarrassing photographs, used the first televised campaign debate on Wednesday to launch repeated attacks on his main rival. Polls suggest Trudeau's left-leaning Liberals could lose power to the opposition Conservatives of Andrew Scheer on October 21 amid voter unhappiness with images of Trudeau in blackface, as well as other scandals. Trudeau, variously interrupting and talking over Scheer, took the offensive from the start during the French-language debate in the politically important province of Quebec. He first suggested Scheer would be open to reviving the debate on abortion. "Do you - as a party leader, as a father and a husband - believe women should have a choice?" Trudeau asked Scheer. There are few restrictions on abortion in Canada and the Conservatives have traditionally steered clear of the topic, fearing they could alienate progressive voters. "Quebecers can be confident that a Conservative government led by me will not reopen this debate," Scheer responded. Jagmeet Singh of the left-leaning New Democrats and Yves-Francois Blanchet of the separatist Bloc Quebecois - the other two leaders in the debate hosted by private channel TVA - also criticized Scheer on the issue. "We are seeing that three of us are aligned on values, the values of Quebecers, and we have a fourth, a Conservative party that is not aligned ... on the rights of women," said Trudeau. French is the predominant language in Quebec, Canada's second-most populous province that accounts for 78 of the 338 seats in the federal House of Commons. The Liberals had been confident of adding to the 40 Quebec seats they won in 2015 but now face a challenge from the Conservatives as well as the Bloc, which wants independence for the province of 8.4 million people. Scheer, whose French is the least fluent of the four leaders, sometimes stumbled over his words and on occasion looked flustered. The Conservative chief, who says Canadians are most interested in tackling the high cost of living, later accused Trudeau of planning to raise taxes. After Scheer accused Trudeau of harbouring a secret agenda to decriminalize all drugs, the Liberal leader replied: "Again, we see the politics of fear that you are promoting." The exchanges were the first between the leaders of the major parties since the blackface photos emerged last month, temporarily derailing Trudeau's campaign. None of the leaders mentioned the blackface incident. TVA has the biggest audience of any news channel in Quebec. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp will host an English-language debate on October 7 and another French-language session on October 10.

Canada's Trudeau goes on attack in debate as he seeks to revive campaign

An indefinite curfew came into effect early Thursday in Iraq's capital after two days of chaotic <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-vows-crackdown-after-protesters-torch-iran-consulate-164347">protests across the country</a> that descended into violence and left nine dead.

Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi ordered the ban on movements across Baghdad starting at 5:00 am local time&nbsp;to stem the popular demonstrations over widespread unemployment and state corruption.

Early Thursday, some cars and civilians were seen in the capital's streets, an AFP photographer said, but residents are wary that more protests could erupt after firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for "a general strike".

The tension has been exacerbated by a near-total internet shutdown, the closure of government offices and at least one overnight explosion that hit the Green Zone, where some ministries and embassies are located.

A security source inside the area told AFP there were two blasts, likely caused by indirect fire a little over a week after two rockets hit near the US embassy there.

The apparent attack came hours after security forces sealed off the Green Zone "until further notice", fearing angry protesters would swarm state buildings or foreign missions.

Since erupting in Baghdad on Tuesday, the protests have spread to other cities in the country's south.

Riot police in the capital have used water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds in an attempt to disperse protesters from the central Tahrir Square and other areas.

Into the night on Wednesday, marches from different parts of Baghdad attempted to converge on Tahrir.

But with internet access virtually shut, demonstrators have struggled to communicate with each other or post footage of the latest clashes.

'De-escalation needed' 

In the holy city of Najaf and in Nasiriyah further to the south on Wednesday, security forces fired on protesters and curfews were also declared.

Nine people including a police officer have so far been killed, most of them in Nasiriyah and more than 400 people have been wounded, according to health authorities.

The protests appear to be largely spontaneous so far, with angry crowds carrying Iraqi flags and shunning any involvement by the country's main political players.

Many traditional figures have expressed their support for the movement, with Sadr urging "peaceful demonstrations."

He was behind the last round of major protests in Baghdad in 2016 when his supporters stormed the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/from-kabul-to-baghdad-a-tale-of-two-green-zones-237143">Green Zone</a>, but his involvement appears much more limited this time.

On Wednesday night, the top United Nations official in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-pm-urged-to-quit-as-key-ally-deserts-him-over-unrest-164517">Iraq</a>&nbsp;Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert met with some protesters in Baghdad to call for "direct dialogue" between them and government officials.

"The ability to preserve the right to protest is a sign of political and democratic maturity. Moreover, the use of force only fuels the anger," she said in a statement.

"De-escalation is urgently needed."

The violence drew a slew of criticism from Iraqi leaders including President Barham Saleh, and parliament has demanded an investigation into the incidents.

The protests follow months of simmering frustration over rampant power cuts, water shortages and state corruption.

But anger over staggering rates of youth unemployment, which is around 25 per cent or double the adult rate according to the World Bank, appears to have set off this particular round of demonstrations.

"We want jobs and better public services. We've been demanding them for years and the government has never responded," said Abdallah Walid, a 27-year-old protester.

Demonstrations over similar issues engulfed Basra last summer and effectively ended previous premier Haider al-Abadi's chances of a second term.

Abdel Mahdi now faces a similar challenge just weeks before his government marks a full year in power.

He called for the curfew after convening his national security council for an emergency meeting on Wednesday.

Abdel Mahdi has also blamed the violence on "aggressors who&nbsp;deliberately created casualties," a statement met with rage by protesters.

An indefinite curfew came into effect early Thursday in Iraq's capital after two days of chaotic protests across the country that descended into violence and left nine dead.

An indefinite curfew came into effect early Thursday in Iraq's capital after two days of chaotic protests across the country that descended into violence and left nine dead. Iraqi premier Adel Abdel Mahdi ordered the ban on movements across Baghdad starting at 5:00 am local time to stem the popular demonstrations over widespread unemployment and state corruption. Early Thursday, some cars and civilians were seen in the capital's streets, an AFP photographer said, but residents are wary that more protests could erupt after firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called for "a general strike". The tension has been exacerbated by a near-total internet shutdown, the closure of government offices and at least one overnight explosion that hit the Green Zone, where some ministries and embassies are located. A security source inside the area told AFP there were two blasts, likely caused by indirect fire a little over a week after two rockets hit near the US embassy there. The apparent attack came hours after security forces sealed off the Green Zone "until further notice", fearing angry protesters would swarm state buildings or foreign missions. Since erupting in Baghdad on Tuesday, the protests have spread to other cities in the country's south. Riot police in the capital have used water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds in an attempt to disperse protesters from the central Tahrir Square and other areas. Into the night on Wednesday, marches from different parts of Baghdad attempted to converge on Tahrir. But with internet access virtually shut, demonstrators have struggled to communicate with each other or post footage of the latest clashes. 'De-escalation needed' In the holy city of Najaf and in Nasiriyah further to the south on Wednesday, security forces fired on protesters and curfews were also declared. Nine people including a police officer have so far been killed, most of them in Nasiriyah and more than 400 people have been wounded, according to health authorities. The protests appear to be largely spontaneous so far, with angry crowds carrying Iraqi flags and shunning any involvement by the country's main political players. Many traditional figures have expressed their support for the movement, with Sadr urging "peaceful demonstrations." He was behind the last round of major protests in Baghdad in 2016 when his supporters stormed the Green Zone, but his involvement appears much more limited this time. On Wednesday night, the top United Nations official in Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert met with some protesters in Baghdad to call for "direct dialogue" between them and government officials. "The ability to preserve the right to protest is a sign of political and democratic maturity. Moreover, the use of force only fuels the anger," she said in a statement. "De-escalation is urgently needed." The violence drew a slew of criticism from Iraqi leaders including President Barham Saleh, and parliament has demanded an investigation into the incidents. The protests follow months of simmering frustration over rampant power cuts, water shortages and state corruption. But anger over staggering rates of youth unemployment, which is around 25 per cent or double the adult rate according to the World Bank, appears to have set off this particular round of demonstrations. "We want jobs and better public services. We've been demanding them for years and the government has never responded," said Abdallah Walid, a 27-year-old protester. Demonstrations over similar issues engulfed Basra last summer and effectively ended previous premier Haider al-Abadi's chances of a second term. Abdel Mahdi now faces a similar challenge just weeks before his government marks a full year in power. He called for the curfew after convening his national security council for an emergency meeting on Wednesday. Abdel Mahdi has also blamed the violence on "aggressors who deliberately created casualties," a statement met with rage by protesters.

Indefinite Curfew imposed in Baghdad after deadly protests

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canadian-pm-trudeau-dissolves-parliament-launches-campaign-for-october-21-election-249077">election campaign</a> team were on the way to the airport in Nova Scotia on Sept. 18 when Time magazine journalists called with alarming news.

Within hours, the magazine would publish a picture that could doom his bid to win another four years in power. The 2001 image showed a 29-year-old Trudeau at an Arabian Nights party, his face covered in dark makeup, evoking racial stereotypes that seemed contrary to everything he stood for.

Parked on the Halifax airport tarmac that Wednesday, as campaign planners pushed for a timely departure to Winnipeg, Trudeau’s closest aides nixed the idea of spending the next four hours in the air. Then and there, they would scramble to get ahead of the explosive story.

The election was a month away.

While some aides prepared a contrite message for Trudeau to deliver to the media, the 47-year-old prime minister began calling&nbsp;as many Liberal legislators and cabinet ministers from ethnic minorities as he could, hoping to beat the news on Twitter. One was Omar Alghabra, a Liberal parliamentarian of Syrian descent, who said that Trudeau's heads-up came with profuse apologies.

Still, in the plane, Trudeau&nbsp;called a nationally televised media conference at which he not only <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/justin-trudeaus-blackface-apology-rings-hollow-and-highlights-anti-arab-stereotypes-251432">apologized repeatedly</a> but also admitted to another incident of donning dark make-up.

Interviews with that confidant and five other aides and strategists&nbsp;show how a hastily but carefully choreographed strategy over the ensuing week aimed to quickly rehabilitate the prime minister’s image before the damage gelled. None of the six who spoke to Reuters agreed to be named, citing the sensitivity of the situation. No one connected to the campaign would speak on the record.

"You can't dodge, you can't spin. You just have to put him out there and let people shout at him if they want to," said one Liberal aide who helped craft the strategy.

Whether the strategy to quickly apologize was the right one remains to be seen: Polls showed Trudeau’s popularity dipping in the immediate aftermath of the revelations before recovering. Since then, however, surveys of public opinion show the Liberals will be lucky to eke out even a weak minority government and could lose to the official opposition Conservatives led by Andrew Scheer.&nbsp;

"We won't know the effect of the pictures until election day," said a senior Trudeau adviser. "People might decide that however much they support us, they can't vote Liberal because of this."

Liberal officials say lower voter turnout among Trudeau's supporters is a major risk.

In response to questions for this article, Conservative campaign spokesman Daniel Schow said the Liberal’s campaign strategy hasn’t worked.

“Justin Trudeau has spent the last four years lecturing Canadians about social and diversity issues with a holier-than-thou attitude. There’s no way to spin hypocrisy. Canadians now realize that Justin Trudeau is not as advertised."

Scheer, the Conservative leader, said at a news conference on Sept 19 that Trudeau had not been sincere in his apology or fully truthful about his past. He cited a video in which Trudeau was captured dancing in blackface. Trudeau told reporters he had not remembered the 1990s incident.

“I think Canadians might have accepted Justin Trudeau’s apology if he hadn’t lied about it," Sheer said at the news conference. “I think he has lost the moral authority to govern.”

Inside the Trudeau camp, three people took charge of damage control: Former journalist Ben Chin, who had been chief of staff to the finance minister and was now in charge of messaging; Cyrus Reporter,&nbsp;a long-time Trudeau ally and former chief of staff when Trudeau was in opposition; and current chief of staff Katie Telford, one of his closest confidants.

Working with Ottawa-based officials, the trio were crucial in devising the response in the hours and days to come,&nbsp;the sources told Reuters. Chin and Reporter, brought on a few months earlier, both were experienced in crisis management.

The&nbsp;approach: Be open, remorseful and solicitous of questions from the public and the media. Take a break from campaigning-as-usual. And draw the air out of the issue as early as possible ahead of the Oct 21 election.

Scott Reid, chief spokesman for former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, said the quick apology was the right track: “Waiting to compose your thoughts and seeing how the dust settles is evidence of people who are perhaps not thoroughly motivated by the right instincts.”

Cabinet ministers – including those from ethnic minorities – expressed disappointment with the revelations but pledged loyalty to Trudeau. Aides dismissed the idea that he was racist, noting he had been the driving force behind a decision to welcome around 40,000 Syrian refugees since taking power in November 2015.

But the crisis meant the Liberals had to temporarily toss their general-election playbook to the side. It had called for an aggressive campaign that painted the Conservative Party of Canada as a haven for racist, anti-gay and anti-abortion candidates while stressing measures to make life more affordable for Canadians.

That approach, the aides who spoke to Reuters said, had been intended to help the Liberals get around another obstacle: voter distrust after Canada's ethics watchdog formally reprimanded Trudeau and his top officials in August for inappropriately interfering in a corporate corruption case.

Trudeau’s plane took off for Winnipeg later that Wednesday, and according to one observer,&nbsp;he remained locked in conversation with Cyrus Reporter for much of the flight. Upon arrival, the prime minister and his team decamped to a different hotel than the traveling press corps and, unusually, had no communication with accompanying media for 12 hours.

For much of that time, Trudeau was in a room calling more Liberal parliamentarians and community leaders, said a Liberal aide familiar with the matter.

The aides decided to cancel a planned announcement on education that had been scheduled for the next day. Trudeau told aides he did not want to immediately pivot to a campaign announcement.&nbsp;“I don't want (speech) lines that say, 'I am very sorry for what happened, but here's something even more important,'" one person who helped draw up Trudeau's strategy recalled the prime minister saying.

His campaign news conferences usually run for 15 to 20 minutes, but that first day in Winnipeg, Trudeau overruled advisers, opting to speak at length in the middle of a public square "where we had no way of controlling who was present," according to one aide.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

For nearly an hour, reporters aggressively quizzed Trudeau on his thinking when he wore blackface, on whether there were other similar incidents and if he planned to resign.

Standing in front of hundreds of spectators, Trudeau again apologized for his "massive blind spot" and appealed for forgiveness.

Back on the campaign plane, he headed&nbsp;to the western city of Saskatoon, a planned nighttime rally of Liberal supporters was canceled and replaced by a town hall where anyone could ask whatever they wanted.

"We couldn't do a triumphant rally that night. We didn't know how people felt," said one campaign team member.

"A rally would have been highly inappropriate – he was in the penalty box,' said another Liberal directly involved with the campaign, referring to the temporary punishment meted out to ice hockey players.

After two days of apologies, however, Trudeau was ready to go&nbsp;back on the offensive. He rattled off four major policies in just three days, including an announcement Sept. 20 on gun control in Toronto.

The next day, the front page of the Globe and Mail national newspaper led on the guns measure rather than the black-face images.&nbsp;

Nanos Research pollster Nik Nanos, who describes himself as unaffiliated with any political party, said the Liberals were lucky that there was still time for their poll numbers to rise.

"If this had happened in the last week of the campaign, we'd be saying Prime Minister Andrew Scheer,” Nanos said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his election campaign team were on the way to the airport in Nova Scotia on Sept. 18 when Time magazine journalists called with alarming news.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his election campaign team were on the way to the airport in Nova Scotia on Sept. 18 when Time magazine journalists called with alarming news. Within hours, the magazine would publish a picture that could doom his bid to win another four years in power. The 2001 image showed a 29-year-old Trudeau at an Arabian Nights party, his face covered in dark makeup, evoking racial stereotypes that seemed contrary to everything he stood for. Parked on the Halifax airport tarmac that Wednesday, as campaign planners pushed for a timely departure to Winnipeg, Trudeau’s closest aides nixed the idea of spending the next four hours in the air. Then and there, they would scramble to get ahead of the explosive story. The election was a month away. While some aides prepared a contrite message for Trudeau to deliver to the media, the 47-year-old prime minister began calling as many Liberal legislators and cabinet ministers from ethnic minorities as he could, hoping to beat the news on Twitter. One was Omar Alghabra, a Liberal parliamentarian of Syrian descent, who said that Trudeau's heads-up came with profuse apologies. Still, in the plane, Trudeau called a nationally televised media conference at which he not only apologized repeatedly but also admitted to another incident of donning dark make-up. Interviews with that confidant and five other aides and strategists show how a hastily but carefully choreographed strategy over the ensuing week aimed to quickly rehabilitate the prime minister’s image before the damage gelled. None of the six who spoke to Reuters agreed to be named, citing the sensitivity of the situation. No one connected to the campaign would speak on the record. "You can't dodge, you can't spin. You just have to put him out there and let people shout at him if they want to," said one Liberal aide who helped craft the strategy. Whether the strategy to quickly apologize was the right one remains to be seen: Polls showed Trudeau’s popularity dipping in the immediate aftermath of the revelations before recovering. Since then, however, surveys of public opinion show the Liberals will be lucky to eke out even a weak minority government and could lose to the official opposition Conservatives led by Andrew Scheer. "We won't know the effect of the pictures until election day," said a senior Trudeau adviser. "People might decide that however much they support us, they can't vote Liberal because of this." Liberal officials say lower voter turnout among Trudeau's supporters is a major risk. In response to questions for this article, Conservative campaign spokesman Daniel Schow said the Liberal’s campaign strategy hasn’t worked. “Justin Trudeau has spent the last four years lecturing Canadians about social and diversity issues with a holier-than-thou attitude. There’s no way to spin hypocrisy. Canadians now realize that Justin Trudeau is not as advertised." Scheer, the Conservative leader, said at a news conference on Sept 19 that Trudeau had not been sincere in his apology or fully truthful about his past. He cited a video in which Trudeau was captured dancing in blackface. Trudeau told reporters he had not remembered the 1990s incident. “I think Canadians might have accepted Justin Trudeau’s apology if he hadn’t lied about it," Sheer said at the news conference. “I think he has lost the moral authority to govern.” Inside the Trudeau camp, three people took charge of damage control: Former journalist Ben Chin, who had been chief of staff to the finance minister and was now in charge of messaging; Cyrus Reporter, a long-time Trudeau ally and former chief of staff when Trudeau was in opposition; and current chief of staff Katie Telford, one of his closest confidants. Working with Ottawa-based officials, the trio were crucial in devising the response in the hours and days to come, the sources told Reuters. Chin and Reporter, brought on a few months earlier, both were experienced in crisis management. The approach: Be open, remorseful and solicitous of questions from the public and the media. Take a break from campaigning-as-usual. And draw the air out of the issue as early as possible ahead of the Oct 21 election. Scott Reid, chief spokesman for former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, said the quick apology was the right track: “Waiting to compose your thoughts and seeing how the dust settles is evidence of people who are perhaps not thoroughly motivated by the right instincts.” Cabinet ministers – including those from ethnic minorities – expressed disappointment with the revelations but pledged loyalty to Trudeau. Aides dismissed the idea that he was racist, noting he had been the driving force behind a decision to welcome around 40,000 Syrian refugees since taking power in November 2015. But the crisis meant the Liberals had to temporarily toss their general-election playbook to the side. It had called for an aggressive campaign that painted the Conservative Party of Canada as a haven for racist, anti-gay and anti-abortion candidates while stressing measures to make life more affordable for Canadians. That approach, the aides who spoke to Reuters said, had been intended to help the Liberals get around another obstacle: voter distrust after Canada's ethics watchdog formally reprimanded Trudeau and his top officials in August for inappropriately interfering in a corporate corruption case. Trudeau’s plane took off for Winnipeg later that Wednesday, and according to one observer, he remained locked in conversation with Cyrus Reporter for much of the flight. Upon arrival, the prime minister and his team decamped to a different hotel than the traveling press corps and, unusually, had no communication with accompanying media for 12 hours. For much of that time, Trudeau was in a room calling more Liberal parliamentarians and community leaders, said a Liberal aide familiar with the matter. The aides decided to cancel a planned announcement on education that had been scheduled for the next day. Trudeau told aides he did not want to immediately pivot to a campaign announcement. “I don't want (speech) lines that say, 'I am very sorry for what happened, but here's something even more important,'" one person who helped draw up Trudeau's strategy recalled the prime minister saying. His campaign news conferences usually run for 15 to 20 minutes, but that first day in Winnipeg, Trudeau overruled advisers, opting to speak at length in the middle of a public square "where we had no way of controlling who was present," according to one aide. For nearly an hour, reporters aggressively quizzed Trudeau on his thinking when he wore blackface, on whether there were other similar incidents and if he planned to resign. Standing in front of hundreds of spectators, Trudeau again apologized for his "massive blind spot" and appealed for forgiveness. Back on the campaign plane, he headed to the western city of Saskatoon, a planned nighttime rally of Liberal supporters was canceled and replaced by a town hall where anyone could ask whatever they wanted. "We couldn't do a triumphant rally that night. We didn't know how people felt," said one campaign team member. "A rally would have been highly inappropriate – he was in the penalty box,' said another Liberal directly involved with the campaign, referring to the temporary punishment meted out to ice hockey players. After two days of apologies, however, Trudeau was ready to go back on the offensive. He rattled off four major policies in just three days, including an announcement Sept. 20 on gun control in Toronto. The next day, the front page of the Globe and Mail national newspaper led on the guns measure rather than the black-face images. Nanos Research pollster Nik Nanos, who describes himself as unaffiliated with any political party, said the Liberals were lucky that there was still time for their poll numbers to rise. "If this had happened in the last week of the campaign, we'd be saying Prime Minister Andrew Scheer,” Nanos said.

How the Trudeau campaign scrambled to sidestep political disaster

Hours after US&nbsp;President Donald Trump described him as "stone-cold crooked," Joe Biden, a leading Democratic contender in the 2020 race for the White House, vowed on Wednesday the Republican president is "not going to destroy me."

"Let me make something clear to Trump and his hatchet men and the special interests funding his attacks against me," Biden said in prepared remarks distributed by his campaign in advance of an appearance in Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday night.

"I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going to destroy me. And you’re not going to destroy my family. I don’t care how much money you spend or how dirty the attacks get," said Biden, who leads in most opinion polls among the 19 Democrats seeking their party's nomination to face Trump in next year's election.

The back-and-forth came as Trump, first in a series of tweets and then at a news conference, angrily <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-slams-impeachment-probe-as-hoax-as-democrats-seek-white-house-documents-253356">denounced an impeachment enquiry</a> concerning a July call in which Trump asked Ukraine's president to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian company while his father was vice president.

Democrats have <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-impeachment-probe-gains-steam-with-briefing-depositions-253202">accused Trump</a> of pressuring a vulnerable US&nbsp;ally to meddle in the 2020 election for his own political benefit.

On Wednesday, Trump insisted that he had acted appropriately, and called Biden and his son “stone-cold crooked.” The president has repeatedly accused the pair of wrongdoing without providing any evidence.

Biden, in return, accused Trump of abuse of power in a statement sent to reporters before his speech on Wednesday.

His campaign said Biden intended at the Reno event to portray Trump as a frightened bully.

"He did it because, like every bully in history — he’s afraid," Biden planned to say of Trump's accusations against him and his son. "He’s afraid of just how badly I would beat him next November."&nbsp;

Hours after US President Donald Trump described him as "stone-cold crooked," Joe Biden, a leading Democratic contender in the 2020 race for the White House, vowed on Wednesday the Republican president is "not going to destroy me.

Hours after US President Donald Trump described him as "stone-cold crooked," Joe Biden, a leading Democratic contender in the 2020 race for the White House, vowed on Wednesday the Republican president is "not going to destroy me." "Let me make something clear to Trump and his hatchet men and the special interests funding his attacks against me," Biden said in prepared remarks distributed by his campaign in advance of an appearance in Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday night. "I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going to destroy me. And you’re not going to destroy my family. I don’t care how much money you spend or how dirty the attacks get," said Biden, who leads in most opinion polls among the 19 Democrats seeking their party's nomination to face Trump in next year's election. The back-and-forth came as Trump, first in a series of tweets and then at a news conference, angrily denounced an impeachment enquiry concerning a July call in which Trump asked Ukraine's president to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian company while his father was vice president. Democrats have accused Trump of pressuring a vulnerable US ally to meddle in the 2020 election for his own political benefit. On Wednesday, Trump insisted that he had acted appropriately, and called Biden and his son “stone-cold crooked.” The president has repeatedly accused the pair of wrongdoing without providing any evidence. Biden, in return, accused Trump of abuse of power in a statement sent to reporters before his speech on Wednesday. His campaign said Biden intended at the Reno event to portray Trump as a frightened bully. "He did it because, like every bully in history — he’s afraid," Biden planned to say of Trump's accusations against him and his son. "He’s afraid of just how badly I would beat him next November."

Joe Biden to Trump: 'You're not going to destroy me'

A group of senior Taliban were warmly welcomed by Pakistani officials as they arrived in Islamabad Thursday, where the foreign minister called for a resumption of talks with the US on the war in Afghanistan.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's co-founder who spent eight years in a Pakistani prison, was greeted with hugs and smiles by Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and spy chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, footage released by the ministry showed.

Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban regime, and its shadowy military establishment -- particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which Hameed heads -- is widely believed to back the bloody insurgency in Afghanistan.

Islamabad denies the accusation.

Pakistan has helped facilitate talks between the Taliban and Washington in Qatar over the past year seeking an agreement paving the way for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in return for various security promises from the insurgents.&nbsp;

The two sides were on the brink of a deal -- with an announcement widely expected to be imminent -- when US President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process "dead" last month, citing Taliban violence.

Threatened more attacks

The Taliban threatened more attacks, but both the insurgents and the US left the door open for negotiations to resume -- with most experts agreeing Washington will have to return to the table eventually.

Islamabad wants the talks to resume "to smooth the path for a durable, long-lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan", Qureshi was quoted as saying in the statement.

"War is not a solution to any problem. Talks are the only and positive solution to establish peace in Afghanistan," he continued.&nbsp;

The visit came as Zalmay Khalilzad, who headed the US negotiating team in Doha across the table from Baradar, also visited Islamabad this week, though it was unclear if he was still in Pakistan Thursday.

The US Embassy in Islamabad has said only that Khalilzad was visiting Pakistan "this week", while the State Department did not confirm his travel dates.

The Taliban's Doha-based spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, told AFP on Wednesday that the simultaneous visits to Pakistan were a "coincidence".&nbsp;

But when asked whether there was any possibility of the insurgents meeting Khalilzad, he replied: "Why not? It depends on the Americans."

The Taliban are still ready to sign the agreement which Khalilzad and Baradar had hashed out in Doha, he said.&nbsp;

"We stand for it. The Americans have backtracked and they will have to take the initiative."

Baradar was the most high-profile Afghan Taliban leader detained by Pakistan following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

He was released from prison last October and appointed to head the insurgent's political office in a move seen as a tentative effort to aid the talks.&nbsp;

The Taliban have said that the Pakistan visit is the fourth leg of a tour that included Russia, China and Iran. A Taliban commander told AFP that Baradar and the 11 other militants will spend four days in Pakistan.

A group of senior Taliban were warmly welcomed by Pakistani officials as they arrived in Islamabad Thursday, where the foreign minister called for a resumption of talks with the US on the war in Afghanistan.

A group of senior Taliban were warmly welcomed by Pakistani officials as they arrived in Islamabad Thursday, where the foreign minister called for a resumption of talks with the US on the war in Afghanistan. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's co-founder who spent eight years in a Pakistani prison, was greeted with hugs and smiles by Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and spy chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, footage released by the ministry showed. Pakistan was one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban regime, and its shadowy military establishment -- particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which Hameed heads -- is widely believed to back the bloody insurgency in Afghanistan. Islamabad denies the accusation. Pakistan has helped facilitate talks between the Taliban and Washington in Qatar over the past year seeking an agreement paving the way for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in return for various security promises from the insurgents. The two sides were on the brink of a deal -- with an announcement widely expected to be imminent -- when US President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process "dead" last month, citing Taliban violence. Threatened more attacks The Taliban threatened more attacks, but both the insurgents and the US left the door open for negotiations to resume -- with most experts agreeing Washington will have to return to the table eventually. Islamabad wants the talks to resume "to smooth the path for a durable, long-lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan", Qureshi was quoted as saying in the statement. "War is not a solution to any problem. Talks are the only and positive solution to establish peace in Afghanistan," he continued. The visit came as Zalmay Khalilzad, who headed the US negotiating team in Doha across the table from Baradar, also visited Islamabad this week, though it was unclear if he was still in Pakistan Thursday. The US Embassy in Islamabad has said only that Khalilzad was visiting Pakistan "this week", while the State Department did not confirm his travel dates. The Taliban's Doha-based spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, told AFP on Wednesday that the simultaneous visits to Pakistan were a "coincidence". But when asked whether there was any possibility of the insurgents meeting Khalilzad, he replied: "Why not? It depends on the Americans." The Taliban are still ready to sign the agreement which Khalilzad and Baradar had hashed out in Doha, he said. "We stand for it. The Americans have backtracked and they will have to take the initiative." Baradar was the most high-profile Afghan Taliban leader detained by Pakistan following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He was released from prison last October and appointed to head the insurgent's political office in a move seen as a tentative effort to aid the talks. The Taliban have said that the Pakistan visit is the fourth leg of a tour that included Russia, China and Iran. A Taliban commander told AFP that Baradar and the 11 other militants will spend four days in Pakistan.

Hugs and smiles as Taliban meet Pakistan officials

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday defended Donald Trump over accusations that the US leader pressured Kiev to dig up dirt on a rival, saying there was "nothing compromising" in <a href="wionews.com/world/i-was-on-the-call-says-pompeo-on-trump-call-to-ukraine-leader-253318">transcripts of the call</a>.

"I see nothing compromising in the conversation between Trump and (Ukrainian leader Volodymyr) Zelensky," Putin said of the phone call that has sparked an impeachment probe in the US.

"President Trump turned to a colleague with a request to investigate possible corruption relating to members of the former administration," the Russian leader said at an energy forum in Moscow.

"Any head of state would have had to do the same."

"They have already been using any excuse to attack President Trump. Now it's Ukraine," Putin added.

The White House last week released a transcript of the July call with a recently elected Zelensky.

It showed that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-begins-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-call-to-ukraine-leader-251866">Trump asked Zelensky</a> to probe Democratic rival Joe Biden, and the Democrats are looking into whether Trump used a delayed $400 million&nbsp;aid package as leverage.

Ukraine is fighting an ongoing war in its east against Russia-backed separatists, which broke out after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/moscow-vows-to-retaliate-over-new-anti-russian-united-states-sanctions-252913">Moscow'</a>s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday defended Donald Trump over accusations that the US leader pressured Kiev to dig up dirt on a rival, saying there was "nothing compromising" in transcripts of the call.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday defended Donald Trump over accusations that the US leader pressured Kiev to dig up dirt on a rival, saying there was "nothing compromising" in transcripts of the call. "I see nothing compromising in the conversation between Trump and (Ukrainian leader Volodymyr) Zelensky," Putin said of the phone call that has sparked an impeachment probe in the US. "President Trump turned to a colleague with a request to investigate possible corruption relating to members of the former administration," the Russian leader said at an energy forum in Moscow. "Any head of state would have had to do the same." "They have already been using any excuse to attack President Trump. Now it's Ukraine," Putin added. The White House last week released a transcript of the July call with a recently elected Zelensky. It showed that Trump asked Zelensky to probe Democratic rival Joe Biden, and the Democrats are looking into whether Trump used a delayed $400 million aid package as leverage. Ukraine is fighting an ongoing war in its east against Russia-backed separatists, which broke out after Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Putin defends Trump's call to Ukraine leader, says there is 'nothing compromising'

Iran's statement that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-crown-prince-warns-of-escalation-with-iran-says-he-prefers-political-solution-252727">Saudi Arabia</a> sent messages to its president through other countries was "not accurate", Adel al-Jubeir, the kingdom's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has said.

Saudi Arabia blames Iran for an attack on two Saudi oil facilities on September&nbsp;14, a charge <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-vows-new-iran-sanctions-tehran-warns-us-against-attack-229649">Tehran</a> denies. On Monday, an Iranian government spokesman said Saudi Arabia had sent messages to Iran's president through the leaders of other countries but did not specify their content.

"What the Iranian speaker said about the kingdom sending messages to the Iranian regime is not accurate," Jubeir said on Twitter late on Tuesday.

"What happened was that sister country sought to calm the situation, and we told them that the position of the kingdom was to always seek security and stability in the region."

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince warned that oil prices could spike to "unimaginably high numbers" if the world did not come together to deter Iran, but said he preferred a political solution to a military one.

"We also told them that de-escalation should come from the party that is escalating and spreading chaos through hostile acts in the region," Jubeir added.

"We conveyed to them our position towards the Iranian regime that we always announce clearly in all venues, most recently at the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-general-assembly-2019-what-to-expect-at-the-74th-session-this-week-251385">United Nations General Assembly</a>," he said.

Iran's statement that Saudi Arabia sent messages to its president through other countries was "not accurate", Adel al-Jubeir, the kingdom's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has said.

Iran's statement that Saudi Arabia sent messages to its president through other countries was "not accurate", Adel al-Jubeir, the kingdom's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has said. Saudi Arabia blames Iran for an attack on two Saudi oil facilities on September 14, a charge Tehran denies. On Monday, an Iranian government spokesman said Saudi Arabia had sent messages to Iran's president through the leaders of other countries but did not specify their content. "What the Iranian speaker said about the kingdom sending messages to the Iranian regime is not accurate," Jubeir said on Twitter late on Tuesday. "What happened was that sister country sought to calm the situation, and we told them that the position of the kingdom was to always seek security and stability in the region." In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince warned that oil prices could spike to "unimaginably high numbers" if the world did not come together to deter Iran, but said he preferred a political solution to a military one. "We also told them that de-escalation should come from the party that is escalating and spreading chaos through hostile acts in the region," Jubeir added. "We conveyed to them our position towards the Iranian regime that we always announce clearly in all venues, most recently at the United Nations General Assembly," he said.

Saudi says Iran's remark on messages to its President 'not accurate'

Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;asked&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;to "assist" in&nbsp;discrediting&nbsp;a&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;investigation that has clouded his presidency, with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-offers-trump-only-limited-commitment-on-iran-pm-251136">Prime Minister Scott Morrison</a> admitting Tuesday that he agreed to&nbsp;help.

An Australian government spokesperson confirmed&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;asked&nbsp;Morrison to investigate issues raised in Robert Mueller's&nbsp;probe, which concluded that&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;tried to swing the 2016 election in the Republican's favour.

The official said&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;"has always been ready to assist and cooperate with efforts that&nbsp;help&nbsp;shed further light on the matters under investigation".

"The PM confirmed this readiness once again in conversation with the President."

The revelation will fuel allegations&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;is using the power of the Oval Office and risking long-standing relationships with allies for his own political ends.

He is already facing impeachment for asking Ukraine's leader to investigate his potential election rival, former vice president Joe Biden, and his son Hunter.

Mueller's&nbsp;probe&nbsp;concluded in March and led to the conviction of several of&nbsp;Trump's top aides for obstruction and lying to investigators.

But ahead of the 2020 election&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-remains-defiant-as-impeachment-enquiry-against-him-intensifies-252755">Trump</a>&nbsp;has painted the&nbsp;probe&nbsp;and its findings as a "deep state" conspiracy, pointing to conservative media reports as evidence and urging the Justice Department to launch counter-investigations.

The New York Times, which first reported&nbsp;Trump's Australian request, said the White House had restricted access to the transcript of the&nbsp;Trump-Morrison call, in a similar way to its handling of&nbsp;Trump's recent call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Several other calls and meetings between&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and foreign leaders, including&nbsp;Russia's Vladimir Putin are now under scrutiny.

Separately, the Washington Post reported that Attorney General Bill Barr has had multiple contacts with officials and spies in&nbsp;Australia, Britain and Italy in a bid to investigate Mueller and US intelligence findings.

State visit 
At&nbsp;Trump's encouragement, Barr's Justice Department is examining the roots of the Mueller&nbsp;probe, including the evidence that led the CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies to declare that&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;did, in fact, interfere in 2016 to boost&nbsp;Trump.

Australia&nbsp;and Britain were both important because the original FBI&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;meddling&nbsp;probe&nbsp;was launched in July 2016 after the bureau received a tip from an Australian diplomat in Britain about a meeting between people tied to Russian intelligence and a&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;campaign official.

In a May letter to Barr and White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney cited by Australian media Tuesday&nbsp;the country's ambassador in Washington also offered to&nbsp;help.

Morrison recently enjoyed a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-backed-by-australias-morrison-talks-tough-on-china-250920">state visit to Washington</a> and his close ties to&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;had already been facing scrutiny at home.

"It was risky for the Morrison government to get so cosy with&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;when almost no other government has done so," said Emma Shortis of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

"I think this development shows just how risky that is, Trump&nbsp;will come calling for favours, embroil you in controversy, and put relationships at risk", she added.

In a statement, the Justice Department defended contacts abroad and said&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and Barr's roles were to&nbsp;help&nbsp;investigator John Durham make contacts.

"Mr Durham is gathering information from numerous sources, including a number of foreign countries," said Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec.

"At Attorney General Barr's request, the president has contacted other countries to ask them to introduce the attorney general and Mr Durham to appropriate officials," she said.

Donald Trump asked Australia to "assist" in discrediting a Russia investigation that has clouded his presidency, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitting Tuesday that he agreed to help.

Donald Trump asked Australia to "assist" in discrediting a Russia investigation that has clouded his presidency, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitting Tuesday that he agreed to help. An Australian government spokesperson confirmed Trump asked Morrison to investigate issues raised in Robert Mueller's probe, which concluded that Russia tried to swing the 2016 election in the Republican's favour. The official said Australia "has always been ready to assist and cooperate with efforts that help shed further light on the matters under investigation". "The PM confirmed this readiness once again in conversation with the President." The revelation will fuel allegations Trump is using the power of the Oval Office and risking long-standing relationships with allies for his own political ends. He is already facing impeachment for asking Ukraine's leader to investigate his potential election rival, former vice president Joe Biden, and his son Hunter. Mueller's probe concluded in March and led to the conviction of several of Trump's top aides for obstruction and lying to investigators. But ahead of the 2020 election Trump has painted the probe and its findings as a "deep state" conspiracy, pointing to conservative media reports as evidence and urging the Justice Department to launch counter-investigations. The New York Times, which first reported Trump's Australian request, said the White House had restricted access to the transcript of the Trump-Morrison call, in a similar way to its handling of Trump's recent call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Several other calls and meetings between Trump and foreign leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin are now under scrutiny. Separately, the Washington Post reported that Attorney General Bill Barr has had multiple contacts with officials and spies in Australia, Britain and Italy in a bid to investigate Mueller and US intelligence findings. State visit At Trump's encouragement, Barr's Justice Department is examining the roots of the Mueller probe, including the evidence that led the CIA, FBI and other intelligence agencies to declare that Russia did, in fact, interfere in 2016 to boost Trump. Australia and Britain were both important because the original FBI Russia meddling probe was launched in July 2016 after the bureau received a tip from an Australian diplomat in Britain about a meeting between people tied to Russian intelligence and a Trump campaign official. In a May letter to Barr and White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney cited by Australian media Tuesday the country's ambassador in Washington also offered to help. Morrison recently enjoyed a state visit to Washington and his close ties to Trump had already been facing scrutiny at home. "It was risky for the Morrison government to get so cosy with Trump when almost no other government has done so," said Emma Shortis of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. "I think this development shows just how risky that is, Trump will come calling for favours, embroil you in controversy, and put relationships at risk", she added. In a statement, the Justice Department defended contacts abroad and said Trump and Barr's roles were to help investigator John Durham make contacts. "Mr Durham is gathering information from numerous sources, including a number of foreign countries," said Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec. "At Attorney General Barr's request, the president has contacted other countries to ask them to introduce the attorney general and Mr Durham to appropriate officials," she said.

Trump asked Australia for help to discredit Russia probe

More than 500 people were&nbsp;arrested&nbsp;after&nbsp;clashes in&nbsp;Indonesia's capital amid <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-rally-across-indonesia-in-fresh-legal-reform-protests-252836">nationwide&nbsp;protests</a>&nbsp;against a raft of divisive reforms, including <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-president-delays-law-criminalising-sex-outside-of-marriage-250820">banning pre-marital sex</a> and weakening the anti-graft agency, authorities said Tuesday.

The arrests came&nbsp;after&nbsp;a night of pitched street battles between riot police and stone-throwing protesters many high school and university students,&nbsp;in Jakarta's sprawling downtown core.

Watch Video:&nbsp;Indonesian police fire tear gas to break up anti-graft, sex-ban law protests

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Security forces geared up for more unrest Tuesday as some 575 lawmakers were sworn in at the country's heavily barricaded parliament building.

Since last week, at least two students have died and&nbsp;hundreds&nbsp;more have been injured as a wave of unrest swept across the Southeast Asian archipelago, just weeks before President Joko Widodo kicks off another term as head of the world's third-biggest democracy.

The&nbsp;protests&nbsp;are among the biggest student rallies since mass street demonstrations in 1998 toppled the Suharto dictatorship.

"So far we have detained 519 rioters from yesterday's demonstration," Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono told AFP Tuesday.

"We're questioning them to determine whether or not they are students," he added.

The government has sought to portray the&nbsp;protests&nbsp;as being hijacked by agitators aiming to disrupt the government and suggested they were similar to deadly post-election riots that paralysed Jakarta in May.

National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo was quoted by local media as saying that police had detained 649 demonstrators from Monday's&nbsp;protests.

Several dozen protesters were injured Monday at rallies in other parts of the country, authorities said.

The demonstrations have been fuelled by a proposed bill that includes dozens of legal changes&nbsp;from criminalising pre-marital sex and restricting contraceptive sales, to making it illegal to insult the president and toughening the Muslim-majority country's blasphemy law.

Passage of the reforms has now been delayed, and Widodo has said he would also consider revising a separate bill that critics fear would dilute the powers of&nbsp;Indonesia's corruption-fighting agency.

Some 13 police officers have been questioned and detained over the deaths of two students in riots on Sulawesi island last week.

Police have previously denied responsibility.

Students have issued a wide-ranging list of demands including scrapping some criminal-code changes, withdrawing troops from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-raises-the-minimum-age-for-brides-to-end-child-marriage-250308">Indonesia</a>'s restive Papua region, and halting forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo that unleashed toxic haze across Southeast Asia.

Updating&nbsp;Indonesia's criminal code,&nbsp;which dates back to the Dutch colonial era&nbsp;has been debated for decades, but there was a renewed push this year backed by conservative Islamic groups.

The controversial changes could affect millions of Indonesians, including gay and heterosexual couples who might face jail for having sex outside wedlock or having an affair.

More than 500 people were arrested after clashes in Indonesia's capital amid nationwide protests against a raft of divisive reforms, including banning pre-marital sex and weakening the anti-graft agency, authorities said Tuesday.

More than 500 people were arrested after clashes in Indonesia's capital amid nationwide protests against a raft of divisive reforms, including banning pre-marital sex and weakening the anti-graft agency, authorities said Tuesday. The arrests came after a night of pitched street battles between riot police and stone-throwing protesters many high school and university students, in Jakarta's sprawling downtown core. Watch Video: Indonesian police fire tear gas to break up anti-graft, sex-ban law protests × Security forces geared up for more unrest Tuesday as some 575 lawmakers were sworn in at the country's heavily barricaded parliament building. Since last week, at least two students have died and hundreds more have been injured as a wave of unrest swept across the Southeast Asian archipelago, just weeks before President Joko Widodo kicks off another term as head of the world's third-biggest democracy. The protests are among the biggest student rallies since mass street demonstrations in 1998 toppled the Suharto dictatorship. "So far we have detained 519 rioters from yesterday's demonstration," Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono told AFP Tuesday. "We're questioning them to determine whether or not they are students," he added. The government has sought to portray the protests as being hijacked by agitators aiming to disrupt the government and suggested they were similar to deadly post-election riots that paralysed Jakarta in May. National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo was quoted by local media as saying that police had detained 649 demonstrators from Monday's protests. Several dozen protesters were injured Monday at rallies in other parts of the country, authorities said. The demonstrations have been fuelled by a proposed bill that includes dozens of legal changes from criminalising pre-marital sex and restricting contraceptive sales, to making it illegal to insult the president and toughening the Muslim-majority country's blasphemy law. Passage of the reforms has now been delayed, and Widodo has said he would also consider revising a separate bill that critics fear would dilute the powers of Indonesia's corruption-fighting agency. Some 13 police officers have been questioned and detained over the deaths of two students in riots on Sulawesi island last week. Police have previously denied responsibility. Students have issued a wide-ranging list of demands including scrapping some criminal-code changes, withdrawing troops from Indonesia's restive Papua region, and halting forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo that unleashed toxic haze across Southeast Asia. Updating Indonesia's criminal code, which dates back to the Dutch colonial era has been debated for decades, but there was a renewed push this year backed by conservative Islamic groups. The controversial changes could affect millions of Indonesians, including gay and heterosexual couples who might face jail for having sex outside wedlock or having an affair.

Hundreds arrested in Indonesia after fresh protests over legal-reforms

The Royal Australian Navy commenced its largest deployment of 2019, with the new Air Warfare Destroyer HMAS Hobart leading a nine-ship task group out of Sydney on Thursday (September 26).

Australia's newest navy destroyer 'Hobart' departs for Asia deployment

World leaders paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the 150th anniversary of his birth at a United Nations event on Tuesday, praising his lasting legacy.

Mahatma Gandhi: Global leaders celebrate his legacy at the United Nations

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said France "cannot host everyone", intensifying his tough rhetoric on immigration.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/macron-says-trump-rouhani-know-conditions-for-talks-but-up-to-them-to-deliver-251896">Macron</a> had last week signalled a tougher line on immigration in the second half of his mandate, arguing the government must stop voters drifting to the far-right.

"France cannot host everyone if it wants to host people well," Macron told Europe 1 in an interview from the United Nations in New York where he is attending the annual General Assembly.

Macron noted France had seen a sharp increase in the numbers of people asking for asylum since the 2017 presidential election and said much tighter European cooperation was needed.

"There is not enough cooperation in Europe and we need to look at this migratory phenomenon and take decisions," he said.

Macron's comments come as the French parliament is set next week for a major debate on migration policy, with the lower house National Assembly discussing the issue on Monday and the Senate on Wednesday.

The French president, whose first term expires in 2022, is keenly aware that his biggest political rival remains Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally party which has built its popularity on a strong anti-immigration stance.

"In order to be able to welcome everyone properly, we should not be too attractive a country," said Macron.

He said he wanted to look at the basket of state medical aid offered to migrants while emphasising that getting rid of such help entirely would be "ridiculous".

"It would be an error to say that the question of migration is a taboo or just something to raise when there are crises," he said, emphasising that France had always been a country of migration.

During the 2017 presidential campaign, Macron lavished support on the open door policy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in allowing in over a million refugees, saying it had "saved our collective dignity".

He said two priorities now had to be given asylum as quickly as possible to those who have a right to France's protection and integrating them more effectively through more French courses and more aggressive employment policy.

But he said those who had entered France illegally needed to be moved away "much more efficiently", and that current processes last too long.

France last year received a record 122,743 asylum requests, up 22 per cent compared to 2017.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said France "cannot host everyone", intensifying his tough rhetoric on immigration. Macron had last week signalled a tougher line on immigration in the second half of his mandate, arguing the government must stop voters drifting to the far-right.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said France "cannot host everyone", intensifying his tough rhetoric on immigration. Macron had last week signalled a tougher line on immigration in the second half of his mandate, arguing the government must stop voters drifting to the far-right. "France cannot host everyone if it wants to host people well," Macron told Europe 1 in an interview from the United Nations in New York where he is attending the annual General Assembly. Macron noted France had seen a sharp increase in the numbers of people asking for asylum since the 2017 presidential election and said much tighter European cooperation was needed. "There is not enough cooperation in Europe and we need to look at this migratory phenomenon and take decisions," he said. Macron's comments come as the French parliament is set next week for a major debate on migration policy, with the lower house National Assembly discussing the issue on Monday and the Senate on Wednesday. The French president, whose first term expires in 2022, is keenly aware that his biggest political rival remains Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally party which has built its popularity on a strong anti-immigration stance. "In order to be able to welcome everyone properly, we should not be too attractive a country," said Macron. He said he wanted to look at the basket of state medical aid offered to migrants while emphasising that getting rid of such help entirely would be "ridiculous". "It would be an error to say that the question of migration is a taboo or just something to raise when there are crises," he said, emphasising that France had always been a country of migration. During the 2017 presidential campaign, Macron lavished support on the open door policy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in allowing in over a million refugees, saying it had "saved our collective dignity". He said two priorities now had to be given asylum as quickly as possible to those who have a right to France's protection and integrating them more effectively through more French courses and more aggressive employment policy. But he said those who had entered France illegally needed to be moved away "much more efficiently", and that current processes last too long. France last year received a record 122,743 asylum requests, up 22 per cent compared to 2017.

'France can't host everyone,' says Macron in new toughening of migration stance

Former US Vice President Joe Biden on Friday demanded that President Donald Trump release the transcript of his July phone call where he reportedly pressured his Ukrainian counterpart <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-leader-says-russia-sanctions-must-remain-in-place-249448">Volodymyr Zelensky</a> to investigate Biden's son.

"If these reports are true, then there is truly no bottom to President Trump's willingness to abuse his power and abase our country. This behaviour is particularly abhorrent because it exploits the foreign policy of our country and undermines our national security for political purposes," Biden said in the statement, as cited by the Hill.

<iframe data-google-container-id="4" data-load-complete="true" frameborder="0" height="1" id="google_ads_iframe_/6516239/outofpage_1x1_desktop_0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/6516239/outofpage_1x1_desktop_0" scrolling="no" srcdoc="" title="3rd party ad content" width="1"></iframe>CNN cited a report by the Wall Street Journal as saying that Trump pressured Zelensky during the July phone call to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Biden's son Hunter.

The call took place on July 25, just one day after former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress about Russian interference in US elections, and was also part of a whistleblower complaint submitted to the Intelligence Community Inspector General.

While Trump has downplayed the significance of whistleblower's complaint, he did not deny discussing Biden with Zelensky during the phone call.

"It's a partisan whistleblower. They shouldn't even have information. I've had conversations with many leaders. They're always appropriate," Trump told reporters.

Former US Vice President Joe Biden on Friday demanded that President Donald Trump release the transcript of his July phone call where he reportedly pressured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden's son.

Former US Vice President Joe Biden on Friday demanded that President Donald Trump release the transcript of his July phone call where he reportedly pressured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden's son. "If these reports are true, then there is truly no bottom to President Trump's willingness to abuse his power and abase our country. This behaviour is particularly abhorrent because it exploits the foreign policy of our country and undermines our national security for political purposes," Biden said in the statement, as cited by the Hill. CNN cited a report by the Wall Street Journal as saying that Trump pressured Zelensky during the July phone call to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Biden's son Hunter. The call took place on July 25, just one day after former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress about Russian interference in US elections, and was also part of a whistleblower complaint submitted to the Intelligence Community Inspector General. While Trump has downplayed the significance of whistleblower's complaint, he did not deny discussing Biden with Zelensky during the phone call. "It's a partisan whistleblower. They shouldn't even have information. I've had conversations with many leaders. They're always appropriate," Trump told reporters.

Biden demands Trump release transcript of July phone call with Ukrainian President

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-lifts-tariffs-on-400-chinese-products-trump-cites-trade-progress-250891">President Donald Trump</a> said Friday that only a "complete" deal with China on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trade-talks-seen-as-unlikely-to-mend-us-china-divide-250119">trade</a> will be acceptable and his tough approach won support from visiting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

"I'm not looking for a partial deal. I'm looking for a complete deal," Trump told reporters during a joint news conference with Morrison at the White House.

Trump denied that he was under pressure to resolve the massive trade dispute between the world's two main economic powers, saying "I don't think I need it before the election" in 2020.

Morrison, enjoying an unusually lavish reception and state dinner, said he backed the US push to force China to reform on issues that include routine violation of foreign companies' intellectual property.

"We need to make sure that we all compete on the same playing field," he said. China can't have "special rules."

Morrison's supportive stance contrasted with worries he expressed in June about smaller economies suffering collateral damage in the US-China standoff and the global system coming "under real pressure."

Later the United States Trade Representative's office issued a statement announcing that the deputy-level US and Chinese negotiators had completed "productive" talks in Washington on Thursday and Friday.

Top-level talks are expected in October.

'Dinner under the stars'

This was only the second state-level visit to the White House granted under Trump and the first for an Australian premiere here since John Howard in 2006.

In a shift from tradition, and taking advantage of perfect end-of-summer weather, the dinner was served under the stars in the Rose Garden.

Pale yellow tablecloths and floral arrangements decorated the tables, bathed in a golden glow from the outdoor lighting.

Trump gave a toast praising the "free and proud spirit" shared by the two nations.

Earlier, Morrison and his wife were greeted with an honour guard, a military band and 19 gun salute on the South Lawn.

"Australians and Americans understand each other like few other peoples," Morrison said, adding that he and the Republican US president had also "established a very early understanding."

In addition to Friday's festivities, Morrison and Trump are due to reunite Sunday for a visit at a new Australian-owned factory in Wapakoneta, Ohio, that the White House says will "demonstrate the strong trade and investment relationship."

'Conservatives club'

Trump's relations with the previous Australian premier, Malcolm Turnbull, got off to a bad start.

But Morrison has already cemented his place in a growing conservative club also including the likes of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson drawn into Trump's orbit.

Trump and Morrison agree on much, with Australia joining the US-led patrols of the Strait of Hormuz off Iran and following Washington's lead to excluding China's Huawei from its 5G phone market.

Trump has defied controversy over his push to prevent illegal immigrants and asylum seekers from crossing the Mexican border. Similarly, Morrison, a former immigration minister, has worked to make Australia less attractive to would-be asylum seekers.

His Liberal-National coalition also has much in common with Trump's climate change scepticism, rejecting overwhelming scientific warnings to encourage lucrative fossil fuel industries. Australia is the world's largest coal exporter.

This is "one of our strongest and most enduring relationships anywhere in the world," a senior Trump administration official said Thursday, asking not to be identified.

One area that Trump especially appreciates is a trade where the United States enjoys a surplus. The trade conflicts proliferating under Trump have bypassed Australia.

The administration official said that cooperation between Australia's space agency and NASA on a return to the Moon and joint efforts to ensure "stable and secure" access to rare earth metals were on the agenda Friday.

The relationship gets more complicated over how to deal with China.

Under Trump, the United States has embarked on what some are comparing to a new Cold War. Huge trade tariffs and growing competition in the military-strategic sphere are sending ripples through the entire Pacific region.

As China rises, there are even worries in some quarters that Australia may not always be able to rely on its US security umbrella.

A hard-hitting report from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney in August said the US military is an "atrophying force" that is "dangerously overstretched" and "ill-prepared" for a confrontation with China.

President Donald Trump said Friday that only a "complete" deal with China on trade will be acceptable and his tough approach won support from visiting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

President Donald Trump said Friday that only a "complete" deal with China on trade will be acceptable and his tough approach won support from visiting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "I'm not looking for a partial deal. I'm looking for a complete deal," Trump told reporters during a joint news conference with Morrison at the White House. Trump denied that he was under pressure to resolve the massive trade dispute between the world's two main economic powers, saying "I don't think I need it before the election" in 2020. Morrison, enjoying an unusually lavish reception and state dinner, said he backed the US push to force China to reform on issues that include routine violation of foreign companies' intellectual property. "We need to make sure that we all compete on the same playing field," he said. China can't have "special rules." Morrison's supportive stance contrasted with worries he expressed in June about smaller economies suffering collateral damage in the US-China standoff and the global system coming "under real pressure." Later the United States Trade Representative's office issued a statement announcing that the deputy-level US and Chinese negotiators had completed "productive" talks in Washington on Thursday and Friday. Top-level talks are expected in October. 'Dinner under the stars' This was only the second state-level visit to the White House granted under Trump and the first for an Australian premiere here since John Howard in 2006. In a shift from tradition, and taking advantage of perfect end-of-summer weather, the dinner was served under the stars in the Rose Garden. Pale yellow tablecloths and floral arrangements decorated the tables, bathed in a golden glow from the outdoor lighting. Trump gave a toast praising the "free and proud spirit" shared by the two nations. Earlier, Morrison and his wife were greeted with an honour guard, a military band and 19 gun salute on the South Lawn. "Australians and Americans understand each other like few other peoples," Morrison said, adding that he and the Republican US president had also "established a very early understanding." In addition to Friday's festivities, Morrison and Trump are due to reunite Sunday for a visit at a new Australian-owned factory in Wapakoneta, Ohio, that the White House says will "demonstrate the strong trade and investment relationship." 'Conservatives club' Trump's relations with the previous Australian premier, Malcolm Turnbull, got off to a bad start. But Morrison has already cemented his place in a growing conservative club also including the likes of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson drawn into Trump's orbit. Trump and Morrison agree on much, with Australia joining the US-led patrols of the Strait of Hormuz off Iran and following Washington's lead to excluding China's Huawei from its 5G phone market. Trump has defied controversy over his push to prevent illegal immigrants and asylum seekers from crossing the Mexican border. Similarly, Morrison, a former immigration minister, has worked to make Australia less attractive to would-be asylum seekers. His Liberal-National coalition also has much in common with Trump's climate change scepticism, rejecting overwhelming scientific warnings to encourage lucrative fossil fuel industries. Australia is the world's largest coal exporter. This is "one of our strongest and most enduring relationships anywhere in the world," a senior Trump administration official said Thursday, asking not to be identified. One area that Trump especially appreciates is a trade where the United States enjoys a surplus. The trade conflicts proliferating under Trump have bypassed Australia. The administration official said that cooperation between Australia's space agency and NASA on a return to the Moon and joint efforts to ensure "stable and secure" access to rare earth metals were on the agenda Friday. The relationship gets more complicated over how to deal with China. Under Trump, the United States has embarked on what some are comparing to a new Cold War. Huge trade tariffs and growing competition in the military-strategic sphere are sending ripples through the entire Pacific region. As China rises, there are even worries in some quarters that Australia may not always be able to rely on its US security umbrella. A hard-hitting report from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney in August said the US military is an "atrophying force" that is "dangerously overstretched" and "ill-prepared" for a confrontation with China.

Trump, backed by Australia's Morrison, talks tough on China

'Only Bibi' no more: Why does Israel's Netanyahu want to power-share?

In a dusty Kabul suburb, hundreds of workers check and recheck biometric fingerprint readers&nbsp;part of a massive effort to ensure Afghanistan's upcoming presidential election is not tainted by fraud allegations that have marred previous polls.

The young employees at the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are rushing through final technical preparations for the vote, set for September 28.

The stakes for the IEC are high, with the question of turnout in Afghanistan's fourth presidential election since the fall of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistans-taliban-tells-teachers-students-to-block-presidential-elections-or-risk-death-250375">Taliban</a>&nbsp;crucial to whether it is seen as fair and transparent.

The Taliban have openly threatened to disrupt the polls and killed 26 people in a bomb blast at a campaign rally being held by President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week.

Turnout in previous polls has historically been low. The United Nations estimated it at around 32 per cent for the 2009 elections, while no credible figure was available for the 2014 vote.

Each time the exercise has been tainted with accusations of irregularities particularly in 2014.

Then, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bomb-blast-hits-pro-ghani-campaign-gathering-in-central-afghanistan-source-250173">Ghani</a> and rival Abdullah Abdullah both claimed to have won, plunging Afghanistan into months of crisis before the US and the UN pressured them to form a "national unity government", with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-president-ashraf-ghani-sees-his-chance-in-upcoming-elections-after-collapse-of-us-taliban-talks-250287">Ghani</a> as president and Abdullah his chief executive.

The two are once again facing off in 2019 as the likely favourites, underscoring the comparison to 2014.

"People have lost their trust and confidence because of serious fraud in the past elections," Sughra Saadat, spokeswoman for the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA), told AFP.

"So far, election bodies have failed to restore people's trust."

Without such faith in the process, it is hard to see why voters should risk their lives to participate.

Yet the winner will need a strong mandate if he wants to pose as an interlocutor with the Taliban in any future talks.

The insurgents have always considered Ghani a "puppet" of Washington and ensured he was sidelined from talks which have since fallen apart&nbsp;between Washington and the Taliban that would have paved the way for the US to begin withdrawing troops.

If re-elected, Ghani hopes to put the Afghan government back in the mix.

Secret weapon&nbsp;

The IEC's chairwoman, Hawa Alam Nooristani, assured AFP that this vote will be different "because we have worked on rules and regulations, procedures and mechanisms to prevent fraud".

Supervisors in Afghanistan's 34 provinces were recruited in a process overseen by independent organisations such as the TEFA, she added.

Her secret weapon&nbsp;the biometric fingerprint readers which are meant to prevent people from voting more than once was used during the chaotic legislative elections in October last year, but they were only introduced at the eleventh hour.

Untrained staff struggled with glitches such as the devices running out of power, and the result was at best mixed.

This time, she says, all the necessary precautions have been taken&nbsp;in particular, getting technicians from the German company which makes the readers train the IEC workers directly.

Protecting voters&nbsp;and polling station officials&nbsp;remains a top priority.

All observers expect a further wave of violence from the insurgents, who want to undermine the future head of state by discouraging as many of the 9.6 million voters as possible from going to the polls.

Nearly 500 polling stations have already been excluded because security could not be guaranteed, leaving 4,942 across the country to be protected by 72,000 members of the security forces.

The IEC's huge complex is itself a tightly guarded fortress, with four checkpoints and as many barriers to cross before visitors can access it.

Under a blazing sun, workers unload long bundles of canvas from a truck tent&nbsp;which will serve as polling stations in rural areas without the necessary facilities.

Grey metal hangars house the technical operations.

Under one, the voices of around a hundred young people can be heard as they activate and test the biometric readers before stacking them in large blue plastic boxes.

In the next hangar, men fill the same blue boxes with sealed ballots, voter registers, and a variety of materials to guarantee the integrity of the ballot.

Those include invisible ink to mark voter registration cards, with the mark only visible under the light of a small torch contained in the box, batteries included.

Then there's the traditional, low-tech safeguard: bottles of indelible ink into which every voter will dip their finger as they vote.

"It will make a difference," Farid Nader, a supervisor, says hopefully. "Young people will trust the election."

In a dusty Kabul suburb, hundreds of workers check and recheck biometric fingerprint readers part of a massive effort to ensure Afghanistan's upcoming presidential election is not tainted by fraud allegations that have marred previous polls.

In a dusty Kabul suburb, hundreds of workers check and recheck biometric fingerprint readers part of a massive effort to ensure Afghanistan's upcoming presidential election is not tainted by fraud allegations that have marred previous polls. The young employees at the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are rushing through final technical preparations for the vote, set for September 28. The stakes for the IEC are high, with the question of turnout in Afghanistan's fourth presidential election since the fall of the Taliban crucial to whether it is seen as fair and transparent. The Taliban have openly threatened to disrupt the polls and killed 26 people in a bomb blast at a campaign rally being held by President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week. Turnout in previous polls has historically been low. The United Nations estimated it at around 32 per cent for the 2009 elections, while no credible figure was available for the 2014 vote. Each time the exercise has been tainted with accusations of irregularities particularly in 2014. Then, Ghani and rival Abdullah Abdullah both claimed to have won, plunging Afghanistan into months of crisis before the US and the UN pressured them to form a "national unity government", with Ghani as president and Abdullah his chief executive. The two are once again facing off in 2019 as the likely favourites, underscoring the comparison to 2014. "People have lost their trust and confidence because of serious fraud in the past elections," Sughra Saadat, spokeswoman for the Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA), told AFP. "So far, election bodies have failed to restore people's trust." Without such faith in the process, it is hard to see why voters should risk their lives to participate. Yet the winner will need a strong mandate if he wants to pose as an interlocutor with the Taliban in any future talks. The insurgents have always considered Ghani a "puppet" of Washington and ensured he was sidelined from talks which have since fallen apart between Washington and the Taliban that would have paved the way for the US to begin withdrawing troops. If re-elected, Ghani hopes to put the Afghan government back in the mix. Secret weapon The IEC's chairwoman, Hawa Alam Nooristani, assured AFP that this vote will be different "because we have worked on rules and regulations, procedures and mechanisms to prevent fraud". Supervisors in Afghanistan's 34 provinces were recruited in a process overseen by independent organisations such as the TEFA, she added. Her secret weapon the biometric fingerprint readers which are meant to prevent people from voting more than once was used during the chaotic legislative elections in October last year, but they were only introduced at the eleventh hour. Untrained staff struggled with glitches such as the devices running out of power, and the result was at best mixed. This time, she says, all the necessary precautions have been taken in particular, getting technicians from the German company which makes the readers train the IEC workers directly. Protecting voters and polling station officials remains a top priority. All observers expect a further wave of violence from the insurgents, who want to undermine the future head of state by discouraging as many of the 9.6 million voters as possible from going to the polls. Nearly 500 polling stations have already been excluded because security could not be guaranteed, leaving 4,942 across the country to be protected by 72,000 members of the security forces. The IEC's huge complex is itself a tightly guarded fortress, with four checkpoints and as many barriers to cross before visitors can access it. Under a blazing sun, workers unload long bundles of canvas from a truck tent which will serve as polling stations in rural areas without the necessary facilities. Grey metal hangars house the technical operations. Under one, the voices of around a hundred young people can be heard as they activate and test the biometric readers before stacking them in large blue plastic boxes. In the next hangar, men fill the same blue boxes with sealed ballots, voter registers, and a variety of materials to guarantee the integrity of the ballot. Those include invisible ink to mark voter registration cards, with the mark only visible under the light of a small torch contained in the box, batteries included. Then there's the traditional, low-tech safeguard: bottles of indelible ink into which every voter will dip their finger as they vote. "It will make a difference," Farid Nader, a supervisor, says hopefully. "Young people will trust the election."

Fraud the main enemy for Afghan election officials

Telugu Desam Party chief <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/andhra-pradesh-chandrababu-naidu-son-nara-lokesh-put-under-preventive-detention-248958">N Chandrababu</a> on Tuesday called YSRCP Chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy a 'psycho'&nbsp;alleging that he is acting in a vindictive manner as false cases are being filed against TDP leaders.

"Our party leaders were booked under various cases despite the fact that they did nothing wrong. Cases are being filed on TDP leaders for petty reasons by a person of no integrity. Cases filed by YSRCP against Kodela Siva Prasada Rao with non-bailable sections were petty. Jagan Reddy is a psycho, who is acting in a vindictive manner," said Naidu in a press conference.

The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister also alleged that lawyers of Kodela were badly treated.

"When we approached the DGP to look into the matter, he expressed helplessness. How can such DGP save law and order? Now, we will go to any extent, we will fight legally to get justice for Kodela," he said.

Levying accusations on YSRCP for the alleged suicide of former assembly speaker Kodela, Naidu said: "A person had filed SC, ST atrocity case against Kodela. It was the utter misuse of the act as he was abroad at that time. Who is responsible (for the death of Kodela)? Is the Chief Minister not responsible? You drove a brave person Kodela into a condition that he committed suicide."

Seeking Reddy's explanation in the case, the TDP president said: "Why Jagan is remaining silent on the issue? Whenever any allegation is levelled against me, I always give an explanation."

Naidu concluded saying that police should act in a fair manner in the suicide case of Kodela and make ensure that law and order are maintained.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botsa Satyanarayana have asked for a comprehensive investigation on the suicide of Kodela at Hyderabad where the incident took place.

Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu on Tuesday called YSRCP Chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy a 'psycho' alleging that he is acting in a vindictive manner as false cases are being filed against TDP leaders.

Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu on Tuesday called YSRCP Chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy a 'psycho' alleging that he is acting in a vindictive manner as false cases are being filed against TDP leaders. "Our party leaders were booked under various cases despite the fact that they did nothing wrong. Cases are being filed on TDP leaders for petty reasons by a person of no integrity. Cases filed by YSRCP against Kodela Siva Prasada Rao with non-bailable sections were petty. Jagan Reddy is a psycho, who is acting in a vindictive manner," said Naidu in a press conference. The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister also alleged that lawyers of Kodela were badly treated. "When we approached the DGP to look into the matter, he expressed helplessness. How can such DGP save law and order? Now, we will go to any extent, we will fight legally to get justice for Kodela," he said. Levying accusations on YSRCP for the alleged suicide of former assembly speaker Kodela, Naidu said: "A person had filed SC, ST atrocity case against Kodela. It was the utter misuse of the act as he was abroad at that time. Who is responsible (for the death of Kodela)? Is the Chief Minister not responsible? You drove a brave person Kodela into a condition that he committed suicide." Seeking Reddy's explanation in the case, the TDP president said: "Why Jagan is remaining silent on the issue? Whenever any allegation is levelled against me, I always give an explanation." Naidu concluded saying that police should act in a fair manner in the suicide case of Kodela and make ensure that law and order are maintained. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Botsa Satyanarayana have asked for a comprehensive investigation on the suicide of Kodela at Hyderabad where the incident took place.

Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Reddy acting in a vindictive manner: Chandrababu Naidu

US and Chinese officials will restart trade talks at the end of this week, but any agreement the world's largest economies carve out is expected to be a superficial fix.

The trade war has hardened into a political and ideological battle that runs far deeper than tariffs, trade experts, executives, and officials in both countries say.

China's Communist Party is unlikely to budge on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/american-business-community-wants-trade-deal-between-us-china-249649">US</a>&nbsp;demands to fundamentally change the way it runs the economy, while the US&nbsp;won't backtrack on labelling Chinese companies national security threats.

The conflict between the two countries could take a decade to resolve, White House economic adviser <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-us-talks-likely-to-heat-up-in-october-meeting-kudlow-248069">Larry Kudlow</a> warned on September&nbsp;6.

Yu Yongding, an influential former policy adviser to China's central bank, told Reuters that China was in no rush to make a deal.

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may hammer out an interim agreement in October to soothe stock markets and claim political victory after this week's lower-level talks.

But any final agreement is "extremely unlikely to meaningfully address the Chinese structural reforms" sought by the US&nbsp;and other countries, said Kellie Meiman Hock, a former US&nbsp;Trade Representative official and managing partner with McLarty Associates, a policy and government consultancy.

Negotiators have made little discernible progress on the many points of disagreement since negotiations broke down in May, sources briefed on the talks say.

Issues divide&nbsp;

Beijing is unwilling to address the way it supports state-owned companies and subsidises their products in coming talks, sources in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-trade-war-to-knock-05-points-off-global-growth-french-finance-minister-247859">China and the US</a> say.

The US&nbsp;continues to label the Chinese tech company Huawei a national security threat, and dangle the threat of new tariffs against China.

"The ultimate result of talks must be the dropping of all tariffs," said He Weiwen, senior fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.

"This is the baseline for China." He is not optimistic about the talks' prospects. Since trade negotiations between the world's largest economies collapsed in May, both countries have also broken promises and traded public insults.

The mood is upbeat, but a single Trump tweet could turn that around, analysts say.

"They're locked in this uncomfortable embrace," said William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official and Center for Strategic and International Studies fellow.

"Both presidents have undercut their negotiators and neither side can rely on what the other has said," he said.

 
'Techtonic shift&nbsp; 

Trump's "tough on China" stance has swept in a new way of thinking about Beijing in Washington, despite the unpopularity of many of his other policies.

The US&nbsp;Congress, bitterly divided along partisan lines on most issues, is united about the need for systemic reform in China.

Democrats running against Trump aren't likely to repair the China relationship if they take the White House in 2020.

In a debate on September 12, presidential candidates used terms like corruption and theft to discuss China's trade practices.

"There's been a tectonic shift," said Warren Maruyama, former general counsel for the US&nbsp;Trade Representative's office and a partner with law firm Hogan Lovells.

"The old idea that China was in the middle of free-market economic reforms that would lead them our way is effectively dead," Maruyama said.

"There's bipartisan support for a tougher China policy."

Lawmakers are responding, with several China-related bills making their way through Congress, from legislation to punish Beijing for human rights abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang and to support protesters in Hong Kong.

Additionally, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, could include provisions targeting China on issues ranging from technology transfers to the sale of synthetic opioids.

US and Chinese officials will restart trade talks at the end of this week, but any agreement the world's largest economies carve out is expected to be a superficial fix.

US and Chinese officials will restart trade talks at the end of this week, but any agreement the world's largest economies carve out is expected to be a superficial fix. The trade war has hardened into a political and ideological battle that runs far deeper than tariffs, trade experts, executives, and officials in both countries say. China's Communist Party is unlikely to budge on US demands to fundamentally change the way it runs the economy, while the US won't backtrack on labelling Chinese companies national security threats. The conflict between the two countries could take a decade to resolve, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow warned on September 6. Yu Yongding, an influential former policy adviser to China's central bank, told Reuters that China was in no rush to make a deal. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may hammer out an interim agreement in October to soothe stock markets and claim political victory after this week's lower-level talks. But any final agreement is "extremely unlikely to meaningfully address the Chinese structural reforms" sought by the US and other countries, said Kellie Meiman Hock, a former US Trade Representative official and managing partner with McLarty Associates, a policy and government consultancy. Negotiators have made little discernible progress on the many points of disagreement since negotiations broke down in May, sources briefed on the talks say. Issues divide Beijing is unwilling to address the way it supports state-owned companies and subsidises their products in coming talks, sources in China and the US say. The US continues to label the Chinese tech company Huawei a national security threat, and dangle the threat of new tariffs against China. "The ultimate result of talks must be the dropping of all tariffs," said He Weiwen, senior fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University. "This is the baseline for China." He is not optimistic about the talks' prospects. Since trade negotiations between the world's largest economies collapsed in May, both countries have also broken promises and traded public insults. The mood is upbeat, but a single Trump tweet could turn that around, analysts say. "They're locked in this uncomfortable embrace," said William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official and Center for Strategic and International Studies fellow. "Both presidents have undercut their negotiators and neither side can rely on what the other has said," he said. 'Techtonic shift Trump's "tough on China" stance has swept in a new way of thinking about Beijing in Washington, despite the unpopularity of many of his other policies. The US Congress, bitterly divided along partisan lines on most issues, is united about the need for systemic reform in China. Democrats running against Trump aren't likely to repair the China relationship if they take the White House in 2020. In a debate on September 12, presidential candidates used terms like corruption and theft to discuss China's trade practices. "There's been a tectonic shift," said Warren Maruyama, former general counsel for the US Trade Representative's office and a partner with law firm Hogan Lovells. "The old idea that China was in the middle of free-market economic reforms that would lead them our way is effectively dead," Maruyama said. "There's bipartisan support for a tougher China policy." Lawmakers are responding, with several China-related bills making their way through Congress, from legislation to punish Beijing for human rights abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang and to support protesters in Hong Kong. Additionally, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, could include provisions targeting China on issues ranging from technology transfers to the sale of synthetic opioids.

Trade talks seen as unlikely to mend US-China divide

Sri Lanka's ruling coalition became embroiled in a power struggle Tuesday as two challengers came forward to oppose Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to be a candidate for a looming presidential election.

Wickremesinghe had been the clear frontrunner to be the United National Party candidate until parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya and deputy party leader Sajith Premadasa threw their hats into the ring.

The UNP dominates the ruling coalition and is expected to nominate its candidate for the election to be held between November 7 and December 7.

Voting already risks controversy with Gotabaya Rajapakse, younger brother of Sri Lanka's former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse, leading the opposition bid despite outstanding court cases and criminal inquiries.

Jayasuriya, 78, who played a key role in ending a political crisis last year, said he wants the top office so he can scrap the presidential system which he accused of centralising power.

"I will enter the contest with the intention of abolishing the executive presidency and not to enjoy that office," Jayasuriya said in a statement.

"Since 1995, we have wanted to scrap the presidency, but failed."

Jayasuriya led a campaign by members of parliament in October to oppose incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena's bid to sack Wickremesinghe and install a puppet prime minister.

Hours before his announcement, however, Premadasa, 52, told a hurriedly summoned press conference that he should be the UNP's presidential hopeful.

The son of President Ranasinghe Premadasa who was assassinated by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in 1993, Premadasa called for a secret ballot of the UNP executive to decide the candidate.

It was not clear when the party would decide, but the election is expected to be formally declared later this month.

Premadasa said he would beat Rajapakse who is considered a strong contender even though he faces corruption cases in Sri Lanka and two civil actions in the United States.

The US cases are over the murder of a newspaper editor and torture of Tamil rebel suspects when he was a top defence ministry official during his brother's rule.

Sirisena broke away from Mahinda Rajapakse's Sri Lanka Freedom Party to win the last election in 2015 with the help of the UNP. However, he later formed a new alliance with Rajapakse.

Squabbles between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe came to a head when Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe in October last year and tried to put former president Mahinda Rajapakse in his place.

The Supreme Court eventually ruled that Sirisena's actions were illegal.

Sirisena's alliance with Rajapakse was also short-lived as Rajapakse has since formed a new party.

Sirisena has not yet announced whether he will seek a new term.

Sri Lanka's ruling coalition became embroiled in a power struggle Tuesday as two challengers came forward to oppose Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to be a candidate for a looming presidential election.

Sri Lanka's ruling coalition became embroiled in a power struggle Tuesday as two challengers came forward to oppose Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to be a candidate for a looming presidential election. Wickremesinghe had been the clear frontrunner to be the United National Party candidate until parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya and deputy party leader Sajith Premadasa threw their hats into the ring. The UNP dominates the ruling coalition and is expected to nominate its candidate for the election to be held between November 7 and December 7. Voting already risks controversy with Gotabaya Rajapakse, younger brother of Sri Lanka's former strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse, leading the opposition bid despite outstanding court cases and criminal inquiries. Jayasuriya, 78, who played a key role in ending a political crisis last year, said he wants the top office so he can scrap the presidential system which he accused of centralising power. "I will enter the contest with the intention of abolishing the executive presidency and not to enjoy that office," Jayasuriya said in a statement. "Since 1995, we have wanted to scrap the presidency, but failed." Jayasuriya led a campaign by members of parliament in October to oppose incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena's bid to sack Wickremesinghe and install a puppet prime minister. Hours before his announcement, however, Premadasa, 52, told a hurriedly summoned press conference that he should be the UNP's presidential hopeful. The son of President Ranasinghe Premadasa who was assassinated by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in 1993, Premadasa called for a secret ballot of the UNP executive to decide the candidate. It was not clear when the party would decide, but the election is expected to be formally declared later this month. Premadasa said he would beat Rajapakse who is considered a strong contender even though he faces corruption cases in Sri Lanka and two civil actions in the United States. The US cases are over the murder of a newspaper editor and torture of Tamil rebel suspects when he was a top defence ministry official during his brother's rule. Sirisena broke away from Mahinda Rajapakse's Sri Lanka Freedom Party to win the last election in 2015 with the help of the UNP. However, he later formed a new alliance with Rajapakse. Squabbles between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe came to a head when Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe in October last year and tried to put former president Mahinda Rajapakse in his place. The Supreme Court eventually ruled that Sirisena's actions were illegal. Sirisena's alliance with Rajapakse was also short-lived as Rajapakse has since formed a new party. Sirisena has not yet announced whether he will seek a new term.

Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe faces party challenge in the presidential battle

Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cautiously-optimistic-on-brexit-deal-says-pm-boris-johnson-ahead-of-eu-meeting-249472">Boris Johnson</a> insisted Sunday that "huge" progress was being made in Brexit talks and declared Britain would break out of the European Union just like the comic-book hero Hulk.

The Conservative leader made the comments ahead of meetings with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU negotiator Michel Barnier in Luxembourg on Monday.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Johnson said he was "very confident" of getting a divorce deal at an EU summit on October 17, in time for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boris-johnson-denies-lying-to-queen-in-brexit-crisis-249286">Brexit on October 31</a>.

In an odd analogy, he compared Britain to the comic book character Hulk.

"The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets and he always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be and that is the case for this country," he said.

But <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-pm-johnson-tells-parliament-you-can-tie-my-hands-but-i-will-not-delay-brexit-248705">Johnson</a> is facing opposition in parliament to his threat to leave the EU without a deal next month if his negotiations fail.

On Saturday night, one of his Conservative MPs defected to the pro-European Liberal Democrats.

Former universities minister Sam Gyimah, who has called for a re-run of the 2016 Brexit referendum, condemned Johnson for "veering towards populism".

Meanwhile, former prime minister David Cameron, who led the failed campaign to stay in the EU in 2016, accused Johnson in his memoirs of only pursuing Brexit out of political ambition.

The turmoil comes ahead of another crucial week, as the Supreme Court considers the legality of Johnson's decision to suspend parliament earlier this month until October 14.

'Landing zone'

Johnson was a leading "Leave" campaigner in the referendum and took office in July promising to deliver Brexit no matter what.

He wants to renegotiate the terms struck by his predecessor Theresa May, which MPs have rejected, but EU leaders have so far refused.

He told the Mail there was a "very good conversation" going on about the key sticking point, the issue of the Irish border.

"A huge amount of progress is being made," he said.

Much of the opposition in London to the current Brexit deal is focused on the so-called backstop plan to keep open the Irish border.

It could keep Britain indefinitely tied to EU trade rules to avoid frontier checks between British Northern and EU member Ireland.

Brexit minister Steve Barclay insisted "the backstop needs to go", but fuelled speculation that an alternative might be taking shape.

"We can see a landing zone in terms of a future deal but there is significant work still to do," he told Sky News television on Sunday.

"The talks tomorrow will be an important step forward as part of that and they build on significant discussions that have been happening at a technical level."

'Stark choice'

Johnson repeated that "under no circumstances" would he delay Brexit.

However, he may have no choice after MPs last week passed a law to postpone until January if he does not get a divorce deal by the EU summit.

Twenty-one Conservatives rebelled to back the law and were expelled from the party, leaving Johnson without a majority in the House of Commons.

One of the rebels was Gyimah, who becomes the Lib Dems' 18th MP in the 650-seat chamber.

The 43-year-old was once viewed as a rising star in the Conservatives and briefly ran against Johnson for the party leadership.

But he said Johnson had left moderates like him with a "stark choice&nbsp;to accept a no-deal Brexit or walk away from public life".

He told The Observer newspaper: "It is beyond Brexit how you conduct politics and the veering towards populism and English nationalism."

Cameron critique&nbsp;

Johnson also suffered fresh criticism from his predecessor, Cameron, whose memoir "For The Record", was serialised in the Sunday Times ahead of its publication on Thursday.

Cameron said Johnson only backed Brexit because he believed it would make him the "darling" of the Tory party, thus positioning him for power.

He said he "risked an outcome he didn't believe in because it would help his political career".

Cameron also accused Johnson and fellow Brexit campaigner Michael Gove, now a top minister, of "becoming ambassadors for the expert-trashing, truth-twisting age of populism".

He condemned claims they made about the savings Britain would make by ending its EU membership, and of the likelihood of Turkey joining the bloc.

"Leave was lying," he wrote.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted Sunday that "huge" progress was being made in Brexit talks and declared Britain would break out of the European Union just like the comic-book hero Hulk.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted Sunday that "huge" progress was being made in Brexit talks and declared Britain would break out of the European Union just like the comic-book hero Hulk. The Conservative leader made the comments ahead of meetings with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU negotiator Michel Barnier in Luxembourg on Monday. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper, Johnson said he was "very confident" of getting a divorce deal at an EU summit on October 17, in time for Brexit on October 31. In an odd analogy, he compared Britain to the comic book character Hulk. "The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets and he always escaped, no matter how tightly bound in he seemed to be and that is the case for this country," he said. But Johnson is facing opposition in parliament to his threat to leave the EU without a deal next month if his negotiations fail. On Saturday night, one of his Conservative MPs defected to the pro-European Liberal Democrats. Former universities minister Sam Gyimah, who has called for a re-run of the 2016 Brexit referendum, condemned Johnson for "veering towards populism". Meanwhile, former prime minister David Cameron, who led the failed campaign to stay in the EU in 2016, accused Johnson in his memoirs of only pursuing Brexit out of political ambition. The turmoil comes ahead of another crucial week, as the Supreme Court considers the legality of Johnson's decision to suspend parliament earlier this month until October 14. 'Landing zone' Johnson was a leading "Leave" campaigner in the referendum and took office in July promising to deliver Brexit no matter what. He wants to renegotiate the terms struck by his predecessor Theresa May, which MPs have rejected, but EU leaders have so far refused. He told the Mail there was a "very good conversation" going on about the key sticking point, the issue of the Irish border. "A huge amount of progress is being made," he said. Much of the opposition in London to the current Brexit deal is focused on the so-called backstop plan to keep open the Irish border. It could keep Britain indefinitely tied to EU trade rules to avoid frontier checks between British Northern and EU member Ireland. Brexit minister Steve Barclay insisted "the backstop needs to go", but fuelled speculation that an alternative might be taking shape. "We can see a landing zone in terms of a future deal but there is significant work still to do," he told Sky News television on Sunday. "The talks tomorrow will be an important step forward as part of that and they build on significant discussions that have been happening at a technical level." 'Stark choice' Johnson repeated that "under no circumstances" would he delay Brexit. However, he may have no choice after MPs last week passed a law to postpone until January if he does not get a divorce deal by the EU summit. Twenty-one Conservatives rebelled to back the law and were expelled from the party, leaving Johnson without a majority in the House of Commons. One of the rebels was Gyimah, who becomes the Lib Dems' 18th MP in the 650-seat chamber. The 43-year-old was once viewed as a rising star in the Conservatives and briefly ran against Johnson for the party leadership. But he said Johnson had left moderates like him with a "stark choice to accept a no-deal Brexit or walk away from public life". He told The Observer newspaper: "It is beyond Brexit how you conduct politics and the veering towards populism and English nationalism." Cameron critique Johnson also suffered fresh criticism from his predecessor, Cameron, whose memoir "For The Record", was serialised in the Sunday Times ahead of its publication on Thursday. Cameron said Johnson only backed Brexit because he believed it would make him the "darling" of the Tory party, thus positioning him for power. He said he "risked an outcome he didn't believe in because it would help his political career". Cameron also accused Johnson and fellow Brexit campaigner Michael Gove, now a top minister, of "becoming ambassadors for the expert-trashing, truth-twisting age of populism". He condemned claims they made about the savings Britain would make by ending its EU membership, and of the likelihood of Turkey joining the bloc. "Leave was lying," he wrote.

UK's Johnson, likening himself to Incredible Hulk, vows October 31 Brexit

Fights erupted in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-hills-shine-with-protest-lights-in-festival-themed-rally-249521">Hong Kong</a> on Saturday with political rivals trading blows <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-unrest-protesters-plan-shopping-mall-sit-ins-after-hill-top-human-chains-249585">in a mall and Beijing supporters using Chinese flags to assault</a>&nbsp;opponents on a street, deepening the city's polarisation after months of pro-democracy protests.

The once-stable international hub has been convulsed by weeks of huge, sometimes violent rallies calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.

The movement is the biggest challenge to China's rule since the city was handed back by Britain in 1997 and shows no sign of ending, with city leaders and Beijing taking a hard line.

Fights have begun breaking out with increased frequency after pro-democracy supporters began holding impromptu singalongs of a popular protest anthem&nbsp;and as pro- Beijing supporters have held rival gatherings to sing China's national anthem.

In the district of Fortress Hill on Saturday, a group of men, many waving Chinese flags and wearing blue t-shirts declaring "I love HK police", attacked people perceived to be pro-democracy protesters.

Multiple videos posted online showed the group of men assaulting largely younger victims with large flags on poles and with punches and kicks as terrified onlookers ran away.

Hong Kong police did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.

Fortress Hill is next to North Point, an area of the city where similar mob attacks by government supporters have occurred this summer and which has long been a bastion of pro-Beijing sentiment.

Shortly before the assaults, the men were filmed tearing down post-it notes and posters on a nearby "Lennon Wall", pro-democracy billboards which have sprung up across the city.

Within hours, the wall was back up as crowds put up new slogans and messages.

"It makes me so angry," a 37-year-old local pro-democracy protester, who gave her first name as Ed, told AFP.

"These walls are a form of emotional support, it shows the movement is still alive. But even if they destroy it, we will just build it again."

Bloody mall brawl

Fights later broke out between pro-China and pro-democracy supporters in Amoy Plaza, a shopping centre on the other side of the harbour.

An AFP photographer at the scene said some two hundred people had gathered to wave Chinese flags and sing the national anthem.

Violence erupted after pro-democracy supporters arrived on the scene with several people on both sides visibly bloodied and bruised.

Police with shields and helmets later rushed into the mall, ending the fights.

Some young pro-democracy supporters were seen being detained outside and inside the mall by police.

The South China Morning Post said fights also broke out between ideological rivals in a subway station.

Democracy protesters have accused police of taking sides, clamping down harder on their camp than violent government supporters accusations the force has strongly denied.

An attack by pro-government men with sticks in the town of Yuen Long in July which left more than 40 people hospitalised sent anger soaring after police were accused to taking too long to get to the incident and failing to arrest the aggressors on site.

Hong Kong has been battered by nearly 100 days of protests, sparked by a now-abandoned plan to allow extraditions to the mainland.

But with few concessions won so far the movement has snowballed into wider calls for democracy and a halt to sliding freedoms under Beijing's rule.

Millions have taken part in huge, largely peaceful demonstrations.

But smaller groups of hardline protesters have fought increasingly violent battles with riot police and vandalised subway stations in scenes that have sent shockwaves through the once-stable financial hub.

Under a deal signed with Britain ahead of the city's 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong is allowed to keep its unique freedoms for 50 years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-activist-joshua-wong-seeks-trump-us-congress-support-249535">Democracy activists</a> accuse Beijing of reneging on those promises by ramping up political control over the semi-autonomous territory.

Activists and analysts say the movement will only end when some other key demands are met, such as an inquiry into the police, an amnesty for the nearly 1,400 people arrested and universal suffrage.

But there is little sign of Beijing agreeing to those demands.

Plans by demonstrators to hold a large rally on Sunday have been rejected by the police.

Previous bans have simply been ignored by the masses and clashes with police have quickly followed.

Protesters have also called for rallies the next two weekends and a general strike starting in October.

Fights erupted in Hong Kong on Saturday with political rivals trading blows in a mall and Beijing supporters using Chinese flags to assault opponents on a street, deepening the city's polarisation after months of pro-democracy protests.

Fights erupted in Hong Kong on Saturday with political rivals trading blows in a mall and Beijing supporters using Chinese flags to assault opponents on a street, deepening the city's polarisation after months of pro-democracy protests. The once-stable international hub has been convulsed by weeks of huge, sometimes violent rallies calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability. The movement is the biggest challenge to China's rule since the city was handed back by Britain in 1997 and shows no sign of ending, with city leaders and Beijing taking a hard line. Fights have begun breaking out with increased frequency after pro-democracy supporters began holding impromptu singalongs of a popular protest anthem and as pro- Beijing supporters have held rival gatherings to sing China's national anthem. In the district of Fortress Hill on Saturday, a group of men, many waving Chinese flags and wearing blue t-shirts declaring "I love HK police", attacked people perceived to be pro-democracy protesters. Multiple videos posted online showed the group of men assaulting largely younger victims with large flags on poles and with punches and kicks as terrified onlookers ran away. Hong Kong police did not respond to a request for comment on the incident. Fortress Hill is next to North Point, an area of the city where similar mob attacks by government supporters have occurred this summer and which has long been a bastion of pro-Beijing sentiment. Shortly before the assaults, the men were filmed tearing down post-it notes and posters on a nearby "Lennon Wall", pro-democracy billboards which have sprung up across the city. Within hours, the wall was back up as crowds put up new slogans and messages. "It makes me so angry," a 37-year-old local pro-democracy protester, who gave her first name as Ed, told AFP. "These walls are a form of emotional support, it shows the movement is still alive. But even if they destroy it, we will just build it again." Bloody mall brawl Fights later broke out between pro-China and pro-democracy supporters in Amoy Plaza, a shopping centre on the other side of the harbour. An AFP photographer at the scene said some two hundred people had gathered to wave Chinese flags and sing the national anthem. Violence erupted after pro-democracy supporters arrived on the scene with several people on both sides visibly bloodied and bruised. Police with shields and helmets later rushed into the mall, ending the fights. Some young pro-democracy supporters were seen being detained outside and inside the mall by police. The South China Morning Post said fights also broke out between ideological rivals in a subway station. Democracy protesters have accused police of taking sides, clamping down harder on their camp than violent government supporters accusations the force has strongly denied. An attack by pro-government men with sticks in the town of Yuen Long in July which left more than 40 people hospitalised sent anger soaring after police were accused to taking too long to get to the incident and failing to arrest the aggressors on site. Hong Kong has been battered by nearly 100 days of protests, sparked by a now-abandoned plan to allow extraditions to the mainland. But with few concessions won so far the movement has snowballed into wider calls for democracy and a halt to sliding freedoms under Beijing's rule. Millions have taken part in huge, largely peaceful demonstrations. But smaller groups of hardline protesters have fought increasingly violent battles with riot police and vandalised subway stations in scenes that have sent shockwaves through the once-stable financial hub. Under a deal signed with Britain ahead of the city's 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong is allowed to keep its unique freedoms for 50 years. Democracy activists accuse Beijing of reneging on those promises by ramping up political control over the semi-autonomous territory. Activists and analysts say the movement will only end when some other key demands are met, such as an inquiry into the police, an amnesty for the nearly 1,400 people arrested and universal suffrage. But there is little sign of Beijing agreeing to those demands. Plans by demonstrators to hold a large rally on Sunday have been rejected by the police. Previous bans have simply been ignored by the masses and clashes with police have quickly followed. Protesters have also called for rallies the next two weekends and a general strike starting in October.

Mall brawls and street fights as Hong Kong polarisation deepens

Zimbabwe gave <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mugabe-to-be-buried-in-a-month-at-zimbabwes-heroes-monument-249540">former leader Robert Mugabe</a> a state funeral on Saturday with African leaders paying tribute to a man lauded as a liberation hero but whose 37-year rule was defined by repression and economic turmoil.

Mugabe, who <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/body-of-zimbabwes-mugabe-to-leave-singapore-for-burial-at-home-248929">died</a>&nbsp;in Singapore <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/former-zimbabwe-president-robert-mugabe-passes-away-at-95-247895">aged 95</a>, left Zimbabwe deeply divided over his legacy with the southern African country still struggling with high inflation and shortages of goods after decades of mismanagement.

Mugabe died last week on an overseas medical trip almost two years after former army loyalists forced him out in 2017, following a power struggle over what was widely perceived as his bid to position his wife Grace to succeed him.

Former and current African leaders, including South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, arrived in crowds chanting and drumming liberation songs at the 60,000-capacity national stadium in Harare for Saturday's ceremony.

Mugabe's casket draped in the green, black, gold and red Zimbabwe flag was marched slowly into the stadium, accompanied by a military band and an escort of officers. His wife Grace, in a black veil, and family followed behind.

"Let us put aside our differences and come together as we remember the past and look to the future as one proud, independent and free nation," Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a tweet.

Mugabe's body was returned from Singapore on Wednesday to a country he helped found as an anti-colonial guerrilla and pan-African leader who ended the white-minority rule and helped bring more education and healthcare to the poor black majority.

Later, Mugabe turned to repression and fear to crush dissidents and ruled for nearly four decades during which he becomes an international pariah for his takeover of white-owned farms.

"You can't talk about Zimbabwe without Bob. Zimbabwe is Bob. It took a man like Bob, his bravery, to get independence," said Norman Gombera, 57, a school principal in Harare. "Bob did his best under the circumstances. There is no country without a problem."

'Bitter legacy'

His final burial at a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mugabes-family-agree-to-burial-in-heroes-monument-249523">national monument</a> will only happen after a new mausoleum is built in about 30 days. That decision was taken after his family ended a dispute with Mnangagwa, a former ally who turned against his rule in 2017.

Though lauded as an African icon, at home many Zimbabweans will remember Mugabe more for the economic mismanagement that forced millions to flee the country during decades of crisis.

Many are struggling to survive despite Mnangagwa's vows of more investment and jobs in the post-Mugabe era.

"The fruits of his tenure are the shortages. That is what we remember him for," said Steven, a consultant shopping nearby the stadium.

"He has made sure there is no opposition and he succeeded. There is no reason to go to his funeral."

Always divisive in life, Mugabe's funeral arrangements were also caught up in a dispute between Mnangagwa and the family over where and when the former leader should be buried.

The two parties on Friday finally agreed he should lie at National Heroes Acre. But the final ceremony would take place in about 30 days, once the new mausoleum was built for him there.

His family are still bitter over the role Mnangagwa played in his ouster and had pushed for Mugabe to be buried in his homestead of Zvimba, northwest of Harare.

A former guerrilla who fought alongside Mugabe against colonial forces, Mnangagwa was fired as first vice president by Mugabe in 2017. Mugabe had branded him a "traitor".

Soon after, protesters took to the streets and military officers pressured Mugabe to step down in what was widely seen as a struggle between Mnangagwa's faction and loyalists to Mugabe's wife Grace inside the ruling ZANU-PF party.

The "heroes" monument, where more than 130 national figures are buried in black marble tombs, sits on a hilltop overlooking Harare. Mugabe's first wife, Sally, is also buried there.

Zimbabwe gave former leader Robert Mugabe a state funeral on Saturday with African leaders paying tribute to a man lauded as a liberation hero but whose 37-year rule was defined by repression and economic turmoil.

Zimbabwe gave former leader Robert Mugabe a state funeral on Saturday with African leaders paying tribute to a man lauded as a liberation hero but whose 37-year rule was defined by repression and economic turmoil. Mugabe, who died in Singapore aged 95, left Zimbabwe deeply divided over his legacy with the southern African country still struggling with high inflation and shortages of goods after decades of mismanagement. Mugabe died last week on an overseas medical trip almost two years after former army loyalists forced him out in 2017, following a power struggle over what was widely perceived as his bid to position his wife Grace to succeed him. Former and current African leaders, including South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, arrived in crowds chanting and drumming liberation songs at the 60,000-capacity national stadium in Harare for Saturday's ceremony. Mugabe's casket draped in the green, black, gold and red Zimbabwe flag was marched slowly into the stadium, accompanied by a military band and an escort of officers. His wife Grace, in a black veil, and family followed behind. "Let us put aside our differences and come together as we remember the past and look to the future as one proud, independent and free nation," Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a tweet. Mugabe's body was returned from Singapore on Wednesday to a country he helped found as an anti-colonial guerrilla and pan-African leader who ended the white-minority rule and helped bring more education and healthcare to the poor black majority. Later, Mugabe turned to repression and fear to crush dissidents and ruled for nearly four decades during which he becomes an international pariah for his takeover of white-owned farms. "You can't talk about Zimbabwe without Bob. Zimbabwe is Bob. It took a man like Bob, his bravery, to get independence," said Norman Gombera, 57, a school principal in Harare. "Bob did his best under the circumstances. There is no country without a problem." 'Bitter legacy' His final burial at a national monument will only happen after a new mausoleum is built in about 30 days. That decision was taken after his family ended a dispute with Mnangagwa, a former ally who turned against his rule in 2017. Though lauded as an African icon, at home many Zimbabweans will remember Mugabe more for the economic mismanagement that forced millions to flee the country during decades of crisis. Many are struggling to survive despite Mnangagwa's vows of more investment and jobs in the post-Mugabe era. "The fruits of his tenure are the shortages. That is what we remember him for," said Steven, a consultant shopping nearby the stadium. "He has made sure there is no opposition and he succeeded. There is no reason to go to his funeral." Always divisive in life, Mugabe's funeral arrangements were also caught up in a dispute between Mnangagwa and the family over where and when the former leader should be buried. The two parties on Friday finally agreed he should lie at National Heroes Acre. But the final ceremony would take place in about 30 days, once the new mausoleum was built for him there. His family are still bitter over the role Mnangagwa played in his ouster and had pushed for Mugabe to be buried in his homestead of Zvimba, northwest of Harare. A former guerrilla who fought alongside Mugabe against colonial forces, Mnangagwa was fired as first vice president by Mugabe in 2017. Mugabe had branded him a "traitor". Soon after, protesters took to the streets and military officers pressured Mugabe to step down in what was widely seen as a struggle between Mnangagwa's faction and loyalists to Mugabe's wife Grace inside the ruling ZANU-PF party. The "heroes" monument, where more than 130 national figures are buried in black marble tombs, sits on a hilltop overlooking Harare. Mugabe's first wife, Sally, is also buried there.

Divided Zimbabwe bids farewell to Robert Mugabe with state funeral

After days attempting to apply online to remain in the UK after Brexit, EU citizen Bina Gayadien was faced with the same message: her information was "insufficient".

The Dutch lawyer, a UK resident for 20 years, is one of the thousands discovering that the British government's system to process their cases is not as fast or easy as promised.

After the married mother-of-two had uploaded 60 pages of bank statements and five years worth of local authority tax bills, she faced the same issue.

The system repeatedly said she had provided "insufficient" evidence of having lived in Britain long enough.

"It seems unbelievable that the computer and all the checks that the government could make, would come back to say that people like me don't exist," Gayadien told AFP.

It's a situation all too familiar for European Union citizens applying to remain in the country after its divorce from Brussels.

After making multiple submissions and calling a support centre in northern England to argue through her case, Gayadien was eventually able to get the necessary approval.

But the experience has not left her feeling wanted in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pound-jumps-on-brexit-hopes-as-global-stocks-firmer-249491">Brexit </a>Britain.

"I feel kind of picked on," she said.

Minister 'delighted' with the scheme

The British government which has vowed that EU nationals living in the UK can stay is adamant its so-called EU settlement policy is working as intended.

Brandon Lewis, an interior minister, said he was "delighted" with the scheme and pointed out his department was now processing over 20,000 applications a day.

He added that complete applications were typically being processed within a few days, while those with more complicated cases in just weeks, as Britain, gears up for Brexit which is scheduled to happen at the end of next month.

"I'm not going to concede there are issues," Lewis told AFP, noting problem cases publicized in the media had often "not been as straightforward as people have said".

"Sometimes people have made a mistake in other situations people haven't been able to evidence they've been here for a long time, so our resolution team will work with them to get that evidence."

'Settled status'

The three-step process involves applicants uploading documents to prove their identity, how long they have been in Britain and any criminal convictions.

EU citizens able to show they have lived in the country for more than five years will be granted "settled status", letting them remain indefinitely.

Those in the UK for less time will be given "pre-settled status", allowing them to apply for the permanent status once they have clocked up the requisite five years.

Some will be hoping that the British parliament's attempts to delay Brexit beyond October 31 will succeed.

There are thought to be as many as 3.5 million EU nationals in Britain, who have until the end of 2020 to lodge their applications.

Updated interior ministry figures released on Thursday showed that more than 1.5 million people have already applied 300,000 in August alone.

However, advocates for EU citizens in Britain were critical of the system.

"Despite the assertions of the minister we have evidence of EU citizens accepting pre-settled status who have been in the UK for more than five years," said Maike Bohn, co-founder of The3Million

"It is unsettling that the minister is not prepared to engage with the problems many EU citizens are having with this scheme."

After days attempting to apply online to remain in the UK after Brexit, EU citizen Bina Gayadien was faced with the same message: her information was "insufficient".

After days attempting to apply online to remain in the UK after Brexit, EU citizen Bina Gayadien was faced with the same message: her information was "insufficient". The Dutch lawyer, a UK resident for 20 years, is one of the thousands discovering that the British government's system to process their cases is not as fast or easy as promised. After the married mother-of-two had uploaded 60 pages of bank statements and five years worth of local authority tax bills, she faced the same issue. The system repeatedly said she had provided "insufficient" evidence of having lived in Britain long enough. "It seems unbelievable that the computer and all the checks that the government could make, would come back to say that people like me don't exist," Gayadien told AFP. It's a situation all too familiar for European Union citizens applying to remain in the country after its divorce from Brussels. After making multiple submissions and calling a support centre in northern England to argue through her case, Gayadien was eventually able to get the necessary approval. But the experience has not left her feeling wanted in Brexit Britain. "I feel kind of picked on," she said. Minister 'delighted' with the scheme The British government which has vowed that EU nationals living in the UK can stay is adamant its so-called EU settlement policy is working as intended. Brandon Lewis, an interior minister, said he was "delighted" with the scheme and pointed out his department was now processing over 20,000 applications a day. He added that complete applications were typically being processed within a few days, while those with more complicated cases in just weeks, as Britain, gears up for Brexit which is scheduled to happen at the end of next month. "I'm not going to concede there are issues," Lewis told AFP, noting problem cases publicized in the media had often "not been as straightforward as people have said". "Sometimes people have made a mistake in other situations people haven't been able to evidence they've been here for a long time, so our resolution team will work with them to get that evidence." 'Settled status' The three-step process involves applicants uploading documents to prove their identity, how long they have been in Britain and any criminal convictions. EU citizens able to show they have lived in the country for more than five years will be granted "settled status", letting them remain indefinitely. Those in the UK for less time will be given "pre-settled status", allowing them to apply for the permanent status once they have clocked up the requisite five years. Some will be hoping that the British parliament's attempts to delay Brexit beyond October 31 will succeed. There are thought to be as many as 3.5 million EU nationals in Britain, who have until the end of 2020 to lodge their applications. Updated interior ministry figures released on Thursday showed that more than 1.5 million people have already applied 300,000 in August alone. However, advocates for EU citizens in Britain were critical of the system. "Despite the assertions of the minister we have evidence of EU citizens accepting pre-settled status who have been in the UK for more than five years," said Maike Bohn, co-founder of The3Million "It is unsettling that the minister is not prepared to engage with the problems many EU citizens are having with this scheme."

European Union citizens uneasy at UK's Brexit settlement scheme

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