South Sudan President Salva Kiir and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-sudan-rebel-leader-jets-back-home-for-peace-talks-257082">rebel chief Riek Machar</a> on Thursday were given another 100 days to form a power-sharing government after failing to resolve differences, a fresh delay that prompted a sharp US warning that the fledgling nation needed new leaders.

The two rivals, whose fallout in 2013 sparked a conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead, were granted the extension after a rare face-to-face meeting held with regional heavyweights in Uganda.

It is the second time the deadline has been pushed back since the rivals signed a truce last September that brought a pause to fighting.

Both sides had agreed to join forces in a coalition government by November 12. But with the date looming and key issues far from resolved, regional leaders brokered high-level mediations in Entebbe to chart a way forward.

"It was really impossible to have them reach agreement in five days. We've given them three months and we will continue our engagement," Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa told AFP following the closed-door discussions at State House in Entebbe.

The meeting "agreed to extend the pre-transitional period... and to review progress after fifty days from that date", Kutesa said afterwards, reading from an official communique.

The United States, a major backer of the impoverished nation, voiced exasperation with the delay and said it would "review our relationship" with South Sudan's government.

"This inability to meet their own deadline calls into question their suitability to continue to lead the nation's peace process," Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat of Africa, said of Kiir and Machar.

"The US is considering all possible options to put pressure on those individuals who would impede peace and promote conflict," he wrote on Twitter.

The United States has previously threatened targeted sanctions without a prompt government formation, although an official earlier ruled out ending Washington's roughly $1 billion in humanitarian assistance.

Nagy nonetheless voiced appreciation to the African mediators who included Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni; General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads neighbouring Sudan's sovereign council; and Kalonzo Musyoka, a special envoy from Kenya.

Despite US frustration at the slow progress, some observers warned that pushing the foes to form a unity government before disagreements over security and state boundaries were resolved threatened to plunge the country back into war.

The peace deal has largely stopped the fighting that erupted just two years after South Sudan achieved independence, violence that left nearly 400,000 dead and displaced close to four million people.

"Another extension is far preferable than a return to conflict," said Alan Boswell, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank.

"Regional mediators must step up at the highest levels to finally resolve the sticking points blocking the peace process from moving forward."

Machar, who lives in exile in Khartoum and cannot travel freely in the region, had asked for more time so that the impasse over security and territory arrangements could be overcome.

The rebel leader warned that if these were not addressed, the country would see a repeat of fighting in 2016, when an earlier peace deal collapsed, worsening the conflict.

Machar, a former deputy to Kiir, fled South Sudan on foot under a hail of gunfire and has only returned home on rare occasions, fearing for his safety.

Kiir had said he was ready to form a new government and had threatened to do it alone.

The creation of the coalition government, a key pillar of the September 2018 peace deal between the rivals, had already been delayed once in May when regional leaders brokered a six-month extension.

The United Nations Security Council, on the eve of the Entebbe meeting, declared that fully implementing "all provisions of the peace agreement remains the only path that will set the country towards the goal of peace, stability and development".

A cornerstone of the accord was that fighters from all sides would be gathered into military camps and trained as a unified army,&nbsp;a process dogged by delays and lack of funding.

Little progress has been made on negotiations around state boundaries,&nbsp;another major sticking point.

The European Union, in a statement Thursday before the extension was announced, urged the warring parties to demonstrate "genuine will to build peace" and set realistic deadlines for resolving outstanding issues.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar on Thursday were given another 100 days to form a power-sharing government after failing to resolve differences, a fresh delay that prompted a sharp US warning that the fledgling nation needed new leaders.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar on Thursday were given another 100 days to form a power-sharing government after failing to resolve differences, a fresh delay that prompted a sharp US warning that the fledgling nation needed new leaders. The two rivals, whose fallout in 2013 sparked a conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead, were granted the extension after a rare face-to-face meeting held with regional heavyweights in Uganda. It is the second time the deadline has been pushed back since the rivals signed a truce last September that brought a pause to fighting. Both sides had agreed to join forces in a coalition government by November 12. But with the date looming and key issues far from resolved, regional leaders brokered high-level mediations in Entebbe to chart a way forward. "It was really impossible to have them reach agreement in five days. We've given them three months and we will continue our engagement," Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa told AFP following the closed-door discussions at State House in Entebbe. The meeting "agreed to extend the pre-transitional period... and to review progress after fifty days from that date", Kutesa said afterwards, reading from an official communique. The United States, a major backer of the impoverished nation, voiced exasperation with the delay and said it would "review our relationship" with South Sudan's government. "This inability to meet their own deadline calls into question their suitability to continue to lead the nation's peace process," Tibor Nagy, the top US diplomat of Africa, said of Kiir and Machar. "The US is considering all possible options to put pressure on those individuals who would impede peace and promote conflict," he wrote on Twitter. The United States has previously threatened targeted sanctions without a prompt government formation, although an official earlier ruled out ending Washington's roughly $1 billion in humanitarian assistance. Nagy nonetheless voiced appreciation to the African mediators who included Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni; General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads neighbouring Sudan's sovereign council; and Kalonzo Musyoka, a special envoy from Kenya. Despite US frustration at the slow progress, some observers warned that pushing the foes to form a unity government before disagreements over security and state boundaries were resolved threatened to plunge the country back into war. The peace deal has largely stopped the fighting that erupted just two years after South Sudan achieved independence, violence that left nearly 400,000 dead and displaced close to four million people. "Another extension is far preferable than a return to conflict," said Alan Boswell, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank. "Regional mediators must step up at the highest levels to finally resolve the sticking points blocking the peace process from moving forward." Machar, who lives in exile in Khartoum and cannot travel freely in the region, had asked for more time so that the impasse over security and territory arrangements could be overcome. The rebel leader warned that if these were not addressed, the country would see a repeat of fighting in 2016, when an earlier peace deal collapsed, worsening the conflict. Machar, a former deputy to Kiir, fled South Sudan on foot under a hail of gunfire and has only returned home on rare occasions, fearing for his safety. Kiir had said he was ready to form a new government and had threatened to do it alone. The creation of the coalition government, a key pillar of the September 2018 peace deal between the rivals, had already been delayed once in May when regional leaders brokered a six-month extension. The United Nations Security Council, on the eve of the Entebbe meeting, declared that fully implementing "all provisions of the peace agreement remains the only path that will set the country towards the goal of peace, stability and development". A cornerstone of the accord was that fighters from all sides would be gathered into military camps and trained as a unified army, a process dogged by delays and lack of funding. Little progress has been made on negotiations around state boundaries, another major sticking point. The European Union, in a statement Thursday before the extension was announced, urged the warring parties to demonstrate "genuine will to build peace" and set realistic deadlines for resolving outstanding issues.

South Sudan rival leaders given 100 days to form unity government

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday cited "positive momentum" in the US&nbsp;process to ratify a new North American trade deal, which has been in limbo for months amid concerns over labor standards.

The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed almost a year ago by the three countries, ending a period of difficult negotiations after US&nbsp;President Donald Trump demanded the North American Free Trade Agreement be renegotiated or scrapped.

But the Democratic-led US&nbsp;House of Representatives has yet to hold a formal vote to ratify it. Democrats want better mechanisms to enforce labor and environmental protections and to ensure the deal does not lead to higher drug prices.

US&nbsp;House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week she would not rule out a vote on the deal slipping into next year, but hoped it could happen sooner.

"It is a pleasure to see the positive momentum that seems to be happening on this renewal of this very important trade deal," Trudeau said at the start of talks in Ottawa with the Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal.

Mexico has already ratified the new deal, but Canada is holding back on the grounds it wants to move in tandem with the United States on the trade agreement that will replace NAFTA.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has made it clear that Ottawa has no intention of reopening the pact.

Freeland said in a statement that the two sides had discussed "the shared commitment ... to support the implementation of important labor reforms in Mexico."

Neal, who also met with Canadian Labour Minister Patty Hajdu, said the trip was productive. "I particularly stressed the importance of meaningful enforcement mechanisms that ensure the protection of workers in all three nations and of our shared environment," Neal said.

Neal's committee said a US&nbsp;House Democratic working group had made "substantial progress" in negotiations with US&nbsp;Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and was working to resolve remaining critical questions on "worker protections and labor-specific enforcement mechanisms."

US&nbsp;Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters on Wednesday he felt more "positive" about getting the agreement ratified this year after his discussions with Pelosi and Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee.

A Canadian government source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said: "Our interlocutors are not the Democrats but the White House."

Freeland said she discussed the ratification process this week with Lighthizer, who led the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate the trade pact.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday cited "positive momentum" in the US process to ratify a new North American trade deal, which has been in limbo for months amid concerns over labor standards.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday cited "positive momentum" in the US process to ratify a new North American trade deal, which has been in limbo for months amid concerns over labor standards. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed almost a year ago by the three countries, ending a period of difficult negotiations after US President Donald Trump demanded the North American Free Trade Agreement be renegotiated or scrapped. But the Democratic-led US House of Representatives has yet to hold a formal vote to ratify it. Democrats want better mechanisms to enforce labor and environmental protections and to ensure the deal does not lead to higher drug prices. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week she would not rule out a vote on the deal slipping into next year, but hoped it could happen sooner. "It is a pleasure to see the positive momentum that seems to be happening on this renewal of this very important trade deal," Trudeau said at the start of talks in Ottawa with the Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal. Mexico has already ratified the new deal, but Canada is holding back on the grounds it wants to move in tandem with the United States on the trade agreement that will replace NAFTA. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland has made it clear that Ottawa has no intention of reopening the pact. Freeland said in a statement that the two sides had discussed "the shared commitment ... to support the implementation of important labor reforms in Mexico." Neal, who also met with Canadian Labour Minister Patty Hajdu, said the trip was productive. "I particularly stressed the importance of meaningful enforcement mechanisms that ensure the protection of workers in all three nations and of our shared environment," Neal said. Neal's committee said a US House Democratic working group had made "substantial progress" in negotiations with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and was working to resolve remaining critical questions on "worker protections and labor-specific enforcement mechanisms." US Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters on Wednesday he felt more "positive" about getting the agreement ratified this year after his discussions with Pelosi and Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee. A Canadian government source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said: "Our interlocutors are not the Democrats but the White House." Freeland said she discussed the ratification process this week with Lighthizer, who led the Trump administration's efforts to negotiate the trade pact.

Canada's Trudeau cites 'positive momentum' on trade deal as US official visits

Mexico&nbsp;alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called "La&nbsp;Linea"<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-calls-for-war-on-cartels-as-mormons-murdered-in-mexico-260206"> massacred nine&nbsp;Mormon</a>&nbsp;women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted.

The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets Monday as they drove on a rural road between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States.

Eight other children managed to escape, six of them wounded. The case has caused a shock on both sides of the border and prompted US President Donald Trump to call for a "war" on Mexican cartels.

The head of the Mexican military's joint chiefs of staff, Homero Mendoza, said authorities now believe the massacre was perpetrated by&nbsp;La&nbsp;Linea&nbsp;(The Line), a drug cartel based in Chihuahua.

He said investigations indicated the&nbsp;group&nbsp;had sent a squadron to the lawless mountain region where the attack occurred to fend off potential incursions by a rival gang, Los Salazar, which is based in Sonora, after recent clashes between the two.

But relatives rejected a case of mistaken identity, saying they believe their family was deliberately targeted.

"I have to emphasize there was no duelling cartels and there was no crossfire that our family were caught up in. They were murdered -- massacred -- solely by one acting cartel from Chihuahua," family member Lafe Langford Jr. told AFP.

Adran LeBaron, the father and grandfather of some of the victims, said that according to two of the surviving children, their aunt exited her SUV, arms raised in surrender, only to be mowed down with gunfire.

"So where is the mistaken identity? There was no mistake here," he told Mexican TV network Televisa.

The two families involved, the LeBarons and Langfords, have been targeted by criminal groups in the past.

Benjamin LeBaron, the founder of a crime-fighting&nbsp;group&nbsp;called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of his 16-year-old brother, who was released after the family refused to pay a ransom.

The families are part of a large&nbsp;group&nbsp;of US Mormons who emigrated to&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;in the late 19th century, fleeing persecution for their traditions, including polygamy.

As they prepared to hold a funeral Thursday for their slain loved ones, details continued to pour in on the eight surviving children's harrowing ordeal.

Lafe Langford told CNN that after riddling the cars with bullets and setting one of them alight, the gunmen pulled survivors from one of the cars and told them to flee.

Realizing their shot and bleeding siblings would not make it far, two adolescent children helped others to hide in the brush. One then went for help, he said.

"The details that are coming from them are just -- they're just hard to hear, the heroic actions, the loneliness they felt in those mountains for hours and hours all shot up and wounded, carrying each other in their arms. And just the effort by these six children to survive and come home to their father," he said.

"I mean, what they went through, what they experienced, I don't -- we don't have the capacity just to imagine what these children went through."

The victims ranged in age from eight months to 12 years.

Another child, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive on the floor of one of the cars, where her mother had put her when the shooting began.

An eight-year-old girl was also missing for more than 10 hours, before being found unharmed several kilometres&nbsp;away.

Information on the case remains murky.

Authorities had initially blamed a different criminal&nbsp;group&nbsp;active in the region, Los Jaguares, but had moved beyond that theory by Wednesday.

Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said investigators found more than 200 .223 calibre bullet casings manufactured by American gunmaker Remington at the scene.

That type of round is commonly used in military-style assault rifles.

He said&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;and the United States would soon launch a bilateral program "to control arms trafficking from the US to&nbsp;Mexico."

He added that 70 per cent of the guns linked to crimes in&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;come from the United States.

The attack has highlighted the lawlessness in much of the border region, the scene of frequent turf wars between cartels fighting over lucrative drug trafficking routes into the United States.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;"will share information" with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the ongoing probe.

Mexico alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called "La Linea" massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted.

Mexico alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called "La Linea" massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted. The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets Monday as they drove on a rural road between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States. Eight other children managed to escape, six of them wounded. The case has caused a shock on both sides of the border and prompted US President Donald Trump to call for a "war" on Mexican cartels. The head of the Mexican military's joint chiefs of staff, Homero Mendoza, said authorities now believe the massacre was perpetrated by La Linea (The Line), a drug cartel based in Chihuahua. He said investigations indicated the group had sent a squadron to the lawless mountain region where the attack occurred to fend off potential incursions by a rival gang, Los Salazar, which is based in Sonora, after recent clashes between the two. But relatives rejected a case of mistaken identity, saying they believe their family was deliberately targeted. "I have to emphasize there was no duelling cartels and there was no crossfire that our family were caught up in. They were murdered -- massacred -- solely by one acting cartel from Chihuahua," family member Lafe Langford Jr. told AFP. Adran LeBaron, the father and grandfather of some of the victims, said that according to two of the surviving children, their aunt exited her SUV, arms raised in surrender, only to be mowed down with gunfire. "So where is the mistaken identity? There was no mistake here," he told Mexican TV network Televisa. The two families involved, the LeBarons and Langfords, have been targeted by criminal groups in the past. Benjamin LeBaron, the founder of a crime-fighting group called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of his 16-year-old brother, who was released after the family refused to pay a ransom. The families are part of a large group of US Mormons who emigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century, fleeing persecution for their traditions, including polygamy. As they prepared to hold a funeral Thursday for their slain loved ones, details continued to pour in on the eight surviving children's harrowing ordeal. Lafe Langford told CNN that after riddling the cars with bullets and setting one of them alight, the gunmen pulled survivors from one of the cars and told them to flee. Realizing their shot and bleeding siblings would not make it far, two adolescent children helped others to hide in the brush. One then went for help, he said. "The details that are coming from them are just -- they're just hard to hear, the heroic actions, the loneliness they felt in those mountains for hours and hours all shot up and wounded, carrying each other in their arms. And just the effort by these six children to survive and come home to their father," he said. "I mean, what they went through, what they experienced, I don't -- we don't have the capacity just to imagine what these children went through." The victims ranged in age from eight months to 12 years. Another child, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive on the floor of one of the cars, where her mother had put her when the shooting began. An eight-year-old girl was also missing for more than 10 hours, before being found unharmed several kilometres away. Information on the case remains murky. Authorities had initially blamed a different criminal group active in the region, Los Jaguares, but had moved beyond that theory by Wednesday. Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said investigators found more than 200 .223 calibre bullet casings manufactured by American gunmaker Remington at the scene. That type of round is commonly used in military-style assault rifles. He said Mexico and the United States would soon launch a bilateral program "to control arms trafficking from the US to Mexico." He added that 70 per cent of the guns linked to crimes in Mexico come from the United States. The attack has highlighted the lawlessness in much of the border region, the scene of frequent turf wars between cartels fighting over lucrative drug trafficking routes into the United States. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico "will share information" with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the ongoing probe.

Mexico probes narco group 'La Linea' in Mormon murders

The&nbsp;head&nbsp;of the&nbsp;U.N. agency&nbsp;for&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;refugees has resigned&nbsp;amid&nbsp;an internal&nbsp;probe&nbsp;into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday.

"A short while ago, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, informed the secretary-general that he was resigning, effective immediately,"&nbsp;U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing.

The&nbsp;U.N. earlier announced Krahenbuhl had been placed on administrative leave, to be replaced on an interim basis by the&nbsp;agency's acting deputy chief Christian Saunders.

An internal&nbsp;ethics&nbsp;report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the&nbsp;U.N. agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after the United States suspended and later cut all its funding for it in 2018.

U.N. investigators have been probing the allegations in the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

The report describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, including ones involving Krahenbuhl, a Swiss national.

The&nbsp;agency&nbsp;confirmed Wednesday that its internal&nbsp;probe&nbsp;had so far "revealed management issues which relate specifically to the commissioner general."

According to a separate statement from&nbsp;U.N. headquarters, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said preliminary findings revealed no "fraud or misappropriation of operational funds" by Krahenbuhl.

"There are, however, managerial issues that need to be addressed," it said.

According to the confidential report, the allegations include senior management engaging in "sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives."

Krahenbuhl himself was alleged to have been romantically involved with a colleague appointed in 2015 to a newly created role of senior adviser after an "extreme fast-track" process, the report says.

That enabled her to join him on international business class flights, the report alleges.

"I have rejected these accusations since the beginning and I continue to do so," Krahenbuhl told Swiss television station RTS.

"I can tell you clearly that there is no corruption case, nor fraud, nor mismanagement of funds received from donors," he said, adding that any personal relationship with a colleague "was confirmed as being non-existent by the internal report."&nbsp;

Describing an atmosphere of "hyperpolarization," Krahenbuhl said he stepped down in order to give the organization a needed "psychological shock."

Krahenbuhl's resignation comes as the&nbsp;U.N. General Assembly is due to renew U.N. RWA's mandate for another three years, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which considers it to be inadequate.

A number of other countries have suspended their contributions pending the outcome of the internal&nbsp;probe.

Guterres' spokesman said the secretary-general reiterated his "appreciation to UNRWA for their excellent work."

"At this time, it is vital that member states and other partners remain committed to UNRWA and the services it provides," Dujarric said.

"It is also critical for the international community to support the crucial work performed by the&nbsp;agency&nbsp;in the areas of health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which is a source of stability in a volatile region."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/public-hearings-in-trump-impeachment-probe-start-next-week-us-lawmaker-260398">US President Donald Trump's</a> administration, along with Israel, accuses UNRWA of perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian&nbsp;conflict.

The&nbsp;agency&nbsp;disputes that and says the services it provides would otherwise not be available to Palestinians.

Following Wednesday's announcement, Israel called the organization's operational model "unsustainable."

"The international community needs to find a new model that will provide humanitarian assistance to those who truly need it, and must remove from the agenda the futile idea of the return of the refugees," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

UNRWA was set up in the years after more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their lands during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.

It provides schooling and medical services to millions of impoverished refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as the&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;territories, and employs around 30,000 people, mostly Palestinians.

A European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said he was "grateful for all (Krahenbuhl) did to stabilize the organization during a difficult time, but stepping aside now is the correct decision."

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has resigned amid an internal probe into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has resigned amid an internal probe into alleged mismanagement and ethical abuses at the organization, the United Nations said Wednesday. "A short while ago, UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Pierre Krahenbuhl, informed the secretary-general that he was resigning, effective immediately," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing. The U.N. earlier announced Krahenbuhl had been placed on administrative leave, to be replaced on an interim basis by the agency's acting deputy chief Christian Saunders. An internal ethics report has alleged mismanagement and abuses of authority at the highest levels of the U.N. agency, which has also faced a financial crisis after the United States suspended and later cut all its funding for it in 2018. U.N. investigators have been probing the allegations in the confidential report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. The report describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, including ones involving Krahenbuhl, a Swiss national. The agency confirmed Wednesday that its internal probe had so far "revealed management issues which relate specifically to the commissioner general." According to a separate statement from U.N. headquarters, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said preliminary findings revealed no "fraud or misappropriation of operational funds" by Krahenbuhl. "There are, however, managerial issues that need to be addressed," it said. According to the confidential report, the allegations include senior management engaging in "sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives." Krahenbuhl himself was alleged to have been romantically involved with a colleague appointed in 2015 to a newly created role of senior adviser after an "extreme fast-track" process, the report says. That enabled her to join him on international business class flights, the report alleges. "I have rejected these accusations since the beginning and I continue to do so," Krahenbuhl told Swiss television station RTS. "I can tell you clearly that there is no corruption case, nor fraud, nor mismanagement of funds received from donors," he said, adding that any personal relationship with a colleague "was confirmed as being non-existent by the internal report." Describing an atmosphere of "hyperpolarization," Krahenbuhl said he stepped down in order to give the organization a needed "psychological shock." Krahenbuhl's resignation comes as the U.N. General Assembly is due to renew U.N. RWA's mandate for another three years, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which considers it to be inadequate. A number of other countries have suspended their contributions pending the outcome of the internal probe. Guterres' spokesman said the secretary-general reiterated his "appreciation to UNRWA for their excellent work." "At this time, it is vital that member states and other partners remain committed to UNRWA and the services it provides," Dujarric said. "It is also critical for the international community to support the crucial work performed by the agency in the areas of health, education, and humanitarian assistance, which is a source of stability in a volatile region." US President Donald Trump's administration, along with Israel, accuses UNRWA of perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The agency disputes that and says the services it provides would otherwise not be available to Palestinians. Following Wednesday's announcement, Israel called the organization's operational model "unsustainable." "The international community needs to find a new model that will provide humanitarian assistance to those who truly need it, and must remove from the agenda the futile idea of the return of the refugees," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. UNRWA was set up in the years after more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their lands during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel. It provides schooling and medical services to millions of impoverished refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as the Palestinian territories, and employs around 30,000 people, mostly Palestinians. A European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity said he was "grateful for all (Krahenbuhl) did to stabilize the organization during a difficult time, but stepping aside now is the correct decision."

Head of U.N. Palestinian agency resigns amid ethics probe

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Wednesday and the two leaders reconfirmed they will meet in Washington on Nov. 13 at Trump's invitation, Turkish officials said.

Earlier this week, three Turkish officials had said Erdogan might call off the visit in protest of votes in the US&nbsp;House of Representatives to recognise mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide and to seek sanctions on Turkey.

However, officials on Wednesday said the visit would go ahead and that the two leaders had exchanged views on bilateral issues and regional developments during their phone call.

Turkish sources say Trump and Erdogan have a strong bond despite anger in Congress over Turkey's Syria offensive and its purchase of Russian air defences, and despite what Ankara sees as the US&nbsp;president's own erratic pronouncements.

Those personal ties could prove crucial, given NATO member Turkey's purchase of Moscow's S-400 missile defence system, which under US&nbsp;law should trigger sanctions.

Turkey has already been suspended from the F-35 fighter jet programme in which it was both joint producer and customer, and the offensive it launched against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria on Oct. 9 set the stage for further US&nbsp;retaliation.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday and the two leaders reconfirmed they will meet in Washington on Nov. 13 at Trump's invitation, Turkish officials said.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday and the two leaders reconfirmed they will meet in Washington on Nov. 13 at Trump's invitation, Turkish officials said. Earlier this week, three Turkish officials had said Erdogan might call off the visit in protest of votes in the US House of Representatives to recognise mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide and to seek sanctions on Turkey. However, officials on Wednesday said the visit would go ahead and that the two leaders had exchanged views on bilateral issues and regional developments during their phone call. Turkish sources say Trump and Erdogan have a strong bond despite anger in Congress over Turkey's Syria offensive and its purchase of Russian air defences, and despite what Ankara sees as the US president's own erratic pronouncements. Those personal ties could prove crucial, given NATO member Turkey's purchase of Moscow's S-400 missile defence system, which under US law should trigger sanctions. Turkey has already been suspended from the F-35 fighter jet programme in which it was both joint producer and customer, and the offensive it launched against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria on Oct. 9 set the stage for further US retaliation.

Turkey's Erdogan speaks with Trump, to visit Washington next week

Turkish police arrested 17 foreigners on Thursday suspected of ties to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/relatives-of-islamic-state-fighters-returning-home-could-commit-terror-attacks-russia-260579">Islamic State group</a>, state news agency Anadolu reported.&nbsp;

The 17, whose nationalities were not given, were arrested in Ankara and taken for interrogation by counter-terrorism officers, Anadolu said.

Turkey has highlighted its efforts to crack down on the Islamic State group (IS) following the assassination of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by the United States last week.&nbsp;

Turkish officials said they arrested Baghdadi's sister this week and announced they had been holding his wife since last year.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that members of Baghdadi's entourage were seeking to enter Turkey and that several -- "close to double figures" -- had been arrested.

In the early years of the Syrian conflict when Turkey was keen to see the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, it was accused of failing to prevent the passage of jihadists over its border.&nbsp;

That changed following a series of IS attacks within Turkey, and Ankara joined the US-led anti-IS coalition in 2015.&nbsp;

It has again been accused of undermining the battle against IS in recent weeks with its military offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, who have been the key ground force against IS and were crucial to locating Baghdadi.

Turkish police arrested 17 foreigners on Thursday suspected of ties to the Islamic State group, state news agency Anadolu reported. The 17, whose nationalities were not given, were arrested in Ankara and taken for interrogation by counter-terrorism officers, Anadolu said.

Turkish police arrested 17 foreigners on Thursday suspected of ties to the Islamic State group, state news agency Anadolu reported. The 17, whose nationalities were not given, were arrested in Ankara and taken for interrogation by counter-terrorism officers, Anadolu said. Turkey has highlighted its efforts to crack down on the Islamic State group (IS) following the assassination of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by the United States last week. Turkish officials said they arrested Baghdadi's sister this week and announced they had been holding his wife since last year. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that members of Baghdadi's entourage were seeking to enter Turkey and that several -- "close to double figures" -- had been arrested. In the early years of the Syrian conflict when Turkey was keen to see the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, it was accused of failing to prevent the passage of jihadists over its border. That changed following a series of IS attacks within Turkey, and Ankara joined the US-led anti-IS coalition in 2015. It has again been accused of undermining the battle against IS in recent weeks with its military offensive against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, who have been the key ground force against IS and were crucial to locating Baghdadi.

Turkey arrests 17 on suspected Islamic State links

Two former <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-to-ban-political-ads-worldwide-on-its-platform-258909">Twitter</a> employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced.

The two Saudis and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said.

According to a court filing, they were guided by an unnamed Saudi official who worked for someone prosecutors designated "Royal Family Member-1," which The Washington Post reported was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Those charged were former Twitter employees Ali Alzabarah and Ahmad Abouammo, along with Ahmed Almutairi, a marketing official with ties to the royal family.

"The criminal complaint unsealed today alleges that Saudi agents mined Twitter's internal systems for personal information about known Saudi critics and thousands of other Twitter users," said US Attorney David Anderson.

"US law protects US companies from such an unlawful foreign intrusion. We will not allow US companies or US technology to become tools of foreign repression in violation of US law," he said in a statement.

The lawsuit comes as US-Saudi relations continue to suffer strains over the brutal, Riyadh-sanctioned murder last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote for, among others, The Washington Post.

A critic of Crown Prince Mohammed, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

According to the Post, US intelligence has concluded that the prince himself was closely linked to the murder.

Targeting regime critics

Abouammo, 41, an American, and Saudi national Alzabarah, 35, were recruited in 2014-2015 to use their positions in Twitter to gain access to private information related to the accounts of critics of Riyadh, the indictment says.

Saudi citizen Almutairi, 30, was a critical go-between who arranged contacts between the two others and the unnamed Saudi official.

The indictment said Almutairi controlled a social media marketing company that did work for a royal charity and members of the royal family, "including Royal Family Member-1."&nbsp;

Abouammo was paid over $300,000 and received a Hublot watch worth more than $20,000 for his work.

Alzabarah's payment was not detailed, but the filing said he quickly fled the US with his family in December 2015 after Twitter management confronted him about his unauthorized accessing of user information for some 6,000 Twitter accounts, including accounts of known prominent dissidents and royal family critics.

All three are charged with acting as illegal agents of a foreign government, a charge that can indicate both illegal lobbying and espionage.

Abouammo was also charged with destroying, altering, or falsifying records related to a federal investigation.

"These individuals are charged with targeting and obtaining private data from dissidents and known critics, under the direction and control of the government of Saudi Arabia," said FBI Special Agent John Bennett.

"The FBI will not stand by and allow foreign governments to illegally exploit private user information from US companies."&nbsp;

The Justice Department said Abouammo was arrested on Tuesday in Seattle, Washington, but that both Alzabarah and Almutairi remain at large and are believed to be in Saudi Arabia.&nbsp;

Federal warrants have been issued for the arrest of both.

Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced.

Two former Twitter employees and a third man were charged in San Francisco Federal Court Wednesday with spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family, the US Justice Department announced. The two Saudis and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the government in Riyadh and the royal family, the department said. According to a court filing, they were guided by an unnamed Saudi official who worked for someone prosecutors designated "Royal Family Member-1," which The Washington Post reported was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Those charged were former Twitter employees Ali Alzabarah and Ahmad Abouammo, along with Ahmed Almutairi, a marketing official with ties to the royal family. "The criminal complaint unsealed today alleges that Saudi agents mined Twitter's internal systems for personal information about known Saudi critics and thousands of other Twitter users," said US Attorney David Anderson. "US law protects US companies from such an unlawful foreign intrusion. We will not allow US companies or US technology to become tools of foreign repression in violation of US law," he said in a statement. The lawsuit comes as US-Saudi relations continue to suffer strains over the brutal, Riyadh-sanctioned murder last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote for, among others, The Washington Post. A critic of Crown Prince Mohammed, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. According to the Post, US intelligence has concluded that the prince himself was closely linked to the murder. Targeting regime critics Abouammo, 41, an American, and Saudi national Alzabarah, 35, were recruited in 2014-2015 to use their positions in Twitter to gain access to private information related to the accounts of critics of Riyadh, the indictment says. Saudi citizen Almutairi, 30, was a critical go-between who arranged contacts between the two others and the unnamed Saudi official. The indictment said Almutairi controlled a social media marketing company that did work for a royal charity and members of the royal family, "including Royal Family Member-1." Abouammo was paid over $300,000 and received a Hublot watch worth more than $20,000 for his work. Alzabarah's payment was not detailed, but the filing said he quickly fled the US with his family in December 2015 after Twitter management confronted him about his unauthorized accessing of user information for some 6,000 Twitter accounts, including accounts of known prominent dissidents and royal family critics. All three are charged with acting as illegal agents of a foreign government, a charge that can indicate both illegal lobbying and espionage. Abouammo was also charged with destroying, altering, or falsifying records related to a federal investigation. "These individuals are charged with targeting and obtaining private data from dissidents and known critics, under the direction and control of the government of Saudi Arabia," said FBI Special Agent John Bennett. "The FBI will not stand by and allow foreign governments to illegally exploit private user information from US companies." The Justice Department said Abouammo was arrested on Tuesday in Seattle, Washington, but that both Alzabarah and Almutairi remain at large and are believed to be in Saudi Arabia. Federal warrants have been issued for the arrest of both.

Three charged in US with spying on Twitter users for Saudi Arabia

A US-led naval coalition officially launched operations in Bahrain Thursday to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, after a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/americas/us-will-respond-with-great-force-if-iran-attacks-interests-donald-trump-220247">string of attacks </a>that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran.

The coalition, aimed at warding off the perceived threat to the world's oil supply, has been in the making since June.

Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the mystery attacks, has put forward its own proposals for boosting Gulf security that pointedly excludes outside powers.

Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in August. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates followed suit in September.&nbsp;

Australia and Britain are the main Western countries to have agreed to send warships to escort Gulf shipping. The newest member, Albania, joined on Friday.&nbsp;

Vessels will be escorted through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the head of the Gulf and the main artery for the transport of Middle East oil.&nbsp;

Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of US Naval Forces in the Middle East, said Operation Sentinel is a defensive measure aimed at protecting Gulf waters.&nbsp;

"While Sentinel's operational design is threat-based, it does not threaten," he said during a ceremony at the IMSC's command centre.&nbsp;

"We employ capable warships on patrol, but there is no offensive line of effort in this construct, other than a commitment to defend each other if attacked.

"Our commitment to the region isn't short-lived, it is enduring, and we will operate as part of Sentinel for as long as it's needed -- as long as the threat looms."

Most European governments have declined to participate in the naval coalition, fearful of undermining their efforts to save a landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, which was badly weakened by Washington's withdrawal last year.

Animosity between Tehran and Washington has soared since President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the deal and reimposed crippling US sanctions.

On May 12, the UAE said four commercial oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Emirati and one Norwegian -- had been targeted by "acts of sabotage" in waters off its coast.

Washington and Riyadh blamed Tehran, which denied involvement.

A month later, the Kokuka Courageous was hit and around the same time another tanker in the area, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, was damaged by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority.

They were transiting through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Indian Ocean.

Then on September 14, drone strikes targeted two key Saudi oil facilities onshore, causing catastrophic damage and temporarily knocking out half of the kingdom's oil production.

The attacks were claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels who are battling a Saudi-led coalition, but Washington and Riyadh blamed Iran, saying the strikes were carried out with advanced missiles and drones.

A US-led naval coalition officially launched operations in Bahrain Thursday to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, after a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran.

A US-led naval coalition officially launched operations in Bahrain Thursday to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, after a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran. The coalition, aimed at warding off the perceived threat to the world's oil supply, has been in the making since June. Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the mystery attacks, has put forward its own proposals for boosting Gulf security that pointedly excludes outside powers. Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in August. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates followed suit in September. Australia and Britain are the main Western countries to have agreed to send warships to escort Gulf shipping. The newest member, Albania, joined on Friday. Vessels will be escorted through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the head of the Gulf and the main artery for the transport of Middle East oil. Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of US Naval Forces in the Middle East, said Operation Sentinel is a defensive measure aimed at protecting Gulf waters. "While Sentinel's operational design is threat-based, it does not threaten," he said during a ceremony at the IMSC's command centre. "We employ capable warships on patrol, but there is no offensive line of effort in this construct, other than a commitment to defend each other if attacked. "Our commitment to the region isn't short-lived, it is enduring, and we will operate as part of Sentinel for as long as it's needed -- as long as the threat looms." Most European governments have declined to participate in the naval coalition, fearful of undermining their efforts to save a landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, which was badly weakened by Washington's withdrawal last year. Animosity between Tehran and Washington has soared since President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the deal and reimposed crippling US sanctions. On May 12, the UAE said four commercial oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Emirati and one Norwegian -- had been targeted by "acts of sabotage" in waters off its coast. Washington and Riyadh blamed Tehran, which denied involvement. A month later, the Kokuka Courageous was hit and around the same time another tanker in the area, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, was damaged by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority. They were transiting through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Indian Ocean. Then on September 14, drone strikes targeted two key Saudi oil facilities onshore, causing catastrophic damage and temporarily knocking out half of the kingdom's oil production. The attacks were claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels who are battling a Saudi-led coalition, but Washington and Riyadh blamed Iran, saying the strikes were carried out with advanced missiles and drones.

US-led coalition launches operation to protect Gulf waters

Germany will reach a NATO defence spending target by 2031, its defence minister said, missing a 2024 deadline agreed by the allies who are under heavy US&nbsp;pressure to beef up their military budgets.

Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany would spend 2&nbsp;percent of its economic output on defence by 2031, belatedly reaching the goal set by NATO leaders at a 2014 summit, months after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

"NATO is and will remain the anchor of European security. But it is also clear that Europe must increase its own complementary ability to act," Kramp-Karrenbauer told a private event to honour NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday night.

"This starts with the defence budget. We need (to spend) 1.5 percent by&nbsp;2024 and 2&nbsp;percent &nbsp;by 2031 at the latest," she said, according to quotes of the speech provided by her office, the first time she has publicly committed to the target to an international audience and weeks before the next NATO summit on December 4.

However, she said the target was not because "others are calling for it but because it is in the interest of our own security".

Only seven NATO countries currently meet or exceed the 2&nbsp;percent&nbsp;target - the United States, Britain, Greece, Poland and the three Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Germany is Europe's biggest economy and the second biggest in the NATO alliance after the United States.

Before Kramp-Karrenbauer, seen as a potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, took up her post this year, Germany's fiscal plans saw defence spending falling slightly to 1.24&nbsp;percent&nbsp;in 2023, but the minister said she was determined to increase spending, as polls show a shift in German public support for the move.

"OFFENSIVE"

Years of defence cuts after the end of the Cold War have left Europeans without vital capabilities, including in Germany, which is one of the last NATO allies to fly ageing Tornado fighter planes that are becoming harder to repair as spare parts become scarce.

Kramp-Karrenbauer's comments came after she expressed a willingness for Germany to contribute more of NATO's running costs, taking some of the burden off the United States.

Germany's earlier reluctance to spend more on defence, in a country that is home to US&nbsp;troops in Europe, has been a sore point for US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, who has openly questioned NATO's continued value to Washington.

His envoy to Berlin, Richard Grenell, said in August that it was "offensive to assume that the US&nbsp;taxpayers continue to pay for more than 50,000 Americans in Germany but the Germans get to spend their (budget) surplus on domestic programmes".

Poland and the Baltic states, fearful of a more assertive <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/russias-resurgence-and-chinas-rise-will-test-nato-219295">Russia</a> after it annexed Crimea, have raised their military spending to the 2 percent&nbsp;target, drawing praise from Trump.

US&nbsp;complaints about Germany's defence spending pre-date <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-changes-tone-in-merkel-meeting-after-earlier-slamming-germany-150889/amp">Trump</a> but bilateral relations have deteriorated since he became president. The two allies disagree on a range of issues, including Iran, trade tariffs and the NordStream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

Germany will reach a NATO defence spending target by 2031, its defence minister said, missing a 2024 deadline agreed by the allies who are under heavy US pressure to beef up their military budgets.

Germany will reach a NATO defence spending target by 2031, its defence minister said, missing a 2024 deadline agreed by the allies who are under heavy US pressure to beef up their military budgets. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany would spend 2 percent of its economic output on defence by 2031, belatedly reaching the goal set by NATO leaders at a 2014 summit, months after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. "NATO is and will remain the anchor of European security. But it is also clear that Europe must increase its own complementary ability to act," Kramp-Karrenbauer told a private event to honour NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday night. "This starts with the defence budget. We need (to spend) 1.5 percent by 2024 and 2 percent by 2031 at the latest," she said, according to quotes of the speech provided by her office, the first time she has publicly committed to the target to an international audience and weeks before the next NATO summit on December 4. However, she said the target was not because "others are calling for it but because it is in the interest of our own security". Only seven NATO countries currently meet or exceed the 2 percent target - the United States, Britain, Greece, Poland and the three Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Germany is Europe's biggest economy and the second biggest in the NATO alliance after the United States. Before Kramp-Karrenbauer, seen as a potential successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, took up her post this year, Germany's fiscal plans saw defence spending falling slightly to 1.24 percent in 2023, but the minister said she was determined to increase spending, as polls show a shift in German public support for the move. "OFFENSIVE" Years of defence cuts after the end of the Cold War have left Europeans without vital capabilities, including in Germany, which is one of the last NATO allies to fly ageing Tornado fighter planes that are becoming harder to repair as spare parts become scarce. Kramp-Karrenbauer's comments came after she expressed a willingness for Germany to contribute more of NATO's running costs, taking some of the burden off the United States. Germany's earlier reluctance to spend more on defence, in a country that is home to US troops in Europe, has been a sore point for US President Donald Trump, who has openly questioned NATO's continued value to Washington. His envoy to Berlin, Richard Grenell, said in August that it was "offensive to assume that the US taxpayers continue to pay for more than 50,000 Americans in Germany but the Germans get to spend their (budget) surplus on domestic programmes". Poland and the Baltic states, fearful of a more assertive Russia after it annexed Crimea, have raised their military spending to the 2 percent target, drawing praise from Trump. US complaints about Germany's defence spending pre-date Trump but bilateral relations have deteriorated since he became president. The two allies disagree on a range of issues, including Iran, trade tariffs and the NordStream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

Germany commits to NATO spending goal by 2031 for first time

A meeting between US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign a long-awaited interim trade deal could be delayed until December as discussions continue over terms and venue, a senior official of the Trump administration told Reuters on Wednesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was still possible the "phase one" agreement aimed at ending a damaging trade war would not be reached, but a deal was more likely than not.

Dozens of venues have been suggested for the meeting, which had originally been scheduled to take place on the sidelines of a now-canceled mid-November summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Chile, the official said.

One possible location is London, where the two leaders could meet after a NATO summit that Trump is due to attend from December 3-4, the official said. "It's under consideration but nothing decided," the official said.

Other sites are possible in Europe and Asia, but the former is more likely, with Sweden and Switzerland among the possibilities. Iowa, which Trump has suggested, appeared to have been ruled out, the official said.

China's latest push for more tariff rollbacks would be discussed, but was not expected to derail progress toward an interim deal.

The official said China was believed to see a quick deal as its best chance for favorable terms, given pressure Trump is facing from a congressional impeachment inquiry as he seeks re-election in 2020.

US&nbsp;Treasury prices gained on Wednesday on word that the talks could be delayed, while some investors also repositioned after a three-day sell-off. The dollar slid and the three-day global stock market rally paused as US&nbsp;productivity data disappointed and investors turned a bit cautious about <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-xi-meeting-in-iowa-would-be-poignant-reminder-of-better-us-china-ties-260213">US-China trade talks</a>.

"Negotiations are continuing and progress is being made on the text of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/china-presses-trump-for-more-tariff-roll-backs-in-phase-one-trade-deal-260005">phase one agreement</a>," White House spokesman Judd Deere said. "We will let you know when we have an announcement on a signing location.”

China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

An interim US-China deal is widely expected to include a US&nbsp;pledge to scrap tariffs scheduled for December&nbsp;15 on about $156 billion worth of Chinese imports, including cell phones, laptop computers and toys.

People familiar with the negotiations said on Monday that China has been pushing Trump to remove more tariffs imposed in September as part of the first phase of the deal. A US&nbsp;official said the fate of the December&nbsp;15 tariffs is being considered as part of negotiations.

A source briefed on the talks told Reuters on Tuesday that Chinese negotiators want Washington to drop 15% tariffs on about $125 billion worth of Chinese goods that went into effect on September 1. They are also seeking relief from earlier 25% tariffs on about $250 billion of imports from machinery and semiconductors to furniture.

A person familiar with China's negotiating position said it is continuing to press Washington to "remove all tariffs as soon as possible."

Since Trump took office in 2017, his administration has been pressing China to curb massive subsidies to state-owned firms and end the forced transfer of American technology to Chinese firms as a price of doing business in China.

Analysts say the phase one deal will fail to adequately address these issues, focusing largely on Chinese purchases of US&nbsp;farm goods and intellectual property protections related to copyright and trademark issues. It will not address industrial subsidies at all.

Venues that have been talked about for the Trump-Xi meeting have ranged from Alaska to Greece.

One Chinese official said Beijing was floating the possibility of a meeting in Greece, where Xi is due to arrive this Sunday, after which he will head to Brazil for a summit of major emerging market countries which starts on November 13.

Multiple US&nbsp;sources have said a signing in Greece was unlikely.

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign a long-awaited interim trade deal could be delayed until December as discussions continue over terms and venue, a senior official of the Trump administration told Reuters on Wednesday.

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign a long-awaited interim trade deal could be delayed until December as discussions continue over terms and venue, a senior official of the Trump administration told Reuters on Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was still possible the "phase one" agreement aimed at ending a damaging trade war would not be reached, but a deal was more likely than not. Dozens of venues have been suggested for the meeting, which had originally been scheduled to take place on the sidelines of a now-canceled mid-November summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Chile, the official said. One possible location is London, where the two leaders could meet after a NATO summit that Trump is due to attend from December 3-4, the official said. "It's under consideration but nothing decided," the official said. Other sites are possible in Europe and Asia, but the former is more likely, with Sweden and Switzerland among the possibilities. Iowa, which Trump has suggested, appeared to have been ruled out, the official said. China's latest push for more tariff rollbacks would be discussed, but was not expected to derail progress toward an interim deal. The official said China was believed to see a quick deal as its best chance for favorable terms, given pressure Trump is facing from a congressional impeachment inquiry as he seeks re-election in 2020. US Treasury prices gained on Wednesday on word that the talks could be delayed, while some investors also repositioned after a three-day sell-off. The dollar slid and the three-day global stock market rally paused as US productivity data disappointed and investors turned a bit cautious about US-China trade talks. "Negotiations are continuing and progress is being made on the text of the phase one agreement," White House spokesman Judd Deere said. "We will let you know when we have an announcement on a signing location.” China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An interim US-China deal is widely expected to include a US pledge to scrap tariffs scheduled for December 15 on about $156 billion worth of Chinese imports, including cell phones, laptop computers and toys. People familiar with the negotiations said on Monday that China has been pushing Trump to remove more tariffs imposed in September as part of the first phase of the deal. A US official said the fate of the December 15 tariffs is being considered as part of negotiations. A source briefed on the talks told Reuters on Tuesday that Chinese negotiators want Washington to drop 15% tariffs on about $125 billion worth of Chinese goods that went into effect on September 1. They are also seeking relief from earlier 25% tariffs on about $250 billion of imports from machinery and semiconductors to furniture. A person familiar with China's negotiating position said it is continuing to press Washington to "remove all tariffs as soon as possible." Since Trump took office in 2017, his administration has been pressing China to curb massive subsidies to state-owned firms and end the forced transfer of American technology to Chinese firms as a price of doing business in China. Analysts say the phase one deal will fail to adequately address these issues, focusing largely on Chinese purchases of US farm goods and intellectual property protections related to copyright and trademark issues. It will not address industrial subsidies at all. Venues that have been talked about for the Trump-Xi meeting have ranged from Alaska to Greece. One Chinese official said Beijing was floating the possibility of a meeting in Greece, where Xi is due to arrive this Sunday, after which he will head to Brazil for a summit of major emerging market countries which starts on November 13. Multiple US sources have said a signing in Greece was unlikely.

US-China trade deal signing could be delayed to December; London a possible venue: Report

It seems as if the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement has effectively ended. Is Iran using the nuclear programme to blackmail the world? Or did US sanctions force Iran to violate the deal? What's the impact on India?

On WION Edit, we explore the situation.

First, look at the nuclear agreement called the JCPOA and Iran's compliance record.

It was not a perfect deal but it was working. The deal did not have a clear way to stop Iran from developing nukes or to curb Iran's terror-sponsoring. Then they imposed sanctions and Iran's economy took a serious hit.

In 2015, when the deal was signed, when sanctions were lifted, Iran had hoped for a growth surge. That did not happen.

Then in 2018, when the deal collapsed and sanctions were back, Iran's economy suffered more. So, it started enriching uranium and even now, Iran says it will stop if America returns to the deal.

The country is bleeding. Inflation is touching 40 per cent. The government is paying the price. Hardliners are putting pressure on reformists. President Hassan Rouhani has been cornered. Iran is an oil-producing country, oil is its most profitable commodity and Iran is being banned for selling oil.

At a time when it desperately needs the money, a textbook case of being pushed to the wall.

Plus, US President Donald Trump remains evasive. He doesn't spell out what exactly he wants from Iran, what will it take to lift the sanctions.

And this should bother everyone. Because if Iran revives its nuclear ambitions, it's bad news for the whole world.

In any case, American sanctions on Iran are hurting other countries too. India is a case in point. Iran's tradition oil buyer and an old strategic and cultural ally.

America's actions impact India in many ways. First, the Chabahar port which is crucial for India's strategic interests.&nbsp;Chabahar brings India, Afghanistan, and Iran together.

India has invested a lot in the Chabahar special economic zone and Hajigak iron and steel mining project. If Iran's economy deteriorates, it hurts India's investments - both strategic and monetary.

Aspect number 2,&nbsp; oil prices. India has diversified its oil sources. So, no supply disruptions. But if sanctions on Iran continue, prices might go up for a country that imports more than 80 per cent of its oil.

Aspect number 3, impact on India-Iran ties.

Yes, there are no permanent friends or foes in global politics. But India and Iran share historical ties.

Delhi is risking all this because of Washington.

India took a six-month grace period after US sanctions. Since May 2019, India has not bought oil from Iran. Now China has done the same. It was Iran's biggest buyer. More than 8 lakh barrels per day. It has stopped buying.

Both India and China have 'communicated' to the US about the strategic importance of Iran. Look at it, the US unilaterally walks out of a multi-lateral deal, which the US negotiated. Then it imposes sanctions on Iran.

And then it forces other countries to stop doing business with Iran. And what do these countries do? They comply.

So, who's the victim and who's the villain in this game?

The primary victims are the people of Iran. The secondary victims are developing countries like India and China.

The tertiary victim is regional peace. Who's the villain? An oppressive regime in Iran that wants to use this to blackmail the world and a president in Washington who views the world through the tinted glass of tariffs and sanctions. Both. 
 
(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

It seems as if the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement has effectively ended. Is Iran using the nuclear programme to blackmail the world? Or did US sanctions force Iran to violate the deal?

It seems as if the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement has effectively ended. Is Iran using the nuclear programme to blackmail the world? Or did US sanctions force Iran to violate the deal? What's the impact on India? On WION Edit, we explore the situation. First, look at the nuclear agreement called the JCPOA and Iran's compliance record. It was not a perfect deal but it was working. The deal did not have a clear way to stop Iran from developing nukes or to curb Iran's terror-sponsoring. Then they imposed sanctions and Iran's economy took a serious hit. In 2015, when the deal was signed, when sanctions were lifted, Iran had hoped for a growth surge. That did not happen. Then in 2018, when the deal collapsed and sanctions were back, Iran's economy suffered more. So, it started enriching uranium and even now, Iran says it will stop if America returns to the deal. The country is bleeding. Inflation is touching 40 per cent. The government is paying the price. Hardliners are putting pressure on reformists. President Hassan Rouhani has been cornered. Iran is an oil-producing country, oil is its most profitable commodity and Iran is being banned for selling oil. At a time when it desperately needs the money, a textbook case of being pushed to the wall. Plus, US President Donald Trump remains evasive. He doesn't spell out what exactly he wants from Iran, what will it take to lift the sanctions. And this should bother everyone. Because if Iran revives its nuclear ambitions, it's bad news for the whole world. In any case, American sanctions on Iran are hurting other countries too. India is a case in point. Iran's tradition oil buyer and an old strategic and cultural ally. America's actions impact India in many ways. First, the Chabahar port which is crucial for India's strategic interests. Chabahar brings India, Afghanistan, and Iran together. India has invested a lot in the Chabahar special economic zone and Hajigak iron and steel mining project. If Iran's economy deteriorates, it hurts India's investments - both strategic and monetary. Aspect number 2, oil prices. India has diversified its oil sources. So, no supply disruptions. But if sanctions on Iran continue, prices might go up for a country that imports more than 80 per cent of its oil. Aspect number 3, impact on India-Iran ties. Yes, there are no permanent friends or foes in global politics. But India and Iran share historical ties. Delhi is risking all this because of Washington. India took a six-month grace period after US sanctions. Since May 2019, India has not bought oil from Iran. Now China has done the same. It was Iran's biggest buyer. More than 8 lakh barrels per day. It has stopped buying. Both India and China have 'communicated' to the US about the strategic importance of Iran. Look at it, the US unilaterally walks out of a multi-lateral deal, which the US negotiated. Then it imposes sanctions on Iran. And then it forces other countries to stop doing business with Iran. And what do these countries do? They comply. So, who's the victim and who's the villain in this game? The primary victims are the people of Iran. The secondary victims are developing countries like India and China. The tertiary victim is regional peace. Who's the villain? An oppressive regime in Iran that wants to use this to blackmail the world and a president in Washington who views the world through the tinted glass of tariffs and sanctions. Both. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Nuclear deal crumbles - Is Iran a victim or a villain?

US&nbsp;President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-impeachment-hearings-trump-may-expand-communications-team-to-bolster-defense-260440">Donald Trump</a> struck a defiant note on Wednesday at a rally in Louisiana a day after Democrats clinched victories in a raft of local elections that cast a shadow over his 2020 re-election hopes.

Speaking at a packed arena in the city of Monroe, Trump doubled down on his assertion that a House-led <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/public-hearings-in-trump-impeachment-probe-start-next-week-us-lawmaker-260398">impeachment inquiry</a> into his presidency was a hoax and sought to buoy support for Republican businessman Eddie Rispone's bid for the governorship.

"Eddie will defend your values from the all-out assault by the extreme left," he said, describing incumbent Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards as "dangerously soft on crime."

The remarks came after Democrats claimed an upset win on Tuesday in Kentucky over Republican Governor Matt Bevin after Trump campaigned for him, telling voters that pundits would say the president "suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world" if he lost.

On Tuesday, Democrats also seized control of the state legislature in Virginia and gained ground in the key state of Pennsylvania, though Republicans held on to the governorship in Mississippi, where Trump also campaigned.

The loss in Kentucky may have raised questions about the success of Republican candidates who align themselves closely with the president. But Rispone, who also spoke at the rally, put himself squarely in the president's camp.

"Louisiana is Trump country," said Rispone, a little-known construction entrepreneur who will face off on Nov. 16 in a runoff election against Louisiana's popular conservative Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards.

Trump said he would return to the state next week for more campaigning.

Edwards, the only Democratic governor of a Deep South state, comfortably bested rival Rispone in a six-candidate primary last month, but he failed to secure the 50 percent needed to win a second term outright in Louisiana's unusual primary system.

An observant Roman Catholic, Edwards opposes abortion, and this year signed a law banning the procedure after 15 weeks, which could have contributed to dimmed enthusiasm among Democrats.

"John Bel Edwards broke his solemn promise to the people of Louisiana when he rammed - that's the only word I can say - rammed through the largest tax hike in Louisiana history," Trump said on Wednesday. "How did you ever get a liberal Democrat to be your governor?" Trump asked thousands of fans waving Trump 2020 signs.

Edwards, for his part, has criticized what he called efforts to nationalize the state race but also promised to work closely with Trump, who carried the conservative-leaning state in 2016 by 20 percentage points, should the Republican win a second term.

Trump faces headwinds of his own, as Democrats in the House of Representative mount an impeachment inquiry into whether he abused his office by pressuring Ukrainian authorities to investigate political rival Joe Biden by withholding millions in aid.

Trump visited Louisiana last month ahead of the primary vote, later taking credit for forcing a run-off.

"The Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, has done a poor job. NOW HE IS IN A RUNOFF WITH A GREAT REPUBLICAN ... 66 per cent&nbsp;DOWN TO 47 per cent&nbsp;after I explained what a bad job the Governor was doing,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

US President Donald Trump struck a defiant note on Wednesday at a rally in Louisiana a day after Democrats clinched victories in a raft of local elections that cast a shadow over his 2020 re-election hopes.

US President Donald Trump struck a defiant note on Wednesday at a rally in Louisiana a day after Democrats clinched victories in a raft of local elections that cast a shadow over his 2020 re-election hopes. Speaking at a packed arena in the city of Monroe, Trump doubled down on his assertion that a House-led impeachment inquiry into his presidency was a hoax and sought to buoy support for Republican businessman Eddie Rispone's bid for the governorship. "Eddie will defend your values from the all-out assault by the extreme left," he said, describing incumbent Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards as "dangerously soft on crime." The remarks came after Democrats claimed an upset win on Tuesday in Kentucky over Republican Governor Matt Bevin after Trump campaigned for him, telling voters that pundits would say the president "suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world" if he lost. On Tuesday, Democrats also seized control of the state legislature in Virginia and gained ground in the key state of Pennsylvania, though Republicans held on to the governorship in Mississippi, where Trump also campaigned. The loss in Kentucky may have raised questions about the success of Republican candidates who align themselves closely with the president. But Rispone, who also spoke at the rally, put himself squarely in the president's camp. "Louisiana is Trump country," said Rispone, a little-known construction entrepreneur who will face off on Nov. 16 in a runoff election against Louisiana's popular conservative Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards. Trump said he would return to the state next week for more campaigning. Edwards, the only Democratic governor of a Deep South state, comfortably bested rival Rispone in a six-candidate primary last month, but he failed to secure the 50 percent needed to win a second term outright in Louisiana's unusual primary system. An observant Roman Catholic, Edwards opposes abortion, and this year signed a law banning the procedure after 15 weeks, which could have contributed to dimmed enthusiasm among Democrats. "John Bel Edwards broke his solemn promise to the people of Louisiana when he rammed - that's the only word I can say - rammed through the largest tax hike in Louisiana history," Trump said on Wednesday. "How did you ever get a liberal Democrat to be your governor?" Trump asked thousands of fans waving Trump 2020 signs. Edwards, for his part, has criticized what he called efforts to nationalize the state race but also promised to work closely with Trump, who carried the conservative-leaning state in 2016 by 20 percentage points, should the Republican win a second term. Trump faces headwinds of his own, as Democrats in the House of Representative mount an impeachment inquiry into whether he abused his office by pressuring Ukrainian authorities to investigate political rival Joe Biden by withholding millions in aid. Trump visited Louisiana last month ahead of the primary vote, later taking credit for forcing a run-off. "The Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, has done a poor job. NOW HE IS IN A RUNOFF WITH A GREAT REPUBLICAN ... 66 per cent DOWN TO 47 per cent after I explained what a bad job the Governor was doing,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump defiant at Louisiana rally after Democrat wins

By John Broich

Since US troops left their region, roughly 180,000 Kurds of northeastern Syria have been displaced, and over 200 have been killed.

Those Kurds, soldiers who’d battled the Islamic State and families, had hoped to secure a future Kurdistan state in areas now targeted by Turkish warplanes and patrolled by Russian mercenaries.

This is only the latest reversal for the Kurds, a group of around 40 million who identify with a regional homeland and common historical background, but are now divided between four countries. Despite their many attempts, there’ve never won and kept a Kurdish nation.

Drawing borders after WWI

The most decisive reversal came at the end of the first World War. That’s when the Allies, victors over Germany and the Ottoman Empire, divided their geographical spoils of war.

In a series of conferences in a succession of European palaces, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau of France, Woodrow Wilson and dozens of other leaders conspired, harangued and horse-traded from 1919 to 1921. Under clouds of cigar smoke, between servings of foie gras and champagne, they redrew a large swath of the globe’s map.

Besides doling out spoils to themselves, such as far-flung German imperial holdings, their aims were to replace the Austro-Hungarian Empire, punish Germany in Europe and – the biggest task – fill the vacuum left by the demise of the sprawling Ottoman Empire, which before the war covered territory from the edge of Bulgaria to Yemen.

Their guiding principle for redrawing the map, at least in most cases, was the reigning concept of race nationalism, what’s often called today ethno-nationalism.

Simply put, the Allies’ delegates assumed that nation states should be composed as much as possible by single “races,” single ethnic and linguistic populations. So, they defined, in some ways created, new races – like, for example, Hungarians or Austrians – and drew borders around them.

Who should receive an ethno-state?

What to do in the big, central zone of the defeated Ottoman Empire, stretching between the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf?

Should there be one big, Greater Arabia or Arab federation, as some British officials promised their Arab allies who revolted against the Ottomans? Should there be many little nations, with borders around Christian Arabs, Muslim Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds? (Following their race-nation instinct, the British did support what they called a new “National Home for the Jewish people” in former Ottoman Palestine.)

That, too, is what President Woodrow Wilson’s call for self-determination dictated. Wilson himself was explicit in calling for a new, broadly encompassing Kurdistan.

They took for granted that Kurds were a race and that Kurdistan was a place. In fact, it was already depicted in pre-WWI atlases. The problem of drawing its borders fell, British Parliamentarians told themselves, to them in immediate postwar years. And it’s what some powerful people in British officialdom assumed would happen.

Not only did it fit British race thinking to create Kurdistan – to be heavily staffed by British “advisers” like the other new states, of course – but they believed the Kurds truculent and independent, unlikely to accede to domination by a neighbour.

They would “never accept an Arab ruler,” in the words of one British Colonial Office official, if they were embedded in an Arab nation.

A missed opportunity

But the Allies and the League of Nations never created Kurdistan. Why not?

British imperial self-interest, in this case, overruled ethnonational thinking. By the terms of the Sykes-Picot agreement, the secret French and British understanding of roughly who would get what after the war, the French claimed dominance of the northern Levant, what’s today Lebanon and Syria.

The British wanted a big geographical bloc in the region to match that of the French, to act as a counterweight. They formalized this by inventing a large country soon dubbed “Iraq.”

The line dividing Sykes-Picot’s French sphere and British sphere already cut straight through Kurdish areas. That partition was part of the reason why the British could not simply carve out a new, large Kurdistan (that they’d dominate like Iraq).

For another, British colonial officials, like the famous writer-turned-colonial administrator Gertrude Bell, wanted a Kurdish population retained in the new Iraq as a counterbalance to its large Shiite population, which was deemed seditious.

This represented classic British imperial thinking long employed in places like India: divide and conquer. The Kurds might not be particularly docile or loyal to the British, but they could be counted on not to unite with the Arabs or Assyrians, either, and throw off British meddling.

The British, too, suspected there were large oilfields under the important Kurdish capital of Mosul. Better to keep the Mosul region securely within Iraq, some leaders judged.

That colonial-era behavior had a recent analog, when President Donald Trump said that the Kurds could be allowed to remain near oilfields in far eastern Syria to protect them against the Islamic State. They’re still useful, it seems, for maintaining order above oil.

The roots of the trouble with Turkey 
 
The Allies’ last, half-hearted attempt to create at least a small Kurdistan took place during yet another conference of the Allies in the Paris suburb of Sèvres in 1920.

Planned for eastern Anatolia, or Asia Minor, squeezed into borders to which the Kurds objected as too little, this Kurdistan came to naught. The new, revolutionary nationalists in Turkey wanted their own race-nation of Turks. And they did not want Anatolia chopped up for the sake of Kurds or Armenians. They’d simply have to become Turks, too, or face the consequences.

From 1920, the new Turkish Army occupied what was to become the little Kurdistan, and the Allies had no will to challenge them. The last hope that WWI’s victors would create even a fractional Kurdistan disappeared without fanfare.

But the Kurds didn’t stop – have never stopped – resisting. When the British lumped them into their invented country of Iraq, the Kurds naturally revolted in 1919. When a delegation of British colonial authorities arrived to parley with the Kurdish leader, Sheikh Mahmoud Barzinji, the man calmly quoted Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, with its call for the “autonomous development” of the peoples formerly dominated by the Ottoman Empire. The British responded with two brigades.

Now, as then, it seems world powers support Kurd’s self-determination only until it’s no longer expedient.

(John Broich is Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-there-is-no-kurdish-nation-126243">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

By John Broich Since US troops left their region, roughly 180,000 Kurds of northeastern Syria have been displaced, and over 200 have been killed. Those Kurds, soldiers who’d battled the Islamic State and families, had hoped to secure a future Kurdistan state in areas now targeted by Turkish warplanes and patrolled by Russian mercenaries.

By John Broich Since US troops left their region, roughly 180,000 Kurds of northeastern Syria have been displaced, and over 200 have been killed. Those Kurds, soldiers who’d battled the Islamic State and families, had hoped to secure a future Kurdistan state in areas now targeted by Turkish warplanes and patrolled by Russian mercenaries. This is only the latest reversal for the Kurds, a group of around 40 million who identify with a regional homeland and common historical background, but are now divided between four countries. Despite their many attempts, there’ve never won and kept a Kurdish nation. Drawing borders after WWI The most decisive reversal came at the end of the first World War. That’s when the Allies, victors over Germany and the Ottoman Empire, divided their geographical spoils of war. In a series of conferences in a succession of European palaces, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau of France, Woodrow Wilson and dozens of other leaders conspired, harangued and horse-traded from 1919 to 1921. Under clouds of cigar smoke, between servings of foie gras and champagne, they redrew a large swath of the globe’s map. Besides doling out spoils to themselves, such as far-flung German imperial holdings, their aims were to replace the Austro-Hungarian Empire, punish Germany in Europe and – the biggest task – fill the vacuum left by the demise of the sprawling Ottoman Empire, which before the war covered territory from the edge of Bulgaria to Yemen. Their guiding principle for redrawing the map, at least in most cases, was the reigning concept of race nationalism, what’s often called today ethno-nationalism. Simply put, the Allies’ delegates assumed that nation states should be composed as much as possible by single “races,” single ethnic and linguistic populations. So, they defined, in some ways created, new races – like, for example, Hungarians or Austrians – and drew borders around them. Who should receive an ethno-state? What to do in the big, central zone of the defeated Ottoman Empire, stretching between the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf? Should there be one big, Greater Arabia or Arab federation, as some British officials promised their Arab allies who revolted against the Ottomans? Should there be many little nations, with borders around Christian Arabs, Muslim Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds? (Following their race-nation instinct, the British did support what they called a new “National Home for the Jewish people” in former Ottoman Palestine.) That, too, is what President Woodrow Wilson’s call for self-determination dictated. Wilson himself was explicit in calling for a new, broadly encompassing Kurdistan. They took for granted that Kurds were a race and that Kurdistan was a place. In fact, it was already depicted in pre-WWI atlases. The problem of drawing its borders fell, British Parliamentarians told themselves, to them in immediate postwar years. And it’s what some powerful people in British officialdom assumed would happen. Not only did it fit British race thinking to create Kurdistan – to be heavily staffed by British “advisers” like the other new states, of course – but they believed the Kurds truculent and independent, unlikely to accede to domination by a neighbour. They would “never accept an Arab ruler,” in the words of one British Colonial Office official, if they were embedded in an Arab nation. A missed opportunity But the Allies and the League of Nations never created Kurdistan. Why not? British imperial self-interest, in this case, overruled ethnonational thinking. By the terms of the Sykes-Picot agreement, the secret French and British understanding of roughly who would get what after the war, the French claimed dominance of the northern Levant, what’s today Lebanon and Syria. The British wanted a big geographical bloc in the region to match that of the French, to act as a counterweight. They formalized this by inventing a large country soon dubbed “Iraq.” The line dividing Sykes-Picot’s French sphere and British sphere already cut straight through Kurdish areas. That partition was part of the reason why the British could not simply carve out a new, large Kurdistan (that they’d dominate like Iraq). For another, British colonial officials, like the famous writer-turned-colonial administrator Gertrude Bell, wanted a Kurdish population retained in the new Iraq as a counterbalance to its large Shiite population, which was deemed seditious. This represented classic British imperial thinking long employed in places like India: divide and conquer. The Kurds might not be particularly docile or loyal to the British, but they could be counted on not to unite with the Arabs or Assyrians, either, and throw off British meddling. The British, too, suspected there were large oilfields under the important Kurdish capital of Mosul. Better to keep the Mosul region securely within Iraq, some leaders judged. That colonial-era behavior had a recent analog, when President Donald Trump said that the Kurds could be allowed to remain near oilfields in far eastern Syria to protect them against the Islamic State. They’re still useful, it seems, for maintaining order above oil. The roots of the trouble with Turkey The Allies’ last, half-hearted attempt to create at least a small Kurdistan took place during yet another conference of the Allies in the Paris suburb of Sèvres in 1920. Planned for eastern Anatolia, or Asia Minor, squeezed into borders to which the Kurds objected as too little, this Kurdistan came to naught. The new, revolutionary nationalists in Turkey wanted their own race-nation of Turks. And they did not want Anatolia chopped up for the sake of Kurds or Armenians. They’d simply have to become Turks, too, or face the consequences. From 1920, the new Turkish Army occupied what was to become the little Kurdistan, and the Allies had no will to challenge them. The last hope that WWI’s victors would create even a fractional Kurdistan disappeared without fanfare. But the Kurds didn’t stop – have never stopped – resisting. When the British lumped them into their invented country of Iraq, the Kurds naturally revolted in 1919. When a delegation of British colonial authorities arrived to parley with the Kurdish leader, Sheikh Mahmoud Barzinji, the man calmly quoted Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, with its call for the “autonomous development” of the peoples formerly dominated by the Ottoman Empire. The British responded with two brigades. Now, as then, it seems world powers support Kurd’s self-determination only until it’s no longer expedient. (John Broich is Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Why there is no Kurdish nation

Elon&nbsp;Musk, who garnered attention for quitting Twitter last week, is back on the social platform, with little explanation for the hiatus or the return.

The chief executive of electric automaker Tesla, as well as the private space firm SpaceX, was tweeting late Monday to congratulate the crew of the free-flying spacecraft Dragon.

"SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon,"&nbsp;Musk&nbsp;wrote. "Most recent tests demonstrated the parachute system's ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Great work by SpaceX Dragon team &amp; Airborne! To be clear, we’ve only done 1 multi-parachute test of Mk3 design, so 9 more left to reach 10 successful tests in a row. <a href="https://t.co/Q814zVoW4S">https://t.co/Q814zVoW4S</a>
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1191475073758064640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Last Friday he appeared to leave the messaging service on which he has some 29 million followers, writing simply, "Not sure about good of Twitter," and then saying "Going offline."

He has not elaborated about leaving or returning to Twitter.

Musk&nbsp;has found himself in hot water in recent months over his Twitter remarks.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission which accused him of misleading Tesla investors on the platform, resulting in a court settlement requiring him to step down as chairman of the auto firm.

Musk&nbsp;also is being sued for defamation by a man who helped in the dramatic rescue of 12 boys trapped in an underwater cave in Thailand last year following his tweet calling the British caver a "pedo guy."

Elon Musk, who garnered attention for quitting Twitter last week, is back on the social platform, with little explanation for the hiatus or the return. The chief executive of electric automaker Tesla, as well as the private space firm SpaceX, was tweeting late Monday to congratulate the crew of the free-flying spacecraft Dragon.

Elon Musk, who garnered attention for quitting Twitter last week, is back on the social platform, with little explanation for the hiatus or the return. The chief executive of electric automaker Tesla, as well as the private space firm SpaceX, was tweeting late Monday to congratulate the crew of the free-flying spacecraft Dragon. "SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon," Musk wrote. "Most recent tests demonstrated the parachute system's ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails." Great work by SpaceX Dragon team & Airborne! To be clear, we’ve only done 1 multi-parachute test of Mk3 design, so 9 more left to reach 10 successful tests in a row. https://t.co/Q814zVoW4S — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2019 × Last Friday he appeared to leave the messaging service on which he has some 29 million followers, writing simply, "Not sure about good of Twitter," and then saying "Going offline." He has not elaborated about leaving or returning to Twitter. Musk has found himself in hot water in recent months over his Twitter remarks. The US Securities and Exchange Commission which accused him of misleading Tesla investors on the platform, resulting in a court settlement requiring him to step down as chairman of the auto firm. Musk also is being sued for defamation by a man who helped in the dramatic rescue of 12 boys trapped in an underwater cave in Thailand last year following his tweet calling the British caver a "pedo guy."

Elon Musk back on Twitter after break

A&nbsp;top&nbsp;ally&nbsp;of President Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;admitted he told a&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;official that US military&nbsp;aid&nbsp;was contingent on Kyiv investigating&nbsp;Trump's Democratic rival Joe&nbsp;Biden, testimony released Tuesday showed.

In some of the most damning evidence yet to the House impeachment inquiry of&nbsp;Trump, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, said he told a senior&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;official that military&nbsp;aid&nbsp;would likely not be released until Kyiv made clear it would investigate&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and his son's ties to&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;energy firm Burisma.

Sondland, in amended testimony that reversed his earlier denial, admitted he laid out the allegedly illegal quid pro quo in a September 1 discussion with Andriy&nbsp;Yermak, a&nbsp;top&nbsp;advisor to&nbsp;Ukrainian&nbsp;President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Sondland said it was the culmination of months of pressure placed on Kyiv, primarily via&nbsp;Trump's personal lawyer <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rudy-giulianis-associate-lev-parnas-will-comply-with-trump-impeachment-inquiry-260111">Rudy Giuliani</a>, to open "anti-corruption" investigations into the Bidens and into&nbsp;Trump's unfounded belief that&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;assisted the Democrats in the 2016 election.

Sondland told Yermak "that resumption of US&nbsp;aid&nbsp;would not likely occur until&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;provided the anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for weeks," he told investigators.

The White House has repeatedly denied there was any link between the&nbsp;aid&nbsp;and any demands by&nbsp;Trump, despite the evidence from the summary of a July 25 phone call,&nbsp;just one week after&nbsp;aid&nbsp;was frozen,&nbsp;in which&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;sought a "favor" from Zelensky and referred directly to&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and the 2016 issue.

Sondland, appointed ambassador by&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;after donating $1 million to his inauguration, said he was fully aware of the linkage made between the $391 million in US military&nbsp;aid&nbsp;and&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;helping&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;prepare to fight for reelection next year.

"I presumed that the&nbsp;aid&nbsp;suspension had become linked to the proposed anti-corruption statement" Zelensky was told to make regarding&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and 2016 probes.

Sondland admitted to impeachment investigators that he understood the linkage was "improper."

Asked if it was illegal, Sondland responded: "I'm not a lawyer, but I assume so."Sondland's testimony, and that of Kurt Volker, the former US Special Representative to&nbsp;Ukraine, appeared to strengthen Democrats' charges that&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;abused his office by seeking foreign help for his 2020 election campaign and should be impeached and removed from office.

The testimony, taken in private last month, was released as the House prepares for the second phase of the impeachment inquiry, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/committee-releases-first-transcripts-in-trump-impeachment-inquiry-259964">open hearings</a> that could within several weeks lead to articles of impeachment being passed by the House.

The White House, in a statement, said their testimony offered no new evidence for "this illegitimate impeachment sham."

The White House continued to block senior officials from testifying, and was expected to do the same in response to a Democrats' Tuesday request to&nbsp;Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and be interviewed by investigators.

Other witnesses have said that Mulvaney was responsible for freezing the&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;aid&nbsp;in mid-July, and that he told others it was done at&nbsp;Trump's command.

"No amount of salacious media-biased headlines, which are clearly designed to influence the narrative, change the fact that the president has done nothing wrong," said White House spokesperson Stephanie Grisham in a statement.

Yet, according to the transcripts, both Sondland and Volker described&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;as being transfixed by the wholly unsubstantiated idea, popular in Republican circles, that&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;assisted Democrats in their efforts to defeat&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;in the 2016 presidential election.

They also describe Giuliani as being&nbsp;Trump's point man for pushing Zelensky's government into finding dirt on&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;and the Democrats.

"He just kept saying: talk to Rudy, talk to Rudy," Sondland said of a May meeting with&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;on&nbsp;Ukraine.

A top ally of President Donald Trump admitted he told a Ukraine official that US military aid was contingent on Kyiv investigating Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden, testimony released Tuesday showed.

A top ally of President Donald Trump admitted he told a Ukraine official that US military aid was contingent on Kyiv investigating Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden, testimony released Tuesday showed. In some of the most damning evidence yet to the House impeachment inquiry of Trump, Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, said he told a senior Ukraine official that military aid would likely not be released until Kyiv made clear it would investigate Biden and his son's ties to Ukraine energy firm Burisma. Sondland, in amended testimony that reversed his earlier denial, admitted he laid out the allegedly illegal quid pro quo in a September 1 discussion with Andriy Yermak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sondland said it was the culmination of months of pressure placed on Kyiv, primarily via Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, to open "anti-corruption" investigations into the Bidens and into Trump's unfounded belief that Ukraine assisted the Democrats in the 2016 election. Sondland told Yermak "that resumption of US aid would not likely occur until Ukraine provided the anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for weeks," he told investigators. The White House has repeatedly denied there was any link between the aid and any demands by Trump, despite the evidence from the summary of a July 25 phone call, just one week after aid was frozen, in which Trump sought a "favor" from Zelensky and referred directly to Biden and the 2016 issue. Sondland, appointed ambassador by Trump after donating $1 million to his inauguration, said he was fully aware of the linkage made between the $391 million in US military aid and Ukraine helping Trump prepare to fight for reelection next year. "I presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the proposed anti-corruption statement" Zelensky was told to make regarding Biden and 2016 probes. Sondland admitted to impeachment investigators that he understood the linkage was "improper." Asked if it was illegal, Sondland responded: "I'm not a lawyer, but I assume so."Sondland's testimony, and that of Kurt Volker, the former US Special Representative to Ukraine, appeared to strengthen Democrats' charges that Trump abused his office by seeking foreign help for his 2020 election campaign and should be impeached and removed from office. The testimony, taken in private last month, was released as the House prepares for the second phase of the impeachment inquiry, open hearings that could within several weeks lead to articles of impeachment being passed by the House. The White House, in a statement, said their testimony offered no new evidence for "this illegitimate impeachment sham." The White House continued to block senior officials from testifying, and was expected to do the same in response to a Democrats' Tuesday request to Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and be interviewed by investigators. Other witnesses have said that Mulvaney was responsible for freezing the Ukraine aid in mid-July, and that he told others it was done at Trump's command. "No amount of salacious media-biased headlines, which are clearly designed to influence the narrative, change the fact that the president has done nothing wrong," said White House spokesperson Stephanie Grisham in a statement. Yet, according to the transcripts, both Sondland and Volker described Trump as being transfixed by the wholly unsubstantiated idea, popular in Republican circles, that Ukraine assisted Democrats in their efforts to defeat Trump in the 2016 presidential election. They also describe Giuliani as being Trump's point man for pushing Zelensky's government into finding dirt on Biden and the Democrats. "He just kept saying: talk to Rudy, talk to Rudy," Sondland said of a May meeting with Trump on Ukraine.

Top Trump ally admits tying Ukraine aid to Biden investigation

President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-begins-formal-exit-from-paris-climate-pact-259963">Donald&nbsp;Trump</a>&nbsp;offered Tuesday to help&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;hunt the killers of nine Mormon women and children shot dead in a lawless border area&nbsp;and said the United States stood ready to back its southern neighbor in a "war"&nbsp;on&nbsp;the drug&nbsp;cartels.

Gunmen ambushed the members of the LeBaron family,&nbsp;a large clan of&nbsp;Mormons&nbsp;who emigrated to&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;in the late 19th century,&nbsp;on&nbsp;a rural road Monday between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States.

Three women and six children were killed, including two twin babies, said relatives and Mexican officials. Six children were also wounded in the attack, which left the family's three cars riddled with bullets and badly charred.

"If&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing &amp; able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively,"&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;wrote in a tweet.

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A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing. If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1191708046126399488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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He praised Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for prioritizing the fight against drug trafficking, but said "the&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!

"This is the time for&nbsp;Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage&nbsp;WAR&nbsp;on&nbsp;the drug&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;and wipe them off the face of the earth."

Lopez Obrador&nbsp;said he would accept "all necessary cooperation" to get justice for the victims, all of whom lived&nbsp;on&nbsp;the Mexican side but had dual nationality.

But the left-wing populist, who has declared an end to&nbsp;Mexico's "drug wars," said he was not looking for a new one.

"We don't agree (with&nbsp;Trump)&nbsp;on&nbsp;that," he told a news conference. "War&nbsp;is synonymous with irrationality."

He later tweeted that he had thanked&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;for his support in a phone call.

The White House said the presidents had spoken about the "growing violent behavior" of drugs&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;and other criminal gangs.

"President&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;made clear that the United States condemns these senseless acts of violence that took the lives of nine American citizens and offered&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;assistance to ensure the perpetrators face justice," said spokesman&nbsp;Hogan Gidley.&nbsp;

Devastated members of the LeBaron family took to social media to call for people's prayers and condemn the lawless violence gripping much of the border region.

"It was a massacre," Julian LeBaron, an activist who has denounced criminal groups in the area, told Mexican radio network Formula.

He said the women were&nbsp;on&nbsp;their way to the airport with their children when their SUVs were attacked.

Several children managed to escape and return home&nbsp;on&nbsp;foot, he added.

Another, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive beneath her mother's body.

An eight-year-old girl was also left missing for about 24 hours, before being found several kilometers away, unharmed.

Relatives said the children were all deeply traumatized. Five wounded children were airlifted for medical treatment in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said the family may have been mistakenly targeted or caught in the crossfire in turf wars between rival drug&nbsp;cartels. LeBaron, however, said the family believes they were deliberately attacked.

The LeBaron community are descendants of&nbsp;Mormons&nbsp;who fled the United States in the late 1800s after being persecuted for their traditions, including polygamy. Many are dual US-Mexican citizens.

One former member is George Romney, father of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who was born in 1907 in Colonia Dublan in Chihuahua state, according to the US network NBC.

Mitt Romney said&nbsp;on&nbsp;Twitter he was "heartbroken for the victims of the horrific attacks."

It is not the first time the LeBaron family has been targeted. Julian LeBaron's brother Benjamin, founder of a crime-fighting group called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of their 16-year-old brother.

The murder came after the&nbsp;Mormons&nbsp;refused to pay the ransom. The young LeBaron was eventually released.

The region around the 3,145-kilometer&nbsp;US-Mexican border is plagued by violent crime.

Trump, who is battling to build the border wall that was his signature campaign pledge, regularly tells&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;to do more to fight drug trafficking and illegal migration across the frontier.

Lopez Obrador typically responds that the United States needs to crack down&nbsp;on&nbsp;illegal firearms trafficking, which generates an estimated $127 million in profits a year for the American gun industry.

Mexico&nbsp;has registered more than 250,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006.

Many experts blame the "drug wars" for spiraling violence, as fragmented&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;battle each other and the army.

Lopez Obrador has struggled to rein in the violence since taking office in December 2018. This year appears&nbsp;on&nbsp;track to set a new murder record in&nbsp;Mexico, with 25,890 so far.

President Donald Trump offered Tuesday to help Mexico hunt the killers of nine Mormon women and children shot dead in a lawless border area and said the United States stood ready to back its southern neighbor in a "war" on the drug cartels.

President Donald Trump offered Tuesday to help Mexico hunt the killers of nine Mormon women and children shot dead in a lawless border area and said the United States stood ready to back its southern neighbor in a "war" on the drug cartels. Gunmen ambushed the members of the LeBaron family, a large clan of Mormons who emigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century, on a rural road Monday between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States. Three women and six children were killed, including two twin babies, said relatives and Mexican officials. Six children were also wounded in the attack, which left the family's three cars riddled with bullets and badly charred. "If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively," Trump wrote in a tweet. A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing. If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2019 × He praised Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for prioritizing the fight against drug trafficking, but said "the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army! "This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth." Lopez Obrador said he would accept "all necessary cooperation" to get justice for the victims, all of whom lived on the Mexican side but had dual nationality. But the left-wing populist, who has declared an end to Mexico's "drug wars," said he was not looking for a new one. "We don't agree (with Trump) on that," he told a news conference. "War is synonymous with irrationality." He later tweeted that he had thanked Trump for his support in a phone call. The White House said the presidents had spoken about the "growing violent behavior" of drugs cartels and other criminal gangs. "President Trump made clear that the United States condemns these senseless acts of violence that took the lives of nine American citizens and offered Mexico assistance to ensure the perpetrators face justice," said spokesman Hogan Gidley. Devastated members of the LeBaron family took to social media to call for people's prayers and condemn the lawless violence gripping much of the border region. "It was a massacre," Julian LeBaron, an activist who has denounced criminal groups in the area, told Mexican radio network Formula. He said the women were on their way to the airport with their children when their SUVs were attacked. Several children managed to escape and return home on foot, he added. Another, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive beneath her mother's body. An eight-year-old girl was also left missing for about 24 hours, before being found several kilometers away, unharmed. Relatives said the children were all deeply traumatized. Five wounded children were airlifted for medical treatment in Phoenix, Arizona. Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said the family may have been mistakenly targeted or caught in the crossfire in turf wars between rival drug cartels. LeBaron, however, said the family believes they were deliberately attacked. The LeBaron community are descendants of Mormons who fled the United States in the late 1800s after being persecuted for their traditions, including polygamy. Many are dual US-Mexican citizens. One former member is George Romney, father of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who was born in 1907 in Colonia Dublan in Chihuahua state, according to the US network NBC. Mitt Romney said on Twitter he was "heartbroken for the victims of the horrific attacks." It is not the first time the LeBaron family has been targeted. Julian LeBaron's brother Benjamin, founder of a crime-fighting group called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of their 16-year-old brother. The murder came after the Mormons refused to pay the ransom. The young LeBaron was eventually released. The region around the 3,145-kilometer US-Mexican border is plagued by violent crime. Trump, who is battling to build the border wall that was his signature campaign pledge, regularly tells Mexico to do more to fight drug trafficking and illegal migration across the frontier. Lopez Obrador typically responds that the United States needs to crack down on illegal firearms trafficking, which generates an estimated $127 million in profits a year for the American gun industry. Mexico has registered more than 250,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006. Many experts blame the "drug wars" for spiraling violence, as fragmented cartels battle each other and the army. Lopez Obrador has struggled to rein in the violence since taking office in December 2018. This year appears on track to set a new murder record in Mexico, with 25,890 so far.

Trump calls for 'war' on cartels as Mormons murdered in Mexico

The United States accused Iran on Tuesday of "nuclear extortion" and vowed no let-up in pressure after the clerical regime said it would <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-concerned-by-iran-nuclear-enrichment-announcement-260166">resume uranium enrichment</a> at the key Fordow plant.

"Iran has no credible reason to expand its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/irans-decision-to-enrich-uranium-goes-against-vienna-agreement-france-260161">uranium enrichment program</a>, at the Fordow facility or elsewhere, other than a clear attempt at nuclear extortion that will only deepen its political and economic isolation," a State Department spokesperson said.

"We will continue to impose maximum pressure on the regime until it abandons its destabilizing behavior, including proliferation-sensitive work."

President Hassan Rouhani said <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-to-resume-enrichment-at-underground-plant-hassan-rouhani-260070">Iran would resume enrichment</a> at the plant near the Shiite holy city of Qom that was suspended under a 2015 nuclear accord with the United States and five other powers.

It was the latest action by Iran to seek tangible benefits from the deal, from which the United States withdrew as President Donald Trump imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at reducing Tehran's regional role.

The State Department said it would await verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog which stepped up inspection under the 2015 accord.

The United States accused Iran on Tuesday of "nuclear extortion" and vowed no let-up in pressure after the clerical regime said it would resume uranium enrichment at the key Fordow plant.

The United States accused Iran on Tuesday of "nuclear extortion" and vowed no let-up in pressure after the clerical regime said it would resume uranium enrichment at the key Fordow plant. "Iran has no credible reason to expand its uranium enrichment program, at the Fordow facility or elsewhere, other than a clear attempt at nuclear extortion that will only deepen its political and economic isolation," a State Department spokesperson said. "We will continue to impose maximum pressure on the regime until it abandons its destabilizing behavior, including proliferation-sensitive work." President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would resume enrichment at the plant near the Shiite holy city of Qom that was suspended under a 2015 nuclear accord with the United States and five other powers. It was the latest action by Iran to seek tangible benefits from the deal, from which the United States withdrew as President Donald Trump imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at reducing Tehran's regional role. The State Department said it would await verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog which stepped up inspection under the 2015 accord.

US accuses Iran of 'nuclear extortion' with enrichment step

<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/lawsuit-accuses-facebook-ad-targeting-of-abetting-bias-259200">Facebook</a>&nbsp;will outline on Wednesday plans to expand encryption across its Messenger platform, despite warnings from regulators and government officials that the enhanced security will help protect paedophiles and other criminals.

Executives told Reuters they will also detail safety measures, including stepped-up advisories for recipients of unwanted content.

The moves follow complaints by top law enforcement officials in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia that&nbsp;Facebook's plan to encrypt messaging on all its platforms would put child sex predators and pornographers beyond detection.

The changes, supported by civil rights groups and many technology experts, will be more fully described by company executives at a Lisbon tech conference later in the day.

Facebook&nbsp;messaging privacy chief Jay Sullivan and other executives said the company would press ahead with the changes while more carefully scrutinizing the data that it collects.

Sullivan plans to call attention to a little-publicized option for end-to-end encryption that already exists on Messenger. The firm hopes increased usage will give the company more data to craft additional safety measures before it makes private chats the default setting.

"This is a good testbed for us," Sullivan said. "It’s part of the overarching direction."

The company will also post more on its pages for users about how the Secret Conversations function works. The feature has been available since 2016 but is not easy to find and takes extra clicks to activate.

The company is also considering banning new Messenger accounts not linked to regular&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;profiles. The vast majority of Messenger accounts are associated with&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;profiles but a greater proportion of stand-alone accounts are used for crime and unwelcome communications, executives said.

"We’re considering a registration process where prospective Messenger users will only be able to sign up for Messenger by creating or logging into a&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;account,” a&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;spokesperson said.

Requiring a link to&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;would reduce the privacy protections of those Messenger users but give the company more information it could use to warn or block troublesome accounts or report suspected crimes to police.

The enhanced safety measures the company plans include sending reminders to users to report unwanted contacts and inviting recipients of unwanted content to send plain-text versions of the chats to&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to ban senders or potentially report them to police.

Facebook&nbsp;might also send more prompts to users reached by people with no shared friends or who have had many messages or friend requests rejected.

Facebook&nbsp;had previously said it wanted to ease user reporting of misconduct as it gradually moves toward more encryption, but it has given few details.

Facebook will outline on Wednesday plans to expand encryption across its Messenger platform, despite warnings from regulators and government officials that the enhanced security will help protect paedophiles and other criminals.

Facebook will outline on Wednesday plans to expand encryption across its Messenger platform, despite warnings from regulators and government officials that the enhanced security will help protect paedophiles and other criminals. Executives told Reuters they will also detail safety measures, including stepped-up advisories for recipients of unwanted content. The moves follow complaints by top law enforcement officials in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia that Facebook's plan to encrypt messaging on all its platforms would put child sex predators and pornographers beyond detection. The changes, supported by civil rights groups and many technology experts, will be more fully described by company executives at a Lisbon tech conference later in the day. Facebook messaging privacy chief Jay Sullivan and other executives said the company would press ahead with the changes while more carefully scrutinizing the data that it collects. Sullivan plans to call attention to a little-publicized option for end-to-end encryption that already exists on Messenger. The firm hopes increased usage will give the company more data to craft additional safety measures before it makes private chats the default setting. "This is a good testbed for us," Sullivan said. "It’s part of the overarching direction." The company will also post more on its pages for users about how the Secret Conversations function works. The feature has been available since 2016 but is not easy to find and takes extra clicks to activate. The company is also considering banning new Messenger accounts not linked to regular Facebook profiles. The vast majority of Messenger accounts are associated with Facebook profiles but a greater proportion of stand-alone accounts are used for crime and unwelcome communications, executives said. "We’re considering a registration process where prospective Messenger users will only be able to sign up for Messenger by creating or logging into a Facebook account,” a Facebook spokesperson said. Requiring a link to Facebook would reduce the privacy protections of those Messenger users but give the company more information it could use to warn or block troublesome accounts or report suspected crimes to police. The enhanced safety measures the company plans include sending reminders to users to report unwanted contacts and inviting recipients of unwanted content to send plain-text versions of the chats to Facebook to ban senders or potentially report them to police. Facebook might also send more prompts to users reached by people with no shared friends or who have had many messages or friend requests rejected. Facebook had previously said it wanted to ease user reporting of misconduct as it gradually moves toward more encryption, but it has given few details.

Facebook to expand encryption drive despite warnings over crime

The&nbsp;United&nbsp;States&nbsp;and&nbsp;Britain&nbsp;remain&nbsp;committed&nbsp;to reaching a post-<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-kingdom-prime-minister-johnson-says-his-deal-is-only-way-to-get-brexit-done-259664">Brexit</a> bilateral free&nbsp;trade&nbsp;agreement, the White House said Tuesday,&nbsp;after&nbsp;President Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;questioned whether such a&nbsp;deal&nbsp;is possible.

Last week,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the terms of his EU divorce&nbsp;deal&nbsp;meant that "under certain aspect... you can't&nbsp;trade" with the&nbsp;United&nbsp;States.

Trump&nbsp;used a lengthy appearance on Brexit Party leader <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brexit-figurehead-nigel-farage-will-not-run-to-become-mp-259688">Nigel Farage's</a> radio phone-in show Thursday to share his characteristically blunt views ahead of a December 12 snap election in&nbsp;Britain.

Trump's remarks threatened to hurt Johnson at the outset of a campaign that has huge implications for&nbsp;Britain's future place in Europe and the rest of the world.

Both&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and Farage are deeply polarizing figures in&nbsp;Britain&nbsp;who could hurt Johnson's chances with more moderate voters.

On Tuesday,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and Johnson spoke, the White House said.

"The two leaders again reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Special Relationship through a robust bilateral free&nbsp;trade&nbsp;agreement once the&nbsp;United&nbsp;Kingdom leaves the European Union," deputy press secretary Judd Deere said.

Trump&nbsp;also insisted that NATO allies "robustly fund their defenses", a reflection of his argument that the US bears a disproportionate share of spending within the transatlantic alliance.

The United States and Britain remain committed to reaching a post-Brexit bilateral free trade agreement, the White House said Tuesday, after President Donald Trump questioned whether such a deal is possible.

The United States and Britain remain committed to reaching a post-Brexit bilateral free trade agreement, the White House said Tuesday, after President Donald Trump questioned whether such a deal is possible. Last week, Trump warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the terms of his EU divorce deal meant that "under certain aspect... you can't trade" with the United States. Trump used a lengthy appearance on Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage's radio phone-in show Thursday to share his characteristically blunt views ahead of a December 12 snap election in Britain. Trump's remarks threatened to hurt Johnson at the outset of a campaign that has huge implications for Britain's future place in Europe and the rest of the world. Both Trump and Farage are deeply polarizing figures in Britain who could hurt Johnson's chances with more moderate voters. On Tuesday, Trump and Johnson spoke, the White House said. "The two leaders again reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Special Relationship through a robust bilateral free trade agreement once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union," deputy press secretary Judd Deere said. Trump also insisted that NATO allies "robustly fund their defenses", a reflection of his argument that the US bears a disproportionate share of spending within the transatlantic alliance.

United States says committed to Britain trade deal after Trump expresses doubt

Military build-up on icy Norway-Russia border stirs uneasiness

A United States State Department report has said that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-mujahideen-terrorist-wanted-in-several-blasts-sent-to-police-custody-32954">Indian Mujahidin</a> (IM), which has ties with Pakistan-based terrorist groups <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/viral-video-of-lashkar-e-taiba-training-camp-in-pok-exposes-pakistans-lies-140937">Lashkar e-Tayyiba</a>, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harakat ul-Jihad Islami, is using Nepal as a hub to carry out terrorist activities against Indians.

In its recently released 'Country Report on Terrorism 2018'&nbsp;the State Department said the IM, designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US since September 2011, is suspected of obtaining funding and support from sources in Pakistan and the Middle East and that it has expanded its area of operations in Nepal.

"IM maintains ties to other terrorist entities including Pakistan-based Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Harakat ul-Jihad Islami. The IM's stated goal is to carry out terrorist actions against Indians for their oppression of Muslims. IM has also expanded its area of operations into Nepal, which is now the biggest hub for IM operatives," the report which was released in October, said.

"The group is suspected to obtain funding and support from other terrorist organisations, as well as from sources in Pakistan and the Middle East," it added.

The Indian Mujahidin (IM) known for carrying out multiple coordinated bombings in crowded areas against economic and civilian targets to maximize terror and casualties was designated as an FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organisation) on September 19, 2011.

The IM has been responsible for dozens of bomb attacks throughout India since 2005, causing the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

The US State Government report mentioned that Nepal did not experience any acts of international terrorism the previous year.

However, it acknowledged incidents of domestic terrorism conducted by Netra Bikram Chand led the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

The report has incorporated various incidents of bombings in Nepal in the year of 2017 and 2018.

Amongst three incidents, the report mentions the use of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a compound wall inside the India-funded Arun-3 Hydel Project just ahead of inaugural by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The report has cautioned Nepal that it can be used as a transit or staging point for international terrorists because of lapses and inadequate security measures.

"Due to Nepal's open border with India and insufficient security protocols at the country's sole international airport in Kathmandu, Nepal has and could continue to be used as a transit or staging point for international terrorists," the report stated.

It stated that security measures at Nepal's Airport was weak and inadequate.

"Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal's only international airport, does not pre-screen passengers, and landing data are not entered into any database.

Physical security checks of passengers are rudimentary. There is no travel document security and the airport lacks ultraviolet lights to examine documents," the report stated.

The US government report also mentioned that Nepal lacks proper screening of the passengers with that of the INTERPOL database.

"The Special Bureau of the Nepal Police assigns approximately 10 personnel to the airport and approximately 15 officers to its INTERPOL national central bureau, which is located at Nepal Police headquarters.

INTERPOL notices are maintained in a database, but passengers are not routinely screened through this database.

Security and immigration officials are generally responsive to US&nbsp;requests for information, but often have little information to provide," it said."Nepal shares an open border with India.

The 1,000-mile border has a few checkpoints, but there is a lack of sufficient security controls; for example, only one immigration official may be present at the checkpoint.

Thus, most people crossing the border are neither stopped nor checked, and the crossing points can easily be circumvented to avoid scrutiny," the report said.

"The primary constraint preventing more robust border-control capability is a lack of resources. The security services lack the personnel, technology, databases, basic equipment, and often even electrical power to provide effective border control. Additional constraints include lack of training and widespread corruption," it further added.

A United States State Department report has said that Indian Mujahidin (IM), which has ties with Pakistan-based terrorist groups Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harakat ul-Jihad Islami, is using Nepal as a hub to carry out terrorist activities against Indians.

A United States State Department report has said that Indian Mujahidin (IM), which has ties with Pakistan-based terrorist groups Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harakat ul-Jihad Islami, is using Nepal as a hub to carry out terrorist activities against Indians. In its recently released 'Country Report on Terrorism 2018' the State Department said the IM, designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US since September 2011, is suspected of obtaining funding and support from sources in Pakistan and the Middle East and that it has expanded its area of operations in Nepal. "IM maintains ties to other terrorist entities including Pakistan-based Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Harakat ul-Jihad Islami. The IM's stated goal is to carry out terrorist actions against Indians for their oppression of Muslims. IM has also expanded its area of operations into Nepal, which is now the biggest hub for IM operatives," the report which was released in October, said. "The group is suspected to obtain funding and support from other terrorist organisations, as well as from sources in Pakistan and the Middle East," it added. The Indian Mujahidin (IM) known for carrying out multiple coordinated bombings in crowded areas against economic and civilian targets to maximize terror and casualties was designated as an FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organisation) on September 19, 2011. The IM has been responsible for dozens of bomb attacks throughout India since 2005, causing the deaths of hundreds of civilians. The US State Government report mentioned that Nepal did not experience any acts of international terrorism the previous year. However, it acknowledged incidents of domestic terrorism conducted by Netra Bikram Chand led the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). The report has incorporated various incidents of bombings in Nepal in the year of 2017 and 2018. Amongst three incidents, the report mentions the use of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a compound wall inside the India-funded Arun-3 Hydel Project just ahead of inaugural by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The report has cautioned Nepal that it can be used as a transit or staging point for international terrorists because of lapses and inadequate security measures. "Due to Nepal's open border with India and insufficient security protocols at the country's sole international airport in Kathmandu, Nepal has and could continue to be used as a transit or staging point for international terrorists," the report stated. It stated that security measures at Nepal's Airport was weak and inadequate. "Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal's only international airport, does not pre-screen passengers, and landing data are not entered into any database. Physical security checks of passengers are rudimentary. There is no travel document security and the airport lacks ultraviolet lights to examine documents," the report stated. The US government report also mentioned that Nepal lacks proper screening of the passengers with that of the INTERPOL database. "The Special Bureau of the Nepal Police assigns approximately 10 personnel to the airport and approximately 15 officers to its INTERPOL national central bureau, which is located at Nepal Police headquarters. INTERPOL notices are maintained in a database, but passengers are not routinely screened through this database. Security and immigration officials are generally responsive to US requests for information, but often have little information to provide," it said."Nepal shares an open border with India. The 1,000-mile border has a few checkpoints, but there is a lack of sufficient security controls; for example, only one immigration official may be present at the checkpoint. Thus, most people crossing the border are neither stopped nor checked, and the crossing points can easily be circumvented to avoid scrutiny," the report said. "The primary constraint preventing more robust border-control capability is a lack of resources. The security services lack the personnel, technology, databases, basic equipment, and often even electrical power to provide effective border control. Additional constraints include lack of training and widespread corruption," it further added.

Nepal, now biggest operation hub for Indian Mujahidin: United States

Pakistan has not taken sufficient action against terrorist groups including Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continue to operate, train, organise, and fundraise from the country, according to a recent United States government report.

The US State Department Report in its 'Country Reports on Terrorism 2018' said India continues to experience attacks by Pakistan-based terrorist organisations.

"Pakistan continued to experience significant terrorist attacks, particularly against vulnerable civilian and government targets. Pakistani military and security forces undertook counterterrorism operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistan, such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan did not take sufficient action against externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan," said the US Department in its report was released in October.

The state department said that Pakistan-based LeT, which was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and JeM maintained the "capability and intent" to attack Indian and Afghan targets.

"India continued to experience attacks, including by Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and tribal and Maoist insurgents. Indian authorities blamed Pakistan for cross-border attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. India continued to apply pressure to detect, disrupt, and degrade terrorist organizations' operations within its borders, including the disruption of an ISIS-inspired terrorist cell reportedly planning terrorist attacks in late 2018," the report stated.

"Regionally focused terrorist groups also remained a threat in 2018. For example, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba - which was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks - and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) maintained the capability and intent to attack Indian and Afghan targets. In February, operatives reportedly affiliated with JeM attacked an Indian army camp at Sunjuwan, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, killing seven," it added.

The department also pointed out that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/islamabad-set-to-attend-afghanistan-peace-talks-in-russia-257851">Islamabad pledged support </a>for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban, however, did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network (HQN) from operating in Pakistan and threatening US&nbsp;and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

"The Pakistani government pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban but did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and HQN from operating in Pakistan and threatening US&nbsp;and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

In June, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/february-2020-deadline-crucial-for-pakistan-to-exit-fatf-grey-list-257530">FATF placed Pakistan</a> on its list of jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies (the "grey list") for deficiencies in its AML/CFT regimes, including the failure to implement U.N. sanctions related to designated entities," the report read.

Pakistan has not taken sufficient action against terrorist groups including Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continue to operate, train, organise, and fundraise from the country, according to a recent United States government report.

Pakistan has not taken sufficient action against terrorist groups including Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continue to operate, train, organise, and fundraise from the country, according to a recent United States government report. The US State Department Report in its 'Country Reports on Terrorism 2018' said India continues to experience attacks by Pakistan-based terrorist organisations. "Pakistan continued to experience significant terrorist attacks, particularly against vulnerable civilian and government targets. Pakistani military and security forces undertook counterterrorism operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistan, such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan did not take sufficient action against externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan," said the US Department in its report was released in October. The state department said that Pakistan-based LeT, which was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and JeM maintained the "capability and intent" to attack Indian and Afghan targets. "India continued to experience attacks, including by Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and tribal and Maoist insurgents. Indian authorities blamed Pakistan for cross-border attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. India continued to apply pressure to detect, disrupt, and degrade terrorist organizations' operations within its borders, including the disruption of an ISIS-inspired terrorist cell reportedly planning terrorist attacks in late 2018," the report stated. "Regionally focused terrorist groups also remained a threat in 2018. For example, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba - which was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks - and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) maintained the capability and intent to attack Indian and Afghan targets. In February, operatives reportedly affiliated with JeM attacked an Indian army camp at Sunjuwan, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, killing seven," it added. The department also pointed out that Islamabad pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban, however, did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network (HQN) from operating in Pakistan and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. "The Pakistani government pledged support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban but did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and HQN from operating in Pakistan and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. In June, the FATF placed Pakistan on its list of jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies (the "grey list") for deficiencies in its AML/CFT regimes, including the failure to implement U.N. sanctions related to designated entities," the report read.

Pakistan failed to take action sufficient against terrorist groups: United States

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday issued a joint statement reaffirming their strong support for the "irreversible" Paris Agreement on climate change, from which the US&nbsp;announced its exit this week.

The two countries "reaffirm their strong support for the Paris Agreement, which they consider an irreversible process and a compass for strong action on the climate," the statement said.

The Trump administration has already <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-begins-formal-exit-from-paris-climate-pact-259963">filed paperwork to withdraw</a> the United States from the Paris Agreement on combating climate change.

The US&nbsp;move is the first formal step in a one-year process to exit the global pact, part of a broader strategy by President Donald Trump to reduce regulation of American industry.

But scientists and many world governments are <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/11000-scientists-caution-against-climate-emergency-warn-of-unavoidable-human-suffering-260246">urging rapid action</a> to combat the worst effects of climate change.

The vast majority of national commitments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement are not enough to prevent serious harm from global warming, scientists said in a new research report issued Tuesday.

China and France pledged at this year's G20 summit to "update" their contributions against climate change beyond their current ones to reflect "their highest possible ambition."

The 2015 Paris climate agreement encourages countries to make stronger pledges if they can.

Macron is travelling with a business delegation of 30 companies.

The French president is visiting China for the second time since he took office. During his last trip last year, he said Beijing's flagship "Belt and Road" project to develop global trade infrastructure should not be "one-way."

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday issued a joint statement reaffirming their strong support for the "irreversible" Paris Agreement on climate change, from which the US announced its exit this week.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday issued a joint statement reaffirming their strong support for the "irreversible" Paris Agreement on climate change, from which the US announced its exit this week. The two countries "reaffirm their strong support for the Paris Agreement, which they consider an irreversible process and a compass for strong action on the climate," the statement said. The Trump administration has already filed paperwork to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on combating climate change. The US move is the first formal step in a one-year process to exit the global pact, part of a broader strategy by President Donald Trump to reduce regulation of American industry. But scientists and many world governments are urging rapid action to combat the worst effects of climate change. The vast majority of national commitments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement are not enough to prevent serious harm from global warming, scientists said in a new research report issued Tuesday. China and France pledged at this year's G20 summit to "update" their contributions against climate change beyond their current ones to reflect "their highest possible ambition." The 2015 Paris climate agreement encourages countries to make stronger pledges if they can. Macron is travelling with a business delegation of 30 companies. The French president is visiting China for the second time since he took office. During his last trip last year, he said Beijing's flagship "Belt and Road" project to develop global trade infrastructure should not be "one-way."

China and France reaffirm support of Paris climate agreement, call it 'irreversible'

US Congressional report on Afghan Affairs has specifically mentioned that Pakistan has been playing 'an active but negative role' in Afghanistan while simultaneously, is fearful of strategic encirclement by India.

In its latest report on Afghanistan, the independent and bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) identified Pakistan as the most important neighbour of Afghanistan. Pakistan, it said, has played an active, and by many accounts, a negative role in Afghan affairs for decades.

"Pakistan's security services maintain ties to Afghan insurgent groups, most notably the Haqqani Network, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that has become an official, the semi-autonomous component of the Taliban," CRS, which periodically prepares reports on issues of importance for Congressmen for them to make informed decisions, said.

Pakistan is concerned about the strategic encirclement by India as New Delhi is establishing strong relations with Central Asian countries.

"India's diplomatic and commercial presence in Afghanistan and US rhetorical support for it exacerbates Pakistani fears of encirclement. Indian interest in Afghanistan stems largely from India's broader regional rivalry with Pakistan, which impedes Indian efforts to establish stronger and more direct commercial and political relations with Central Asia," the CRS said in its latest report on Afghanistan released on November 1.

The US&nbsp;officials have long identified militant safe havens in Pakistan as a threat to security in Afghanistan, though some Pakistani officials dispute that charge and note the Taliban's increased territorial control within Afghanistan itself, the report said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-chief-of-staff-summoned-to-testify-in-impeachment-probe-260220">President Donald Trump</a>, it added, has also accused Pakistan of "housing the very terrorists that we are fighting."

"Pakistan may view a weak and destabilised Afghanistan as preferable to a strong, unified Afghan state (particularly one led by an ethnic Pashtun-dominated government in Kabul; Pakistan has a large and restive Pashtun minority)," the CRS said.

However, instability in Afghanistan could rebound to Pakistan's detriment; Pakistan has struggled with indigenous Islamist militants of its own, the report added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/islamabad-set-to-attend-afghanistan-peace-talks-in-russia-257851">Afghanistan-Pakistan</a> relations are further complicated by the presence of over a million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as well a long-running and ethnically tinged dispute over their shared 1,600-mile border.

In his August 2017 speech, the US President did encourage India to play a greater role in Afghan economic development.

The CRS said insurgent and terrorist groups have demonstrated considerable capabilities in 2019, throwing into sharp relief the daunting security challenges that the Afghan government and its US and international partners face.

At the same time, prospects for a negotiated settlement, driven by direct US-Taliban talks, are uncertain in light of the September 2019 cancellation of those negotiations and the Taliban's continued refusal to talk to the Afghan government, it said.

However, a potential collapse of the Afghan military and/or the government that commands it could have significant implications for the United States, particularly given the nature of negotiated security arrangements, the report warned.

Regardless of how likely the Taliban would be to gain full control over all or even most of the country, the breakdown of social order and the fracturing of the country into fiefdoms controlled by paramilitary commanders and their respective militias may be plausible, even probable, it added.

US Congressional report on Afghan Affairs has specifically mentioned that Pakistan has been playing 'an active but negative role' in Afghanistan while simultaneously, is fearful of strategic encirclement by India.

US Congressional report on Afghan Affairs has specifically mentioned that Pakistan has been playing 'an active but negative role' in Afghanistan while simultaneously, is fearful of strategic encirclement by India. In its latest report on Afghanistan, the independent and bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) identified Pakistan as the most important neighbour of Afghanistan. Pakistan, it said, has played an active, and by many accounts, a negative role in Afghan affairs for decades. "Pakistan's security services maintain ties to Afghan insurgent groups, most notably the Haqqani Network, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that has become an official, the semi-autonomous component of the Taliban," CRS, which periodically prepares reports on issues of importance for Congressmen for them to make informed decisions, said. Pakistan is concerned about the strategic encirclement by India as New Delhi is establishing strong relations with Central Asian countries. "India's diplomatic and commercial presence in Afghanistan and US rhetorical support for it exacerbates Pakistani fears of encirclement. Indian interest in Afghanistan stems largely from India's broader regional rivalry with Pakistan, which impedes Indian efforts to establish stronger and more direct commercial and political relations with Central Asia," the CRS said in its latest report on Afghanistan released on November 1. The US officials have long identified militant safe havens in Pakistan as a threat to security in Afghanistan, though some Pakistani officials dispute that charge and note the Taliban's increased territorial control within Afghanistan itself, the report said. President Donald Trump, it added, has also accused Pakistan of "housing the very terrorists that we are fighting." "Pakistan may view a weak and destabilised Afghanistan as preferable to a strong, unified Afghan state (particularly one led by an ethnic Pashtun-dominated government in Kabul; Pakistan has a large and restive Pashtun minority)," the CRS said. However, instability in Afghanistan could rebound to Pakistan's detriment; Pakistan has struggled with indigenous Islamist militants of its own, the report added. Afghanistan-Pakistan relations are further complicated by the presence of over a million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as well a long-running and ethnically tinged dispute over their shared 1,600-mile border. In his August 2017 speech, the US President did encourage India to play a greater role in Afghan economic development. The CRS said insurgent and terrorist groups have demonstrated considerable capabilities in 2019, throwing into sharp relief the daunting security challenges that the Afghan government and its US and international partners face. At the same time, prospects for a negotiated settlement, driven by direct US-Taliban talks, are uncertain in light of the September 2019 cancellation of those negotiations and the Taliban's continued refusal to talk to the Afghan government, it said. However, a potential collapse of the Afghan military and/or the government that commands it could have significant implications for the United States, particularly given the nature of negotiated security arrangements, the report warned. Regardless of how likely the Taliban would be to gain full control over all or even most of the country, the breakdown of social order and the fracturing of the country into fiefdoms controlled by paramilitary commanders and their respective militias may be plausible, even probable, it added.

Pakistan fearful of strategic encirclement by India: US report on Afghan affairs

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/committee-releases-first-transcripts-in-trump-impeachment-inquiry-259964">Witness transcripts</a> in the impeachment probe into Donald Trump were made public for the first time Monday, with the former US ambassador to Kyiv telling investigators she felt threatened by the president in his call to Ukraine's leader.

Democrats are entering an open phase of a congressional probe into potential abuse of power by Trump that has divided Washington as Republicans seek to defend him and his opponents pursue his removal from office.

The release of Marie Yovanovitch's deposition came as the White House hardened its opposition to the inquiry, with Trump's top national security lawyer defying a subpoena to testify early Monday.

The probe is examining how Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden, including by withholding $391 million in military aid that had been approved by Congress to help the US ally defend itself against Russian aggression.

Yovanovitch, who had urged Ukraine to do more to fight corruption, testified last month that she was ousted in May over "false claims" spread by questionable actors allied to Trump.

According to her deposition, she was alarmed by the deepening involvement of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Ukrainian affairs, and in particular his efforts to get Kiev to investigate Biden.

She said she was "shocked" when she read the summary of Trump's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-to-launch-trump-impeachment-inquiry-over-ukraine-controversy-251842">July 25 call</a> with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump said the ambassador was "going to go through some things."

"I was very concerned. I still am," Yovanovitch says.

"Did you feel threatened?" an investigator asks Yovanovitch in the transcript.

"Yes," she replies.

"I really don't know her," Trump told reporters of Yovanovitch on Monday, adding that he was "sure she's a very fine woman."

In fact, Yovanovitch came up repeatedly in Trump's phone call with Zelensky, with the US president describing her as "bad news," according to a White House summary of the conversation.

The release is the first of what House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said would be several key depositions.

He also released testimony from Michael McKinley, a former senior advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who resigned in September after concluding that the department was not defending top diplomats.

He said he asked Pompeo three times to defend Yovanovitch, eventually telling him that "this situation isn't acceptable." But the secretary was essentially non-responsive.

In his 37 years as a diplomat he had "never seen" efforts to use the State Department and its missions "to procure negative political information for domestic purposes," McKinley told investigators.

The depositions demonstrate "the contamination of US foreign policy by an irregular back channel that sought to advance the president's personal and political interests, and the serious concerns that this activity elicited across our government," Schiff and the chairs of two other panels leading the investigation said in a statement.

Schiff said testimony would be released Tuesday from two more key witnesses, then-special representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker and US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland.

They were in text message chains in which diplomats expressed misgivings about the prospective quid pro quo of political investigations for military aid.

Prior to the release of the first transcripts, Trump sought to attack their credibility by suggesting, without evidence, that Schiff would "change the words that were said to suit the Dems' purposes."

Meanwhile John Eisenberg, Trump's deputy counsel for national security affairs, defied a congressional subpoena, a sign of renewed White House stonewalling.

Eisenberg is reported to have been on the July 25 call. But Trump said Monday there was "no reason" for witnesses to answer questions by investigators.

"This is just another Democrat Hoax that I have had to live with from the day I got elected," the president said.

Robert Blair, an assistant to the president and senior advisor to the acting chief of staff, also refused to testify.

Trump senior associate counsel Michael Ellis and White House budget office associate director for energy Brian McCormack were due for depositions too.

But Schiff said the White House instructed them not to appear, a clear signal that "their testimony would be further incriminating of the president."

Witness transcripts in the impeachment probe into Donald Trump were made public for the first time Monday, with the former US ambassador to Kyiv telling investigators she felt threatened by the president in his call to Ukraine's leader.

Witness transcripts in the impeachment probe into Donald Trump were made public for the first time Monday, with the former US ambassador to Kyiv telling investigators she felt threatened by the president in his call to Ukraine's leader. Democrats are entering an open phase of a congressional probe into potential abuse of power by Trump that has divided Washington as Republicans seek to defend him and his opponents pursue his removal from office. The release of Marie Yovanovitch's deposition came as the White House hardened its opposition to the inquiry, with Trump's top national security lawyer defying a subpoena to testify early Monday. The probe is examining how Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival Joe Biden, including by withholding $391 million in military aid that had been approved by Congress to help the US ally defend itself against Russian aggression. Yovanovitch, who had urged Ukraine to do more to fight corruption, testified last month that she was ousted in May over "false claims" spread by questionable actors allied to Trump. According to her deposition, she was alarmed by the deepening involvement of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Ukrainian affairs, and in particular his efforts to get Kiev to investigate Biden. She said she was "shocked" when she read the summary of Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump said the ambassador was "going to go through some things." "I was very concerned. I still am," Yovanovitch says. "Did you feel threatened?" an investigator asks Yovanovitch in the transcript. "Yes," she replies. "I really don't know her," Trump told reporters of Yovanovitch on Monday, adding that he was "sure she's a very fine woman." In fact, Yovanovitch came up repeatedly in Trump's phone call with Zelensky, with the US president describing her as "bad news," according to a White House summary of the conversation. The release is the first of what House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said would be several key depositions. He also released testimony from Michael McKinley, a former senior advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who resigned in September after concluding that the department was not defending top diplomats. He said he asked Pompeo three times to defend Yovanovitch, eventually telling him that "this situation isn't acceptable." But the secretary was essentially non-responsive. In his 37 years as a diplomat he had "never seen" efforts to use the State Department and its missions "to procure negative political information for domestic purposes," McKinley told investigators. The depositions demonstrate "the contamination of US foreign policy by an irregular back channel that sought to advance the president's personal and political interests, and the serious concerns that this activity elicited across our government," Schiff and the chairs of two other panels leading the investigation said in a statement. Schiff said testimony would be released Tuesday from two more key witnesses, then-special representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker and US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. They were in text message chains in which diplomats expressed misgivings about the prospective quid pro quo of political investigations for military aid. Prior to the release of the first transcripts, Trump sought to attack their credibility by suggesting, without evidence, that Schiff would "change the words that were said to suit the Dems' purposes." Meanwhile John Eisenberg, Trump's deputy counsel for national security affairs, defied a congressional subpoena, a sign of renewed White House stonewalling. Eisenberg is reported to have been on the July 25 call. But Trump said Monday there was "no reason" for witnesses to answer questions by investigators. "This is just another Democrat Hoax that I have had to live with from the day I got elected," the president said. Robert Blair, an assistant to the president and senior advisor to the acting chief of staff, also refused to testify. Trump senior associate counsel Michael Ellis and White House budget office associate director for energy Brian McCormack were due for depositions too. But Schiff said the White House instructed them not to appear, a clear signal that "their testimony would be further incriminating of the president."

First impeachment transcripts go public as White House stonewalls

American hurdler Dawn Harper Nelson is coming out of retirement to chase more Olympic gold, the 35-year-old has said.

Harper Nelson, who gave birth to a daughter in April, said on Monday she was training for the 2020 Tokyo Games and hoped to win a third Olympic 100m hurdles medal.

"I know I still have the talent and can do it," Harper Nelson, the 2008 Olympic champion and 2012 silver medallist, told Reuters by telephone.

She retired from the sport in 2018 to start a family but said her Olympic dream never really died.

"The whole time, I didn't know in my heart if I was done," Harper Nelson said.

During her pregnancy she continued to work out, telling friends she just wanted to feel good, but talk of making a return became serious after her daughter's birth and she went back to the track in May.

"I didn't want Harper to feel like her birth symbolized mom's dream dying," said Harper Nelson, who won her first world championship medal, a bronze, in 2011.

"So I talked with my family and I talked with my husband, and my husband was like, 'We are doing it if you want to do it.'"

Discussions are underway for longtime mentor Bob Kersee to direct her training again with her husband, Alonzo Nelson, assisting in East St. Louis.

The challenge will not be an easy one, even though her physio team has told the 2017 world silver medallist that physically she looks the best she has in years.

Americans swept all three medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and took the top two spots at the recent Doha world championships.

But Harper Nelson believes she can be in the mix.

"I know I still have the speed and with my technique, I think I can still put together an amazing race and still run some personal bests," said the American, whose personal best of 12.37 seconds makes her the joint 13th fastest hurdler of all-time.

She hopes to start the comeback with several indoor meets.

"That (indoor meets) will be important because when I started training, I didn't have that pop, that burst of speed," said Harper Nelson.

"I've tasted gold, silver and bronze and gold tastes the best," she said of her medal haul.

American hurdler Dawn Harper Nelson is coming out of retirement to chase more Olympic gold, the 35-year-old has said. Harper Nelson, who gave birth to a daughter in April, said on Monday she was training for the 2020 Tokyo Games and hoped to win a third Olympic 100m hurdles medal.

American hurdler Dawn Harper Nelson is coming out of retirement to chase more Olympic gold, the 35-year-old has said. Harper Nelson, who gave birth to a daughter in April, said on Monday she was training for the 2020 Tokyo Games and hoped to win a third Olympic 100m hurdles medal. "I know I still have the talent and can do it," Harper Nelson, the 2008 Olympic champion and 2012 silver medallist, told Reuters by telephone. She retired from the sport in 2018 to start a family but said her Olympic dream never really died. "The whole time, I didn't know in my heart if I was done," Harper Nelson said. During her pregnancy she continued to work out, telling friends she just wanted to feel good, but talk of making a return became serious after her daughter's birth and she went back to the track in May. "I didn't want Harper to feel like her birth symbolized mom's dream dying," said Harper Nelson, who won her first world championship medal, a bronze, in 2011. "So I talked with my family and I talked with my husband, and my husband was like, 'We are doing it if you want to do it.'" Discussions are underway for longtime mentor Bob Kersee to direct her training again with her husband, Alonzo Nelson, assisting in East St. Louis. The challenge will not be an easy one, even though her physio team has told the 2017 world silver medallist that physically she looks the best she has in years. Americans swept all three medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics and took the top two spots at the recent Doha world championships. But Harper Nelson believes she can be in the mix. "I know I still have the speed and with my technique, I think I can still put together an amazing race and still run some personal bests," said the American, whose personal best of 12.37 seconds makes her the joint 13th fastest hurdler of all-time. She hopes to start the comeback with several indoor meets. "That (indoor meets) will be important because when I started training, I didn't have that pop, that burst of speed," said Harper Nelson. "I've tasted gold, silver and bronze and gold tastes the best," she said of her medal haul.

Hurdler Harper Nelson ends retirement to chase Olympic gold

The rise of the civilisational state and of civilisational rather than national leaders is calling into question the concept of sovereign nation-states.

That is evident in the consequences of the civilizational assault on minorities ranging from the Kurds in Syria and Turkey to Muslims in China, India and Myanmar to Islamophobia and mounting anti-Semitism in the United States, France and Hungary as well as sectarianism in the Middle East.

Democracies legally enshrined yardsticks of non-discrimination and equality irrespective of creed, ethnicity, colour, gender and religion but never succeeded in truly enforcing those principles.

As a result, civilisationalism’s assault spotlights the long-standing failure of the nation-state, evident from the moment it was conceptualised by the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, to give true meaning to guarantee the security, safety and rights of all its inhabitants irrespective of creed, colour, race, ethnicity, faith or gender.

The rise of a critical mass of civilizational leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, Myanmar’s Win Myint, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Victor Orban and US President Donald J Trump makes a rethink inevitable not only of the functioning of democracy but also of the concepts of the nation state and sovereignty that have structured world orders for close to 500 years.

Many of these leaders conceive of their societies and/or states as defined by civilization and its reach into akin Diaspora communities rather than by legally recognized borders, population within those borders, and language.

Civilisationalism has allowed China to extend its reach in the South China Sea beyond internationally recognised borders at the expense of other littoral states as well as to Diaspora communities across the globe.

It also provided the basis on which China has so far successfully imposed its views on others whether its acceptance of its one-China policy or silence, if not acquiescence, in repression in Xinjiang.

Civilisationalism has further enabled Russia to recognise breakaway states in Georgia, annexe Crimea, and spark violent conflict in eastern Ukraine.

In some ways, the nation state, designed to put an end to religious wars in Europe, paved the way for a revival of civilisationalism by godfathering exclusionary politics that were based on a determination of who belonged and who did not belong to a nation, a question which civilisationalism answers by legitimizing supremacism, racism and prejudice.

From the outset, newly conceived European nation-states sought to build nations by not fully embracing those it believed were not truly part of their nation.

The nation state’s exclusivity, rather than as a result of the Westphalia treaty pulling the curtain on an era of European wars, sparked another round of armed conflict intended to fortify newly found national identities.

Today, the reconceptualisation of nation-state and the notion of sovereignty has become an imperative with civilisationalism adopting exclusivity as its battle cry and the nation state’s centuries-long inability and unwillingness to negotiate mutually workable arrangements that take account of aspirations and identities of societal groups that feel excluded.

Reconceptualisation would need to be geared towards guaranteeing individual and minority rights based on an international legal framework that is enforceable.&nbsp;

Failure to do so would likely usher in an era of disruptive societal tension, marginalisation and disenfranchisement of minorities, flows of mass migration, radicalisation and increased political violence.

A recent International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) report concluded that China was advising countries confronting political and economic instability, sometimes sparked in part by Chinese project-related corruption, to adopt its model of brutally cracking down on any expression of dissent like in Xinjiang.

China, according to the report, is also advocating implementation of its system of social control, involving the use of invasive Chinese artificial intelligence-based surveillance technology, reducing media to parrots of government policy, and firewalling the Internet. China is further training governments in ways of disrupting opposition activity.

China’s view of economic development as a way of countering what it sees as cultural drivers of extremism underlies its effort to Sinicize Turkic Muslim Islam in Xinjiang and is implicit in Chinese aid to countries in the Middle East.

Xi announced in July of last year $20billion in loans to Middle Eastern nations as well as $106 million in financial aid for Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen on the back of Chinese assertions that finance would help resolve the region’s political, religious and cultural tensions.

“China is increasingly proactive in its response to instability in developing countries. It is now more forthright in its advice to partner countries and is proactive in promoting Chinese solutions to other countries’ problems,” said Nicholas Crawford, the IISS report’s author.

China’s policy prescriptions, elements of which are being adopted across the globe, is likely to perpetuate problems inherent to exclusivism propagated by both civilisationalists and nation-states that are more concerned about perceived threats to their territorial integrity or constructed collective identities than aspirations of groups that are part of their societal fabric.

The rise of civilisationalists, autocrats, authoritarians and illiberals, including Xi, does not bode well for Eurasia, a region pockmarked by groups whose rights have been repeatedly violated by various civilizationalist leaders as well as exclusionary nation-states concerned about challenges to their territorial integrity or constructed collective identities.

“Geopolitics is no longer simply about the economy or security… The non-Western world, led by Beijing and Moscow, is pushing back against the Western claim to embody universal values… The rejection of Western universalism by the elites in Russia and China challenges the idea of the nation state as the international norm for political organisation… The new pivot of geopolitics is civilisation,” said political scientist Adrian Pabst.

A tour of the world’s flashpoints proves the point.

The flashpoints include predominantly Kurdish south-eastern Turkey, what is left of the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, Rohingya rotting away in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing ethnic cleansing in Myanmar; the plight of Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang and Catalan efforts to democratically decide whether they want to remain part of Spain.

They illustrate the fact that the failure of the nation-state to build truly inclusive and cohesive societies coupled with the rise of the civilizational state and civilizationalist leaders portends a new world order that is likely to be characterized by individual and collective rights abuse that heightens societal tensions and aggravates disputes and conflicts.

“The global order provides more mechanisms for states to deal diplomatically with each other than with the people inside them,” noted scholar and author Malka Older.

The civilizationalist threat to individual and minority rights is enhanced by its insistence on collective adherence to an overriding ideology whether that is the Chinese communist party’s concept of absolute control of anything and everything cloaked in ultra-nationalism and concepts of unique Chinese characteristics; Russian Orthodoxy cemented in the alliance between church and state; or Victor Orban’s conceptualization of a Hungarian nation that is homogenously white and Christian.

In a recent study of religion and tolerance in the Middle East, widely viewed as perhaps the religiously most intolerant part of the world, political scientist Michael Hoffman concluded that it is not religion that in and of itself breeds intolerance and prejudice.

Instead, Hoffman suggested that Muslim attitudes towards the other differ sharply between believers who pray collectively in a mosque and those who worship in private.

Private prayer “does not contain the same sectarian content as communal prayer,” Hoffman noted, implicitly pointing a finger at autocratic authorities who in the Middle East often exercise tight control of what is said in the mosque.

“The group identification mechanism is not present for private prayer; since private prayer is fundamentally a personal phenomenon, it does not cause believers to distinguish more sharply between their own sect and others and therefore does not produce the intolerant outcomes associated with communal worship,” Hoffman went on to say.

Hoffman’s research, despite its focus on the Middle East, spotlighted in an era of rising civilisationalism the risks to universal basic human dignity as well as individual and minorities rights in directly or indirectly imposing collectivist beliefs that drown out the political, ethnic or religious other.

The silver lining in what are bleak prospects may be Pabst’s conclusion that “neither the Western cult of private freedom without social solidarity nor the totalitarian tendencies among China’s and Russia’s elites can nurture resilient societies against the disruptive forces of technology and implacable economic globalisation… (Yet) across different civilisations there is an inchoate sense that the purpose of politics is the free association of people around common interests and shared social virtues of generosity, loyalty, courage, sacrifice and gratitude. The practice of such virtues can bind us together as citizens, nations and cultures beyond colour, class or creed.” 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The rise of the civilisational state and of civilisational rather than national leaders is calling into question the concept of sovereign nation-states. That is evident in the consequences of the civilizational assault on minorities ranging from the Kurds in Syria and Turkey to Muslims in China, India and Myanmar to Islamophobia and mounting anti-Semitism in the United States, France and Hungary as well as sectarianism in the Middle East.

The rise of the civilisational state and of civilisational rather than national leaders is calling into question the concept of sovereign nation-states. That is evident in the consequences of the civilizational assault on minorities ranging from the Kurds in Syria and Turkey to Muslims in China, India and Myanmar to Islamophobia and mounting anti-Semitism in the United States, France and Hungary as well as sectarianism in the Middle East. Democracies legally enshrined yardsticks of non-discrimination and equality irrespective of creed, ethnicity, colour, gender and religion but never succeeded in truly enforcing those principles. As a result, civilisationalism’s assault spotlights the long-standing failure of the nation-state, evident from the moment it was conceptualised by the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, to give true meaning to guarantee the security, safety and rights of all its inhabitants irrespective of creed, colour, race, ethnicity, faith or gender. The rise of a critical mass of civilizational leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, Myanmar’s Win Myint, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Hungary’s Victor Orban and US President Donald J Trump makes a rethink inevitable not only of the functioning of democracy but also of the concepts of the nation state and sovereignty that have structured world orders for close to 500 years. Many of these leaders conceive of their societies and/or states as defined by civilization and its reach into akin Diaspora communities rather than by legally recognized borders, population within those borders, and language. Civilisationalism has allowed China to extend its reach in the South China Sea beyond internationally recognised borders at the expense of other littoral states as well as to Diaspora communities across the globe. It also provided the basis on which China has so far successfully imposed its views on others whether its acceptance of its one-China policy or silence, if not acquiescence, in repression in Xinjiang. Civilisationalism has further enabled Russia to recognise breakaway states in Georgia, annexe Crimea, and spark violent conflict in eastern Ukraine. In some ways, the nation state, designed to put an end to religious wars in Europe, paved the way for a revival of civilisationalism by godfathering exclusionary politics that were based on a determination of who belonged and who did not belong to a nation, a question which civilisationalism answers by legitimizing supremacism, racism and prejudice. From the outset, newly conceived European nation-states sought to build nations by not fully embracing those it believed were not truly part of their nation. The nation state’s exclusivity, rather than as a result of the Westphalia treaty pulling the curtain on an era of European wars, sparked another round of armed conflict intended to fortify newly found national identities. Today, the reconceptualisation of nation-state and the notion of sovereignty has become an imperative with civilisationalism adopting exclusivity as its battle cry and the nation state’s centuries-long inability and unwillingness to negotiate mutually workable arrangements that take account of aspirations and identities of societal groups that feel excluded. Reconceptualisation would need to be geared towards guaranteeing individual and minority rights based on an international legal framework that is enforceable. Failure to do so would likely usher in an era of disruptive societal tension, marginalisation and disenfranchisement of minorities, flows of mass migration, radicalisation and increased political violence. A recent International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) report concluded that China was advising countries confronting political and economic instability, sometimes sparked in part by Chinese project-related corruption, to adopt its model of brutally cracking down on any expression of dissent like in Xinjiang. China, according to the report, is also advocating implementation of its system of social control, involving the use of invasive Chinese artificial intelligence-based surveillance technology, reducing media to parrots of government policy, and firewalling the Internet. China is further training governments in ways of disrupting opposition activity. China’s view of economic development as a way of countering what it sees as cultural drivers of extremism underlies its effort to Sinicize Turkic Muslim Islam in Xinjiang and is implicit in Chinese aid to countries in the Middle East. Xi announced in July of last year $20billion in loans to Middle Eastern nations as well as $106 million in financial aid for Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen on the back of Chinese assertions that finance would help resolve the region’s political, religious and cultural tensions. “China is increasingly proactive in its response to instability in developing countries. It is now more forthright in its advice to partner countries and is proactive in promoting Chinese solutions to other countries’ problems,” said Nicholas Crawford, the IISS report’s author. China’s policy prescriptions, elements of which are being adopted across the globe, is likely to perpetuate problems inherent to exclusivism propagated by both civilisationalists and nation-states that are more concerned about perceived threats to their territorial integrity or constructed collective identities than aspirations of groups that are part of their societal fabric. The rise of civilisationalists, autocrats, authoritarians and illiberals, including Xi, does not bode well for Eurasia, a region pockmarked by groups whose rights have been repeatedly violated by various civilizationalist leaders as well as exclusionary nation-states concerned about challenges to their territorial integrity or constructed collective identities. “Geopolitics is no longer simply about the economy or security… The non-Western world, led by Beijing and Moscow, is pushing back against the Western claim to embody universal values… The rejection of Western universalism by the elites in Russia and China challenges the idea of the nation state as the international norm for political organisation… The new pivot of geopolitics is civilisation,” said political scientist Adrian Pabst. A tour of the world’s flashpoints proves the point. The flashpoints include predominantly Kurdish south-eastern Turkey, what is left of the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, Rohingya rotting away in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing ethnic cleansing in Myanmar; the plight of Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang and Catalan efforts to democratically decide whether they want to remain part of Spain. They illustrate the fact that the failure of the nation-state to build truly inclusive and cohesive societies coupled with the rise of the civilizational state and civilizationalist leaders portends a new world order that is likely to be characterized by individual and collective rights abuse that heightens societal tensions and aggravates disputes and conflicts. “The global order provides more mechanisms for states to deal diplomatically with each other than with the people inside them,” noted scholar and author Malka Older. The civilizationalist threat to individual and minority rights is enhanced by its insistence on collective adherence to an overriding ideology whether that is the Chinese communist party’s concept of absolute control of anything and everything cloaked in ultra-nationalism and concepts of unique Chinese characteristics; Russian Orthodoxy cemented in the alliance between church and state; or Victor Orban’s conceptualization of a Hungarian nation that is homogenously white and Christian. In a recent study of religion and tolerance in the Middle East, widely viewed as perhaps the religiously most intolerant part of the world, political scientist Michael Hoffman concluded that it is not religion that in and of itself breeds intolerance and prejudice. Instead, Hoffman suggested that Muslim attitudes towards the other differ sharply between believers who pray collectively in a mosque and those who worship in private. Private prayer “does not contain the same sectarian content as communal prayer,” Hoffman noted, implicitly pointing a finger at autocratic authorities who in the Middle East often exercise tight control of what is said in the mosque. “The group identification mechanism is not present for private prayer; since private prayer is fundamentally a personal phenomenon, it does not cause believers to distinguish more sharply between their own sect and others and therefore does not produce the intolerant outcomes associated with communal worship,” Hoffman went on to say. Hoffman’s research, despite its focus on the Middle East, spotlighted in an era of rising civilisationalism the risks to universal basic human dignity as well as individual and minorities rights in directly or indirectly imposing collectivist beliefs that drown out the political, ethnic or religious other. The silver lining in what are bleak prospects may be Pabst’s conclusion that “neither the Western cult of private freedom without social solidarity nor the totalitarian tendencies among China’s and Russia’s elites can nurture resilient societies against the disruptive forces of technology and implacable economic globalisation… (Yet) across different civilisations there is an inchoate sense that the purpose of politics is the free association of people around common interests and shared social virtues of generosity, loyalty, courage, sacrifice and gratitude. The practice of such virtues can bind us together as citizens, nations and cultures beyond colour, class or creed.” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Adjusting to the new world order

The San Francisco startup that invented the groundbreaking Juul e-cigarette had a central goal during its development: captivating users with the first hit. The company had concluded that consumers had largely rejected earlier e-cigarettes, former employees told Reuters because the devices either failed to deliver enough nicotine or delivered it with a harsh taste.

Juul disregarded early evidence that it was hooking teens: Report

China's offshore yuan surged past 7 per dollar to four-month highs on Tuesday, benefiting from signs Beijing and Washington are approaching a trade deal and also from the Chinese central bank's decision to trim lending rates by only 5 basis points.

Optimism over trade also boosted other trade-reliant currencies, such as the Australian and New Zealand dollars, which rose as much as half a per cent.

China is pushing US&nbsp;President Donald Trump to remove more tariffs imposed in September as part of a "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-china-close-to-finalising-part-of-a-phase-one-trade-deal-report-258209">phase one</a>" US-China trade deal, which is expected to be signed later this month, people familiar with the negotiations said.

The yuan jumped 0.6 per cent to the highest since August&nbsp;5 at 6.9930. The onshore yuan also posted its strongest close since August&nbsp;2.&nbsp;

The currency held its gains even after China's central bank cut its one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) rate for the first time since early 2016, though it opted for a 5 bps cut that Commerzbank called "tiny".

"It might be fair to say the PBoC only fine-tuned its monetary policy stance ... Typically, a rate cut will bring depreciation pressure to the currency," Commerzbank told clients, adding the trade optimism was the main factor driving the yuan above the 7 mark.

China and the US&nbsp;have imposed tariffs on each other's goods in a trade war that has dragged on for 16 months and raised the spectre of a global recession. Resolving the row would boost riskier assets, ease concern about the economic outlook and reduce the need for aggressive monetary easing.

The US&nbsp;dollar was flat against a basket of currencies&nbsp;in early London trading but advanced around a quarter per cent against the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc.

Kit Juckes, head of FX strategy at Société Générale, said the agreement would probably mark a truce rather than peace but added that "the chance of getting a first-stage deal seems to be quite good."

The optimism spilt over into other currencies, with the Australian dollar not far off three-month highs. It wasn't much moved after the central bank left monetary policy unchanged, as expected. The kiwi dollar rose 0.3 per cent.

The Norwegian and Swedish crowns also rose versus both the dollar and euro.

The euro was flat against the dollar. It rose 0.26 percent&nbsp;versus the yen.

Jukes said the euro would be one of the last currencies to benefit from improved risk sentiment, noting that Monday's data showing Polish manufacturing activity in its sharpest downturn in 10 years had taken the wind out of the euro's sails.

Central European states such as Poland are a key market and investment destination for eurozone companies.

China's offshore yuan surged past 7 per dollar to four-month highs on Tuesday, benefiting from signs Beijing and Washington are approaching a trade deal and also from the Chinese central bank's decision to trim lending rates by only 5 basis points.

China's offshore yuan surged past 7 per dollar to four-month highs on Tuesday, benefiting from signs Beijing and Washington are approaching a trade deal and also from the Chinese central bank's decision to trim lending rates by only 5 basis points. Optimism over trade also boosted other trade-reliant currencies, such as the Australian and New Zealand dollars, which rose as much as half a per cent. China is pushing US President Donald Trump to remove more tariffs imposed in September as part of a "phase one" US-China trade deal, which is expected to be signed later this month, people familiar with the negotiations said. The yuan jumped 0.6 per cent to the highest since August 5 at 6.9930. The onshore yuan also posted its strongest close since August 2. The currency held its gains even after China's central bank cut its one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) rate for the first time since early 2016, though it opted for a 5 bps cut that Commerzbank called "tiny". "It might be fair to say the PBoC only fine-tuned its monetary policy stance ... Typically, a rate cut will bring depreciation pressure to the currency," Commerzbank told clients, adding the trade optimism was the main factor driving the yuan above the 7 mark. China and the US have imposed tariffs on each other's goods in a trade war that has dragged on for 16 months and raised the spectre of a global recession. Resolving the row would boost riskier assets, ease concern about the economic outlook and reduce the need for aggressive monetary easing. The US dollar was flat against a basket of currencies in early London trading but advanced around a quarter per cent against the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc. Kit Juckes, head of FX strategy at Société Générale, said the agreement would probably mark a truce rather than peace but added that "the chance of getting a first-stage deal seems to be quite good." The optimism spilt over into other currencies, with the Australian dollar not far off three-month highs. It wasn't much moved after the central bank left monetary policy unchanged, as expected. The kiwi dollar rose 0.3 per cent. The Norwegian and Swedish crowns also rose versus both the dollar and euro. The euro was flat against the dollar. It rose 0.26 percent versus the yen. Jukes said the euro would be one of the last currencies to benefit from improved risk sentiment, noting that Monday's data showing Polish manufacturing activity in its sharpest downturn in 10 years had taken the wind out of the euro's sails. Central European states such as Poland are a key market and investment destination for eurozone companies.

Chinese yuan surges to three-month high on trade optimism, 'tiny' rate cut

Israel's supreme court on Tuesday upheld a government decision to expel a senior Human Rights Watch official over his alleged support of a boycott of the country, the ruling said.

Israel has sought to expel Omar Shakir, director for Israel and the Palestinian territories for the New York-based rights group, for more than a year.

It will now be up to the government whether to follow through and deport Shakir, a US citizen, who brands the move a bid by Israel to silence and delegitimise critics of its treatment of the Palestinians.

"If it proceeds, I have 20 days to leave &amp; it’ll join ranks of Iran, North Korea &amp; Egypt in blocking access for @hrw official," Shakir tweeted after the decision was announced, referring to Israel.

It would be the first expulsion of its kind under a 2017 law allowing the deportation of foreigners who support boycotting Israel, though there have been cases of people being denied entry under the measure.

The case against him was initially based on alleged statements in support of a boycott he made prior to taking up his post, HRW says.

The government later added new statements it alleges are in support of a boycott.

Human Rights Watch says it has criticised Israel's human rights record but has never advocated a boycott and the same is true for Shakir since he joined the organisation.

Israel's ministry of strategic affairs, which probes potential violations of the 2017 law, alleges Shakir's activism, particularly related to the country's occupation of the West Bank, has amounted to calls for a boycott.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/german-parliament-slams-boycott-israel-movement-as-anti-semitic-219486">BDS movement</a>, that is, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions,&nbsp;calls for a boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians.

Israel's supreme court on Tuesday upheld a government decision to expel a senior Human Rights Watch official over his alleged support of a boycott of the country, the ruling said.

Israel's supreme court on Tuesday upheld a government decision to expel a senior Human Rights Watch official over his alleged support of a boycott of the country, the ruling said. Israel has sought to expel Omar Shakir, director for Israel and the Palestinian territories for the New York-based rights group, for more than a year. It will now be up to the government whether to follow through and deport Shakir, a US citizen, who brands the move a bid by Israel to silence and delegitimise critics of its treatment of the Palestinians. "If it proceeds, I have 20 days to leave & it’ll join ranks of Iran, North Korea & Egypt in blocking access for @hrw official," Shakir tweeted after the decision was announced, referring to Israel. It would be the first expulsion of its kind under a 2017 law allowing the deportation of foreigners who support boycotting Israel, though there have been cases of people being denied entry under the measure. The case against him was initially based on alleged statements in support of a boycott he made prior to taking up his post, HRW says. The government later added new statements it alleges are in support of a boycott. Human Rights Watch says it has criticised Israel's human rights record but has never advocated a boycott and the same is true for Shakir since he joined the organisation. Israel's ministry of strategic affairs, which probes potential violations of the 2017 law, alleges Shakir's activism, particularly related to the country's occupation of the West Bank, has amounted to calls for a boycott. The BDS movement, that is, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, calls for a boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians.

Israel supreme court upholds expulsion of Human Rights Watch official

Testimony&nbsp;by&nbsp;two&nbsp;of the "three amigos" charged with running&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;policy for President Donald Trump will be made&nbsp;public&nbsp;on Tuesday, as Democratic-led congressional committees <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/committee-releases-first-transcripts-in-trump-impeachment-inquiry-259964">release more transcripts</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;their impeachment investigation.

Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Monday that transcripts would be released of interviews with Kurt Volker,&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;former special representative for&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;negotiations, and Gordon Sondland, the US&nbsp;ambassador to the European Union.

Witnesses have testified that Volker and Sondland, with&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;secretary of energy, Rick Perry, were known as the "three amigos," responsible for&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;unofficial channel to Ukrainian government officials.

Volker resigned as special representative in September. He testified to the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight panels for more than eight hours behind closed doors on October&nbsp;3.

Sondland, a major Trump donor, testified on October&nbsp;17.

Perry, a former Texas governor who said he was resigning&nbsp;from&nbsp;his Cabinet post as of December&nbsp;1, has refused to date to testify.

Tuesday's will be the second&nbsp;public&nbsp;release of&nbsp;testimony&nbsp;in the impeachment investigation of Trump that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally launched on September&nbsp;24.

On Monday, the committees released transcripts of&nbsp;testimony&nbsp;by Marie Yovanovitch, whom Trump abruptly recalled as ambassador to&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;in May, and Michael McKinley, a former top adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In their interviews, Yovanovitch and McKinley said the State Department was being used for domestic political purposes under Trump and warned that would hurt American interests.

The House investigation is focused on a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic rival as Trump seeks re-election in November 2020.

Trump froze nearly $400 million in US&nbsp;military assistance to&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;shortly before speaking to Zelenskiy, prompting accusations&nbsp;from&nbsp;Democrats that he had misused US&nbsp;foreign policy for personal gain.

Strongly backed by his fellow Republicans in Congress, Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused Democrats of unfairly targeting him in the hope of reversing his surprise election victory in 2016.

The committees began releasing interview transcripts as they prepare for&nbsp;public&nbsp;hearings that could start this month.

According to accounts of their&nbsp;testimony&nbsp;already&nbsp;public, both Sondland and Volker discussed communications between&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;private attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and Ukrainian officials with House investigators.

Volker turned over text messages concerning&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;among himself, Giuliani and other diplomats.

Sondland testified that Trump directed him, Perry and Volker to talk to Giuliani about his concerns about corruption in&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;and that the three were dismayed by that order.

He said he did not understand "until much later" that Giuliani's agenda included a push for&nbsp;Ukraine&nbsp;to investigate Biden. Sondland also said it would be wrong to get a foreign government to launch investigations in order to influence a U.S. election.

The committees have also scheduled more closed-door&nbsp;testimony&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;from&nbsp;Michael Duffey, associate director of the White House budget office, and Wells Griffith, senior director for international energy and the environment on the White House National Security Council.

Officials have said they do not expect either to appear, after four White House witnesses failed to testify on Monday.

Schiff said the failure of the witnesses to show up was more evidence against Trump. "This will only further add to the body of evidence on a potential obstruction of Congress charge against the president," Schiff told reporters.

Testimony by two of the "three amigos" charged with running Ukraine policy for President Donald Trump will be made public on Tuesday, as Democratic-led congressional committees release more transcripts from their impeachment investigation.

Testimony by two of the "three amigos" charged with running Ukraine policy for President Donald Trump will be made public on Tuesday, as Democratic-led congressional committees release more transcripts from their impeachment investigation. Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Monday that transcripts would be released of interviews with Kurt Volker, Trump's former special representative for Ukraine negotiations, and Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union. Witnesses have testified that Volker and Sondland, with Trump's secretary of energy, Rick Perry, were known as the "three amigos," responsible for Trump's unofficial channel to Ukrainian government officials. Volker resigned as special representative in September. He testified to the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight panels for more than eight hours behind closed doors on October 3. Sondland, a major Trump donor, testified on October 17. Perry, a former Texas governor who said he was resigning from his Cabinet post as of December 1, has refused to date to testify. Tuesday's will be the second public release of testimony in the impeachment investigation of Trump that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally launched on September 24. On Monday, the committees released transcripts of testimony by Marie Yovanovitch, whom Trump abruptly recalled as ambassador to Ukraine in May, and Michael McKinley, a former top adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In their interviews, Yovanovitch and McKinley said the State Department was being used for domestic political purposes under Trump and warned that would hurt American interests. The House investigation is focused on a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic rival as Trump seeks re-election in November 2020. Trump froze nearly $400 million in US military assistance to Ukraine shortly before speaking to Zelenskiy, prompting accusations from Democrats that he had misused US foreign policy for personal gain. Strongly backed by his fellow Republicans in Congress, Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused Democrats of unfairly targeting him in the hope of reversing his surprise election victory in 2016. The committees began releasing interview transcripts as they prepare for public hearings that could start this month. According to accounts of their testimony already public, both Sondland and Volker discussed communications between Trump's private attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and Ukrainian officials with House investigators. Volker turned over text messages concerning Ukraine among himself, Giuliani and other diplomats. Sondland testified that Trump directed him, Perry and Volker to talk to Giuliani about his concerns about corruption in Ukraine and that the three were dismayed by that order. He said he did not understand "until much later" that Giuliani's agenda included a push for Ukraine to investigate Biden. Sondland also said it would be wrong to get a foreign government to launch investigations in order to influence a U.S. election. The committees have also scheduled more closed-door testimony on Tuesday from Michael Duffey, associate director of the White House budget office, and Wells Griffith, senior director for international energy and the environment on the White House National Security Council. Officials have said they do not expect either to appear, after four White House witnesses failed to testify on Monday. Schiff said the failure of the witnesses to show up was more evidence against Trump. "This will only further add to the body of evidence on a potential obstruction of Congress charge against the president," Schiff told reporters.

Testimony from two of Trump's Ukraine policymakers to become public

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