This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - August 19th, 2019

Why Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland

US intermediate-range&nbsp;missiles&nbsp;will not be deployed in&nbsp;Australia,&nbsp;Prime&nbsp;Minister&nbsp;Scott Morrison said on Monday, after<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/will-not-stand-idly-if-us-deploys-missiles-in-asia-warns-china-240969"> the United States revealed ambitions to site&nbsp;missiles</a>&nbsp;in the Asia-Pacific region.

Officials from both governments held talks in Sydney over the weekend that ended with a joint statement in which the two allies pledged to strengthen opposition to Chinese activities in Asia-Pacific, as both sides have become increasingly concerned about China's spreading influence.

During the talks,&nbsp;US Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke of hopes to deploy&nbsp;missiles&nbsp;in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming months following Washington's withdrawal from a landmark arms control treaty last week.

Esper's comments prompted speculation that&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;had been asked to&nbsp;host&nbsp;the&nbsp;missiles, but Morrison denied that any request had been made and said&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;would decline if it was asked in the future.

"It's not been asked to us, not being considered, not been put to us. I think I the rule a line under that," Morrison told reporters in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland.

A recent increase in tensions between Washington and Beijing, both over trade and rights of navigation in both the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, has put&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;in an awkward spot, as the United States is its biggest ally, while China is its biggest export market.

Beijing last week described&nbsp;Australian efforts to improve the bilateral relationship as "unsatisfactory".

Australia&nbsp;worries China is using foreign aid to secure greater influence over small Pacific countries which control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean.

Australia, traditionally the major power in the South Pacific, has promised up to A$3 billion ($2.03 billion) in grants and cheap loans to counter what Washington describes as China's "payday loan diplomacy".

US intermediate-range missiles will not be deployed in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, after the United States revealed ambitions to site missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.

US intermediate-range missiles will not be deployed in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, after the United States revealed ambitions to site missiles in the Asia-Pacific region. Officials from both governments held talks in Sydney over the weekend that ended with a joint statement in which the two allies pledged to strengthen opposition to Chinese activities in Asia-Pacific, as both sides have become increasingly concerned about China's spreading influence. During the talks, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper spoke of hopes to deploy missiles in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming months following Washington's withdrawal from a landmark arms control treaty last week. Esper's comments prompted speculation that Australia had been asked to host the missiles, but Morrison denied that any request had been made and said Australia would decline if it was asked in the future. "It's not been asked to us, not being considered, not been put to us. I think I the rule a line under that," Morrison told reporters in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland. A recent increase in tensions between Washington and Beijing, both over trade and rights of navigation in both the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, has put Australia in an awkward spot, as the United States is its biggest ally, while China is its biggest export market. Beijing last week described Australian efforts to improve the bilateral relationship as "unsatisfactory". Australia worries China is using foreign aid to secure greater influence over small Pacific countries which control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean. Australia, traditionally the major power in the South Pacific, has promised up to A$3 billion ($2.03 billion) in grants and cheap loans to counter what Washington describes as China's "payday loan diplomacy".

Australia won't host US missiles: PM Scott Morrison

Greenland dismissed the notion that it might be up for sale after reports that US President Donald Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the idea of buying the world's biggest island.

Greenland tells Trump it is open for business but not for sale

Watch WION Speed News, August 19th, 2019

Last month after Donald Trump watched Fox News lob what he called "softball questions" at a Democratic lawmaker, the US president delivered a crisp smackdown of his favourite network: "Fox sure ain't what it used to be.

Last month after Donald Trump watched Fox News lob what he called "softball questions" at a Democratic lawmaker, the US president delivered a crisp smackdown of his favourite network: "Fox sure ain't what it used to be." After years of often fawning coverage by Fox, particularly from its pro-Trump anchors like Sean Hannity, the commander in chief appears to be tilting his media gaze toward a younger, more right-wing rival, cable outfit One America News Network (OANN). The small upstart broadcaster was launched only recently, in 2013, by technology millionaire Robert Herring, who sought a more conservative alternative to mainstream media behemoths like CNN. Today it seeks to outfox Fox by drawing extra attention from Trump, who has been voicing his displeasure with the rating leader over everything from presidential polling to its hosting of Democratic candidate town halls. Last week in a tweet to his 63 million followers, the president managed to disparage Fox and his mainstream news foil CNN, while heaping praise on the new object of his media affection. Embracing a newcomer "Watching Fake News CNN is better than watching Shepard Smith, the lowest-rated show on @FoxNews. Actually, whenever possible, I turn to @OANN!" Trump posted. Since March he has tweeted links to OANN stories or shared his appreciation of the network 13 times. The relationship has been years in the making. In 2015 Trump was interviewed by Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, when she guest-hosted OANN's show "On Point." At his first press conference as president-elect, in January 2017, Trump took a question from an OANN reporter. OANN was then called on dozens of times at the daily briefings in Trump's first 100 days in office. During his June 2018 press conference in Singapore, following the summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Trump took a question from OANN White House correspondent Emerald Robinson, but not before gushing about her network. 'It's really beautiful' "Thank you for the nice way you treat us. We appreciate it," he said. "Really, it's very good. It's really beautiful what you do." The San Diego-based operation describes itself as "straight news, no opinion." But the pro-Trump agenda is crystal clear, more than a dozen current and former employees told The Washington Post in 2017. Herring himself, in his pinned tweet, describes OANN as "the president's favourite news outlet." When Fox cut away from broadcasting a Trump rally in New Hampshire on Thursday, Herring tweeted, "We will never cut away!" 'Wasting airtime' OANN has faced accusations of promoting conspiracy theories and peddling Kremlin propaganda. "Yeah, we like Russia here," a staffer assigned to brief new OANN producer Ernest Champell told him, according to The Daily Beast. Champell left, disillusioned, four months later. "The network has a history of race-baiting and presenting anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-abortion reporting," according to Media Matters, a progressive nonprofit group that says its mission is "analyzing and correcting conservative misinformation." While OANN's influence in the White House may far outweigh its position in the news media landscape, Trump clearly retains an affinity for several people in the Fox organization. The show "Fox & Friends" remains his go-to morning program; Trump has phoned in on numerous occasions as president. Perhaps that is why Democratic longshot contender Julian Castro purchased ad time during "Fox & Friends" this week, airing a spot in which he directly addresses Trump and blames him for inspiring the El Paso shooter who massacred 22 people early this month. Polls 'have been terrible' Sean Hannity, the network's popular anchor, campaigned for Trump in 2016. But friction emerged this week when Hannity expressed support for CNN anchor Chris Cuomo after a video of Cuomo in a heated argument at a New York bar went viral. It was a sharp contrast to Trump, who tweeted that Cuomo the brother of New York's Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo was "nuts" and showed a "total loss of control" in the incident. The president expressed frustration when Fox aired multiple town halls in recent months featuring Democrats who are trying to unseat him in 2020, including South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, currently fifth in major polling. "Hard to believe that @FoxNews is wasting airtime on Mayor Pete," Trump tweeted in May. "Fox is moving more and more to the losing (wrong) side in covering the Dems." Fox News presidential polling is also a concern for Trump, whose job approval rating in the network's mid-August poll dipped substantially, to 43 per cent, while his disapproval rating spiked to 56 per cent, its highest since October 2017. In head-to-head matchups, the poll shows Trump losing to major Democratic candidates, including to frontrunner Joe Biden by 12 percentage points and to liberal Bernie Sanders by nine.

Is Trump's love affair with Fox News fading?

A small plane carrying three people crashed into a house in New York, said<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-regulator-cites-new-flaw-on-grounded-boeing-737-max-230998"> US Federal Aviation Administration</a> (FAA).

The plane crashed into the house located in the state's Dutchess County on Saturday at 4:29 pm&nbsp;(20:29 GMT), Sputnik reported citing local media reports Details regarding the passengers are still unknown, the FAA said.

The FAA said it will initiate an investigation into what caused the crash.

A small plane carrying three people crashed into a house in New York, said US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane crashed into the house located in the state's Dutchess County on Saturday at 4:29 pm (20:29 GMT), Sputnik reported citing local media reports Details regarding the passengers are still unknown, the FAA said.

A small plane carrying three people crashed into a house in New York, said US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The plane crashed into the house located in the state's Dutchess County on Saturday at 4:29 pm (20:29 GMT), Sputnik reported citing local media reports Details regarding the passengers are still unknown, the FAA said. The FAA said it will initiate an investigation into what caused the crash.

Small plane with 3 on board crashes into a house in New York

Washington and Beijing are working actively to revive negotiations aimed at ending the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-edges-down-on-lower-demand-outlook-us-china-trade-dispute-242428"> trade war that has rattled world markets</a>, Donald Trump's chief economic advisor said Sunday.

If teleconferences between both sides' deputies pan out in the next 10 days "and we can have a substantive renewal of negotiations," Larry Kudlow said on "Fox News Sunday," "then we are planning to have China come to the USA and meet with our principals to continue the negotiations."

That left it uncertain, however, whether a Chinese delegation would be coming to Washington next month, as a White House spokesperson predicted after US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin left a round of trade talks in Shanghai in July.

Watch: Beijing ready to fight US on trade, says China's new UN envoy

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But Kudlow emphasized that phone conversations held last week to follow up on the Shanghai talks -- involving Lighthizer, Mnuchin and two senior Chinese negotiators, Vice Premier Liu He and Commerce Secretary Zhong Shan -- were "a lot more positive than has been reported in the media."

World financial markets have been on edge amid a series of signs pointing to a slowing of the global economy -- notably because of the trade war between the world's two largest economies -- and have been reacting to even the slightest new indicator.

No fear of 'optimism'

But Kudlow insisted that the outlook was far from gloomy. "Let's not be afraid of optimism," he said, adding that "I sure don't see a recession."

The US-China negotiations began in earnest in January and seemed at first to make substantial progress, raising hopes that a trade deal could be rapidly reached. &nbsp;

But during the spring, the US president abruptly called off the talks, saying the Chinese had reneged on earlier commitments.&nbsp;

The discussions resumed again in June at the highest levels in the margins of the G-20 summit meeting in Osaka, Japan between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

But markets were hit with a fresh surprise when Trump suddenly announced that as of September 1 he was imposing punitive 10-per cent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods that had so far been spared.&nbsp;

And then came the announcement Tuesday that Trump -- already campaigning for re-election in 2020 -- had decided to delay imposing the tariffs until December 15 so as not to cast a shadow on the Christmas shopping plans of Americans.

The delay was seen as a concession to China and a backhanded admission that the tariffs -- despite Trump's repeated insistence to the contrary -- could in fact have an impact on US consumers.

Impact on US denied

Nonetheless, the president's chief trade advisor, Peter Navarro, firmly rejected that notion in several television appearances on Sunday.

He said Trump had decided on the postponement only after several company heads told him their contracts with Chinese suppliers were denominated in dollars, meaning they got no benefit from the weakening of the Chinese yuan and their orders ahead of the year-end holidays would be hard-hit.&nbsp;

Navarro said the executives also insisted they were increasingly looking to suppliers outside of China.

He vigorously rejected the notion that the tariff war is hurting American consumers, saying no data supported that view -- despite studies to the contrary by the International Monetary Fund, Harvard University and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

"We're seeing production investment and supply-chain sourcing move -- hemorrhaging from China," Navarro said, with Southeast Asia and the US benefiting.

Washington and Beijing are working actively to revive negotiations aimed at ending the trade war that has rattled world markets, Donald Trump's chief economic advisor said Sunday.

Washington and Beijing are working actively to revive negotiations aimed at ending the trade war that has rattled world markets, Donald Trump's chief economic advisor said Sunday. If teleconferences between both sides' deputies pan out in the next 10 days "and we can have a substantive renewal of negotiations," Larry Kudlow said on "Fox News Sunday," "then we are planning to have China come to the USA and meet with our principals to continue the negotiations." That left it uncertain, however, whether a Chinese delegation would be coming to Washington next month, as a White House spokesperson predicted after US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin left a round of trade talks in Shanghai in July. Watch: Beijing ready to fight US on trade, says China's new UN envoy × But Kudlow emphasized that phone conversations held last week to follow up on the Shanghai talks -- involving Lighthizer, Mnuchin and two senior Chinese negotiators, Vice Premier Liu He and Commerce Secretary Zhong Shan -- were "a lot more positive than has been reported in the media." World financial markets have been on edge amid a series of signs pointing to a slowing of the global economy -- notably because of the trade war between the world's two largest economies -- and have been reacting to even the slightest new indicator. No fear of 'optimism' But Kudlow insisted that the outlook was far from gloomy. "Let's not be afraid of optimism," he said, adding that "I sure don't see a recession." The US-China negotiations began in earnest in January and seemed at first to make substantial progress, raising hopes that a trade deal could be rapidly reached. But during the spring, the US president abruptly called off the talks, saying the Chinese had reneged on earlier commitments. The discussions resumed again in June at the highest levels in the margins of the G-20 summit meeting in Osaka, Japan between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. But markets were hit with a fresh surprise when Trump suddenly announced that as of September 1 he was imposing punitive 10-per cent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods that had so far been spared. And then came the announcement Tuesday that Trump -- already campaigning for re-election in 2020 -- had decided to delay imposing the tariffs until December 15 so as not to cast a shadow on the Christmas shopping plans of Americans. The delay was seen as a concession to China and a backhanded admission that the tariffs -- despite Trump's repeated insistence to the contrary -- could in fact have an impact on US consumers. Impact on US denied Nonetheless, the president's chief trade advisor, Peter Navarro, firmly rejected that notion in several television appearances on Sunday. He said Trump had decided on the postponement only after several company heads told him their contracts with Chinese suppliers were denominated in dollars, meaning they got no benefit from the weakening of the Chinese yuan and their orders ahead of the year-end holidays would be hard-hit. Navarro said the executives also insisted they were increasingly looking to suppliers outside of China. He vigorously rejected the notion that the tariff war is hurting American consumers, saying no data supported that view -- despite studies to the contrary by the International Monetary Fund, Harvard University and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. "We're seeing production investment and supply-chain sourcing move -- hemorrhaging from China," Navarro said, with Southeast Asia and the US benefiting.

US and China seeking to revive trade talks: Trump's chief economic advisor

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - August 18th, 2019

The presence of America and Britain in the Gulf region brings insecurity, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy, Alireza Tangsiri, was reported as saying by the ILNA news agency.

Tensions have spiked between Iran and the US&nbsp;and Britain in the Gulf after the Islamic Republic shot down an American drone in June and seized a British tanker last month for violating maritime regulations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/court-documents-show-us-seeks-seizure-of-iranian-tanker-violating-sanctions-243610">Iran seized the tanker</a> two weeks after British Royal Marines detained an Iranian tanker on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran.

"The presence of America and England in this region means insecurity," he said.

Iran can provide security in the Gulf by forming a coalition with other countries in the region, Tangsiri said.

Tangsiri said that Iran wants peace and stability in the Gulf but appeared to issue a veiled threat by saying that if a ship that uses nuclear fuel were to be targeted in the Gulf, the countries in the south of the region will not have drinking water because of contamination, Mehr news agency reported.

The presence of America and Britain in the Gulf region brings insecurity, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy, Alireza Tangsiri, was reported as saying by the ILNA news agency.

The presence of America and Britain in the Gulf region brings insecurity, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy, Alireza Tangsiri, was reported as saying by the ILNA news agency. Tensions have spiked between Iran and the US and Britain in the Gulf after the Islamic Republic shot down an American drone in June and seized a British tanker last month for violating maritime regulations. Iran seized the tanker two weeks after British Royal Marines detained an Iranian tanker on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran. "The presence of America and England in this region means insecurity," he said. Iran can provide security in the Gulf by forming a coalition with other countries in the region, Tangsiri said. Tangsiri said that Iran wants peace and stability in the Gulf but appeared to issue a veiled threat by saying that if a ship that uses nuclear fuel were to be targeted in the Gulf, the countries in the south of the region will not have drinking water because of contamination, Mehr news agency reported.

Presence of US and UK in Gulf brings insecurity: Iran Revolutionary Guards navy chief

A bad year for Xi Jinping clouds Communist China's 70th birthday celebrations

Thousands&nbsp;of&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;at&nbsp;US airports faced delays late on Friday because of an&nbsp;outage&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-border-chief-john-sanders-quits-amid-outcry-over-child-detainees-230455">US Customs and&nbsp;Border&nbsp;Protection's</a> (CBP) processing systems, officials said.

CBP said in a statement the&nbsp;outage&nbsp;was temporary and "officers continue to process international&nbsp;travellers&nbsp;using alternative procedures until systems are back online.

&nbsp;Travellers&nbsp;at some ports of entry are experiencing longer than usual wait times."

People at various&nbsp;US airports posted videos on social media sites of lengthy lines at processing checkpoints and several airports warned of extensive delays.

&nbsp;Passengers disembarking at Dulles Airport in the Washington, DC area reported delays of two to four hours.

After several hours, CBP issued a statement saying its&nbsp;computers were coming back online.

Thousands of travellers at US airports faced delays late on Friday because of an outage of US Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) processing systems, officials said.

Thousands of travellers at US airports faced delays late on Friday because of an outage of US Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) processing systems, officials said. CBP said in a statement the outage was temporary and "officers continue to process international travellers using alternative procedures until systems are back online. Travellers at some ports of entry are experiencing longer than usual wait times." People at various US airports posted videos on social media sites of lengthy lines at processing checkpoints and several airports warned of extensive delays. Passengers disembarking at Dulles Airport in the Washington, DC area reported delays of two to four hours. After several hours, CBP issued a statement saying its computers were coming back online.

Thousands of US travellers delayed by Border Protection computer outage

Pakistan PM Imran Khan discusses kashmir issue with Donald Trump. Watch video to know more.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan discusses kashmir issue with Donald Trump

Sitting under an olive tree in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Muftia Tlaib scoffs at the attention she has recently received from the president of the United States.

"May God ruin him," she says.

Tlaib is the grandmother of US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, at the centre of an affair that has drawn<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../donald-trump-urges-israel-to-bar-visit-by-us- congresswomen-ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-243211"> Donald Trump</a> and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu together against US&nbsp;Democrats.

On Thursday, bowing to pressure from Trump, Israel barred a visit by Rashida Tlaib and fellow Democrat Ilhan Omar that it had initially said it would allow.

The next day, Israel said it would let Tlaib visit her family in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds -<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../us-rep-tlaib-says-she-wont-visit-west-bank- under-israels-oppressive-conditions-243480"> but Tlaib rejected the offe</a>r, saying that Israel had imposed restrictions meant to humiliate her.

On Friday night, Trump tweeted:

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Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She doesn’t have to see her now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1162493654432460801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She doesn’t have to see her now!"

Ninety-year-old Muftia Tlaib, sitting in her garden in the village of Beit Ur Al-Fauqa, was not impressed. "

Trump tells me I should be happy Rashida is not coming," she said. "May God ruin him."

Her son, Rashida's uncle Bassam Tlaib, said the women had not seen each other since 2006.

"She was going to slaughter a sheep when Rashida arrived and prepare her favourite food, stuffed vine leaves.

SECOND MOTHER

"Rashida sees her granny as a second mother, she has always supported her. Rashida says she owes her success to her grandmother."

Tlaib did not outline what the conditions imposed on her visit were. Israeli media reported that she had agreed not to promote boycotts against Israel as part of her request to Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Tlaib, like Omar, has voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which opposes the occupation and Israel's policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel by law.

The pair are the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, and Detroit-born Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American congresswoman. Both are members of the Democratic party's progressive wing and sharp critics of Trump and Israel.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally; maintains a blockade of Gaza, run by the Islamist Hamas movement; and controls most of the West Bank, where Palestinians have limited self-rule.

&nbsp;The prospects of resolving the conflict under the "two-state solution" that had guided peacemaking efforts for years have dimmed significantly since Trump took office, while Israeli settlements on land Palestinians seek for a state have expanded.

&nbsp;The Trump administration, which is particularly close to the Netanyahu government, has touted its own peace plan but details remain vague. It fuelled Palestinian anger by recognising disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017.

Trump has for weeks been attacking Tlaib and Omar, along with lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts - all women of colour known as the "Squad" - accusing them of hostility to Israel in a barrage condemned by critics as racist.

"Trump has told Rashida and Ilhan to go back to their home countries. What a contradiction, yesterday he asked them to leave and today he asks that they aren't let in," said Bassam Tlaib.

Still, the grandmother is hopeful: "My heart tells me that she will come."

<hr tabindex="-1" />

Sitting under an olive tree in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Muftia Tlaib scoffs at the attention she has recently received from the president of the United States.

Sitting under an olive tree in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Muftia Tlaib scoffs at the attention she has recently received from the president of the United States. "May God ruin him," she says. Tlaib is the grandmother of US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, at the centre of an affair that has drawn Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu together against US Democrats. On Thursday, bowing to pressure from Trump, Israel barred a visit by Rashida Tlaib and fellow Democrat Ilhan Omar that it had initially said it would allow. The next day, Israel said it would let Tlaib visit her family in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds - but Tlaib rejected the offer, saying that Israel had imposed restrictions meant to humiliate her. On Friday night, Trump tweeted: Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She doesn’t have to see her now! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019 × "Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib’s grandmother. She doesn’t have to see her now!" Ninety-year-old Muftia Tlaib, sitting in her garden in the village of Beit Ur Al-Fauqa, was not impressed. " Trump tells me I should be happy Rashida is not coming," she said. "May God ruin him." Her son, Rashida's uncle Bassam Tlaib, said the women had not seen each other since 2006. "She was going to slaughter a sheep when Rashida arrived and prepare her favourite food, stuffed vine leaves. SECOND MOTHER "Rashida sees her granny as a second mother, she has always supported her. Rashida says she owes her success to her grandmother." Tlaib did not outline what the conditions imposed on her visit were. Israeli media reported that she had agreed not to promote boycotts against Israel as part of her request to Israel's Foreign Ministry. Tlaib, like Omar, has voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which opposes the occupation and Israel's policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel by law. The pair are the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, and Detroit-born Tlaib is the first Palestinian-American congresswoman. Both are members of the Democratic party's progressive wing and sharp critics of Trump and Israel. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally; maintains a blockade of Gaza, run by the Islamist Hamas movement; and controls most of the West Bank, where Palestinians have limited self-rule. The prospects of resolving the conflict under the "two-state solution" that had guided peacemaking efforts for years have dimmed significantly since Trump took office, while Israeli settlements on land Palestinians seek for a state have expanded. The Trump administration, which is particularly close to the Netanyahu government, has touted its own peace plan but details remain vague. It fuelled Palestinian anger by recognising disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017. Trump has for weeks been attacking Tlaib and Omar, along with lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts - all women of colour known as the "Squad" - accusing them of hostility to Israel in a barrage condemned by critics as racist. "Trump has told Rashida and Ilhan to go back to their home countries. What a contradiction, yesterday he asked them to leave and today he asks that they aren't let in," said Bassam Tlaib. Still, the grandmother is hopeful: "My heart tells me that she will come."

'May God ruin Trump', says US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib's grandmother

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the evening - August 17th, 2019

Since 2008, U.S. administrations have notified Congress of more than $24 billion in foreign military sales to Taiwan, including in the past two months the sale of 108 M1A2 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger missiles, valued at $2.2 billion dollars.

China irked by US-Taiwan arms deal

The US justice department on Friday unveiled a warrant for the seizure of the Iranian oil tanker at the centre of a weeks-long diplomatic dispute.

US calls for seizure of Iranian tanker

Donald Trump said Friday that tech giant Apple would be spending "vast sums" of money in the US in a tweet ahead of a dinner meeting with its CEO Tim Cook.

The men have had several informal meetings before, including at Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump is reportedly on a working holiday at his golf course.

"Having dinner tonight with Tim Cook of Apple. They will be spending vast sums of money in the US Great!" he tweeted at around 7 pm local time.

The meeting follows Thursday's announcement from Apple that it has invested roughly $60 billion in the US, and currently employs some 90,000 people in the country.

Many of the tech giant's products are assembled in China and the company opposes incoming tariffs an issue Trump is fixated on of 10 per cent on goods manufactured in China, due to come into force on September 1.

Trump has rejected <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-loses-more-ground-in-smartphone-market-falls-to-fourth-place-in-global-sales-241919">Apple's calls for an exemption on its products</a>, tweeting in July the company should, "Make them in the USA, No Tariffs!"

But his administration announced Thursday tariffs on some goods would be delayed until December.

Apple did not immediately respond to comment about the dinner, and Trump did not tweet again about the meeting, or what was discussed.

The president's latest missive comes after a gaffe in March when he referred to Cook as "Tim Apple".

Donald Trump said Friday that tech giant Apple would be spending "vast sums" of money in the US in a tweet ahead of a dinner meeting with its CEO Tim Cook. The men have had several informal meetings before, including at Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump is reportedly on a working holiday at his golf course.

Donald Trump said Friday that tech giant Apple would be spending "vast sums" of money in the US in a tweet ahead of a dinner meeting with its CEO Tim Cook. The men have had several informal meetings before, including at Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump is reportedly on a working holiday at his golf course. "Having dinner tonight with Tim Cook of Apple. They will be spending vast sums of money in the US Great!" he tweeted at around 7 pm local time. The meeting follows Thursday's announcement from Apple that it has invested roughly $60 billion in the US, and currently employs some 90,000 people in the country. Many of the tech giant's products are assembled in China and the company opposes incoming tariffs an issue Trump is fixated on of 10 per cent on goods manufactured in China, due to come into force on September 1. Trump has rejected Apple's calls for an exemption on its products, tweeting in July the company should, "Make them in the USA, No Tariffs!" But his administration announced Thursday tariffs on some goods would be delayed until December. Apple did not immediately respond to comment about the dinner, and Trump did not tweet again about the meeting, or what was discussed. The president's latest missive comes after a gaffe in March when he referred to Cook as "Tim Apple".

Trump says Apple will spend 'vast sums' of money in the United States

China's central bank unveiled a key interest rate reform on Saturday to help steer borrowing costs lower for companies and support a slowing economy that has been hurt by a trade war with the United States.

China's central bank unveiled a key interest rate reform on Saturday to help steer borrowing costs lower for companies and support a slowing economy that has been hurt by a trade war with the United States. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it will improve the mechanism used to establish the loan prime rate (LPR) from this month, in a move to further lower real interest rates for companies as part of broader market reforms. Analysts say the move, which came after data that showed weaker than expected growth in July and followed a cabinet announcement on Friday, underscores the government's attempts to use reforms to support a slowing economy. "By reforming and improving the formation mechanism of LPR, we will be able to use market-based reform methods to help lower real lending rates," the PBOC said in a statement published on its website. The central bank will "deepen market-based interest rate reform, improve the efficiency of interest rate transmission, and lower financing costs of the real economy," it said. Chinese banks' new LPR quotations will be based on rates of open market operations, and the national interbank funding centre will be authorised to publish the rate from August 20, the PBOC said. It added the rate will be published every month on the 20th, effective this month. Banks must set rates on new loans by mainly referring to the LPR and use LPR as the benchmark for setting floating lending rates, the PBOC said, adding that banks will be barred from setting any implicit floor on lending rates in a coordinated way. The central bank said five-year and longer tenors will be added to the existing one-year LPR, which will help banks set rates on long-term loans such as mortgages. China will add eight small banks, including two foreign-funded banks, to the existing 10 nation-wide banks that will be allowed to submit LPR quotations, the central bank said. The move followed pledges from China's State Council on Friday that the country will rely on market-based reform measures to help lower real interest rates for companies. The central bank said that it will strengthen its supervision on banks' rate quotations and punish banks for irregularities that disrupt the market order. The central bank will incorporate the LPR application into its macro-prudential assessment (MPA) to urge banks to use LPR pricing. SHARPER SLOWDOWN This week's data broadly showed China's economy stumbled more sharply than expected at the start of the third quarter, as the intensifying trade war with the United States took a heavier toll on businesses and consumers. Second-quarter economic growth slowed to a near 30-year low. Tang Jianwei, an economist at Bank of Communications in Shanghai, said the reform could be seen as a guided rate cut as PBOC can guide rates of its open market operations, which will be closely followed by the LPR. "The tool (LPR quotation reform) equals to a guided rate cut, and is only pushed out by the PBOC at crucial moments," said Dai Zhifeng, an analyst with Zhongtai Securities Co. The central bank has pledged to gradually unify two interest rate "tracks" - its market-based rates developed in recent years and its benchmark bank deposit and lending rates. Analysts say the new LPR rate will be lower than the current level, but they are divided over the scope of reductions on borrowing costs for firms. To free up funds for lending and to accommodate local government project financing, most analysts still expect the central bank will cut banks' reserve requirement ratios (RRR) further in the coming months, on top of six reductions since early 2018. Sources have told Reuters that more aggressive action such as interest rate cuts are a last resort, as it could fuel a sharper build-up in debt. In July, central bank head Yi Gang said China would keep its benchmark deposit rate for a relatively long time but would phase out its benchmark lending rate in the push to unify the benchmark lending rate and market-based rates. China's banks currently price their loans based on the benchmark lending rate that has been kept unchanged since October 2015, hampering the central bank's efforts to lower borrowing costs. The PBOC launched the LPR in 2013 to reflect rates that banks charge their best clients. But the LPR has been reacting little to market demand and supply, with the one-year rate currently at 4.31 per cent, versus benchmark one-year lending rate of 4.35 per cent. China's short-term money market rates have been falling more quickly in recent months due to the central bank's cash injections.

China unveils rate reform to steer funding costs lower for firms

President Donald Trump's decision to slap 10% tariffs on imported surfboards convinced surf executive Sue Bowers to move factory jobs out of China - but not back to the United States, which was one goal of Trump's tariffs.

U.S. surfboard makers not so stoked about China tariffs

Thousands of travelers at U.S. airports faced delays on Friday because of an nationwide outage of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) processing systems that lasted several hours.

Thousands of travelers delayed at US airports due to technical glitch

An&nbsp;Iranian oil&nbsp;tanker&nbsp;is being reflagged and is preparing to sail to the Mediterranean,&nbsp;Iran's state television reported on&nbsp;Friday,&nbsp;after&nbsp;Gibraltar, decided to&nbsp;free&nbsp;the seized ship.

"Based on the owner's request, the oil&nbsp;tanker&nbsp;Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean&nbsp;after&nbsp;being reflagged under the&nbsp;Iranian flag and renamed Adrian Darya&nbsp;after&nbsp;preparing for the journey," the television quoted Jalil Eslami, deputy head of&nbsp;Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation, as saying.

Britain's Mediterranean territory&nbsp;Gibraltar&nbsp;decided on Thursday to&nbsp;free&nbsp;the Panama-flagged&nbsp;tanker but did not immediately indicate when or if the ship would set sail&nbsp;after&nbsp;the United States launched a new, last-minute legal bid to hold it.

"The 25-member crew will start their journey&nbsp;after&nbsp;preparations, including refuelling," Eslami said.

The television report did not identify the&nbsp;tanker's owner.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/captain-of-iranian-tanker-seized-in-gibraltar-accuse-royal-marines-of-brute-force-239560">The Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marine commandos</a> off the coast of the territory at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of&nbsp;Iran.

Two weeks later,&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;seized a British-flagged&nbsp;tanker&nbsp;in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf.

The two&nbsp;tankers have become pawns in the standoff between&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States.

Gibraltar&nbsp;officials did not make clear whether the US legal bid would mean the ship would have to be detained further or, if so, for how long.

Iran&nbsp;said the ship would sail shortly and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif characterised the US bid to prevent it from leaving as "piracy". 
&nbsp;

An Iranian oil tanker is being reflagged and is preparing to sail to the Mediterranean, Iran's state television reported on Friday, after Gibraltar, decided to free the seized ship.

An Iranian oil tanker is being reflagged and is preparing to sail to the Mediterranean, Iran's state television reported on Friday, after Gibraltar, decided to free the seized ship. "Based on the owner's request, the oil tanker Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Iranian flag and renamed Adrian Darya after preparing for the journey," the television quoted Jalil Eslami, deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation, as saying. Britain's Mediterranean territory Gibraltar decided on Thursday to free the Panama-flagged tanker but did not immediately indicate when or if the ship would set sail after the United States launched a new, last-minute legal bid to hold it. "The 25-member crew will start their journey after preparations, including refuelling," Eslami said. The television report did not identify the tanker's owner. The Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marine commandos off the coast of the territory at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran. Two weeks later, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf. The two tankers have become pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, their fate tangled up in the diplomatic differences between the EU's big powers and the United States. Gibraltar officials did not make clear whether the US legal bid would mean the ship would have to be detained further or, if so, for how long. Iran said the ship would sail shortly and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif characterised the US bid to prevent it from leaving as "piracy".

Iran tanker prepares to leave after Gibraltar decides to free it: Report

China hits out at media, Western forces on provoking Hong Kong protests. Watch video to know more.

China hits out at media, Western forces on provoking Hong Kong protests

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Friday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-ban-israel-permits-us-representative-rashida-tlaib-to-make-humanitarian-visit-to-family-in-west-bank-243380">rejected Israel's offer to let her travel to the West Bank</a>, saying she would not visit her family after the Israeli government lifted a ban on her entry but imposed "oppressive conditions" to humiliate her.

Tlaib, a Democrat who represents Michigan in the US&nbsp;House of Representatives and has been critical of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, had planned to make an official visit to Israel along with fellow Democrat congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-urges-israel-to-bar-visit-by-us-congresswomen-ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-243211"> US President Donald Trump</a>, on Thursday, said he would not allow them to make a planned trip to Israel. On Friday, Israel decided to allow Tlaib to visit family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.

"I can't allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me &amp; use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive &amp; racist policies," Tlaib tweeted, using the word sity to refer to her grandmother.

"Silencing me &amp; treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in--fighting against racism, oppression &amp; injustice," she added.

Tlaib and Omar have voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement which opposes the Israeli occupation and policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Under Israeli law, BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel.

Netanyahu had said Israel would consider a humanitarian travel request by Tlaib so long as she promised not to promote a boycott against Israel.

Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, and the Detroit-born Tlaib is also the first Palestinian-American congresswoman.

Both are members of their party's progressive wing and sharp critics both of Trump and Israeli policy.

The two, along with fellow Democratic US Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts have also drawn direct attacks from Trump.

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Friday rejected Israel's offer to let her travel to the West Bank, saying she would not visit her family after the Israeli government lifted a ban on her entry but imposed "oppressive conditions" to humiliate her.

US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Friday rejected Israel's offer to let her travel to the West Bank, saying she would not visit her family after the Israeli government lifted a ban on her entry but imposed "oppressive conditions" to humiliate her. Tlaib, a Democrat who represents Michigan in the US House of Representatives and has been critical of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, had planned to make an official visit to Israel along with fellow Democrat congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, said he would not allow them to make a planned trip to Israel. On Friday, Israel decided to allow Tlaib to visit family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds. "I can't allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies," Tlaib tweeted, using the word sity to refer to her grandmother. "Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in--fighting against racism, oppression & injustice," she added. Tlaib and Omar have voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement which opposes the Israeli occupation and policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Under Israeli law, BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel. Netanyahu had said Israel would consider a humanitarian travel request by Tlaib so long as she promised not to promote a boycott against Israel. Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, and the Detroit-born Tlaib is also the first Palestinian-American congresswoman. Both are members of their party's progressive wing and sharp critics both of Trump and Israeli policy. The two, along with fellow Democratic US Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts have also drawn direct attacks from Trump.

US Representative Rashida Tlaib says she won't visit West Bank under Israel's 'oppressive' conditions

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - August 16th, 2019

Chinese ambassador to UK slams media, Western forces on provoking Hong Kong protests. Watch the video to know more.

WION Dispatch: Chinese ambassador to UK slams media, Western forces on Hong Kong

French President Emmanuel Macron hosts his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday for a rare visit, with Paris hoping to nudge Moscow towards steps to help end the conflict in the east of Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosts his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday for a rare visit, with Paris hoping to nudge Moscow towards steps to help end the conflict in the east of Ukraine. Putin is seldom invited by major Western powers for visits at a time of growing tensions, but France believes the arrival of Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine's new president could give a new impulse to halting the fighting. Macron will welcome Putin at 5:30 pm (1530 GMT) at his official holiday residence in Bregancon in southern France, days before he hosts other world leaders including US President Donald Trump for the August 24-26 Group of Seven (G7) summit in Biarritz. Russia was slung out of what was the G8 in 2014 after it seized Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, an annexation the international community has deemed illegal. And since 2014, an estimated 13,000 people have been killed in the war between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists over Ukraine's eastern Donbas provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk. Room to manoeuvre Zelensky has pledged to end the five-year-old conflict and shown signs of greater willingness to be flexible than his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, though he has not signalled any major concession. "President Zelensky has made offers to which it seems to us President Putin should respond encouragingly," said a French official, who asked not to be named. "We will intensify our efforts on the question of Ukraine, notably within the Normandy format" that groups Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. "The election of President Zelensky gives us some room to manoeuvre," the official added. Macron has taken a keen interest in brokering an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, hosting Zelensky for talks in June, one of the former comedian's first foreign trips as president. It would be a major feather in the cap for Macron, who since coming to office in 2017 has sought to magnify France's international role. 'Chance of progress' Zelensky has offered to meet Putin for face-to-face talks, saying "let's do it", and spoke to him by phone last week when four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack. "I called him urgently. I told him that this brings us no closer to peace," Zelensky said. Alexander Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center, said Macron would be looking for ways to resuscitate the 2015 Minsk ceasefire deal. "The main public issue will be reviving the Minsk accords. The main promise of the Ukrainian president is ending the war," Baunov told AFP. He said he believed Putin would be prepared to make a move if the Donbas region, which has a large ethnic Russian population, received a special status within Ukraine. "There is a real chance of progress. Moscow will only go in that direction if its main conditions are respected," Baunov said, adding that these consisted of a transition period and local elections in which the main Ukrainian parties would not take part. Treading carefully Iran will also feature high on the agenda of talks between Macron and Putin, with Paris keen for Moscow to use its close ties with Tehran to prevent a further escalation of conflicts in the Middle East. Tensions have shot up since Washington's unilateral pullout from a 2015 deal to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA). Macron will also press Putin to use his influence on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop an offensive in the northern region of Idlib and ward off new refugee flows towards Turkey. On Russia's domestic front, France has repeatedly rebuked Moscow over its crackdown on protesters angered by a refusal to register opposition candidates for elections later this year. But it remains to be seen if Macron will dare spoil the mood of such sensitive talks by raising that issue in public. "Making a point to Putin on this would be seen as interference in Russian internal affairs, but if Macron decides to do this Putin will know what to say," Baunov said. "What is said behind closed doors is another matter."

French president Emmanuel Macron seeks Ukraine progress from Russia's Vladimir Putin in rare pre-G7 talks

Hong Kong's economy grew 0.5 per cent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the government said on Friday, marginally less than a preliminary estimate, but the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-prices-rise-escalating-us-china-trade-war-caps-gains-240974">escalating US-China trade war</a> and growing political unrest are sparking fears the financial centre could soon tip into recession.

The revised figure marked the city's slowest expansion since the global financial crisis a decade ago and was down slightly from both an initial reading of 0.6 per cent and the first quarter's 0.6 per cent pace.

Amid growing internal and external pressures, the government also confirmed it was slashing its full-year 2019 growth forecast to a range of 0 per cent-1 per cent from the previous 2 per cent-3 per cent, which it had flagged on Thursday when it announced a modest economic support package.

Every quarter, the economy shrank by a seasonally adjusted 0.4 per cent, slightly more than an initial estimate of -0.3 per cent, and decelerating from a 1.3 per cent expansion in the first quarter.

Months of increasingly violent confrontations between police and protesters have plunged the international business hub into its worst crisis since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Tourists are cancelling bookings, retailers are forecasting a sharp drop in sales and the stock market is tumbling, adding to pressure the city is feeling from China's economic slowdown.

Hong Kong's economy grew 0.5 per cent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the government said on Friday, marginally less than a preliminary estimate, but the escalating US-China trade war and growing political unrest are sparking fears the financial centre could soon tip into recession.

Hong Kong's economy grew 0.5 per cent in the second quarter from a year earlier, the government said on Friday, marginally less than a preliminary estimate, but the escalating US-China trade war and growing political unrest are sparking fears the financial centre could soon tip into recession. The revised figure marked the city's slowest expansion since the global financial crisis a decade ago and was down slightly from both an initial reading of 0.6 per cent and the first quarter's 0.6 per cent pace. Amid growing internal and external pressures, the government also confirmed it was slashing its full-year 2019 growth forecast to a range of 0 per cent-1 per cent from the previous 2 per cent-3 per cent, which it had flagged on Thursday when it announced a modest economic support package. Every quarter, the economy shrank by a seasonally adjusted 0.4 per cent, slightly more than an initial estimate of -0.3 per cent, and decelerating from a 1.3 per cent expansion in the first quarter. Months of increasingly violent confrontations between police and protesters have plunged the international business hub into its worst crisis since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Tourists are cancelling bookings, retailers are forecasting a sharp drop in sales and the stock market is tumbling, adding to pressure the city is feeling from China's economic slowdown.

Hong Kong second-quarter GDP grows 0.5%, but trade war protests stoke recession risk

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/oil-rises-after-iran-says-it-seized-foreign-tanker-in-gulf-236913">Crude oil prices rose</a> more than 2 per cent on Friday, recovering from two days of declines after data showing a rise in US retail sales helped to ease concerns about a recession in the world's biggest economy.

Brent crude was up 2 per cent at $59.48 a barrel at 0924 GMT, after falling 2.1 per cent on Thursday and 3 per cent the previous day.&nbsp;

US crude was also 2 per cent higher at $55.60 a barrel, having dropped 1.4 per cent in the previous session and 3.3 per cent on Wednesday.

US retail sales rose 0.7 per cent in July as consumers bought a range of goods even as they cut back on motor vehicle purchases, Thursday's data showed.

That came a day after a sell-off in world markets that followed the US Treasury yield curve's first inversion since June 2007 - a development usually seen as a reliable predictor of a looming recession.

"The rebound has a corrective look about it on thin volumes, rather than a beachhead for an impending rebound," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA.&nbsp;

"Overall, US data continues to be a bright spot in a dark economic universe."

World stocks also rose on Friday as expectations grew for further stimulus by central banks, offsetting worries about slowing economic growth.

Gains are likely to be capped after a week of data releases included a surprise drop in industrial output growth in China to a more than 17-year low and a fall in exports that sent Germany's economy into reverse in the second quarter.

"The broader story around global economic growth has been a weak one, or a weakening one, and expectations (are for) further weakening," said Phin Ziebell, senior economist at National Australia Bank.

The price of Brent is still up nearly 10 per cent this year thanks to supply cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies such as Russia, a group known as OPEC+.

In July, OPEC+ agreed to extend oil output cuts until March 2020 to prop up prices.

"At what point will further output cuts be needed at the back end of this year from OPEC and Russia to keep things going the way they are?" Ziebell said.

A Saudi official indicated this month that more steps may be coming, saying Saudi Arabia was committed to doing "whatever it takes" to keep the market balanced next year.

OPEC's efforts have been undermined by worries about a slowing global economy amid a trade dispute between the United States and China, as well as rising US stockpiles of crude and higher output of US shale oil.

Crude oil prices rose more than 2 per cent on Friday, recovering from two days of declines after data showing a rise in US retail sales helped to ease concerns about a recession in the world's biggest economy.

Crude oil prices rose more than 2 per cent on Friday, recovering from two days of declines after data showing a rise in US retail sales helped to ease concerns about a recession in the world's biggest economy. Brent crude was up 2 per cent at $59.48 a barrel at 0924 GMT, after falling 2.1 per cent on Thursday and 3 per cent the previous day. US crude was also 2 per cent higher at $55.60 a barrel, having dropped 1.4 per cent in the previous session and 3.3 per cent on Wednesday. US retail sales rose 0.7 per cent in July as consumers bought a range of goods even as they cut back on motor vehicle purchases, Thursday's data showed. That came a day after a sell-off in world markets that followed the US Treasury yield curve's first inversion since June 2007 - a development usually seen as a reliable predictor of a looming recession. "The rebound has a corrective look about it on thin volumes, rather than a beachhead for an impending rebound," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. "Overall, US data continues to be a bright spot in a dark economic universe." World stocks also rose on Friday as expectations grew for further stimulus by central banks, offsetting worries about slowing economic growth. Gains are likely to be capped after a week of data releases included a surprise drop in industrial output growth in China to a more than 17-year low and a fall in exports that sent Germany's economy into reverse in the second quarter. "The broader story around global economic growth has been a weak one, or a weakening one, and expectations (are for) further weakening," said Phin Ziebell, senior economist at National Australia Bank. The price of Brent is still up nearly 10 per cent this year thanks to supply cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies such as Russia, a group known as OPEC+. In July, OPEC+ agreed to extend oil output cuts until March 2020 to prop up prices. "At what point will further output cuts be needed at the back end of this year from OPEC and Russia to keep things going the way they are?" Ziebell said. A Saudi official indicated this month that more steps may be coming, saying Saudi Arabia was committed to doing "whatever it takes" to keep the market balanced next year. OPEC's efforts have been undermined by worries about a slowing global economy amid a trade dispute between the United States and China, as well as rising US stockpiles of crude and higher output of US shale oil.

Oil rises 2% as recession fears recede

A technical glitch delayed the start of trading on Friday on the UK blue-chip FTSE 100 and midcap stock indexes for almost two hours in what was the longest outage at one of the world's top bourses in eight years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/london-stock-exchange-in-talks-to-buy-refinitiv-for-27-billion-238782">The London Stock Exchange</a> suffered a "technical software issue", which postponed the opening of trading until 0840 GMT, a spokeswoman said in an email. The markets normally open at 0700 GMT.

In a statement on its website, it said it was still investigating the issue.

The fault affected hundreds of shares in some of the UK's largest companies, including Shell, Unilever and HSBC, and BHP Group, worth a total of $2.8 trillion.

Traders were frustrated by the latest outage coming during a hectic week on global financial markets, hit by worries about a US recession and the US-China trade spat.

"Investors would have been yearning for a quiet Friday after a week of turmoil for the markets driven by recession fears," said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

"It looked like just such a peaceful interlude was on the cards until (the LSE's) technical issues."

A large number of market participants were also away on holiday, which may have limited the impact of the failure.

Paul Mumford, a fund manager at Cavendish Asset Management said it would be a "major embarrassment" for the LSE amid stiffening competition, rising costs and greater regulation among exchange operators.

LSE shares listed on the FTSE 100 were up 0.9 per cent in early deals, in line with the broader FTSE 100.

This is the second outage at the LSE, which handles about 5 billion pounds ($6.1 billion) worth of volume each day, in just over a year.

In June 2018, the opening auction was delayed due to a technical fault, but trading resumed after an hour.

Before that, the market was shut until lunchtime one day in February 2011.

Reuters News' parent Thomson Reuters holds a 45 per cent stake in financial data and news provider Refinitiv.&nbsp;

Thomson Reuters will own 15 per cent in LSE after the proposed deal closes.

A technical glitch delayed the start of trading on Friday on the UK blue-chip FTSE 100 and midcap stock indexes for almost two hours in what was the longest outage at one of the world's top bourses in eight years.

A technical glitch delayed the start of trading on Friday on the UK blue-chip FTSE 100 and midcap stock indexes for almost two hours in what was the longest outage at one of the world's top bourses in eight years. The London Stock Exchange suffered a "technical software issue", which postponed the opening of trading until 0840 GMT, a spokeswoman said in an email. The markets normally open at 0700 GMT. In a statement on its website, it said it was still investigating the issue. The fault affected hundreds of shares in some of the UK's largest companies, including Shell, Unilever and HSBC, and BHP Group, worth a total of $2.8 trillion. Traders were frustrated by the latest outage coming during a hectic week on global financial markets, hit by worries about a US recession and the US-China trade spat. "Investors would have been yearning for a quiet Friday after a week of turmoil for the markets driven by recession fears," said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould. "It looked like just such a peaceful interlude was on the cards until (the LSE's) technical issues." A large number of market participants were also away on holiday, which may have limited the impact of the failure. Paul Mumford, a fund manager at Cavendish Asset Management said it would be a "major embarrassment" for the LSE amid stiffening competition, rising costs and greater regulation among exchange operators. LSE shares listed on the FTSE 100 were up 0.9 per cent in early deals, in line with the broader FTSE 100. This is the second outage at the LSE, which handles about 5 billion pounds ($6.1 billion) worth of volume each day, in just over a year. In June 2018, the opening auction was delayed due to a technical fault, but trading resumed after an hour. Before that, the market was shut until lunchtime one day in February 2011. Reuters News' parent Thomson Reuters holds a 45 per cent stake in financial data and news provider Refinitiv. Thomson Reuters will own 15 per cent in LSE after the proposed deal closes.

London Stock Exchange, FTSE 100 suffers the longest outage in years

Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement faces a major test this weekend as it tries to muster another huge crowd following criticism over a recent violent airport protest and as concerns mount over Beijing's next move.

Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement faces a major test this weekend as it tries to muster another huge crowd following criticism over a recent violent airport protest and as concerns mount over Beijing's next move. Ten weeks of protests have plunged the international finance hub into crisis with the communist mainland taking an increasingly hardline tone, including labelling the more violent protester actions "terrorist-like". Chinese state media have put out images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, while the United States has warned Beijing against sending in troops, a move many analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China. The nationalistic Global Times newspaper said there would not be a repeat of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, in which hundreds or even thousands are believed to have been killed if Beijing moves to quash the protests. "The incident in Hong Kong won't be a repeat of the June 4th political incident in 1989," it said, insisting the country now had more sophisticated approaches. It was a rare reference to the bloody events, which are taboo in China. Hong Kong's protests were sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland, but have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city. Millions of people have hit the streets while clashes have broken out between police and small groups of hardcore protesters for 10 consecutive weekends. For most of that time, US President Donald Trump has taken a hands-off approach to the unrest but began speaking up this week, suggesting any potential trade deal with Beijing could be upended by a violent response from the mainland. Speaking on Thursday, Trump urged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to meet protesters and solve the crisis "humanely". Huge Sunday rally planned Activists are now planning to hold a major rally on Sunday, which is being billed as a "rational, non-violent" protest designed to show the movement still maintains broad public support after suffering a setback earlier in the week. On Tuesday, protesters blocked passengers from boarding flights at the city's airport and later assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese spies. The shocking images damaged a movement that until then had largely only targeted the police or government institutions, and prompted some soul-searching among protesters. China's propaganda apparatus seized on the violence, with state-media churning out a deluge of condemnatory articles, pictures, and videos. Sunday's rally is being put together by the Civil Human Rights Front, a protest group that advocates non-violence and has previously been the driving force behind record-breaking rallies in June and July that saw hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets. "This coming Sunday should be another million-strong march. Hong Kong people can't be defeated, Hong Kongers soldier on," prominent pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo wrote on Facebook. But the likelihood of renewed clashes over the weekend remains high. On Saturday, activists have vowed to gather in Hung Hom and To Kwa Wan two harbourside districts popular with mainland Chinese tourists despite police banning their proposed marches. And while police have permitted protesters on Sunday to rally in a major park on Hong Kong island, they have forbidden demonstrators from marching through the city. Previous bans in the last few weeks have simply been ignored by demonstrators, leading to running battles with riot police. Authorities say they have been compelled to ban recent rallies because of increasing violence used by hardcore protesters, who have often targeted police stations alone their marching routes with bricks, slingshots and Molotov cocktails. Toe the line Hong Kong maintains freedoms unknown on the authoritarian mainland under a 50-year deal that came into effect when the former colony was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. Many Hong Kongers say those liberties are being eroded and have hit the streets in huge numbers in recent years. Yet their demands to elect their leaders and halt sliding freedoms have fallen on deaf ears. The current protests are the biggest threat to Beijing's authority since the handover and as violence has escalated, party leaders have only hardened their tone. Beijing has also ordered Hong Kong's companies and influential tycoons to toe the line. On Friday Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation of its CEO Rupert Hogg after the Hong Kong carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the pro-democracy protests. Many tycoons have published statements calling for an end to the protests, the latest coming from the city's wealthiest man Li Ka-Shing who took out adverts in seven Hong Kong newspapers.

Hong Kong protesters face crucial weekend test after airport setback

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