Daily News Brief for Friday, August 30th:

*) Hong Kong activists arrested

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march in Hong Kong on Saturday despite the protest being cancelled by authorities.

The cancellation follows the arrest of activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow.

Both are under investigation for their role in a protest outside a police station in June.

*) Former FARC leaders vow to rearm

Colombia's peace tribunal has ordered the arrest of four FARC rebels who have vowed to rearm.

The rebels say the government hasn't fulfilled its obligations since the historic peace deal was signed.

The rebels are part of a group numbering 2,000 and will merge with another rebel group if their demands are not met.

*) US-Taliban talks close to reaching deal

The US plans to withdraw more than 5,000 of its troops from Afghanistan as part of negotiations with the Taliban.

Donald Trump says they are close to finding a resolution to the nearly 18-year-old war.

The Taliban say the only way the talks will be successful is if all US and NATO forces leave the country.

*) Brazil taking action against Amazon fires

Brazil has banned the use of fire for clearing land as it continues to fight the Amazon fires.

It has also allocated 40,000 troops and nearly $10 million to help to stop the fires.

The Amazon has seen its worst wildfires in decades, with over 6,000 reported just this month.

*) Hurricane Dorian to bring disaster to US east coast

And finally,

Hurricane Dorian is expected to strengthen to a dangerous Category 4 storm as it heads towards Florida.

Experts say it could prove to be the strongest hurricane in the region in over 30 years.

Dorian is likely to make landfall on Monday.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our listeners who live in that region.

Daily News Brief for Thursday, August 29th:

*) UK PM faces backlash over parliament suspension

UK PM Boris Johnson's suspension of parliament as part of his no-deal Brexit plan is drawing furious backlash.

Brits are protesting across the country and over a million signed an e-petition on the government’s website to oppose Johnson’s move.

The suspension is meant to thwart attempts by anti-Brexit MPs to prevent UK from leaving the EU without a deal.

*) Hurricane Dorian aims for US, causes limited damage in Caribbean

Hurricane Dorian is expected to strengthen to a Category 3 storm as it moves toward the US.

Meteorologists say it could become the strongest hurricane to hit in over 30 years.

Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and other Caribbean islands escaped with minor damage.

*) China rotates its troops ahead of Hong Kong protests

China rotates its troops in its Hong Kong barracks with air, land and maritime forces entering the semi-autonomous territory.

The move comes ahead of weekend protests calling for more democratic rights in Hong Kong.

Up to two million people have been protesting over the past few months at demonstrations marked with clashes with the police.

*) Fighting continues in Syria

Fighting in Syria's Idlib and Hama continues with r egime and Russian air strikes killing civilians.

In the latest attack, at least 16 civilians, including children, were killed in Idlib province.

Turkey has repeatedly called for a complete end to hostilities, warning of a humanitarian crisis if the bombings continue.

*) Apple to stop listening to private conversations via Siri

And finally,

Apple says it will stop storing private conversations people have with its virtual assistant, Siri.

The tech giant made the decision after increased scrutiny by US and Europe regulators.

Apple was found to have been listening to private conversations of its customers without their knowledge.

Daily News Brief for Wednesday, August 28th:

*) Malaysia ex-PM Najib's biggest 1MDB trial begins

Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak is on trial facing charges of corruption and receiving illegal funds worth over $500 million.

The charges included embezzlement from the 1MDB state fund.

Razak was hit with a total of 42 counts of corruption and abuse of power. He denied any wrongdoing.

*) Turkey, Russia share 'serious concerns' over Syria fighting

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they share deep concerns over fighting in northwestern Syria.

Ankara warned it will take necessary steps to protect its troops there.

After holding talks near Moscow, Erdogan and Putin expressed hopes to work together to ease tensions in Idlib province.

*) Explosions at checkpoints in Gaza kills at least two

Two explosions ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza killing at least two people.

Several others were wounded by the blasts which occurred an hour apart.

Hamas government officials said security forces were making progress in their investigation to establish who was behind the blasts.

*) Puerto Rico mobilises as Hurricane Dorian approaches

US President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, which is bracing for tropical storm Dorian.

Around 360 shelters were available for 48,500 people and at least 70 hospitals were prepared for emergencies.

Puerto Rico is still recovering after hurricanes Irma and Maria which decimated the island in 2017, killing thousands.

*) World’s largest grapefruit

And finally,

A US couple grew the world's largest grapefruit.

It's the size of a basketball and weighs over 3 kg and measures around 70cm.

The bitter-tasting fruit landed them a sweet accolade in the Guinness Book of World Records.

TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, August 27th:

*) Iran's Rouhani says no talks with US until sanctions lifted

Iran's President Hasan Rouhani says Tehran will only scale back its nuclear production if Washington agrees to lift its sanctions.

This comes after US President Trump said he would meet his Iranian counterpart under the right circumstances to try to end a nuclear standoff.

Iran has cut back its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal with six other world powers in retaliation to US sanctions.

*) Brazil rejects G7 aid to fight Amazon fires

Brazil rejected aid from G7 countries to fight wildfires in the Amazon, telling French President Macron to take care of "his home and his colonies."

G7 countries made a $20 million pledge to fight the blazes at a summit hosted by Macron who insisted the fires should be a top priority.

Almost 80,000 forest fires have broken out in Brazil since the beginning of the year, with over half of them in the Amazon basin.

*) Hong Kong leader says escalation of violence becoming more serious

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam says her government is open to dialogue with protesters but will not condone violence.

Police deployed water cannons and fired a warning gunshot into the air on Sunday while protesters threw bricks and petrol bombs at officers.

Activists have condemned what they see as police brutality, but Lam says the time isn't right to have an independent inquiry into the crisis.

*) Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to new indictment

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to two new charges of predatory sexual assault.

Weinstein has already pleaded not guilty to raping a woman in 2013 and a forcible sex act on another in 2006.

Prosecutors filed the new indictment to allow jurors to hear testimony from a third accuser, “The Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra.

*) US judge orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $572M

And finally,

A US judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its part in fueling an opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing addictive painkillers.

Johnson & Johnson is the first pharmaceutical company tried over the US opioid crisis.

Opioids were involved in almost 400,000 overdose deaths from 1999 to 2017, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

*)G7 wrestles with Iran, Amazon fires and trade

The G7 summit closes on Monday with a discussion of world problems such as the Amazon fires but overshadowed by US foreign policy and trade wars.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif made a surprise visit to the summit in France to discuss the deadlock on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

The G7’s unity has also been in question after President Trump’s demand to readmit Russia to the group caused a row between the members.

*)Israel strikes hit Lebanon, Syria and Gaza

Israeli warplanes attacked a pro-Palestinian group’s military base in Lebanon, near the border with Syria, a Lebanese state news agency said.

The strike comes a day after an alleged Israeli drone crashed in a Hezbollah office in Beirut while another exploded and crashed nearby.

Amid heightened regional tensions, Israeli aircraft also carried out multiple strikes on Hamas positions early on Monday in the Gaza Strip.

*)Rohingya mark ‘Genocide Day’ amid tensions in Bangladesh camps

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees rallied in Bangladesh camps on Sunday, marking two years since they fled a crackdown by the Myanmar army.

Massive crowds gathered on a hillside for memorial prayers for relatives killed in the violence; others marched under the sweltering sun.

The rally came three days after a failed attempt to repatriate refugees who fled the violence that the UN said was executed with “genocidal intent.”

*)Hong Kong police arrest 36, after battles with protesters

Hong Kong police arrested 36 people, the youngest aged 12, as protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at police who hit back with tear gas, water cannons and warning shots.

Sunday’s rallies saw some of the fiercest clashes yet between police and anti-Beijing protesters since demonstrations escalated in June.

Lawmakers on each side of Hong Kong’s political divide say the other side is responsible for the violence at the anti-government protests.

*)China’s top trade negotiator urges calm as Asian shares tumble

And finally,

President Trump said he welcomed China’s desire for a deal as Asian shares tumbled after the latest escalation in the US-China trade war.

China’s top trade negotiator also tried to reduce tensions with the US by calling for a “calm attitude” on Monday, local media reported.

Last week, the China-US trade war took a turn for the worse after Trump hiked tariffs on $550 billion in Chinese goods.

TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Friday, August 23rd.

*)India increases restrictions in Kashmir ahead of Friday’s protests

The lockdown in India-administered Kashmir intensified ahead of Friday’s protests which were called by jailed separatists.

Posters in Srinagar, the Muslim-majority region’s main city, called for a march to the office of the UN Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan.

The call by separatists seeking Kashmir’s secession from India was the first since India stripped the area’s autonomy in August and placed it under curfew.

*)Global worry over Amazon fires escalates, Bolsonaro defiant

French President Emmanuel Macron called the Amazon wildfires an international crisis and called on for urgent discussions at the G7 summit.

“Our house is burning,” Macron tweeted amid a bitter dispute on who is to blame.

Brazil said it is being targeted in a smear campaign by critics of President Bolsonaro who said rainforest protections hinder economic development.

*)Hong Kong protesters target airport a week after arrivals hall mayhem

Hong Kong braced for multiple anti-government demonstrations as protests in the Chinese city showed no signs of let-up.

Protest leaders called for people to use any means to get to the airport, where flights were cancelled and protesters and police clashed last week.

Following Twitter and Facebook, YouTube disabled channels that appeared to be part of a campaign against pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

*)Russia launches floating nuclear reactor in Arctic despite warnings

Russia launches the world’s first floating nuclear reactor on Friday, sending it on an epic journey across the Arctic, despite environmentalists’ warnings.

Loaded with nuclear fuel, Akademik Lomonosov will leave Murmansk port to begin its 5,000-kilometre voyage to northeastern Siberia.

Nuclear agency Rosatom says the reactor is a simpler alternative to a plant on ground that is frozen all year round, and it will sell such reactors abroad.

Environmental groups warned the project was dangerous, dubbing it “Chernobyl on ice” and a “nuclear Titanic.”

*)Cheap combo pill cuts heart, stroke risks – study

And finally,

A cheap daily pill that combines four drugs has cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure in a large study conducted in Iran.

The polypills containing two medicines for hypertension, one for cholesterol and aspirin could be beneficial in poor countries.

Those who took the pill had a 34 percent lower risk of a heart attack, stroke or heart failure, mostly benefiting from lowering cholesterol.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Thursday, August 22nd.

*)Sudan’s Hamdok takes office as PM, vows to tackle conflicts

Sudan’s new prime minister was sworn in as the leader of a transitional government, and he vowed to prioritise peace and the economic crisis.

The appointment of renowned economist Abdalla Hamdok came as General Abdel Fattah al Burhan took oath as the Sovereign Council leader.

The army ousted leader Omar al Bashir in April but clashed with protest groups over who will run Sudan until an election after decades of autocratic rule.

*)No Rohingya turn up for repatriation to Myanmar

A fresh push to repatriate the mostly Muslim Rohingya refugees from refugee camps in Bangladesh to Myanmar did not have a successful start.

A Bangladesh official said they had waited since 9:00 am local time, but the five buses and 10 trucks organised were still empty a few hours later.

Some 740,000 of the Rohingya minority fled an army offensive in 2017 in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, joining the 200,000 already in Bangladesh.

*)Turkey, US agree to launch first phase of Syria safe zone

Turkish and US defence chiefs have agreed to launch the first phase of the northeastern Syria safe zone plan from Wednesday.

Hulusi Akar and Mark Esper agreed both sides will meet soon to discuss the plan’s progress, Turkey’s Defence Ministry has said.

Turkey and the US agreed in August to form a safe zone in northern Syria – a “peace corridor” for displaced Syrians.

*)Indonesia blocks internet in Papua to help curb violent protests

Indonesia cut off the internet in eastern Papua after protesters torched a building and a prison over the mistreatment of students in East Java.

Police flew in 1,200 officers to Papua, where a separatist movement simmered for decades, to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday.

The recent anger is linked to racist slurs against Papuan students detained over allegedly disrespecting the Indonesian flag.

*)New Zealand’s boss babies

And finally,

Following Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s footsteps, New Zealand’s parliament speaker fed a baby boy amid a vigorous debate on fuel.

Speaker Trevor Mallard, who often helps with baby duties at work, called for order while feeding MP Tamati Coffey’s baby Twotaynekay his bottle.

Mallard relaxed laws to make parliament more child-friendly in 2017.

*)Italy's president accepts PM's resignation

Italian President Mattarella began two days of talks with parties to form the country’s 67th government since World War Two or call early elections.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned after a vote of no-confidence from his coalition partner in government, Matteo Salvini.

In his resignation speech, Conte called Salvini "irresponsible" for pulling out of an alliance with the Five Star Movement.

*)Sudan’s military and opposition form sovereign council

Sudan formed a sovereign council to lead the country through its transition to civilian rule.

The eleven-member council, led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, will run Sudan for three years until elections can be set.

The power-sharing agreement between the military and opposition ended months of unrest that followed the ousting of leader Omar al Bashir.

*)Hong Kong protests spread to subway

Hong Kong’s anti-Beijing movement will hold a sit-in at a subway and a site of a mob attack on protesters.

Bank of Asia warned on Wednesday that weeks of protests in Hong Kong could hit the economies of the Chinese-ruled city and mainland China.

Wednesday’s protest will be at Yuen Long MTR station, one of a series of demonstrations over 11 weeks that sometimes turned violent.

*)Two killed in gunbattle in Kashmir

At least two people, including a police officer, were killed in a shooting in India-administered Kashmir.

It's the first such incident to be reported since India's decision to claim autonomy of its only Muslim majority state.

Jailed separatist leaders urged people via posters in Srinagar to defy India’s strict curfew to join a mass march after Friday prayers.

*)Australian court upholds sex abuse verdict of Cardinal Pell

And finally,

An Australian court rejected an appeal by Cardinal George Pell against his conviction for child sex abuse.

Pell, Vatican’s third-highest official at, was found guilty in 2018 of molesting two 13-year-old choir boys in a Melbourne cathedral in the 1990s.

Victoria State Court of Appeal’s decision means the cardinal will remain behind bars and can appeal to Australia’s high court.

*)Syrian rebels withdraw from Khan Shaykhun – SOHR

Syrian opposition and rebel forces withdraw from Khan Shaykhun in Idlib and towns in Hama amid regime advances, monitors and activists said.

Backed by Russia, the Assad regime launched an offensive in northwest Syria in April to take control of the last major opposition stronghold.

The US urged the Syrian regime to “return to a ceasefire in Idlib” after an attack on Turkish military convoy killed at least three civilians.

*)Sudan’s Bashir got $90M from Saudis, investigator tells court

Sudan's ousted president Omar al Bashir acknowledged receiving millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, a team investigating Bashir told a court.

Bashir said he took $25 million from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and $65 million from former King Abdullah, a detective testified.

Bashir took power in a military coup and was ousted 30 years later following month-long protests against his government in 2019.

*)Hong Kong leader hopes for 'calm' after massive peaceful rally

Hong Kong protest organisers rejected the city leader's plan to set up a platform for dialogue, calling it a trap aimed at wasting time.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced she is setting up a "communication platform" and investigating complaints against police.

The anti-Beijing protests that began in June against an extradition bill have been marked by occasional clashes with police.

*)Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib call on US lawmakers to visit Israel

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib urged their Democratic colleagues to visit Israel to witness what they called "the cruel reality of the occupation."

Omar and Tlaib were denied entry to Israel over their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

The two Democratic lawmakers described Israel's decision as a way of pitting Muslim and Jewish people against each other.

*)Bardem takes fight to protect oceans to UN

And finally,

A push is being made at the UN to sign a treaty that would protect 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030.

Actor Javier Bardem added his star power to the mix to urge a safe haven for marine life to recover from pollution, over-fishing and climate change.

"The oceans belong to us all, but their fate is now in your hands," Bardem told delegates at the UN.

*) Syria regime forces enter key town amid fierce clashes – monitor

Syrian regime forces entered a key town on Sunday amid “fierce clashes” with opposition and rebels which left at least 97 dead, a war monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported regime ground troops penetrated Khan Shaykhun in Idlib for the first time since 2014.

The regime has been advancing over the past few days in a bid to encircle Khan Shaykhun and seize a highway connecting Damascus with Aleppo.

*)Iran says it has warned US against seizing oil tanker

Iran’s oil tanker at the centre of a diplomatic dispute departed from Gibraltar after the British overseas territory rejected US demands to seize the vessel.

According to the monitoring website, the supertanker Grace 1 lifted anchor on Sunday evening and started sailing south.

Gibraltar seized Grace 1 on July 4 on suspicion it was transporting oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, causing UK-Iran ties to deteriorate.

*)Afghan families bury their dead after wedding attack

Afghanistan’s president vowed to eliminate all safe havens of Daesh after a horrific wedding attack was claimed by a local affiliate of the terror group.

President Ghani’s comments on the country’s 100th Independence Day came as Afghans mourn 63 people killed in the Kabul bombing.

A US envoy in talks with the Taliban to end an 18-year-old war says the process should be accelerated to help Afghanistan defeat Daesh.

*)China lashes out at Taiwan over Hong Kong asylum offer

China lashed out at Taiwan over its offer of political asylum to participants of Hong Kong’s anti-Beijing protests.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the offer would “cover up the crimes of a small group of violent militants” and “turn Taiwan into a “heaven for ducking the law.”

Hong Kong is gearing up for more protests after hundreds of thousands of protesters braved heavy rain to rally peacefully on Sunday.

*)India reimposes some curbs in disputed Kashmir

And finally,

Schools were expected to reopen in India-administered Kashmir, two weeks after the government pulled the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy.

India reimposed restrictions on movement in Kashmir’s Srinagar city on Sunday after overnight clashes between residents and police.

More than 4,000 people were arrested under a controversial law allowing authorities to imprison someone for up to two years without charge or trial.