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.

*)HK readies for more protests as world leaders urge clam

Hong Kong is braced for more demonstrations after anti-Beijing protests forced the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights this week.

Ten weeks of clashes between police and protesters plunged Hong Kong into its worst crisis since 1997.

US President Trump tied a trade deal with China to protests being resolved “humanely,” even suggesting a meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

*) ‘No suspicion of foul play’ in Franco-Irish teen’s death – Malaysia

An Irish-French girl whose body was found in a jungle died from internal bleeding probably due to hunger and stress, Malaysian authorities said.

Nora Quoirin, 15, who suffered from learning difficulties, was found on Tuesday, 10 days after she went missing in a rainforest in Seremban.

Police said there was no evidence Quoirin was sexually assaulted and no evidence “for the time being” to indicate she was kidnapped.

*)India’s PM uses Independence Day to defend Kashmir changes

At an Independence Day speech, Indian Prime Minister Modi defended his measure to strip the disputed Kashmir region of its statehood 11 days ago.

About 4 million Kashmiris have been forced indoors since August 4 when India imposed an unprecedented security and communications clampdown.

Modi said Kashmir’s previously-held autonomy fueled separatism and was unjust for Kashmiri women, Dalits and tribes.

*)Iran tanker likely to be allowed to leave after court – Gibraltar source

Iranian tanker Grace 1 will likely be allowed to leave Gibraltar following a court decision due today, a source told Reuters.

The hearing in Gibraltar is on whether to extend the detention of the ship which was seized on June 4 by British marines.

Britain said the vessel was violating European sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a charge Iran denies.

*)Adrian hero as Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties to win Super Cup

And finally,

Stand-in goalkeeper Adrian’s save from Tammy Abraham allowed Liverpool to beat Chelsea 5-4 on penalties and win the UEFA Super Cup in Istanbul.

The richly-entertaining match at the home of Besiktas finished 2-2 at the end of extra time.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp hailed “incredible” Super Cup hero Adrian and admitted he had no idea where the goalkeeper even was a fortnight ago.

*)Kashmir curfew to be eased after Thursday: governor

The curfew in India-administered Kashmir will be eased after Thursday, the state governor said, but phone lines and the internet will remain cut off.

India, on August 5, scrapped the autonomous status of Kashmir, which remains under a strict communications and security lockdown.

The Muslim-majority region is claimed in full and ruled in part by India and Pakistan – the latter has demanded a UN meeting on Jammu and Kashmir.

*)Flights resuming at Hong Kong airport after protest chaos

Flights resumed at Hong Kong’s international airport after two days of chaos, as pro-democracy protesters and the semi-autonomous city hardened their positions.

About three dozen protesters remained in the arrivals area after a mass demonstration and mob violence forced over 100 flight cancelations.

The airport said it obtained an injunction to restrain people who obstruct operations, and one area in the airport has been marked for demonstrations.

*)Trump delays China tariffs for Christmas shopping

US President Donald Trump backed off his September 1 deadline for 10 percent tariffs on remaining Chinese imports to buoy holiday sales.

This affects half of the $300 billion target list of Chinese goods, delaying duties on mobile phones, laptops and other consumer goods.

Trump’s tariffs will be effective from December 15 for thousands of products, including clothing and footwear.

*)Saudi activist rejects release tied to denying torture – family

Imprisoned activist Loujain al Hathloul’s family said she rejected a release deal which Saudi Arabia offered in exchange for a video denying she was tortured.

Hathloul, along with at least a dozen other women’s rights activists, were arrested as Saudi Arabia ended a ban on women driving over a year ago.

Rights groups say Hathloul and two other women were in solitary confinement for months and their abuse included shocks, flogging and sexual assault.

*)Opera’s Domingo faces sexual harassment probe, shows cancelled

And finally,

Two venues cancelled concerts by Placido Domingo, and the Los Angeles Opera has opened an investigation into allegations of his sexual harassment.

Several women told the Associated Press the opera singer used his power at the LA Opera and elsewhere to pressure them into sexual relationships.

The 78-year-old is one of opera’s most powerful figures, and dozens of people have said his forced sexual advances were an open secret.