Daily News Brief:

-->Trump issues stern warning to Saudis over Khashoggi case

In a dramatic shift, US President Donald Trump now believes journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warns Saudi Arabia of "very severe" consequences should it be found responsible.

The Trump administration was initially reluctant to blame ally Saudi Arabia, despite reports that Saudi agents allegedly killed and dismembered Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul more than two weeks ago.

-->Top Afghan officials killed in Kandahar

Three top Afghan officials were killed in an attack by the Taliban on a high-level security meeting in Kandahar.

The province's police chief was killed by his own bodyguard who opened fire at the meeting.

The provincial governor and a top intelligence official were also killed.

A US and NATO commander, who was at the meeting, was not hurt.

The attack comes as the country readies itself for parliamentary elections on Saturday.

--> Honduran troops block migrant caravan

Honduran troops have blocked a US-bound migrant caravan from crossing into Guatemala, forcing families with children to trek through the jungle.

The Trump administration is threatening to cut off aid to Central American governments if they don't stop the flow of migrants.

The US intends to deploy its military and to close its border with Mexico.

--> WhatsApp dirty tricks alleged in Brazil presidential race

Allegations of a dirty tricks campaign on WhatsApp is dominating Brazil's presidential election race.

Brazil's leftist candidate Fernando Haddad accused right-wing front-runner Jair Bolsonaro of "illegal" electoral tactics by soliciting mass messages over WhatsApp.

Local media reports that Bolsonaro supporters paid for the mass messaging to spread thousands of spam ads against Haddad.

Bolsonaro responded by calling it "voluntary support".



And finally,

--> Hamilton set to match Fangio’s F1 record

To motorsport, where British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton is set to claim his fifth World Championship title at the US Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday.

The Mercedes driver is on the brink of joining the late Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio as a quintuple champion, with only seven times titleholder Michael Schumacher ahead of them in the all-time list.

Hamilton is 67 points clear of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel with three races and a maximum 75 points remaining after Texas.

Thursday, October 18, 2018



Turkey continues its investigation of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance, and Trump says he'll pull the US out of the global postal system.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Thursday, October 18th.

Turkish investigators search Saudi consul general's residence

Investigators in Turkey have wrapped up their search of the Saudi consul general's residence, following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi hasn't been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak has given details of what it says is a recording of Khashoggi's torture and murder.

Student kills 19 at school in Crimea

An 18-year-old student opened fire with a shotgun at a school in Crimea on Wednesday. He killed 19 people before he killed himself.

Over 50 others were wounded in the attack. The shooter was named as Vladislav Roslyakov, and described as a shy loner.

Police have not yet said what they think triggered the rampage.

Some militants withdraw from Idlib demilitarised zone

Some militants are reported to have pulled out of the demilitarised zone in Idlib.

Turkey and Russia set up the zone in northwestern Syria to try to prevent further bloodshed in the region, the last major rebel and opposition stronghold in the country.

The rebels had until midnight Monday to withdraw.

Although that didn't happen as planned, the different sides say they are giving the plan time to work.

Record number of women stand for election in Afghanistan

Afghanistan goes to the polls on Saturday.

This year over 400 women are contesting seats across the country, a record number.

The Afghan constitution reserves 68 of the 250 seats in parliament for women.

Currently women hold 28 percent of seats in the house. That's 8 percent more than the number of women in the US Congress.

But women in Afghanistan still face many barriers to full participation in political life.

Trump looks to pull the US out of global postal system



And finally,

The Trump administration says it plans to pull the US out of the global postal system, unless it changes its rules to end what Trump says is discrimination against the US.

The system was set up in 1874 at the request of the US to end chaos in cross-border postal rates, and set universal rules that would be fair to everybody.

Trump accuses China of taking advantage of the system.

But that seems to be an unintended consequence of China's rise, and it isn't clear how pulling the US out of today's UN-run system will help.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Wednesday, October 17, 2018



Turkey steps up its investigation of Khashoggi's disappearance, and Syria’s Raqqa is still in ruins a year after Daesh were driven from the city.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Wednesday, October 17th.

Turkish police expect to search Saudi consul general's residence

We're starting with the Khashoggi case, and Turkish police are expected to search the residence of Saudi Arabia's consul general in Istanbul for evidence of the journalist's disappearance.

The consul general is reported to have left the country on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, US state secretary Mike Pompeo is in Ankara where he's briefing Turkish officials on his talks with Saudi leaders.

They deny any knowledge of what happened to the prominent government critic.

Israeli rocket fires kills Palestinian

At least one Palestinian has been killed and three injured after Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to rockets fired from Palestinian territory that hit a building and injured several people.

Israel has also shut all its border crossings into Gaza.

Raqqa is still in ruins a year after Daesh driven from the city

Syria now, and it's been one year since US-backed coalition forces took control of the city of Raqqa from Daesh.

US air strikes destroyed most of the city during the fight, and today, a lot of it is still in ruins, with thousands of civilian deaths unaccounted for.

The city was captured from Daesh by the SDF. The SDF is a US-backed coalition led by the YPG, which is linked to the PKK terror group.

Canada legalises marijuana

Canada has become the second country in the world to legalise the sale of marijuana for recreational use nationwide.

In some places, customers lined up at midnight as weed shops were allowed to open across the country.

Canada follows Uruguay in legalising recreational pot use.

Warriors begin new NBA campaign with solid win



And finally,

Basketball, and the Golden State Warriors have opened the defence of their NBA title with a victory at home over Oklahoma City.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were dominant in Oakland in the 108-100 win.

The Warriors are looking for a fourth NBA title in five seasons.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Tuesday, October 16, 2018



Riyadh is reported to be set to admit it killed Jamal Khashoggi, and Australia considers moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Tuesday, October 16th.

Reports say Saudi Arabia preparing to admit killing Khashoggi

US media are reporting that Saudi Arabia is set to admit it killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

They're reporting that Riyadh will say the prominent government critic was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul during a botched interrogation.

Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the consular building two weeks ago.

Truce appears to be holding in Syria’s Idlib province

The deadline for terror groups to leave the demilitarised zone in Syria's Idlib province passed at midnight on Monday, with the ceasefire so far holding.

However, observers in the region say hard-line anti-regime rebels have yet to leave in line with the terms of the truce.

Turkey and Russia agreed on the deal nearly a month ago to try to prevent further bloodshed, in the last major rebel and opposition stronghold in Syria.

Australia considers moving its embassy to Jerusalem

Australia is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is open to the move, but would not change Australia's policy of support for a Palestinian state.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen dies of cancer

Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, died Monday at the age of 65.

He passed away in his home city, Seattle, which is also the home of the company he founded with Bill Gates.

From its humble origins in the late 1970s, the Microsoft operating system has gone on to change, well, pretty much everything.

Allen was also a philanthropist. Over his life, he gave more than $2 billion to education, science, technology, conservation and communities.

New NBA season gets underway



And finally,

The new NBA season gets underway tonight.

Reigning champions the Golden State Warriors take on Oklahoma City, and the Boston Celtics are hosting Philadelphia.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

Monday, October 15, 2018



Saudi Arabia agrees to Turkish officials entering its Istanbul consulate in the Khashoggi case, and Harvard University is taken to court over accusations of racial bias.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Monday, October 15th.

Saudia Arabia okays investigation of its Istanbul consulate

Saudi Arabia has granted Turkish authorities permission to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The search was set to begin on Monday afternoon.

The move comes after Turkey's President Erdogan spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday.

Jordan and Syria reopen a key border crossing

Jordan and Syria have reopened the Nassib border crossing.

Before it closed in 2015, Nassib was a crucial trade route between Jordan and Syria.

It was also a transit route to other countries, including Turkey, Lebanon and Gulf nations.

UN says action needed in Yemen to prevent mass starvation

The United Nations says if action isn't taken within three months, Yemen will suffer its worst famine in a century.

The UN says 13 million people are on the brink of starvation.

Yemen is in the grip of a civil and regional proxy war that pits a Saudi-led coalition backing the government-in-exile against Iran-linked rebels.

Midnight Monday is latest Idlib deadline

Midnight on Monday is the deadline for terror groups to leave the demilitarised zone in Syria's Idlib province.

It's the last part of the country still controlled by anti-regime fighters.

The demilitarised zone was set up by Turkey and Russia in a bid to prevent further bloodshed in the region.

Harvard University faces discrimation lawsuit



And finally,

One of the world's best-known universities, Harvard, in the US, is facing court over accusations that it discriminates against Asian-Americans.

The outcome of the trial could influence the use of ethnicity as a factor in college admission decisions.

Critics of the suit say a win by the plaintiffs could be a blow for affirmative action.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World... For more, head to TRTWORLD.com

*Turkish court orders release of US Pastor Andrew Brunson

A Turkish court in Izmir has ordered the release of US Pastor Andrew Brunson.

Brunson was arrested two years ago on charges of espionage, which he denied.

His detention had added to current tensions in Turkish US relations.

*Washington Post says video and audio exist of Khashoggi murder

The Washington Post is reporting that the Turkish government has told US officials that it has audio and video recordings that prove journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last week.

The Saudi critic went missing on October 2nd, after he entered the consular building.

*Africa's youngest billionaire has been kidnapped

Africa's youngest billionaire has been kidnapped in Tanzania.

43-year-old Mohammed Dewji [Dow-Jee] was abducted outside a hotel gym in the country's capital, Dar es Salaam.

Police are searching for the missing billionaire. They say they don't know yet who took him or why.

*Landslides in Uganda kill at least 34

At least 34 people have been killed in a landslide on the slopes of Mount Elgon in eastern Uganda.

The area is close to the border with Kenya. It's prone to landslides and there have been several similar accidents in recent years.

*Space crew survives crash landing after launch

A Russian cosmonaut and a US astronaut have survived the failure of their rocket after it malfunctioned after launch.

They pair blasted off from a Russian launch site in Kazakhstan.

They were headed to the International Space Station, and are lucky to be alive, after returning to earth in an escape pod.

*MBS allegedly ordered operation against Khashoggi

The Washington Post is reporting that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to lure dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi back to the country to detain him.

The prominent Riyadh critic hasn't been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkey fears he was murdered.

*Indonesia ends search for earthquake, tsunami dead

A fresh earthquake of magnitude 6 hit Indonesia on Thursday, killing at least three people on the islands of Bali and Java.

It comes as officials are calling off the search for survivors of a devastating quake and tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi two weeks ago.

That tremor and its aftermath killed over 2,000 people, with some 5,000 still missing.

*Wall Street slumps, world markets follow suit

Asian share markets sank on Thursday after Wall Street suffered its worst drubbing in eight months.

US markets are jittery after a record bull run, and concerns about inflation.

The question everybody is asking is whether the current slump is the start of a real drop off, or whether, like February, the bull will recover and continue to run.

*Hurricane Michael pounds Florida

The most powerful storm to hit Florida since 1851 has now weakened as it passes through neighbouring Georgia.

Hurricane Michael killed at least one person in Florida, after it hit the southern US state with winds of around 200 kmh.

Florida, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina have all declared emergencies.

*Celebs encourage fans to vote in US midterms

Musician Rihanna is the latest celebrity to call on her fans to vote in US midterm elections.

Taylor Swift, Chance the Rapper and John Legend earlier joined in the political fray.

Democrats and Republicans are battling for control of the House and Senate on November 6, but the real prize is the Trump agenda.