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  • David Davis, former Brexit secretary, urges Theresa May cabinet rebellion in Sunday Times

    Britain’s former Brexit secretary is urging members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet to rebel against her proposed deal with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s departure from the bl

    LONDON — Britain’s former Brexit secretary is urging members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet to rebel against her proposed deal with the European Union over the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc.

    David Davis wrote in the Sunday Times that May’s plans for some continued ties with the EU under her Chequers plan is “completely unacceptable” and must be stopped. The fellow Conservative Party member said the time has come for ministers to shoot down May’s plan.

    “It is time for the cabinet to exert their collective authority,” he said. “This week the authority of our constitution is on the line.”

    May is struggling to build a consensus behind her Brexit plans ahead of a cabinet meeting Tuesday that will be followed by an EU summit Wednesday in Brussels.

    If Davis’ call for a rebellion is effective, the cabinet meeting Tuesday would be a likely place for opposition to surface.

    Davis and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned from the cabinet this summer to protest May’s Brexit blueprint. Both have become vocal opponents of her plan, calling it a betrayal of the Brexit vote that would leave Britain in a weakened position.

    May also faces obstacles from the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, which has played a crucial role in propping up her minority government in Parliament.

    DUP leader Arlene Foster remains opposed to any Brexit plan that would require checks on goods traveling between Northern Ireland and Britain, as some EU leaders have suggested as part of a “backstop” plan.

    The Chequers plan has also been questioned by some opposition Labour Party lawmakers, further complicating the prime minister’s hopes of winning parliamentary backing for any Brexit deal she reaches with EU officials.

     

  • Honduras migrant caravan grows, heads for U.S.

    A caravan of more than 1,000 Hondurans is winding its way toward their country’s border with Guatemala, with the goal of reaching a better life in the United States.

    MEXICO CITY — A caravan of more than 1,000 Hondurans is winding its way toward their country’s border with Guatemala, with the goal of reaching a better life in the United States.

    Dunia Montoya, a volunteer helping the migrants, said the group planned to sleep Saturday inside an auditorium in Santa Rosa de Copan, a town several hours east by car from Guatemala.

    The migration began swelling spontaneously Friday after local media reported on approximately 160 migrants who had agreed to depart together for greater safety from San Pedro Sula. The aspiring migrants organized via WhatsApp chats.

    “People leave Honduras every day, but this is the first time (they do it) in a public way and in a group,” Montoya said in a telephone interview from Santa Rosa de Copan.

    Other Hondurans who had been thinking of leaving the country saw an opportunity to go with a support network. They stuffed backpacks with essentials and rushed to join the caravan.

    People lent vans and trucks to help the group, whose initial members had started out on foot. Hondurans offered bottles of water or food along the way.

    Montoya, who plans to stay in Honduras, said many in the caravan have tried multiple times to reach the U.S.

    Some did not enroll their children in school this year, planning to take off any day, she said. Others joined the group with months-old babies.

    Poor economic prospects are the main reason Hondurans want to leave the Central American country of 9.4 million people, according to a recent survey by the Center for Immigration Studies. Violence was the second most-cited reason.

    The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean projects 3.9 percent economic growth for Honduras this year. The Honduran Labor Ministry pegs unemployment at 6.7 percent, although nearly half of working age Hondurans are underemployed, meaning they can’t make ends meet with the amount of paid work they can secure.

    “There’s a misery and a violence that is overwhelming people. People no longer have faith in this country, and they are fleeing,” said Montoya.

    Maria Dolores Moreno, 31, said she stuffed a bag with a few personal belongings and grabbed her 10-year-old son to join the caravan Friday. She didn’t bring any money with her. She has been unemployed for more than a year, she said. Previously she sold Avon products.

    Moreno said by phone that she hopes to find a job – any job – anywhere in the United States.

    “We want to adopt the American dream,” she said.

  • Saudi Arabia rejects ‘threats’ over Jamal Khashoggi after Trump warning sinks stock market

    Saudi Arabia warned Sunday it will respond to any “threats” against it as its stock market plunged following President Donald Trump’s warning of “severe punishment” over the disappearance of U.S.-base

    Saudi Arabia warned Sunday it will respond to any “threats” against it as its stock market plunged following President Donald Trump’s warning of “severe punishment” over the disappearance of U.S.-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    Mr. Trump made a point of visiting the kingdom on his first overseas trip as president and has touted arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

    But both the White House and the kingdom are under mounting pressure as concern grows over the fate of the veteran journalist and critic of the Saudi government, who vanished Oct. 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

    SEE ALSO: Trump threat sends Saudi stock market tumbling

    Already, international business leaders are pulling out of the kingdom’s upcoming investment forum, a high-profile event known as “Davos in the Desert.”

    “The kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by threatening to impose economic sanctions, using political pressures or repeating false accusations,” said the statement published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

    “The kingdom also affirms that if it receives any action, it will respond with greater action, and that the kingdom’s economy has an influential and vital role in the global economy.”

    The statement from the world’s top oil exporter came after the Tadawul exchange in Riyadh dropped by 7 percent at one point during the week’s first day of trading, with 182 of its 186 listed stocks showing losses by the early afternoon. The market clawed back some of the losses, closing down 3.5 percent for the day.

    Turkish officials say they fear Saudi agents killed and dismembered Mr. Khashoggi after he entered the consulate, saying they have audio and video recordings of it that they have not released.

    The kingdom has called the allegations “baseless,” but has offered no evidence the writer ever left the consulate.

    But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevut Cavusoglu has said Saudi officials have thus far not cooperated with their investigation despite a statement from Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz vowing to uncover “the whole truth.”

    Mr. Cavusoglu has urged Saudi officials to allow Turkish authorities to enter the consulate.

    Severe consequences

    According to the Associated Press, in an interview to be aired Sunday, Mr. Trump told CBS’ “60 Minutes” that the consequences of Saudi Arabia being involved would be “severe.”

    “There’s something really terrible and disgusting about that, if that was the case, so we’re going to have to see,” he said. “We’re going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment.”

    However, Mr. Trump in the same interview said: “As of this moment, they deny it and they deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes.”

    Other stock exchanges in the Mideast saw far less volatility Sunday. U.S. markets have been rattled by rising interest rates, signs of a slowdown in the global economy and the U.S.-China trade dispute.

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has aggressively pitched the kingdom as a destination for foreign investment. But Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance, and suspicions he may have been targeted over his criticism of the crown prince, have led several business leaders and media outlets to back out of an upcoming high-profile investment conference in Riyadh.

    Mr. Trump also said “we would be punishing ourselves” by canceling arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which his administration touted on his first overseas trip. The sale is a “tremendous order for our companies,” and if the kingdom doesn’t buy its weaponry from the U.S., they will buy it from others, he said. Mr. Trump said he would meet with Khashoggi’s family.

    American lawmakers in both parties have been more critical of Saudi Arabia, with several suggesting officials in the kingdom could be sanctioned if they were found to be involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance and alleged killing.

    On Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, said the Trump administration should skip the Saudi’s upcoming international investors conference.

    Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is scheduled to attend the meeting this month in Riyadh.

    “I don’t think he should go,” Mr. Rubio said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I don’t think any of our government officials should be going and pretending it’s business as usual until we know what’s happened here.”

    Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Mr. Mnuchin still plans to attend the conference, which he described as a meeting on stopping terrorist financing.

    Mr. Rubio added that Congress would respond strongly no matter how the administration may react.

    Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, echoed the outrage over the possibility that Mr. Khashoggi may have been murdered.

    “We cannot have an ally who murders in cold blood in their own consulate,” said Mr. Sanders.

    Former CIA Director and one-time Saudi Arabia station chief John Brennan, added that the Saudi’s “denials ring hollow.”

    “Their [Saudi] denials ring hollow,” Mr. Brennan said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “It would be inconceivable that such an operation would be run by the Saudis without the knowledge of the day-to-day decision-maker of Saudi Arabia. That’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

    Mr. Khashoggi, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had become a critic of the current government and Prince Mohammed, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has shown little tolerance for criticism.

    As a journalist, Mr. Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of its war in Yemen, its recent diplomatic spat with Canada and its arrest of women’s rights activists after the lifting of a ban on women driving.

    Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen.

    Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized Saudi Arabia and King Salman over rising global oil prices. Benchmark Brent crude now trades above $80 and U.S. gasoline prices have risen ahead of the midterm elections.

    Earlier this month, Mr. Trump suggested Saudi Arabia’s king “might not be there for two weeks” without U.S. military support.

    • Valerie Richardson contributed to this article, which is based in part on wire service reports.

  • Hassan Rouhani accuses U.S. of seeking ‘regime change’ in Iran

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday accused the United States of seeking regime change in the Islamic Republic.

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday accused the United States of seeking regime change in the Islamic Republic.

    In a speech broadcast on Iranian state TV, Mr. Rouhani used the English phrase “regime change” to emphasize his point, and added that “in the past 40 years there has not been a more spiteful team than the current U.S. government toward Iran, Iranians and the Islamic Republic.”

    During the speech, which marked the start of the academic year at Tehran University, Mr. Rouhani also claimed that Washington was now engaged in psychological and economic warfare against Tehran.

    “Reducing the legitimacy of the system is their final goal,” Mr. Rouhani said. “When they say getting rid of, regime change in their own words, how does regime change happen? Through reducing legitimacy, otherwise a regime doesn’t change.”

    Since May, when President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 multilateral deal that eased global sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s suspect nuclear programs, tensions have dramatically escalated between Washington and Tehran.

    In a bid to curb its aggressive behavior across the Middle East, the U.S. reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic with even harsher penalties set to start on Nov. 4, punishing countries who buy Iranian oil by blocking their access to U.S. markets and financial institutions.

    The moves have rocked Iran’s economy, as a steady stream of foreign partners have canceled deals and investments. Unemployment is high and the U.S. pressure campaign has sent the value of the Iranian rial plummeting.

    Mr. Trump and National Security Adviser John Bolton have both singled out Iran in recent speeches, with the president urging other member nations at the United Nations General Assembly late last month to “isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues.”

  • Marco Rubio calls on White House to boycott Saudi conference over missing journalist

    Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that the Trump administration should skip an international investors conference in Saudi Arabia until more is known about what happened to missing journalist Jamal Khashog

    Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that the Trump administration should skip an international investors conference in Saudi Arabia until more is known about what happened to missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin this month is scheduled attend the event in Riyadh known as “Davos in the Desert,” even as corporate leaders are pulling out over concerns about the fate of Mr. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime.

    “I don’t think he should go,” Mr. Rubio said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I don’t think any of our government officials should be going and pretending it’s business as usual until we know what’s happened here.”

    The Florida Republican also said that Congress would respond strongly no matter how the administration may react.

    “I believe the Trump administration will do something, the president said that, but if he doesn’t, Congress will, that I can tell you with 100 percent certainty,” said Mr. Rubio.

    “With almost full unanimity across the board, Republicans and Democrats, there will be a very strong congressional response if in fact the Saudis lured him into that consulate, murdered him, cut up his body, and disposed of it,” he said.

    .@marcorubio to @jaketapper on Secretary Mnuchin attending economic summit in Saudi Arabia: “I don’t think we should continue as business as usual until we know exactly what’s happened here… I don’t think he should go.” #CNNSOTUpic.twitter.com/8U28j5jZlk

    — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) October 14, 2018

    Mr. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, has not been seen since Oct. 2, when he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. His disappearance has touched off a diplomatic crisis amid fears that he may have been killed at the behest of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    The White House has come under pressure to impose economic sanctions and halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia. President Trump has said “we would be punishing ourselves” by canceling arm sales.

    Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Sunday that Mr. Mnuchin still plans to attend the conference, which he described as a meeting on stopping terrorist financing.

    “I spoke to him last evening, and at the moment he’s intending to go because of the importance of the issue of ending terrorist financing,” Mr. Kudlow said on ABC’s “This Week.”

    .@GStephanopoulos: Is it appropriate for Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to attend the investor conference in Saudi Arabia?Director of White House National Economic Council Larry Kudlow: “He’s intending to go because of the importance of the issue of ending terrorist financing” pic.twitter.com/5HNdzO7rvH

    — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 14, 2018

    “But along with the president and the general investigation, Mr. Mnuchin will make up his mind as the week progresses and as new information surfaces,” Mr. Kudlow said.

    Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, also expressed outrage over the possibility that Mr. Khashoggi may have been murdered.

    “We cannot have an ally who murders in cold blood in their own consulate,” said Mr. Sanders.

     

     

  • U.S. stocks jump after two days of sharp losses; tech leads

    U.S. stocks are climbing Friday after two days of sharp losses as market favorites like Apple lead the way higher. Major indexes are up more than 1 percent, but they’re still on track for their bigges

    NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing Friday after two days of sharp losses as market favorites like Apple lead the way higher. Major indexes are up more than 1 percent, but they’re still on track for their biggest one-week loss since late March.

    Technology companies recovered after taking some hard hits over the last two days. Apple climbed 2.9 percent to $220.71 and Microsoft gained 2.8 percent to $108.83. Consumer-focused companies also rallied, as Amazon jumped 4.1 percent to $1,789 and Netflix surged 5.5 percent to $338.74.

    The S&P 500 index climbed 36 points, or 1.4 percent, to 2,765 at 11:20 a.m. Eastern time. The benchmark index tumbled 5.3 percent over the past two days and as of Thursday it had fallen for six consecutive days. The S&P is down 5.6 percent since from its latest record high, set Sept. 20.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 278 points, or 1.1 percent, to 25,330. The Nasdaq composite surged 149 points, or 2 percent, to 7,478. The Russell 2000 index gained 10 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,555. That index, which is made up of smaller and more U.S.-focused companies, has fallen into a 10-percent “correction” since reaching a record high at the end of August.

    On the New York Stock Exchange, winners outnumbered losers by nearly three to one.

    The market’s recent losing streak started when strong economic data and positive comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell helped set off a wave of selling in the bond market. Investors dumped bonds as they bet that the U.S. economy would keep growing at a healthy pace. The sales pushed bond prices lower and yields to seven-year highs.

    That drove interest rates sharply higher, which worried investors who felt that a big increase in interest rates could eventually stifle economic growth. Higher yields also make bonds more appealing to investors versus stocks.

    The most startling declines this week came from companies that have done very well recently, including technology companies and retailers. On Wednesday the three most valuable U.S. companies, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, each took their biggest loss in more than two years. It was a dramatic end to three months of calm on the U.S. market.

    Several other groups of stocks that have struggled this year are now in a “correction,” a drop of at least 10 percent from a recent peak. They include basic materials makers, internet companies, banks and household goods makers.

    Bond prices turned lower as the stock market stabilized. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.15 percent from 3.13 percent.

    U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors continued to slump. GM shed 0.4 percent to $32.19, its lowest in almost two years, and Ford dipped 0.1 percent to $8.81, its lowest in almost nine years. Both have fallen more than 20 percent this year as the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum send their manufacturing costs higher.

    The stocks have fallen further in recent days following reports Ford might cut jobs. In late September, Ford CEO Jim Hackett said the steel and aluminum duties would cost the company $1 billion through 2019.

    Stocks in Europe were little changed. The French CAC 40 rose 0.1 percent and the DAX in Germany slipped 0.1 percent, while Britain’s FTSE 100 was little changed. Asian stocks climbed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.5 percent after sinking early in the day and following a nearly 4 percent loss on Thursday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 2.1 percent and the Kospi in South Korea rose 1.5 percent.

    High-dividend stocks including utilities, real estate investment trusts and household goods traded lower or rose less than the rest of the market. Those stocks held up a bit better than the S&P 500 over the last six days. Investors view them as relatively safe, steady assets that look better when growth is uncertain and the rest of the market is in turmoil.

    U.S. crude oil added 1 percent to $71.69 a barrel in in New York. Brent crude, the international standard, inched up 0.1 percent to $80.31 a barrel in London.

    The dollar rose to 112.14 yen from 111.94 yen. The euro fell to $1.1558 from $1.1594.

    ____

    Associated Press Writer Annabelle Liang contributed from Singapore.

  • Kevin McCarthy, House GOP leader, announces get-tough immigration bill

    House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Friday a new get-tough immigration bill that would build the rest of President Trump’s border wall, punish sanctuary cities and stiffen penalties on repe

    House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Friday a new get-tough immigration bill that would build the rest of President Trump’s border wall, punish sanctuary cities and stiffen penalties on repeat-illegal immigrants.

    The bill is unlikely to see action in the near future but instead serves as a marker for House Republicans as they prepare for what’s likely to be a renewed immigration debate in December or, should Democrats win control of the House, early next year.

    “Maintaining strong borders is one of the basic responsibilities of any nation. For too long, America has failed in this responsibility,” Mr. McCarthy said in announcing the bill.

    Mr. Trump is likely to be most excited about the wall funding, which is symbolically important to fulfilling a campaign pledge, but the more substantive parts of the bill deal with withholding federal money from sanctuary cities, shrinking several categories of humanitarian relief and boosting jail time for illegal immigrants who amass serious criminal records.

    The bill does not cover illegal immigrant “Dreamers.”

    An earlier GOP push this year for a crackdown strategy toward illegal immigration faltered after a number of Republicans were unable to back the legislation because it didn’t include full citizenship rights for millions of illegal immigrants.

  • Hillary Clinton lost security clearance

    Hillary Clinton has given up her security clearance in the wake of the scandal over her handling of secret information on her email server, the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed Friday.

    Hillary Clinton has given up her security clearance in the wake of the scandal over her handling of secret information on her email server, the Senate Judiciary Committee revealed Friday.

    Chairman Charles E. Grassley also revealed top Clinton aide Cheryl Mills and four others no longer have clearance.

    Mrs. Clinton’s clearance expired at the end of August. The others lost their access privileges in September.

    The State Department, in a letter to Mr. Grassley, had said Mrs. Clinton and her aides retained clearance in order to conduct research after she left office.

    The names of the four additional aides besides Ms. Mills were redacted from the State Department letter that the committee released.

  • Princess Eugenie weds her beau at Windsor Castle

    Princess Eugenie married tequila executive Jack Brooksbank in a solemn ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle Friday.

    WINDSOR, England (AP) — Princess Eugenie married tequila executive Jack Brooksbank in a solemn ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle Friday.

    The 28-year-old bride, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, is ninth in line to the British throne. She wore a gown by British designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos and a diamond and emerald encrusted tiara.

    The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, attended the wedding, along with other senior royals.

    The couple got engaged in January when Brooksbank, 32, proposed during a holiday trip to Nicaragua in Central America. They had dated for seven years.

    Crowds gathered outside Windsor Castle ahead of Britain’s second royal wedding of the year on a gusty day that required early arrivals to hold onto their elegant hats as they crossed the manicured grounds.

    The queen will host a champagne luncheon for the newlyweds shortly after the ceremony.

    The couple married in the same venue used in May by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who is now known as the Duchess of Sussex. The royal standard was flying atop the complex Friday, indicating that the queen was in residence.

    Harry and Meghan are attending, along with Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Their 5-year-old son, Prince George, will be a page boy, and Princess Charlotte, 3, will be one of six bridesmaids.

    Eugenie, 28, works at a contemporary art gallery. Her sister, Princess Beatrice, served as maid of honor. They are the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, who are divorced but enjoy an amicable relationship.

    Eugenie told ITV, which broadcast the hour-long service in Britain, that she was both excited and a bit on edge.

    “It’s nerve-wracking and a bit scary and all the things that come with getting married, but at the end of the day you get to marry the person you love,” she said.

    The couple has invited 1,200 members of the public to come onto the castle grounds for a closer glimpse of proceedings. They also plan to take a carriage ride through parts of Windsor after the ceremony.

    ___

    Katz reported from London.

  • Washington Post says Turkey has proof Saudi writer was killed

    Turkey’s government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that missing Saudi Arabian writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the Washington

    ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that missing Saudi Arabian writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the Washington Post reported Friday.

    The newspaper, for which Khashoggi is a columnist, cited anonymous officials as saying the recordings show a Saudi security team detained the writer when he went to the consulate on Oct. 2 to pick up a document for his upcoming wedding.

    The Associated Press was not immediately able to confirm the report, and Turkish officials would not comment.

    A delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey Friday as part of an investigation into the writer’s disappearance, Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu said.

    Saudi Arabia has called the allegation it abducted or harmed Khashoggi “baseless.” However, it has offered no evidence to support its claim he left the consulate and vanished despite his fiance waiting outside.

    Anadolu Agency said the delegation would hold talks with Turkish officials over the weekend. It did not provide further details.

    On Thursday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey and Saudi Arabia would form a “joint working group” to look into Khashoggi’s disappearance.

    The 59-year-old journalist, who was considered close to the Saudi royal family, had became a critic of the current government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 33-year-old heir apparent who has introduced reforms but shown little tolerance for criticism.

    Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year. As a contributor to the Washington Post, he has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticism of its war in Yemen, its recent diplomatic spat with Canada and its arrest of women’s rights activists after the lifting of a ban on women driving.

    Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the crown prince, who has also presided over a roundup of activists and businessmen.