GERMANY THREATENS RUSSIA WITH SANCTIONS

Tensions deepened between Germany and Russia over the alleged poisoning of

opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Sunday, with Germany threatening

sanctions and Russia accusing Berlin of delaying the investigation it

demanded.

The Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner fell ill on a

flight last month and was treated in a Siberian hospital before being

evacuated to Berlin.

Germany said last week there was "unequivocal evidence" that President

Vladimir Putin's top foe had been poisoned using the Soviet-era nerve agent

Novichok.

Germany will discuss possible sanctions against Russia if the Kremlin does

not provide an explanation soon, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Sunday.

"We have high expectations of the Russian government to solve this serious

crime," Mr. Maas told German daily Bild. "If the government has nothing to

do with the attack, then it is in its own interest to back this up with

facts."

If Russia does not help clarify what happened "in the coming days", Germany

will be compelled to "discuss a response with our allies," Mr. Maas said.

Any sanctions decided should be "targeted", he added.

Britain said on Sunday that Russia had "a very serious set of questions to

answer" and it was "clear" the Kremlin critic was poisoned with Novichok.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Sunday accused Germany of

stalling efforts to probe the case.

COHEN MEMOIR CASTS HIM AS 'STAR WITNESS' AGAINST TRUMP

A new book by Donald Trump's former lawyer provides a detailed account of

the US president's alleged role in a hush money scandal involving a porn

actress that once overshadowed his rise to office.

In the book Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to

President Donald J Trump, Michael Cohen makes the case that Mr Trump is

"guilty of the same crimes" that landed the lawyer in a federal prison.

Cohen, who is still under house arrest, writes that of all the crises he

confronted in working for Mr Trump, none were as vexing as that surrounding

porn actress Stormy Daniels and her claims of an extramarital affair with Mr

Trump.

Mr Trump, despite his later protestations, green-lighted the $1,30,000

payment to silence Ms. Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, reasoning he

would "have to pay" his wife a far greater sum if the affair ever became

known, Mr Cohen writes, adding the President later reimbursed him with "fake

legal fees."

"It never pays to settle these things, but many, many friends have advised

me to pay," Mr Trump said, according to Mr Cohen. "If it comes out, I'm not

sure how it would play with my supporters. But I bet they'd think it's cool

that I slept with a porn star."

The White House called Mr Cohen's memoir "fan fiction." "He readily admits

to lying routinely but expects people to believe him now so that he can make

money from book sales," White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern said in a

statement. "It's unfortunate that the media is exploiting this sad and

desperate man to attack President Trump."

Mr Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other

crimes, including lying to Congress, calls himself the "star witness" of a

hush-money conspiracy that still could culminate in charges for Mr Trump

after he leaves office. He described his new book as a "fundamental piece of

evidence" of the President's guilt.

He assails Mr Trump as an "organized crime don" and "master manipulator,"

but says he once considered him a father figure.

Mr Cohen also sheds light on Trump's admiration of Russian President

Vladimir Putin, saying he admired him most because he "had the balls to take

over an entire nation and run it like it was his personal company."

The book is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

BREXIT: PM SETS 15 OCTOBER DEADLINE FOR EU TRADE DEAL

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to say that if no agreement

on trade between the EU and UK can be reached by 15 October both sides

should "accept that and move on".

Mr Johnson will say completing the UK's exit from the EU without a trade

deal would still be a "good outcome".

It comes after UK chief negotiator David Frost said the UK is not "scared"

of walking away.

Another round of talks - the eighth - is due to begin on Tuesday.

But on the eve of the negotiations, the Financial Times reported that the UK

is planning new legislation that will override key parts of the Brexit

withdrawal agreement made last year.

The new bill would eliminate the legal force of arrangements over customs in

Northern Ireland which had been designed to avoid a hard border with the

Irish Republic.

It would also override provisions on state aid - the financial assistance

sometimes given by the government to companies.

Government sources told the BBC that the legislation would be introduced

this week, describing it as a "sensible fall-back option" in case

negoiations break down.

They said it was "not intended to derail the talks", but a key EU diplomat

told the BBC it was "a self-defeating strategy" that could lead to the trade

talks unravelling altogether.

TRUMP MAY BE DOWN IN THE POLLS, BUT HE'S TOPS FOR BETTORS

For the time being, all the polls seem to be going Joe Biden's way ahead of

the November 3 presidential election. But gamblers see a different reality

and are putting their money on Donald Trump.

The Republican incumbent, who is seeking a second term, has slowly climbed

back since late July to nearly even with the Democratic former vice

president.

For some Australian and British bookmakers, Trump is the odds-on favorite.

Betting on national or local elections is illegal in the United States. All

the action is happening on foreign gambling sites - which Americans can

sometimes access.

A $100 wager on a Trump win today could bring the punter a return of $190 if

he notches the victory.

"There is no doubt that the momentum appears to have swung back into

President Trump's favor," said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for British

bookmaker William Hill, which has already accepted more than $1.3 million in

election bets.

Lee Price, a spokesman for Irish gambling brand Paddy Power, explains that

after a slowdown in betting activity due to the coronavirus crisis, interest

has "started to pick up again in recent weeks."

"We think the Trump factor is sure to keep punters interested," Price told

AFP.

IMRAN KHAN ANNOUNCES RS 1.1 TRILLION PACKAGE TO ADDRESS INFRASTRUCTURE

ISSUES IN KARACHI

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has unveiled a financial package worth

Rs1.1 trillion to address the chronic municipal and infrastructure issues of

Karachi, the country's financial hub, after record-breaking monsoon rains

caused widespread devastation in the city and left at least 60 people dead.

The rainfall spell which started in July and continued into August totally

exposed the poor civic infrastructure including the drainage system of the

city, prompting the federal government to take notice of the protests and

complaints of the Karachites.

Khan, who visited Karachi on Saturday, unveiled the financial package at a

joint press conference with the Sindh province Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali

Shah and Governor, Imran Ismail.

While Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party rules the centre and

Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces, the Opposition

Pakistan Peoples Party governs the southern Sindh province.

There had been a heated exchange of allegations by the PTI ministers and

Sindh government officials over who is responsible for the pathetic civic

condition of Karachi.

The Prime Minister has formed a "Karachi Committee" which includes the PPP

and other opposition party members and has said they will deal with

Karachi's problems together.

Khan said all stakeholders will be involved in its implementation.

"The package we have brought for Karachi is historic," he said.

TENS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER AS TYPHOON HAISHEN BATTERS JAPAN

Typhoon Haishen battered Japan's southern mainland with powerful winds and

drenching rain, cutting power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting

authorities to call for some 1.8 million people to evacuate.

Haishen was drawing closer to the main southern island of Kyushu. At 12:45

a.m. (1545 GMT on Sunday) on Monday its centre was in the East China Sea,

about 110 km (68 miles) southeast of the Goto Islands, west of Nagasaki,

according to Japan's meteorological agency.

"This typhoon is headed toward and may potentially make landfall in Kyushu,

bringing record rains, winds, waves and high tides," Prime Minister Shinzo

Abe said at a meeting with cabinet ministers earlier.

"I am asking that people exercise the utmost caution."

The storm was forecast to carry top sustained winds of up to 216 km per hour

(134 mph) by Monday, the meteorological agency said.

The typhoon has cut power to some 180,000 homes, NHK said adding that public

transport services were all stopped in the affected prefectures.

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said two injuries had been

reported.

ONE MAN KILLED, SEVEN INJURED IN STABBINGS IN BIRMINGHAM, UK

One man was killed and seven people were injured, two of them seriously, in

a series of stabbings in the city of Birmingham, central England, early on

Sunday, police said.

"We can now confirm that we have launched a murder investigation following

last night's events," West Midlands Police said.

"A man has died and another man and a woman have suffered serious injuries.

Five others have also been injured."

Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had no information to

indicate the incidents were terrorism related but the public should stay

"very vigilant".

West Midlands Police were called to reports of a stabbing in Birmingham city

centre at approximately 12:30 am.

"A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after," they

said in a statement.

Police cordons were in place on Sunday morning in three separate locations

in the city centre: Hurst Street, Irving Street and Edmund Street.

A knife was visible to a Reuters witness beside a drain in Edmund Street.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said the series of incidents in the Hurst

Street area of the city centre appeared to be related but the motivation for

them was not yet understood.

ASSANGE TO FIGHT AGAINST U.S. EXTRADITION BID

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to fight for his freedom in a

British court after a decade of legal drama, as he challenges American

authorities' attempt to extradite him on spying charges over the site's

publication of secret U.S. military documents.

Lawyers for Mr. Assange and the U.S. government are scheduled to face off in

London on Monday at an extradition hearing that was delayed by the COVID-19

pandemic.

American prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18

espionage and computer misuse charges adding up to a maximum sentence of 175

years. His lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of

power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists at risk.

Mr. Assange attorney Jennifer Robinson said the case "is fundamentally about

basic human rights and freedom of speech."

"Journalists and whistle-blowers who reveal illegal activity by companies or

governments and war crimes such as the publications Julian has been charged

for should be protected from prosecution," she said.

American prosecutors say Mr. Assange is a criminal, not a free-speech hero.