TRUMP PARDONS: US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNVEILS BRIBERY INQUIRY

An alleged "bribery for pardon" scheme at the White House is under

investigation by the justice department, according to a court filing

unsealed on Tuesday.

The heavily redacted document does not name Donald Trump or other

individuals and leaves many unanswered questions, but comes amid media

reports that the US president is considering sweeping pardons before he

leaves office next month.

It shows that the justice department investigation alleges that an

individual offered "a substantial political contribution in exchange for a

presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence".

Two individuals acted improperly as lobbyists to secure the pardon in the

"bribery-for-pardon schemes", as the document puts it. The names are blacked

out.

On Tuesday night, a justice department official told Reuters that no US

government official is the "subject or target" of investigation into whether

money was funnelled to the White House in exchange for a presidential

pardon.

Trump issued a brief response on Tuesday night, resorting to one of his

favourite phrases to criticise the media even though the details were

contained in official court papers. "Pardon investigation is Fake News!" he

tweeted.

The watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew)

tweeted in response: "It's hard to overstate how big a deal the phrase

'bribery-for-pardon schemes' is."

The document was unsealed by the district court for the District of

Columbia, in Washington. Some of its 20 pages are entirely redacted,

implying that revealing the details now might jeopardise an ongoing

investigation.

They discuss a review by chief judge Beryl Howell in late August of a

request from prosecutors for documents gathered for the bribery

investigation. More than 50 digital devices including iPhones, iPads,

laptops, thumb drives and computer drives were seized after investigators

raided unidentified offices. It was not clear why Howell decided to release

the filing now.

CORONAVIRUS | PUTIN ORDERS 'LARGE-SCALE' VACCINATIONS TO START NEXT WEEK

President Vladimir Putin told health officials on Wednesday to start

widespread vaccinations next week, adding that Russia has produced close to

2 million doses of its Sputnik V vaccine.

"I would ask you to organise the work so that by the end of next week we

will have started this large-scale vaccination," Mr. Putin said. The

President noted that teachers and medics will be the first to receive the

jab.

IRAN PASSES LAW TO BOOST URANIUM ENRICHMENT

Iran's Guardian Council watchdog body approved a law on Wednesday that

obliges the government to halt UN inspections of its nuclear sites and step

up uranium enrichment beyond the limit set under Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal

if sanctions are not eased in two months.

In retaliation for the killing last week of Iran's top nuclear scientist,

which Tehran has blamed on Israel, Iran's hardline-dominated parliament on

Tuesday approved the bill with a strong majority that will harden Iran's

nuclear stance.

The Guardian Council is charged with ensuring draft laws do not contradict

Shi'ite Islamic laws or Iran's constitution. However, the stance of Supreme

Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of

state, is not known.

"Today in a letter, the parliament speaker officially asked the president to

implement the new law," Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.

BIDEN SETS NEW DEMANDS FOR IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL RETURN: NYT

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will insist Iran agrees to new demands if it

wants the U.S. to return to a nuclear deal and lift sanctions, The New York

Times said on Wednesday.

The Times said the Biden administration would seek to extend the duration of

"restrictions on Iran's production of fissile material that could be used to

make a (nuclear) bomb" in a new round of negotiations.

Iran would also have to address its "malign" regional activities through

proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen in the talks that would have to

include its Arab neighbours like Saudi Arabia, the report said.

President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and has

reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran as part of a "maximum pressure"

campaign against the US's arch enemy.

Mr. Biden, who defeated Mr. Trump at the ballot box last month, said during

campaigning that he intends to offer Iran a "credible path back to

diplomacy".

In the interview published on Wednesday, the incoming U.S. President stood

by those views, saying: "It's going to be hard, but yeah."

"Look, there's a lot of talk about precision missiles and all range of other

things that are destabilising the region," Mr. Biden was quoted as saying.

But, he added, "the best way to achieve getting some stability in the

region" was to deal "with the nuclear program".

Mr. Biden warned that if Iran acquired a bomb, it would spark a nuclear arms

race in the Middle East, "and the last goddamn thing we need in that part of

the world is a buildup of nuclear capability".

"In consultation with our allies and partners, we're going to engage in

negotiations and follow-on agreements to tighten and lengthen Iran's nuclear

constraints, as well as address the missile program," he said.

Mr. Biden was cited as saying that the U.S. always had the option to

international snap back sanctions if need be, and that Iran knew that.

ISRAEL SET FOR FOURTH ELECTION IN 2 YEARS, HOUSE TO BE DISSOLVED

Israel took a step toward plunging into its fourth national election in

under two years on Wednesday as lawmakers - supported by PM Benjamin

Netanyahu's main coalition partner - passed a preliminary proposal to

dissolve parliament.

The 61-54 vote came seven months after the coalition took office. But since

then, the alliance has been locked in infighting. The vote gave preliminary

approval to ending the alliance and forcing new polls next year.

PAKISTAN COURT DECLARES NAWAZ SHARIF PROCLAIMED OFFENDER

A Pakistani court on Wednesday declared Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender

after the former premier failed to appear before it despite repeated summons

served in connection with two corruption cases.

The two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Justice

Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard the case about Sharif's

appeals against convictions in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases.

The court said that notices would also be issued to the sureties of Sharif

to show the cause for their failure to produce him as per the orders of the

court.

The court was informed by officials of the Foreign Office and Interior

Ministry that Sharif was duly informed about the summons of the court both

in London, where he was living, and his residence in Lahore.

After failing to appear despite clear orders by the court, the bench decided

to declare Sharif a proclaimed offender.

ISRAEL TRANSFERS $1B TO CASH-STRAPPED PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

Israel transferred over $1 billion in taxes and customs duties it collects

on behalf of the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday after a six-month hiatus

in which the Palestinians had severed ties with Israel over its plans to

annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinians resumed contacts with Israel last month following

President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the U.S. election. Mr. Biden is

opposed to annexation and has promised a more evenhanded approach to the

conflict.

The taxes are a key source of revenue for the Palestinian Authority, which

administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It was forced to cut

the salaries it pays to tens of thousands of civil servants, worsening an

economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel said it would deduct an amount equal to what the Palestinian

Authority pays to the families of prisoners and those killed in the

conflict, including militants implicated in attacks that killed Israelis.

Israel says the so-called Martyrs' Fund incentivizes violence, while the

Palestinians say it provides aid to needy families.

U.K.'S NEW POST-BREXIT 'SIMPLE' POINTS-BASED VISA SYSTEM OPENS

The U.K.'s new post-Brexit points-based visa and immigration system,

described by the government as simple, effective and flexible , opened for

applications from Tuesday.

The U.K. Home Office said applicants for the new Skilled Worker Visa can now

apply to work and live in the U.K. from January 1, 2021, when the Brexit

transition period ends to bring European Union (EU) migrants in line with

non-EU countries, such as India. Under the new points-based immigration

system unveiled earlier, points will be awarded for a job offer at the

appropriate skill level, knowledge of English and being paid a minimum

salary.

This government promised to end free movement, to take back control of our

borders and to introduce a new points-based immigration system. Today, we

have delivered on that promise, said Home Secretary Priti Patel.

This simple, effective and flexible system will ensure employers can recruit

the skilled workers they need, whilst also encouraging employers to train

and invest in the U.K.'s workforce. We are also opening routes for those who

have an exceptional talent or show exceptional promise in the fields of

engineering, science, tech or culture, she said.

People will normally need to be paid at least 25,600 pounds per year unless

the going rate for that job in the wider economy is higher. Applications are

made online, and as part of this, people will need to prove their identity

and provide their documents.

Once someone outside the U.K. has gone through all these steps, they will

usually get a decision within three weeks, the Home Office said.

CHINA INFLUENCE 'ON STEROIDS' TARGETS BIDEN TEAM - US OFFICIAL

Chinese agents have stepped up their efforts to influence President-elect

Joe Biden's incoming administration, a US intelligence official has said.

William Evanina, from the office of the US Director of National

Intelligence, said the Chinese were also focusing on people close to Mr

Biden's team.

Mr Evanina said it was an alleged influence campaign "on steroids".

Separately, a justice department official said more than 1,000 suspected

Chinese agents had fled the US.

In Wednesday's virtual discussion at the Aspen Institute think tank, Mr

Evanina, chief of the Director of National Intelligence's

counter-intelligence branch, said the Chinese had been attempting to meddle

in the US efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine and recent American

elections.

He continued: "We've also seen an uptick, which was planned and we

predicted, that China would now re-vector their influence campaigns to the

new [Biden] administration.

"And when I say that, that malign foreign influence, that diplomatic

influence plus, or on steroids, we're starting to see that play across the

country to not only the folks starting in the new administration, but those

who are around those folks in the new administration.

"So that's one area we're going to be very keen on making sure the new

administration understands that influence, what it looks like, what it

tastes like, what it feels like when you see it."

During the same think tank discussion on Wednesday, John Demers, chief of

the justice department's national security division, said hundreds of

Chinese researchers with ties to their country's military had been

identified by FBI investigators over the summer.

Mr Demers said the inquiry began when US authorities arrested five or six

Chinese researchers who had hidden their affiliation with the People's

Liberation Army (PLA).

KABUL, TALIBAN REACH 1ST WRITTEN PEACE DEAL

The Afghan Government and Taliban representatives said on Wednesday they had

reached a preliminary deal to press on with peace talks, their first written

agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the United States as a chance

to halt the violence.

The agreement lays out the way forward for discussion but is considered a

breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more

substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire, even as Taliban attacks

on Afghan government forces have continued unabated.

"The procedure, including its preamble of the negotiation, has been

finalised and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda," Nader

Nadery, a member of the Afghan Government's negotiating team, said.

The Taliban spokesman confirmed the agreement on Twitter. "A joint working

committee was tasked to prepare the draft topics for the agenda (of peace

talks)," a joint statement from both sides said.

THAI PM ACQUITTED, RETAINS POST

Thailand's highest court on Wednesday acquitted Prime Minister Prayuth

Chan-ocha of breaching ethics clauses in the country's constitution,

allowing him to stay in his job.

The Constitutional Court ruled on a complaint brought by the Pheu Thai party

that Prayuth had violated the law by continuing to live in his military

residence after he retired as an army commander in September 2014.

SRI LANKA SC REJECTS PETITIONS AGAINST COVID-19 CREMATION

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Tuesday dismissed petitions, including

those filed by Muslim civil society members, challenging government

regulations mandating cremation for all COVID-19-related deaths.

The gazette notification issued in April, a month after Sri Lanka detected

its first local case of the coronavirus, set off concern among the island's

Muslims - they make up about 10% of Sri Lanka's 21 million population - who

sought a policy revision as the practice of cremations goes against their

religious beliefs.

However, despite the World Health Organization's guidelines saying victims

could be "buried or cremated", the government's COVID-19 regulations say

bodies of "all COVID-19 victims will be cremated within 24 hours of the

death".

Last week, a government-appointed experts' committee too maintained that

cremation was the only option to be made available in Sri Lanka for COVID-19

victims.

"We are very concerned, but we still hope that the President will do the

right thing and direct authorities to let Muslim families bury COVID-19

victims in their families," N.M. Ameen, president of Muslim Council of Sri

Lanka, told The Hindu.