All about Book revealing Trump's plan for Syrian leader, fresh Brexit poll

President Donald Trump wanted to have Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assassinated last year but his defense secretary ignored the request, according to a new book.

A new book by Woodward says Trump wanted Syrian leader killed

President Donald Trump wanted to have Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assassinated last year but his defense secretary ignored the request, according to a new book that depicts top Trump aides sometimes disregarding presidential orders to limit what they saw as damaging and dangerous behavior. Excerpts from the book, "Fear: Trump in the White House," written by famed Watergate reporter Bob Woodward, were published by the Washington Post on Tuesday. The book, which is scheduled for release on Sept. 11, is the latest to detail tensions within the White House under Trump's 20-month-old presidency.

Turkey won't fulfill 'unlawful requests' on U.S. pastor case, Erdogan says: report

Turkey cannot fulfill "unlawful requests" regarding U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson's ongoing case, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper early on Wednesday. The case of Brunson, standing trial in Turkey over terrorism charges, lies at the heart of a diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Washington that has prompted a crash of Turkey's lira currency.

British opinion still deeply divided by Brexit: poll

British public opinion on leaving the European Union is still deeply split, according to a survey on Wednesday, indicating only a slight increase in support for remaining a member despite growing pessimism about the outcome of negotiations. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, but has yet to secure an exit agreement to define future relations with Brussels and manage the economic impact of ending over four decades of integration with the world's largest trading bloc.

Guatemala bars entry to head of U.N. anti-corruption body

Guatemala's government said on Tuesday it had barred the head of a U.N. anti-corruption body from entering the country, days after the agency's mandate was revoked during an escalation of a long-running dispute between the two sides. In a statement, the government said President Jimmy Morales had ordered Ivan Velasquez, head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), to be denied entry and asked the United Nations to send a replacement.

Wives of Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar call for their release

The wives of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar jailed for seven years on official secrets charges insisted on Tuesday that the men were innocent and called for them to be released and reunited with their young families as soon as possible. A court found the two journalists guilty on Monday in a landmark case seen as a test of progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which was ruled by a military junta until 2011.

Vice President Pence calls for release of jailed Reuters journalists

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called on Myanmar's government to reverse a court ruling that imprisoned two Reuters journalists for seven years and to release them immediately. The journalists were found guilty on Monday on official secrets charges in a landmark case seen as a test of progress toward democracy in Myanmar, which was ruled by a military junta until 2011.

Trump to chair U.N. Security Council meeting on Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump will chair a U.N. Security Council meeting on Iran this month to spotlight its "violations of international law" during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Tuesday. The United States, which holds the council presidency for September, has unsuccessfully pushed the Security Council to call out Iran. Haley has regularly attacked Iran, accusing it of meddling in the wars in Syria and Yemen.

Venezuela's neighbors seek aid to grapple with migration crisis

A group of Latin American nations called on Tuesday for increased aid to assist thousands of Venezuelan immigrants fleeing the economic collapse of their homeland. A group of 11 nations signed a declaration in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito urging "substantially increased" resources to grapple with the exodus of Venezuelans, which a U.N. agency recently described as reaching a "crisis moment."

Syrian and Russian warplanes pound Idlib before talks: monitor

Russian and Syrian jets hammered a major rebel stronghold on Tuesday, a war monitor said, days before leaders of Russia, Iran, and Turkey meet to discuss an expected Syrian government offensive that could spark a humanitarian disaster. The warplanes bombarded countryside around Jisr al-Shughour on the western edge of the rebel enclave of Idlib after weeks of a lull, killing 13 civilians but no fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a rebel source.

U.S., Turkey spoke about Syria, American pastor: State Department

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke on Tuesday about the Syrian conflict and the detention in Turkey of American pastor Andrew Brunson, the State Department said in a statement. Both diplomats agreed the Syrian government's expected military offensive in Idlib would be "an unacceptable, reckless escalation," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

(With inputs from Reuters)