World News Round-up: Congo's opposition, Buhari for re-election, British PM tells

British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party began gathering for its annual conference on Saturday with bitter divisions over her Brexit plans rising to the fore, raising doubts about her own future.

Congo's opposition leaders warn of vote-rigging risk in presidential poll

Congo's opposition leaders warned thousands of supporters at a rally in the capital Kinshasa on Saturday of what they say are moves by the government to steal the presidential election in December, when Joseph Kabila is due to step down after 17 years. The introduction of electronic voting and the authorities' exclusion of a number of candidates from the ballot has united opposition parties ahead of the long-delayed vote on Dec. 23 that will choose a successor to Kabila.

Nigeria ruling party nominates Buhari for re-election in 2019

Nigeria's ruling party has nominated President Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate to stand for re-election in February 2019, a spokesman for Buhari said on Saturday. Buhari had run unopposed on Friday in a nationwide primary for nomination as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress. The main opposition People's Democratic Party has not yet selected a candidate to oppose him.

U.S. pulls diplomats from Iraqi city, citing threats from Iran

The United States announced on Friday it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire. The decision adds to mounting tension between the United States and Iran, which is the target of increasing U.S. economic sanctions.

British PM tells divided party: Don't play politics with my Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party began gathering for its annual conference on Saturday with bitter divisions over her Brexit plans rising to the fore, raising doubts about her own future. Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019, but the terms of the departure remain unclear. May, under fire from critics in Brussels, opponents at home and some lawmakers in her own party, has said talks on a divorce deal are at an impasse.

North Korea says 'no way' will disarm unilaterally without trust

North Korea's foreign minister told the United Nations on Saturday continued sanctions were deepening its mistrust in the United States and there was no way the country would give up its nuclear weapons unilaterally under such circumstances. Ri Yong Ho told the world body's annual General Assembly that North Korea had taken "significant goodwill measures" in the past year, such as stopping nuclear and missiles tests, dismantling the nuclear test site, and pledging not to proliferate nuclear weapons and nuclear technology.

Toll seen rising after Indonesian quake, tsunami kills hundreds

More than 400 people were confirmed killed, many swept away as tsunami waves triggered by a massive earthquake crashed into the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, and authorities expected the toll to rise sharply on Sunday as news arrives from remote areas. Dozens of people were reported to be still trapped in the rubble of a hotel in the city of Palu, which was hit by waves as high as six meters (20 feet) following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

'Turbulence' in ties threatens U.S.-China security meeting

A key diplomatic and security meeting between China and the United States next month may not take place due to tensions in relations, sources briefed on the matter said, potentially the latest casualty of worsening ties. Beijing and Washington are locked in a spiralling trade war that has seen them level increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other's imports.

Canada postpones U.N. address to focus on NAFTA

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland postponed her country's 2018 address to the United Nations General Assembly so she could focus on ongoing trade talks with the United States, the government said on Saturday. For the past month, Canada has been locked in tense discussions with the United States to reach common ground on revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after Mexico and Washington said they had reached a deal on Aug. 27.

Cologne on lockdown as Erdogan wraps up an ill-tempered visit to Germany

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up an ill-tempered visit to Germany on Saturday with a visit to Cologne, where a security lockdown kept supporters and protesters away from a ceremony to open the country's largest mosque. Police snipers were stationed on rooftops and the area was cordoned off after the city authorities cancelled plans for up to 25,000 people to be allowed to gather outside the mosque, built by an Islamic religious organization that has close ties to the Turkish state.

Macedonians vote on whether to change country's name

Macedonians go to polls on Sunday to vote on whether to change their country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia, urged by a pro-Western government to pave the way for NATO and EU membership by resolving a decades-old name dispute with Greece. The referendum is one of the last hurdles for a deal reached between Macedonia and Greece in June to settle their quarrel, which has prevented Macedonia from joining major Western institutions since it broke away from then-Yugoslavia in 1991.