World News Roundup: Saudi journalist's purported killing, New Istanbul airport

Two U.S. senators have called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften India's stance on data localization, warning that measures requiring it represent "key trade barriers" between the two nations.

Exclusive: U.S. senators urge India to soften data localization stance

Two U.S. senators have called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soften India's stance on data localization, warning that measures requiring it represent "key trade barriers" between the two nations. In a letter to Modi dated Friday and seen by Reuters, U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner - co-chairs of the Senate's India caucus that comprises over 30 senators - urged India to instead adopt a "light touch" regulatory framework that would allow data to flow freely across borders.

Turkey obtains recordings of Saudi journalist's purported killing: paper

Turkey's investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has revealed recordings made on his Apple Watch purportedly indicating he was tortured and killed, a Turkish newspaper reported on Saturday. The report in the pro-government Sabah daily, which could not immediately be verified, emerged after a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey for a joint investigation into his disappearance.

IMF chief attending Saudi conference, watching for news of journalist

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Saturday she has not cancelled her plans to attend an elite Saudi investment conference later this month but will be "very attentive" to any new information about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "At this point in time, my intention is to not change my plan and to be very attentive to the information that is coming up in the next few days," she told a news conference when asked whether she would attend the conference after several media companies and business leaders pulled out.

New Istanbul airport to only open fully at end of the year: paper

Istanbul's new airport will not open fully until the end of this year, a newspaper on Saturday cited the general manager as saying, two months later than an official opening scheduled for the end of this month. The airport is a centrepiece of a 15-year construction boom under President Tayyip Erdogan. It has an initial planned capacity of 90 million passengers a year, making it one of the world's biggest.

Eleven dies in head-on collision on Greek motorway: police

Eleven people, thought to be migrants, died in Greece on Saturday when their vehicle collided head-on with a truck and burst into flames, police said. The 11 individuals were travelling close to the city of Kavala in the north-east of the country when their mini-van collided with the truck in the early hours.

Pope defrocks two Chilean bishops over sexual abuse allegations

Pope Francis has defrocked two Chilean bishops who have been caught up in the country's widening sexual abuse crisis, the Vatican said on Saturday. The Vatican named the two men as Francisco José Cox Huneeus, archbishop emeritus of the city of La Serena, and Marco Antonio Órdenes Fernández, archbishop emeritus of Iquique.

Heeding China's call, Hong Kong tightens grip on dissent

As Hong Kong's government hews closer to Beijing, officials are taking a tough line on perceived national security threats, even deploying an elite police unit for political monitoring and surveillance - a sharp escalation in rhetoric and action. In just the last few months, the special administrative region has banned the Hong Kong National Party, which espouses separation from China, and barred some activists from standing in local elections.

Freed pastor Brunson leaves Turkey, due in U.S. Saturday

A U.S. pastor was flown out of Turkey on Friday after a court freed him from two years of detention, in a step that could improve U.S.-Turkish ties strained by disputes over Syria, Iran and Ankara's planned purchase of Russian military equipment. Pastor Andrew Brunson was expected to land at Joint Base Andrews near Washington at around noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Saturday after a stop in Germany for a medical check-up.

DUP leader prefers no Brexit deal to EU 'annexation' of Northern Ireland

The head of the Northern Irish party that props up British Prime Minister Theresa May's government said on Saturday she would prefer no Brexit deal to a bad deal, describing current plans as amounting to "the annexation of Northern Ireland" by the EU. British and European Union negotiators this month have accelerated the push for a Brexit deal but talks remain snagged on the issue of the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Irish Republic, an EU member state.

Afghan Taliban says will continue talks with U.S. peace envoy

Taliban leaders will continue to meet for discussions with the newly appointed U.S. special envoy for peace efforts in Afghanistan, the Taliban said on Saturday, a move that could accelerate diplomatic engagement between the warring sides. Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, met with Taliban leaders in Qatar on Friday in an effort to find a way to end the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan.

(With inputs from Reuters)