World News Roundup: Sowore pleads not guilty; Saudi warns of escalation with Iran and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Nigerian activist Sowore pleads not guilty to treason charges

Nigerian activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore pleaded not guilty at a court in Abuja on Monday to charges of treason, money laundering and harassing the president. State Security Service agents arrested Sowore in early August after he called for a revolution after a February election which he said was not credible. He ran for president in that election, in which former military ruler President Muhammadu Buhari secured a second term in office.

Saudi crown prince warns of escalation with Iran, prefers political solution

Saudi Arabia's crown prince warned in an interview broadcast on Sunday that oil prices could spike to "unimaginably high numbers" if the world doesn't come together to deter Iran, but said he preferred a political solution to a military one. Speaking to the CBS program "60 Minutes," Mohammed bin Salman also denied ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives last year, but said he ultimately bears "full responsibility" as the kingdom's de facto leader.

Twin Somali attacks hit U.S. special forces base, Italian convoy

Somali insurgents mounted their most ambitious attack yet on Monday on a U.S. special forces base used to train Somali commandos and launch drone strikes, while an Italian military convoy was hit in a separate blast in the capital Mogadishu. Twin vehicle-borne bombs were followed by small arms fire at the base in the town of Baledogle, where Ugandan peacekeepers are also based, a security source and Somali police said. No immediate casualties from the attack were reported.

France bids farewell to ex-president Chirac

World leaders, past and present, stood in silence in Paris on Monday at a funeral service for Jacques Chirac, the French leader remembered at home for his folksy charisma and abroad for opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. France's Emmanuel Macron, Russia's Vladimir Putin and former U.S. president Bill Clinton were among the mourners in the aisles of the Saint Sulpice church for the mass in memory of Chirac, who died last week aged 86.

Greece steps up migrant transfers after Lesbos clashes

Greece will keep moving asylum seekers from overcrowded camps on its islands to the mainland, government officials said on Monday, after a woman died following clashes and a fire at a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. The violent clashes began at the Moria refugee camp on Sunday after a fire broke out inside a shipping container, one of the means Greek authorities use to house refugees. At least 17 people were hurt.

Pakistan summons Indian diplomat over deadly cross-border shelling in disputed Kashmir

Pakistan's government on Monday summoned India's top diplomat in the country over accusations of deadly shelling by India in its portion of the disputed region of Kashmir, as tensions run high between the nuclear-armed rival nations. A 60-year old woman and 13-year old boy were killed and three wounded in shelling over the Line of Control (LOC), near the informal border with India, on Saturday and Sunday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

British PM Johnson denies groping allegations as party conference opens

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied on Monday that he had inappropriately touched a female journalist 20 years ago, and said the public were more interested in hearing about his plans for public services. As Johnson prepares to lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union on Oct. 31, his past relations with several women have come under scrutiny. The allegations overshadowed the Conservative Party's annual conference which opened on Sunday.

Hong Kong on edge ahead of sensitive Chinese anniversary

Hong Kong's metro stations and roads re-opened on Monday, after a chaotic weekend that saw police fire water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who set fires and threw petrol bombs outside government offices and across central districts. Residents of the former British colony awoke to roads, shop fronts and buildings across the financial center daubed in graffiti, windows in government buildings smashed and parts of pavements uprooted by protesters.

After Saudi attacks, Russia makes its regional presence felt

In the two weeks since attacks blamed on missiles or drones shut down half of Saudi Arabia's oil output, the country that has arguably moved most deftly to position itself for any upside is Russia. Within hours of the attacks, Moscow's state arms exporter said it would hold talks with countries in the Middle East on selling them new anti-drone weapons systems, muscling in on a market long dominated by the United States.

Iraqi PM says Israel is responsible for attacks on Iraqi militias: Al Jazeera

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has accused Israel of being behind attacks on Iranian-backed militia positions in Iraq, the first time Baghdad has directly blamed Israel, Al Jazeera television reported on Monday. "Investigations into the targeting of some Popular Mobilisation Forces positions indicate that Israel carried it out," Al Jazeera quoted Abdul Mahdi as telling it.