World News Roundup: UK PM Johnson says will obey the law, confident of Brexit deal;

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hong Kong braces for weekend protests ahead of major Chinese anniversary

Hong Kong was bracing for a weekend of unrest with pro-democracy protests likely to mount in the China-ruled territory ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on Tuesday. Thousands of people are expected to rally in the city center on Saturday evening after authorities granted a permit for a gathering at Tamar Park, next to the headquarters of Hong Kong's legislative council. The Asian financial hub marks the fifth anniversary this weekend of the start of the "Umbrella" protests, a series of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2014 that failed to wrest concessions from Beijing.

Hundreds of captives, many boys in chains, freed in Nigeria

More than 300 captives, most of them children and many in chains, have been rescued from a building in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, a police spokesman said on Friday. All the children seen by a Reuters reporter at the scene were boys aged from around five to their late teens. Some had their ankles manacled together and others were chained by their legs to large metal hubcaps.

UK PM Johnson says will obey the law, confident of Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday his government will obey the law and remains confident the country can leave the European Union with a deal. Johnson has vowed that Britain will leave the bloc on Oct. 31 with or without a divorce agreement, but parliament has passed a law to compel him to seek an extension if he has not got an agreement by Oct. 19.

Egypt's security forces move to block anti-Sisi protests

Egyptian police mounted a huge show of force in central Cairo and closed off entrances to Tahrir Square on Friday after calls for protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following opposition accusations of corruption, which he denies. Protests broke out on Sept. 20 in Cairo and other cities following online calls for demonstrations against alleged graft by Sisi and the powerful military.

Seven drown after migrant boat capsizes off Greece

Two women and five children drowned when a boat carrying migrants and refugees from Turkey capsized near Greece's Chios island on Friday, the coastguard said. The incident is among the deadliest of its kind in Greek waters this year and comes as Greece deals with a resurgence in refugee and migrant flows from neighboring Turkey.

Ukraine security official offered to quit before Zelenskiy's U.S. trip

A senior Ukrainian security official offered to quit before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy began a visit to the United States this week, the president's office said on Friday. Oleksandr Danylyuk, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, gave no reason for his decision and will stay on until Zelenskiy decides whether to accept his resignation, it said in a statement.

U.S. offered to remove all sanctions on Iran in exchange for talks: Iran president

The United States offered to remove all sanctions on Iran in exchange for talks, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Friday upon returning to Tehran from the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to his official website. "The German chancellor, the prime minister of England (Britain) and the president of France were in New York and all insisted that this meeting take place. And America says that I will lift the sanctions," Rouhani said. "It was up for debate what sanctions will be lifted and they had said clearly that we will lift all sanctions."

Abuse of power, not criminality, key to Trump impeachment

Democratic lawmakers have a strong case for impeaching U.S. President Donald Trump if they can prove he abused his power when he asked Ukraine's president to "look into" an American political rival, several legal experts said. Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden, an early favorite to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, according to a summary of a Trump phone call released this week by the White House.

Exclusive: As North Korea expands arsenal, Japan's missile defense shield faces unforeseen costs - sources

Additional tests may add at least $500 million to Japan's price tag for two U.S.-built ballistic missile interceptor stations that could struggle to shoot down the latest North Korean missile types, four government and defense sources said. The tests are required to show the system is working properly, according to Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer. Held in Hawaii rather than Japan, they would cost about $100 million per launch.

Taliban worries loom as Afghanistan prepares to vote for a president

Millions of Afghans are expected to brave the threat of militant attacks to vote in a presidential election on Saturday, hoping to prevent a repeat of a bitter, fraud-marred and ultimately unresolved poll in 2014. About a dozen candidates are in the fray for the presidency but the incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and his chief executive Abdullah Abdullah are the top contenders for the job at a time when Taliban insurgents have intensified attacks.

Also Read: Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament 'unlawful': UK Supreme Court