World News Roundup: Students defy prime minister to join Iraq protests; HK recession and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

EU nations agree Brexit delay until January 31 as PM Johnson seeks election

The European Union on Monday agreed a 3-month flexible delay to Britain's departure from the bloc as Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushes for an election after opponents forced him to request an extension he had vowed never to ask for. Just days before the United Kingdom is formally due to leave the EU on Oct. 31 at 2300 GMT, Brexit is hanging in the balance as British politicians are no closer to reaching a consensus on how, when or even if the divorce should take place.

Hong Kong enters recession as protests show no sign of relenting

Hong Kong has fallen into recession, hit by more than five months of anti-government protests that show no signs of relenting, and is unlikely to achieve annual economic growth this year, the city's Financial Secretary said. "The blow to our economy is comprehensive," Paul Chan said in a blog post on Sunday, adding that a preliminary estimate for third-quarter GDP on Thursday would show two successive quarters of contraction - the technical definition of a recession.

U.S. Treasury's Mnuchin says U.S. will ramp up pressure on Iran

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the United States would increase economic pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, making the pledge during a Middle East trip that includes visits to U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia. Sanctions reimposed on Tehran by President Donald Trump after he withdrew the United States from world powers' 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran have dried up Iranian oil revenues and cut Iranian banks’ ties to the financial world.

Vietnam: Britain sent papers for 4 truck dead for checks

Britain has sent documents to Vietnam for checks on four of the 39 people found dead in a truck outside London last week, Vietnam's government said on Monday. The government website said that Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son had told reporters the dossiers had been given to Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security for "verification coordination".

Kremlin says Islamic State leader's death a boost for Trump if true

The Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump will have made a major contribution to the fight against international terrorism if a U.S. assertion that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead is true. Trump on Sunday announced that Baghdadi had killed himself during a daring overnight raid by elite U.S. special operations forces in Syria and thanked Russia, among others, for its support.

Argentina's Peronists sweep back into power as Macri ousted

Argentina's Peronists swept back into power on Sunday, ousting conservative president Mauricio Macri in an election result that shifts Latin America's No. 3 economy firmly back toward the left after it was battered by economic crisis. Peronist Alberto Fernandez had 47.79% of the vote, ahead of Macri's 40.71%, with more than 90% of ballots counted, putting the center-left challenger over the 45% threshold to avoid a runoff and win the election outright.

India allows EU lawmakers into Kashmir in first foreign visit since clampdown

A group of European Union lawmakers will visit Indian Kashmir on Tuesday, the first foreign delegation since the special status of the Muslim-majority territory was revoked, Indian officials said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government withdrew Kashmir's autonomy in August, a move accompanied by a crackdown on dissent by security forces there, to head off protests. It has since said the situation is returning to normality.

Students defy prime minister to join Iraq protests

Iraqi security forces on Monday fired tear gas at school and university students who defied a warning from the prime minister and joined anti-government protests that have left more than 200 people dead over the past month. A spokesman for Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, whose position is increasingly precarious as he faces the largest challenge since he came to power a year ago, said on Sunday that anyone disrupting work or school days would be severely punished.

Syrian Kurdish forces say leaving Turkish border area, Damascus welcomes move

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its "aggression" in northeast Syria. Turkey launched its cross-border offensive on Oct. 9 targeting Kurdish YPG forces in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump pulled U.S. troops out of the area.

Detained Moroccan jihadists were planning sea attacks: official

An Islamic State cell broken up last week planned to attack Casablanca and its port, but a Syrian militant who assisted the group remains at large, the head of Morocco's BCIJ security agency said on Monday. The group had targeted economically sensitive sites both in the city of Casablanca and offshore, said Abdelhak Khiame, adding that the jihadists, all aged between 19-27, were radicalized online.

Also Read: New Brexit turmoil as Boris Johnson sends unsigned extension letter to EU

(With inputs from agencies.)