Death sentences in Khashoggi murder

Death sentences in Khashoggi murder [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( Saudi Arabia has handed down death sentences in the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Preliminary election results in Afghanistan show incumbent President Ashraf Ghani with a sliver over 50% of the vote — but that could change. And India continues to reel in the wake of a controversial citizenship law. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Saudi Arabia sentences five to death, three to jail over Khashoggi murder [The Committee to Protect Journalists and other press freedom activists hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Saudi Embassy to mark the anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Wednesday evening in Washington, US, on Oct. 2, 2019.]( Credit: Sarah Silbiger/Reuters In Saudi Arabia [five people have been sentenced to death]( and three more to jail terms totaling 24 years over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October last year. Saudi Deputy Public Prosecutor and spokesman Shalaan al-Shalaan said the court dismissed charges against the remaining three of the 11 people that had been on trial, finding them not guilty. "The investigation showed that [the killing was not premeditated](. ... The decision was taken at the spur of the moment," Shalaan said. The “spur-of-the-moment” decision allegedly resulted in the journalist’s murder and dismemberment. [His remains have not been found](. Khashoggi was a US resident and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler. He was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, where he had gone to receive papers ahead of his wedding. Also: [Jamal Khashoggi: All you need to know about Saudi journalist's death]( And: [Jamal Khashoggi's last interview with The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Afghan election runoff likely amid thousands of complaints Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission said on Monday the election might go to a second round as it begins reviewing thousands of complaints a day after the preliminary result handed incumbent President Ashraf Ghani a narrow victory. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced on Sunday a much delayed preliminary result of the Sept. 28 presidential vote which was [marred by allegations of massive fraud, technical problems with biometric devices used for voting, attacks and irregularities](. IEC said the total turnout was over 1.8 million with [Ghani securing 50.64% to win the first round]( of voting, beating his main rival Abdullah Abdullah, who currently shares power with him in a unity government. However, if a review by the complaints commission reduces Ghani's vote share to below 50% and no other candidate has a majority, a second round will be held between the two top contenders. Also: [Afghanistan's elections reflect a country in chaos]( --------------------------------------------------------------- NewsMatch Do you value the global journalism you read here every morning? [Make a gift]( to support our work now, and your donation will be matched. [Donate here](. Modi says citizenship law not anti-Muslim as protests continue across India [Supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shout slogans during a march in support of a new citizenship law, in Kolkata, India, on Dec. 23, 2019.] Credit: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters Following days of violent, sometimes deadly protests across India against a new citizenship law critics say discriminates against Muslims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi[led a rally on Sunday for his Hindu nationalist party in the capital](. New Delhi's state election early next year will be the first major electoral test for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the wake of the mass demonstrations seen after parliament cleared the Citizenship Amendment Act on Dec. 11. Several thousand people took part in Modi's rally where he accused the opposition of distorting facts to trigger protests. "The law does not impact 1.3 billions Indians, and [I must assure Muslim citizens of India that this law will not change anything for them](," said Modi, adding that his government introduces reforms without any religious bias. "We have never asked anyone if they go to a temple or a mosque when it comes to implementing welfare schemes," he said. Modi's nationalist party plans to hold more than 200 news conferences to counter the protests as anger grows over what critics say is an attack on the country's secular constitution. [At least 25 people have died during clashes]( with police as thousands of people came out on the streets in towns and cities across the country to protest, marking the biggest challenge to Modi's leadership since he first swept to power in 2014. More than 1,500 protesters have been arrested across India in the past 10 days, additionally, some 4,000 people have been detained and then released, the officials said. Also: [India’s citizenship law: What is it and why has it stirred such anger?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a smart speaker? Listen to The World's new show called [The Number in the News](! We produce The Number in the News daily from our studio in Boston. Host Bianca Hillier will tell you one number you won’t forget and why it’s the news today. Add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google news briefing. Australian firefighters access badly burned towns; PM defends climate policies Firefighters battling wildfires in Australia made the most of cooler weather on Sunday to access badly burned towns and contain blazes before the expected return of hotter conditions at the end of the week. [Nearly 100 fires are still burning across New South Wales](. The reprieve came as Prime Minister Scott Morrison [defended both his government's climate change policies and his decision to go on holiday to Hawaii]( last week. [After the deaths of two firefighters]( on Thursday night, Morrison announced he would return home early from a vacation in Hawaii, and on Sunday he acknowledged his holiday had caused anxiety. "I get it that people would have been upset to know that I was holidaying with my family while their families were under great stress," Morrison said. Morrison addressed his conservative Liberal-National coalition's [climate policies]( on Sunday, which his government has been forced to defend following the severity of this year's bushfires. Morrison accepted that there is a link between climate change and weather events around the world, but cautioned against making a direct connection between a single fire incident and climate change. Also: ['This is how I die': the day the bushfires came to Balmoral]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme(s) It’s been [one long decade of memes](: Honey badger, Grumpy Cat, binders full of women, distracted boyfriend and more. They’re all here, complete with analysis and where the memes are today. Extra: A dispute over the cost to base American soldiers in South Korea is [straining the decades-old alliance as North Korea threatens to resume military provocations]( Reuters contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [A music fave from 2019]( - [Why Nigerians adore President Donald Trump]( - [Sons of spies]( - [Kashmir internet blackout longest in a democracy]( - [Democratic presidential candidates debate China]( - [Romania's revolution, 30 years on]( - [New Zealand gun ban]( - [Swiss nuclear power]( - [Dutch high court says government has human rights obligation to cut carbon]( - [Brexit passes]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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