Sunday 22 October 2017

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tillerson woos Gulf allies in push to undercut Iran

Posted:

DOHA (AFP) - Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson pursued efforts to curb Tehrans influence in talks with his countrys Gulf allies Sunday, demanding that Iran pare down its involvement in Iraq as the fight against the Islamic State group draws to a close.Tillersons visit to the Gulf, his third as secretary of state, also aims at persuading Qatar and a rival Saudi led-alliance to open the door to dialogue -- a goal he said had come to a deadlock Sunday.But it is the question of Iranian influence in the region -- including in Iraq and Qatar -- that is at the centre of his visit to Riyadh and Doha, just weeks after US President Donald Trump refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal and declared an aggressive new strategy against Tehran.The US secretary of state appears focused on boosting Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabias clout in Iraq, where Shiite forces backed by Tehran are fighting in the north, as part of a wider regional battle for influence that extends from Syria to Yemen.Certainly Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fighting against (the Islamic State group) is coming to a close, those militias need to go home, Tillerson said at a press conference in Riyadh.All foreign fighters need to go home.The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) -- powerful paramilitary units dominated by Iranian-trained Shiite militias -- have been part of the fight against IS and continue to battle different factions in Iraq.But Tillersons remarks were also aimed at Irans elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and their foreign operations wing, the Quds Force, according to a senior US official.The position of the Iraqi government and the position of our government is that there should be a single Iraqi security force answerable to the Iraqi state, the official said on condition of anonymity.What happens to the PMFs is they go home or they integrate into the Iraqi security forces.Iran quickly hit back, saying it had played a crucial role in the fight against IS.If it wasnt for the sacrifices of the Islamic Republic of Iran ... Daesh (IS) would have installed its government in Damascus, Baghdad and (the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital) Arbil by now, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during a visit to South Africa.Tillerson sat in on the first meeting of a joint Saudi-Iraqi coordination council in Riyadh Sunday, which Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed as an important step toward enhancing relations.Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iraq in 1990 following Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait, but Riyadh and Baghdad have rekindled diplomatic and commercial relations this year.Tillersons visit comes nearly five months after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed an embargo on Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism and cosying up to Iran.Qatar denies the charges and has rejected their terms for a settlement.Tillerson has refused to take sides in the crisis and said that talks between the feuding Gulf states remained unlikely.We cannot force talks among people who are not ready to talk, the US diplomat said at a press conference in the Qatari capital on Sunday night.There is not a strong indication that parties are ready to talk yet, he added. We cannot and will not impose a solution on anyone.Tillerson, a former chief executive of energy giant ExxonMobil, had also launched an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the dispute during a trip to the region in July.The United States maintains very strong relationships with all the countries involved in the Qatar dispute, including Qatar, and the United States intends to maintain those very strong, positive important relationships, Tillerson said Sunday in Riyadh.Theyre important from a security standpoint. Theyre important from an economic standpoint.Trump had initially appeared to support Saudi Arabia in isolating Qatar but has since called for mediation, predicting a rapid end to the crisis.The United States continues to support the efforts of Kuwait, which has tried to serve as a mediator in the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the Gulf in decades.The State Department has said the conflict in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and Iran back warring parties, would also figure in Tillersons talks in the Gulf.During his trip Tillerson is also to visit New Delhi in order to build what he said in a recent speech could be a 100-year strategic partnership with India.Tillerson will stop in Islamabad to try to sooth Pakistani fears about this Indian outreach, but also pressure the government to crack down harder on Islamist militant groups.

Abe targets N. Korea after storming to 'super-majority' vote win

Posted:

TOKYO (AFP) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stormed to a landslide super-majority in snap Japanese elections, near complete projections showed Monday, with the hardline nationalist immediately pledging to deal firmly with North Korea.Abes conservative coalition is on track to win at least 312 seats with only a handful left to call, according to public broadcaster NHK, giving him a coveted two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament.That will allow him to pursue his cherished goal of proposing changes to the countrys pacifist constitution to beef up the status of the military, which is effectively restricted to self-defence.Abe, 63, is now on course to become Japans longest-serving premier, winning a fresh term at the helm of the worlds third-biggest economy and key US regional ally.The hawkish prime minister said the crushing election victory had hardened his resolve to deal with the crisis in North Korea, which has threatened to sink Japan into the sea and fired two missiles over its northern islands.As I promised in the election, my imminent task is to firmly deal with North Korea. For that, strong diplomacy is required, stressed Abe, who has courted both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.However, while local media acknowledged what was described as a landslide victory, many chalked up Abes win to a weak and ineffective opposition and urged caution.The voters didnt think the opposition parties were capable of running a government... they chose Prime Minister Abe, who is at least better, even if they had some concerns about the ruling coalition, said the Nikkei daily.The Asahi newspaper said: The Abe brand is not as strong as it was before. There are some signs that voters are seeking a change in the situation whereby Abe is the only decent option.Winning an election in a democracy doesnt give the winner carte-blanche and he would be overconfident if he thought people were satisfied with the past five years of government management, said the paper.According to an exit poll by Kyodo News on Sunday, 51 percent of voters said they do not trust Abe with 44 percent saying they did.Turnout was expected to be only a fraction higher than all-time low set in the 2014 election and was boosted largely by people voting early to avoid a typhoon, which smashed into Japan on election day.The opposition Party of Hope, formed only weeks before the election by the popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, suffered a drubbing. It won just 49 seats according to the NHK projections.A chastened Koike, speaking thousands of kilometres away in Paris where she was attending an event in her capacity as leader of the worlds biggest city, said it was a very severe result for which she took full responsibility.The new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party out-performed Koikes new group but still trailed far behind Abe with 54 seats.People are reluctant about Prime Minister Abe, but then who would you turn to? There is no one, said Naoto Nonaka, professor at Gakushuin University in Tokyo.Abe, who has in the past been criticised for an arrogant attitude towards voters, vowed to face the challenge posed by the victory humbly.He struck a cautious note on possible revisions to the US-imposed constitution, saying that he would deepen debate in parliament on the divisive issue but not seek to ram anything through.I dont plan to propose (changes) via the ruling bloc alone. Well make efforts to gain support from as many people as possible.Any changes to the document must be ratified by both chambers of parliament and then in a referendum, with surveys showing voters are split on the topic.Many voters stressed that the economy is their biggest concern, as the prime ministers trademark Abenomics strategy of ultra-loose monetary policy and huge government spending has failed to rekindle the former Asian powerhouse.Abe has vowed to use the proceeds from a planned sales tax hike to fund free childcare in a bid to get more women into the workforce.Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I dont feel the economy is recovering at all, said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki as he cast his vote in a rain-swept Tokyo.But investors cheered the victory, with the benchmark Tokyo index up 1.15 percent, extending a winning run that has seen 14 straight consecutive gains -- the first since 1961.

Nigeria triple suicide attack kills 13: security sources

Posted:

MAIDUGURI (AFP) - Three female suicide bombers killed 13 people and wounded 16 in the northeastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday, security sources said.The first bomber detonated her explosive belt around 9:45pm (2045 GMT) in front of a small restaurant in the capital of Borno state when people were buying their dinner, a military source said on condition of anonymity, giving the death toll.The two other bombers followed minutes later, resulting in the injured, an armed militia leader said, noting that the attack came hours after reports of sighting of a lot of Boko Haram members outside the city.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.The Boko Haram conflict has left at least 20,000 dead and forced more than 2.6 million others to flee their homes since 2009.Roads to and from Maiduguri are nominally open to traffic, but in reality, vehicles require a military escort because of the risk of attack.Nigerias military and government maintain that Boko Haram is a spent force as a result of sustained counterinsurgency operations against the militants since early 2015.Deadly attacks have dropped in recent weeks, which security sources attribute to renewed military offensives after the end of the rainy season in September.

Catalan separatists weigh options ahead of crucial week

Posted:

BARCELONA (AFP) - Catalonias separatists weighed their options Sunday ahead of a week that will see Spain take the drastic step of sacking the regions government as well as calling fresh elections to try and stop the country breaking up.Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive will be booted out, with Madrid taking control of ministries under unprecedented measures announced on Saturday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.Yesterday there was a fully-fledged coup against Catalan institutions, said Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull.Catalan parties are due to meet Monday to organise a full gathering of the regional parliament to debate next steps -- a session that could potentially give the ruling separatists another opportunity to declare unilateral independence, which they have been threatening to do since a banned referendum on the issue on October 1.As nearly half a million angry separatists took to the streets of regional capital Barcelona on Saturday, Puigdemont declared Rajoy guilty of the worst attack on institutions and Catalan people since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.Among other repressive measures, Franco -- who ruled from 1939 until 1975 -- took Catalonias powers away and banned official use of the Catalan language.Though Catalans are deeply divided on whether to break away from Spain, autonomy remains a sensitive issue in the northeastern region of 7.5 million people. Catalonia fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare.Spains government says it had no choice but to use previously untested constitutional powers to seize control of the region, faced with the countrys worst political crisis in decades.What we are doing is following strictly the provisions of our constitution, Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis told BBC television.Responding to accusations of a coup, he said: If there is a coup detat, it is one that has been followed by Mr. Puigdemont and his government.Madrid could take control of the Catalan police force and replace its public media chiefs, while new elections for the regional parliament must be called within six months.The Senate, where Rajoys conservative Popular Party holds a majority and his approach to Catalonia enjoys support from other major parties, is set to approve the measures by the end of the week.But political analysts warn that Madrid faces a serious struggle in practical terms to impose control over the region.Potential scenarios include Catalan police and civil servants refusing to obey orders from central authorities.What is going to happen if they dont abide by it? said Xavier Arbos Marin, a constitutional law professor at the University of Barcelona, raising the prospect of the government trying to take them out by force.There is fierce debate among experts over whether the governments actions are even legal, he added.Independence supporters may also seek to scupper Madrids plans through civil disobedience, such as surrounding regional ministries.If police try to enter one of the Catalan institutions, there will be peaceful resistance, said Ruben Wagensberg, spokesman for new activist group En Pie de Paz.Antonio Crespo, a 65-year-old retiree who joined a protest in the Spanish capital on Sunday night against Madrids takeover, described Rajoys decision as disastrous.Its a huge retreat of freedoms and rights, he told AFP.Asked if Puigdemont will be arrested if he shows up for work, Spains foreign minister tried to strike a reassuring tone.We are not going to arrest anyone, Dastis told BBC television, dismissing the idea of the army having to be brought in.But he warned that if Puigdemonts government keeps trying to give orders, they will be equal to any group of rebels trying to impose their own arbitrariness on the people of Catalonia.Puigdemont says 90 percent backed a split from Spain in the referendum, but turnout was given as 43 percent as many anti-independence Catalans stayed away from a vote that was declared illegal by the courts.Opinion polls suggest the wealthy region is evenly split over independence, with separatists saying it pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of Spain.The crisis has rattled a European Union that is already grappling with Brexit.

Teenager's axe rampage wounds several in Switzerland: police

Posted:

GENEVA (AFP) - A teenager armed with an axe injured several people in a rampage in Switzerland on Sunday before being shot and arrested, police said, describing the incident as unrelated to terrorism.Police in the canton of St. Gallen said the 17-year-old Latvian national carried out the attack at the post office in the northeast town of Flums.Several people were wounded in the initial attack before the assailant escaped with a stolen car, police spokesman Krusi Hanspeter said in a statement.The attacker later injured another person at a gas station where he was shot by police and apprehended, Hanspeter said.At this stage, there is no evidence of a link to terrorism, he added, noting that police were continuing to gather information about the assailant.Police said the severity of the injuries suffered by the victims was not immediately clear.According to the Blick news site, police later raided a house in the area as part of the investigation.

NAB court to resume hearing of graft reference against Dar today

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The accountability court will resume hearing today (Monday) in the graft reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar following the Supreme Court’s July 28 orders in the Panama Papers case.Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will make his seventh appearance in the accountability court of Judge Mohammad Bashir at the Judicial Complex in Islamabad today.Two prosecution witnesses, private banks’ officers Abdur Rehman Gondal and Masood Ghani, will appear in the court today to record their statements.Ishaq Dar’s counsel Khawaja Haris will cross examine both the prosecution witnesses.

Nawaz leaves London for Saudi Arabia for 'important' meetings in Jeddah

Posted:

LONDON (Dunya News) – After a sudden change in schedule, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has left for Saudi Arabia instead of Lahore on late Sunday night, Dunya News reported.Sources have claimed that Nawaz Sharif will hold some important meetings with his Saudi friends in Jeddah to gain some political support.Nawaz Sharif in now expected to return to Pakistan after performing Umrah and also meeting with his mother. He is also expected to appear before the accountability court in the NAB references on his return.Former prime minister was scheduled to leave London for Lahore on Sunday on a PIA flight but he left for Saudi Arabia due to a sudden change in his schedule.

Pakistan eye clean sweep against Sri Lanka

Posted:

SHARJAH (Dunya News/Agencies) - The fifth and final One-Day International between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be played in Sharjah today (Monday).Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan coach, made no secret of his intention of inflicting a clean sweep on Sri Lanka. Since its ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph in June, Pakistan has won eight straight games and has been unstoppable in limited-overs games, having overcome the disappointment of losing the preceding Test series to the same opponent 2-0 to open up a 4-0 lead in this series.Arthur believed his team had shown the hunger to keep winning. I will be disappointed if we didn’t make it 5-0, he said. The guys are hungry and they definitely want to do that. The key for us is to maintain our hunger and ruthlessness, so we need to keep that momentum and put this series to bed.Pakistan has previously achieved five clean sweeps, all in series involving five games. It blanked Zimbabwe in 2002-03, Bangladesh in 2003, New Zealand in 2003-04, and Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in the 2008 season.Pakistan will look to try out more players, with Haris Sohail the only one from the squad who has not featured in this series. But Arthur revealed that a spate of injuries was currently haunting the team.It’s a pity that we have picked up a couple of injuries,” he remarked. “I thought Fahim Ashraf bowled great lengths. I would have loved to see him play but he did a calf muscle, out of this match on Monday.Rumman Raees is out of the last match as well as the Twenty20 series, added Arthur of the left-arm quick, who has injured his left elbow. “Haris didnt pass a fitness test in Abu Dhabi after he was pretty close to playing. Babar Azam has pulled a groin and we need to take all that into consideration.Arthur hoped Fakhar Zaman, the opening batsman, would learn from his failures. “I would be lying if I say it is not a little worrying,” conceded the coach. “Fakhar is a really good player. What he needs is to learn and we continue talking to him.“He played in England (during the Champions Trophy) on really good wickets. The other wickets have been a lot slower and haven’t allowed him to play strokes as much as he would like, said Arthur of the left-hand batsman, who has scores of 43, 11, 29 and 17.While Pakistan is enjoying an eight-match winning streak, Sri Lanka will look to avoid an 11th straight loss -- three short of its worst-ever run of 14 defeats in 1987.Nic Pothas, the Sri Lanka coach, urged the batsmen to start delivering. It is pretty obvious. It is not rocket science,” he said, not for the first time during this series. “We just want the batters to be a little more positive about the way they go about things. We also understand we need to be in the right frame of mind to be there.So our job is to try and give the players the freedom to be able to play their way. It is going to be a very good wicket again and it is not the biggest boundary in the world. We are always looking to just improve.So sub-par has been its batting that Sri Lanka has not reached the 250-mark even once in its last 11 games.Pothas believed a positive frame of mind was the need of the hour. A batter always plays better when he is positive. His decision-making is better, his feet movement will be better and there will be an intent to score if you stay in a positive mind. It has been the same message all the way through. Execution is the toughest part, so hopefully we can go and execute that a little bit better.The ODIs will be followed by a three-match Twenty20 International series, with the last of those games to be played in Lahore on October 29.Teams (from):Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Usman Shinwari, Rumman Raees, Junaid Khan, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq.Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga (capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay.

Sri Lanka vows to go ahead with Pakistan tour

Posted:

COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankas cricket board Sunday vowed to press ahead with a controversial tour of Pakistan next week despite top players pulling out and speculation the coach may not join the squad.The Twenty20 final in Lahore will be the first time a Sri Lanka squad has played in Pakistan since gunmen staged a deadly assault on their team bus in March 2009.Sri Lanka Cricket is pushing ahead with its tour despite ongoing concerns about security and top players being left out of the squad for the three-match series.The board has played down speculation in local media that coach Nic Pothas and team physiotherapist Nirmalan Dhanabalasingham will also not travel to Pakistan.Nic has not told me he is not going, Sri Lanka cricket boss Thilanga Sumathipala told AFP.We are going to be in Pakistan for just over a day, but it is very important for us to go there and revive international cricket in South Asia.No top international side has played in Pakistan since the 2009 attack, which left eight people dead and seven visiting team members and support staff injured.Sumathipala, who will join the squad for the match, said the board had accepted security assessments conducted by Sri Lankan and Pakistani authorities.Several players who had said they would not travel to Pakistan have been dropped from the series, which opens in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and concludes with the final in Lahore.Skipper Upul Tharanga, fast bowler Lasith Malinga, bowler Suranga Lakmal, batsmen Niroshan Dickwella and Chamara Kapugedara were left out of the squad. Lakmal and Kapugedara survived the 2009 attack.On Saturday, Sri Lanka made 28-year-old allrounder Thisara Perera the captain of the T20 squad.He had toured Pakistan as a member of a World XI for a three-match Twenty20 international series played in Lahore last month.The World XI series was part of Pakistani efforts to bring international cricket back to the country.Pakistan hosted Zimbabwe for a five-match limited overs series in 2015 but top teams have refused to tour there, forcing Pakistan to play home matches in neutral venues in the UAE.Pakistan currently leads the five-match one-day series 4-0 with the last match in Sharjah on Monday.

Five-wicket Bishoo puts Windies in control

Posted:

BULAWAYO (AFP) - Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo pricked Zimbabwes bubble of optimism on Sunday as his five-wicket haul put the West Indies in charge of the first Test at Queens Sports Club.Zimbabwe came into the two-match series in a buoyant mood following the return of Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis to their ranks, and carried it through the opening day when they dismissed the West Indies for 219.But Bishoos 5 for 79 on the second day was like a bucket of cold water on Zimbabwes spirits as they were bowled out for 159, with Hamilton Masakadzas 42 the top score.There were way too many soft dismissals, and the boys are upset with themselves. That wasnt how we wanted to play, said Zimbabwes batting coach Lance Klusener.Weve got a second bite at the cherry, but it wont be easy to bat out there.With Zimbabwe bowled out in just 61.3 overs, the West Indies began their second innings after tea and reached stumps on 88 for one, giving them an overall lead of 148.Kraigg Brathwaite led the way with an unbeaten 38, while Kyle Hope registered a career-best 32 not out in his fourth Test.The partnership left Zimbabwe facing a long road back into the game, and with a lingering regret over their batting efforts.While the turning pitch has provided assistance to the spinners on the opening two days, Zimbabwes batsmen were largely culpable for their own downfall.The hosts made a positive start in reply to West Indies 219 all out, with openers Masakadza and Solomon Mire moving their overnight total from 19 to 44 without loss.But an overly adventurous stroke from Mire allowed Kemar Roach to strike, as the debutant was caught on the midwicket boundary for 27.Mires replacement, Craig Ervine, dug in alongside Masakadza as the pair put on 47 for the second wicket to put Zimbabwe back in control.But from 91 for one Zimbabwe slipped to 139 for seven as Masakadza felt for a Bishoo delivery and edged behind, Brendan Taylor reverse-swept the legspinner to slip and Sikandar Raza holed out to long-off.Meanwhile, Sean Williams chased a wide delivery from Roach and was caught behind, before Bishoo completed his five-wicket haul when Regis Chakabva offered a tame catch to backward point.Shannon Gabriel finished off the innings with the wicket of Chris Mpofu on the stroke of tea, leaving the tourists with a sense of satisfaction.Over the last year the bowling department has been functioning, so Im not surprised that we were able to bowl them out under our score, said West indies bowling coach Roddy Estwick.We felt our seamers have been outstanding all year, and once Bishoo came to the party I wasnt surprised we restricted them to this score.

Afghanistan to play Ireland, Zimbabwe in Sharjah

Posted:

SHARJAH (AFP) - Afghanistan will play three one-day internationals with Ireland in Sharjah in Decmeber and they are also eyeing their inaugural Test against Zimbabwe, an official said Sunday.We are hosting a three-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Ireland in December and there are also discussions on Afghanistan playing their inaugural Test at our ground after the ODI series, Mazhar Khan, GM Sharjah cricket stadium, told AFP.The three ODIs will be played on December 5, 7 and 10.Both Ireland and Afghanistan were accorded with Test staus earlier this year to become the 11th and 12th Test nations.While Ireland have scheduled their inaugural Test with Pakistan at home in May, Afghanistan are hoping to play their first Test against Zimbabwe.We are ready to host Afghanistans first Test and for that dates will be finalised soon, said Khan.Sharjah has hosted the most one-day internationals with 228. They will host the fifth and final one-day against Sri Lanka on Monday.

No dialogue yet between rivals in Gulf crisis: Tillerson

Posted:

DOHA: (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday said talks between feuding Gulf states remained unlikely, as a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar nears its sixth month.We cannot force talks among people who are not ready to talk, Tillerson said at a press conference in Doha.There is not a strong indication that parties are ready to talk yet, he added. We cannot and will not impose a solution on anyone.Tillersons comments came after he held talks Sunday in both Riyadh and Doha on a visit that has focused on curbing Irans influence in the region.It comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal and declared an aggressive new strategy against Tehran.The visit appears aimed in part at boosting Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabias clout in Iraq, where Shiite forces backed by Tehran are fighting in the north, as part of a wider regional battle for influence that extends from Syria to Yemen.Tillerson also aimed to persuade the feuding Gulf states to open dialogue, according to US officials, months into a crisis that has seen Qatar isolated from its neighbours.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in June announced they had cut all relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of ties to Islamist fundamentalists and Iran.Qatar has denied the allegations and has rejected the conditions of a proposed settlement to the diplomatic and economic boycott.While Trump had initially appeared to support Saudi Arabia in isolating Qatar, he has since called for mediation and predicted a rapid end to the crisis.

Saudi Arabia denies diplomatic visit to Israel

Posted:

RIYADH: (AFP) - Saudi Arabia on Sunday denied that any of its officials had visited Israel, after Israeli media reported that a senior prince had made a secret diplomatic trip there.Reports of a secret visit to Israel by a Saudi official which have appeared on some media are unfounded, a spokesman for the Saudi foreign ministry said.Saudi Arabia has always been transparent as regards contacts and visits to foreign countries, the spokesman said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.Israeli radio last month reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had secretly met officials in Israel.Israeli officials never confirmed the reports.In 2002, Saudi Arabia proposed a peace initiative offering Arab countries recognition of Israel in return for Israels withdrawal from territories occupied in 1967 and the creation of a Palestinian state.The plan was never put into action.There are no indications that Arab states are set to formally recognise Israel.But like Israel, most Gulf states including Saudi Arabia prioritise curbing Irans regional influence.

Maltese demand justice for murdered reporter

Posted:

VALLETTA: (AFP) - Thousands of people flocked to a rally Sunday to demand justice for murdered Maltese journalist and anti-corruption blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.Crowds packed roads in the capital Valletta as the national demonstration for justice began in honour of the 53-year-old, killed in a car bombing Monday.Initial shock at the slaughter of a woman whose work probed the murky corners of Maltese politics, rattling the government and opposition alike, has since given way to demands for a united front for justice.President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca led local dignitaries at a rally organised by civic groups who urged participants to turn up with Maltese flags but no emblems of party political loyalty.She then received a group of organisers who handed her a written list of concerns and demands, including that the police commissioner and public prosecutor resign.We want justice. We are living a constitutional crisis. There is fear in the country. There is a surplus of criminality, said one of those who met Preca, referring to a rise in organised crime.Malta is under the influence of bullies who do whatever they like.Demonstrator Manuel Delia, like Caruana Galizia a blogger, praised the murdered reporter.Daphne was not killed for lying. Daphne was not killed for offending someone with her words. Daphne was killed because she alone uncovered the illness that has weakened this country where greed rules and the garden of fairness has been burnt down to make way for the tower of desire for money at all costs, he said.At the start of the rally, marchers converged on the City Gate, Vallettas main entrance, bearing slogans such as Journalists will not be reduced to silence, We are not afraid and Crooks are everywhere.Although citizens mourning the murder say Maltas deeply-ingrained tribal politics must be laid aside to enable to the shaken island nation to heal its wounds, some berated the political class over the killing.The authorities have blood on their hands, one demonstrator, Francesca Aquilina, told AFP, saying that what happened to Caruana Galizia could happen to anybody.Newspapers published a common front page all bearing the slogan the pen conquers fear.Political polarizationCaruana Galizia was often described as a one-woman Wikileaks for unflinchingly bringing political dirt to the surface with dogged research into alleged financial corruption by Prime Minister Joseph Muscats inner circle, largely based on the Panama Papers leak.But she also delved into the dealings of Adrian Delia, the new leader of the opposition Nationalist Party.The government says it will leave no stone unturned in bringing the killers and their masters to justice, Saturday offering a one million euros ($1.2 million) reward for information.A government statement Saturday indicated justice must be done, whatever the cost.Many of Sundays marchers paid their respects to Caruana Galizia at a makeshift shrine outside Vallettas Palace of Justice. As they did so, tourists mingled, some taking pictures of the floral tributes.Seeing this demonstration makes us realise what struggles have been undergone to preserve democracy, said Geraldine Spiteri, a lawyer.Maltese politics has seen longstanding polarisation between two camps -- the Labour Party, in office since 2013 -- and the centre right Nationalists.Family loyalty often determines party allegiances and campaigning can take the form of chewing the political fat with close allies invited to join a family meal.Muscat admitted in midweek Caruana Galizia was his biggest adversary but noted she had also targeted his rival, Delia, whom she had accused of having an offshore account in the Channel Island of Jersey.Crocodile tearsCarmelo Pace, a 74-year-old avid reader of Caruana Galizias blog and a Nationalist Party voter, accused politicians of all stripes of shedding crocodile tears over her death.Kurt Sansone, editor in chief of Malta Today, said the country must rise above political rivalries.The country needs to turn the page to move forward, he said.Many young Maltese took to internet forums to share in many cases fatalist feelings on the killing.

Trump tells Paris, Berlin to 'keep making money' via trade with Tehran

Posted:

WASHINGTON: (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday he does not object to France and Germany continuing trade with Iran, despite his refusal to certify the Iran nuclear deal.I told them just keep making money, the real estate mogul-turned-president told the Fox News program Sunday Morning Futures. Dont worry. You just keep making money.They are friends of mine. They really are. I get along with all of them. Whether its Emmanuel or Angela, Trump said, referring to French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.I dont know whats going to happen with that deal, Trump said of the landmark 2015 accord, which on October 13 he refused to certify, leaving the pacts fate to US Congress.When they buy those things, it is a little harder, Trump said of French and German commercial dealings with Iran. I told them just keep making money. Dont worry. We dont need you on this one.But speaking to journalists on a diplomatic visit to Riyadh, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US is hoping European companies and countries will join the US as we put in place a sanction structure.Those who conduct business with Iranian Revolutionary Guards, any of their entities -- European companies or other companies around the globe -- really do so at great risk.Tillerson had told the Wall Street Journal on Friday the Trump administration does not intend to disrupt European commerce with Iran.The European Union has meanwhile expressed determination to preserve the Iran deal, with several leaders considering it essential to convincing North Korea to come to the negotiating table over its own nuclear program.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)