Friday, September 31
Khashoggi goes to consulate to obtain papers to allow him to get married
The papers weren't ready and he leaves consulate after a couple of hours
Tuesday, October 2
3:00 a.m.:Private jet arrives in Istanbul from Riyadh
1:14 p.m.: Khashoggi arrives at the consulate
5:00 p.m.: A second jet arrives in Istanbul from Riyadh
6:00 p.m.: Second flight departs Istanbul for Cairo, en route to Riyadh
11:00 p.m.: First flight departs Istanbul for Riyadh
Wednesday, October 3
Turkish officials first report Khashoggi is missing
Showing posts with label saudi arabian breaking news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saudi arabian breaking news. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2018
Sen. David Perdue rips phone out of student's hand as he's asking question
Georgia Sen. David Perdue has stirred up a host of new questions after he appeared to dodge a college student's inquiry by ripping the student's cellphone out of his hand in the midst of a video recording.
The GOP senator was at Georgia Tech on Saturday to campaign for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp when he was approached by a member of the school's Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter and asked about tens of thousands of voter registrations that Kemp, as the current secretary of state, is refusing to process.
The student in the video can be heard starting to ask Perdue a question, but he's cut off before finishing.
Nonetheless, the Young Democratic Socialists of America at Georgia Tech lashed out at the senator.
"Senator Perdue will quickly endorse racists for the governorship, but ask him why and he'll steal your phone," the group wrote on Facebook. "He's a coward who's afraid to answer questions from students, citizens, and constituents."
Kemp and Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams have been locked inhttp://www.kannyonline.ga/2018/10/sen-david-perdue-rips-phone-out-of.html a bitter battle for the state's governorship. Abrams accused Kemp last week of refusing to certify 53,000 voter registration applications to "suppress the vote for political gain and silence the voices of thousands of eligible voters -- the majority of them people of color."
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a lawsuit over the uncertified applications on Thursday.
"Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has been a driving force behind multiple voter suppression efforts throughout the years in Georgia," Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement last week. "If there is one person in Georgia who knows that the ‘Exact Match’ scheme has a discriminatory impact on minority voters, it’s Brian Kemp because we successfully sued him over a mirror policy in 2016."
Kemp has said those voters can still cast their ballots at the polls on Election Day with a valid ID and accused Abrams' desire to avoid that as her encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote. Kemp released a statement about the lawsuit on Sunday afternoon.
"Stacey Abrams lied about voter suppression in Georgia to motivate her base of supporters," Ryan Mahoney, Kemp's communications director, said in the statement. "Now, she is demanding voting rights for illegal immigrants in the November 6th election."
The Latest: Spain joins global calls for probe on Khashoggi
The Latest on the disappearance of a Saudi writer who Turkish officials fear was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
A Spanish government spokeswoman has urged Turkey and Saudi Arabia to launch an "open, transparent" investigation into the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi nearly two weeks ago.
Spain, a longtime commercial ally of the government of Riyadh, is joining growing international concern over the writer who vanished on a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Spanish Education Minister Isabel Celaa says that "Spain demands an open, transparent investigation," and that "freedom of speech and press freedom are pillars of democracy."
A Foreign Ministry statement on Monday said Spain is hoping for "urgent results" from the probe.
Spain's strong trade and investment ties with Saudi Arabia were put to a test earlier this year when the center-left government in Madrid tried to cancel a weapons sale to Riyadh only to backtrack weeks later over fears of losing a job-intensive shipbuilding contract.
———
3:10 p.m.
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase's chief executive and chairman, has decided not to participate in Saudi Arabia's "Davos in the Desert" event this month as the outrage over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi continues to grow.
Dimon was asked last week if he was going to participate in the event, but declined to comment. A JPMorgan spokesman said the bank was not giving any additional comment on Dimon's decision to pull out.
Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2. Turkish officials have said they fear a Saudi hit team killed and dismembered Khashoggi, who wrote critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The kingdom has called such allegations "baseless" but has not offered any evidence Khashoggi ever left the consulate.
———
12:45 p.m.
Turkey says an "inspection" of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul is expected to take place late this afternoon, nearly two weeks after Jamal Khashoggi disappeared there.
A Foreign Ministry official told The Associated Press on Monday that the inspection would be a joint one carried out by Turkish and Saudi officials. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.
The inspection comes after the disappearance of the Saudi writer, who vanished Oct. 2 on a visit to the consulate.
Turkish officials fear Saudi authorities killed and dismembered Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia calls the allegation "baseless," but has yet to explain how the writer simply vanished while visiting the consulate as his fiancée stood outside waiting for him.
—Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey;
———
12:15 p.m.
Pakistan has urged Turkey and Saudi Arabia to work together to resolve the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared on a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.
Turkish officials fear that Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate when he went there on Oct. 2.
Pakistan, which enjoys friendly relations with both Turkey and the kingdom, says it hopes that the "two brotherly countries will be able to jointly address the matter."
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that since an investigation is ongoing into the matter, "it would therefore be appropriate to await the outcome."
In Monday's carefully worded brief statement, the ministry welcomed Saudi and Turkish efforts to resolve the issue.
———
12:10 p.m.
Australia's foreign minister says she is deeply concerned by the disappearance and suspected murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
He vanished during a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul almost two weeks ago.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne says she is discussing with government colleagues and officials in her department how Australia will react.
She told reporters: "I have expressed my very deep concerns over what appears to have occurred in Turkey. I will be speaking with my colleagues to determine Australia's next step."
———
10:10 a.m.
Saudi newspapers have published aggressive front-page headlines, mirroring a statement by the kingdom warning that it won't be threatened amid concerns about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Arabic-language daily Okaz wrote a headline on Monday in English warning: "Don't Test Our Patience." It showed a clenched fist.
The Saudi Gazette trumpeted: "Enough Is Enough."
The Arab News said: "Saudi Arabia 'will not be bullied'."
The Arab News' headline was above a front-page editorial by Dubai-based real-estate tycoon Khalaf al-Habtoor calling on Gulf Arab nations to boycott international firms now backing out of a planned economic summit in Riyadh later this month.
Al-Habtoor wrote: "Together we must prove we will not be bullied or else, mark my words, once they have finished kicking the kingdom, we will be next in line."
——— 7:40 a.m.
Saudi Arabia has threatened to retaliate for any sanctions imposed against it. President Donald Trump says the oil-rich kingdom deserves "severe punishment" if it is responsible for the disappearance and suspected murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.
The warning from the world's top oil exporter came Sunday after a turbulent day on the Saudi stock exchange, which plunged as much as 7 percent at one point.
The statement was issued as international concern grew over the writer who vanished on a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago. American lawmakers have threatened tough punitive action against the Saudis, and Germany, France and Britain jointly called for a "credible investigation" into Khashoggi's disappearance.
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Saudi interior minister slams ‘false accusations’ on Khashoggi’s disappearance
- News reports about orders to kill Khashoggi "are lies and baseless allegations", the minister says
- Turkey said on Thursday it had accepted a proposal from Saudi Arabia to cooperate on the investigation
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's minister of interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, on Saturday denounced the "false accusations" being circulated in some media outlets linking the Saudi government and people to the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
News reports about orders to kill Khashoggi "are lies and baseless allegations", the minister said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
He said the government of Saudi Arabia is "committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions."
Prince Abdulaziz noted that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have agree to conduct a joint investigation and it is important for the media to report only the facts and "not to affect the paths of investigation and judicial proceedings."
"He also stressed the Kingdom's keenness on the interest of its citizens at home and abroad and its keenness in particular to clarify the whole truth about the disappearance of the citizen Jamal Khashoggi," the SPA report said.
Khashoggi, a Saudi national and journalist who had been based in the US, has been missing since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to secure divorce papers.
Turkey said on Thursday it had accepted a proposal from Saudi Arabia to cooperate on the investigation.
A security delegation consisting of Saudi investigators arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to participate in the investigations.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Saudis discussed plan to lure Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, US intercepts show
(CNN)The
US has intercepts of Saudi officials discussing a plan to lure
journalist Jamal Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him,
according to a US official familiar with the intelligence.
Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist and critic of the regime, has been missing for more than week after
going to the Saudi consulate general in Istanbul to obtain wedding
papers. Turkish officials privately believe he was killed at the
consulate, an allegation denied by Saudi Arabia.
The
official said it is unclear if the original plan was to murder
Khashoggi or if something went wrong at the consulate and that he might
have been killed during an attempt to kidnap him. The official said that
getting Khashoggi to the consulate appears to have been a backup plan,
because he couldn't be persuaded to fly back to Saudi Arabia.
The official said there is no hard evidence as to whether Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, is dead or alive.
The source did not say when the US became aware of the discussions. As CNN reported earlier this week, intercepted communications were being reviewed in the wake of Khashoggi's disappearance.
The
official would not go so far as to say Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman ordered the operation but said that, although he may not have
known the specifics such a plan couldn't have taken place without his
approval.
US officials think it's
possible the Crown Prince wanted Khashoggi silenced, but miscalculated
the global impact his disappearance would have.
The Washington Post first reported the details of the intercepts.
US President Donald Trump is facing increased pressure over the Khashoggi case. Late Tuesday, a bipartisan group of senators wrote to the President, calling
for the White House to determine what happened to Khashoggi and whether
sanctions should be imposed on whoever was responsible for his fate.
The
letter, penned by the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, triggers an investigation under legislation that
allows the President to impose sanctions on individuals or countries
that are deemed to have committed a human rights violation. The White
House must respond within 120 days, setting out what actions it proposes
to take.
Trump
told Fox News in an interview on Wednesday night that "so far it's
looking a little bit like" the Saudis are behind Khashoggi's
disappearance but said it was too early to say how the US might respond.
Blocking further arms sales to Saudi Arabia "would be hurting us," he
said.
Trump said that US economic
success was due in part to "what we are doing with our defense systems,"
and added: "Frankly I think that would be a very, very tough pill to
swallow for our country."
Investigation continues
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters Thursday that Turkey
"cannot remain silent" on the disappearance of Khashoggi.
"We
are currently investigating the event in all its dimensions. The event
took place in our country. We cannot remain silent in the face of an
event like this because it is not a normal occurrence," Erdogan said
while returning on a flight from Hungary. He said security and
intelligence forces "have been looking at all dimensions of this" and
are looking especially closely at the country's entry and exit points.
Timeline of Khashoggi's disappearance
Turkish
officials have said that a 15-man team flew from Saudi Arabia into
Istanbul on the day Khashoggi entered the consulate, and were present in
the building at the same time the journalist. The investigation has
focused on CCTV footage which showed the men arriving at the consulate.
A
Saudi source familiar with four of the 15 men told CNN that one is a
former diplomat in London and an intelligence officer, and another is a
forensics expert.
In
a statement to CNN on Wednesday, a Saudi official said the kingdom
"categorically" denies "any involvement in Jamal's disappearance."
"At
this stage, our priority is to support the investigation, as opposed to
responding to evolving comments not directly related to those efforts.
Jamal's well being, as a Saudi citizen, is our utmost concern and we are
focusing on the investigation as a means to reveal the truth behind his
disappearance. Our sympathies go out to the family during this
difficult time," the official said.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Saudi-led coalition may have committed war crimes in Yemen – UN
n its first report to the UN Human Rights Council on the war in Yemen, the UN experts pointed to the killing of civilians, especially in coalition air strikes, as possible war crimes. The UN also referred to possible war crimes by Houthi rebels.
Three experts working for the UN's top human rights body said on Tuesday that the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen may have been responsible for war crimes including rape, torture, disappearances and "deprivation of the right to life" during more than three years of escalated fighting against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The experts have also chronicled the damages from coalition air strikes, the single most lethal force in the fighting, over the last year. They said air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition have caused heavy civilian casualties — including at marketplaces, weddings and on fishing boats — some of which may also amount to war crimes.
They urged the international community to refrain from providing arms that could be used in the conflict in Yemen.
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