Saudi Arabia has welcomed a joint investigation with Turkey into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The country had earlier requested Turkey to form a bilateral level team to investigate the murder of Khashoggi.

A Saudi official source said it was "a positive move" that Turkey had agreed to a Saudi request to form "a bilateral expert-level Joint Action Team to disclose the merits of the Saudi national Jamal bin Ahmed Hamza Khashoggi's disappearance," SPA said.&nbsp;

According to media reports, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-claims-to-have-audio-video-recordings-to-prove-journalist-jamal-khashoggis-murder-171096">Turkey possesses audio and video recordings </a>that prove the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

A media report quoted a source as saying that the evidence Turkey has, shows signs of assault and struggle inside the consulate.

Senior journalist Khashoggi, 59, who is a strong critic of the Saudi establishment had taken US citizenship after leaving his country and had written several articles against Saudi Arabia's repressive policies for the Washington Post.

The New York Times revealed on Wednesday that a group of 15 men flew down to Turkey in a private jet in order to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Turkish government openly accused Saudi Arabia of colluding to kill the journalist.

The journalist had entered the Saudi consulate to submit documents seeking a divorce from his wife living in Saudi Arabia so that he could remarry again in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has denied any hand in Khashoggi's disappearance asserting that he walked out of the consulate from the back door. However, his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the consulate on October 2 said he never came out of the consulate as she waited outside.

Turkey had earlier asked Saudi Arabia to present evidence to prove that the missing journalist had left the consulate.

Turkey on Thursday denied a claim by US President Donald Trump that American investigators were collectively working with both Ankara and Riyadh to probe the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

(With inputs from agencies)

Saudi Arabia has welcomed a joint investigation with Turkey into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The country had earlier requested Turkey to form a bilateral level team to investigate the murder of Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia has welcomed a joint investigation with Turkey into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The country had earlier requested Turkey to form a bilateral level team to investigate the murder of Khashoggi. A Saudi official source said it was "a positive move" that Turkey had agreed to a Saudi request to form "a bilateral expert-level Joint Action Team to disclose the merits of the Saudi national Jamal bin Ahmed Hamza Khashoggi's disappearance," SPA said. According to media reports, Turkey possesses audio and video recordings that prove the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. A media report quoted a source as saying that the evidence Turkey has, shows signs of assault and struggle inside the consulate. Senior journalist Khashoggi, 59, who is a strong critic of the Saudi establishment had taken US citizenship after leaving his country and had written several articles against Saudi Arabia's repressive policies for the Washington Post. The New York Times revealed on Wednesday that a group of 15 men flew down to Turkey in a private jet in order to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Turkish government openly accused Saudi Arabia of colluding to kill the journalist. The journalist had entered the Saudi consulate to submit documents seeking a divorce from his wife living in Saudi Arabia so that he could remarry again in Turkey. Saudi Arabia has denied any hand in Khashoggi's disappearance asserting that he walked out of the consulate from the back door. However, his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the consulate on October 2 said he never came out of the consulate as she waited outside. Turkey had earlier asked Saudi Arabia to present evidence to prove that the missing journalist had left the consulate. Turkey on Thursday denied a claim by US President Donald Trump that American investigators were collectively working with both Ankara and Riyadh to probe the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (With inputs from agencies)

Saudis welcome joint Turkey probe into missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Turkey claims that it has audio and video recordings that prove the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/disappearance-of-saudi-journalist-jamal-khashoggi-confirms-a-dangerous-trend-169599">killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi </a>took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. A media report quoted a source as saying that the evidence Turkey has, shows signs of assault and struggle inside the consulate.

The foreign intelligence service was shocked by the nature of the evidence provided by the Turkish officials, the report said.

Citing anonymous US and Turkey officials, the&nbsp;US media report further said that the audio recording reveals&nbsp;persuasive and gruesome evidence of a Saudi team sent to Istanbul being responsible for the death of journalist&nbsp;Jamal Khashoggi.

Both CNN and Washington Post declared that Turkey possessed audio and video recordings to prove Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The post&nbsp;further&nbsp;quoted the officials as saying that the voice of Khashoggi and other men speaking in Arabic can be heard in the recordings which shows how the journalist was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.

Senior journalist Khashoggi, 59, a strong critic of the Saudi establishment had taken&nbsp;US citizenship after leaving his country and had written several articles against&nbsp;Saudi Arabia's repressive policies&nbsp;for the Washington Post.

The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659">New York Times had revealed on Wednesday that&nbsp;</a>a group of 15 men flew down to Turkey in a private jet in order to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Turkish government openly accused Saudi Arabia of colluding to kill the journalist.

Khashoggi had entered the Saudi consulate to submit documents seeking&nbsp;a divorce from his wife living in Saudi Arabia so that he could remarry again in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has denied any hand in Khashoggi's disappearance asserting that he walked out of the consulate from the back door. However, his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the consulate on October 2 said he never came out of the consulate as she waited outside.&nbsp;

Turkey has asked Saudi Arabia to present evidence to prove that he left the consulate.

Khashoggi's own website on&nbsp;October 3 had posted a message saying he was arrested at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but state-run Saudi Press Agency said he had left the building and the consulate was carrying out follow-up procedures and coordinating with the Turkish authorities to "uncover the circumstances" of his disappearance.

Turkey claims that it has audio and video recordings that prove the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

Turkey claims that it has audio and video recordings that prove the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. A media report quoted a source as saying that the evidence Turkey has, shows signs of assault and struggle inside the consulate. The foreign intelligence service was shocked by the nature of the evidence provided by the Turkish officials, the report said. Citing anonymous US and Turkey officials, the US media report further said that the audio recording reveals persuasive and gruesome evidence of a Saudi team sent to Istanbul being responsible for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Both CNN and Washington Post declared that Turkey possessed audio and video recordings to prove Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The post further quoted the officials as saying that the voice of Khashoggi and other men speaking in Arabic can be heard in the recordings which shows how the journalist was interrogated, tortured and then murdered. Senior journalist Khashoggi, 59, a strong critic of the Saudi establishment had taken US citizenship after leaving his country and had written several articles against Saudi Arabia's repressive policies for the Washington Post. The New York Times had revealed on Wednesday that a group of 15 men flew down to Turkey in a private jet in order to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Turkish government openly accused Saudi Arabia of colluding to kill the journalist. Khashoggi had entered the Saudi consulate to submit documents seeking a divorce from his wife living in Saudi Arabia so that he could remarry again in Turkey. Saudi Arabia has denied any hand in Khashoggi's disappearance asserting that he walked out of the consulate from the back door. However, his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the consulate on October 2 said he never came out of the consulate as she waited outside. Turkey has asked Saudi Arabia to present evidence to prove that he left the consulate. Khashoggi's own website on October 3 had posted a message saying he was arrested at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but state-run Saudi Press Agency said he had left the building and the consulate was carrying out follow-up procedures and coordinating with the Turkish authorities to "uncover the circumstances" of his disappearance.

Turkey claims to have audio, video recordings to prove Khashoggi's murder: Report

British entrepreneur Richard Branson is suspending two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia following the unexplained disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In a statement late Thursday, Branson said also that his Virgin group would suspend discussions with Saudi Arabia over proposed investment in Virgin Galactic, which is set to carry out its first space flight within weeks.

"I had high hopes for the current government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and it is why I was delighted to accept two directorships in the tourism projects around the Red Sea," Branson said in the statement posted on the Virgin website.&nbsp;

"I felt that I could give practical development advice and also help protect the precious environment around the coastline and islands."

But he added: "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government.&nbsp;

"We have asked for more information from the authorities in Saudi and to clarify their position in relation to Mr Khashoggi.

"While those investigations are ongoing and Mr Khashoggi’s whereabouts are not known, I will suspend my directorships of the two tourism projects.

"Virgin will also suspend its discussions with the Public Investment Fund over the proposed investment in our space companies Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit," Branson added.

In comments Tuesday, Branson said he expected his Virgin Galactic company to conduct its first space flight "within weeks, not months".

British entrepreneur Richard Branson is suspending two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia following the unexplained disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

British entrepreneur Richard Branson is suspending two directorships linked to tourism projects in Saudi Arabia following the unexplained disappearance in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a statement late Thursday, Branson said also that his Virgin group would suspend discussions with Saudi Arabia over proposed investment in Virgin Galactic, which is set to carry out its first space flight within weeks. "I had high hopes for the current government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and it is why I was delighted to accept two directorships in the tourism projects around the Red Sea," Branson said in the statement posted on the Virgin website. "I felt that I could give practical development advice and also help protect the precious environment around the coastline and islands." But he added: "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government. "We have asked for more information from the authorities in Saudi and to clarify their position in relation to Mr Khashoggi. "While those investigations are ongoing and Mr Khashoggi’s whereabouts are not known, I will suspend my directorships of the two tourism projects. "Virgin will also suspend its discussions with the Public Investment Fund over the proposed investment in our space companies Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit," Branson added. In comments Tuesday, Branson said he expected his Virgin Galactic company to conduct its first space flight "within weeks, not months".

I suspend my directorships, Virgin Galactic too will suspend talks with Saudi fund: Branson over Khashoggi case

Here is why oil is burning a hole in your pocket

The fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, assuming that his disappearance was the work of Saudi security and military officials, threatens to upend the fundaments of fault lines in the Middle East.

At stake is not only the fate of a widely respected journalist and the future of Turkish-Saudi relations.

Khashoggi’s fate, whether he was kidnapped by Saudi agents during a visit to the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul to obtain proof of his divorce or murdered on its premises, threatens to severely disrupt the US-Saudi alliance that underwrites much of the Middle East’s fault lines.

A US investigation into Khashoggi’s fate mandated by members of the US Congress and an expected meeting between President Donald Trump, and the journalist’s Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, could result in a US and European embargo on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and impact the kingdom’s brutal proxy war with Iran in Yemen.

It also would project Saudi Arabia as a rogue state and call into question US and Saudi allegations that Iran is the Middle East’s main state supporter of terrorism.

The allegations formed a key reason for the United States’ withdrawal with Saudi, United Arab Emirates and Israeli backing from the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program and the re-imposition of crippling economic sanctions.

They also would undermine Saudi and UAE justification of their 15-month-old economic and diplomatic boycott of Qatar that the two Gulf states, alongside Egypt and Bahrain, accused of supporting terrorism.

Condemnation and sanctioning of Saudi Arabia by the international community would complicate Chinese and Russian efforts to walk a fine line in their attempts to ensure that they are not sucked into the Saudi-Iranian rivalry.

Russia and China would be at a crossroads if Saudi Arabia were proven to be responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance and the issue of sanctions would be brought to the United Nations Security Council.

Both Russia and China have so far been able to maintain close ties to Saudi Arabia despite their efforts to defeat US sanctions against Iran and Russia’s alliance with the Islamic republic in their support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

A significantly weakened Saudi Arabia would furthermore undermine Arab cover provided by the kingdom for Trump’s efforts to impose a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would favour Israel at the expense of the Palestinians.

Finally, a conclusive determination that Saudi Arabia was responsible for Khashoggi’s fate would likely spark renewed debate about the wisdom of the international community’s support for Arab autocracy that has proven to be unashamedly brutal in its violation of human rights and disregard for international law and conventions.

Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has suffered significant reputational damage irrespective of Khashoggi’s fate, raising the question of his viability if Saudi Arabia were condemned internationally and stability in the kingdom, a key tenant of US, Chinese and Russian Middle East policy, were to be at risk.

The reputational damage suffered by Prince Mohammed embarrasses UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, who together with his aides and representatives in world capitals, worked hard to project his Saudi counterpart as the kingdom’s future.

Saudi Arabia has so far done itself a few favours by flatly rejecting any responsibility for Khashoggi’s disappearance with no evidence that the journalist left the consulate at his own volition; asserting that claims that it was involved were fabrications by Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood; seeking to defame Khashoggi’s fiancé and supporters; and refusing to fully cooperate with Turkish investigators.

Saudi reluctance to cooperate as well as the US investigation and Cengiz’s expected meeting with Trump complicate apparent Turkish efforts to find a resolution of the escalating crisis that would allow Saudi Arabia to save face and salvage Turkey’s economic relationship with the kingdom.

Turkey, despite deep policy differences with Saudi Arabia over Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood, has so far refrained from statements that go beyond demanding that Saudi Arabia prove its assertion that Khashoggi left the Istanbul consulate at his own volition and fully cooperate with the Turkish investigation.

Reports by anonymous Turkish officials detailing gruesome details of Khashoggi’s alleged murder by Saudi agents appear designed to pressure Saudi Arabia to comply with the Turkish demands and efforts to manage the crisis.

Widely acclaimed, Khashoggi’s fate, irrespective of whether he as yet emerges alive or is proven to have been brutally murdered, is reshaping the political map of the Middle East. The possibility, if not likelihood is that he paid a horrendous price for sparking the earthquake that is already rumbling across the region. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, assuming that his disappearance was the work of Saudi security and military officials, threatens to upend the fundaments of fault lines in the Middle East.

The fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, assuming that his disappearance was the work of Saudi security and military officials, threatens to upend the fundaments of fault lines in the Middle East. At stake is not only the fate of a widely respected journalist and the future of Turkish-Saudi relations. Khashoggi’s fate, whether he was kidnapped by Saudi agents during a visit to the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul to obtain proof of his divorce or murdered on its premises, threatens to severely disrupt the US-Saudi alliance that underwrites much of the Middle East’s fault lines. A US investigation into Khashoggi’s fate mandated by members of the US Congress and an expected meeting between President Donald Trump, and the journalist’s Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, could result in a US and European embargo on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and impact the kingdom’s brutal proxy war with Iran in Yemen. It also would project Saudi Arabia as a rogue state and call into question US and Saudi allegations that Iran is the Middle East’s main state supporter of terrorism. The allegations formed a key reason for the United States’ withdrawal with Saudi, United Arab Emirates and Israeli backing from the 2015 international agreement that curbed Iran’s nuclear program and the re-imposition of crippling economic sanctions. They also would undermine Saudi and UAE justification of their 15-month-old economic and diplomatic boycott of Qatar that the two Gulf states, alongside Egypt and Bahrain, accused of supporting terrorism. Condemnation and sanctioning of Saudi Arabia by the international community would complicate Chinese and Russian efforts to walk a fine line in their attempts to ensure that they are not sucked into the Saudi-Iranian rivalry. Russia and China would be at a crossroads if Saudi Arabia were proven to be responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance and the issue of sanctions would be brought to the United Nations Security Council. Both Russia and China have so far been able to maintain close ties to Saudi Arabia despite their efforts to defeat US sanctions against Iran and Russia’s alliance with the Islamic republic in their support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. A significantly weakened Saudi Arabia would furthermore undermine Arab cover provided by the kingdom for Trump’s efforts to impose a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would favour Israel at the expense of the Palestinians. Finally, a conclusive determination that Saudi Arabia was responsible for Khashoggi’s fate would likely spark renewed debate about the wisdom of the international community’s support for Arab autocracy that has proven to be unashamedly brutal in its violation of human rights and disregard for international law and conventions. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has suffered significant reputational damage irrespective of Khashoggi’s fate, raising the question of his viability if Saudi Arabia were condemned internationally and stability in the kingdom, a key tenant of US, Chinese and Russian Middle East policy, were to be at risk. The reputational damage suffered by Prince Mohammed embarrasses UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, who together with his aides and representatives in world capitals, worked hard to project his Saudi counterpart as the kingdom’s future. Saudi Arabia has so far done itself a few favours by flatly rejecting any responsibility for Khashoggi’s disappearance with no evidence that the journalist left the consulate at his own volition; asserting that claims that it was involved were fabrications by Turkey, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood; seeking to defame Khashoggi’s fiancé and supporters; and refusing to fully cooperate with Turkish investigators. Saudi reluctance to cooperate as well as the US investigation and Cengiz’s expected meeting with Trump complicate apparent Turkish efforts to find a resolution of the escalating crisis that would allow Saudi Arabia to save face and salvage Turkey’s economic relationship with the kingdom. Turkey, despite deep policy differences with Saudi Arabia over Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood, has so far refrained from statements that go beyond demanding that Saudi Arabia prove its assertion that Khashoggi left the Istanbul consulate at his own volition and fully cooperate with the Turkish investigation. Reports by anonymous Turkish officials detailing gruesome details of Khashoggi’s alleged murder by Saudi agents appear designed to pressure Saudi Arabia to comply with the Turkish demands and efforts to manage the crisis. Widely acclaimed, Khashoggi’s fate, irrespective of whether he as yet emerges alive or is proven to have been brutally murdered, is reshaping the political map of the Middle East. The possibility, if not likelihood is that he paid a horrendous price for sparking the earthquake that is already rumbling across the region. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Fate of Jamal Khashoggi rejiggers the Middle East at potentially horrible cost

President Trump said today that he had spoken to Saudi authorities "at the highest level" over the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659">Also Read:&nbsp;Khashoggi was killed by Saudi 'hit team', says&nbsp;NYT report</a>

Jamal Khashoggi had reportedly entered the &nbsp;Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul last week but never came out even as his fiancee Hatice Cengiz waited outside. The Saudi journalist had entered the embassy for paperwork for his impending marriage, reports indicated.

Khashoggi, 59, has been living in the US for the past year. He has been a vocal critic of the Saudi regime and has written several articles for various newspapers in the US criticising Crown Prince Salman.

"We're demanding everything. We want to see what's going on there," Trump told reporters.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported a Turkish official saying Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by a 15-man Saudi "hit team" that had flown in on two charter flights, especially for the job.

Saudi officials, however, denied the journalist had been harmed in any way, insisting that he had left the consulate through a back door.&nbsp;

The US had earlier sought "thorough and transparent investigation" on &nbsp;Khashoggi's disappearance even as Turkey was given permission to enter the Saudi embassy to search for him. Turkish authorities have still not searched the embassy premises.

Meanwhile, Turkish investigators are examining CCTV footage showing the moment Khashoggi entered the Saudi embassy, it later released the footage to the public.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said then were conflicting reports on the safety and whereabouts of Khashoggi.

"We call on the government of Saudi Arabia to support a thorough investigation of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation," Pompeo said in a statement.

"Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed inside in a planned murder. A team of 15 Saudis arrived on two planes to carry out the killing, officials have said," 'The Washington Post' reported.

US Vice President Mike Pence also commented on the mystery over the missing journalist, saying "the free world deserves answers".

CCTV released on Wednesday by Turkish TV showed a man believed to be Khashoggi enter the consulate and a vehicle entered and left the building after Khashoggi went inside.

President Trump said today that he had spoken to Saudi authorities "at the highest level" over the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Also Read: Khashoggi was killed by Saudi 'hit team', says NYT report Jamal Khashoggi had reportedly entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul last week but never came out even as his fiancee Hatice Cengiz waited outside.

President Trump said today that he had spoken to Saudi authorities "at the highest level" over the case of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Also Read: Khashoggi was killed by Saudi 'hit team', says NYT report Jamal Khashoggi had reportedly entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul last week but never came out even as his fiancee Hatice Cengiz waited outside. The Saudi journalist had entered the embassy for paperwork for his impending marriage, reports indicated. Khashoggi, 59, has been living in the US for the past year. He has been a vocal critic of the Saudi regime and has written several articles for various newspapers in the US criticising Crown Prince Salman. "We're demanding everything. We want to see what's going on there," Trump told reporters. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported a Turkish official saying Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by a 15-man Saudi "hit team" that had flown in on two charter flights, especially for the job. Saudi officials, however, denied the journalist had been harmed in any way, insisting that he had left the consulate through a back door. The US had earlier sought "thorough and transparent investigation" on Khashoggi's disappearance even as Turkey was given permission to enter the Saudi embassy to search for him. Turkish authorities have still not searched the embassy premises. Meanwhile, Turkish investigators are examining CCTV footage showing the moment Khashoggi entered the Saudi embassy, it later released the footage to the public. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said then were conflicting reports on the safety and whereabouts of Khashoggi. "We call on the government of Saudi Arabia to support a thorough investigation of Mr Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation," Pompeo said in a statement. "Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed inside in a planned murder. A team of 15 Saudis arrived on two planes to carry out the killing, officials have said," 'The Washington Post' reported. US Vice President Mike Pence also commented on the mystery over the missing journalist, saying "the free world deserves answers". CCTV released on Wednesday by Turkish TV showed a man believed to be Khashoggi enter the consulate and a vehicle entered and left the building after Khashoggi went inside.

Spoke to top Saudi authorities: Trump over Khashoggi's disapperence

Britain's foreign secretary has warned Saudi Arabia of "serious consequences" in case the speculations made by Turkish officials that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659">journalist Jamal Khashoggi</a> was murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul comes out to be true.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said, "People who have long thought of themselves as Saudi's friends are saying this is a very, very serious matter. If these allegations are true, there will be serious consequences because our friendships and our partnerships are based on shared values".

Earlier today Turkish President Recep Tayyip <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/erdogan-trump-step-up-pressure-over-missing-saudi-journalist-170893">Erdogan and US President Donald Trump also demanded an answer from Saudi Arabia</a> over the sudden disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

While the Turkish President urged Saudi Arabia to release footage of the journalist, President Donald Trump demanded answers over his fate.

The Washington Post, the daily to which Khashoggi was a contributor, added to the mystery by reporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered an operation to "lure" the critical journalist back home.

Khashoggi has not been seen since October 2 when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish officials quoted in media have said he was killed but Riyadh denies that.

(With inputs from agencies)

Britain's foreign secretary has warned Saudi Arabia of "serious consequences" in case the speculations made by Turkish officials that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul comes out to be true.

Britain's foreign secretary has warned Saudi Arabia of "serious consequences" in case the speculations made by Turkish officials that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul comes out to be true. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said, "People who have long thought of themselves as Saudi's friends are saying this is a very, very serious matter. If these allegations are true, there will be serious consequences because our friendships and our partnerships are based on shared values". Earlier today Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump also demanded an answer from Saudi Arabia over the sudden disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. While the Turkish President urged Saudi Arabia to release footage of the journalist, President Donald Trump demanded answers over his fate. The Washington Post, the daily to which Khashoggi was a contributor, added to the mystery by reporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered an operation to "lure" the critical journalist back home. Khashoggi has not been seen since October 2 when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish officials quoted in media have said he was killed but Riyadh denies that. (With inputs from agencies)

Saudi Arabia faces 'serious consequences' if Khashoggi claims turns out to be true: UK

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Saudi Arabia to release footage of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659">journalist Jamal Khashoggi </a>and President Donald Trump demanded answers over his fate, as the kingdom faced growing pressure Thursday to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance.

The Washington Post, the daily to which Khashoggi was a contributor, added to the mystery by reporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered an operation to "lure" the critical journalist back home.

Khashoggi has not been seen since October 2 when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish officials quoted in media have said he was killed but Riyadh denies that.

The mystery has captivated the world but also threatens to harm brittle Turkish-Saudi relations and hurt efforts by the crown prince to improve the image of his country with a reform drive.

Erdogan challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its version that Khashoggi had left the consulate safely, indicating he did not find the current Saudi explanations sufficient.

"Is it possible there were no camera systems in a consulate, in an embassy? Is it possible that there was no Saudi camera system where this incident took place?"

Erdogan told Turkish reporters in comments published in newspapers.

"If a bird flew, or a fly or a mosquito appeared, the systems would capture this; they (Saudi Arabia) have the most cutting-edge systems," he was quoted as saying.

The consulate said CCTV cameras were not working that day and dismissed the murder claims as "baseless".

'Demanding everything'

The case is also threatening the strong relationship the Trump administration has built with Prince Mohammed, who wants to turn the oil-rich conservative kingdom into a hub for innovation and reform.

The two sides have worked together on challenging Iran despite growing concern over the prince's campaign against dissidents, which critics say has shown up the true face of his rule.

In a reversal from Washington's initial low-key response, Trump demanded answers after he spoke to Saudi authorities "at the highest level".&nbsp;

"We're demanding everything. We want to see what's going on there," he said. Trump later told "Fox News at Night" that "it would not be a good thing at all" if Saudi involvement was proven.

Khashoggi is a former government adviser who fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017 and lived in the US fearing arrest back home.

In his columns for the Washington Post and comments elsewhere, Khashoggi was critical of some policies of Mohammed bin Salman as well as Riyadh's role in the war in Yemen.

'Cannot remain silent'

While unnamed Turkish officials quoted in the media have been giving sometimes macabre details of the alleged murder, Erdogan has so far been more circumspect.

He has said Saudi Arabia must prove its version of events but so far has stopped short of directly accusing the kingdom or laying the blame on the powerful crown prince.

"It's not possible for us to stay silent regarding an incident like this," Erdogan said.

He added that it would "not be right" to comment yet but said he had "concerns".

Ankara and Riyadh have worked over recent years to maintain cordial relations despite disputes on key issues, such as the ousting of the Islamist Egyptian government and the blockade on Turkey's key regional ally Qatar.

Friends of Khashoggi told the Washington Post that for several months, senior Saudi officials were offering him protection, "even a high-level job working for the government" if the critic returned to the kingdom. Khashoggi was sceptical of such offers.

Following the Washington Post report, State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said the US "had no advanced knowledge of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance".

Turkish police are looking into a team of 15 Saudis who they say were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi and arrived in Istanbul on October 2 on board two private planes. Turkish media have said the 15 were an "assassination team" and that they took the consulate's footage with them.

After images of the men and their names were published by pro-government Sabah daily, media identified most of them as senior figures in Riyadh or close to the crown prince.

Turkish police are also analysing CCTV footage which showed a vehicle that went inside the consulate and then to the consul-general's residence nearby after 1200 GMT, two hours after Khashoggi had entered the mission.

Turkish authorities have been given permission to search the consulate -- Saudi sovereign territory -- but it has not yet taken place.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Saudi Arabia to release footage of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and President Donald Trump demanded answers over his fate, as the kingdom faced growing pressure Thursday to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Saudi Arabia to release footage of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and President Donald Trump demanded answers over his fate, as the kingdom faced growing pressure Thursday to provide a convincing explanation for his disappearance. The Washington Post, the daily to which Khashoggi was a contributor, added to the mystery by reporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered an operation to "lure" the critical journalist back home. Khashoggi has not been seen since October 2 when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish officials quoted in media have said he was killed but Riyadh denies that. The mystery has captivated the world but also threatens to harm brittle Turkish-Saudi relations and hurt efforts by the crown prince to improve the image of his country with a reform drive. Erdogan challenged Saudi Arabia to provide CCTV images to back up its version that Khashoggi had left the consulate safely, indicating he did not find the current Saudi explanations sufficient. "Is it possible there were no camera systems in a consulate, in an embassy? Is it possible that there was no Saudi camera system where this incident took place?" Erdogan told Turkish reporters in comments published in newspapers. "If a bird flew, or a fly or a mosquito appeared, the systems would capture this; they (Saudi Arabia) have the most cutting-edge systems," he was quoted as saying. The consulate said CCTV cameras were not working that day and dismissed the murder claims as "baseless". 'Demanding everything' The case is also threatening the strong relationship the Trump administration has built with Prince Mohammed, who wants to turn the oil-rich conservative kingdom into a hub for innovation and reform. The two sides have worked together on challenging Iran despite growing concern over the prince's campaign against dissidents, which critics say has shown up the true face of his rule. In a reversal from Washington's initial low-key response, Trump demanded answers after he spoke to Saudi authorities "at the highest level". "We're demanding everything. We want to see what's going on there," he said. Trump later told "Fox News at Night" that "it would not be a good thing at all" if Saudi involvement was proven. Khashoggi is a former government adviser who fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017 and lived in the US fearing arrest back home. In his columns for the Washington Post and comments elsewhere, Khashoggi was critical of some policies of Mohammed bin Salman as well as Riyadh's role in the war in Yemen. 'Cannot remain silent' While unnamed Turkish officials quoted in the media have been giving sometimes macabre details of the alleged murder, Erdogan has so far been more circumspect. He has said Saudi Arabia must prove its version of events but so far has stopped short of directly accusing the kingdom or laying the blame on the powerful crown prince. "It's not possible for us to stay silent regarding an incident like this," Erdogan said. He added that it would "not be right" to comment yet but said he had "concerns". Ankara and Riyadh have worked over recent years to maintain cordial relations despite disputes on key issues, such as the ousting of the Islamist Egyptian government and the blockade on Turkey's key regional ally Qatar. Friends of Khashoggi told the Washington Post that for several months, senior Saudi officials were offering him protection, "even a high-level job working for the government" if the critic returned to the kingdom. Khashoggi was sceptical of such offers. Following the Washington Post report, State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said the US "had no advanced knowledge of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance". Turkish police are looking into a team of 15 Saudis who they say were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi and arrived in Istanbul on October 2 on board two private planes. Turkish media have said the 15 were an "assassination team" and that they took the consulate's footage with them. After images of the men and their names were published by pro-government Sabah daily, media identified most of them as senior figures in Riyadh or close to the crown prince. Turkish police are also analysing CCTV footage which showed a vehicle that went inside the consulate and then to the consul-general's residence nearby after 1200 GMT, two hours after Khashoggi had entered the mission. Turkish authorities have been given permission to search the consulate -- Saudi sovereign territory -- but it has not yet taken place.

Erdogan, Trump step up pressure over missing Saudi journalist

For years Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a modest voice for progressive change in the tightly run, conservative Islamic kingdom. Even that got him in trouble.

But his disappearance last week in Istanbul, Turkey, amid accusations that he was kidnapped or murdered inside the Saudi consulate, has drawn attention to Khashoggi's rising calls for democratic reforms over the past year, which put him at odds with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's most powerful figure.

Here are excerpts from Khashoggi's recent interviews and writings.

- On Twitter, on November 29, 2017, after Prince Mohammed locked up dozens of businessmen and royals in a luxury hotel and demanded they hand over their fortunes:

"If a prince can pay $1 billion in return for his freedom, how much will a prisoner of conscience have to pay? How much will we all pay to get our freedom?"

- On Prince Mohammed's reform program, on Al Jazeera television, March 23, 2018:

"I still see him as a reformer, but he is gathering all power within his hand. And it would be much better for him to allow a breathing space for critics, for Saudi intellectuals, Saudi writers, Saudi media to debate.... As we speak today, there are Saudi intellectuals and journalists jailed. Now nobody will dare to speak and criticize..."

- On Prince Mohammed in The Guardian on March 6, 2018, writing with Robert Lacey:

"He appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own 'You-must-accept-my-reform' extremism, without any consultation."

- In The Washington Post, on May 21, 2018, after the Riyadh regime arrested activists and branded them traitors:

"We are being asked to abandon any hope of political freedom, and to keep quiet about arrests and travel bans that impact not only the critics but also their families. We are expected to vigorously applaud social reforms and heap praise on the crown prince."

- Criticizing the Saudi war in Yemen, which is closely identified with Prince Mohammed, in The Washington Post on September 11, 2018:

"Saudi Arabia must face the damage from the past three-plus years of war in Yemen. .... Further continuation of the war in Yemen will validate voices saying that Saudi Arabia is doing in Yemen what Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Russians and Iranians are doing in Syria."

- In an analysis of the Trump administration's plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, to the BBC on October 1, 2018:&nbsp;

"The Palestinian in Ramallah is much freer than me in Jeddah or Riyadh, he still can go on the street and demonstrate against the deal when I cannot do that."

For years Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a modest voice for progressive change in the tightly run, conservative Islamic kingdom. Even that got him in trouble.

For years Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a modest voice for progressive change in the tightly run, conservative Islamic kingdom. Even that got him in trouble. But his disappearance last week in Istanbul, Turkey, amid accusations that he was kidnapped or murdered inside the Saudi consulate, has drawn attention to Khashoggi's rising calls for democratic reforms over the past year, which put him at odds with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's most powerful figure. Here are excerpts from Khashoggi's recent interviews and writings. - On Twitter, on November 29, 2017, after Prince Mohammed locked up dozens of businessmen and royals in a luxury hotel and demanded they hand over their fortunes: "If a prince can pay $1 billion in return for his freedom, how much will a prisoner of conscience have to pay? How much will we all pay to get our freedom?" - On Prince Mohammed's reform program, on Al Jazeera television, March 23, 2018: "I still see him as a reformer, but he is gathering all power within his hand. And it would be much better for him to allow a breathing space for critics, for Saudi intellectuals, Saudi writers, Saudi media to debate.... As we speak today, there are Saudi intellectuals and journalists jailed. Now nobody will dare to speak and criticize..." - On Prince Mohammed in The Guardian on March 6, 2018, writing with Robert Lacey: "He appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own 'You-must-accept-my-reform' extremism, without any consultation." - In The Washington Post, on May 21, 2018, after the Riyadh regime arrested activists and branded them traitors: "We are being asked to abandon any hope of political freedom, and to keep quiet about arrests and travel bans that impact not only the critics but also their families. We are expected to vigorously applaud social reforms and heap praise on the crown prince." - Criticizing the Saudi war in Yemen, which is closely identified with Prince Mohammed, in The Washington Post on September 11, 2018: "Saudi Arabia must face the damage from the past three-plus years of war in Yemen. .... Further continuation of the war in Yemen will validate voices saying that Saudi Arabia is doing in Yemen what Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Russians and Iranians are doing in Syria." - In an analysis of the Trump administration's plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, to the BBC on October 1, 2018: "The Palestinian in Ramallah is much freer than me in Jeddah or Riyadh, he still can go on the street and demonstrate against the deal when I cannot do that."

Jamal Khashoggi's own words: What angers Saudi leaders

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/president-yameens-party-challenges-election-results-in-maldives-supreme-court-170671">President Yameen's party challenges election results in Maldives Supreme Court</a>

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen's party today filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging his election defeat last month. Yameen's U-turn comes after he conceded defeat to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih-led Opposition parties. Yameen had earlier said he had met Solih and congratulated him on his election victory.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/severe-cyclonic-storm-titli-to-hit-odisha-ap-coast-tomorrow-at-wind-speed-of-145-kmph-170648">Severe cyclonic storm '</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/severe-cyclonic-storm-titli-to-hit-odisha-ap-coast-tomorrow-at-wind-speed-of-145-kmph-170648">Titli</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/severe-cyclonic-storm-titli-to-hit-odisha-ap-coast-tomorrow-at-wind-speed-of-145-kmph-170648">' to hit Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast tomorrow at </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/severe-cyclonic-storm-titli-to-hit-odisha-ap-coast-tomorrow-at-wind-speed-of-145-kmph-170648">wind</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/severe-cyclonic-storm-titli-to-hit-odisha-ap-coast-tomorrow-at-wind-speed-of-145-kmph-170648"> speed of 145 </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/severe-cyclonic-storm-titli-to-hit-odisha-ap-coast-tomorrow-at-wind-speed-of-145-kmph-170648">kmph</a>

Cyclone 'Titli' over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm Wednesday and is moving towards the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast, triggering rainfall in several parts of Odisha, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659">Journalist Khashoggi was killed by Saudi 'hit team' that then dismembered his body with </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659">bone</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-was-killed-by-15-man-hit-team-that-then-dismembered-his-body-with-bone-saw-nyt-170659"> saw: NYT</a>

The prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, for some routine paperwok, on October 2 a little before 1.15 pm.&nbsp;His girlfriend, who was waiting for him outside, says he never came out.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imf-warns-pakistan-against-excessive-loans-from-china-170672">IMF warns Pakistan against ‘excessive loans’ from China</a>

Pakistan has not yet formally approached the International Monetary Fund for financial assistance, but if bailout talks get underway this week, the goal will be to help Pakistan reach its full potential, the IMF’s chief economist said on Tuesday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/eight-dead-in-majorca-flash-flooding-170676">Eight dead in Spain's Majorca flash flooding</a>

At least eight people have died, including two British nationals, and several others are missing in flash floods on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, authorities and emergency services said Wednesday.

&nbsp;

President Yameen's party challenges election results in Maldives Supreme Court Maldives President Abdulla Yameen's party today filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging his election defeat last month.

President Yameen's party challenges election results in Maldives Supreme Court Maldives President Abdulla Yameen's party today filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging his election defeat last month. Yameen's U-turn comes after he conceded defeat to Ibrahim Mohamed Solih-led Opposition parties. Yameen had earlier said he had met Solih and congratulated him on his election victory. Severe cyclonic storm 'Titli' to hit Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast tomorrow at wind speed of 145 kmph Cyclone 'Titli' over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm Wednesday and is moving towards the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast, triggering rainfall in several parts of Odisha, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Journalist Khashoggi was killed by Saudi 'hit team' that then dismembered his body with bone saw: NYT The prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, for some routine paperwok, on October 2 a little before 1.15 pm. His girlfriend, who was waiting for him outside, says he never came out. IMF warns Pakistan against ‘excessive loans’ from China Pakistan has not yet formally approached the International Monetary Fund for financial assistance, but if bailout talks get underway this week, the goal will be to help Pakistan reach its full potential, the IMF’s chief economist said on Tuesday. Eight dead in Spain's Majorca flash flooding At least eight people have died, including two British nationals, and several others are missing in flash floods on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, authorities and emergency services said Wednesday.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Saudi Arabia allowed consulate search of missing journalist

China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation.

After the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia, it was announced that Riyadh will be the third "strategic partner" of $ 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing China's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects.

However, Islamabad later clarified that the Saudi Arabian investments will not be under the CPEC, which will remain a bilateral project between China and Pakistan.

Asked about China's reaction to Saudi Arabia's investments in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that "the CPEC is an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)".

He said BRI projects followed wide consultations and shared benefits.

"So such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party would like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Lu said.

India has opposed the CPEC project and protested to China as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The invitation to Saudi Arabia to take part in the CPEC sparked concerns that it might upset Iran, a strategic rival of Riyadh.

An article in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said Pakistan is risking China's anger by courting Saudi Arabia.

"Pakistan's decision to invite Saudi Arabia to develop a massive refinery complex at Gwadar (port) certainly suggests that the CPEC is being manipulated to serve ends other than China's," the article said.

Balochistan province, where Gwadar is located, borders Iran.

"Riyadh must be salivating at the prospect of setting up a strategic oil reserve 120 km from Pakistan's border with Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, would be foaming at the mouth at this brazen attempt to undermine its flailing economy," the article said.

On Sunday, Khan said Pakistan is reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the people in Balochistan province.

Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects.

He said that Balochistan had a number of reservations about the mega project.

"Balochistan will get its due share, whatever it may be, in the CPEC," he was quoted as saying by Dawn news.

China had announced after the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Pakistan in September that the CPEC projects will be extended to western areas of Pakistan, which included Balochistan.&nbsp;

China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation.

China on Monday reacted guardedly to Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pakistan, saying it is a "positive factor" if any other party would like to contribute to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation. After the recent visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Saudi Arabia, it was announced that Riyadh will be the third "strategic partner" of $ 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a pet project of President Xi Jinping aimed at enhancing China's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects. However, Islamabad later clarified that the Saudi Arabian investments will not be under the CPEC, which will remain a bilateral project between China and Pakistan. Asked about China's reaction to Saudi Arabia's investments in Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing that "the CPEC is an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)". He said BRI projects followed wide consultations and shared benefits. "So such cooperation has always been open and transparent. If any other party would like to contribute positive factors to promote the inter-connectivity and prosperity of the region on the basis of consultation, I think this is a positive factor," Lu said. India has opposed the CPEC project and protested to China as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The invitation to Saudi Arabia to take part in the CPEC sparked concerns that it might upset Iran, a strategic rival of Riyadh. An article in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said Pakistan is risking China's anger by courting Saudi Arabia. "Pakistan's decision to invite Saudi Arabia to develop a massive refinery complex at Gwadar (port) certainly suggests that the CPEC is being manipulated to serve ends other than China's," the article said. Balochistan province, where Gwadar is located, borders Iran. "Riyadh must be salivating at the prospect of setting up a strategic oil reserve 120 km from Pakistan's border with Iran. Tehran, on the other hand, would be foaming at the mouth at this brazen attempt to undermine its flailing economy," the article said. On Sunday, Khan said Pakistan is reviewing the projects under the CPEC to safeguard the interest of the people in Balochistan province. Khan in the past had criticised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the lack of transparency and corruption in the CPEC projects. He said that Balochistan had a number of reservations about the mega project. "Balochistan will get its due share, whatever it may be, in the CPEC," he was quoted as saying by Dawn news. China had announced after the visit of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Pakistan in September that the CPEC projects will be extended to western areas of Pakistan, which included Balochistan.

Saudi Arabia's plan to invest in Pak a 'positive factor': China

Desperate for funding to fend off a financial crisis fuelled in part by mounting debt to China, Pakistan is playing a complicated game of poker that could hand Saudi Arabia a strategic victory in its bitter feud with Iran at the People’s Republic’s expense.

The Pakistani moves threaten a key leg of the $ 60 billion-plus Chinese investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a crown jewel of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative.

They also could jeopardize Chinese hopes to create a second overland route to Iran, a key node in China’s transportation links to Europe. Finally, they grant Saudi Arabia a prominent place in the Chinese-funded port of Gwadar that would significantly weaken Iran’s ability to compete with its Indian-backed seaport of Chabahar.

Taken together, the moves risk dragging not only Pakistan but also China into the all but open war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Pakistan’s first move became evident in early September with the government’s failure to authorise disbursements for road projects, already hit by delays in Chinese approvals, that are part of CPEC’s Western route, linking the province of Balochistan with the troubled region of Xinjiang in north-western China.

In doing so, Pakistan implicitly targeted a key Chinese driver for CPEC: the pacification of Xinjiang’s Turkic Muslim population through a combination of economic development enhanced by trade and economic activity flowing through CPEC as well as brutal repression and mass re-education.

The combination of Pakistani and Chinese delays “has virtually brought progress work on the Western route to a standstill,” a Western diplomat in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad said.

Pakistani Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, in a further bid to bring Pakistani government expenditure under control that at current rates could force the country to seek a $US 12 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has cut $2 billion dollars from the US$8.2 billion budget to upgrade and expand Pakistan’s railway network, a key pillar of CPEC. Mr. Rashid plans to slash a further two billion dollars.

“Pakistan is a poor country that cannot afford (the) huge burden of the loans…. CPEC is like the backbone for Pakistan, but our eyes and ears are open,” Mr. Rashid said.

The budget cuts came on the back of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party projecting CPEC prior to the July 25 election that swept him to power to as a modern-day equivalent of the British East India Company, which dominated the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century.

PTI criticism included denouncing Chinese-funded mass transit projects in three cities in Punjab as a squandering of funds that could have better been invested in social spending. PTI activists suggested that the projects had involved corrupt practices.

Pakistan’s final move was to invite Saudi Arabia to build a refinery in Gwadar and invest in Balochistan mining. Chinese questioning of Pakistan’s move was evident when the Pakistani government backed off suggestions that Saudi Arabia would become part of CPEC.

Senior Saudi officials this week visited Islamabad and Gwadar to discuss the deal that would also involve deferred payments on Saudi oil supplies to Pakistan and create a strategic oil reserve close to Iran’s border.

"The incumbent government is bringing Saudi Arabia closer to Gwadar. In other words, the hardline Sunni-Wahhabi state would be closer than ever to the Iranian border. This is likely to infuriate Tehran," said Baloch politician and former Pakistani ports and shipping minister Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo.

Pakistan’s game of poker amounts to a risky gamble that serves Pakistani and Saudi purposes, puts China whose prestige and treasure are on the line in a difficult spot, could perilously spark tension along the Pakistan-Iran border, and is likely to provoke Iranian counter moves. It also risks putting Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran, who depend on China economically in different ways, in an awkward position.

The Saudi engagement promises up to US$10 billion in investments as well as balance of payments relief. It potentially could ease US concerns that a possible IMF bailout would help Pakistan service debt to China.

A refinery and strategic oil reserve in Gwadar would serve Saudi Arabia’s goal of preventing Chabahar, the Indian-backed Iranian port, from emerging as a powerful Arabian Sea hub at a time that the United States is imposing sanctions designed to choke off Iranian oil exports.

A Saudi think tank, the International Institute for Iranian Studies, previously known as the Arabian Gulf Centre for Iranian Studies (AGCIS) that is believed to be backed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, argued last year in a study that Chabahar posed “a direct threat to the Arab Gulf states” that called for “immediate countermeasures.”

Written by Mohammed Hassan Husseinbor, an Iranian political researcher of Baloch origin, the study warned that Chabahar would enable Iran to increase its oil market share in India at the expense of Saudi Arabia, raise foreign investment in the Islamic republic, increase government revenues, and allow Iran to project power in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

Mr Husseinbor suggested that Saudi support for a low-level Baloch insurgency in Iran could serve as a countermeasure. “Saudis could persuade Pakistan to soften its opposition to any potential Saudi support for the Iranian Baluch... The Arab-Baluch alliance is deeply rooted in the history of the Gulf region and their opposition to Persian domination,” Mr&nbsp;Husseinbor said.

Noting the vast expanses of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Mr. Husseinbor went on to say that “it would be a formidable challenge, if not impossible, for the Iranian government to protect such long distances and secure Chabahar in the face of widespread Baluch opposition, particularly if this opposition is supported by Iran’s regional adversaries and world powers.”

Saudi militants reported at the time the study was published that funds from the kingdom were flowing into anti-Shiite, anti-Iranian Sunni Muslim ultra-conservative madrassas or religious seminaries in Balochistan.

US President Donald J&nbsp;Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton, last year before assuming office, drafted at the request of Mr. Trump’s then strategic advisor, Steve Bannon, a plan that envisioned US support “for the democratic Iranian opposition,” including in Balochistan and Iran’s Sistan and Balochistan province.

All of this does not bode well for CPEC. China may be able to accommodate Pakistan by improving commercial terms for CPEC-related projects and Pakistani debt as well as easing Pakistani access to the Chinese market. China, however, is likely to find it far more difficult to prevent the Saudi-Iranian rivalry from spinning out of control in its backyard.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Desperate for funding to fend off a financial crisis fuelled in part by mounting debt to China, Pakistan is playing a complicated game of poker that could hand Saudi Arabia a strategic victory in its bitter feud with Iran at the People’s Republic’s expense.

Desperate for funding to fend off a financial crisis fuelled in part by mounting debt to China, Pakistan is playing a complicated game of poker that could hand Saudi Arabia a strategic victory in its bitter feud with Iran at the People’s Republic’s expense. The Pakistani moves threaten a key leg of the $ 60 billion-plus Chinese investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a crown jewel of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative. They also could jeopardize Chinese hopes to create a second overland route to Iran, a key node in China’s transportation links to Europe. Finally, they grant Saudi Arabia a prominent place in the Chinese-funded port of Gwadar that would significantly weaken Iran’s ability to compete with its Indian-backed seaport of Chabahar. Taken together, the moves risk dragging not only Pakistan but also China into the all but open war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Pakistan’s first move became evident in early September with the government’s failure to authorise disbursements for road projects, already hit by delays in Chinese approvals, that are part of CPEC’s Western route, linking the province of Balochistan with the troubled region of Xinjiang in north-western China. In doing so, Pakistan implicitly targeted a key Chinese driver for CPEC: the pacification of Xinjiang’s Turkic Muslim population through a combination of economic development enhanced by trade and economic activity flowing through CPEC as well as brutal repression and mass re-education. The combination of Pakistani and Chinese delays “has virtually brought progress work on the Western route to a standstill,” a Western diplomat in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad said. Pakistani Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, in a further bid to bring Pakistani government expenditure under control that at current rates could force the country to seek a $US 12 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has cut $2 billion dollars from the US$8.2 billion budget to upgrade and expand Pakistan’s railway network, a key pillar of CPEC. Mr. Rashid plans to slash a further two billion dollars. “Pakistan is a poor country that cannot afford (the) huge burden of the loans…. CPEC is like the backbone for Pakistan, but our eyes and ears are open,” Mr. Rashid said. The budget cuts came on the back of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party projecting CPEC prior to the July 25 election that swept him to power to as a modern-day equivalent of the British East India Company, which dominated the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century. PTI criticism included denouncing Chinese-funded mass transit projects in three cities in Punjab as a squandering of funds that could have better been invested in social spending. PTI activists suggested that the projects had involved corrupt practices. Pakistan’s final move was to invite Saudi Arabia to build a refinery in Gwadar and invest in Balochistan mining. Chinese questioning of Pakistan’s move was evident when the Pakistani government backed off suggestions that Saudi Arabia would become part of CPEC. Senior Saudi officials this week visited Islamabad and Gwadar to discuss the deal that would also involve deferred payments on Saudi oil supplies to Pakistan and create a strategic oil reserve close to Iran’s border. "The incumbent government is bringing Saudi Arabia closer to Gwadar. In other words, the hardline Sunni-Wahhabi state would be closer than ever to the Iranian border. This is likely to infuriate Tehran," said Baloch politician and former Pakistani ports and shipping minister Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo. Pakistan’s game of poker amounts to a risky gamble that serves Pakistani and Saudi purposes, puts China whose prestige and treasure are on the line in a difficult spot, could perilously spark tension along the Pakistan-Iran border, and is likely to provoke Iranian counter moves. It also risks putting Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran, who depend on China economically in different ways, in an awkward position. The Saudi engagement promises up to US$10 billion in investments as well as balance of payments relief. It potentially could ease US concerns that a possible IMF bailout would help Pakistan service debt to China. A refinery and strategic oil reserve in Gwadar would serve Saudi Arabia’s goal of preventing Chabahar, the Indian-backed Iranian port, from emerging as a powerful Arabian Sea hub at a time that the United States is imposing sanctions designed to choke off Iranian oil exports. A Saudi think tank, the International Institute for Iranian Studies, previously known as the Arabian Gulf Centre for Iranian Studies (AGCIS) that is believed to be backed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, argued last year in a study that Chabahar posed “a direct threat to the Arab Gulf states” that called for “immediate countermeasures.” Written by Mohammed Hassan Husseinbor, an Iranian political researcher of Baloch origin, the study warned that Chabahar would enable Iran to increase its oil market share in India at the expense of Saudi Arabia, raise foreign investment in the Islamic republic, increase government revenues, and allow Iran to project power in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Mr Husseinbor suggested that Saudi support for a low-level Baloch insurgency in Iran could serve as a countermeasure. “Saudis could persuade Pakistan to soften its opposition to any potential Saudi support for the Iranian Baluch... The Arab-Baluch alliance is deeply rooted in the history of the Gulf region and their opposition to Persian domination,” Mr Husseinbor said. Noting the vast expanses of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Mr. Husseinbor went on to say that “it would be a formidable challenge, if not impossible, for the Iranian government to protect such long distances and secure Chabahar in the face of widespread Baluch opposition, particularly if this opposition is supported by Iran’s regional adversaries and world powers.” Saudi militants reported at the time the study was published that funds from the kingdom were flowing into anti-Shiite, anti-Iranian Sunni Muslim ultra-conservative madrassas or religious seminaries in Balochistan. US President Donald J Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton, last year before assuming office, drafted at the request of Mr. Trump’s then strategic advisor, Steve Bannon, a plan that envisioned US support “for the democratic Iranian opposition,” including in Balochistan and Iran’s Sistan and Balochistan province. All of this does not bode well for CPEC. China may be able to accommodate Pakistan by improving commercial terms for CPEC-related projects and Pakistani debt as well as easing Pakistani access to the Chinese market. China, however, is likely to find it far more difficult to prevent the Saudi-Iranian rivalry from spinning out of control in its backyard. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Pakistani poker: Playing Saudi Arabia against China

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported Friday.&nbsp;

The crown prince insisted that the kingdom has always paid for armaments from the US.&nbsp;

"Ever since the relationship started between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, we've bought everything with money," he told Bloomberg in an interview.&nbsp;

Last week Trump asked at a rally "when you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidising their military?"

"They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks," he added.&nbsp;

Prince Mohammed downplayed any apparent rift with the US leader and said relations between the two allies remains strong.&nbsp;

"You have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things. So you cannot have 100 per cent friends saying good things about you," he said.&nbsp;

"You will have some misunderstandings. So we put that in that category."&nbsp;

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported Friday. The crown prince insisted that the kingdom has always paid for armaments from the US. "Ever since the relationship started between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, we've bought everything with money," he told Bloomberg in an interview. Last week Trump asked at a rally "when you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidising their military?" "They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks," he added. Prince Mohammed downplayed any apparent rift with the US leader and said relations between the two allies remains strong. "You have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things. So you cannot have 100 per cent friends saying good things about you," he said. "You will have some misunderstandings. So we put that in that category."

Crown prince downplays Trump's statement on Saudi military

By Bill Law

On October 2, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went into his country’s consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since. The Saudis claim he left the consulate the next day. But if that is true, why did he not immediately contact his fiancée who was waiting outside the building?

Turkish authorities say they have examined CCTV footage, and there is no evidence that Khashoggi did leave the consulate. They insist he is still inside, and, if that is the case, then he is being held against his will. The fear is that he may have already been spirited out of the country and flown to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have a form for such shenanigans: In the past two years, three princes, members of the ruling House of Saud, have disappeared from European cities and turned up in Riyadh, victims of state-organised kidnappings.

Jamal Khashoggi has a long career as a distinguished journalist. In 2003, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the leading Saudi newspaper Al Watan. The job didn’t last long. Barely two months in, he was sacked for publishing articles critical of the conservative religious elite. His subsequent career followed the same trajectory. He is a brilliant journalist with a fiercely independent mind but with a wily pragmatism to know just how close to the red lines he could go. He returned to Al Watan in 2007 and managed to remain at its helm for three years. His general strategy was to survive in his post until an article that was just a tad too critical got him into trouble. Then he would lie low before re-emerging. That takes a great deal of courage, especially in a country like Saudi Arabia.

In 2010, Saudi business magnate Prince al-Waleed bin Talal asked Khashoggi to head his new media project, Al-Arab News Channel. It was envisioned as an independent, privately-funded Arabic news broadcaster, designed to offer objective, agenda-free coverage of current events in the region. Five years later it was finally launched in Bahrain’s capital Manama but was almost immediately shut down after airing an interview with a Bahraini opposition leader.

In September of 2017, Khashoggi, with other colleagues, left Saudi Arabia in the midst of a wave of arrests of clerics, academics and human rights activists. Amongst those arrested, and now facing charges that could lead to the death penalty, is the moderate cleric Salman al-Awdah.

Radical transformation

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, has embarked on a radical transformation of the Saudi economy and society called Vision 2030. Its intention is to wean the kingdom of oil dependency while at the same time creating a vibrant private sector with a diversified economy. And while Vision 2030 talks a good deal about transparency and fulfilling the wishes of the people, in reality, the model that MBS likes best is China’s, with its command economy controlled by an elite shaping a society where criticism is fiercely repressed.

Mohammed bin Salman followed up on the September 2017 arrests with what was called a campaign against corruption. Over 200 leading businessmen, including Waleed bin Talal, as well as senior members of the ruling family, were detained in a series of raids in November of last year. They were held at Riyadh’s five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel and only released after agreeing to turn over the bulk of their assets and control of their companies to the government. Though the authorities claimed due process was followed, it was, in fact, a classic shakedown.

MBS had generated favourable global headlines with his decision to allow women to drive. However as the deadline approached in June of this year, he proceeded to arrest women activists who had campaigned for their rights. The message was clear: It wasn’t the pressure of activists that led to the decision, it was only the generosity of the crown prince that enabled the only women in the world banned from driving to finally be allowed to get behind the wheel.

Further arrests followed, including that of Samar Badawi, the sister of the jailed blogger Raif Badawi. Raif’s wife had fled to Canada with their children in 2012, and they are now Canadian citizens. When the government of Canada protested Samar’s arrest, as well as that of other women activists, the Saudis reacted with fury. Claiming infringement on their sovereignty, they recalled their ambassador, gave his Canadian counterpart 24 hours to get out of Riyadh and froze all new business and investment deals. Thousands of Saudi students studying at Canadian universities were ordered to come home.

In September, in a move with eerie and disturbing echoes of Stalinism, satire was banned: “Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media … will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000),” the kingdom’s public prosecution announced in a tweet.

And now Jamal Khashoggi has disappeared. In his first article for The Washington Post after leaving the kingdom, he had written: “My friends and I living abroad feel helpless. We want our country to thrive and to see the 2030 Vision realized. We are not opposed to our government and care deeply about Saudi Arabia. It is the only home we know or want. Yet we are the enemy.”

Repression deepens

Indeed as Vision 2030 shows signs of faltering, repression deepens. One of the ironies of the Mohammed bin Salman regime — and for those affected, it is a cruel one — is that individuals who were supportive of the vision very quickly fell under the suspicious gaze of this impetuous young man who started to see enemies everywhere.

The message that the young crown prince strives to impart in the West, at least, is that the kingdom is open for business; that it has returned to moderate Islam; allowed movie theatres to open; that it displays progressive thinking by, for example, granting women the right to drive; but arrests the women activists who campaigned for that right. The disconnect between many of the good economic reforms MBS wants to secure and the way he is using his power to crush dissent grows ever wider by the day. And it begs the question, What is he afraid of?

Was he worried that women campaigners, by seeking more rights, would undermine his authority? Did he think that Salman al-Awdah, with his 14 million Twitter followers, would seek to turn them against him? Did he fear that a fearless journalist writing for an influential Washington publication would weaken his standing in DC?

All of these people supported Vision 2030. They could have been his allies as he launched this bold and necessary project to transform the country. Instead, as Jamal Khashoggi wrote, he treated them as if they were the enemy. These are the anxieties not of a powerful leader, but of a man who is, in point of fact, displaying grave weakness.

I fear for Jamal Khashoggi, who went to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in good faith. He is a good man and a fine journalist. His is a voice of reasoned criticism and wise comment that the Saudi crown prince should listen to. The thought that he might be forcibly repatriated back to the kingdom to face charges that could lead to a long prison sentence, or worse, fills me with dread. So I hope that good sense and common decency will prevail and he will be allowed to leave.

(Bill Law is an award-winning journalist)

(This article was originally published on The Fair Observer. Read the <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/jamal-khashoggi-disappearance-istanbul-saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-middle-east-news-headlines-72519/">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Bill Law On October 2, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went into his country’s consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since. The Saudis claim he left the consulate the next day.

By Bill Law On October 2, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went into his country’s consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since. The Saudis claim he left the consulate the next day. But if that is true, why did he not immediately contact his fiancée who was waiting outside the building? Turkish authorities say they have examined CCTV footage, and there is no evidence that Khashoggi did leave the consulate. They insist he is still inside, and, if that is the case, then he is being held against his will. The fear is that he may have already been spirited out of the country and flown to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have a form for such shenanigans: In the past two years, three princes, members of the ruling House of Saud, have disappeared from European cities and turned up in Riyadh, victims of state-organised kidnappings. Jamal Khashoggi has a long career as a distinguished journalist. In 2003, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the leading Saudi newspaper Al Watan. The job didn’t last long. Barely two months in, he was sacked for publishing articles critical of the conservative religious elite. His subsequent career followed the same trajectory. He is a brilliant journalist with a fiercely independent mind but with a wily pragmatism to know just how close to the red lines he could go. He returned to Al Watan in 2007 and managed to remain at its helm for three years. His general strategy was to survive in his post until an article that was just a tad too critical got him into trouble. Then he would lie low before re-emerging. That takes a great deal of courage, especially in a country like Saudi Arabia. In 2010, Saudi business magnate Prince al-Waleed bin Talal asked Khashoggi to head his new media project, Al-Arab News Channel. It was envisioned as an independent, privately-funded Arabic news broadcaster, designed to offer objective, agenda-free coverage of current events in the region. Five years later it was finally launched in Bahrain’s capital Manama but was almost immediately shut down after airing an interview with a Bahraini opposition leader. In September of 2017, Khashoggi, with other colleagues, left Saudi Arabia in the midst of a wave of arrests of clerics, academics and human rights activists. Amongst those arrested, and now facing charges that could lead to the death penalty, is the moderate cleric Salman al-Awdah. Radical transformation The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, has embarked on a radical transformation of the Saudi economy and society called Vision 2030. Its intention is to wean the kingdom of oil dependency while at the same time creating a vibrant private sector with a diversified economy. And while Vision 2030 talks a good deal about transparency and fulfilling the wishes of the people, in reality, the model that MBS likes best is China’s, with its command economy controlled by an elite shaping a society where criticism is fiercely repressed. Mohammed bin Salman followed up on the September 2017 arrests with what was called a campaign against corruption. Over 200 leading businessmen, including Waleed bin Talal, as well as senior members of the ruling family, were detained in a series of raids in November of last year. They were held at Riyadh’s five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel and only released after agreeing to turn over the bulk of their assets and control of their companies to the government. Though the authorities claimed due process was followed, it was, in fact, a classic shakedown. MBS had generated favourable global headlines with his decision to allow women to drive. However as the deadline approached in June of this year, he proceeded to arrest women activists who had campaigned for their rights. The message was clear: It wasn’t the pressure of activists that led to the decision, it was only the generosity of the crown prince that enabled the only women in the world banned from driving to finally be allowed to get behind the wheel. Further arrests followed, including that of Samar Badawi, the sister of the jailed blogger Raif Badawi. Raif’s wife had fled to Canada with their children in 2012, and they are now Canadian citizens. When the government of Canada protested Samar’s arrest, as well as that of other women activists, the Saudis reacted with fury. Claiming infringement on their sovereignty, they recalled their ambassador, gave his Canadian counterpart 24 hours to get out of Riyadh and froze all new business and investment deals. Thousands of Saudi students studying at Canadian universities were ordered to come home. In September, in a move with eerie and disturbing echoes of Stalinism, satire was banned: “Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media … will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000),” the kingdom’s public prosecution announced in a tweet. And now Jamal Khashoggi has disappeared. In his first article for The Washington Post after leaving the kingdom, he had written: “My friends and I living abroad feel helpless. We want our country to thrive and to see the 2030 Vision realized. We are not opposed to our government and care deeply about Saudi Arabia. It is the only home we know or want. Yet we are the enemy.” Repression deepens Indeed as Vision 2030 shows signs of faltering, repression deepens. One of the ironies of the Mohammed bin Salman regime — and for those affected, it is a cruel one — is that individuals who were supportive of the vision very quickly fell under the suspicious gaze of this impetuous young man who started to see enemies everywhere. The message that the young crown prince strives to impart in the West, at least, is that the kingdom is open for business; that it has returned to moderate Islam; allowed movie theatres to open; that it displays progressive thinking by, for example, granting women the right to drive; but arrests the women activists who campaigned for that right. The disconnect between many of the good economic reforms MBS wants to secure and the way he is using his power to crush dissent grows ever wider by the day. And it begs the question, What is he afraid of? Was he worried that women campaigners, by seeking more rights, would undermine his authority? Did he think that Salman al-Awdah, with his 14 million Twitter followers, would seek to turn them against him? Did he fear that a fearless journalist writing for an influential Washington publication would weaken his standing in DC? All of these people supported Vision 2030. They could have been his allies as he launched this bold and necessary project to transform the country. Instead, as Jamal Khashoggi wrote, he treated them as if they were the enemy. These are the anxieties not of a powerful leader, but of a man who is, in point of fact, displaying grave weakness. I fear for Jamal Khashoggi, who went to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in good faith. He is a good man and a fine journalist. His is a voice of reasoned criticism and wise comment that the Saudi crown prince should listen to. The thought that he might be forcibly repatriated back to the kingdom to face charges that could lead to a long prison sentence, or worse, fills me with dread. So I hope that good sense and common decency will prevail and he will be allowed to leave. (Bill Law is an award-winning journalist) (This article was originally published on The Fair Observer. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi confirms a dangerous trend

Russia and Saudi Arabia struck a private deal in September to raise oil output to cool rising prices and informed the United States before a meeting in Algiers with other producers, four sources familiar with the plan said.

US President Donald Trump has blamed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for high crude prices and called on it to boost output to bring down fuel costs before the US congressional elections on November 6.

The deal underlines how Russia and Saudi Arabia are increasingly deciding oil output policies bilaterally, before consulting with the rest of OPEC.

The sources said Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak agreed during a series of meetings to lift output from September through December as crude headed towards $80 a barrel. It is now over $85.

"The Russians and the Saudis agreed to add barrels to the market quietly with a view not to look like they are acting on Trump's order to pump more," one source said.

"The Saudi minister told (US Energy Secretary Rick) Perry that Saudi Arabia will raise output if its customers asked for more oil," another source said.

Originally, the two countries had hoped to announce an overall increase of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Saudi-led OPEC and non-OPEC Russia at a gathering of oil ministers in Algiers at the end of September.

But with opposition from some in OPEC, including Iran which is subject to US&nbsp;sanctions, they decided to defer any formal decision until a full OPEC meeting in December.

"Saudi is trying to thread a needle with a rope by satisfying customer concerns about higher oil prices, but also wanting to keep prices from falling and sending the wrong price signal to industry which absolutely needs to continue to invest to prevent a supply crunch," Yasser Elguindi, energy market strategist at consultancy Energy Aspects https://www.energyaspects.com said.

Executives at the world's biggest oil and gas companies are under growing pressure to loosen the purse strings to replenish reserves and halt declines in crude production after years of austerity.

Perry looped in&nbsp;

Since the meeting in Algiers, Reuters has reported that Riyadh planned to lift output by some 200,000 bpd to 300,000 bpd from September to help fill the gap left by lower Iranian output due to the sanctions.

Russian output rose 150,000 bpd in September.

Iran accused Saudi Arabia and Russia on Wednesday of breaking OPEC's agreement on output cuts by producing more crude, adding that the two countries would not be able to produce enough oil to make up for a reduction in Iranian exports.

A source at a major Russian oil company told Reuters: "I would expect Russia's oil production will hover at around 11.4 to 11.6 million bpd until the end of 2018 and may increase further to 11.8 million bpd later on in 2019."

Russian produced 11.36 million bpd in September, up from 11.21 million bpd in August, Energy Ministry data showed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday it could raise production by 200,000 to 300,000 bpd to tackle possible fuel shortages while Falih said Saudi Arabia will increase output further in November from 10.7 million bpd.

Perry was made aware of the Saudi-Russia plan to lift output before the Algiers gathering, meeting with Falih three times in September and Novak once. The three did not meet together.

Perry's spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes did not comment on details of the talks but said the energy secretary, "continues to be engaged with leaders from other major oil producing nations and remains confident in their ability to boost output if needed".

She said Perry had in recent meetings "impressed upon his counterparts that keeping supply up is important for the global economy".

Oil prices rose to $85 a barrel this week as buyers of Iranian crude wound down their purchases to meet the terms of US sanctions on Tehran.

Sources said Riyadh would help fill that shortfall because buyers needed replacement supplies. Saudi Arabia has spare capacity to produce oil at a higher rate and holds a large volume of crude in storage.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia is keen to maintain unity among the so-called OPEC+ alliance, a group comprising OPEC states, Russia and several other producers that has agreed on output curbs. That's because it may need to change course and seek the collaboration of OPEC+ for any future production cuts.

"Iranian crude exports are considerably lower and market participants are concerned of a wide market deficit this quarter," said Giovanni Staunovo, analyst at Swiss bank UBS.

"To cover those losses, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the other Gulf countries are increasing production, but this will bring down the global spare capacity to a 10-year low."

Football diplomacy

In the run up to the private deal with Russia, Falih flew to the United States during the second week of September where he and fellow Texas A&amp;M University alumnus Perry attended a football game in College Station, Texas.

Falih then held official talks with Perry in Washington on September 10, the US Energy Department has said.

Perry flew to Moscow two days later to meet Novak, while Falih also met Novak in Moscow a day later.

Perry told Reuters during his Moscow visit that Saudi Arabia, the United States and Russia had enough capacity between them to compensate for the loss of Iranian supply over the next 18 months.

After Moscow, Falih and Perry met again in Vienna where they attended an event in the Austrian capital, sources said.

"Perry was aware that Russia is going to ramp up oil output," a third source familiar with talks said.

It was at this point that Falih and Novak discussed announcing a 500,000-bpd increase at the Sept. 23 Algiers meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries. The plan did not materialise, with any formal decision deferred until a regular OPEC meeting in Vienna on December 6.

"Saudi Arabia is not going to flood the market and risk a price crash. Saudi Arabia has to work with other producers and see what are they doing, who is raising exports and to which market," another source said.

Russia and Saudi Arabia struck a private deal in September to raise oil output to cool rising prices and informed the United States before a meeting in Algiers with other producers, four sources familiar with the plan said.

Russia and Saudi Arabia struck a private deal in September to raise oil output to cool rising prices and informed the United States before a meeting in Algiers with other producers, four sources familiar with the plan said. US President Donald Trump has blamed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for high crude prices and called on it to boost output to bring down fuel costs before the US congressional elections on November 6. The deal underlines how Russia and Saudi Arabia are increasingly deciding oil output policies bilaterally, before consulting with the rest of OPEC. The sources said Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak agreed during a series of meetings to lift output from September through December as crude headed towards $80 a barrel. It is now over $85. "The Russians and the Saudis agreed to add barrels to the market quietly with a view not to look like they are acting on Trump's order to pump more," one source said. "The Saudi minister told (US Energy Secretary Rick) Perry that Saudi Arabia will raise output if its customers asked for more oil," another source said. Originally, the two countries had hoped to announce an overall increase of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Saudi-led OPEC and non-OPEC Russia at a gathering of oil ministers in Algiers at the end of September. But with opposition from some in OPEC, including Iran which is subject to US sanctions, they decided to defer any formal decision until a full OPEC meeting in December. "Saudi is trying to thread a needle with a rope by satisfying customer concerns about higher oil prices, but also wanting to keep prices from falling and sending the wrong price signal to industry which absolutely needs to continue to invest to prevent a supply crunch," Yasser Elguindi, energy market strategist at consultancy Energy Aspects https://www.energyaspects.com said. Executives at the world's biggest oil and gas companies are under growing pressure to loosen the purse strings to replenish reserves and halt declines in crude production after years of austerity. Perry looped in Since the meeting in Algiers, Reuters has reported that Riyadh planned to lift output by some 200,000 bpd to 300,000 bpd from September to help fill the gap left by lower Iranian output due to the sanctions. Russian output rose 150,000 bpd in September. Iran accused Saudi Arabia and Russia on Wednesday of breaking OPEC's agreement on output cuts by producing more crude, adding that the two countries would not be able to produce enough oil to make up for a reduction in Iranian exports. A source at a major Russian oil company told Reuters: "I would expect Russia's oil production will hover at around 11.4 to 11.6 million bpd until the end of 2018 and may increase further to 11.8 million bpd later on in 2019." Russian produced 11.36 million bpd in September, up from 11.21 million bpd in August, Energy Ministry data showed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday it could raise production by 200,000 to 300,000 bpd to tackle possible fuel shortages while Falih said Saudi Arabia will increase output further in November from 10.7 million bpd. Perry was made aware of the Saudi-Russia plan to lift output before the Algiers gathering, meeting with Falih three times in September and Novak once. The three did not meet together. Perry's spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes did not comment on details of the talks but said the energy secretary, "continues to be engaged with leaders from other major oil producing nations and remains confident in their ability to boost output if needed". She said Perry had in recent meetings "impressed upon his counterparts that keeping supply up is important for the global economy". Oil prices rose to $85 a barrel this week as buyers of Iranian crude wound down their purchases to meet the terms of US sanctions on Tehran. Sources said Riyadh would help fill that shortfall because buyers needed replacement supplies. Saudi Arabia has spare capacity to produce oil at a higher rate and holds a large volume of crude in storage. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is keen to maintain unity among the so-called OPEC+ alliance, a group comprising OPEC states, Russia and several other producers that has agreed on output curbs. That's because it may need to change course and seek the collaboration of OPEC+ for any future production cuts. "Iranian crude exports are considerably lower and market participants are concerned of a wide market deficit this quarter," said Giovanni Staunovo, analyst at Swiss bank UBS. "To cover those losses, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the other Gulf countries are increasing production, but this will bring down the global spare capacity to a 10-year low." Football diplomacy In the run up to the private deal with Russia, Falih flew to the United States during the second week of September where he and fellow Texas A&M University alumnus Perry attended a football game in College Station, Texas. Falih then held official talks with Perry in Washington on September 10, the US Energy Department has said. Perry flew to Moscow two days later to meet Novak, while Falih also met Novak in Moscow a day later. Perry told Reuters during his Moscow visit that Saudi Arabia, the United States and Russia had enough capacity between them to compensate for the loss of Iranian supply over the next 18 months. After Moscow, Falih and Perry met again in Vienna where they attended an event in the Austrian capital, sources said. "Perry was aware that Russia is going to ramp up oil output," a third source familiar with talks said. It was at this point that Falih and Novak discussed announcing a 500,000-bpd increase at the Sept. 23 Algiers meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC countries. The plan did not materialise, with any formal decision deferred until a regular OPEC meeting in Vienna on December 6. "Saudi Arabia is not going to flood the market and risk a price crash. Saudi Arabia has to work with other producers and see what are they doing, who is raising exports and to which market," another source said.

Saudi Arabia, Russia agreed in September to lift oil output: US

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of a prominent Saudi critic on Thursday after Riyadh announced he had left their consulate in Istanbul -- but Turkey and his fiancee said he had not been heard from since entering the building.

Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage.

His fiancee reported him missing after the journalist, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since last year to avoid possible arrest, was not seen to emerge.

The former government adviser, has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen.

After an initial period of silence Saudi Arabia said the consulate was working with Turkish authorities "to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building" in a statement published Thursday by the state-run SPA news agency.

A senior Turkish official, however, said on Wednesday the journalist was being held at the consulate.

"According to information we have, this individual who is a Saudi national is still at the Istanbul consulate of Saudi Arabia," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara.

He said the Turkish foreign ministry and police were closely monitoring the case, adding that Ankara was in touch with Saudi officials.&nbsp;

Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee has been waiting outside the consulate since Wednesday morning.

"I haven't received any news from him since 1 pm (1000 GMT) on Tuesday," 36-year-old Hatice, who would not give her family name, told AFP as she stood near barricades.

She said Khashoggi had left his mobile phone with her.

"We want to know his whereabouts. Where is Jamal?" she said. "We want him to come out of the consulate safe and sound."

'Very concerned'&nbsp;

The US State Department said it was investigating the matter.

"We... are very concerned about where he may be," the Washington Post's international opinions editor, Eli Lopez, said in a statement late Tuesday.

"It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained for his work as a journalist and commentator," Lopez said.

Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association, told AFP: "We are certain that Jamal is being held inside unless the consulate has a tunnel."

Hatice said Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to obtain documents for their own marriage to prove he was not married.

Reporters Without Borders said Khashoggi's disappearance was "extremely worrying," calling on Saudi and Turkish authorities "to do everything to ensure that this journalist reappears – free –- as soon as possible."

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Saudi's disappearance was a cause for alarm "given the Saudi authorities' pattern of quietly detaining critical journalists".

In an article written for the Post in September 2017, Khashoggi wrote: "When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming of intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, and then I tell you that I'm from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?"

At about the same time, Khashoggi said he had been banned from contributing to the Al-Hayat daily, owned by Saudi Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud.

The writer admitted to defending the Muslim Brotherhood, which did not appear to please the newspaper.

While Riyadh classifies the Brotherhood as a "terrorist organisation", Turkey is one of the group's main supporters.

The hashtag "#kidnappingofJamalKhashoggi" was one of the most shared in Arabic on Twitter since Tuesday evening.

Saudi Arabia, which ranks 169th out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has launched a modernisation campaign since the 2017 appointment of Prince Mohammed as heir to the throne.

But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which won plaudits in June for lifting a ban on women driving, has drawn heavy criticism for its handling of dissent.

Khashoggi once said that before he left the kingdom, the Saudi government banned him from Twitter for warning "against an overly enthusiastic embrace of then-president-elect Donald Trump".

He is one of the rare Saudi journalists to condemn repression in the country. In one of his last tweets, he criticised the lawsuit filed against a Saudi economist, Essam al-Zamel, after his arrest by Saudi authorities.

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of a prominent Saudi critic on Thursday after Riyadh announced he had left their consulate in Istanbul -- but Turkey and his fiancee said he had not been heard from since entering the building.

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of a prominent Saudi critic on Thursday after Riyadh announced he had left their consulate in Istanbul -- but Turkey and his fiancee said he had not been heard from since entering the building. Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage. His fiancee reported him missing after the journalist, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since last year to avoid possible arrest, was not seen to emerge. The former government adviser, has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. After an initial period of silence Saudi Arabia said the consulate was working with Turkish authorities "to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building" in a statement published Thursday by the state-run SPA news agency. A senior Turkish official, however, said on Wednesday the journalist was being held at the consulate. "According to information we have, this individual who is a Saudi national is still at the Istanbul consulate of Saudi Arabia," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara. He said the Turkish foreign ministry and police were closely monitoring the case, adding that Ankara was in touch with Saudi officials. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee has been waiting outside the consulate since Wednesday morning. "I haven't received any news from him since 1 pm (1000 GMT) on Tuesday," 36-year-old Hatice, who would not give her family name, told AFP as she stood near barricades. She said Khashoggi had left his mobile phone with her. "We want to know his whereabouts. Where is Jamal?" she said. "We want him to come out of the consulate safe and sound." 'Very concerned' The US State Department said it was investigating the matter. "We... are very concerned about where he may be," the Washington Post's international opinions editor, Eli Lopez, said in a statement late Tuesday. "It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained for his work as a journalist and commentator," Lopez said. Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association, told AFP: "We are certain that Jamal is being held inside unless the consulate has a tunnel." Hatice said Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to obtain documents for their own marriage to prove he was not married. Reporters Without Borders said Khashoggi's disappearance was "extremely worrying," calling on Saudi and Turkish authorities "to do everything to ensure that this journalist reappears – free –- as soon as possible." The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Saudi's disappearance was a cause for alarm "given the Saudi authorities' pattern of quietly detaining critical journalists". In an article written for the Post in September 2017, Khashoggi wrote: "When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming of intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, and then I tell you that I'm from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?" At about the same time, Khashoggi said he had been banned from contributing to the Al-Hayat daily, owned by Saudi Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud. The writer admitted to defending the Muslim Brotherhood, which did not appear to please the newspaper. While Riyadh classifies the Brotherhood as a "terrorist organisation", Turkey is one of the group's main supporters. The hashtag "#kidnappingofJamalKhashoggi" was one of the most shared in Arabic on Twitter since Tuesday evening. Saudi Arabia, which ranks 169th out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has launched a modernisation campaign since the 2017 appointment of Prince Mohammed as heir to the throne. But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which won plaudits in June for lifting a ban on women driving, has drawn heavy criticism for its handling of dissent. Khashoggi once said that before he left the kingdom, the Saudi government banned him from Twitter for warning "against an overly enthusiastic embrace of then-president-elect Donald Trump". He is one of the rare Saudi journalists to condemn repression in the country. In one of his last tweets, he criticised the lawsuit filed against a Saudi economist, Essam al-Zamel, after his arrest by Saudi authorities.

Mystery surrounds Saudi journalist's consulate disappearance

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticising Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar on the grounds that the Gulf state supports militants.

In a nod to the kingdom, the international watchdog described as “understandable” the fact the kingdom’s “almost exclusive focus of authorities on domestic (terrorist financing) offences means the authorities are not prioritising disruption of support for threats outside the kingdom.”

The 246-page report contrasted starkly with US President Donald Trump’s assessment expressed in his address to the United Nations general assembly. “Following my trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Gulf countries opened a new centre to target terrorist financing. They are enforcing new sanctions. They are working with us to identify and track terrorist networks and taking more responsibility for fighting terrorism and extremism in their own region, Trump said.

Trump, by design or default, did not take into account the flow of substantial amounts of Saudi money to militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan that borders on Iran. Mounting indications suggest that the Islamic republic’s detractors may be moving to stir unrest among Iran’s ethnic minorities in a bid to change the regime in Tehran.

The flow of funds leaves open the possibility that the kingdom’s laxity in cracking down on funds flowing to extremists beyond its frontiers may be deliberate.

To be sure, Saudi Arabia has been strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorism finance regime ever since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in which the perpetrators were primarily Saudi nationals and Al Qaeda attacks in the kingdom itself in 2003 and 2004.

Writing in Forbes, journalist Dominic Dudley noted that the FATF report may not have taken into account new anti-money laundering and terrorism finance-related laws adopted last year by Saudi Arabia. “The new laws were coming in just as the FATF was conducting its research for this report and it is too soon to judge how effective they have been,” Mr. Dudley said.

Even so, it was only with the ascendancy to the throne of King Salman in 2015 and the rise of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the kingdom began to review its more than four-decades-long global funding of intolerant, anti-pluralistic, supremacist, ant-Shiite and anti-Iranian ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim groups and institutions.

While financing has been severely curtailed and funding vehicles like the Muslim World League have been refashioned to propagate moderation and inter-faith dialogue, the kingdom, as in the case of Balochistan, continues to support ultra-conservatives where it serves its geopolitical goals.

In what apparently reflected frustration with the kingdom’s progress in countering money laundering and terrorism, FATF did not mince its words in its report. “Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional (money laundering] activity” and is “not effectively confiscating the proceeds of crime,” the report said.

FATF suggested that the problem was the kingdom’s implementation of anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures rather than its legal infrastructure. &nbsp;“Saudi Arabia has a legal framework that provides it with an adequate basis to investigate and prosecute ML (money laundering) activities… Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional ML activity. Investigations are often reactive rather than proactive, and tend to be straightforward and single layered.,” the report said.

The report’s wording left the possibility open that poor implementation was the result of either a lack of political will or the fact that there is widespread criticism of Prince Mohammed’s reforms within the bureaucracy and the kingdom’s religious establishment despite a crackdown on any form of dissent.

That possibility gains currency given the fact that FATF acknowledges that “Saudi Arabia has demonstrated an ability to respond to the dynamic terrorism threat it faces in the country. Saudi Arabian authorities have demonstrated that they have the training, experience and willingness to pursue TF (terrorism finance) investigations in conjunction with and alongside terrorism cases.”

The report noted that Saudi Arabia seldom convicted funders of political violence who were not directly involved in attacks. &nbsp;“This includes TF cases in relation to funds raised in Saudi Arabia for support of individuals affiliated with terrorist entities outside the kingdom, particularly outside the Middle-East region, which remains a risk. Saudi Arabia’s overall strategy for fighting terrorist financing mainly focuses on using law enforcement measures to disrupt terrorist threats directed at the kingdom and its immediate vicinity,” the report said.

FATF’s criticism is embarrassing for a country that ever since the 9/11 attacks has been attempting to shed its image of having fuelled militancy, position itself as a leader in the struggle against militancy and extremism, and project itself as a 21st century knowledge hub by liberalizing its strict social and cultural norms, including the recent lifting of the ban on women’s driving.

It is also awkward because the report puts Saudi Arabia in the position of the pot calling the kettle black when it comes to the 15-month-old Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led boycott of Qatar because it allegedly funds and supports militancy. Saudi Arabia’s failure to garner widespread international support for its boycott or force Qatar to concede heightens the awkwardness.

That is even more the case given that Saudi Arabia together with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt is demanding among other things that Qatar “consent to monthly compliance audits in the first year after agreeing to the demands, followed by quarterly audits in the second year, and annual audits in the following 10 years” – something the kingdom would be unlikely to accept if hypothetically asked in the wake of the FATF report to submit to a similar regime.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticising Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar on the grounds that the Gulf state supports militants.

A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) report criticising Saudi Arabia’s anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures puts the kingdom on the spot 17 years after the 9/11 attacks and casts a shadow over its diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar on the grounds that the Gulf state supports militants. In a nod to the kingdom, the international watchdog described as “understandable” the fact the kingdom’s “almost exclusive focus of authorities on domestic (terrorist financing) offences means the authorities are not prioritising disruption of support for threats outside the kingdom.” The 246-page report contrasted starkly with US President Donald Trump’s assessment expressed in his address to the United Nations general assembly. “Following my trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Gulf countries opened a new centre to target terrorist financing. They are enforcing new sanctions. They are working with us to identify and track terrorist networks and taking more responsibility for fighting terrorism and extremism in their own region, Trump said. Trump, by design or default, did not take into account the flow of substantial amounts of Saudi money to militants in the Pakistani province of Balochistan that borders on Iran. Mounting indications suggest that the Islamic republic’s detractors may be moving to stir unrest among Iran’s ethnic minorities in a bid to change the regime in Tehran. The flow of funds leaves open the possibility that the kingdom’s laxity in cracking down on funds flowing to extremists beyond its frontiers may be deliberate. To be sure, Saudi Arabia has been strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorism finance regime ever since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in which the perpetrators were primarily Saudi nationals and Al Qaeda attacks in the kingdom itself in 2003 and 2004. Writing in Forbes, journalist Dominic Dudley noted that the FATF report may not have taken into account new anti-money laundering and terrorism finance-related laws adopted last year by Saudi Arabia. “The new laws were coming in just as the FATF was conducting its research for this report and it is too soon to judge how effective they have been,” Mr. Dudley said. Even so, it was only with the ascendancy to the throne of King Salman in 2015 and the rise of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the kingdom began to review its more than four-decades-long global funding of intolerant, anti-pluralistic, supremacist, ant-Shiite and anti-Iranian ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim groups and institutions. While financing has been severely curtailed and funding vehicles like the Muslim World League have been refashioned to propagate moderation and inter-faith dialogue, the kingdom, as in the case of Balochistan, continues to support ultra-conservatives where it serves its geopolitical goals. In what apparently reflected frustration with the kingdom’s progress in countering money laundering and terrorism, FATF did not mince its words in its report. “Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional (money laundering] activity” and is “not effectively confiscating the proceeds of crime,” the report said. FATF suggested that the problem was the kingdom’s implementation of anti-money laundering and terrorism finance measures rather than its legal infrastructure. “Saudi Arabia has a legal framework that provides it with an adequate basis to investigate and prosecute ML (money laundering) activities… Saudi Arabia is not effectively investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in larger scale or professional ML activity. Investigations are often reactive rather than proactive, and tend to be straightforward and single layered.,” the report said. The report’s wording left the possibility open that poor implementation was the result of either a lack of political will or the fact that there is widespread criticism of Prince Mohammed’s reforms within the bureaucracy and the kingdom’s religious establishment despite a crackdown on any form of dissent. That possibility gains currency given the fact that FATF acknowledges that “Saudi Arabia has demonstrated an ability to respond to the dynamic terrorism threat it faces in the country. Saudi Arabian authorities have demonstrated that they have the training, experience and willingness to pursue TF (terrorism finance) investigations in conjunction with and alongside terrorism cases.” The report noted that Saudi Arabia seldom convicted funders of political violence who were not directly involved in attacks. “This includes TF cases in relation to funds raised in Saudi Arabia for support of individuals affiliated with terrorist entities outside the kingdom, particularly outside the Middle-East region, which remains a risk. Saudi Arabia’s overall strategy for fighting terrorist financing mainly focuses on using law enforcement measures to disrupt terrorist threats directed at the kingdom and its immediate vicinity,” the report said. FATF’s criticism is embarrassing for a country that ever since the 9/11 attacks has been attempting to shed its image of having fuelled militancy, position itself as a leader in the struggle against militancy and extremism, and project itself as a 21st century knowledge hub by liberalizing its strict social and cultural norms, including the recent lifting of the ban on women’s driving. It is also awkward because the report puts Saudi Arabia in the position of the pot calling the kettle black when it comes to the 15-month-old Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led boycott of Qatar because it allegedly funds and supports militancy. Saudi Arabia’s failure to garner widespread international support for its boycott or force Qatar to concede heightens the awkwardness. That is even more the case given that Saudi Arabia together with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt is demanding among other things that Qatar “consent to monthly compliance audits in the first year after agreeing to the demands, followed by quarterly audits in the second year, and annual audits in the following 10 years” – something the kingdom would be unlikely to accept if hypothetically asked in the wake of the FATF report to submit to a similar regime. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi Arabia put on the spot for lax anti-terrorism measures

Saudi Arabia and Turkey, despite being on opposite sides of Middle Eastern divides, are cooperating in Syria to enable youth and women to acquire skills that would either allow them to compete in the job market or turn them into entrepreneurs.

The Saudi-funded, Turkish-executed projects potentially highlight a newly found degree of pragmatism and fluidity among seemingly entrenched alliances in the Middle East that largely pitch Turkey, Iran and Qatar against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey differ on some of the Middle East’s most important divides. Turkey backs Qatar in its 15-month-old dispute with a Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led alliance that is boycotting the Gulf state economically and diplomatically and is competing with Saudi Arabia, and even more so with its closest ally, the UAE, for influence in the Horn of Africa.

While Turkey and Saudi Arabia are closer in their approach towards Syria, Turkey hosts members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has been banned in the kingdom and is at the centre of its conflict with Qatar. It also opposes US sanctioning of Iran that has been embraced by Saudi Arabia.

Turkey further has exploited Saudi reluctance to aggressively oppose US President Donald Trump’s pro-Israel policy to position itself as the leader of the Islamic world in supporting the Palestinians. Turkish officials have suggested that the UAE had funded a failed 2016 military coup.

The projects are but one indication of the seeming emergence of a degree of pragmatism on the part of parties on all sides of the Middle Eastern divide. Other indications include differences between Turkey, Russia and Iran over how to handle Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria; Bahraini trial balloons suggesting a softening of the boycott of Qatar; and Turkish-German efforts to mend fences with one another.

The signs of flexibility are as fragile as the alliances themselves. They are being put to a test with the disappearance in Istanbul of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who disappeared this week during a visit to the Saudi consulate.

Khashoggi, known for his close ties to the ruling family, went a year ago into self-exile in Washington, after being banned from publishing, which he feared was a prelude to arrest.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor Turkey has so far commented on Khashoggi’s disappearance. A Saudi Press Agency report said an unidentified Saudi national accused of having signed cheques that bounced had been deported to the kingdom on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by Interpol. The agency gave no further details.

While it is unknown whether the agency was referring to Khashoggi, many fear that he may have been kidnapped. It would not be the first time that Saudi Arabia has forcibly repatriated its critics.

A Saudi detention or nabbing of Khashoggi in Istanbul without at least tacit Turkish cooperation would embarrass Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and likely spark a further deterioration of Turkish-Saudi relations. If Turkey was complicit, it would bear testimony to increasing pragmatism.

Meanwhile, Saudi-Turkish cooperation in Syria goes beyond relief and development aid. It helps Turkey create a sphere of influence in areas of Syria near Turkey’s border that are controlled by Turkish troops and administered by Turkey.

In a bid to compliment Turkish hard power in Syria with soft power and counter Kurdish influence, Erdogan’s Religious Affairs Directorate or Diyanet has trained Syrian religious personnel, according to a 104-page report published by the directorate.

The report said that the directorate had spent a total of $34.1 million dollars in Syria on thing like repairing mosques, distributing Kurdish-language Qurans, and educating 11,250 students.

Journalist Amed Dicle said that Diyanet had recruited 5,686 teachers from the ranks of rebels opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose curriculum emphasized Turkey’s synthesis between Islam and nationalism and included anti-Kurdish teachings. “Kurds are portrayed as atheists, and the PKK, YPG and other Kurdish fighters are infidels,” Dicle said, referring to the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party and its Syrian offshoot, the People’s Protection Units.

A Syrian imam told Al-Monitor, “We're getting paid by the Turkish government. We're grateful to them and we see that the local population here are happy to be under Turkish rule. For Turkey, religious and national allegiances are one and the same. But our interpretation of Islam may not always be the same. Turkey keeps Kurds under control and that's good for us. Plus, one day Syrians in Turkey may come and settle in these areas.”

Saudi cooperation with Turkey and its anti-Kurdish agenda in Syria has not prevented the kingdom from establishing ties to Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region that borders on Iran with the opening of a consulate in Erbil, initiation of Saudia flights from Jeddah to Erbil, and a visit by Saudi businessmen.

Bahrain reportedly hinted last month that the Gulf states boycotting Qatar may re-open airspace to flights bound from and to Doha. The continued closure has forced Qatar Airways to fly longer routes to circumvent Saudi, UAE and Bahraini airspace at considerable cost to the airline. The report was widely seen as a trial balloon.

Similarly, Erdogan travelled last week to Germany with which it has had strained relations in a bid to increase his options following a summit with Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, the presidents of Russia and Iran, in which he for now delayed a Syrian-Russian assault on Idlib that would have sent hundreds of thousands, if not millions fleeing towards the Turkish border.

The limitations of the notion, apparently shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Erdogan, that deep differences can easily be put aside to pragmatically focus on issues of common interest, a key pillar of Middle Eastern alliances, were on display with the European Parliament this week voting to withhold 70 million euros in pre-accession funding because Turkey had failed to reverse its moves towards authoritarianism.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia and Turkey, despite being on opposite sides of Middle Eastern divides, are cooperating in Syria to enable youth and women to acquire skills that would either allow them to compete in the job market or turn them into entrepreneurs.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey, despite being on opposite sides of Middle Eastern divides, are cooperating in Syria to enable youth and women to acquire skills that would either allow them to compete in the job market or turn them into entrepreneurs. The Saudi-funded, Turkish-executed projects potentially highlight a newly found degree of pragmatism and fluidity among seemingly entrenched alliances in the Middle East that largely pitch Turkey, Iran and Qatar against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and Turkey differ on some of the Middle East’s most important divides. Turkey backs Qatar in its 15-month-old dispute with a Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led alliance that is boycotting the Gulf state economically and diplomatically and is competing with Saudi Arabia, and even more so with its closest ally, the UAE, for influence in the Horn of Africa. While Turkey and Saudi Arabia are closer in their approach towards Syria, Turkey hosts members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that has been banned in the kingdom and is at the centre of its conflict with Qatar. It also opposes US sanctioning of Iran that has been embraced by Saudi Arabia. Turkey further has exploited Saudi reluctance to aggressively oppose US President Donald Trump’s pro-Israel policy to position itself as the leader of the Islamic world in supporting the Palestinians. Turkish officials have suggested that the UAE had funded a failed 2016 military coup. The projects are but one indication of the seeming emergence of a degree of pragmatism on the part of parties on all sides of the Middle Eastern divide. Other indications include differences between Turkey, Russia and Iran over how to handle Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria; Bahraini trial balloons suggesting a softening of the boycott of Qatar; and Turkish-German efforts to mend fences with one another. The signs of flexibility are as fragile as the alliances themselves. They are being put to a test with the disappearance in Istanbul of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who disappeared this week during a visit to the Saudi consulate. Khashoggi, known for his close ties to the ruling family, went a year ago into self-exile in Washington, after being banned from publishing, which he feared was a prelude to arrest. Neither Saudi Arabia nor Turkey has so far commented on Khashoggi’s disappearance. A Saudi Press Agency report said an unidentified Saudi national accused of having signed cheques that bounced had been deported to the kingdom on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by Interpol. The agency gave no further details. While it is unknown whether the agency was referring to Khashoggi, many fear that he may have been kidnapped. It would not be the first time that Saudi Arabia has forcibly repatriated its critics. A Saudi detention or nabbing of Khashoggi in Istanbul without at least tacit Turkish cooperation would embarrass Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and likely spark a further deterioration of Turkish-Saudi relations. If Turkey was complicit, it would bear testimony to increasing pragmatism. Meanwhile, Saudi-Turkish cooperation in Syria goes beyond relief and development aid. It helps Turkey create a sphere of influence in areas of Syria near Turkey’s border that are controlled by Turkish troops and administered by Turkey. In a bid to compliment Turkish hard power in Syria with soft power and counter Kurdish influence, Erdogan’s Religious Affairs Directorate or Diyanet has trained Syrian religious personnel, according to a 104-page report published by the directorate. The report said that the directorate had spent a total of $34.1 million dollars in Syria on thing like repairing mosques, distributing Kurdish-language Qurans, and educating 11,250 students. Journalist Amed Dicle said that Diyanet had recruited 5,686 teachers from the ranks of rebels opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose curriculum emphasized Turkey’s synthesis between Islam and nationalism and included anti-Kurdish teachings. “Kurds are portrayed as atheists, and the PKK, YPG and other Kurdish fighters are infidels,” Dicle said, referring to the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party and its Syrian offshoot, the People’s Protection Units. A Syrian imam told Al-Monitor, “We're getting paid by the Turkish government. We're grateful to them and we see that the local population here are happy to be under Turkish rule. For Turkey, religious and national allegiances are one and the same. But our interpretation of Islam may not always be the same. Turkey keeps Kurds under control and that's good for us. Plus, one day Syrians in Turkey may come and settle in these areas.” Saudi cooperation with Turkey and its anti-Kurdish agenda in Syria has not prevented the kingdom from establishing ties to Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region that borders on Iran with the opening of a consulate in Erbil, initiation of Saudia flights from Jeddah to Erbil, and a visit by Saudi businessmen. Bahrain reportedly hinted last month that the Gulf states boycotting Qatar may re-open airspace to flights bound from and to Doha. The continued closure has forced Qatar Airways to fly longer routes to circumvent Saudi, UAE and Bahraini airspace at considerable cost to the airline. The report was widely seen as a trial balloon. Similarly, Erdogan travelled last week to Germany with which it has had strained relations in a bid to increase his options following a summit with Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, the presidents of Russia and Iran, in which he for now delayed a Syrian-Russian assault on Idlib that would have sent hundreds of thousands, if not millions fleeing towards the Turkish border. The limitations of the notion, apparently shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Erdogan, that deep differences can easily be put aside to pragmatically focus on issues of common interest, a key pillar of Middle Eastern alliances, were on display with the European Parliament this week voting to withhold 70 million euros in pre-accession funding because Turkey had failed to reverse its moves towards authoritarianism. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Prominent journalist’s disappearance challenges fragile Middle Eastern pragmatism

President Donald Trump on Saturday complained that the US is "subsidizing" the military of Middle East ally Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan and South Korea.

The comment, at a West Virginia rally for local candidates of his Republican Party, follows similar jibes at European members of the NATO alliance.

"When you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidizing their military?" asked Trump, who pushes an aggressive "America First" policy on trade.

"They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks."

He added that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday to make the same point.

Saudi Arabia and Japan are major buyers of US-made weaponry, and the US provides intelligence and aerial refueling support to a Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen.

Japan and South Korea host tens of thousands of American troops.

Trump said the United States pays "about 60 per cent" of South Korea's military.

Last year he suggested Seoul should pay for the $1.0-billion THAAD anti-missile system that the US has deployed on South Korean territory.

Trump has long complained that European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization do not pay enough for their own defense, singling out Germany for particular criticism.

President Donald Trump on Saturday complained that the US is "subsidizing" the military of Middle East ally Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan and South Korea. The comment, at a West Virginia rally for local candidates of his Republican Party, follows similar jibes at European members of the NATO alliance.

President Donald Trump on Saturday complained that the US is "subsidizing" the military of Middle East ally Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan and South Korea. The comment, at a West Virginia rally for local candidates of his Republican Party, follows similar jibes at European members of the NATO alliance. "When you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidizing their military?" asked Trump, who pushes an aggressive "America First" policy on trade. "They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks." He added that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday to make the same point. Saudi Arabia and Japan are major buyers of US-made weaponry, and the US provides intelligence and aerial refueling support to a Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen. Japan and South Korea host tens of thousands of American troops. Trump said the United States pays "about 60 per cent" of South Korea's military. Last year he suggested Seoul should pay for the $1.0-billion THAAD anti-missile system that the US has deployed on South Korean territory. Trump has long complained that European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization do not pay enough for their own defense, singling out Germany for particular criticism.

US 'subsidizing' Saudi Arabia, Asia militaries: President Donald Trump

Representatives from the Taliban met an Afghan government delegation in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss security ahead of next month's parliamentary elections and a limited prisoner release, three Taliban officials said.

The meeting comes less than a month before voters are due to go to the polls on October 20 to elect a new Afghan parliament, a process which has been hampered by fears of attacks on polling stations and campaign rallies.

Ensuring the election passes off smoothly and without violence has been a top priority for the Afghan government and its international partners.

"They requested us to help them conduct peaceful elections," said one of the Taliban leaders.

"The Afghan delegation has agreed with us on the release of prisoners," he said, adding that some prisoners facing minor charges had already been released and officials had divided up others into three categories, depending on their importance, for future release.

Both President Ashraf Ghani's office and the US&nbsp;State Department declined to comment. No comment was available from Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman.

The Taliban, who regard the internationally recognised Afghan government as an illegitimate regime imposed by foreign powers, have generally insisted on negotiating only with the United States but there have been regular unofficial contacts.

Earlier this year, Washington dropped its refusal to talk with the Taliban, saying the United States would be willing to participate in Afghan-led peace talks and US and Taliban delegations met for talks in Doha, Qatar, in July.

The meeting in Saudi Arabia came after plans for another meeting with American officials broke down over US&nbsp;demands for a three-month ceasefire, the Taliban representatives said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Some of our senior people were not in the favour of holding talks with the Afghan government as until now we were calling them puppets and refused to meet them," said one senior Taliban leader in Qatar.

"But our proposed meeting with the Americans failed to take place due to certain reasons," he said.

The officials said US&nbsp;demands for a ceasefire was something the leadership could not agree to. As a result, no formal meeting was held although there were informal contacts.

"Our agreement for holding the meeting was only to discuss prisoner exchange and the removal of our people from the UN black list so they can travel," said one senior Taliban leader from the movement's political office in Qatar.

Representatives from the Taliban met an Afghan government delegation in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss security ahead of next month's parliamentary elections and a limited prisoner release, three Taliban officials said.

Representatives from the Taliban met an Afghan government delegation in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss security ahead of next month's parliamentary elections and a limited prisoner release, three Taliban officials said. The meeting comes less than a month before voters are due to go to the polls on October 20 to elect a new Afghan parliament, a process which has been hampered by fears of attacks on polling stations and campaign rallies. Ensuring the election passes off smoothly and without violence has been a top priority for the Afghan government and its international partners. "They requested us to help them conduct peaceful elections," said one of the Taliban leaders. "The Afghan delegation has agreed with us on the release of prisoners," he said, adding that some prisoners facing minor charges had already been released and officials had divided up others into three categories, depending on their importance, for future release. Both President Ashraf Ghani's office and the US State Department declined to comment. No comment was available from Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman. The Taliban, who regard the internationally recognised Afghan government as an illegitimate regime imposed by foreign powers, have generally insisted on negotiating only with the United States but there have been regular unofficial contacts. Earlier this year, Washington dropped its refusal to talk with the Taliban, saying the United States would be willing to participate in Afghan-led peace talks and US and Taliban delegations met for talks in Doha, Qatar, in July. The meeting in Saudi Arabia came after plans for another meeting with American officials broke down over US demands for a three-month ceasefire, the Taliban representatives said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Some of our senior people were not in the favour of holding talks with the Afghan government as until now we were calling them puppets and refused to meet them," said one senior Taliban leader in Qatar. "But our proposed meeting with the Americans failed to take place due to certain reasons," he said. The officials said US demands for a ceasefire was something the leadership could not agree to. As a result, no formal meeting was held although there were informal contacts. "Our agreement for holding the meeting was only to discuss prisoner exchange and the removal of our people from the UN black list so they can travel," said one senior Taliban leader from the movement's political office in Qatar.

Taliban meets Afghan officials in Saudi Arabia ahead of election: Report

Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) as a third major economic partner.

In a tweet on September 20, PTI minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan had invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third strategic partner.&nbsp;The decision was taken in alliance with China.

Saudi Arabia's decision to invest in the project came days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Saudi and United Arab Emirates in his first foreign visit since assuming office.

Saudi's addition to the project is aimed at recovering&nbsp;the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from the financial crunch faced by the country.

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Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the 3rd strategic partner - Minister Information Fawad Chaudhry (20.09.18)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PTI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PTI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fawadchaudhry</a> <a href="https://t.co/vETts8eyhK">pic.twitter.com/vETts8eyhK</a>
— PTI (@PTIofficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIofficial/status/1042744903904768001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Yes China has been taken into confidence, expansion of CPEC is in China and Pakistan interest. Pak ll be a centre of economic activity of this region, era of darkness is over. <a href="https://t.co/m8AvLIuAEJ">https://t.co/m8AvLIuAEJ</a>
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1043025612393181184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China's flagship project under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will connect China's largest province Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar port.

The $50-billion project will facilitate China's reach to the Arabian Sea.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) as a third major economic partner. In a tweet on September 20, PTI minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan had invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third strategic partner.

Saudi Arabia is set to join the multibillion-dollar project China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) as a third major economic partner. In a tweet on September 20, PTI minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Pakistan had invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the third strategic partner. The decision was taken in alliance with China. Saudi Arabia's decision to invest in the project came days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Saudi and United Arab Emirates in his first foreign visit since assuming office. Saudi's addition to the project is aimed at recovering the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from the financial crunch faced by the country. Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia to join CPEC as the 3rd strategic partner - Minister Information Fawad Chaudhry (20.09.18)#PTI @fawadchaudhry pic.twitter.com/vETts8eyhK — PTI (@PTIofficial) September 20, 2018 × Yes China has been taken into confidence, expansion of CPEC is in China and Pakistan interest. Pak ll be a centre of economic activity of this region, era of darkness is over. https://t.co/m8AvLIuAEJ — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) September 21, 2018 × The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China's flagship project under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will connect China's largest province Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar port. The $50-billion project will facilitate China's reach to the Arabian Sea.

Saudi Arabia to join CPEC project as third economic partner: Pakistan government

Well, that's all from the first match of FIFA World Cup.

Thanks for joining us!

<hr />
Final Whistle

Russia have won the first match of the 21st edition of FIFA World Cup 2018 by defeating Saudi Arabia 3-0 at Luznicki stadium, Moscow on Thursday. Mid-fielder Yury Gazinsky scored the first goal of the tournament in the first half of the tournament. The lead was further extended by Denis Cheryshev. He came as a substituted in the 43rd minute of the game scored the goal to gave a 2-0 advantage, he then struck against and became the second&nbsp;player after Oleg Salenko, in the history of World Cup to score more than once for Russia.

One goal after another

GOAL

RUSSIA 5-0 SAUDI ARABIA

A foul helped Russia in the injury time to seal the victory with a score of 5-0.

After a beautiful assit Golovin culred a fine strike from the free-kick. Golovin lifted the ball and the landed inside the post after confusing the goalkeeper.

<hr />
Super goal!!!&nbsp;Denis Cheryshev strikes again

The host Russia have&nbsp;started the tournament on a high note. What else one wants in the first match of the World Cup campaign.

GOAL

RUSSIA 4-0 SAUDI ARABIA

Amazing goal by&nbsp;Denis Cheryshev in the extra time. The way Russians have played tonight, it shows that they are aiming for the golden trophy.

<hr />
10:10 PM IST

There isn't much time left for Saudi Arabia team. They need to work on the&nbsp;passing accuracy as they have suffered a lot of bloopers in the match and a fragile defence is also a reason for their 0-3 deficit.

<hr />
10:05 PM IST

Artem Dzyuba enters in style

GOAL

RUSSIA 3-0 SAUDI ARABIA

Striker Artem Dzyuba scored the third goal for Russia has sealed the victory.

A mesmerizing showcase of team effort when&nbsp;Golovin promoted the goal from the right side and Dzyuba, making no mistakes, stunned the Saudi goalkeeper to net the ball.

<hr />
10:00 PM IST

Change for Russia

IN: Artem Dzyuba

OUT: Fyodor Smolov

<hr />
09:55 PM IST

64th minute

Another substitution for Russia

IN: Daler Kuzyayev

OUT: Aleksandr Samedov

Change for Saudi Arabia

IN: Fahad Al-Muwallad

OUT: Abdullah Otayf

<hr />
Prediction is here, but we are not&nbsp;Cat Achilles

WION users have given their verdict for the first match of FIFA World Cup 2018.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FifaWorldCup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FifaWorldCup2018</a> Kick-off tomorrow! Who are you supporting?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RUSvsKSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RUSvsKSA</a>
— WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/1006882008541229056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<hr />
HALF-TIME

Russia have taken the advantage by scoring&nbsp;two goals in the first half of the opener match. The first half was entirely dominated by Russians as mid-fielder Yury Gazinsky and&nbsp;Denis Cheryshev scored to give a 2-0 lead. Gazinsky became the first player to score and Denis Cheryshev became the first substitute to score a goal in the 21st edition of football world cup. The second half will be crucial for the Saudi Arabia team.

Stay tuned for the further updates.

<hr />
09:13 PM IST

GOAL

RUSSIA 2-0 SAUDI ARABIA

Russia have extended the lead further by scoring the second goal in the concluding minutes of the first half.

Denis Cheryshev who was substituted in the 43rd minute of the game scored the goal to gave a 2-0 advantage to the team. 

<hr />
08:42 PM IST

GOAL

RUSSIA 1-0 SAUDI ARABIA

Russia took&nbsp;the advantage by scoring a goal in the initial minutes of the tournament.

Mid-fielder Yury Gazinsky scored the first goal of the tournament.

<hr />
08:35 PM IST

Both the teams are ready to lock horns in the first match of the tournament.

<hr />
08:30 PM IST

Confirmed squad:

Russia (4-2-3-1)

Igor Akinfeev (capt); Mario Fernandes, Ilya Kupetov, Sergey Ignashevich, Yury Zhirkov; Yury Gazinsky, Roman Zobnin; Alan Dzagoev, Aleksandr Golovin, Alexander Samedov; Fedor Smolov

Saudi Arabia (4-5-1)

Abdullah Al-Muaiouf; Osama Hawsawi (capt), Omar Hawsawi, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Yasser Al-Shahrani; Salman Al-Faraj, Yahia Al-Shehri, Abdullah Otayf, Taiseer Al-Jassam, Salem Al-Dawsari; Mohammed Al-Sahlawi

<hr />
Match 1: Russia vs Saudi Arabia 

<hr />
<hr />
That's it from the opening ceremony you stay tuned to get the quick updates of the first match which is between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

08:25 PM IST

FIFA president Gianni Infantino welcomed the fans.

<hr />
08:20 PM IST

Putin says, "Wellcome to Russia"

After a pulsating performance by legend Robbie Williams, it's Russia's President&nbsp;Vladimir Putin shared his words ahead of the biggest sporting tournament.

<hr />
08:10 PM IST

"I sit and wait 
Does an angel contemplate my fate 
And do they know 
The places where we go 
When we're grey and old 
'Cause I have been told 
That salvation lets their wings unfold 
So when I'm lying in my bed 
Thoughts running through my head 
And I feel the love is dead 
I'm loving angels instead"

The beautiful lyrics of "Angels" song which is sung by English singer Robbie Williams is echoing in the stadium. He sang another very popular song "Rock DJ"

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Robbie Williams performs during the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup</a> opening ceremony <a href="https://t.co/Kw5MZ85aw3">pic.twitter.com/Kw5MZ85aw3</a>
— Elliot Wagland (@elliotwagland) <a href="https://twitter.com/elliotwagland/status/1007271678689374208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Worldcuprussia2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Worldcuprussia2018</a> opening ceremony is on with Robbie Williams <a href="https://t.co/c9AeBkJao8">pic.twitter.com/c9AeBkJao8</a>
— GossipBoyz.com (@GossipBoyz) <a href="https://twitter.com/GossipBoyz/status/1007272601650126849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<hr />
08:00 PM IST

It begins!

Robbie Williams has entered the stadium with mike in his hand. This is historic!!!

<hr />
07:56 PM IST

Amid&nbsp;all the buzz!

Russia's players including defender Fedor Koudryashov (C) warm up prior to the first Group A match.

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<hr />
07:51 PM IST

The trophy is here!

Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Russian model Natalia Vodianova stand next to the World Cup trophy during the opening ceremony.

32 nations, one trophy one dream!!!

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<hr />
07:40 PM IST

The opening ceremony is set to start&nbsp;Robbie Williams, Will Smith and Brazilian soccer legend, Ronaldinho will take part.

<hr />
07:35 PM IST

All eyes are on the host country Russia as they will play their first match on day one of the tournament&nbsp;against Saudi Arabia.

Watch the preview of Russia vs Saudi Arabia

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<hr />
07:25 PM IST

Watch: The preparations are going on

The opening ceremony will take place at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow and in the same stadium, the finale will take place on July 15.&nbsp;Luzhniki Stadium is the main stadium for the World Cup 2018. It was originally built to host the first nationwide summer Spartakiad in 1956. It also hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics. It has a capacity of 80,000.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/all-you-need-to-know-about-stadiums-hosting-fifa-world-cup-2018-matches-142851#photo-142845">All you need to know about stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup 2018 matches</a>

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Preperations for the opening ceremony starting. <a href="https://t.co/JbLDjMR4lw">pic.twitter.com/JbLDjMR4lw</a>
— Mootaz Chehade (@MHChehade) <a href="https://twitter.com/MHChehade/status/1007257320580177920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In position for the opening ceremony of the <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIFAWorldCup</a> and Russia v Saudi Arabia on <a href="https://twitter.com/5liveSport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@5liveSport</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/markchapman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@markchapman</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/jjenas8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jjenas8</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russia2018WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russia2018WorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/RWfDO0BauE">pic.twitter.com/RWfDO0BauE</a>
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) <a href="https://twitter.com/alanshearer/status/1007256809130942464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<hr />
07:08 PM IST

Who will perform tonight?

It is confirmed that Robbie Williams will be performing tonight at the opening ceremony. Also, Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi have released anthem song for the 21st edition of football world cup.&nbsp;

So it is expected that American singer, Will Smith will perform today. One more song was released, the song "Colours" which is written by an American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and the song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA WC 2018.

Let's wait and watch who all will perform!

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Very excited to be returning to Russia to perform at the opening of the <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FIFAWorldCup</a> - tune in early on Thursday for an unforgettable show! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/skwCwt21SM">pic.twitter.com/skwCwt21SM</a>
— Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbiewilliams/status/1006053779370921984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<hr />
06:50 PM&nbsp;IST

The fans have started gathering around the&nbsp;Luzhniki Stadium ahead of the opening ceremony.

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? | استمرار توافد الجماهير.. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%83_%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B6%D8%B1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#معاك_يالأخضر</a> ???<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldCup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldCup2018</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Green_falcons?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Green_falcons</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RUSKSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RUSKSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/B3bjNgGp9N">pic.twitter.com/B3bjNgGp9N</a>
— المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaudiNT/status/1007247172218302465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<hr />
06:30 PM&nbsp;IST 

The wait is finally over!

It's June 14 and the four-year wait is finally over. The 21st edition of FIFA World Cup has started. The event will begin with a glitzy opening ceremony followed by the first match of the tournament which is between the host Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium. Thirty-two countries from different confederations have qualified for the tournament and will go for the kill to clinch the most decorated trophy in the sporting world, the golden hand-and-ball. The event has attracted tourists from all over the world to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars playing the world cup match.

All eyes are on the host country Russia as they will play the first match on day one of the tournament. Amidst several controversies and adversities, the most awaited tournament is finally underway.

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Hello! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Zabivaka?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Zabivaka</a> <a href="https://t.co/mBR7GtMbXD">pic.twitter.com/mBR7GtMbXD</a>
— FIFA World Cup ? (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1006131965051985920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Know the mascot

This year's official mascot is a wolf named Zabivaka which means "the one who scores" in Russian. Zabivaka is charming, confident and social and has always dreamt of becoming a football star.

32 nations 1 dream

Five-time winners Brazil are there, as are defending champions Germany, plus Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay set to claim the title of world champions.

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Yury Gazinsky and Denis Cheryshev scored to give a 2-0 lead to Russia against Saudi Arabia in the opener match of football World Cup 2018

Well, that's all from the first match of FIFA World Cup. Thanks for joining us! Final Whistle Russia have won the first match of the 21st edition of FIFA World Cup 2018 by defeating Saudi Arabia 3-0 at Luznicki stadium, Moscow on Thursday. Mid-fielder Yury Gazinsky scored the first goal of the tournament in the first half of the tournament. The lead was further extended by Denis Cheryshev. He came as a substituted in the 43rd minute of the game scored the goal to gave a 2-0 advantage, he then struck against and became the second player after Oleg Salenko, in the history of World Cup to score more than once for Russia. One goal after another GOAL RUSSIA 5-0 SAUDI ARABIA A foul helped Russia in the injury time to seal the victory with a score of 5-0. After a beautiful assit Golovin culred a fine strike from the free-kick. Golovin lifted the ball and the landed inside the post after confusing the goalkeeper. Super goal!!! Denis Cheryshev strikes again The host Russia have started the tournament on a high note. What else one wants in the first match of the World Cup campaign. GOAL RUSSIA 4-0 SAUDI ARABIA Amazing goal by Denis Cheryshev in the extra time. The way Russians have played tonight, it shows that they are aiming for the golden trophy. 10:10 PM IST There isn't much time left for Saudi Arabia team. They need to work on the passing accuracy as they have suffered a lot of bloopers in the match and a fragile defence is also a reason for their 0-3 deficit. 10:05 PM IST Artem Dzyuba enters in style GOAL RUSSIA 3-0 SAUDI ARABIA Striker Artem Dzyuba scored the third goal for Russia has sealed the victory. A mesmerizing showcase of team effort when Golovin promoted the goal from the right side and Dzyuba, making no mistakes, stunned the Saudi goalkeeper to net the ball. 10:00 PM IST Change for Russia IN: Artem Dzyuba OUT: Fyodor Smolov 09:55 PM IST 64th minute Another substitution for Russia IN: Daler Kuzyayev OUT: Aleksandr Samedov Change for Saudi Arabia IN: Fahad Al-Muwallad OUT: Abdullah Otayf Prediction is here, but we are not Cat Achilles WION users have given their verdict for the first match of FIFA World Cup 2018. #FifaWorldCup2018 Kick-off tomorrow! Who are you supporting?#RUSvsKSA — WION (@WIONews) June 13, 2018 × HALF-TIME Russia have taken the advantage by scoring two goals in the first half of the opener match. The first half was entirely dominated by Russians as mid-fielder Yury Gazinsky and Denis Cheryshev scored to give a 2-0 lead. Gazinsky became the first player to score and Denis Cheryshev became the first substitute to score a goal in the 21st edition of football world cup. The second half will be crucial for the Saudi Arabia team. Stay tuned for the further updates. 09:13 PM IST GOAL RUSSIA 2-0 SAUDI ARABIA Russia have extended the lead further by scoring the second goal in the concluding minutes of the first half. Denis Cheryshev who was substituted in the 43rd minute of the game scored the goal to gave a 2-0 advantage to the team. 08:42 PM IST GOAL RUSSIA 1-0 SAUDI ARABIA Russia took the advantage by scoring a goal in the initial minutes of the tournament. Mid-fielder Yury Gazinsky scored the first goal of the tournament. 08:35 PM IST Both the teams are ready to lock horns in the first match of the tournament. 08:30 PM IST Confirmed squad: Russia (4-2-3-1) Igor Akinfeev (capt); Mario Fernandes, Ilya Kupetov, Sergey Ignashevich, Yury Zhirkov; Yury Gazinsky, Roman Zobnin; Alan Dzagoev, Aleksandr Golovin, Alexander Samedov; Fedor Smolov Saudi Arabia (4-5-1) Abdullah Al-Muaiouf; Osama Hawsawi (capt), Omar Hawsawi, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Yasser Al-Shahrani; Salman Al-Faraj, Yahia Al-Shehri, Abdullah Otayf, Taiseer Al-Jassam, Salem Al-Dawsari; Mohammed Al-Sahlawi Match 1: Russia vs Saudi Arabia That's it from the opening ceremony you stay tuned to get the quick updates of the first match which is between Russia and Saudi Arabia. 08:25 PM IST FIFA president Gianni Infantino welcomed the fans. 08:20 PM IST Putin says, "Wellcome to Russia" After a pulsating performance by legend Robbie Williams, it's Russia's President Vladimir Putin shared his words ahead of the biggest sporting tournament. 08:10 PM IST "I sit and wait Does an angel contemplate my fate And do they know The places where we go When we're grey and old 'Cause I have been told That salvation lets their wings unfold So when I'm lying in my bed Thoughts running through my head And I feel the love is dead I'm loving angels instead" The beautiful lyrics of "Angels" song which is sung by English singer Robbie Williams is echoing in the stadium. He sang another very popular song "Rock DJ" Robbie Williams performs during the #WorldCup opening ceremony pic.twitter.com/Kw5MZ85aw3 — Elliot Wagland (@elliotwagland) June 14, 2018 × #Worldcuprussia2018 opening ceremony is on with Robbie Williams pic.twitter.com/c9AeBkJao8 — GossipBoyz.com (@GossipBoyz) June 14, 2018 × 08:00 PM IST It begins! Robbie Williams has entered the stadium with mike in his hand. This is historic!!! 07:56 PM IST Amid all the buzz! Russia's players including defender Fedor Koudryashov (C) warm up prior to the first Group A match. 07:51 PM IST The trophy is here! Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Russian model Natalia Vodianova stand next to the World Cup trophy during the opening ceremony. 32 nations, one trophy one dream!!! 07:40 PM IST The opening ceremony is set to start Robbie Williams, Will Smith and Brazilian soccer legend, Ronaldinho will take part. 07:35 PM IST All eyes are on the host country Russia as they will play their first match on day one of the tournament against Saudi Arabia. Watch the preview of Russia vs Saudi Arabia × 07:25 PM IST Watch: The preparations are going on The opening ceremony will take place at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow and in the same stadium, the finale will take place on July 15. Luzhniki Stadium is the main stadium for the World Cup 2018. It was originally built to host the first nationwide summer Spartakiad in 1956. It also hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics. It has a capacity of 80,000. All you need to know about stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup 2018 matches Preperations for the opening ceremony starting. pic.twitter.com/JbLDjMR4lw — Mootaz Chehade (@MHChehade) June 14, 2018 × In position for the opening ceremony of the @FIFAWorldCup and Russia v Saudi Arabia on @5liveSport with @markchapman and @jjenas8 #Russia2018WorldCup pic.twitter.com/RWfDO0BauE — Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) June 14, 2018 × 07:08 PM IST Who will perform tonight? It is confirmed that Robbie Williams will be performing tonight at the opening ceremony. Also, Will Smith alongside artists Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi have released anthem song for the 21st edition of football world cup. So it is expected that American singer, Will Smith will perform today. One more song was released, the song "Colours" which is written by an American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo and the song is serving the purpose of anthem for FIFA WC 2018. Let's wait and watch who all will perform! Very excited to be returning to Russia to perform at the opening of the @FIFAWorldCup - tune in early on Thursday for an unforgettable show! #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/skwCwt21SM — Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) June 11, 2018 × 06:50 PM IST The fans have started gathering around the Luzhniki Stadium ahead of the opening ceremony. ? | استمرار توافد الجماهير.. #معاك_يالأخضر ???#WorldCup2018#Green_falcons#RUSKSA pic.twitter.com/B3bjNgGp9N — المنتخب السعودي (@SaudiNT) June 14, 2018 × 06:30 PM IST The wait is finally over! It's June 14 and the four-year wait is finally over. The 21st edition of FIFA World Cup has started. The event will begin with a glitzy opening ceremony followed by the first match of the tournament which is between the host Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium. Thirty-two countries from different confederations have qualified for the tournament and will go for the kill to clinch the most decorated trophy in the sporting world, the golden hand-and-ball. The event has attracted tourists from all over the world to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars playing the world cup match. All eyes are on the host country Russia as they will play the first match on day one of the tournament. Amidst several controversies and adversities, the most awaited tournament is finally underway. Hello! #Zabivaka pic.twitter.com/mBR7GtMbXD — FIFA World Cup ? (@FIFAWorldCup) June 11, 2018 × Know the mascot This year's official mascot is a wolf named Zabivaka which means "the one who scores" in Russian. Zabivaka is charming, confident and social and has always dreamt of becoming a football star. 32 nations 1 dream Five-time winners Brazil are there, as are defending champions Germany, plus Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Uruguay set to claim the title of world champions.

FIFA World Cup 2018: Russia defeat Saudi Arabia | As it happened

Saudi air defences on Thursday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, state media reported, as a Riyadh-led military coalition pushes a major offensive to capture a strategic port.

The missile was intercepted over Khamis Mushait in the kingdom's south, but no casualties were reported, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The Iran-backed rebels claimed in a statement that the missile hit a Saudi airbase.

The insurgents, who have ramped up missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, are often known to claim successful strikes.

The kingdom, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015, usually claims to intercept most missiles.

The latest strike comes as Yemeni pro-government forces are locked in heavy fighting with rebels as they press a Saudi and UAE-backed offensive to retake the key aid hub of Hodeida.

On Sunday, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile over the southern city of Jizan, but no casualties were reported, state media said.

A day earlier, three civilians were killed in Jizan when Huthi rebels fired a "projectile" at the province, according to the coalition.

Saudi Arabia last month tested a new siren system for the capital Riyadh and the oil-rich Eastern Province, in a sign of the increasing threat posed by the rebels' arms.

Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Huthis with ballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the rebels and restore the internationally recognised government to power after the Huthis ousted it from swathes of the country including the capital Sanaa.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance intervened in Yemen in March 2015, contributing to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis

The missile was intercepted over Khamis Mushait in the kingdom's south, but no casualties were reported

Saudi air defences on Thursday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, state media reported, as a Riyadh-led military coalition pushes a major offensive to capture a strategic port. The missile was intercepted over Khamis Mushait in the kingdom's south, but no casualties were reported, the coalition said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency. The Iran-backed rebels claimed in a statement that the missile hit a Saudi airbase. The insurgents, who have ramped up missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, are often known to claim successful strikes. The kingdom, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015, usually claims to intercept most missiles. The latest strike comes as Yemeni pro-government forces are locked in heavy fighting with rebels as they press a Saudi and UAE-backed offensive to retake the key aid hub of Hodeida. On Sunday, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile over the southern city of Jizan, but no casualties were reported, state media said. A day earlier, three civilians were killed in Jizan when Huthi rebels fired a "projectile" at the province, according to the coalition. Saudi Arabia last month tested a new siren system for the capital Riyadh and the oil-rich Eastern Province, in a sign of the increasing threat posed by the rebels' arms. Riyadh accuses its regional rival Tehran of supplying the Huthis with ballistic missiles, a charge Iran denies. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies intervened in Yemen in 2015 to push back the rebels and restore the internationally recognised government to power after the Huthis ousted it from swathes of the country including the capital Sanaa. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the alliance intervened in Yemen in March 2015, contributing to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis

Saudi Arabia says new Yemen missile intercepted

Syrian-American director Moustafa Akkad's epic film about Prophet Mohammed- 'The Message'- will finally be screened in Saudi cinemas from Thursday onwards, four decades after an initial ban.&nbsp;

“Knowing that there were so many difficulties… , now that they’re showing it in the theatres I couldn’t be happier,” said Akkad’s son said to a news agency. The film, which released in 1976, has been widely watched in hee Arab world over the years. But it was banned in the land of Islam’s holiest sites and boycotted by conservatives for its depiction of the prophet and his companions.

“It caused a lot of controversy and there were a lot of obstacles put in its way,” said Akkad’s son, Malik Moustafa Akkad. He added that the film remains banned in Kuwait. 
&nbsp;Saudi Arabia lifted a longstanding ban on cinemas last year, part of an easing of social restrictions pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi theatres will now screen a restored version of the 1976 epic, produced from the film’s original negatives.”Even if you’ve seen the film, you’ve never seen it look this good,” said Akkad’s son.The late director “always intended it to be a big-screen event. And that’s the way to see it”, he added.

Profits from the screenings will support a scholarship fund for filmmakers from the region to study at Moustafa Akkad’s alma mater, the University of Southern California. The Aleppo-born director perished with his daughter in the 2005 Amman hotel bombings claimed by Al-Qaeda that cost dozens of lives.

'The Message' originally released in 1976.

Syrian-American director Moustafa Akkad's epic film about Prophet Mohammed- 'The Message'- will finally be screened in Saudi cinemas from Thursday onwards, four decades after an initial ban. “Knowing that there were so many difficulties… , now that they’re showing it in the theatres I couldn’t be happier,” said Akkad’s son said to a news agency. The film, which released in 1976, has been widely watched in hee Arab world over the years. But it was banned in the land of Islam’s holiest sites and boycotted by conservatives for its depiction of the prophet and his companions. “It caused a lot of controversy and there were a lot of obstacles put in its way,” said Akkad’s son, Malik Moustafa Akkad. He added that the film remains banned in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia lifted a longstanding ban on cinemas last year, part of an easing of social restrictions pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi theatres will now screen a restored version of the 1976 epic, produced from the film’s original negatives.”Even if you’ve seen the film, you’ve never seen it look this good,” said Akkad’s son.The late director “always intended it to be a big-screen event. And that’s the way to see it”, he added. Profits from the screenings will support a scholarship fund for filmmakers from the region to study at Moustafa Akkad’s alma mater, the University of Southern California. The Aleppo-born director perished with his daughter in the 2005 Amman hotel bombings claimed by Al-Qaeda that cost dozens of lives.

Film on Prophet Mohammed to release in Saudi theaters four decades after its initial ban

Six Saudi female teenagers slated to serve as their country's flag bearers at the World Cup's opening match in Moscow on Thursday will be replaced by Russians after their trip was cancelled due to "logistical circumstances", organisers said.

Named flag bearers as part of a programme run by Coca-Cola, the girls, aged 13 to 17, were supposed to lead the Saudi national team onto the pitch at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium ahead of their match against Russia.

But the organisers said they could no longer make it.

"Due to unforeseen logistical circumstances, the Saudi flag bearers' delegation will unfortunately no longer be able to attend the opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup," Coca-Cola said in a statement to Reuters.

Omar Bennis, public affairs director at Coca-Cola Middle East, declined to disclose the nature of the logistical issues.

He said it was not related to their gender.

It is "a mix of everything", he said, adding that the company was working with Saudi sports authorities to try to have the girls attend the country's other matches.

"The chances are low, but we're still pushing," he said.

The young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose public appearances have dwindled recently, will attend the match.

Women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to attend soccer matches for the first time this year, as the deeply conservative Muslim country takes steps to ease some restrictions on them.

Saudi Arabia recently lifted a ban on women driving, although that has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent.

One of the girls told Reuters that the delegation would not only be missing the first match but the entire World Cup, where Saudi Arabia is playing in Group A with Russia, Egypt and Uruguay. She did not give the reason for the cancellation, referring questions to Saudi sports authorities and Coca-Cola.

The World Cup has received special attention this year in the kingdom as its team will play for the first time since 2006.

Named flag bearers as part of a programme run by Coca-Cola, the girls, aged 13 to 17, were supposed to lead the Saudi national team onto the pitch at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium ahead of their match against Russia

Six Saudi female teenagers slated to serve as their country's flag bearers at the World Cup's opening match in Moscow on Thursday will be replaced by Russians after their trip was cancelled due to "logistical circumstances", organisers said. Named flag bearers as part of a programme run by Coca-Cola, the girls, aged 13 to 17, were supposed to lead the Saudi national team onto the pitch at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium ahead of their match against Russia. But the organisers said they could no longer make it. "Due to unforeseen logistical circumstances, the Saudi flag bearers' delegation will unfortunately no longer be able to attend the opening of the 2018 FIFA World Cup," Coca-Cola said in a statement to Reuters. Omar Bennis, public affairs director at Coca-Cola Middle East, declined to disclose the nature of the logistical issues. He said it was not related to their gender. It is "a mix of everything", he said, adding that the company was working with Saudi sports authorities to try to have the girls attend the country's other matches. "The chances are low, but we're still pushing," he said. The young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose public appearances have dwindled recently, will attend the match. Women in Saudi Arabia were allowed to attend soccer matches for the first time this year, as the deeply conservative Muslim country takes steps to ease some restrictions on them. Saudi Arabia recently lifted a ban on women driving, although that has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent. One of the girls told Reuters that the delegation would not only be missing the first match but the entire World Cup, where Saudi Arabia is playing in Group A with Russia, Egypt and Uruguay. She did not give the reason for the cancellation, referring questions to Saudi sports authorities and Coca-Cola. The World Cup has received special attention this year in the kingdom as its team will play for the first time since 2006.

Female Saudi flag bearers to miss World Cup opener vs Russia

Saudi Arabia has much at stake when its national soccer team enters the pitch for the opening match of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow.

With politics a permanent fixture, Saudi Arabia is playing in the World Cup finals for the first time in more than a decade at a moment that the kingdom is vying for enhanced influence in global and regional governance of the sport.

In a world in which international sports associations stubbornly maintain the fiction that sports and politics are separate, Saudi sports czar, Turki al-Sheikh, the chairman of the kingdom’s General Sport Authority and a close associate of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was unequivocal in his assertions that his decisions were based on what he deemed “Saudi Arabia’s best (political) interest.”

Barely 24 hours before the opening match, Saudi Arabia made good on Mr. Al-Sheikh’s assertion that the kingdom’s international sports policy would be driven by former US President George W. Bush’s post 9/11 principle of “you are either with us or against.”

With Morocco’s bid for the 2026 World Cup in mind, Mr. Al-Sheikh had earlier warned that "to be in the grey area is no longer acceptable to us. There are those who were mistaken in their direction … If you want support, it'll be in Riyadh. What you're doing is a waste of time…," Mr. Al-Sheikh said.

An analysis of the Arab vote in world soccer body FIFA’s ballot in which Morocco lost out against a joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico, produced a mirror image of the deep divisions in the Arab world over regional disputes, including the one-year-old Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led economic and diplomatic boycott of Qatar and the kingdom’s rivalry with Iran.

Angry at what they asserted was a successful Saudi campaign to persuade Arab and Islamic countries to break with the principle of Arab, African and Muslim solidarity and to vote for North America rather than Morocco, Moroccan officials suggested that the vote was likely to deepen divisions and further strain once close ties between the two kingdoms.

Adopting a Saudi Arabia First approach, Mr. Al-Sheikh noted that the United States “is our biggest and strongest ally.” He recalled that when the World Cup was played in 1994 in nine American cities, the US “was one of our favourites. The fans were numerous, and the Saudi team achieved good results.”

Mr. Al-Sheikh’s remarks followed a veiled threat by President Donald J. Trump, in violation of guidelines regarding political influence of world soccer body FIFA, against nations that may oppose the US-led proposition.

The FIFA vote on the eve of the World Cup was the latest element in the Saudi attempt to exert influence in soccer governance with the kingdom’s spat with Morocco only one of several public controversies involving Saudi Arabia and Mr. Al-Sheikh.

Casting a shadow over Saudi Arabia’s success in qualifying for the World Cup was the fact that hours before the opening match, Saudi fans remained deprived of legal access to broadcasts of matches.

Saudi Arabia has yet to reach an agreement with beIN, the sports subsidiary of the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera television network that owns the broadcasting rights.

The states boycotting Qatar are demanding that the Gulf state shutter Al Jazeera or at least curb its freewheeling reporting and talk shows that often challenge the policies of countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

As a matter of principle, BeIN has been blocked in the boycotting states for the past year. While Saudi Arabia has sought to ignore Qatar’s rights by creating beOutQ, a 10-channel bootlegging operation based in the kingdom, the UAE backed down at the 11th hour from its blockage of beIN broadcasts but maintained its jamming of Al Jazeera.

beOutQ transmits over Arabsat, a Riyadh-based satellite provider Arabsat owned by Saudi Arabia.

Unable to challenge the Saudi action in Saudi courts, Qatar has urged world soccer body FIFA to take action against what it described as Saudi pirate broadcasters

Egypt, a member of the anti-Qatar, alliance has asserted that the awarding of the broadcasting rights to beIN violated its competition law and said it would oblige FIFA to allow its state broadcaster to broadcast 22 matches free to air, including those of the Egyptian national team.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) warned Saudi Arabia and Egypt by implication on the eve of the World Cup not to pirate World Cup broadcasts.

"Recently, an entity called beOutQ has put in place a major piracy operation against beIN Media Group. In this regard, CAF strongly condemns the practice of the audio-visual piracy of sport events, a real scourge for our industry. CAF is determined to take all necessary against beoutQ if any of CAF matches are pirated,” the soccer body said.

The Saudi national squad’s geopolitical baggage in Russia contains more goodies.

Against the backdrop of a Saudi-UAE campaign to get FIFA to deprive Qatar of its 2022 hosting rights, Saudi Arabia has been manoeuvring to ensure that it has greater say in the issue while at the same time isolating Iran in the global soccer family.

In a further bid to complicate life for Qatar, Saudi Arabia backed a proposal to speed up the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams from 32, which is now scheduled for 2026, by making it already applicable to the 2022 World Cup. FIFA has delayed a decision on the issue.

If adopted, Qatar could be forced to share the hosting of the 2022 tournament with others in the region. Iran has already offered to help Qatar.

The Saudi-UAE moves come on the back of a two-pronged Saudi effort to gain a measure of control of global soccer governance.

Global tech investor Softbank, which counts Saudi Arabia and the UAE among its largest investors, is believed to be behind a $25 billion proposal embraced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to revamp the FIFA Club World Cup and launch of a Global Nations League tournament. If approved, the proposal would give Saudi Arabia a significant voice in global soccer governance.

Complimenting the Saudi FIFA bid is a Saudi effort to undermine the position of the 47-nation Asian Football Confederation AFC headed by Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, a member of the Bahrain ruling family and one of the most powerful men in global soccer.

To do so, Saudi Arabia has unilaterally launched a new regional bloc, the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF), a potential violation of FIFA and AFC rules.

The federation would be made up of members of both the AFC and the Amman-based West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) that groups all Middle Eastern nations except for Israel and is headed by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, a prominent advocate of soccer governance reform.

All of this could come to a head on the pitch if both Saudi Arabia and Iran were to make it out of the group stage and clash in the semi-finals.

“Saudi Arabia’s clash with Iran would be an explosive affair,” said a headline in the Asia Times.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi Arabia is playing in the World Cup finals for the first time in more than a decade

Saudi Arabia has much at stake when its national soccer team enters the pitch for the opening match of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow. With politics a permanent fixture, Saudi Arabia is playing in the World Cup finals for the first time in more than a decade at a moment that the kingdom is vying for enhanced influence in global and regional governance of the sport. In a world in which international sports associations stubbornly maintain the fiction that sports and politics are separate, Saudi sports czar, Turki al-Sheikh, the chairman of the kingdom’s General Sport Authority and a close associate of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was unequivocal in his assertions that his decisions were based on what he deemed “Saudi Arabia’s best (political) interest.” Barely 24 hours before the opening match, Saudi Arabia made good on Mr. Al-Sheikh’s assertion that the kingdom’s international sports policy would be driven by former US President George W. Bush’s post 9/11 principle of “you are either with us or against.” With Morocco’s bid for the 2026 World Cup in mind, Mr. Al-Sheikh had earlier warned that "to be in the grey area is no longer acceptable to us. There are those who were mistaken in their direction … If you want support, it'll be in Riyadh. What you're doing is a waste of time…," Mr. Al-Sheikh said. An analysis of the Arab vote in world soccer body FIFA’s ballot in which Morocco lost out against a joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico, produced a mirror image of the deep divisions in the Arab world over regional disputes, including the one-year-old Saudi-United Arab Emirates-led economic and diplomatic boycott of Qatar and the kingdom’s rivalry with Iran. Angry at what they asserted was a successful Saudi campaign to persuade Arab and Islamic countries to break with the principle of Arab, African and Muslim solidarity and to vote for North America rather than Morocco, Moroccan officials suggested that the vote was likely to deepen divisions and further strain once close ties between the two kingdoms. Adopting a Saudi Arabia First approach, Mr. Al-Sheikh noted that the United States “is our biggest and strongest ally.” He recalled that when the World Cup was played in 1994 in nine American cities, the US “was one of our favourites. The fans were numerous, and the Saudi team achieved good results.” Mr. Al-Sheikh’s remarks followed a veiled threat by President Donald J. Trump, in violation of guidelines regarding political influence of world soccer body FIFA, against nations that may oppose the US-led proposition. The FIFA vote on the eve of the World Cup was the latest element in the Saudi attempt to exert influence in soccer governance with the kingdom’s spat with Morocco only one of several public controversies involving Saudi Arabia and Mr. Al-Sheikh. Casting a shadow over Saudi Arabia’s success in qualifying for the World Cup was the fact that hours before the opening match, Saudi fans remained deprived of legal access to broadcasts of matches. Saudi Arabia has yet to reach an agreement with beIN, the sports subsidiary of the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera television network that owns the broadcasting rights. The states boycotting Qatar are demanding that the Gulf state shutter Al Jazeera or at least curb its freewheeling reporting and talk shows that often challenge the policies of countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. As a matter of principle, BeIN has been blocked in the boycotting states for the past year. While Saudi Arabia has sought to ignore Qatar’s rights by creating beOutQ, a 10-channel bootlegging operation based in the kingdom, the UAE backed down at the 11th hour from its blockage of beIN broadcasts but maintained its jamming of Al Jazeera. beOutQ transmits over Arabsat, a Riyadh-based satellite provider Arabsat owned by Saudi Arabia. Unable to challenge the Saudi action in Saudi courts, Qatar has urged world soccer body FIFA to take action against what it described as Saudi pirate broadcasters Egypt, a member of the anti-Qatar, alliance has asserted that the awarding of the broadcasting rights to beIN violated its competition law and said it would oblige FIFA to allow its state broadcaster to broadcast 22 matches free to air, including those of the Egyptian national team. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) warned Saudi Arabia and Egypt by implication on the eve of the World Cup not to pirate World Cup broadcasts. "Recently, an entity called beOutQ has put in place a major piracy operation against beIN Media Group. In this regard, CAF strongly condemns the practice of the audio-visual piracy of sport events, a real scourge for our industry. CAF is determined to take all necessary against beoutQ if any of CAF matches are pirated,” the soccer body said. The Saudi national squad’s geopolitical baggage in Russia contains more goodies. Against the backdrop of a Saudi-UAE campaign to get FIFA to deprive Qatar of its 2022 hosting rights, Saudi Arabia has been manoeuvring to ensure that it has greater say in the issue while at the same time isolating Iran in the global soccer family. In a further bid to complicate life for Qatar, Saudi Arabia backed a proposal to speed up the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams from 32, which is now scheduled for 2026, by making it already applicable to the 2022 World Cup. FIFA has delayed a decision on the issue. If adopted, Qatar could be forced to share the hosting of the 2022 tournament with others in the region. Iran has already offered to help Qatar. The Saudi-UAE moves come on the back of a two-pronged Saudi effort to gain a measure of control of global soccer governance. Global tech investor Softbank, which counts Saudi Arabia and the UAE among its largest investors, is believed to be behind a $25 billion proposal embraced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to revamp the FIFA Club World Cup and launch of a Global Nations League tournament. If approved, the proposal would give Saudi Arabia a significant voice in global soccer governance. Complimenting the Saudi FIFA bid is a Saudi effort to undermine the position of the 47-nation Asian Football Confederation AFC headed by Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, a member of the Bahrain ruling family and one of the most powerful men in global soccer. To do so, Saudi Arabia has unilaterally launched a new regional bloc, the South West Asian Football Federation (SWAFF), a potential violation of FIFA and AFC rules. The federation would be made up of members of both the AFC and the Amman-based West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) that groups all Middle Eastern nations except for Israel and is headed by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, a prominent advocate of soccer governance reform. All of this could come to a head on the pitch if both Saudi Arabia and Iran were to make it out of the group stage and clash in the semi-finals. “Saudi Arabia’s clash with Iran would be an explosive affair,” said a headline in the Asia Times. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Saudi Arabia drags geopolitical baggage on to the World Cup pitch

Oil prices eased on Tuesday, paring earlier gains, although volatility subsided to its lowest in three weeks, as investors prepared for a key meeting of the OPEC producer group next week.

Crude remained in a tight trading range, in line with the broader financial markets, which were largely unruffled by a US-North Korea summit aimed at the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries released its monthly report on Tuesday, in which it cited the high degree of uncertainty hanging over the global oil market this year.

Brent crude futures fell 29 cents to $76.17 a barrel by 1143 GMT, while US&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased 12 cents to $65.98.

"The market has been rangebound for two weeks and that is likely to remain the case," Ole Hansen, senior manager at Saxo Bank, said.

OPEC, together with partners including Russia, has cut oil output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since January 2017 in an effort to boost the market.

Volatility in oil prices has subsided due to caution around the group's meetings scheduled for June 22-23, at which it will decide on future supply policy.

With US&nbsp;sanctions threatening to cut Iranian exports and the potential for more declines in Venezuelan production, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and Russia have indicated they would be willing to raise output to make up for any supply shortfall.

Russian production reportedly climbed to 11.1 million bpd in early June.

In the United States, output has risen by almost a third in the last two years, to a record 10.8 million bpd.

Top exporter Saudi Arabia - which has so far led OPEC's efforts to withhold supplies - is also showing signs of raising production.

OPEC said on Tuesday the outlook in the second half of the year is highly uncertain even though the oil producer group's figures show a global glut is gone, suggesting exporters will be in no rush to fully relax output curbs next week.

"Recently, crude oil futures have lost some momentum amid uncertainty as traders prepare for potentially more supply returning to the market," the group said.

"I feel that if they would like to be a responsible swing producer for the global oil market, based on their (demand) numbers, they should increase production by at least 1 million bpd from the current level," PVM Oil Associates strategist Tamas Varga said. 
&nbsp;

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries released its monthly report on Tuesday, in which it cited the high degree of uncertainty hanging over the global oil market this year

Oil prices eased on Tuesday, paring earlier gains, although volatility subsided to its lowest in three weeks, as investors prepared for a key meeting of the OPEC producer group next week. Crude remained in a tight trading range, in line with the broader financial markets, which were largely unruffled by a US-North Korea summit aimed at the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries released its monthly report on Tuesday, in which it cited the high degree of uncertainty hanging over the global oil market this year. Brent crude futures fell 29 cents to $76.17 a barrel by 1143 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures eased 12 cents to $65.98. "The market has been rangebound for two weeks and that is likely to remain the case," Ole Hansen, senior manager at Saxo Bank, said. OPEC, together with partners including Russia, has cut oil output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) since January 2017 in an effort to boost the market. Volatility in oil prices has subsided due to caution around the group's meetings scheduled for June 22-23, at which it will decide on future supply policy. With US sanctions threatening to cut Iranian exports and the potential for more declines in Venezuelan production, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia and Russia have indicated they would be willing to raise output to make up for any supply shortfall. Russian production reportedly climbed to 11.1 million bpd in early June. In the United States, output has risen by almost a third in the last two years, to a record 10.8 million bpd. Top exporter Saudi Arabia - which has so far led OPEC's efforts to withhold supplies - is also showing signs of raising production. OPEC said on Tuesday the outlook in the second half of the year is highly uncertain even though the oil producer group's figures show a global glut is gone, suggesting exporters will be in no rush to fully relax output curbs next week. "Recently, crude oil futures have lost some momentum amid uncertainty as traders prepare for potentially more supply returning to the market," the group said. "I feel that if they would like to be a responsible swing producer for the global oil market, based on their (demand) numbers, they should increase production by at least 1 million bpd from the current level," PVM Oil Associates strategist Tamas Varga said.

Oil eases; OPEC cites uncertain market outlook for 2018

Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&nbsp;is appearing at their first World Cup finals since 2006 when they exited at the end of the group phase of the competition for the third tournament in a row.

The country's high point remains their debut qualification for the World Cup, when they reached the round of 16 in the United States in 1994 after a memorable 1-0 win over Belgium, courtesy of Saeed Al Owairan's slaloming wonder goal.

<hr />
Coach:&nbsp;Juan Antonio Pizzi

Argentina-born former Spain international midfielder Pizzi took over as&nbsp;Saudi Arabia&nbsp;head coach in late November 2017 after Dutchman Bert van Marwijk, who qualified the country for the finals, did not have his contract renewed.

Van Marwijk was initially replaced by Edgardo Bauza but he was fired after just three friendlies to be replaced by Pizzi, who led Chile to the Copa America Centario and the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup.

<hr />
Key players:

Yahya Al Shehri: Diminutive in stature but an important player for&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&nbsp;over the last five years, Al Shehri's trickery and eye for a pass make him one of&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia's more potent weapons. Al Shehri has spent several months on loan with La Liga side Leganes in the lead-up to the World Cup from his parent club Al Nassr.

Taisir Al Jassim: Veteran playmaker Al Jassim has been one of&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia's most gifted passers over the last decade and qualification for the World Cup is just reward for a fine player who has represented his country more than 120 times while also leading club side Al Ahli to the Saudi&nbsp;title in 2016.

Fahad Al Muwallad: A pacy winger who scored the goal against Japan that ensured&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 2006, Al Muwallad's direct running and eye for goal will be important for his country if they are to harbour ambitions of moving beyond the group stage.

<hr />
Form guide:

Saudi&nbsp;Arabia's results since securing qualification for the finals have been disappointing, with the country knocked out of the keenly contested Gulf Cup at the end of the group phase in December.

They have won only one of their four warm-up games ahead of Russia. While games against Moldova and Iraq were low key, second-string affairs, a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Belgium in late March suggests much work still needs to be done.

<hr />
How they qualified:

Victory over already-qualified Japan in their final qualifying match in Jeddah sealed progress to the World Cup finals for&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, who finished ahead of Australia on goal difference after a demanding campaign.

<hr />
Prospects:

The coaching changes since qualification was confirmed mean&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia's preparations have been disjointed while a decision to send a number of key players to Spanish clubs in a bid to give them more experience has backfired.

The opening game against Russia will be vital for Pizzi and his team as they seek to set a positive tone for the rest of their campaign, while the meeting with Arab rivals Egypt will be among the most keenly followed matches in the Middle East.

But, with the team falling short of the standards achieved under Van Marwijk, a first-round exit is most likely.

<hr />
Saudi Arabia's Fixtures:

June 14

08:30 PM | Russia vs Saudi Arabia 8:30 PM Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

June 19

11:30 PM | Russia vs Egypt | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg 

June 25

07:30 PM | Uruguay vs Russia | Cosmos Arena, Samara

<hr />
Squad:

Goalkeepers:&nbsp;Yasser Al Mosailem, Fawaz Al-Qarni, Abdullah Al-Mayouf, Waleed Abdullah

Defenders:&nbsp;Osama Hawsawi, Omar Hawsawi, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Hussein Abdulghani, Motaz Hawsawi, Ahmed Dokhi

Mid-fielders:&nbsp;Fahad Al-Muwallad, Yahya Al-Shehri, Taisir Al-Jassim, Salem Al-Dawsari, Nawaf Al Abed, Ibrahim Ghaleb, Mohammad Al-Shalhoub, Salman Al-Faraj, Housain Al-Moqahwi, Abdullah Otayf

Forwards:&nbsp;&nbsp;Fahad Al-Muwallad, Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, Naif Hazazi, Nasser Al-Shamrani, Mukhtar Fallatah, Salman Al-Moasher, Yousef Al-Salem

<img alt="fifa 2018 Russia.jpg" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="430" src="http://images.wionews.com/iniline-images/sports/fifa%202018%20Russia.jpg" width="770" />

Saudi Arabia is appearing at their first World Cup finals since 2006 when they exited at the end of the group phase of the competition for the third tournament in a row

Saudi Arabia is appearing at their first World Cup finals since 2006 when they exited at the end of the group phase of the competition for the third tournament in a row. The country's high point remains their debut qualification for the World Cup, when they reached the round of 16 in the United States in 1994 after a memorable 1-0 win over Belgium, courtesy of Saeed Al Owairan's slaloming wonder goal. Coach: Juan Antonio Pizzi Argentina-born former Spain international midfielder Pizzi took over as Saudi Arabia head coach in late November 2017 after Dutchman Bert van Marwijk, who qualified the country for the finals, did not have his contract renewed. Van Marwijk was initially replaced by Edgardo Bauza but he was fired after just three friendlies to be replaced by Pizzi, who led Chile to the Copa America Centario and the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup. Key players: Yahya Al Shehri: Diminutive in stature but an important player for Saudi Arabia over the last five years, Al Shehri's trickery and eye for a pass make him one of Saudi Arabia's more potent weapons. Al Shehri has spent several months on loan with La Liga side Leganes in the lead-up to the World Cup from his parent club Al Nassr. Taisir Al Jassim: Veteran playmaker Al Jassim has been one of Saudi Arabia's most gifted passers over the last decade and qualification for the World Cup is just reward for a fine player who has represented his country more than 120 times while also leading club side Al Ahli to the Saudi title in 2016. Fahad Al Muwallad: A pacy winger who scored the goal against Japan that ensured Saudi Arabia qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 2006, Al Muwallad's direct running and eye for goal will be important for his country if they are to harbour ambitions of moving beyond the group stage. Form guide: Saudi Arabia's results since securing qualification for the finals have been disappointing, with the country knocked out of the keenly contested Gulf Cup at the end of the group phase in December. They have won only one of their four warm-up games ahead of Russia. While games against Moldova and Iraq were low key, second-string affairs, a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Belgium in late March suggests much work still needs to be done. How they qualified: Victory over already-qualified Japan in their final qualifying match in Jeddah sealed progress to the World Cup finals for Saudi Arabia, who finished ahead of Australia on goal difference after a demanding campaign. Prospects: The coaching changes since qualification was confirmed mean Saudi Arabia's preparations have been disjointed while a decision to send a number of key players to Spanish clubs in a bid to give them more experience has backfired. The opening game against Russia will be vital for Pizzi and his team as they seek to set a positive tone for the rest of their campaign, while the meeting with Arab rivals Egypt will be among the most keenly followed matches in the Middle East. But, with the team falling short of the standards achieved under Van Marwijk, a first-round exit is most likely. Saudi Arabia's Fixtures: June 14 08:30 PM | Russia vs Saudi Arabia 8:30 PM Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow June 19 11:30 PM | Russia vs Egypt | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg June 25 07:30 PM | Uruguay vs Russia | Cosmos Arena, Samara Squad: Goalkeepers: Yasser Al Mosailem, Fawaz Al-Qarni, Abdullah Al-Mayouf, Waleed Abdullah Defenders: Osama Hawsawi, Omar Hawsawi, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Hussein Abdulghani, Motaz Hawsawi, Ahmed Dokhi Mid-fielders: Fahad Al-Muwallad, Yahya Al-Shehri, Taisir Al-Jassim, Salem Al-Dawsari, Nawaf Al Abed, Ibrahim Ghaleb, Mohammad Al-Shalhoub, Salman Al-Faraj, Housain Al-Moqahwi, Abdullah Otayf Forwards: Fahad Al-Muwallad, Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, Naif Hazazi, Nasser Al-Shamrani, Mukhtar Fallatah, Salman Al-Moasher, Yousef Al-Salem

FIFA World Cup 2018: A complete profile of Saudi Arabia

Three Gulf Arab states pledged $2.5 billion in aid to Jordan today in an effort to stabilize the U.S.-allied kingdom as it faces its worst protests in years over government austerity plans that include tax increases.

The money from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will go toward a deposit in Jordan's Central Bank, cover World Bank guarantees for the kingdom, offer budget support and finance other development projects.

The hope is the five-year aid package, which mirrors a similar aid package offered by Gulf states in 2011, will help Jordan come up with a new, more-palatable austerity plan to satisfy international lenders and its public.

The money came after an early morning meeting in Mecca attended by Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi King Salman, Kuwait's ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's vice president and prime minister.&nbsp;

Also on hand was Saudi Arabia's assertive 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though he sat off to the side of a circular table that hosted the leaders.

The statement quoted King Abdullah II as saying he hoped the aid would help his country overcome its fiscal crisis.

In December 2011, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that is headquartered in Saudi Arabia pledged to give $2.5 billion in aid each to Jordan and Morocco, both of which had been invited to join the regional group that year.

The pledge from the GCC was to last five years. It expired last year and so far the six-member GCC has yet to offer any additional funding as the bloc remains split by a diplomatic crisis with Qatar. Jordan receives over $1 billion a year from the US, as well as aid from Europe and elsewhere.

Jordan's protests have led to the firing of its prime minister. While peaceful, the protests threaten the stability of a kingdom strained by hosting those who fled the wars in Iraq and Syria. Jordan also is one of only two Arab nations to have full diplomatic relations with Israel and plays an instrumental role in the region and in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

The money from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will go toward a deposit in Jordan's Central Bank, cover World Bank guarantees for the kingdom, offer budget support and finance other development projects

Three Gulf Arab states pledged $2.5 billion in aid to Jordan today in an effort to stabilize the U.S.-allied kingdom as it faces its worst protests in years over government austerity plans that include tax increases. The money from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will go toward a deposit in Jordan's Central Bank, cover World Bank guarantees for the kingdom, offer budget support and finance other development projects. The hope is the five-year aid package, which mirrors a similar aid package offered by Gulf states in 2011, will help Jordan come up with a new, more-palatable austerity plan to satisfy international lenders and its public. The money came after an early morning meeting in Mecca attended by Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi King Salman, Kuwait's ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's vice president and prime minister. Also on hand was Saudi Arabia's assertive 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, though he sat off to the side of a circular table that hosted the leaders. The statement quoted King Abdullah II as saying he hoped the aid would help his country overcome its fiscal crisis. In December 2011, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that is headquartered in Saudi Arabia pledged to give $2.5 billion in aid each to Jordan and Morocco, both of which had been invited to join the regional group that year. The pledge from the GCC was to last five years. It expired last year and so far the six-member GCC has yet to offer any additional funding as the bloc remains split by a diplomatic crisis with Qatar. Jordan receives over $1 billion a year from the US, as well as aid from Europe and elsewhere. Jordan's protests have led to the firing of its prime minister. While peaceful, the protests threaten the stability of a kingdom strained by hosting those who fled the wars in Iraq and Syria. Jordan also is one of only two Arab nations to have full diplomatic relations with Israel and plays an instrumental role in the region and in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

3 Gulf Arab states pledge $2.5 billion to Jordan after protests

Three civilians were killed in the south of Saudi Arabia from a missile launched from Yemen by the Houthi movement, said Saudi state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV on Saturday night.

The Al Houthis, an Iran-allied group that controls the capital Sana’a, have fired a series of missiles into the kingdom in recent months, part of a three-year-old conflict in Yemen. <ins><img alt="" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="0" src="https://wtf2.forkcdn.com/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=0&campaignid=0&zoneid=2360&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fgulfnews.com%2Fnews%2Fgulf%2Fsaudi-arabia%2Ftwo-dead-in-saudi-arabia-from-missile-attack-1.2234298&referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.in%2F&cb=4c15c55a8c" width="0" /></ins>

A US-backed, Saudi-led military coalition is fighting against the Al Houthis on behalf of the government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Al Hadi, who lives in exile in Riyadh.

The Houthis, an Iran-allied group that controls much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have fired a series of missiles into the kingdom in recent months, part of a three-year-old conflict in Yemen widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The three civilians were killed in Saudi's Jizan province in southern Saudi Arabia. The coalition said it would retaliate against anyone who threatens the safety of its citizens and residents.

Last month, the group fired a salvo of missiles at the capital Riyadh, saying it was targeting economic targets.

The Huthi rebels have ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015.

A US-backed, Saudi-led military coalition is fighting against the Al Houthis on behalf of the government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Al Hadi, who lives in exile in Riyadh

Three civilians were killed in the south of Saudi Arabia from a missile launched from Yemen by the Houthi movement, said Saudi state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV on Saturday night. The Al Houthis, an Iran-allied group that controls the capital Sana’a, have fired a series of missiles into the kingdom in recent months, part of a three-year-old conflict in Yemen. A US-backed, Saudi-led military coalition is fighting against the Al Houthis on behalf of the government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Al Hadi, who lives in exile in Riyadh. The Houthis, an Iran-allied group that controls much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have fired a series of missiles into the kingdom in recent months, part of a three-year-old conflict in Yemen widely seen as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The three civilians were killed in Saudi's Jizan province in southern Saudi Arabia. The coalition said it would retaliate against anyone who threatens the safety of its citizens and residents. Last month, the group fired a salvo of missiles at the capital Riyadh, saying it was targeting economic targets. The Huthi rebels have ramped up missile attacks against neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition that has fought the insurgents since 2015.

Three dead in south of Saudi Arabia from missile attack

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