Kamis, 01 Agustus 2019
Osama Bin Laden's son killed in military operation - CBS This Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V7CBxiZWVk
2019-08-01 11:27:33Z
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Team Trump Turns to Lindsey Graham to Cut an Iran Deal - The Daily Beast
President Trump wants a new deal with Iran to replace the nuclear agreement he pulled out of, and he’s turning to one of his most hawkish confidants to help do it.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is working in close coordination with senior Trump administration officials who focus on Middle East policy to find an alternative to the Obama administration’s Iran deal, four people with knowledge of the efforts tell The Daily Beast. Part of that effort includes fielding ideas from outside actors, including foreign officials, two of those sources said.
Graham’s developing role in the Trump administration’s Iran strategy comes as the State Department, Department of Defense, and other government agencies try to manage the delicate relationship between Washington and Tehran.
The two countries have engaged in tit-for-tat escalations over the last several months, feeding fears on Capitol Hill that the two countries are on a crash course that could likely end in a direct military conflict. The situation has worsened in recent weeks, with the Trump administration accusing Iran of attacking tankers in the Gulf of Hormuz, which it heavily patrols.
Despite the growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the Trump administration and officials in Tehran have signaled they are willing to meet and negotiate with each other. But neither side is ready to take the plunge just yet.
Iran policy experts, some of whom worked with the former Obama administration, said Tehran will not engage in talks about a revised nuclear deal unless the U.S. rolls back at least some of its sanctions on the country. And with the Treasury Department's recent sanctioning of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the chances of negotiations moving forward anytime soon seem unlikely, those sources said.
In the meantime, though, Trump administration officials, and now apparently Graham, are actively working to put together plans for a new nuclear deal.
Graham has been one of the most outspoken senators on Iran. In June, following a classified briefing on tensions between Washington and Tehran, Graham said the U.S. was “closer” to a military confrontation.
“This is a provocative regime that shoots its own people down in the street, that threatens the existence of the state of Israel. This is an enemy of mankind, and if you are not willing to take this enemy on, you will regret it,” Graham said.
Now, though, it appears Graham is keen on finding a new deal that the U.S. can bring to the negotiating table.
It is unclear how far along the team is in crafting a proposal, but Graham did travel to Israel earlier this month to meet with officials about the situation with Iran.
In an interview with The Daily Beast on Wednesday, Graham said he had spoken to Trump about his ideas for a new nuclear deal several times and that the president was contemplating them. The senator said the U.S. should ask the Iranian regime to agree to a so-called 123 Agreement—a key, legally binding commitment that requires countries doing nuclear deals with the U.S. to sign on to nonproliferation standards. The U.S. has entered into those agreements with more than 40 countries.
“I told the president: Put the 123 on the table with the Iranians. Make them say ‘no,’” Graham told The Daily Beast. “I think the Iranians will say no. And I think that will force the Europeans’ hands.”
The U.S. should also require Iran to sign on to the “gold standard,” a pledge not to enrich and reprocess nuclear fuel, Graham said. Enrichment and reprocessing are key steps on the way to a nuclear weapon.
“If countries want to have their own nuclear industry, that’s fine. I’m not against that. But countries can do that without enrichment and reprocessing, without making their own fuel.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham
“If countries want to have their own nuclear industry, that’s fine. I’m not against that. But countries can do that without enrichment and reprocessing, without making their own fuel,” Graham said. “The problem the Trump administration has is how do you make a flawed deal better? We need to extend a new deal that cannot be manipulated in the future. If the [State Department] has a better plan, then fine, but I think this is a good option.”
Graham said all countries in the Middle East should agree to both 123 Agreements and the “gold standard.” “It’s reasonable for the entire region,” he said. “Except for Israel. I’m not talking about Israel. They’re in their own sort of… category.”
Graham, too, wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month with Gen. Jack Keane, a member of IP3, a firm that worked with Trump advisers to export U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. The senator said he wrote the opinion piece with Keane because the two had discussed the idea of proposing Iran a 123 Agreement. Keane and IP3 have been pushing for a U.S. nuclear comeback by way of nuclear exports to the Middle East.
“The U.S. could begin supplying fuel rods for nuclear reactors throughout the Arab world. Dozens of nations already operate under similar nuclear frameworks,” the op-ed said. “Under this proposal, Iran could become a legitimate nuclear-power nation with all the benefits of following international rules. But under no circumstances would it be permitted to enrich nuclear material for the purpose of building a weapon.”
Asked about Graham’s work on Iran, the State Department said: “The U.S. is seeking a deal with Iran that comprehensively addresses the regime’s destabilizing behavior—not just its nuclear program, but also its missile program, support for terrorist proxies, and malign regional behavior,” a department spokesperson said in a statement. “We want Iran to behave like a ‘normal nation.’”
“Trump has repeatedly joked about all the countries Graham wants the U.S. military to invade, and conversely has privately praised Paul as someone who ‘won’t let’ America start ‘World War III.’”
— Sources who’ve spoken to the president about each senator
Graham’s involvement comes at a time when Rand Paul, another Republican who regularly advises Trump, is working behind the scenes to influence the administration’s policy toward the Islamic Republic. The Kentucky senator proposed his own plan, first reported in Politico last month, to become a diplomatic emissary to Iran, with the president signing off on Paul’s mission.
According to Politico, Paul personally made this pitch to Trump while playing a round of golf at the president’s club in Sterling, Virginia. Two sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Daily Beast that Paul had been warming Trump to the idea starting at least two weeks before they played that round of golf. Further, a spokesman for Paul said that the senator “has had multiple conversations with [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo on this issue” in recent weeks, including on the emissary proposal.
When Trump and Paul were on that golf course together discussing Iran and diplomacy, Graham was there with them. However, the two Trump allies have vastly divergent approaches to the region.
According to those who’ve spoken to the president about each senator, Trump has repeatedly joked about all the countries Graham wants the U.S. military to invade, and conversely has privately praised Paul as someone who “won’t let” America start “World War III.”
It is unclear whether the president will even attempt to have the two men work together on Iran policy. When asked by The Daily Beast if he was coordinating with Paul on the issue, Graham chuckled and simply said, “No.” After an extended pause, he added, “I’m not sure what he’s doing.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/team-trump-turns-to-lindsey-graham-to-cut-an-iran-deal
2019-08-01 13:33:00Z
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Hamza Bin Laden 'killed in air strike' - BBC News - BBC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHl_4x_h7fQ
2019-08-01 11:09:27Z
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Iran's president mocks 'childish' US sanctions against Tehran's top diplomat - Fox News
Iran’s president mocked as “childish” U.S. sanctions targeting the regime’s foreign minister, saying the actions will be a barrier to diplomacy.
The Trump administration imposed financial sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday in an effort to further pressure Iran to end its belligerent activities in the Persian Gulf region.
The move to penalize Zarif, an architect of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal who perceived as a more moderate figure in the Islamic Republic, follows Trump’s earlier executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SANCTIONS IRANIAN DIPLOMAT; FEINSTEIN DERIDES 'MISTAKE'
In this photo released by the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (Associated Press)
President Hassan Rouhani mocked the Trump administration in a speech in western Azerbaijan province, saying “They have started doing childish things.”
“Every day they claim: ‘We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions’. and then they put sanctions on the country’s foreign minister,” he added.
Though the sanctions target Zarif personally, they won’t stop him from traveling to New York for official United Nations business, in accordance with America’s international obligations.
“It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran,” Zarif himself tweeted about the U.S. move.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been heightened ever since the Trump administration pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal and then imposed punitive sanctions on the Iranian regime, sending the economy into freefall.
IRAN CALLS POMPEO'S OFFER TO ADDRESS IRANIAN PEOPLE IN TEHRAN A 'HYPOCRITICAL GESTURE'
But in recent months, Washington and Tehran were on a constant brink of war after the regime attacked oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and later shot down an unmanned American drone.
The attack on the drone prompted President Trump to order military strikes on the regime – only canceling them at the last minute over concerns of potential casualties on the Iranian side.
Iran also seized a British tanker earlier this month. The regime said the seizure was a response to British authorities seizing an Iranian tanker on route to Syria, though the U.K. says the tanker was seized because it carried oil and was in violation of sanctions against the Syrian regime.
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The Iran nuclear deal also unraveled in recent months amid the failure to force the European powers to provide economic relief amid U.S. sanctions, prompting the regime to announce that it’s openly exceeding limits on its nuclear activities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-president-mocks-trump-administration-sanctions-diplomat-childish
2019-08-01 11:00:54Z
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North Korea claims it tested new rocket system that could improve ability to strike South Korea, American b... - Fox News
North Korea says its leader Kim Jong Un supervised the first test-firing of a new multiple rocket launcher system that could improve the Hermit Kingdom’s abilities to strike targets in South Korea and American military bases there.
The report by the regime’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) contradicts the South Korean military’s claims that the Wednesday test was of two short-range ballistic missiles.
NORTH KOREA FIRED 'MULTIPLE' PROJECTILES OFF EAST COAST, SOUTH KOREA REPORTS
The launches from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan were the North’s second weapons test in less than a week and were perceived as an effort to pressure the U.S. and South Korean governments to restart the nuclear diplomacy that has stalled for months now.
People watch a TV showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 31, 2019. (Associated Press)
KCNA said Kim was satisfied with the test firing and said the newly developed rocket system would soon serve a “main role” in his military’s land combat operations, creating “inescapable distress to the forces becoming a fat target of the weapon.”
Such rocket systems, along with new short-range missiles that the regime tested last week, could pose a serious threat to South Korea’s defense.
NORTH KOREA SAYS NEW MISSILE TEST WAS 'SOLEMN WARNING' TO SOUTH KOREAN 'WARMONGERS'
The state media report didn’t disclose how the new rocket system performed, but noted that the test confirmed the system’s “combat effectiveness.”
Released test photos show Kim watching the spectacle with binoculars while a rocket shoots from what appears to be a launcher installed on a vehicle.
According to analysis by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the tested missiles flew about 155 miles at an apogee of 19 miles. At this range, the North would be able to hit targets in the region surrounding Seoul and a major U.S. military base just south of the city.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
The North Korea regime has been increasingly lashing out amid a stalemate over nuclear talks, despite Kim meeting with President Trump in June on the North-South Korean border and agreeing to continue the talks.
The regime said last Friday that the new missile test was a “solemn warning” to “South Korean military warmongers” over its weapons development and plans to hold joint military drills with the U.S.
Earlier last week, Kim also visited a newly built submarine and expressed his satisfaction with its weapons system. North Korea said its deployment was “near at hand.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-claims-it-tested-new-rocket-system-that-could-improve-ability-to-strike-south-korea-american-bases
2019-08-01 08:41:47Z
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Brexit: £2.1bn extra for no-deal planning - BBC News
The government has announced an extra £2.1bn of funding to prepare for a no-deal Brexit - doubling the amount of money it has set aside this year.
The plans include more border force officers and upgrades to transport infrastructure at ports.
There will also be more money to ease traffic congestion in Kent and tackle queues created by delays at the border.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell described the plans as "an appalling waste of taxpayers' cash".
The package also includes money for stockpiling medicines to ensure continued supplies and a national programme to help businesses.
"With 92 days until the UK leaves the European Union it's vital that we intensify our planning to ensure we are ready," said Chancellor Sajid Javid, announcing the move.
"We want to get a good deal that abolishes the anti-democratic backstop. But if we can't get a good deal, we'll have to leave without one.
"This additional £2.1bn will ensure we are ready to leave on 31 October - deal or no-deal."
The shadow chancellor said the extra money was "all for the sake of Boris Johnson's drive towards a totally avoidable no-deal".
He added: "This government could have ruled out no-deal and spent these billions on our schools, hospitals, and people.
"Labour is a party for the whole of the UK, so we'll do all we can to block a no-deal, crash-out Brexit."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously said he is willing to take the UK out of the EU on 31 October - whether a Brexit deal has been agreed or not.
"Turbo-charging" no-deal preparation is the energetic promise of the new Treasury, which under previous management had been accused by the now prime minister and his Brexiteer allies of dragging its feet on funding for such measures.
Some of this boost, however, is a repeat prescription for vital medicine supply - spending tens of millions again on reserving cross-Channel ferry capacity and for specialist warehousing and stockpiling that was not, in the end, required after the last Brexit deadline.
All this is designed to mitigate the anticipated freight gridlock around Dover and Calais.
But that is not entirely in the government's hands. Much depends on whether the French authorities choose to enforce full customs and health checks on freight from the UK.
The flow across the Channel also depends on the preparedness of many smaller traders, more than half of whom have not signed up to the most basic customs registration that will become mandatory for European trade under no-deal.
An advertising campaign will target this vital group. It will have to persuade them that no-deal is highly likely, even as the prime minister himself suggests the chances are vanishingly small.
Former Border Force director-general Tony Smith said the extra money was a "step in the right direction" but more should have been done earlier.
"I don't understand why this wasn't implemented three years ago when the government knew we were leaving the European Union," he said.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak insisted the latest funding was not a waste, even if the UK ended up leaving with a deal.
"A lot of the money we are spending is going to go on things that we would need to spend anyway because we're leaving the European Union," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"Investment in things like our ports, our border infrastructure... all of that is money we should be spending anyway for those new arrangements."
The new money consists of £1.1bn which will be provided to departments and devolved administrations immediately, while a further £1bn will be made available if needed.
This comes on top of £4.2bn, which has been allocated since 2016 for Brexit preparations by the previous chancellor, Philip Hammond.
But not all of that money would have been spent on getting ready for a no-deal scenario.
The measures announced by Mr Javid include £344m to be spent on new border and customs operations.
This includes recruiting an extra 500 border force officers, in addition to 500 already announced, while there will also be more money for training customs agents and processing UK passport applications.
Another £434m will be spent on ensuring continuity of vital medicines and medical products, including freight transport, warehousing and stockpiling.
Of the rest, £108m will go on promoting and supporting businesses "to ensure they are ready for Brexit", including a national programme of business readiness and "helping exporters to prepare for, and capitalise on, new opportunities".
There will also be a public information campaign and an increase in consular support for Britons living abroad, at a cost of £138m.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49183324
2019-08-01 07:14:21Z
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China's Hong Kong PLA garrison releases video with scenes of 'anti-riot' operations - Reuters
HONG KONG (Reuters) - As Hong Kong’s political crisis simmers amidst heated protests, China’s People’s Liberation Army in Hong Kong released a video showing footage of “anti-riot” exercises and its top brass warned violence is “absolutely impermissible”.
Protesters gather outside the Eastern Courts to support the arrested anti-extradition bill protesters who face rioting charges, as the typhoon Wipha approaches in Hong Kong, China July 31, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
The three-minute video posted on the Hong Kong garrison’s official Weibo social media account late on Wednesday included footage of troops firing guns and rockets, and of light tanks, attack helicopters and missile launchers.
The PLA has remained in barracks since protests started in April, leaving Hong Kong’s police force to deal with the massive and often violent protests in the Asian financial hub.
On Wednesday, 44 people were charged with rioting, the first time authorities have resorted to using the rioting charge.
In one sequence in the PLA video, titled “anti-riot drill footage”, ranks of troops advance with shields and truncheons on protesters, firing rifles into the air. Tear gas and water cannons rained down on protesters, as armored personnel carriers with battering rams raced forward, and troops laid barbed wire coils on the ground.
“All consequences are at your own risk,” one soldier shouted in Cantonese, the main Chinese dialect in Hong Kong, during the video clip.
A red flag with the words “Warning. Stop charging or we use force” was also held aloft, similar to what Hong Kong police have long used during protests.
At the end of the clip, several protesters with their hands cuffed can be seen being taken away.
Hong Kong has been plunged into its biggest political crisis since the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule in 1997 with a wave of protests against a now suspended extradition bill which would see people sent to mainland China for trial in Communist Party controlled courts
The protests which started in April have now transformed into broader demands including the resignation of Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam, and calls for a “free Hong Kong”.
As tensions continue to rise in Hong Kong as clashes between protesters and police grow increasingly violent, Chinese authorities have strongly condemned the violence, and issued reminders that Hong Kong authorities can request the assistance of the PLA Hong Kong garrison if necessary.
Diplomats and foreign security analysts are watching the situation closely, but believe there’s little appetite in Beijing for the PLA to be deployed on the streets of Hong Kong.
The role of the PLA in Hong Kong has long been one of the most sensitive elements of the city’s handover to China.
Amid growing speculation troops could be unleashed to quell violence, police chiefs have insisted their forces are capable of maintaining order.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule with a guarantee of its freedoms, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary not enjoyed on the mainland, for at least 50 years.
Under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, defense and foreign affairs are managed by Communist Party leaders in Beijing.
Chen Daoxiang, the commander of the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison said on Wednesday the violent protests in Hong Kong are “absolutely impermissible” according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.
Speaking at a reception to mark the 92nd anniversary of the PLA, Chen said the protests were “putting the bottom line of the “one country, two systems” principle to the test”.
He added the PLA would “resolutely safeguard” the country’s sovereignty and security, as well as Hong Kong’s stability.
In July, Reuters reported that Chen had assured a Pentagon official that Chinese troops will not interfere in the city’s affairs despite the political upheaval.
Reporting by James Pomfret, Greg Torode and Vimvam Tong; Editing by Michael Perry
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-pla/chinas-hong-kong-pla-garrison-releases-video-with-scenes-of-anti-riot-operations-idUSKCN1UR3HK
2019-08-01 05:12:00Z
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