IRAN
Tehran denies attacking ship
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday “strongly” rejected accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Tehran was behind an attack on the Israeli ship MV Helios Ray on Thursday on the Gulf of Oman. “We strongly deny this accusation,” spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a press conference, adding that Netanyahu is suffering from “an obsession with Iran.” The ship was traveling from the Saudi port of Dammam to Singapore when the blast occurred on Thursday, the London-based Dryad Global Maritime security group. It was not clear what caused the explosion, but it did not cause any casualties among the crew or damage to the engine.
TURKEY
Punish Saudi prince: critic
The fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi yesterday called for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to be punished after a US intelligence report found he had approved the killing. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post contributor, was killed and dismembered by a team linked to the crown prince in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. A US intelligence report on Friday found the prince had approved the killing, and Washington imposed sanctions on some of those involved — but not the prince. “It is essential that the crown prince ... should be punished without delay,” Hatice Cengiz said on Twitter. “If the crown prince is not punished, it will forever signal that the main culprit can get away with murder which will endanger us all and be a stain on our humanity.”
THAILAND
Rubber bullets hurt dozens
Dozens of Thai protesters and police were injured in violent clashes at an anti-government rally on Sunday, an emergency medical center said, as police yesterday acknowledged firing rubber bullets for the first time since protests started last year. Police also used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who marched on a military base in Bangkok, calling for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to give up direct command of the army unit housed there. Protesters threw bottles at police near barricades. “It was the first time rubber bullets were used,” Bangkok police chief Pakapong Pongpetra told reporters, claiming their use had been necessary to prevent the violence from escalating. The youth-led political movement is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and has broken taboos by calling for reform of the powerful monarchy.
CYPRUS
‘Satanic’ song upsets
A man has been charged with uttering threats and causing a disturbance after barging onto the grounds of Cyprus Broadcasting Corp (CyBC) to protest what he said was the country’s “blasphemous” entry into this year’s Eurovision song contest, police said on Sunday. The man, who has not been named, was released after being charged with four counts, including being verbally abusive. Police said witnesses to Saturday’s incident told investigators the man verbally accosted employees outside the CyBC’s news department. He was apparently upset that the broadcaster had selected the song El Diablo (The Devil) performed by Greek singer Elena Tsagrinou to represent Cyprus, since he said it was as an affront to Christianity. An association representing theologians who teach in high schools have also expressed their “disgust” over the song and called for it to be withdrawn because it “pledges life-long devotion and professes love for Satan,” Cyprus News Agency reported.
Romania’s electoral commission on Saturday excluded a second far-right hopeful, Diana Sosoaca, from May’s presidential election, amid rising tension in the run-up to the May rerun of the poll. Earlier this month, Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau barred Calin Georgescu, an independent who was polling at about 40 percent ahead of the rerun election. Georgescu, a fierce EU and NATO critic, shot to prominence in November last year when he unexpectedly topped a first round of presidential voting. However, Romania’s constitutional court annulled the election after claims of Russian interference and a “massive” social media promotion in his favor. On Saturday, an electoral commission statement
Chinese authorities increased pressure on CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd over its plan to sell its Panama ports stake by sharing a second newspaper commentary attacking the deal. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office on Saturday reposted a commentary originally published in Ta Kung Pao, saying the planned sale of the ports by the Hong Kong company had triggered deep concerns among Chinese people and questioned whether the deal was harming China and aiding evil. “Why were so many important ports transferred to ill-intentioned US forces so easily? What kind of political calculations are hidden in the so-called commercial behavior on the
‘DOWNSIZE’: The Trump administration has initiated sweeping cuts to US government-funded media outlets in a move critics said could undermine the US’ global influence US President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday began making deep cuts to Voice of America (VOA) and other government-run, pro-democracy programming, with the organization’s director saying all VOA employees have been put on leave. On Friday night, shortly after the US Congress passed its latest funding bill, Trump directed his administration to reduce the functions of several agencies to the minimum required by law. That included the US Agency for Global Media, which houses Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Asia and Radio Marti, which beams Spanish-language news into Cuba. On Saturday morning, Kari Lake, a former Arizona gubernatorial and US
Indonesia’s parliament yesterday amended a law to allow members of the military to hold more government roles, despite criticisms that it would expand the armed forces’ role in civilian affairs. The revision to the armed forces law, pushed mainly by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s coalition, was aimed at expanding the military’s role beyond defense in a country long influenced by its armed forces. The amendment has sparked fears of a return to the era of former Indonesian president Suharto, who ex-general Prabowo once served and who used military figures to crack down on dissent. “Now it’s the time for us to ask the
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