RIYADH — Five people were sentenced to death Monday over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder, but 2 top aides to the powerful crown prince were exonerated in a verdict that sparked international condemnation.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered in October last year in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate, tipping it into one of its worst diplomatic crises and tarnishing the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Out of 11 individuals indicted in the case -- most of whom remain unnamed -- 5 were sentenced to death, 3 face jail terms totaling 24 years and the others were acquitted, the public prosecutor said.
The verdict, which was lambasted by Turkey and rights groups as a travesty of justice, underscores Saudi efforts to draw a line under the crisis as it seeks to reboot its international image ahead of next year's G20 summit in Riyadh.
"The public prosecution's investigation showed that the killing was not premeditated at the start of this mission", but rather that it occurred in the heat of the moment, Saudi deputy prosecutor Shalaan al-Shalaan told a press conference.
The verdict can be appealed.
Riyadh has described the murder as a "rogue" operation, but both the CIA and a United Nations special envoy have directly linked Prince Mohammed to the killing, a charge the kingdom vehemently denies.
Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic, was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the consulate, according to Turkish officials. His remains have not been found.
Saudi prosecutors had said deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri oversaw Khashoggi's killing and the US Treasury had claimed the royal court's media czar Saud al-Qahtani was "part of the planning and execution" of the operation that led to the murder.
Qahtani was investigated but not indicted "due to insufficient evidence" and Assiri was charged, but eventually acquitted on the same grounds, Shalaan added.
Both aides were part of Prince Mohammed's tight-knit inner circle and were formally sacked over the killing, but only Assiri appeared in the court hearings, according to Western sources.
'IMPORTANT STEP': US
A US State Department official welcomed the verdicts as "an important step in holding those responsible for this terrible crime accountable".
"We're pressing them (Saudi Arabia) for more transparency and for holding everybody accountable," the official added.
Others took a stronger position.
Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, condemned the verdict as a "mockery".
"Bottom line: the hit-men are guilty, sentenced to death," she said on Twitter.
"The masterminds not only walk free. They have barely been touched by the investigation and the trial."
Turkey also blasted the "scandalous" verdict, saying those who dispatched the killers had been granted "impunity".
The Washington Post's publisher Fred Ryan denounced the "sham trial", adding that "those ultimately responsible" in the Saudi leadership had escaped responsibility.
"If the court ruling is meant to put the Khashoggi affair to rest, it is unlikely to succeed," H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told AFP.
"There is a strong belief among much of the international community that the senior Saudi establishment was behind the killing and this verdict does not inspire confidence that accountability has been achieved."
But Salah Khashoggi, the murdered journalist's son who resides in the kingdom and denies reports of a financial settlement with the government, welcomed the verdict, saying justice had been served.
RINGLEADER?
Qahtani, who led fiery social media campaigns against critics of the kingdom, has not appeared publicly since the murder and his whereabouts are a subject of fevered speculation.
Maher Mutreb, an intelligence operative who frequently traveled with the crown prince on foreign tours, forensic expert Salah al-Tubaigy and Fahad al-Balawi, a member of the Saudi royal guard, were among the 11 on trial, sources have told AFP.
It was unclear if they were among those sentenced to death.
The sources said that many of those accused defended themselves in court by saying they were carrying out Assiri's orders, describing him as the "ringleader" of the operation.
The Riyadh court hearing the case held a total of nine sessions attended by representatives of the international community as well as Khashoggi's family, Shalaan said.
Agence France-Presse
PARIS - Forty-nine journalists were killed across the world in 2019, Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday, the lowest death toll in 16 years.
The "historically low" number mostly died covering conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan, the Paris-based watchdog said, which warned that "journalism remains a dangerous profession".
Some 80 journalists a year have lost their lives on average over the last two decades, said the organisation, which is known by its French initials RSF.
But its head Christophe Deloire warned that the number of journalists murdered in countries supposedly at peace was still alarmingly high, with 10 dying in Mexico alone.
"Latin America, with a total of 14 reporters killed across the continent, has become as deadly as the Middle East," he added.
While he said that the fall in the number of fatalities in conflict zones was something to celebrate, "more and more journalists are being assassinated for their work in democratic countries, which is a real challenge to democracy."
While fewer journalists are dying, more are ending up behind bars, according to RSF.
Some 389 were locked up in 2019, up 12 percent on last year.
Nearly half were imprisoned in three countries -- China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which was blamed for the gruesome murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi at its embassy in Istanbul last year.
"China, which has intensified its repression of the (mostly Muslim) Uighur minority, alone holds a third of the journalists locked up in the world," RSF said.
Meanwhile, 57 journalists are being held hostage across the globe, mostly in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Ukraine.
"There has been no notable freeing of hostages this year despite major developments in Syria," the RSF said, which has led it to fear for the worst for many of those abducted.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - The US House voted Wednesday to block $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other allies, a rebuke of Donald Trump that will likely lead to a veto by the president.
Lawmakers, many of whom are outraged with the kingdom over Riyadh's role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, approved a series of measures that would prevent the controversial sales announced under emergency measures earlier this year by Trump.
The resolutions blocking the sales have already cleared the US Senate, and now go to the White House, where Trump is expected to issue a veto, the third of his presidency.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
RIYADH - Moments before Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered last October, two of his suspected murderers laying in wait at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate fretted about the task at hand, according to a UN report published on Wednesday.
Will it "be possible to put the trunk in a bag?" asked Maher Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence officer who worked for a senior advisor to Saudi crown prince, according to a report from the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions.
"No. Too heavy," responded Salah al-Tubaigy, a forensics doctor from the Interior Ministry who would dismember and dispose of the body. He expressed hope his task would "be easy".
Tubaiqy continued: "Joints will be separated. It is not a problem. The body is heavy. First time I cut on the ground. If we take plastic bags and cut it into pieces, it will be finished. We will wrap each of them."
Mutreb and 10 others are now standing trial in closed hearings in Saudi Arabia for their role in the crime.
Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, rejected the investigator's report as "nothing new".
He added in a tweet: "The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility."
The report, which calls for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials to be investigated over their liability for Khashoggi's death, relies on recordings and forensic work conducted by Turkish investigators and information from the trials of the suspects in Saudi Arabia.
Khashoggi, a critic of the prince and a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the consulate where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding.
TEXT MESSAGE
The report concludes that his murder was deliberate and premeditated. The CIA and some Western countries believe the crown prince ordered the killing, which Saudi officials deny.
Media reports have published the contents of some recordings obtained from inside the consulate, but the UN report discloses chilling new details.
At the end of the exchange with Tobaigy, Mutreb asks if "the sacrificial lamb" has arrived. At no point is Khashoggi's name mentioned, but two minutes later he enters the building.
Khashoggi is ushered to the consul general's office on the second floor where he meets Mutreb, whom he knew from when they worked together at the Saudi Embassy in London years earlier.
Mutreb tells Khashoggi to send his son a mobile text message.
"What should I say? See you soon? I can’t say kidnapping," Khashoggi responds.
"Cut it short," comes the reply. "Take off your jacket."
"How could this happen in an embassy?" Khashoggi says. "I will not write anything."
"Type it, Mr. Jamal. Hurry up. Help us so that we can help you because at the end we will take you back to Saudi Arabia and if you don’t help us you know what will happen at the end; let this issue find a good end," Mutreb says.
The report says the rest of the recordings contain sounds of movement, heavy panting and plastic sheets being wrapped, which Turkish intelligence concluded came after Khashoggi's death as Saudi officials dismembered his body.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.
Members of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.
Lawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.
"President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove ... There is no new 'emergency' reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there," said Senator Chris Murphy.
Murphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.
Several of Trump's fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the "holds" process would eliminate Congress' ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.
Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration’s action was "unfortunate" and likely to damage future White House interactions with Congress.
"I would have strongly preferred for the administration to utilize the long-established and codified arms sale review process," McCaul said in a statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a "one-time event."
It is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.
BOON TO DEFENSE INDUSTRY
In documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.
They include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.
Other companies that will benefit include General Electric , now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales , which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.
It will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.
"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia," Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.
Menendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.
The Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration's intent to move forward.
In a statement, Risch said, "I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications."
In his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. "Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad," he wrote, and cited "a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Tehran.
Trump's administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.
Members of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.
"This is about deterrence and it's not about war," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
RIYADH - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday arrived in Riyadh, where he is set to ask Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to ensure the killers of journalist Jamal Khashoggi are held accountable.
The top US diplomat, on an extensive Middle East tour, embarked on his second politically sensitive visit to Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi's murder inside its Istanbul consulate sparked an international outcry.
"We will continue to have a conversation with the crown prince and the Saudis about ensuring the accountability is full and complete with respect to the unacceptable murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Pompeo told reporters in Qatar, before flying to Riyadh.
"So, we'll continue to talk about that and make sure we have all the facts so that they are held accountable, certainly by the Saudis but by the United States as well."
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered on October 2 in what Saudi Arabia called a "rogue" operation, tipping the kingdom into one of its worst diplomatic crises and subsequently straining ties between Riyadh and Washington.
Pompeo was speaking in Doha after meeting his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani. He also met the Qatari emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, before heading to Saudi Arabia.
Pompeo's visit to Saudi Arabia, where he will be hosted by Prince Mohammed, is part of an extensive eight-day trip to Amman, Cairo, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, and finally Kuwait City.
SMILES WITH MBS
US President Donald Trump has brushed aside international outrage to stand by Prince Mohammed over the murder of Khashoggi, whose corpse was dismembered inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.
His support has come despite the US Central Intelligence Agency's reported conclusion that Prince Mohammed very likely ordered the murder. A bipartisan resolution approved by the US Senate last month also held the crown prince responsible for the killing.
Riyadh prosecutors have announced indictments against 11 people, and are seeking the death penalty against five of them. But Prince Mohammed, whose right-hand aides were allegedly involved in the murder, was exonerated by prosecutors.
On a previous visit to Riyadh at the height of the Khashoggi affair, Pompeo's broad smiles with the crown prince outraged some Americans.
However, Trump has said Washington wants to preserve the alliance with the oil-rich kingdom, which he sees as a bulwark against common foe Iran and a lucrative buyer of US arms.
Rights groups have called on Pompeo to also press Prince Mohammed over the jailing of women activists in the kingdom, amid claims that many of them faced sexual harassment and torture during interrogation.
"I am struck by what is not included in Pompeo's itinerary: the brave women activists of Saudi Arabia, who are being held in the kingdom’s prisons for seeking rights and dignity," Alia al-Hathloul wrote in The New York Times Sunday.
Hathloul's sister, Loujain, is among more than a dozen activists arrested last May -- just before the historic lifting of Saudi Arabia's decades-long ban on women drivers.
GULF CRISIS
During his visit to Qatar, Pompeo refused to comment on reports Washington had recently considered military action against Tehran.
He also called on Qatar and other Gulf countries to end the worst political rift in the region for years, which has seen Doha diplomatically and economically isolated by neighboring former allies for the past 19 months.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt -- all US allies -- cut ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups and seeking closer ties to Saudi arch-rival Iran.
Qatar -- also a US ally -- denies the allegations and accuses the countries of seeking regime change.
"As for the GCC... we are all more powerful when we're working together when we have common challenges in the region and around the world," Pompeo said, referring to the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
"Disputes between countries that have a shared objective are never helpful."
He added that "President Trump and I both believe the ongoing dispute in the region has gone on too long".
However, Pompeo later admitted in a Q&A session with US embassy staff in Doha that no progress was made on resolving the issue.
Mediation efforts by the United States, which at first appeared to back the boycott of Qatar, have stalled, as highlighted by the recent resignation of US envoy Anthony Zinni.
For Washington, turning the page on the crisis is essential for the successful launch of the Strategic Alliance of the Middle East (MESA), which is a NATO-style security pact that includes Gulf countries as well as Egypt and Jordan.
The US and Qatar held the second "strategic dialogue" between the two countries on Sunday, and signed agreements on defence, education and culture.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia on Sunday rejected as "interference" a US Senate resolution to end American military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, and another holding its crown prince responsible for the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi.
"The kingdom condemns the latest position of the US Senate that was based on unsubstantiated allegations and rejects the blatant interference in its internal affairs," the foreign ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Though largely symbolic, the US Senate vote on Thursday dealt a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime despite global uproar over the Yemen conflict and the murder of journalist Khashoggi.
On the Yemen measure, which more broadly attacks the president's prerogative to launch military action, 49 Democrats or their allies voted in favour, along with seven Republicans, while another three Republicans abstained.
The Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi's murder and calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, "responsible" for it.
The Saudi ministry warned that the kingdom would not tolerate any "disrespect" of its rulers.
"This position by the US Senate sends the wrong messages to all those who want to cause a rift in Saudi-US relationship," the ministry said.
"The kingdom hopes that it is not drawn into domestic political debates in the US to avoid any... significant negative impact on this important strategic relationship."
The Senate resolution acknowledged the US-Saudi ties were "important" but called on Riyadh to "moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy".
The resolutions cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump.
But the Senate votes send a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh.
Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to the Washington Post, was killed on October 2 shortly after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation.
The murder has tarnished Riyadh's international reputation, and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals.
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a "credible" probe into the murder.
Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen has also prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels.
Since the coalition launched its campaign in 2015, the conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - The United States will make final conclusions by early next week over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump said Saturday, following reports that the CIA had held Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly changed its official narrative of the October 2 murder, first denying any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts and later saying he was killed when an argument degenerated into a fistfight.
Earlier this week, a Saudi prosecutor exonerated the crown prince of involvement in the brutal murder.
Speaking to reporters in Malibu, California after surveying damage from wildfires, Trump said a "full report" on "who did it" would be completed by Monday or Tuesday.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert earlier said reports indicating the United States had already made final conclusions in the case were "inaccurate."
"There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr Khashoggi," she added.
The State Department will continue to seek facts and work with other countries to hold those involved in the killing accountable, Nauert said, "while maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia."
"In the meantime, we will continue to consult Congress, and work with other nations to hold accountable those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi."
She noted that Washington had already taken "decisive measures" against individuals, including visa and sanctions actions.
The remarks appeared to contradict reports that the Central Intelligence Agency had determined Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, a vocal critic.
'TRULY SPECTACULAR ALLY'
The killing and the international uproar it triggered has frayed ties between Washington and longtime ally Riyadh, which has sought to end discussion of the murder and rejected calls for an international investigation.
But ahead of a briefing by his secretary of state and CIA director, Trump demured when asked about possible retaliation against Riyadh.
"They have been a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development," Trump told reporters.
"And I also take that -- you know, I'm president -- I have to take a lot of things into consideration."
The Washington Post, which broke the story, said the CIA found that 15 Saudi agents flew on government aircraft to Istanbul and assassinated Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate.
Khashoggi, a Post columnist, had gone to the consulate to obtain documents necessary to marry his Turkish fiancee.
European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini meanwhile reiterated calls for a "thorough, credible and transparent" probe into Khashoggi's killing.
"The need remains to shed full clarity on the circumstances surrounding this horrendous crime as well as to ensure accountability for all those responsible for it," she said in a statement.
Reiterating the EU's categorical opposition to the death penalty, Mogherini said "we will continue to stress that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia must put in place measures to ensure that something like this can never happen again."
"In due course, the EU and its member states will consider how they can act together towards appropriate measures against those responsible, in support of the rules based international system," she added.
In the latest version of the events presented by the Saudi prosecutor on Thursday, a 15-member squad was formed to bring Khashoggi back from Istanbul "by means of persuasion" -- but instead ended up killing the journalist and dismembering his body in a "rogue" operation.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON- The US Central Intelligence Agency has concluded Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US media reported Friday, citing people close to the matter.
The US assessment directly contradicts the conclusions of a Saudi prosecutor one day prior, which exonerated the prince of involvement in the brutal murder.
But The Washington Post, which broke the story, said the CIA found that 15 Saudi agents flew on government aircraft to Istanbul and assassinated Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate.
Queried by AFP, the CIA declined to comment.
Khashoggi, a Post columnist, had gone to the consulate to obtain documents necessary to marry his Turkish fiancee.
Saudi Arabia -- which quickly dismissed the reported CIA findings -- has repeatedly changed its official narrative of the October 2 murder, first denying any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts and later saying he was killed when an argument degenerated into a fistfight.
In the latest version presented by the Saudi prosecutor on Thursday, a 15-member squad was formed to bring Khashoggi back from Istanbul "by means of persuasion" -- but instead ended up killing the journalist and dismembering his body in a "rogue" operation.
The CIA examined multiple intelligence sources, the Post said, among them a phone call between the prince's brother -- the Saudi ambassador to the United States -- and Khashoggi.
The ambassador reportedly told the late journalist that he would be safe to go to the consulate in Istanbul and get the papers he needed.
'SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T DO'
But a Saudi embassy spokesperson said that Ambassador Khalid bin Salman had never discussed "anything related to going to Turkey" with Khashoggi.
"Amb Prince Khalid bin Salman has never had any phone conversations with (Khashoggi)," the statement posted on the ambassador's Twitter account said.
"The claims in this purported assessment is false," it said.
The US intelligence agency also said in determining the crown prince's role it considered him a "de facto ruler" of Saudi Arabia: "The accepted position is that there is no way this happened without him being aware or involved," the Post quoted an official as saying.
That official dubbed Prince Mohammed a "good technocrat" -- but also someone unpredictable who "goes from zero to 60, doesn't seem to understand that there are some things you can't do."
The New York Times later reported that the CIA findings were also based on calls from the kill team to one of the crown prince's senior aides.
But the paper said that while the intercepts showed Prince Mohammed was working to lure Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the crown prince had not said in the calls that he wanted Khashoggi killed.
The Times cited officials as saying US and Turkish intelligence so far have not found direct evidence connecting the prince to Khashoggi's killing.
Following the reports, US Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday said Washington "is determined to hold all of those accountable who are responsible for that murder."
On the sidelines of an APEC summit in Papua New Guinea, Pence described the Saudi journalist's killing as an "atrocity" and an "affront to a free and independent press" but declined to comment on classified information.
The CIA conclusions threaten to further fray relations between Washington and longtime ally Riyadh, which has sought to end discussion of the murder and rejected calls for an international investigation.
"We are going to follow the facts," said Pence.
But he added the US wanted to find a way of preserving a "strong and historic partnership" with Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on 17 people, including close aides of Prince Mohammed, suggesting a coordinated effort between Riyadh and Washington to pre-empt the threat of harsher actions from an outraged US Congress.
US President Donald Trump has shied away from directly blaming the Crown Prince but on Friday agreed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that "any cover up of the incident should not be allowed."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SYDNEY -- Asian share markets face a rough ride on Thursday after a tumble in technology stocks inflicted the largest daily decline on Wall Street since 2011, wiping out all its gains for the year.
Nikkei futures were down 2.7 percent and pointing to opening losses of around 600 points for the cash index. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan seemed certain to start at its lowest since March last year.
The dive in formerly high-flying tech stocks sent investors scampering to the safety of sovereign bonds, with yields in 10-year Treasuries falling the most since May to 3.11 percent.
"Concerns that earnings growth may be peaking against an unsettled global backdrop and that fiscal stimulus will wane continued to weigh on sentiment," said analysts at ANZ in a note.
Global worries included the growing international pressure on Saudi Arabia over the death of Jamal Khashoggi.
Adding to the air of tension police intercepted suspected bombs mailed to former US President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other high-profile Democrats, as well as to CNN, in what New York officials branded an act of terrorism.
Weak readings on manufacturing in Europe added to angst over world growth, as did a surprise slump in US home sales which suggested rising mortgage rates were sapping demand for housing.
On Wall Street, disappointing forecasts from chipmakers hammered the tech sector. They followed disappointing forecasts on Tuesday from industrial giants Caterpillar and 3M .
The Nasdaq closed down 12.4 percent from its Aug. 29 record closing high, falling 4.4 percent for the day in its biggest one-day percentage decline since Aug. 18, 2011.
The Dow fell 2.41 percent and the S&P 500 lost 3.09 percent.
In currency markets, funds flowed to the US dollar and Treasuries and out of the euro and the British pound.
The euro shed 0.7 percent to $1.1397 and breached a major chart bulwark at $1.1430. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar climbed to a nine-week peak and was last trading at 96.370.
Sterling hit a seven-week trough $1.2865, having dropped 0.8 percent overnight.
The yen got the usual safe-haven bid, with the euro skidding to a two-month low at 127.68 yen. Even the dollar eased to 112.08 yen.
Oil prices eased amid all the concerns over global growth. Brent crude fell 76 cents to $75.68 a barrel, while US crude dropped 40 cents to $66.42.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's crown prince Wednesday denounced the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and vowed justice would prevail, without addressing US accusations of a botched cover-up over the killing by the Gulf kingdom.
After phoning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the October 2 killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul which has triggered an international diplomatic crisis, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged there would be "no rupture" in ties with Ankara.
"The incident was very painful for all Saudis, it's a repulsive incident and no one can justify it," Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in his first comments since the journalist's murder.
"Those responsible will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail," the heir apparent to the Saudi throne told a major investment forum in Riyadh, speaking in Arabic in his first public comments on the scandal.
Three weeks since Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen living in self-imposed exile, disappeared after walking into the consulate to get some marriage documents the crisis shows no signs of abating.
Washington moved late Tuesday to revoke the visas of a number of Saudis even though the two countries have long been allies, with Britain following suit on Wednesday.
Saudi leaders have denied involvement in Khashoggi's murder, pushing responsibility down the chain of command.
'No rift'
But Turkey has been leading their own investigation and Erdogan said the killing was meticulously planned, calling for 18 Saudis who have been detained by Saudi authorities to be tried in Istanbul.
Erdogan spoke with Prince Mohammed in their first telephone conversation since the killing, a Turkish presidential source said.
The two discussed "the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects," the source added.
Speaking at the investment forum, Prince Mohammed said: "Many are trying to exploit the Khashoggi affair to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and Turkey".
"But they will not succeed as long as there is a king named Salman and a crown prince named Mohammed bin Salman."
Since becoming heir apparent last year, Prince Mohammed has won plaudits for reforms including to end a decades-long ban on women drivers.
But his image has been tarnished by Khashoggi's murder despite repeated denials he had any involvement. And Riyadh's changing narrative has triggered deep skepticism abroad.
US President Donald Trump said the Saudis had a "very bad original concept" in killing the 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic.
"It was carried out poorly and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups," Trump said.
'Punitive measures '
Trump for the first time also appeared to indicate Prince Mohammed may have had a role in the Khashoggi case, telling the Wall Street Journal: "Well, the prince is running things over there more... so if anybody were going to be, it would be him."
The conference, nicknamed "Davos in the desert" aimed at drumming up funds to help Riyadh diversify its oil-reliant economy, has been overshadowed by the outcry over Khashoggi's murder with an array of big names pulling out of the event.
Faced with mounting calls for tough measures by US lawmakers across the political spectrum, the State Department said it had identified 21 Saudis whose visas would either be revoked or who would be ineligible for future visas.
"We are making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of action to silence Mr Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
British Prime Minister Teresa May said Britain was "taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK. If these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today".
France also weighed in, saying it would take "punitive measures" if Saudi Arabia was "proven" to be behind the murder.
'Unravelling the case'
Turkish pro-government media reported Wednesday that Turkish intelligence had shared "all the evidence" with the CIA gathered from its investigation into the killing of the Washington Post columnist.
The evidence included video and audio recordings from the consulate and the consul's residence and were shared with visiting CIA chief Gina Haspel, Sabah newspaper reported.
The whereabouts of Khashoggi's corpse is still unknown.
State media in Turkey said Wednesday that Saudi authorities had denied permission to Turkish police to search a well in the consulate's garden.
Erdogan vowed Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with their "savage murder".
"It is not over yet," he said. "We are unravelling, dismantling (the case) and the world is closely following."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
ANKARA - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday dismissed attempts by Riyadh to blame Jamal Khashoggi's "savage" killing on rogue operatives, saying the person who ordered the death of the prominent Saudi journalist must "be brought to account".
In a speech to parliament about a case that has sparked outrage around the globe, Erdogan did not mention Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing.
But he said Turkey would not complete its investigation into Khashoggi's death until all questions were answered and Turkey was told the identity of a local collaborator Riyadh says disposed of the body.
"Intelligence and security institutions have evidence showing the murder was planned.... Pinning such a case on some security and intelligence members will not satisfy us or the international community," he said.
"The Saudi administration has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments," he said.
"From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account."
A Saudi cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman said Riyadh would hold to account those responsible for the killing and those who failed in their duties, whoever they were.
Erdogan said the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body were still unknown and he demanded Saudi Arabia reveal the identity of a "local cooperator" who purportedly took the body.
Erdogan's speech coincided with the opening in Riyadh of an investment conference which Western political figures, leading international bankers and company executives have boycotted because of the furore around Khashoggi's death.
The Washington Post columnist, a sharp critic of the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, disappeared three weeks ago after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.
SAUDI VERSION
Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by Saudi agents. Turkish sources say authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing of the 59-year-old. Erdogan made no reference to any audio recording in his speech.
Riyadh initially denied knowledge of his fate before saying he was killed in a fight in the consulate. That version of events was greeted sceptically by several Western governments, straining relations with the world's biggest oil exporter.
Erdogan said three operatives arrived in Istanbul the day before Khashoggi's killing on an apparent reconnaissance mission. The next day 15 people came to the consulate, including security, intelligence and forensic experts. Consulate personnel were given the day off.
"Why did these 15 people meet in Istanbul on the day of the murder? We are seeking answers to this. Who are these people receiving orders from?" Erdogan said. He added he wanted Saudi Arabia to send the suspects to Turkey for trial.
The White House and the US Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Erdogan's remarks.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly played down any suggestion that the crown prince was involved in the killing but also warned of possible economic sanctions.
Trump has also repeatedly highlighted the kingdom's importance as a US ally and said Prince Mohammed was a strong and passionate leader.
For Saudi Arabia's allies, the question will be whether they believe that Prince Mohammed, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability. King Salman, 82, has handed the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to the 33-year-old prince.
HIT SQUAD
Trump spoke with Prince Mohammed on Sunday. He told reporters on Monday that he had teams in Saudi Arabia and Turkey working on the case and would know more about it after they returned to Washington on Monday night or Tuesday.
CIA Director Gina Haspel was travelling to Turkey on Monday to work on the Khashoggi investigation, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
On Saturday, Saudi state media said King Salman had fired five officials over the killing, including Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. Riyadh is also working with Turkey on a joint investigation
Erdogan spoke as hundreds of bankers and company executives joined Saudi officials at a palatial Riyadh hotel for the Future Investment Initiative, an annual event designed to help attract billions of dollars of foreign capital as part of reforms to end Saudi dependence on oil exports.
More than two dozen high-level speakers have pulled out following the outcry over Khashoggi's killing, which many foreign investors fear could damage Riyadh's ties with Western governments.
Despite the furore, Saudi Arabia said it expected to sign deals worth more than $50 billion in the oil, gas, industries and infrastructure sectors on the opening day, with companies including Trafigura, Total, Hyundai, Norinco, Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker Hughes.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday vowed to reveal within days the "naked truth" over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as Riyadh said it did not know the whereabouts of his body and that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been unaware of any operation to murder him.
The Turkish leader's statement came the day after Saudi authorities conceded Khashoggi had been killed inside their diplomatic compound in Istanbul.
"We are looking for justice here and this will be revealed in all its naked truth, not through some ordinary steps but in all its naked truth," Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul.
In his strongest comments to date on the affair, President Donald Trump accused Saudi Arabia of lying about the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who fell out of favour with the ultraconservative kingdom, as pressure built on the US administration to strike a tougher line.
The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, on Sunday described the killing as a "tremendous mistake" and said it had been a "rogue operation" by individuals who "exceeded their responsibilities" and then "tried to cover up for it".
Jubeir insisted in an interview with Fox News that the operation was not ordered by the crown prince known by his initials MBS, also adding that "we don't know where the body is".
Erdogan, who has not yet directly blamed Saudi Arabia, held a telephone call with Trump on Sunday where the two leaders agreed the Khashoggi case needed to be clarified "in all its aspects," a Turkish presidential source said.
Erdogan is expected to make a full statement to his party's MPs in parliament at around 0800 GMT on Tuesday.
Turkish officials have said they believe that 15 Saudi men who arrived in Istanbul on two flights on October 2 were connected to Khashoggi's death.
Riyadh reacted by claiming one of the 15 had died in a car accident years ago.
Saudi officials originally said Khashoggi, who stepped inside the doors of the diplomatic mission on October 2, had left unharmed, before announcing he was killed inside the building in what they described as an altercation.
The kingdom has since admitted Khashoggi died in a "brawl" inside the consulate and said it has fired five top officials and arrested 18 others in an investigation into the killing.
'LIES'
Khashoggi, who would have been 60 this month, sought refuge in the United States after fleeing his native Saudi Arabia after the 2017 appointment of strongman Mohammed bin Salman as heir to the throne.
The journalist, who had espoused both Islamist and liberal views throughout his decades-long career in the press, was engaged to a Turkish woman.
His killing has further soured relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey, already at loggerheads over Qatar, with which Riyadh cut ties in 2017 and to which Ankara has deployed aid and troops.
Turkish officials now believe Riyadh carried out a state-sponsored killing and dismembered the body, with pro-government media in Turkey reporting the existence of video and audio evidence to back those claims.
As the Turkish leader is expected to reveal all details into the journalist's killing, Trump has stepped back from his stance that Saudi Arabia's latest explanation over the death was credible amid mounting pressure at home.
"Obviously there's been deception and there's been lies," he said of the shifting accounts of Khashoggi's death offered by Riyadh.
"Their stories are all over the place."
Several senior members of Trump's Republican Party said they believed Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler, was linked to the killing, and one called for a "collective" Western response if a link is proved.
Trump has stopped far short of calling for the prince to be replaced, emphasising as he has before how important the US-Saudi relationship is to Washington's regional strategic goals.
He described the 33-year-old prince as a "strong person; he has very good control."
"He's seen as a person who can keep things under check," added Trump. "I mean that in a positive way."
UK, FRANCE, GERMANY
The controversy has put the kingdom -- for decades a key ally in Western efforts to contain Iran -- under unprecedented pressure.
It has also blown up into a major crisis for Prince Mohammed whose image as a modernising Arab reformer has been gravely undermined.
Britain, France and Germany have shown a united front, demanding Saudi Arabia clarify how the journalist died inside its Istanbul consulate backed by "credible" facts.
Australia, Canada, the UN and the EU have also demanded greater clarity around Khashoggi's death.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel added that Berlin would not export arms to Saudi Arabia "in the current situation".
Germany last month approved 416 million euros ($480 million) worth of arms exports to Saudi Arabia for 2018. In the past, military exports by Berlin to Saudi have mostly consisted of patrol boats.
burs-fo/boc
source: news.abs-cbn.com
DUBAI -- Foreigners sold a net 4.01 billion riyals ($1.07 billion) in Saudi stocks in the week ending October 18, exchange data showed on Sunday -- one of the biggest selloffs since the market opened to direct foreign buying in mid-2015.
The selloff came during a week when investors were rattled by Saudi Arabia's deteriorating relations with foreign governments following the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Riyadh said on Saturday that Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate, its first acknowledgement of his death after denying for two weeks that it was involved in his disappearance.
A breakdown of the exchange data showed foreigners sold 5 billion riyals worth of stocks and bought 991.3 million worth. "The market started to price in a fundamentally different relationship between Saudi Arabia and the U.S.," said Jaap Meijer, head of equity research, at Arqaam Capital.
"We believe the U.S. will keep Saudi Arabia as its close ally given (amongst other things) the importance of the kingdom in the Middle East region and being the producer of 10 percent of the world oil supply."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia's explanation of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a "good first step but not enough", adding it was premature to discuss any sanctions against Riyadh over the incident.
The comments were the latest from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump that appear aimed at censuring a killing that has sparked global outrage, while protecting relations with the world's top oil exporter.
The stock exchange data also showed Saudi individual investors such as retail investors and high net worth individuals sold a net 3.4 billion riyals worth of stocks during the week, however Saudi institutions bought a net 7.8 billion riyals worth of stocks. Investors from other Gulf countries were also net sellers.
Market analysts told Reuters last week that state-linked funds appeared to have mounted an operation to support the stock market after heavy foreign selling.
The Saudi stock market is down about 4 percent since Khashoggi disappeared on Oct 2. The market had already started to weaken before the incident as foreign funds slowed their buying after MSCI's announcement in June that the kingdom will be included in its global emerging market benchmark next year.
The Saudi index closed up 0.2 percent on Sunday after falling as much as 3.5 percent earlier in the session.
Saudi Arabia's foreign debt has also been pressured, with yields rising across the the country's dollar bond curve.
The yield on Saudi Arabia's $5.5 billion bond due in 2026 and $6.5 billion note due in 2046 rose to record highs last week, according to Refinitiv data.
Saudi credit default swaps, which investors buy as protection against default, rose to 100 basis points late last week for the first time since June, data from IHS Markit showed.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said those behind Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death must be brought to book and called for "transparency" from Riyadh.
"Those responsible must answer for their actions," Merkel and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a joint statement.
"We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia on the circumstances of his death," it said. "Available reports on what happened in the Istanbul consulate are insufficient."
After days of denying that it was involved in the death of the Washington Post journalist at its Istanbul consulate, Saudi Arabia finally admitted early Saturday that Khashoggi had died during a "brawl" inside the mission.
Eighteen Saudis have been arrested in connection with his death and two top aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as three other intelligence agents, have been sacked.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON - Amnesty International said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia's explanation of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul appeared to be a whitewash of "an appalling assassination".
"The investigation findings by the Saudi authorities claiming that Khashoggi died as a result of a 'fist-fight' inside the consulate are not trustworthy and marks an abysmal new low to Saudi Arabia's human rights record," Samah Hadid, the human rights group's Middle East director, said in a statement.
It called on Saudi authorities to produce Khashoggi's body so that independent forensic experts could perform an autopsy. It also said the United Nations should investigate his death.
"An independent investigation will be the only guarantee against what increasingly appears as a Saudi whitewash surrounding the circumstances of Khashoggi's murder or any attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative arms deals and other business ties with Riyadh," Hadid said.
Saudi Arabia's claim that Khashoggi had died in a fight -- rather than was deliberately killed - was Riyadh's first acknowledgment of his death after two weeks of denials that it was involved in his disappearance.
"This appalling assassination within the grounds of the Consulate amounts to an extrajudicial execution," Amnesty said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
The prayer leader at Mecca's Grand Mosque called Friday for "unity" in the face of "fabrications" against Saudi Arabia, over two weeks after a dissident journalist's disappearance sparked a diplomatic crisis.
Riyadh has faced mounting international pressure since Jamal Khashoggi went missing after entering Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on October 2.
Pro-government Turkish media have reported he was tortured and dismembered by a Saudi hit squad, claims rejected by Riyadh.
"Repeated accusations, allegations and biased media campaigns will not discourage (Saudi Arabia) from holding to its principles," Sheikh Abderrahman al-Sadis said during a sermon accompanying Friday prayers at the mosque in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam.
The kingdom "depends on God alone, then on the wisdom of its leadership and the unity of its sons to fight false allegations", he added.
He urged Saudis to "depend on the facts and avoid jumping into speculation and basing positions on... fabrications", adding that a "campaign" against the kingdom was "a provocation against the feelings of more than a billion Muslims" around the world.
Sermons accompanying Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque are seen as reflecting the Saudi leadership's take on world events.
Saudi public figures have taken to Twitter to express support for authorities' handling of the Khashoggi affair, while newspapers in the kingdom have condemned a "media campaign" against it.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to President Donald Trump, on Tuesday accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and called him a "rogue crown prince" who is jeopardizing relations with the United States.
Many members of the US Congress, which has long had a testy relationship with ally Saudi Arabia, have issued strong criticism of the kingdom since Khashoggi's disappearance at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Graham put the blame directly on the crown prince, who is known by his initials, MbS, and said he planned to share his views with the president and advocate suspending arms sales.
"Nothing happens in Saudi Arabia without MbS knowing it," he said in an interview with Fox News.
"I've been their biggest defender on the floor of the United States Senate," Graham said. "This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey and to expect me to ignore it. I feel used and abused," Graham said.
"The MbS figure is to me toxic. He can never be a world leader on the world stage."
Saudi Arabia denies that it had any role in Khashoggi’s disappearance. But last week, 22 senators triggered a US investigation of whether human rights sanctions should be imposed over the disappearance.
Trump has taken a less aggressive stance toward the Saudis, suggesting on Monday after speaking with Saudi King Salman that perhaps "rogue killers" were behind the disappearance of Khashoggi, a sharp critic of the crown prince.
"Well this is not rogue killers, this is a rogue crown prince," Graham said in a separate interview with Fox News Radio. "I would suspend arms sales as long as he is in charge." He said that while King Salman is revered in Saudi Arabia, the crown prince "is pulling the levers there."
Graham said he did not know what Trump was going to do about the Khashoggi incident.
"I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia," Graham said.
He questioned why the crown prince would put Saudi Arabia's strong backers, especially Trump, in a bad spot and said, "This guy’s gotta go."
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met the Saudi king and crown prince on Tuesday to discuss the disappearance of Khashoggi.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
