INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE
13- France aims to be 'facilitator' in Gulf crisis talks
DOHA,
July 15 : (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Doha on
Saturday that Paris wants to assist Kuwait-led mediation on the crisis between
Qatar and four other Arab states.
"France
should be a facilitator in the mediation" led by Kuwait, Le Drian told
reporters following talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
Le
Drian flew in to Qatar at the start of a Gulf tour aimed at helping defuse the
crisis pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
Bahrain and Egypt.
"France
is very concerned by the sudden deterioration in relations between Qatar and
many of its neighbours," said Le Drian, who also met with the emir, Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
"France
is talking to all these countries to help in the search for a solution,"
he said, calling for "dialogue and calm" between the Arab states
concerned.
Le
Drian is to travel on to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, following a four-day
mediation mission by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that ended on Thursday
without any announcement of progress towards defusing mounting tensions in the
Gulf.
Qatar's
foreign minister welcomed France's support for mediation aimed at finding a
solution "based on constructive dialogue... and respect of state
sovereignty and international law".
"We
look forward to France's support of the Kuwaiti mediation and American
efforts," he said.
Riyadh
and its allies imposed sanctions on Doha on June 5, including closing its only
land border, denying Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens
back from the emirate.
They
accuse Doha of supporting extremism and being too close to their arch-rival
Iran.
Le
Drian said France counted on "reinforcing cooperation with Qatar in the
fight against terrorism, particularly in combatting terrorism financing".
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His
Qatari host said the fight against terrorism needed collective efforts and
"cannot be shouldered by one state".
"Combatting
terrorism also cannot be through practising political and intellectual
terrorism against a state," Sheikh Mohammed said, in reference to measures
taken against Doha by its neighbours.
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14- Turkey marks year since 'epic' defeat of anti-Erdogan coup
ISTANBUL,
July 15 : (AFP) - Turkey on Saturday marked one year since the defeat of the
coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seeking to showcase
national unity and his grip on power in an increasingly polarised society.
The
authorities have declared July 15 an annual national holiday of "democracy
and unity", billing the foiling of the putsch as a historic victory of
Turkish democracy.
"It's
one year since the darkest night was turned into an epic," Prime Minister
Binali Yildirim told a special session of parliament that kicked off a day of
celebrations set to last until dawn.
He
said the night of July 15 was a "second War of Independence" after
the war that led to the creation of the modern Turkish state in the ruins of
the Ottoman Empire in 1923.
Two
hundred and forty nine people, not including the plotters, were killed when a
disgruntled faction in the army sent tanks into the streets and war planes into
the sky in a bid to overthrow Erdogan after one-and-a-half decades in power.
But
they were thwarted within hours as the authorities regrouped and people poured
into the streets in support of Erdogan, who blamed followers of his ally turned
nemesis, the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.
The
authorities embarked on the biggest purge in Turkey's history, arresting 50,000
people and sacking over 100,000 more. Erdogan also shored up his position by
winning a referendum on enhancing his powers earlier this year.
In
the latest dismissals ordered just hours before the commemorations were due to
begin, another 7,563 police, soldiers and other state employees were fired
under the state of emergency that has been in place since July 20 last year.
'Outside
the law'
The
scale of the purge has intensified political divisions in Turkey, with the
opposition accusing the authorities of seeking to silence anyone who dares
criticise Erdogan.
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The
celebrations come less than a week after the head of the Republican People's
Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu held the largest opposition rally in Turkey in
years, pushing for "justice" in the country.
Turkey's
opposition put political disputes aside on the night of the attempted coup. But
this has frayed since the April 16 referendum that Erdogan narrowly won.
"Over
the last year, the judicial proceedings... moved outside the framework of the
law," Kilicdaroglu told the parliament.
He
also called for full clarity over what happened on the night of July 15, with
questions still remaining over when the authorities first found out an uprising
was afoot.
"The
details need to be made clear in the name of the martyrs and the heroes,"
he said, accusing the authorities of "hindering" efforts to find out
the truth.
Erdogan,
who was present at the session but was not scheduled to speak, gazed down
stonily from the VIP balcony.
The
coup bid also frayed ties between the United States and European Union with
NATO member Turkey, which accused its allies of failing to show solidarity.
Gulen
has always denied involvement in the coup bid and in a new statement Friday
said the accusations were "baseless, politically motivated slanders"
and slammed a "witch hunt" of Erdogan's critics.
'Epic
of July 15'
The
scale of Saturday's nationwide commemorations is aimed at etching July 15, 2016
into the minds of Turks as a key date in the history of the modern state.
Giant
posters designed by the presidency have sprung up across billboards in Istanbul
showing gaudy paintings that portray the key events of the coup night,
including the surrender of the putschist soldiers.
"The
epic of July 15," says the slogan. However some have criticised the
posters for belittling the Turkish army.
Public
transport is free in Istanbul over the weekend while mobile operator Turkcell
has sent text messages to clients promising them a free extra gigabyte of data
from July 15.
-: 9 :-
Meanwhile,
illuminated anti-coup slogans have been hung between the minarets of some of
Istanbul's greatest Ottoman mosques.
Erdogan,
at the centre of the events, will later take part in a people's march on the
Istanbul bridge across the Bosphorus that saw bloody fighting a year ago.
The
bridge has since been renamed Bridge of the Martyrs of July 15.
At
midnight local time (2100 GMT) people across Turkey will take part in
"democracy watches", rallies commemorating how people poured out into
the streets.
Erdogan
will return to Ankara and at 2300 GMT give a speech in parliament to mark the
time it was bombed.
A
monument to those killed will then be unveiled outside his palace in the
capital as the dawn call to prayer rings out.
-----------
15- Death toll in ongoing Marawi conflict rises to 537, says Philippine
military
MANILA,
July 15 : (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on
Saturday that the death toll in the ongoing conflict in the southern city of
Marawi has reached 537, including 93 soldiers and policemen.
AFP
spokesman Restituto Padilla said that as of 7 p.m. local time Friday, the
military has also recorded deaths of at least 399 Islamic militants and 45
civilians. The death toll is expected to rise as the fighting to retake
rebel-controlled areas within the city continues, he said.
Fighting
broke out in the Philippines' only Islamic city on May 23 when militants allied
with Islamic State (IS) attacked a hospital, a school and government buildings
in a failed attempt to control the city.
The
military said the attack was part of the militants' big plan to establish an IS
caliphate in the southern Philippines, home to Filipino Muslims and several
groups of Muslim insurgents that have plagued the country for decades.
The
militants laid the siege while President Rodrigo Duterte and all his security
officials were on an official visit to Russia. Duterte and his defense chief
Delfin Lorenzana have admitted that the government has underestimated the
capability of the armed insurgents that spearheaded the attack.
The
military said foreign IS fighters based in Southeast Asian countries like
Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Middle East like Syria have helped in planning
and executing the attack.
-: 10 :-
Marawi
City's more than 200,000 residents have fled the fierce fighting and military
airstrikes that have damaged or destroyed several buildings and houses. Most of
the evacuees, including women and children, are now housed in different
evacuation centers in Iligan City and nearby areas.
The
military is still conducting clearing operations to retake the city from about
100 militants who are still hiding inside some buildings and mosques in some
parts of the city.
Duterte
has placed the entire Mindanao Island under 60-day martial rule in the wake of
the deadly attack. The AFP is currently studying whether to extend or lift the
martial law, Padilla said, adding the final assessment report and
recommendation will be submitted to Duterte this coming week before the martial
law declaration expires on July 22.
--------
16- 77 Afghan insurgents killed in 24 hours: defense ministry
Kabul,
July 15 : (Xinhua) -- Up to 77 militants have been killed and 27 others wounded
during series of operations across the insurgency-plagued Afghanistan over the
past 24 hours, the country's defense ministry said in a statement released on
Saturday.
"Afghan
troops backed by aircrafts launched series of operations in different provinces
over the past 24 hours, as a result, 77 militants including 17 Islamic States
(IS) fighters have been killed, 27 injured and seven others arrested," the
statement said.
The
operations that covered parts of Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, Kapisa, Paktika,
Khost, Logar, Kandahar, Zabul, Oruzgan, Kunduz, Faryab, Takhar and Helmand
provinces during which weapon caches have also been discovered.
Similarly,
Taliban militants attacked an Afghan army checkpoint in Ab Kamary district of
the western Badghis province early Saturday and captured eight soldiers,
provincial governor Mohammad Anwar Eshaqzai confirmed.
----------
17- Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo's ashes scattered in the sea: brother
SHENYANG,
China, July 15 : (AFP) - The ashes of late Chinese Nobel laureate and dissident
Liu Xiaobo were scattered in the sea on Saturday, his brother said, hours after
his body was cremated.
His
older brother, Liu Xiaoguang, made the announcement at a news conference
organised by the authorities, which have tightly controlled access to the
family of the prominent government opponent, who died of liver cancer while in
custody on Thursday.
--------
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18- Trump appeals weakened travel ban ruling
WASHINGTON,
July 15 : (AFP) - The US Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to
block a federal judge's ruling that exempted grandparents of people living in
the United States from President Donald Trump's travel ban.
In
a filing on Friday, the Trump administration asked the nine Supreme Court
justices to overturn Thursday's decision by a federal judge in Hawaii that
placed limits on the measure temporarily barring refugees and other travelers
from six predominantly Muslim countries.
Trump's
March 6 executive order bars visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria
and Yemen for 90 days, and refugees for 120 days. The administration insists it
is necessary to keep violent extremists out of the country.
After
a series of judicial roadblocks in the lower courts, the administration scored
a partial victory in June, when the Supreme Court ruled that it could proceed
with the ban, though people with a "bona fide relationship" to a US
person or entity were exempt.
The
ruling, which capped months of legal wrangling, left unclear the question of
just who had such a "credible claim."
The
Trump administration provided a list defining the category as including
parents, spouses, children, sons- and daughters-in-law, siblings and step- or
half-siblings.
But
federal Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii ruled that the administration's criteria
unfairly excluded grandparents and grandchildren, expanding the list of
"bona fide" relatives to include them, along with brothers-in-law,
sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the
United States.
Watson's
"interpretation empties the (Supreme) Court's decision of meaning, as it
encompasses not just 'close' family members, but virtually all family
members," Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall said in the administration's
filing. However, arguing -- before a panel of justices aged 49 to 84 -- that
grandparents and grandchildren are not "close" relatives may be an
uphill battle.
And
it was unclear how quickly the Supreme Court -- now in summer recess but able
to act on emergency motions -- might respond, and when or if the expanded terms
set by the Hawaii judge might take effect. If they do, thousands of potential
travelers could be affected.
-
'Antithesis of common sense' -
In
his ruling, Watson said the government's distinction of what constitutes
"close" family was "the antithesis of common sense."
-: 12 :-
The
judge also ruled that the government could not exclude refugees who have
assurances of a placement by a resettlement agency in the United States.
But
the Justice Department said in its filing with the Supreme Court that Watson's
decision as concerns refugees would render the related portion of the high
court's decision "effectively meaningless."
The
original ban, announced days after Trump became president on January 20, was
successfully challenged in lower courts on the grounds that it overstepped
Trump's presidential authority and discriminated against Muslims in violation
of the US constitution. A revised version also did not pass legal muster.
Judges
in lower courts had cited Trump's repeated statements during the presidential
campaign that he intended to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Oral
arguments are due to take place after the court returns for a new session in
October over whether the ban violates the US Constitution.
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19- Raul Castro warns of "a setback" in US-Cuba relations
HAVANA,
July 15 : (AFP) - Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday said that Donald
Trump's hardline stance towards the country marks "a setback" in
relations with the United States after ties were gradually restored in 2015.
"The
announcements made by the current president... mean a setback in bilateral
relations," Castro said in remarks, broadcast on state television, at the
closing of the first session of Cuba's Parliament.
Castro
criticized Trump's partial rollback of his predecessor Barack Obama's
rapprochement with the communist island in comments made less than a week
before the second anniversary of Havana embassy's reopening in Washington on
July 20.
The
remarks came after Trump in June -- standing before a crowd of anti-Castro
activists in Miami's Little Havana -- announced tightened rules for Americans
traveling to Cuba, banned ties with a military-run tourism firm and reaffirmed
the existing US trade embargo.
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