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Report: Saudi King’s Son Plotted Effort to Oust His Rival

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Saudi King’s Son Plotted Effort to Oust His RivalBy BEN HUBBARD, MARK MAZZETTI and ERIC SCHMITT

AMMAN, Jordan — As next in line to be king of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Nayef was unaccustomed to being told what to do. Then, one night in June, he was summoned to a palace in Mecca, held against his will and pressured for hours to give up his claim to the throne.

By dawn, he had given in, and Saudi Arabia woke to the news that it had a new crown prince: the king’s 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman.

The young prince’s supporters have lauded his elevation as the seamless empowerment of an ambitious leader. But since he was promoted on June 21, indications have emerged that Mohammed bin Salman plotted the ouster and that the transition was rockier than has been publicly portrayed, according to current and former United States officials and associates of the royal family.

To strengthen support for the sudden change in the line of succession, some senior princes were told that Mohammed bin Nayef was unfit to be king because of a drug problem, according to an associate of the royal family.

The decision to oust Mohammed bin Nayef and some of his closest colleagues has spread concern among counterterrorism officials in the United States who saw their most trusted Saudi contacts disappear and have struggled to build new relationships.

Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-nayef-mohammed-bin-salman.html?emc=edit_ta_20170719&nl=top-stories&nlid=49769097&ref=headline

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman names son as new crown prince

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salma name sonMohammed bin Salman has been appointed Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince and next in line for the throne. Bin Salman is viewed as a keen reformer, set on building an economic future for the kingdom after oil.

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman has replaced his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince – next in line to the throne – in a royal decree issued via the Saudi kingdom’s state media agency SPA on Wednesday.

While bin Salman’s promotion and bin Nayef’s ouster were reportedly widely expected within royal circles, the timing is surprising. Saudi Arabia finds itself in a bitter diplomatic dispute with Qatar and Iran, and locked in a two-year-long air war in Yemen.

Read more: Saudi Arabia and allies release Qatar ‘terror list’

Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who is King Salman’s nephew, was widely praised for his role as Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism chief and for suppressing an al-Qaida bombing campaign against the kingdom between 2003 and 2006. Nevertheless, he was relieved of all his roles.

Bin Salman, meanwhile, will maintain his position as defense minister, holding responsibility for one of the world’s biggest arms budgets as well as the kingdom’s military intervention in Yemen.

A public pledging of loyalty for him is scheduled to take place later on Wednesday.

New leader for a new generation

Mohammed bin Salman’s ascent to being one step away from the throne was seen as symbolic recognition on behalf of the king to Saudi Arabia’s youthful population, more than half of which is under 25 years old.

The newly appointed 31-year-old crown prince will be the first of a new generation of Saudi royals to take power. He is the great-grandchild of the kingdom’s founder, the late King Abdul-Aziz.

Bin Salman was one of the most ardent proponents for the kingdom’s Vision 2030 program, a wide-ranging plan to introduce social and economic reforms to the kingdom’s oil-dependent economy. As part of the plan, Saudi Arabia cut back of many state lavish subsidies and proposed the partial privatization of the kingdom’s state oil company, Saudi Aramco.

While the proposals to rid Saudi Arabia of its “addiction” to oil have prompted unease many senior officials, they have been widely welcomed by younger Saudis.

Read more: Saudi Arabia to become ‘softer’ nation?

Bin Salman also chaired the country’s Council of Economic and Development Affairs, coordinating socio-economic policies in the kingdom such as education, housing, and women’s rights. However, it remains unclear where he stands on the Saudi kingdom’s harsh freedom of speech laws. He also heads the supreme board of Saudi Aramco.

However, his rise to power has been rapid since his father assumed the throne in January 2015. Many have scrutinized the king’s decision to brush aside many of his more well-known, and sometimes better qualified, cousins in favor of closer relatives.

Charles Aznavour proud for his son getting baptized in Armenia

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Charles Aznavour proud for his son getting baptized in ArmeniaProminent Armenian chansonnier Charles Aznavour, who is visiting Armenia in the scope of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, visited today the Tatev Monastery accompanied by his son Nikola Aznavour, friends and colleagues.
The first stop was at Halidzor Station of Tatever Ropeway, where the prominent singer was greeted by acting general director of IDeA (Initiatives for Development of Armenia) Charitable Foundation Edgar Manukyan, Director at Tatever Ropeway Vahe Baghdasaryan and the staff members of the foundation.
Edgar Manukyan presented the history of the construction of the aerial tramway, called the “Wings of Tatev”, implemented in the framework of Tatev Rivival project that has transformed the Tatev region.

Later Aznavour and other guests travelled to Tatev Monastry, where Aznavour’s son Nikola got baptized under the blessing of Michael Vardapet Gevorgyan. The ceremony was accompanied by the monastery choir’s performance.

“I am very proud that my son decided to get baptized in Armenia. My parents would be so happy to learn that my two sons Misha and Nikola got baptized here, in Armenia, staying committed to their roots,” Aznavour said.

Nikola Aznavour on his part added the older he gets the stronger is feels tied to his homeland despite the fact he was born in France, studied in Canada and Switzerland.

Nikola has confessed baptism in Tatev monastery was one of the most memorable moments in his life.

Family of Armenian soldier killed in April war welcomes New Year in new house but without him

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The photos of contract servicemen, Private Hrachya Muradyan, 33, who died during the April war, can be seen in each corner of his house. It is the first time Hrachya’s wife and his three children have welcomed the New Year without him…Hrachya’s wife, Mrs Anna, says the only way to quench the yearning for her late husband is to ”illuminate” the house with his photos.

She cannot put up with the death of Hrachya: the only meaning of her life is to bring up her children and ensure their respectable life, as Hrachya dreamt of.  The state provided a house to Muradyan family, who used to rent a flat for many years.

In fact, this is the first time the family has welcomed the New Year in their own house, but alas without their most dear one…

”We have a new house but without Hrachya nothing can make us happy. The state has awarded a pension, which we live on now. Soon I will look for a job: I hope to find one. I am an Orinetalist by profession, but it is not easy to find a job by that major, so I will try to find some other job and continue living…”

Hrachya Muradyan died on the night of April 7 to 8, while helping his wounded friend.

The last thing he managed to do was to congratulate his mother’s day on April 7. He then assured that he was not in the positions and was taking part in military exercises. Hrachya told nothing about the tense fights. Meanwhile his family was waiting for him at home: On April 1 he was to come down form positions and return home.

Hrachya’s elder daughter is 8 years old, while his small son is 2.5.

Bin Laden’s son was denied entry to Egypt, asks to be sent to Turkey

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Osama bin Laden’s son Omar was refused entry to Egypt on Saturday, airport sources said, giving no reason why his name was on a list of people banned from the country.

Security officials at Cairo International Airport say Omar bin Laden, 34, son of the former leader of al-Qaeda Osama bin Laden, has been denied entry to the country and was deported to Turkey.

Osama bin Laden’s fourth-eldest son, was travelling with his British wife Zaina al Sabah from Doha, and they asked to be sent to Turkey, the sources said.

Omar bin Laden and his wife arrived Saturday from Qatar but after checking details of his Saudi passport, security officials found his name on a list of those banned from entering the country.

The couple, who lived in Egypt for several months in 2007 and 2008, were previously denied entry to the country in 2008.

Shots in Armenia’s Gyumri: candidate’s son killed

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candiadate-son-kiledArshak Grigoryan, younger son of Vardevan Grigoryan, a candidate at the local elections from the Prosperous Armenia party, has been shot dead in Gyumri.

After the incident, he was taken to the Gyumri medical center, where he died, Armen Khachatryan, head of the intensive care unit, told Tert.am.

The police arrived at the scene.

Erdogan’s Son Blocks Access to Websites Detailing His Criminal Connections

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1035105629In complying with a request made by the Turkish president’s son, Ankara blocked websites detailing alleged criminal connections between him and a businessman recently arrested in the United States.

Turkey blocked 21 news websites detailing the US criminal case related to Bilal Erdogan, son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On March 22, Turkish national Reza Zarrab was arrested in the United States for fraud, money laundering and evading sanctions against Iran. Zarrab was previously implicated in a 2013 Turkish corruption scandal, which was tied to Bilal Erdogan, who was tied to the indictment though a connected businessman, Sıtkı Ayan.

The websites, including those of the newspapers Haberdar and Cumhuriyet were blocked, but no warning or court order was given prior to the block. It was only after the websites were blocked that officials sent notes to Haberdar.

Along with information about the connections between Bilal Edogan and the criminal case, newspapers cited fragments of a leaked wiretaps of a conversation between Bilal and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made during the 2013 anti-corruption operation.

Source: sputniknews.com

Did Erdogan’s son Bilal flee Turkey or went to Studies with possibly billion of dollars ?

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President Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan (Photo: DHA)

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s younger son Bilal Erdoğan, who was one of the prime suspects in Turkey’s largest corruption case ever which was revealed on Dec. 17-25, 2013, has settled in the city of Bologna in Italy, along with his wife and children following the June 7 parliamentary election in which the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that President Erdoğan founded lost its majority in Parliament, a Turkish daily has reported.

According to the Cumhuriyet daily, Erdoğan’s son moved to Italy following the election to continue his Ph.D. education at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna, where he suspended study years ago, and has enrolled his children in a school there. Bilal Erdoğan also reportedly asked for security guards from the Italian government.

Citing confidential sources, the newspaper said Bilal Erdoğan made the decision to leave the country and register in the school that he started in 2007 following the June election after the AK Party failed to secure enough seats in Parliament to form a single-party government. The result also undermined Erdoğan’s goal of gaining 400 AK Party deputies in Parliament and switch the country to a presidential system that would increase his powers.

An official from the school’s administration refused to answer Cumhuriyet’s questions, saying it cannot disclose information about its students. However, Cumhuriyet says Bilal Erdoğan has already completed his courses for the Ph.D. and is only required to write his thesis, a process which does not require him to be at the school permanently but still enables him to secure residential permission for two years.

On Sunday night, Twitter whistleblower Fuat Avni’s claimed that Bilal Erdoğan went to Italy on Sept. 27 with large sums of money. Pro-government media outlets have confirmed the whistleblower’s allegations; however, it is claimed that he is there because of his Ph.D.

Saying Bilal flew to Italy on Sept. 27 and the plan is for him to remain there for a while and possibly bring some family members over at a later time, Fuat Avni wrote: “They are planning to keep Bilal in Italy until the [Nov. 1] election. They will determine whether he will be coming back according to the situation after the election.”

Claiming that there is a plan in place for President Erdoğan and his family to escape if necessary after Nov. 1, the whistleblower also said Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu is organizing the plan.

Fuat Avni also tweeted on Monday that after Erdoğan’s possible flight from the country was revealed, the presidential palace was concerned on Monday morning and there were fears the revelation would “cause resentment in the bureaucracy.” The whistleblower also claims other people are being used by President Erdoğan to manage his money secretly and are being sent abroad.

Source: Zaman

 

 

Jordanian lawmaker’s son was Daesh bomber in Iraq

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d3178317-befa-4824-9bd2-54f9e005482fThe son of a Jordanian parliamentarian has died while carrying out a bomb attack for the Daesh Takfiri militant group in Iraq.

Jordanian media said on Friday that Mazen al-Dhalaein has revealed to the Khaberni news website that his son, Mohammed, known by the nom de guerre Abu Baraa, had died in a bombing in Iraq, adding that he had learnt about his son’s death after seeing his photo on a Daesh-related website.

The Jordanian lawmaker explained that his 23-year-old son had been a medical student in Ukraine before joining Daesh this summer and urging him and his wife to join the extremist group, as well.

Our son “was trying to convince us to join IS (Daesh),” the lawmaker said, adding that the son called his parents “apostates.”

Dhalaein added that he had last heard from his son in August, when he sent them a message revealing his plan to take part in an imminent bomb attack.

On Wednesday, a statement posted on Twitter claimed that Daesh had carried out triple car bombings the previous day in the northern outskirts of Ramadi, a city west of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.

Musa Abdullat, a leading Jordanian lawyer, also said that Dhalaein’s son was killed in an attack on the Iraqi army on Tuesday.

An estimated 4,000 militants from Jordan are said to be fighting for terrorist groups in Iraq and neighboring Syria, Abdullat said.

“Eighty percent of them have joined IS,” he said, adding that 420 Jordanian militants have been killed since 2011.

Report: presstv