by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have transferred American-made weapons to Al Qaeda-linked fighters, Salafi militias and other factions waging war in Yemen, in violation of their agreements with the US, according to a CNN report.
The weapons have also made their way into the hands of Iranian-backed rebels battling the coalition for control of Yemen, exposing some of America’s sensitive military technology to Tehran and potentially endangering the lives of US troops in other conflict zones, the report based on an investigation said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), its main partner in the war, have used the US-manufactured weapons as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes, bolster chosen armed actors, and influence the complex political landscape, according to local commanders on the ground and analysts who spoke to CNN.
By handing off this military equipment to third parties, the Saudi-led coalition is breaking the terms of its arms sales with the US, according to the Department of Defence.
In response to the CNN report, a US defence official confirmed that there was an ongoing investigation into the issue.
Previous CNN investigations had established that US-made weapons were used in a series of deadly Saudi coalition attacks that killed dozens of civilians, many of them children.
The Abu Abbas brigade, a militia group linked to the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), possesses US-made Oshkosh armoured vehicles, which they had paraded in a 2015 show of force through the city.
Abu Abbas, the founder, was declared a terrorist by the US in 2017, but the group still enjoys support from the Saudi coalition and was absorbed into the coalition-supported 35th Brigade of the Yemeni Army.
In 2015, Riyadh launched the coalition to oust Iranian-supported Houthi rebels from Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa and reinstate the internationally recognised government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
The war split the country in two, and with it came the weapons — guns, anti-tank missiles, armoured vehicles, heat-seeking lasers and artillery, CNN said in the report.
Since then, some of America’s military equipment has been passed on, sold, stolen or abandoned in Yemen.
Arms markets are illegal in Yemen, but they still operate openly in the mountainous city of Hodeidah located in the country’s southwest.
To one side hang veils, abayas and colourful dresses for sale; to the other are pistols, hand grenades, and US assault rifles available on special order, according to the report.
The US is by far the biggest supplier of arms to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and its support is crucial to the Saudi-led coalition’s continuing war in Yemen.
US lawmakers are trying to pass a resolution ending the Trump administration’s support for the coalition.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Riyadh : Saudi investigators have recovered assets worth more than $106 billion (SR400 billion) in an anti-corruption crackdown ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the royal court said on Wednesday.
The funds are in the form of property, companies, cash and other assets surrendered by senior princes, ministers and top businessmen who were under investigation.
In the anti-corruption campaign launched in November 2017, many of the Kingdom’s economic and political elite were detained in Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel for nearly three months.
The government summoned 381 people, although some appeared only as witnesses to give evidence.
A comprehensive review was conducted of the case against each of those detained, under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor, and each was presented with the allegations against them.
Settlements were reached with 87 people who confessed to the charges against them, the royal court said. The public prosecutor refused to settle the cases of 56 people because of existing criminal charges against them. Eight people refused to reach a settlement, and have been referred to public prosecution for further action under the law.
Everyone who was detained but not indicted on charges related to corruption has been released, the court said. The anti-corruption committee set up by the crown prince submitted its report to King Salman on Wednesday. It said it had now completed its work, and asked for the king’s permission to cease operations.
The king agreed, and thanked the committee and the crown prince for their efforts. King Salman pledged that the Kingdom would “continue its efforts to preserve integrity, combat corruption, and empower law enforcement and other relevant state bodies so that they are able to effectively practice their role in preserving public funds.”
—AG/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates Central Bank (UAECB) and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) announced Tuesday the launch of a common digital currency project ‘Aber’, which will be used in financial settlements between the two countries through Blockchain and Distributed Ledger technologies.
This comes under the framework of ‘Proof-of-Concept’, which can be summed up in closely understanding and studying the dimensions of modern technologies and their feasibility through practical application and the determination of their impact on the improvement and the reduction of remittances costs and the assessment of technical risks and how to deal with them. This is in addition to the qualification of cadres that will deal with the technologies of the future and understanding the requirements of issuing a digital currency for use by the two countries.
The project will also establish an additional means for the central financial transfer systems of the two countries and enable banks to directly deal with each other in conducting financial remittances, said a joint statement by SAMA and UAECB.
Regarding the joint launching of the project by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the statement pointed out that central banks in some countries have already begun pilot projects to explore the dimensions of Blockchain and Distributed Ledger technologies applied in the circulation of digital currencies. SAMA and UAECB share the same desire to launch pilot projects in the use of these technologies to identify and learn how to benefit from them.
The statement attributed the agreement to launch this project jointly rather than independently in each country to the fact that the two countries have in place central systems for remittances and domestic transactions which have evolved over time and proved their feasibility. However, there are still some aspects of international remittances that need further development. It may be proved after study that the use of digital currency may contribute to supporting this development.
The project will further enable considering the possibility of using the system as an additional reserve system for domestic central payment and settlement systems in case of their disruption for any reason.
UAECB and SAMA hope that this project will be beneficial for everyone locally and internationally. Based on this desire, the two countries do not only aspire to be the forerunners in the application of modern technologies, but also in their adaptation, development and delivery to the world. Hence, the two countries have embarked on carrying out the experiment of issuing a common digital currency for use across borders to carry out remittances.
As for the mechanism agreed upon by UAECB and SAMA for the implementation of Aber project, the statement emphasized that focus in the initial stages will be on technical aspects. The use of the currency will be restricted to a limited number of banks in each country. In the case of no emergence of technical obstacles, economic and legal requirements for future uses will be considered.
–AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Media, Muslim World
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia’s Media Minister Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah met the editors-in-chief of Saudi newspapers at the headquarters of Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in Riyadh.
During the meeting, they discussed media-related subjects and means to support and develop them. They also discussed the projects, initiatives and ideas to develop work in journalism.
Al-Shabanah stressed the importance of improving journalistic work, in such a way to reflect the advancement, development and prosperity Saudi Arabia has reached in all fields, and contribute to supporting the Kingdom’s march and strengthens its status at all levels.
He lauded the limitless support extended by the country’s leadership for the media work, which has resulted in a tremendous human and technological advancement in the media fields in the Kingdom.
Following the meeting, the editors-in-chief, accompanied by SPA President Abdullah bin Fahd Al-Hussein, toured the agency’s headquarters and got acquainted with the workflow in various administrations and sections.
—AB/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia has granted 2.664 million visas for pilgrims to perform Umrah this year, a 2.79 per cent up over the corresponding period last year, according to official statistics released on Friday.
Up till now, 2.250 million pilgrims have entered the kingdom to perform Umrah, a growth of 3.47 per cent over the same period last year, the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah said.
Up to 1.9 million pilgrims have already performed Umrah to date and left the Kingdom, an increase of 3.05 per cent over the same period.
Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Haj, Umrah can be undertaken any time of the year.
—IANS/WAM
