Exclusive: Insurer says Iran's Guards likely to have organized tanker attacks - Reuters

LONDON/OSLO (Reuters) - Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are “highly likely” to have facilitated attacks last Sunday on four tankers including two Saudi ships off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to a Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters.

FILE PHOTO: Port officials take a photo of the damaged tanker Andrea Victory at the Port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 13, 2019. REUTERS/Satish Kumar/File Photo

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway are investigating the attacks, which also hit a UAE- and a Norwegian-flagged vessel.

A confidential assessment issued this week by the Norwegian Shipowners’ Mutual War Risks Insurance Association (DNK) concluded that the attack was likely to have been carried out by a surface vessel operating close by that despatched underwater drones carrying 30-50 kg (65-110 lb) of high-grade explosives to detonate on impact.

The attacks took place against a backdrop of U.S.-Iranian tension following Washington’s decision this month to try to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero and beef up its military presence in the Gulf in response to what it called Iranian threats.

The DNK based its assessment that the IRGC was likely to have orchestrated the attacks on a number of factors, including:

- A high likelihood that the IRGC had previously supplied its allies, the Houthi militia fighting a Saudi-backed government in Yemen, with explosive-laden surface drone boats capable of homing in on GPS navigational positions for accuracy.

- The similarity of shrapnel found on the Norwegian tanker to shrapnel from drone boats used off Yemen by Houthis, even though the craft previously used by the Houthis were surface boats rather than the underwater drones likely to have been deployed in Fujairah.

- The fact that Iran and particularly the IRGC had recently threatened to use military force and that, against a militarily stronger foe, they were highly likely to choose “asymmetric measures with plausible deniability”. DNK noted that the Fujairah attack had caused “relatively limited damage” and had been carried out at a time when U.S. Navy ships were still en route to the Gulf.

Both the Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker Amjad and the UAE-flagged bunker vessel A.Michel sustained damage in the area of their engine rooms, while the Saudi tanker Al Marzoqah was damaged in the aft section and the Norwegian tanker Andrea Victory suffered extensive damage to the stern, DNK said.

The DNK report said the attacks had been carried out between six and 10 nautical miles off Fujairah, which lies close to the Strait of Hormuz.

SENDING A MESSAGE

Iran has in the past threatened to block all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, through which an estimated fifth of the world’s oil passes.

According to DNK, it was highly likely that the attacks had been intended to send a message to the United States and its allies that Iran did not need to block the Strait to disrupt freedom of navigation in the region.

DNK said Iran was also likely to continue similar low-scale attacks on merchant vessels in the coming period.

Iranian officials and the Revolutionary Guards’ (IRGC) spokesman were not available for comment.

Tehran had already rejected allegations of involvement and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said that “extremist individuals” in the U.S. government were pursuing dangerous policies. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks.

DNK’s managing director Svein Ringbakken declined to comment, except to say that “this is an internal and confidential report produced to inform shipowner members of the DNK about the incidents in Fujairah and the most likely explanation”.

The UAE has not blamed anyone for the attack.

Two U.S. government sources said this week that U.S. officials believed Iran had encouraged Houthi militants or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry out the attack.

In a joint letter seen by Reuters and sent to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway said the attacks had been deliberate and could have resulted in casualties, spillages of oil or harmful chemicals.

Slideshow (4 Images)

“The attacks damaged the hulls of at least three of the vessels, threatened the safety and lives of those on board, and could have led to an environmental disaster,” the letter said.

Last month, the United States designated the entire IRGC as a terrorist organization. Washington had previously designated entities and individuals connected with the IRGC, which controls vast segments of Iran’s economy.

Tehran responded by designating the regional United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terrorist organization.

Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Kevin Liffey

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-05-17 14:12:00Z
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Brexit talks collapse, setting up Theresa May’s likely departure - The Washington Post

LONDON — Brexit talks between Britain’s two main political parties collapsed in a heap of finger-pointing on Friday, with the opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn saying the “weakness and instability” of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government had damaged negotiations.

With her own Conservative Party lawmakers openly demanding a timetable for her departure, not a day goes by without Britain’s political class guessing when May will leave office. Will it be next month? Or July? Or October?

May has promised to offer a date soon. 

In the tragicomedy that is Brexit, the latest narrative casts a deeply unpopular, fatally wounded but principled prime minister doing all she can to get her unpopular Brexit deal passed in the House of Commons.

May said this week she will seek an unprecedented fourth vote on her withdrawal treaty — you read that number right — in early June. The first three attempts ended in failure.

The Financial Times caught the sacrificial lamb vibe with this headline: “Theresa May offers herself up to save Brexit deal.”

For the last six weeks, May and Corbyn have engaged in cross-party talks in hopes of finding a compromise that could break the Brexit deadlock and win a vote in Parliament.

Many saw it as doomed from the start — and a cynical play for time by both sides.

On Friday, Corbyn pulled the plug.

Labour said that they were uncomfortable striking a deal with a Conservative leader who could be gone within weeks.

“The increasing weakness and instability of your government means there cannot be confidence in securing whatever might be agreed between us,” Corbyn wrote. 

May’s position as prime minister is as precarious as it’s ever been. Her Conservative Party received a drubbing in local elections earlier this month and is expected to do poorly in next week’s European Parliament elections, with the opinion polls suggesting the Tories will get trounced by Nigel Farage’s upstart Brexit Party.

[In what may be Britain’s last European election, Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party is expected to dominate]

May has agreed to discuss a timetable for her departure after Parliament votes on Brexit legislation in the first week of June.

If she defies the odds and wins that vote, it would be the political comeback of the century. If she loses, then plans could be made for her orderly departure.

But just because the starting gun hasn’t been fired on the leadership race to succeed May doesn’t mean that it’s not already happening, at least unofficially.

On Thursday, Boris Johnson, Britain’s ambitious former foreign secretary and a leading Brexiteer, said what everybody in Westminster knew already: He was going for it.

A Tory leadership contest for a new prime minister could last several months. From a possible field of a dozen candidates, Conservative lawmakers will narrow the race to two, and then the 125,000 Tory members will get their pick. The vote does not go to the general public.

In his letter to the prime minister, Corbyn said their Brexit talks had “gone as far as they can” and that the race to find her successor had undermined the process. 

He added that “while there are some areas where compromise has been possible, we have been unable to bridge important policy gaps between us.”

Corbyn’s Labour sought the softest sort of Brexit, one that would have kept Britain so closely aligned with E.U. customs rules and tariffs that it probably would have forbade it from seeing its own independent trade deals with countries like the United States, China and India. That was a red line for May — and a Brexit that hard-liners would never approve.

Speaking at a rally in Bristol, May blamed the failure of the talks on Labour’s position on Brexit, which many find ambiguous.

Although the two sides did find some common ground, May said, “We haven’t been able to overcome the fact that there isn’t a common position in Labour about whether they want to deliver Brexit, or hold a second referendum, which could reverse it.”

It was long expected that talks between May and Corbyn would be likely to end in tears. 

Striking a deal risked tearing apart both the Conservatives and Labour Party, both of which have factions that would be deeply uncomfortable with a compromise. 

On Labour’s side, there were critics who were uneasy about being seen to help deliver Brexit, and on the Conservative side, there were those who disliked Labour’s key demand for a customs arrangement with the European bloc.

Asked if he could do business with someone like Boris Johnson as prime minister, Corbyn told the BBC: “Whoever the Tory Party decide is going to be the leader we will put our case and we will challenge them.”

Read more:

British voters with Brexit on their minds punish main parties in local elections

Brexit: Parliament rejects soft Brexit, second referendum

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2019-05-17 14:07:05Z
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Has Samantha Markle Ever Apologized to Meghan Markle? - The Cheat Sheet

No matter what, it seems that royal fans are constantly hearing about the drama that is going on between Meghan Markle and her family. The Duchess of Sussex has remained strong through it all, always appearing at events and engagements with a happy smile, and not releasing any public statements about what is going on.

In fact, she has not responded to the drama whatsoever, although this has not stopped Samantha Markle from continuing her behavior. Since Meghan announced her engagement to Prince Harry, Samantha, who lives in Ocala, Florida, has not kept quiet. At one point, Samantha even went so far as to make a mockery out of Meghan, calling her a “duchass” when she received her royal title.

Now that baby Archie has finally arrived, Samantha is off on a new rant – this time, about her wishes for the Markle family to be part of Archie’s life. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not responded to this, so it is unknown as to if they are considering it at all. This leaves many wondering if Samantha has ever issued an apology to Meghan.

Is Samantha Markle jealous?

Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Many fans think so. There is no apparent reason that we know of for their rift, and some fans have wondered what exactly Samantha is trying to accomplish with her negative behavior. At one point, it was thought that she was trying to get Meghan to reach out to her, and she tried to gain access to Kensington Palace, only to be turned away by security. After months of ongoing behavior, a lot of people are suspecting that Samantha is definitely jealous of her younger sister, which is why the behavior has not stopped.

Did the media really make things worse between Meghan Markle and Samantha Markle?

According to Samantha, they did, although that may not really be the case. Samantha is blaming news outlets for the rift that she is having with Meghan, but this doesn’t really make sense. While it’s true she did not receive an invite to the royal wedding, something she did not hide her feelings about, Samantha has said so many negative things about Meghan, that they feud can’t possibly be anyone’s fault but hers.

Is Samantha Markle looking to be part of Baby Archie’s life?

It would appear that this is the case. The entire world has been eagerly awaiting the royal baby’s birth, and now that he has arrived, Samantha has expressed her desire to put the Markle family drama behind her, and repair the family relationships. Royal fans are well aware that even Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., is extremely disappointed over the fact that he has not been invited to meet his new grandson, and Samantha is hoping to change that as well.

Has Samantha Markle ever apologized to Meghan Markle?

While Samantha did issue an apology during a television interview, it still didn’t result in a response from Meghan. It is quite possible that the damage has already been done, and that Meghan and Harry have moved on and do not wish to reconcile with Samantha.

At this time, Archie is the main focus in their lives, and they are doing whatever it takes to be amazing parents. Meghan is at the beginning of a wonderful new stage in her life, and she has the support of not only Harry but also of her mother, Doria Ragland, royal family members, and many friends. With so much love surrounding her, it is unlikely that Meghan would want to risk letting Samantha negatively affect her and the new baby. It would seem that it is just too late.

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2019-05-17 13:12:36Z
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards says its missiles can hit US warships - New York Post

DUBAI — A deputy head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said even short-range Iranian missiles could reach U.S. warships in the Gulf, and the United States could not afford a new war, the semi-official news agency Fars reported on Friday.

The comments added to days of saber-rattling between Tehran and Washington, which has tightened sanctions and built up its military presence in the region alleging threats from Iran to its troops and interests.

Iran has accused the United States of “psychological warfare” and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this week Tehran would not negotiate another deal after Washington quit a 2015 pact over Iran’s nuclear program.

“Even our short-range missiles can easily reach (U.S.) warships in the Gulf,” Mohammad Saleh Jokar, the Guard’s deputy for parliamentary affairs, was quoted by Fars as saying.

“America cannot afford the costs of a new war, and the country is in a bad situation in terms of manpower and social conditions,” he added.

Separately, a senior Iranian military official accused U.S. President Donald Trump of dishonesty, saying Washington was calling for talks while “holding a gun” at Tehran, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported on Friday.

Trump has said publicly he wants to pursue a diplomatic route after withdrawing from the 2015 deal and moving to cut off all Iranian oil exports this month.

“The actions of American leaders in exerting pressure and launching sanctions … while speaking of talks, is like holding a gun at someone and asking for friendship and negotiations,” said Rasoul Sanai-Rad, a political deputy of the armed forces command, Mehr reported.

“The behavior of American leaders is a political game which consists of threats and pressure while showing a willingness to negotiate in order to present a peaceful image of themselves and fool public opinion,” Sanai-Rad said.

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2019-05-17 12:47:00Z
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Taiwan becomes first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage - The Washington Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Thousands of marriage-equality advocates celebrated Friday in the pouring rain outside Taiwan’s legislature as it voted to become the first in Asia to fully legalize same-sex unions.

The law — which allows for same-sex couples to apply for “marriage registration” as part of “exclusive permanent unions” — came a week before Taiwan’s codes barring same-sex marriage would have been automatically dropped by court order.

Lawmakers had face pressure from both LGBT groups demanding sweeping reforms and religious groups and others opposing the changes. Friday’s 66-27 vote recognizes same-sex marriages and gives couples many of the tax, insurance and child custody benefits available to male-female married couples.

Taiwan’s high court ruled on May 24, 2017, that barring same-sex couples from marrying violates the Taiwanese constitution and gave the legislature two years to pass a corresponding law or see same-sex marriage become legalized automatically.

The process frequently stalled amid conservative opposition. But in November 2018, Taiwan voted in a public referendum to deny same-sex couples full marriage rights.

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) responded by submitting legislation designed to comply with both the court ruling and the referendum result. Two competing bills that would be less favorable to the gay community were submitted, but they failed to gain traction.

The law could give the DPP and President Tsai Ing-wen a boost ahead of a presidential election in January. Gay rights advocates have long criticized the ruling party for failing to pass legislation sooner, but these concerns were largely absent amid the mood of optimism at Friday’s rally.

Chi Chia-wei, a gay rights activist for more than 30 years, said he was “very, very happy” to see Taiwan legalize same-sex marriage, calling the process “a strong demonstration of our democratic spirit.”

Friday’s legislation brought a wave of euphoria over a large crowd outside Taiwan’s legislature. Many attendees arrived in buses from outlying cities and stood under umbrellas in a torrential downpour as legislators voted on the articles that would make up Asia’s first same-sex marriage legislation.

The law ensures that Taiwan would stand as an example for Asia’s LGBT community. Thailand has proposed a law to recognize civil partnerships, but same-sex unions remain illegal elsewhere in Asia.

Jay Lin, chief executive of Portico Media and a gay father of two children, called the law a “beacon of hope” for Asia’s gay community. “I’m very glad that I’m living in Taiwan and I’m a beneficiary of these new laws,” he said.

[In historic decision, Taiwanese court rules in favor of same-sex marriage]

In neighboring China — which asserts sovereignty over Taiwan — popular LGBTQ microblogs were censored online in the wake of Taiwan’s 2017 high court ruling. The social media platform Weibo was criticized last month for restricting LGBTQ hashtags.

Taiwan has shown that “traditional culture is not against LGBT culture,” said Jennifer Lu, coordinator of the rights group Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan. “That’s the message we want to send to the world.”

Before Friday’s vote, legislators in Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party had rallied to promote a bill that would not define same-sex unions as “marriages.” On Thursday evening, the DPP amended its draft legislation to remove references to “same-sex marriages” while ensuring that same-sex couples would nonetheless be allowed to register marriages.

Tsai, the president, voiced her support of the legislation in a Twitter post, saying that Friday marked “a chance to make history and show the world that progressive values can take root in an Asian society.”

The ruling DPP holds 68 of the 113 seats in Taiwan’s legislature. Tsai’s premier and the party’s caucus whip had worked relentlessly over the past week to secure enough support for the legislation to pass.

Hundreds of couples have already registered to marry on May 24, the deadline set by the high court, but they have not known exactly what rights they would be afforded as newly married couples.

Taiwan’s new law grants same-sex couples the right to marry outside its civil code, which governs marriage rights for heterosexual couples. This was done to comply with the 2017 court ruling as well as the November 2018 referendum, in which voters decided that the civil code should restrict marriage to being between a man and a woman.

KMT legislators had called for Taiwan to respect the referendum results by voting in favor of an alternative bill that would limit same-sex unions to “familiar relationships” and would not consider same-sex partners to be spouses.

A third bill, proposed by DPP legislator Lin Tai-hua, contained a controversial clause that would allow family members to request that a same-sex union be annulled.

Gay rights advocates have called for full adoption rights for same-sex couples, who are barred from adopting non-blood relatives under the new law.

An amendment proposed by the New Power Party (NPP), a minor political party aligned most closely with the DPP, would have allowed Taiwanese nationals to enter same-sex unions with partners from countries that do not recognize same-sex marriage. It was rejected by DPP legislators.

Lu said the law represents a major step forward for Taiwan’s gay community, especially considering the strong conservative backlash to the 2017 high court decision. “I think the result is an accomplishment at this stage,” she said. “But we will keep on fighting for full marriage rights.”

Read more:

Taiwan’s 2020 election campaign is already kicking off. It’s all about the U.S. and China.

China is pushing back against Taiwan for these three reasons

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2019-05-17 12:33:45Z
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Theresa May scolds Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage saying only the Conservatives can deliver Brexit - The Sun

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2019-05-17 11:32:15Z
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Sterling falls as Brexit talks between the UK's two main parties collapse - CNBC

Prime Minister Theresa May and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn during the State Opening of Parliament on June 21, 2017 in London, United Kingdom.

Stefan Wermuth | WPA Pool | Getty Image

Hopes that the U.K.'s two largest political parties can hash out a Brexit agreement have ended.

Six weeks of talks between the most senior lawmakers from the ruling Conservative Party and main opposition Labour party have ended with no deal. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday that talks had "gone as far as they can go" and his party will now oppose her Brexit proposal.

Corbyn added that the lack of support behind May and the likelihood that she will soon be replaced as prime minister had undermined talks.

"The increasing weakness and instability of your government means there cannot be confidence in securing whatever might be agreed between us," he said.

As skepticism grew over a cross-party deal, the pound has embarked on nine straight sessions of losses versus the euro, marking the longest unbroken run of losses this century. Versus the dollar it dipped to $1.2760 on Friday, marking a four-month low. This after almost reaching $1.34 as recently as March.

It is now expected that the U.K. government will put various options, known as indicative votes, to Parliament instead. The last time lawmakers in the lower house of Parliament — the House of Commons — held such a series of votes on Brexit there was no majority preference for any outcome.

According to ITV's political editor, a document shows that Prime Minister Theresa May will hold these indicative votes next week, before the EU parliamentary elections.

One of the motions that the government would reportedly like to put to a vote would ask members to agree that any deal should not be subject to a second Brexit referendum.

Speaking on BBC Radio Friday, the chair of a cross-party committee designed to probe the Brexit process said a failure of talks meant a second vote would be more likely.

"There are only two ways out of the Brexit crisis that we've got: Either parliament agrees a deal, or we go back to the British people and ask them to make the choice," Hilary Benn said.

"This brings the prospect of a confirmatory referendum closer, although there's not yet a majority for that in parliament," he added.

May's attempts to agree a deal with Labour appears to have been the final straw for lawmakers within her own party who are demanding that she spell out her resignation date.

On Thursday, May met with a powerful committee of MPs (Member of Parliament) within her own party, with reports suggesting that she has been told to depart by June 30 at the latest.

May must have passed her withdrawal deal before this date in order avoid British members of the European Parliament  taking up their seats.So far she has failed on three attempts to get a majority of lawmakers to back her deal.

A large number of Conservative candidates are in the race to be the next U.K. leader but bookmakers put the former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as favorite. Johnson confirmed his candidacy on Thursday.

Johnson, a supporter of Brexit, has been hugely critical of May's attempts to agree a deal and has said that Britain has "nothing to fear" from leaving the trading bloc.

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2019-05-17 10:26:17Z
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