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https://time.com/5625208/russia-turkey-s-400-missile-defense/
2019-07-12 08:47:35Z
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Jumat, 12 Juli 2019
Shipment of Russian S-400 Defense System Arrives in Turkey - TIME
https://time.com/5625208/russia-turkey-s-400-missile-defense/
2019-07-12 08:47:35Z
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Russian S-400 defense systems arrive in Turkey despite US warning - Fox News
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting of the NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, May 6, 2019. Erdogan says Turkey's decision to purchase Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems does not mean that it is seeking "alternatives" in its relations with the West.(Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)
Turkey's Defense Ministry says the first shipment of a Russian missile defense system has arrived in Turkey, a development that could move the country closer to U.S. sanctions.
The ministry said the first delivery of the S-400 air defense systems arrived on Friday at an air base near the capital, Ankara.
TURKEY PREPARES TO RECEIVE RUSSIAN MISSILE SYSTEM, AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER POTENTIAL US PUNISHMENT
The United States has warned Turkey it will face economic sanctions if it goes ahead with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system. It has also said Turkey won't be allowed to participate in the program to produce the high-tech F-35 fighter jets.
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Turkey has refused to bow to U.S. pressure, insisting that choosing which equipment to purchase is a matter of national sovereignty.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-s-400-defense-systems-arrive-in-turkey
2019-07-12 08:11:12Z
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New North Korea constitution calls Kim head of state, seen as step to U.S. peace treaty - Reuters
SEOUL (Reuters) - Kim Jong Un has been formally named head of state of North Korea and commander-in-chief of the military in a new constitution observers said was possibly aimed at preparing for a peace treaty with the United States.
FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang in this April 10, 2019 photo released on April 11, 2019 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo
North Korea has also long called for a peace deal with the United States to normalize relations and end the technical state of war that has existed since the 1950-1953 Korean War concluded with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
The new constitution, unveiled on the Naenara state portal site on Thursday, said that Kim as chairman of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), a top governing body created in 2016, was “the supreme representative of all the Korean people”, which means head of state, and “commander-in-chief”.
A previous constitution simply called Kim “supreme leader” who commands the country’s “overall military force”.
Previously, North Korea’s official head of state was the president of the titular parliament, known as the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly.
“Kim had dreamed of becoming the president of North Korea and he effectively made it come true,” said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Far East Institute in Seoul.
“He has long sought to shake off the abnormal military-first policy the country has stuck to for a long time.”
Kim shifted his focus to the economy last year, launched nuclear talks with the United States and moved to revamp his image as a world leader via summits with South Korea, China and Russia.
Hong Min, a senior researcher of the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said the title change was also aimed at preparing for a potential peace treaty with the United States.
“The amendment may well be a chance to establish Kim’s status as the signer of a peace treaty when it comes, while projecting the image of the country as a normal state,” Hong said.
Washington had baulked at signing a comprehensive peace treaty before North Korea takes substantial steps toward denuclearisation, but U.S. officials have signaled they may be willing to conclude a more limited agreement to reduce tensions, open liaison offices, and move toward normalizing relations.
Denuclearisation talks between the United States and North Korea have stalled, although fresh talks with Pyongyang are supposed to take place this month.
North Korea has frozen nuclear bomb and long-range missile testing since 2017. But it tested new short-range missiles after a second summit with the United States in February broke down, and U.S. officials believe it has expanded its arsenal by continuing to produce bomb fuel and missiles.
The new constitution continued to describe North Korea as a nuclear weapons state.
In reality Kim, a third-generation hereditary leader, rules North Korea with an iron-fist and the title change will mean little to the way he wheels power.
Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Michael Perry
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-constitution/new-north-korea-constitution-calls-kim-head-of-state-seen-as-step-to-u-s-peace-treaty-idUSKCN1U70HD
2019-07-12 05:27:00Z
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Kamis, 11 Juli 2019
U.K. Says Iran Tried To Intercept Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz; Tehran Denies It - NPR
The British naval vessel HMS Montrose, pictured in 2014, was forced to intercede on behalf of a British tanker blocked by Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense. U.K. Ministry of Defence via AP hide caption
Tensions are once again rising in the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense said three Iranian ships tried to block the passage of a British oil tanker and a British naval vessel had to intervene.
Iranian officials, however, denied that any such incident occurred.
The U.K. ministry said in a statement that on Wednesday, "HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away."
Montrose was shadowing the tanker in the waterway between Oman and Iran, when it "appeared that the Iranian vessels were trying to divert the Heritage from international to Iranian waters," a ministry source told CNN.
In Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters Thursday that the U.K.'s account is "worthless and aimed at escalating tension," Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.
And Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement in Fars: "Naval patrols of the Guards Corps in the Persian Gulf continue vigilantly, precisely and strongly based on regular procedures and missions, and during the last 24 hours, there have been no encounters with foreign vessels, including the British ones."
The area around the Strait of Hormuz, a critically important shipping channel between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, has been the site of several high-profile incidents in recent weeks.
The U.S. says Iran attacked the tankers Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman last month using magnetic mines. Iran has denied involvement.
A week later, Iran shot down a U.S. drone with a surface-to-air missile over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said the spy craft had violated its airspace, while the U.S. maintained it was in international waters close to Iran. The incident brought the U.S. to the brink of a military strike on Iran, before President Trump said he pulled back.
The Strait of Hormuz links oil producers in the Middle East with outside markets. Last year, an average of 21 million barrels of oil a day passed through the narrow stretch of water — the equivalent of about one-fifth of the world's oil consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The commerical tanker said to have been protected by the Royal Navy on Wednesday was operated by British Petroleum.
"Our top priority is the safety and security of our crews and vessels," BP spokesman Paul Erwood told NPR in a statement. "While we are not commenting on these events, we thank the Royal Navy for their support."
Reports of an attempted interception comes a week after British Royal Marines helped seize an Iranian tanker in the Strait of Gibraltar that was suspected of carrying oil from Iran to Syria, in violation of EU sanctions.
Iran condemned the seizure as "maritime piracy," according to Fars, and "has vowed to employ all its political and legal capacities to secure the release of the vessel and uphold its rights."
As NPR's Peter Kenyon reported, "a former Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying Iran should seize a British tanker in retaliation for the recent seizure of an Iranian tanker by the British Royal Marines."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has threatened to "substantially" increase sanctions on Iran after Tehran announced that it had breached several limits under the 2015 nuclear deal. The U.S. pulled out of that deal last year.
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/11/740623762/u-k-says-iran-tried-to-intercept-tanker-in-strait-of-hormuz-tehran-denies-it
2019-07-11 18:44:00Z
CAIiEB-nlnasCrtGjaIrN7ZhGHkqFggEKg4IACoGCAow9vBNMK3UCDCvpUk
U.K. Navy Intervenes After Iran Tries to Stop British Oil Tanker - Bloomberg Politics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XTKcvLH2Fc
2019-07-11 14:57:58Z
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Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats tried, failed to seize British oil tanker in Persian Gulf, senior US defense official says - Fox News
Five Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gunboats tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday but backed off after a British warship approached, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.
The British warship was said to have been less than 5 miles behind the tanker but soon intercepted the Iranian boats and threatened to open fire. A manned U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was above as well, the official said, adding that Iranian forces left without opening fire.
Navy Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said the military was aware of the reported actions. He added, “Threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution. The world economy depends on the free flow of commerce, and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this lynchpin of global prosperity.”
US-IRAN TENSIONS: A TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS
The British frigate was identified as the HMS Montrose, according to The Sun. The vessel reportedly trained its 30mm deck guns on the enemy fleet and warned them off.
The incident was the latest in a series of provocations between the Islamic Republic and the West. British forces last week seized an Iranian supertanker that officials believed was operating in violation of European Union sanctions. The British Royal Marines captured the vessel in Gibraltar after believing it was trying to provide crude oil to Syria, an ally of Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that Britain would face repercussions over the seizure.
Last month, Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway separating Iran from the United Arab Emirates. Oil exporters transport around 22 million barrels of oil per day through the strait.
U.S. officials also blamed Iran for attacks on six oil tankers in the area. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused the regime of trying to disrupt the flow of oil in the area.
The British frigate was identified as the HMS Montrose. The vessel reportedly trained its 30mm deck guns on the enemy fleet and warned them off. <br data-cke-eol="1"> (UK Ministry of Defence via AP)
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have escalated in recent weeks and could spiral downward after Iran admitted Monday it surpassed uranium enrichment levels that were set by the Iran nuclear agreement in 2015.
President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal last year but several EU nations remained involved. Those countries -- Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain, and the European Union -- have called on Iran to stick to its commitments under the deal.
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Iran has abandoned restraint in recent months as it seeks relief from U.S. sanctions. The republic has asked the deal's signatories to provide economic incentives in exchange for the de-escalation of its nuclear program.
Trump has indicated he will impose additional sanctions on Iran and urged those nations not to give in to its demands.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iranian-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-boats-tried-failed-to-seize-british-oil-tanker-in-persian-gulf-senior-us-defense-official-says
2019-07-11 13:49:58Z
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'Tomb of the angel' search for missing teen in Vatican hits dead end - AOL
ROME — Forensic experts searching two 19th century tombs in the heart of the Vatican in hopes of solving the mystery of a teenage girl who vanished more than 30 years ago came up empty handed Thursday.
"They found nothing, not even the remains of those who were meant to officially be buried there," said the missing girl's brother, Pietro Orlandi. "I am relieved by it. They dug under one of the tombs and found a room underneath completely empty. In the other one they found a sarcophagus, also empty"
Emanuela Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican bank employee, was 15 when she disappeared after leaving a music lesson in Rome in 1983. The teenager's family believe her body could be buried in a tomb in a tiny cemetery inside the Vatican, after they received an anonymous tip last year.
RELATED: Parts of the Vatican off-limits to tourists
"'If you want to find Emanuela, search where the angel looks," a tipster wrote in an unsigned letter posted alongside a picture of a statue of an angel in the Teutonic Cemetery, the family's lawyer, Laura Sgrò, told NBC News.
Shortly before 8.15 (2.15 a.m. ET) on Thursday morning, the rector of the Teutonic College recited a prayer in front of the "tomb of the angel" and an adjoining tomb, Alessandro Gisotti, the director of the Vatican press office said in a statement. A 15-person team then began excavating the tombs of Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe and Princess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg, who died in 1836 and 1840, respectively.
The Orlandi family had asked for the tomb under the statue of an angel holding a "rest in peace sign" to be opened, but the Vatican decided a second nearby tomb should also be excavated to "avoid misunderstandings," Gisotti said. He said he could not predict how long the operation would take.
This is not the first time a tomb has been opened in the mysterious case that has gripped Italy for more than three decades.
In 2005, an anonymous tipster claimed Orlandi's body was buried in the tomb of Enrico de Pedis, a criminal gangster who operated in Rome in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Giancarlo Capaldo, a state prosecutor who worked on the case between 2012 and 2016. In 2012 his tomb was finally opened, but Orlandi's remains were not found.
Pietro Orlandi earlier told reporters that after years of the Vatican not cooperating it appeared the Holy See was beginning to accept the idea that it may hold some responsibility for what happened. If his sister's remains were found, Orlandi said he would expect the Vatican to open up an investigation into the murder and the concealment of the corpse.
"Now it's not just us as a family, it seems also the Vatican wants to find out the truth about what happened," he said.
Claudio Lavanga reported from Rome; Saphora Smith from London.
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/07/11/angel-search-for-missing-teen-in-vatican-hits-dead-end/23768005/
2019-07-11 11:23:32Z
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