Saudi Arabia's crown prince says his anti-corruption drive is the 'chemo' needed to stop 'the cancer of corruption' in his country - Daily Mail

Saudi Arabia's crown prince says his anti-corruption drive is the 'chemo' needed to stop 'the cancer of corruption' in his country

Prince Mohammed bin Salman detained princes, businessmen and top officials

Many were confined and interrogated in Riyadh's five star Ritz-Carlton Hotel

Government says $100 billion has been paid back in financial settlements

The oil rich kingdom has been hit by financial problems due low crude prices

By Tariq Tahir For Mailonline and Afp

PUBLISHED: 20:14 AEDT, 28 February 2018 | UPDATED: 21:38 AEDT, 28 February 2018

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince said the kingdom's anti-corruption crackdown was needed to meet budget targets, comparing the purge to chemotherapy.

Authorities rounded up dozens of princes, top officials and businessmen in November on Prince Mohammed bin Salman's orders, with many confined and interrogated at Riyadh's glitzy Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Most detainees, including global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, were released after being exonerated or reaching financial settlements with the government, which says it arranged to seize more than $100 billion through such deals.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been leading a drive to rid Saudi Arabia of what he calls the 'cancer' of corruption

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been leading a drive to rid Saudi Arabia of what he calls the 'cancer' of corruption

Imprisoned in luxury: This picture, obtained by DailyMail.com in the days after the round-up, shows how 11 princes and billionaires were being held in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton +6

Imprisoned in luxury: This picture, obtained by DailyMail.com in the days after the round-up, shows how 11 princes and billionaires were being held in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton

Saudi Arabia will auction property and cars worth billions...

Saudi Arabia's king announces the surprise sacking of his...

The huge sum, if it is successfully recovered, would be a big financial boost for the oil-dependent nation, which has seen its finances strained by low crude prices. The state budget deficit this year is projected at 195 billion riyals ($52 billion).

'You have a body that has cancer everywhere, the cancer of corruption,' Prince Mohammed said in an interview with the Washington Post.

'You need to have chemo, the shock of chemo, or the cancer will eat the body. The corrupted princes were a minority, but the bad actors got more attention. It harmed the energy of the royal family.'

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal reportedly reached a financial settlement with the government +6

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal reportedly reached a financial settlement with the government

Prince Mohammed said in the interview he maintains support from the royal family despite internal divisions that have occasionally spilled into public, such as when 11 princes were arrested last month for allegedly protesting against the government cutting payment of their utility bills.

His ambitious reform agenda, which is popular with much of Saudi Arabia's burgeoning youth population, faces resistance from some of the old guard more comfortable with the kingdom's traditions of incremental change and rule by consensus.

Critics decry the campaign as a shakedown and power play by the 32-year-old heir to the throne, who is aiming to wean Saudi Arabia off reliance on oil revenues and modernise the deeply conservative kingdom by sponsoring public concerts and lifting bans on cinemas and women driving.

Only a handful of specific allegations against those detained in the corruption crackdown have been revealed.

The attorney general has said 56 people remain in custody. They are believed to have been moved to prison after refusing to admit wrongdoing and may end up in court.

How Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is changing Saudi Arabia in 2018

Saudi Arabia has laid the groundwork for momentous social and economic changes that will take place this year, defying its conservative reputation for slow, cautious reforms.

King Salman and his ambitious 32-year-old son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have upended decades of royal family protocol, social norms and traditional ways of doing business.

They bet instead on a young generation of Saudis hungry for change and a Saudi public fed up with corruption and government bureaucracy.

Saudi Arabia will begin issuing driving licences to women this year

Saudi Arabia will begin issuing driving licences to women this year

There is also a need to cut a budget deficit of at 195 billion riyals ($50 billion) caused by collapsing oil prices.

The world's biggest oil exporter had previously been able to rely on income from it to spend lavishly to maintain its population's standard of living and subsidise the extravagant spending of its royal princes.

The clam down on corruption that has seen 200 officials detained, including one of King Abdullah's sons, former National Guard chief Prince Miteb bin Abdullah.

He was released last month after agreeing to pay back the government $1 billion.

The conservative kingdom hosted Comic Con events here thousands of fans dressed up in their favorite action-hero costume

The conservative kingdom hosted Comic Con events here thousands of fans dressed up in their favorite action-hero costume

Hand-in-hand with economic reforms, the Kingdom is bringing about social changes.

A ban on women driving has been lifted and there are plans to begin issuing licenses to women, even allowing them to drive motorcycles.

This year women will also be allowed to attend sporting matches in national stadiums, where they were previously banned.

Movie theaters, shut down in the 1980s during a wave of ultraconservatism, are returning to the Kingdom.

Rapper Nelly performing in Saudi Arabia, one of many entertainers who made it to the country +6

Rapper Nelly performing in Saudi Arabia, one of many entertainers who made it to the country

Previously, Saudis could stream movies online, watch them on satellite TV or travel to neighboring countries like Bahrain and the UAE.

This past year, rapper Nelly and two Games of Thrones stars came to Saudi Arabia for the first time. John Travolta also visited the Kingdom, meeting with fans and talking to them about the US film industry.

Saudi Arabia also held two Comic Con events in major cities, where thousands of fans dressed up in their favorite action-hero costumes.

Actors Julian Glover and Charles Dance, Grand Maester Pycelle and Tywin Lannister from HBO's 'Game of Thrones', made an appearance at one as rock music blared in the halls.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5444269/Saudi-crown-prince-said-anti-corruption-drive-chemo.html#ixzz58OoIj4IA

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Dolly Parton gives 100 millionth free book to children- Guardian

Dolly Parton gives 100 millionth free book to children

The country star’s Imagination Library initiative, set up as a tribute to her illiterate father, reaches major milestone

Ben Beaumont-Thomas

@ben_bt

Wed 28 Feb 2018 21.10 AEDT Last modified on Wed 28 Feb 2018 21.11 AEDT

Dolly Parton speaks at the Library of Congress.

Dolly Parton speaks at the Library of Congress. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the initiative she set up in honour of her illiterate father, has handed out its 100 millionth free book.

The book, a copy of Parton’s children’s picture book Coat of Many Colors, was donated to the Library of Congress in Washington DC, with which Parton has set up a partnership to live-stream story readings.

@DollyParton

Today we dedicate the 100 Millionth @DollysLibrary Book to the @librarycongress! I always like to say that 100 million books have led to 100 million stories.

https://dollyparton.com/life-and-career/100-millionth-book-dedication/14999 …

2:49 AM - Feb 28, 2018

Parton began the Imagination Library in 1996 in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she was raised. Children whose families sign up are posted free books, funded via charitable giving.

Parton, who grew up with only the Bible in her house, has said she was inspired by the example of her father, who worked hard but didn’t have the chance to learn to read or write. “I thought, well, I’m gonna do this: to get books in the hands of children, because if you can read, you can educate yourself,” she told CNBC in 2016. The initiative expanded across the US in 2000, then set up in the UK in 2007 and Australia in 2013.

China Is Said to be Cracking Down on a Cryptocurrency Loophole - Fortune

China Is Said to be Cracking Down on a Cryptocurrency Loophole

By BLOOMBERG 9:29 PM EST - 27/2/2018

China is opening a new front in its battle against cryptocurrencies, targeting platforms that allow the nation’s investors to trade digital assets on overseas exchanges, people familiar with the matter said.

Regulators are planning to scrutinize the Chinese bank and online-payment accounts of businesses and individuals suspected of facilitating trades on offshore cryptocurrency venues, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The accounts’ owners could have their assets frozen or be blocked from the domestic financial system, the people said.

The measures are designed to cut off one of the few remaining avenues for Chinese citizens to buy digital assets. While the country was once home to the world’s most active cryptocurrency exchanges, authorities banned the venues last year and have since moved to block access to platforms that offer exchange-like services.

To get around the crackdown, some firms opened offshore platforms that enable Chinese citizens to buy cryptocurrencies via local bank and online-payment accounts, the people said. It’s unclear which of these platforms have been targeted by authorities, or how much money is flowing through them.

Exchanges are one way to invest in cryptocurrencies.

Chinese regulators have been on the forefront of a global push to rein in the frenzy surrounding cryptocurrencies amid concerns over excessive speculation, money laundering, tax evasion and fraud. Investor fears of tighter regulation have helped spur a 45% drop in Bitcoin from its December peak. The cryptocurrency slipped 0.5% to $10,698.62 at 9:35 a.m. Hong Kong time.

The People’s Bank of China didn’t reply to a faxed request for comment.

Why are West Virginia teachers on strike? Take a look at their salaries - CNN

Why are West Virginia teachers on strike? Take a look at their salaries

By Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 2215 GMT (0615 HKT) February 27, 2018

(CNN)When it comes to teacher salaries, West Virginia ranks 48th in the nation, according to the National Education Association.

And it's one of only five states where teacher wages actually went down between 2015 and 2016.

That would explain why nearly 20,000 teachers and about 13,000 school service personnel are battling the state's government for better benefits and higher pay.

So how much does a teacher in West Virginia make? These are numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Take a look for yourself.

The numbers above don't include the salaries of the state's career and technical education, special education or pre-school teachers. The difference between their pay and the national average is equally stark.

Keep in mind that the numbers above are teachers' base salary. They don't include deductions, such as Social Security or teacher retirement accounts.

Also, they also don't include deductions for health insurance. That's a big one, and it's one of the main issues the striking teachers are looking to address.

Every public school in West Virginia is closed

Every public school in West Virginia is closed

For now, only three other states rank lower than West Virginia for teacher salaries:

Oklahoma

Mississippi

South Dakota

(The District of Columbia is included in the state rankings, which is why they add up to 51.)

Q&A: Syria chemical weapons disarmament deal - BBC News

Q&A: Syria chemical weapons disarmament deal

30 January 2014

John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov reached an agreement after three days of talks

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is implementing an agreement, reached by the US and Russia on 14 September, to destroy Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. The deal placed indefinitely on hold the prospect of US-led strikes on Syria as punishment for a deadly chemical weapons attack in Damascus on 21 August 2013.

What does the US-Russia agreement say?

Under the framework deal, the US and Russia asked the OPCW to approve procedures for Syria's chemical weapons programme to be destroyed, and for "stringent verification" that this has taken place.

Damascus was given one week to submit "a comprehensive listing" of its chemical weapons agents, types of munitions and location and form of storage, production and research and development facilities. After Syria submitted its inventory, the OPCW team entered Syria on 1 October.

The destruction of the arsenal began on 6 October, overseen by the OPCW. On 31 October, the international watchdog confirmed that Syria's declared equipment for producing, mixing and filling chemical weapons had been destroyed.

In January, head of the joint mission Ahmet Uzumcu acknowledged there had been delays in transporting the chemicals along the main highway between Damascus and Homs. He said this was due to technical problems and the obvious difficulties of operating in a warzone.

On 30 January, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US was "concerned" Syria was falling behind schedule in handing over its chemical weapons. In a statement to the OPCW, the US ambassador to the body, Robert Mikulak, said the US believes that only around 4% of the chemicals declared by the Syrian government have been removed.

The "complete elimination of all chemical weapons material and equipment" must be completed by the first half of 2014.

The US and Russia agree that Syria's chemical agents and precursor chemicals should be destroyed outside Syria if possible. But the framework says they could also be consolidated and destroyed inside Syria, possibly in coastal areas.

What happens if Syria does not comply?

The US-Russian deal was enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution on 28 September.

The text has two legally binding demands: that Syria abandon its weapons stockpile and that chemical weapons experts be given unfettered access.

The US - backed by France and the UK - had pushed for a resolution carrying the threat of military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's armed forces. Russia had opposed this.

Although the resolution refers to Chapter VII of the UN Charter which allows the use of military force, a second resolution authorising such a move would be needed in the event of non-compliance by Damascus.

What chemical weapons does Syria have?

On 14 September, the UN confirmed Syria had acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which commits members to destroying their stockpiles.

Seven days later, the OPCW confirmed it had received "the expected disclosure from the Syrian government regarding its chemical weapons programme". It declined to release details of what was in the declaration, which it says is privileged information.

The US-Russia agreement says the two countries have "reached a shared assessment of the amount and type of chemical weapons involved". One US official said the agreed estimate was 1,000 tons of chemical weapons, including the blister agent, sulphur mustard, and sarin nerve agent.

France has said it believes Syria has several hundreds of tonnes of sulphur mustard, several hundreds of tonnes of sarin, and several tens of tonnes of the more potent and persistent nerve agent, VX. The US has said the Syrian military has access to "thousands of munitions" that could be used to deliver chemical agents, including long- and short-range missiles, aerial bombs and artillery rockets.

Have chemical weapons been used in Syria?

While there have been many unconfirmed reports over the past six months, no-one disputes that chemical weapons were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people in several towns of the Ghouta agricultural belt to the west and east of Damascus on 21 August.

On 16 September, UN inspectors issued a report saying the environmental, chemical and medical samples they collected from the affected areas provided "clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used". The inspectors were not asked to ascertain who was behind the attack.

On 30 August, the White House said it assessed "with high confidence" that the Syrian government was responsible. A French intelligence assessment published on 3 September said the attack "could not have been ordered and carried out by anyone but the Syrian government".

However, President Bashar al-Assad blamed rebels for the deaths. He told the French newspaper Le Figaro on 2 September that Western powers had presented no evidence and that it would have been illogical for the Syrian army to use weapons of mass destruction in an area where its soldiers were present.

Russia - Syria's main international ally - also believes the rebels are behind the attack. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow has "serious grounds" to believe the attack had been a provocation by rebel forces. Russia Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has called the UN report "one-sided" and based upon "insufficient" information.

How did the disarmament agreement come about?

The 21 August attack triggered an international outcry. The US, UK and French governments swiftly called for punitive military action. However, momentum shifted when the UK parliament voted against military intervention and opposition began to emerge in the US Congress.

The US-Russian initiative emerged on 9 September after Mr Kerry said - in an apparently off-hand remark - that the US might not carry out strikes if President Assad placed his entire stockpile of chemical weapons under international control within a week. Within hours, Mr Lavrov said Russia had urged the Syrians to agree to do just that and Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem endorsed the idea. On 10 September, Mr Obama said he had put his plans for military action on hold.

After three days of talks in Geneva, Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov declared that they had agreed a framework to rid Syria of its chemical weapons.

How have the Syrian government and opposition reacted?

Syria's Minister for National Reconciliation, Ali Haidar, said the agreement represented a "victory". "On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria," he told the Russian news agency, Ria Novosti.

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces said in a statement that it believed the initiative would embolden President Assad's government to "escalate its military offensive" across Syria. It warned that the Syrian government had a long record of breaking agreements and urged the UN Security Council to pass a resolution including the threat of Chapter VII measures.

Gen Salim Idris, the head of the Supreme Military Council of the rebel Free Syrian Army denounced the agreement. "All of this initiative does not interest us. Russia is a partner with the regime in killing the Syrian people," he told reporters in Istanbul. "A crime against humanity has been committed, and there is not any mention of accountability."

N Korea 'providing materials to Syria chemical weapons factories' - BBC News

28/2/2018

N Korea 'providing materials to Syria chemical weapons factories'

There have been recent reports of chlorine gas attacks in the eastern Ghouta region

North Korea has been sending equipment to Syria that could be used to make chemical weapons, a UN report says.

Some 40 previously unreported shipments were made between 2012 and 2017, the report found. Materials included acid-resistant tiles, valves and pipes.

The report - yet to be released - said N Korean missile specialists had been seen at Syrian weapon-making centres.

The allegations follow new reports of chlorine being used by Syrian forces, which the government denies.

Meanwhile, air strikes were heard in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus as a second daily pause in fighting was due to get under way to allow in relief aid.

Aid was unable to enter the rebel-held region on Tuesday - the first of the five-hour "pauses" in fighting - after clashes continued.

Activists blamed government air and artillery strikes, while Russia said rebels had shelled a "humanitarian corridor" meant to let civilians leave.

What are the allegations against North Korea?

North Korea is under international sanctions over its nuclear programme.

Is North Korea just playing the US?

But a confidential report, compiled by a US Panel of Experts which assesses North Korea's compliance with UN resolutions, found evidence of illicit supplies sent to Syria.

Seen by the BBC, the report says the items included high-heat, acid-resistant tiles, corrosion-resistant valves and thermometers.

The Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) - a Syrian government agency - is alleged to have paid North Korea via a number of front companies.

'Chance of N Korea war highest in decades' says ex-US general

Among the alleged shipments were at least five sent via a Chinese trading firm, Cheng Tong Trading Co Ltd, the report says.

The shipments allegedly contained acid-resistant tiles - which can be used for activities conducted at high temperatures - at a quantity that would cover the area of a large scale industrial project.

While the seized items "do not appear on any control lists", they included "materials that can be used to build bricks for the interior walls of [a] chemical factory", the report noted.

North Korea flouting sanctions, UN told

China responded to the Panel's findings, saying it had no "evidence demonstrating the Cheng Tong Trading Co has business with" any North Korean entities in violation of Security Council violations.

The Syrian government told the UN panel that the only North Koreans present in Syria are sports coaches and athletes.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric did not say whether the leaked report would be published, but told the New York Times: "I think the overarching message is that all member states have a duty and responsibility to abide by the sanctions that are in place."

In a September 2017 report, which is publicly available, the group said it was "investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation" between Syria and North Korea.

It said that two UN member states had intercepted shipments bound for Syria, and that the goods were suspected to be supplied by North Korea's main arms exporter as part of a contract with front companies representing the SSRC.

What is Syria's position on chemical weapons?

Syria signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to have its declared chemical weapons stock destroyed in 2013 after a Sarin nerve agent attack killed hundreds of people in rebel-held suburbs of Damascus..

It has been accused of repeatedly using banned chemical weapons in the civil war since then.

Syria 'still producing chemical weapons'

The spectre of nerve agents in Syria - again

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) concluded that Sarin was used in Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in Idlib province, last April in an incident that killed more than 80 people. OPCW and UN investigators are confident the Syrian air force was to blame.

The US carried out missile strikes on a Syrian air base in response but President Bashar al-Assad maintained the incident was faked.

Suspected chlorine attacks have been recently reported in Syria, including on Sunday in the Eastern Ghouta.

The OPCW is investigating those attacks, Reuters news agency reports, citing diplomatic sources. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is among Western leaders who have suggested the Syrian government could be attacked if there is fresh "incontrovertible" evidence that chemical weapons have been used against civilians.

Why is North Korea's involvement controversial?

Experts say that North Korea has long offered military supplies and weapons know-how around the world in exchange for cash.

The UN report is said to highlight its efforts to illicitly trade with dozens of countries and groups in the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America.

US to impose 'largest' N Korea sanctions

Reality Check: How North Korea does business

Syria and North Korea have decades-old military ties.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said Washington was imposing a fresh set of sanctions on North Korea, targeting more than 50 ships and maritime transport companies in several countries.

North Korea is already under a range of international and US sanctions over its nuclear programme and missile tests.

Viewpoint: Chemical weapons ‘threat to West’

North Korea crisis in 300 words

But it continued tests last year, including tests of a nuclear weapon and a long-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the US.

The US says the new sanctions are designed to put a further squeeze on North Korea, cutting off sources of revenue and fuel for its nuclear programme and clamping down on evasion of already existing restrictions.