CIA chief to brief US Senate leaders on Khashoggi murder
Reuters, Washington:
CIA Director Gina Haspel will give a closed briefing to leaders of several U.S. Senate committees on Tuesday on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a source familiar with the planned meeting.
Some lawmakers were angry Haspel did not participate in a Senate briefing by Trump administration officials last week on Khashoggi’s death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
15 migrants die in boat off Libya
Reuters, Misrata
As many as 15 migrants have died in a boat off the Libyan coast, an Egyptian survivor told Reuters on Tuesday. “We were 25 migrants on a boat … We set off from (the western Libyan town of) Sabratah and we were at sea for 12 days without food and water,” he said, speaking in the western city of Misrata. “15 have died.”
US envoy on Afghan peace in Pakistan for talks
AP, Islamabad
The U.S. special envoy tasked with finding a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s 17-year old war has arrived in Islamabad for meeting with the country’s political and military leadership about bringing the Taliban to peace talks. Tuesday’s visit comes a day after the President Donald Trump wrote a letter to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking his cooperation.
Moon still hopes to host Kim this year
AFP, Auckland:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul for the first time in the next few weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday, describing the possible trip as a major boost in efforts to make the peninsula nuclear-free.
Moon and Kim have met three times in 2018 amid warming ties between the two Koreas, with South Korea hoping to host a first-ever visit by Kim to Seoul before year’s end.
Sweden talks ‘critical opportunity’ for Yemen peace: UAE
AFP, Abu Dhabi
Proposed UN-led talks in Sweden present a “critical opportunity” to bring peace to war-torn Yemen, a top official from the United Arab Emirates which is part of the pro-government coalition, said Tuesday.
“Evacuating wounded Huthi fighters from Sanaa once again demonstrates the Yemeni government & the Arab coalition’s support for peace,” said the UAE’s state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, in a tweet, after 50 wounded rebels were sent Monday to neutral Oman to be treated.
UN SC to meet on Iran missile test
AFP, United Nations
The UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday at the request of France and Britain after they accused Iran of test-firing a medium-range missile at the weekend, diplomats said. The United States said the missile launch on Saturday was a violation of a UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which Washington has withdrawn.
