Jamal Khashoggi’s US lawyer sentenced to three years following detention in UAE
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Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East came to an end with yet more controversy after it emerged that an American lawyer who previously represented murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been detained in the UAE.
US citizen Asim Ghafoor was detained at Dubai airport on Thursday while travelling to Istanbul for a family wedding and was held on charges related to an in absentia conviction for money laundering. Mr Ghafoor reportedly had no prior knowledge of any conviction.
UAE state media said on Saturday that the attorney had been sentenced to three years in prison.
On Saturday, Mr Biden met with UAE President Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and invited him to visit the US before the year is out.
He was one of multiple Middle Eastern leaders Mr Biden met in Saudi Arabia on Saturday before leaving aboard Air Force One.
New details also emerged about Friday’s controversial meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – the man US intelligence found responsible for ordering the Khashoggi’s murder.
When Mr Biden confronted MBS about the killing – after a friendly fist-bump – he denied the accusation and fired back about the US’s own controversies.
Jamal Khashoggi’s American lawyer sentenced to three years in UAE prison following detention at airport
MBS fired back at Biden with US controversies after confrontation over Khashoggi’s murder, says report
Biden poses for ‘family photo’ with Saudi Crown Prince MBS after clash over Khashoggi murderJoe Biden fist-bumps Saudi crown prince after vowing to make him ‘a pariah’ in 2019
Ilhan Omar on Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia: ‘It sends the wrong message to everyone who cares about human rights’
ICYMI: Biden's arrival remarks on his tenth visit to Israel
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed President Joe Biden on behalf of the people of Israel saying he was here “among family”, referring to the trip as a “journey of peace”.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid then spoke, calling the visit historic and personal. He said Mr Biden was one of the best friends Israel has ever known.
He said Israel has grown and developed and that one of the items for discussion was security issues including “the need to renew a strong global coalition that will stop the Iranian nuclear problem”.
President Biden spoke next and said it was an honour to stand with friends and “and visit the independent Jewish state of Israel”, noting that it was his tenth visit to the country, his first being in 1973 shortly before the Yom Kippur war. He called every visit a “blessing”.
Mr Biden said the relationship between the US and Israel “is deeper and stronger in my view than it’s ever been”.
He also reaffirmed the “unshakeable commitment” the US has to Israel’s security, including partnering with Israel on “the most cutting edge defence systems in the world”.
The president said he would continue to discuss his support for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, though he said he knows it is “not in the near term”.
“A two-state solution remains in my view, the best way to ensure the future meaningful measure of freedom, prosperity, and democracy for Israelis and Palestinians,” Mr Biden said.
Biden attends briefing on Iron Dome and Iron Beam defence systems
Following his remarks upon arriving in Israel, President Joe Biden’s first order of business was to attend a briefing on the defence systems deployed by Israel to counter rocket, mortar, and drone attacks — the Iron Dome and the Iron Beam.
Iron Dome is a mobile air defence system developed by RADS and Israel Aerospace Industries, designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4km (2.5 miles) to 70km (43 miles) away and whose trajectory would take them to populated areas of Israel.
From when it became operational in 2011 to 2021, the US contributed a total of $1.6bn to the defence system. The Biden administration, working with Congress, has approved another $1bn in the past year alone. As he is briefed on the system, President Joe Biden will also review a new laser-enabled missile defense system called Iron Beam, which is in development now and which will involve a partnership between the US and Israel, just as Iron Dome did.
This next generation of missile defence technology is intended to defeat threats from both state and non-state actors at a much shorter range of under 7km (4.3 miles) and is more effective against unmanned aerial vehicles.
It is expected to be deployed within the year.
Biden dismisses poll that Dems want new candidate for 2024
President Joe Biden dismissed a recent poll that showed most Democrats don’t want him to run for office again, arguing that the party does in fact support him in contesting the 2024 election.
A new poll conducted by The New York Times found that at least 64 per cent of Democrats want someone else to stand for the party at the next presidential election.
Read more:
Biden misrepresents poll to claim Democrats want him to run in 2024
President cites figure that ‘92%’ of Democrats would favour him over Trump – ignoring less supportive statistics
Biden Middle East tour comes as inflation dominates national agenda
Inflation has hit a 40-year high as prices increased 9.1 per cent year over year, according to the latest numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers jumped 1.3 per cent last month, with gasoline, shelter and food being the largest contributors to inflation.
The numbers are a devastating blow for President Joe Biden as many voters continue to express frustration about rising prices.
Inflation hits 40-year high, with energy prices being the highest contributing factor
The numbers are the latest blow to President Joe Biden
Here’s what the president had to say following the publication of the new data on Wednesday morning.
While today’s headline inflation reading is unacceptably high, it is also out-of-date. Energy alone comprised nearly half of the monthly increase in inflation. Today’s data does not reflect the full impact of nearly 30 days of decreases in gas prices, that have reduced the price at the pump by about 40 cents since mid-June. Those savings are providing important breathing room for American families. And, other commodities like wheat have fallen sharply since this report.
Importantly, today’s report shows that what economists call annual “core inflation” came down for the third month in a row, and is the first month since last year where the annual “core” inflation rate is below six percent.
Inflation is our most pressing economic challenge. It is hitting almost every country in the world. It is little comfort to Americans to know that inflation is also high in Europe, and higher in many countries there than in America. But it is a reminder that all major economies are battling this Covid-related challenge, made worse by Putin’s unconscionable aggression.
Tackling inflation is my top priority — we need to make more progress, more quickly, in getting price increases under control. Here is what I will do:
First, I will continue to do everything I can to bring down the price of gas. I will continue my historic release of oil from our strategic petroleum reserve. I will continue working with our European allies to put a price cap on Russian oil — sapping Putin of oil revenue. And, I will continue to work with the US oil and gas industry to increase production responsibly — already, the US is producing 12.1 million barrels of oil per day and is on track to break records.
But I will also continue to insist — as I have with urgency recently – that reductions in the price of oil must produce lower gas prices for consumers at the pump. The price of oil is down about 20 per cent since mid-June, but the price of gas has so far only fallen half as much. Oil and gas companies must not use this moment as an excuse for profiting by not passing along savings at the pump.
Second, I will urge Congress to act, this month, on legislation to reduce the cost of everyday expenses that are hitting American families, from prescription drugs to utility bills to health insurance premiums, and to make more in America.
Third, I will continue to oppose any efforts by Republicans — as they have proposed during this campaign year — to make things worse by raising taxes on working people, or putting Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every five years.
Finally, I will continue to give the Federal Reserve the room it needs to help it combat inflation.
Watch: Biden arrives in Israel for start of Middle East tour
President Joe Biden kicked off his first tour of the Middle East on Wednesday when he landed in Israel.
Biden tours Israel Holocaust Memorial
President Joe Biden is at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.
During a solemn ceremony, the president was invited to rekindle the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance and then to lay a wreath in memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Nazi death camps.
After the ceremony, President Biden met and spoke with two Holocaust survivors, Americans Dr Gita Cycowicz and Rena Quint.
Photographers captured the president pausing to wipe away tears while meeting the two women.
Amid Covid worries, a Middle East trip with fist bump greetings for Biden — with some exceptions
The White House said President Joe Biden would try to limit physical contact during his Middle East trip because of concern about rising COVID-19 cases — but the president swiftly reverted to his old-school, back-slapping ways after landing in Israel on Wednesday.
He doled out a few fist bumps after stepping off the plane but then threw an arm around Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and shook hands with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Later he hugged and kissed two Holocaust survivors while visiting the Yad Vashem Memorial museum.
Amid COVID worries, fist bumps for Biden — with exceptions
The White House says President Joe Biden will try to limit physical contact during his Middle East trip because of concern about rising COVID-19 cases
Biden memorial note stresses importance of remembrance to counter hate
President Joe Biden wrote a personal message to mark his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem stressing the importance of remembering the Holocaust and teaching new generations about it to stop it from happening again.
The president wrote:
It is a great honour to be back — back to my emotional home —We must never, ever forget, because hate is never defeated, it only hides.
We must teach every succeeding generation that it can happen again unless we remember.
That is what I teach my children and grandchildren. Never forget.
Biden ‘would not be disappointed’ by rematch with Trump in 2024
During his interview with Israel’s Channel 12, President Joe Biden was asked if he was predicting a rematch with Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Mr Biden responded: “I’m not predicting, but I would not be disappointed.”
Voices: Welcome to Israel, President Biden. As a member of the Knesset, I have a request
Aida Touma-Sliman writes that we need to talk about the Palestinian people, even if the president would rather not.
Welcome to Israel, President Biden. As a member of the Knesset, I have a request
We need to talk about the Palestinian people, even if you’d rather not
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