After a wait of two and a half years, the US administration is launching its Middle East peace plan Tuesday - with an economic initiative that the Palestinians are boycotting.
For this most unconventional of US presidents, Donald Trump's Middle East peace-making bid is unlike decades of previous US attempts.
There is no talk of land swaps, a Palestinian state or other political issues that have vexed diplomats for decades.
The Trump administration says it will get to the political issues later.
For now, its plan will open over cocktails and dinner Tuesday evening in Bahrain at an intimate two-day "economic workshop" at a luxury hotel overlooking the Gulf.
Led by Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, the "Peace to Prosperity" framework dangles the prospect of USD 50 billion of investment in the Palestinian territories and neighbouring Arab countries over 10 years.
Listing a slew of projects to develop roads, border crossings, power generation and tourism, the framework sets an .

US kicks off Mideast plan, with Palestinians boycotting

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US President Donald Trump was mocked by Iranians on Tuesday after mixing up the country's current supreme leader with his predecessor who died 30 years ago.
"The assets of Ayatollah Khomeini and his office will not be spared by these sanctions," Trump said Monday as he announced new measures against Iran's supreme leader and top officials.
But the Islamic republic's founder and revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died in 1989, and the country has since been led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"Trump doesn't know that Ayatollah Khomeini has passed away and that Ayatollah Khamenei is the leader of Iran," tweeted Sara Masoumi, diplomatic correspondent for the reformist daily Etemad.
"Has this narcissist been waiting for (a dead man) to call him?" wrote another Twitter user, after Trump last month said he would like Iran to phone him.
One social media user suggested "Trump took revenge" for Khamenei reportedly mispronouncing the president's name as Ronald.

Iranians mock Trump for mistaking leader with dead founder

Frida the rescue dog, a labrador retriever who gained worldwide fame for her heroics after the earthquake that devastated Mexico on September 19, 2017, officially retired from duty Monday.
Frida, who adorably sniffed through the rubble in her protective goggles and booties in the hours after the tragedy, was sent into doggy retirement at 10 years old in a ceremony at the canine unit of the Mexican marines.
"Our dear labrador Frida is starting a new era," said Deputy Naval Minister Eduardo Redondo.
"Frida stole the heart of all Mexico and thousands more abroad... Her bark always gave hope, and in moments of pain and uncertainty she brought relief." Frida saved 12 people's lives across her decade-long career as a search and rescue dog, the navy said.
The emergency response efforts she took part in included earthquakes in Haiti and Ecuador in 2010 and 2016, respectively, and an explosion at the headquarters of Mexican state oil company Pemex in 2013.
Her job after the 7.1-magnitude ...

Frida the rescue dog retires in Mexico

Russia on Tuesday accused Washington of being reckless with new sanctions on Iran, saying Moscow stood in solidarity with Tehran.
"US authorities should think hard about where this reckless course of action can lead," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"It is capable of not only destabilising the Middle East but undermining the entire system of international security," the ministry added.
"There is an impression that Washington is 'burning bridges.'" By introducing sanctions against Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military chiefs, Washington is seeking to "punish those who are not going to submit to American diktat," Moscow said.
"Russia stands in complete solidarity with the friendly people of Iran and its government," the Russian foreign ministry added.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have been escalating since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew last year from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic ...

Russia accuses US of being 'reckless' with new Iran sanctions

Iran vehemently responded Tuesday to new US sanctions against its leaders, saying they showed Washington was "lying" about an offer of talks and marked the end of diplomacy with the Trump administration, amid an escalating regional standoff.
Washington blacklisted Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top military chiefs on Monday, saying it would also sanction Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif later in the week.
"At the same time as you call for negotiations you seek to sanction the foreign minister? It's obvious that you're lying," Rouhani said in a meeting with ministers, broadcast live on TV.
His comments came as US National Security Advisor John Bolton, on a visit to Iran's arch-enemy Israel, said Washington had "held the door open to real negotiations" but that "in response, Iran's silence has been deafening".
Iran and the US broke off diplomatic relations in 1980 over the hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran following Iran's Islamic revolution.
Tensions ...

Iran says new US sanctions show talk offers hollow, block diplomacy

Russia on Tuesday sentenced a Polish citizen to 14 years in prison camps on spying charges, Moscow's FSB security service said.
Marian Radzajewski tried to bring military information that included "state secrets" from Russia to Poland, the FSB said in a statement.
He also tried to obtain "secret components of Russian S-300 air defence systems", it said.
The FSB said he was arrested "while attempting to complete the transaction".
"The investigation confirmed that Marian Radzajewski acted in the interests of a Polish organisation that is a leading supplier of (Poland's) national armed and special forces," the statement said.
He was sentenced at a closed trial in Moscow.
His lawyer, cited by the Interfax news agency, said he "did not agree with the terms of the charges" and intended to appeal the decision.
According to Interfax, Marian Radzajewski was born in 1977 and was the director of a transport company in Bialystok, a city in northeastern Poland.
Spy convictions have increased in ...

Russia jails Polish citizen for 14 years on spy charges

The winner of the contest to replace Theresa May as leader of Britain's ruling Conservatives and prime minister will be announced on July 23, the ruling party said Tuesday.
Former foreign minister Boris Johnson is the favourite in the race, battling Britain's current top diplomat, Jeremy Hunt.
The two candidates were chosen from a field of 10 by the Conservative party's 313 MPs, and are now seeking to woo an estimated 160,000 party members who will make the final choice.
Postal ballots will be sent out between July 6 and 8, and the deadline for returning them has been set at 5:00 pm (local time) on July 22.
"The announcement of the next leader of the Conservative party will be made on Tuesday 23 July. This process has been agreed with both candidates," the statement said.
Once a successor is confirmed, May would be expected to visit Queen Elizabeth II to formally tender her resignation as premier.
Her replacement would then make his own visit to Buckingham Palace to be confirmed in ...

Next British PM to be announced July 23: Conservative Party

The Turkish fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday appealed for an international investigation into his "premeditated" killing amid evidence of high-level Saudi involvement.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US resident, was killed last October by Saudi agents while at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his wedding to Hatice Cengiz.
"There is an urgent need for an international investigation of this murder," Cengiz said at an event on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, speaking through a translator.
Her comments came after the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, released a damning report that found "credible evidence" linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the killing.
The independent rights expert, who does not speak for the United Nations but reports her findings to it, called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ..

'Urgent' need for international probe on Khashoggi killing: fiancee

Neymar is ready to cut his salary by 12 million euros to leave Paris Saint-Germain as part of a "verbal agreement" reached between the Brazilian and Barcelona, according to reports in the Spanish press.
PSG are yet to sanction the sale of their star striker, who they paid a world record 222 million euros to sign from Barca only two years ago.
But Neymar is reportedly eager to return to Spain and Barcelona are prepared to take him back, with Spanish sports newspaper Diario Sport claiming a five-year contract has been agreed.
The newspaper says the terms include Neymar reducing his salary from around 36 million euros at PSG to the 24 million euros he received at Barca in 2017, while also dropping his 26-million euro court case against the Catalan club.
Neymar claims he was due the amount before leaving as a loyalty bonus.
Barcelona sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo has reported Neymar will also have to make a public apology to the club's fans for the manner of his departure.
The ...

Neymar accepts pay-cut in 'verbal agreement' with Barca

NATO will this week decide how to respond to Russia's violation of a key Cold War arms treaty, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday, insisting any measures would be defensive.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty is expected to formally collapse on August 2 after both Russia and the US pulled out, dealing a blow to international arms control efforts.
Stoltenberg said there was "no indication" the Kremlin was prepared to destroy a missile system the West says breaches the INF and so NATO defence ministers will use talks on Wednesday and Thursday to agree countermeasures.
"Our response will be defensive, measured and coordinated. We will not mirror what Russia does," Stoltenberg told reporters, saying NATO did not intend to deploy new land-based nuclear missiles in Europe.
"We do not want a new arms race, but as Russia is deploying new missiles, we must ensure that our deterrence and defence remains credible and effective." After years of complaining to Russia ...

NATO prepares 'defensive' response to Russia arms treaty breach

She was one of the great beauties of antiquity, and soon we are going to find out what the "Venus de Milo" smells like.
The Louvre in Paris has asked two of France's top "noses" -- otherwise known as perfume creators -- to come up with fragrances to go with some of its greatest treasures.
Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac roped in some of the biggest stars of the olfactory universe to help them find the right notes to go with statues of the goddess of love as well as the "Winged Victory of Samothrace".
The pair, founders of the Officine Universelle Buly perfumerie, were also asked to pair fragrances with Ingres' two most sensual works, the "Grande Odalisque" and "The Valpincon Bather" as well as Gainsborough's "Conversation in a Park".
But for now there will be no perfume for "Mona Lisa" -- the museum's most famous work -- who will guard her fragrance, like so much else, secret.
Controversially, among the paintings chosen is Fragonard's "The Bolt", the famous seduction scene ...

Venus de Milo to get an extra whiff of glamour

Shares in three large Chinese banks fell Tuesday after a media report said a US judge had found the banks in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas related to a North Korean sanctions violations case.
The ruling could prompt the US to bar one of China's largest banks from the US financial system, the Washington Post report said.
The order did not explicitly identify the banks but details in the case matched those of three large state-backed Chinese banks: the Bank of Communications, China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, the Post reported.
Shares of the Bank of Communications slipped 3.02 percent to 6.10 yuan, China Merchants Bank fell 4.82 per cent to 36.13 yuan and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank sank 3.08 percent to 11.66 yuan.
The banks did not comply with US subpoenas for information in an investigation into North Korea sanctions violations, the Post reported.
The order could allow the US attorney general or Treasury secretary to cut off Shanghai ...

China bank stocks fall on possible US action linked to N Korea

Amnesty International raised on Tuesday fresh concerns that Sri Lanka may soon end a 42-year moratorium on capital punishment and hang 13 men convicted of drug offences.
The London-based rights group said it was "alarmed" over media reports of preparations to resume hangings although the country still does not have a qualified hangman.
"Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena must immediately halt his plans to resume executions for at least 13 prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes," Amnesty said in a statement.
Sirisena in February announced he would carry out the first executions in 42 years within less than two months, but he is yet to sign any death warrant, officials said.
He said this was in response to spiralling narcotics-related crime inspired by President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines.
The president has also appealed to human rights organisations not to pressure him on his decision.  Criminals in Sri Lanka are regularly handed death sentences for murder, rape and 

Amnesty raises fresh fears of executions in Sri Lanka

The US drone shot down by Tehran last week was in Iranian airspace, the head of Russia's Security Council said Tuesday, despite US claims to the contrary.
"I have information from the defence ministry of the Russian Federation that this drone was in Iranian airspace," Russian news agencies quoted Nikolai Patrushev as telling reporters in Jerusalem.
Patrushev was in Jerusalem for talks with US and Israeli officials, as tensions run high after Iran shot down the US spy drone on June 19 and US President Donald Trump considered, then cancelled, a retaliatory strike.
Iran insists the drone violated Iranian airspace near the Strait of Hormuz, but the Pentagon denies it entered Iranian territory.

Moscow says downed US drone was in Iranian airspace

Rafael Nadal has complained about Wimbledon's seeding system after the Spaniard was placed at number three, behind Roger Federer, for next week's grand slam in London.
The other three major tournaments all match their seeding to the official world rankings but Wimbledon uses its own formula to dictate the order, combining ranking points with form in grass-court competitions.
It means Nadal will be seeded three and Federer two at the All England Club this year, despite their positions being the reverse in the rankings list.
"Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year that does it like this," Nadal told Spanish television channel Movistar on Monday night.
"Obviously it would be better to be two than three but if they think I have to be three I will accept three and fight to win the matches I have to win.
"Having said that, the only thing that doesn't seem right about this issue is that it is only Wimbledon that does it. If they all did it, it would seem more correct.
"It's not only ...

Nadal says Wimbledon seeding system disrespects world rankings

A Turkish court on Tuesday lifted the house arrest of a US consulate staffer charged with terrorism offences, just days before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to meet US counterpart Donald Trump, an embassy official told AFP.
Mete Canturk is one of three consulate staffers arrested for links to a group accused of an attempted coup in 2016.
Canturk, a Turkish citizen, still faces trial and is barred from leaving the country, with his next hearing set for October 2.
US charge d'affaires Jeffrey Hovenier welcomed the decision to release him from house arrest.
"We continue to see no evidence to support the charges brought against him and we reiterate our call for this process as well as other processes involving our unjustly detained staff to be resolve quickly, transparently and fairly," said Hovenier.
Relations between Ankara and Washington have been strained over several issues, including Turkey's purchase of a Russian missile defence system and US support for a Kurdish militia ..

Turkey court lifts house arrest on US consulate staffer

The European Union will sign a deal to remove virtually all customs duties on trade with Vietnam on Sunday, the EU Commission announced.
The accord was negotiated back in  December 2015, but EU member states only gave their approval on Wednesday at a ministerial meeting.
EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will travel to Hanoi at the weekend to sign the deal and the EU parliament is expected to ratify it later this year.
"I am very pleased to see that Member States have given a green light to our trade and investment agreements with Vietnam," Malmstrom said.
"Beyond the clear economic benefits, this deal also aims to strengthen respect for human rights as well as protecting the environment and workers' rights."
EU-Vietnam trade represents 50 billion euros in goods and four billion inn services, and Europe is keen to secure access to 95 million consumers.
But Brussels has expressed concern in the past about the former French colony's human rights record.

EU to sign trade deal with Vietnam

Norway's central bank said Tuesday that the country's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, will once again be able to invest in Walmart and five other companies which had been excluded on ethical grounds.
The Norwegian fund, which manages more than USD 1 trillion in assets, withdrew from the American retail giant in 2006 "based on an assessment of serious or systematic violations of human rights", relating to poor working conditions within the company and lack of monitoring of supply chains.
The Council on Ethics, an advisory body that guides the fund's investments, ruled that "the grounds for exclusion are no longer present", according to a statement released by the Norwegian central bank, which manages the fund.
The decision concerns Walmart's American parent company and the group's Mexican subsidiary.
The central bank is also opening the door for the fund to invest in two branches of the Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, Canadian fertiliser company Nutrien, Mexican ...

Norway's sovereign wealth fund allowed to again invest in Walmart

A gay Myanmar man posted a note on Facebook including screenshots of alleged homophobic bullying before taking his life, prompting activists to call Tuesday for more protection for the emerging LGBTQ community.
Same-sex relations are still officially illegal under Myanmar's colonial-era laws, but although LGBTQ people enjoy more freedoms in the country than ever before, rights groups say homophobia and discrimination are entrenched in the socially conservative country.
Kyaw Zin Win took his life after posting a final Facebook message to his family and friends, alongside a plea "not to be reborn" in a country "where superiors oppress those under them".
The 26-year-old librarian at Myanmar Imperial University (MIU), his profile picture black with an insignia of death, detailed how he had been bullied by colleagues.
He alleged his bosses forced him to come out at work and attached screenshots of group message chats appearing to show colleagues mocking him.
By Tuesday, the posts on ...

Gay Myanmar man posts Facebook bullying note before taking life

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's new home in Windsor cost 2.4 million pounds (USD 3.05 million) of taxpayers' money to renovate, royal accounts showed Tuesday, prompting criticism from anti-monarchy campaigners.
Queen Elizabeth II's grandson and his wife moved into Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate before the birth of their son Archie on May 6.
The residence, west of London, had been split into five separate homes but was turned back into one property in a six-month refurbishment ahead of their move-in.
"The property had not been the subject of work for some years and had already been earmarked for renovation," said Michael Stevens, who runs the monarchy's accounts.
"The building was returned to a single residence and outdated infrastructure was replaced to guarantee the long-term future of the property.
"All fixtures and fittings were paid for by their royal highnesses," added Stevens, whose title is Keeper of the Privy Purse.
The cost was revealed as the British ...

Critics hit out at millions spent on Harry and Meghan's home

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that NATO-member Turkey would take delivery of Russia's S-400 missile defence system in July - a deal that has created tensions with the United States.
"The issue of S-400 is an issue directly related to our sovereignty and we will not backtrack from that," Erdogan said in a televised speech.
"God willing, the delivery of the S-400 will start next month," he said.
"In order to meet its security needs, Turkey... does not need to get permission, let alone bow to pressure." Erdogan has vowed to use his good relations with US counterpart Donald Trump to defuse tensions when they meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan later this week.
The US has given Turkey a deadline of July 31 to drop the purchase of the S-400 system, or face sanctions and removal from the United States' F-35 fighter jet programme.
Turkey has plans to buy 100 F-35s, and has lucrative contracts to build parts of the jet.
Relations with Washington have ...

AFP

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