Turkey to fast-track troop deployment in Qatar

Turkish officials say decision will be brought forward due to worsening Gulf diplomatic rift [File: Murad Sezer/Reuters]

Turkey's parliament is expected to fast-track on Wednesday a draft bill allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar.

Sources in the Turkish parliament, speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, said that the decision to deploy troops in Qatar - first made in May - will be brought forward in light of the worsening Gulf diplomatic rift.

Qatar faces embargoes as biggest regional diplomatic crisis in years escalates

Turkey is a key ally of Qatar and is setting up a military base in the country which also hosts the largest US air base in the Middle East.

The Turkish move appears to support the Gulf Arab country as it faces diplomatic and trade isolation from some of the biggest Middle Eastern powers.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and closed their airspace to commercial flights on Monday, accusing it with financing extremist groups.

Qatar vehemently denies the accusations. It is the worst split between powerful Arab states in decades.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the Arab states' move, saying isolating Qatar and imposing sanctions will not resolve any problems and adding that Ankara will do everything in its power to help end the crisis.

Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbours.
Turkish-Qatari military cooperation

Lawmakers from Erdogan's AK Party have proposed debating two pieces of legislation: allowing Turkish troops to be deployed in Qatar and approving an accord between the two countries on military training cooperation, AKP and nationalist opposition officials said, according to Reuters news agency.

Both draft bills, which were drawn up before the spat between Qatar and its Arab neighbours erupted, are expected to be approved by the Ankara parliament later on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis - Your questions answered

Turkey set up a military base in Qatar, its first such installation in the Middle East, as part of an agreement signed in 2014. In 2016 Ahmet Davutoglu, then Turkish prime minister, visited the base where 150 troops have already been stationed, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.

In an interview with Reuters in late 2015, Ahmet Demirok, Turkey's ambassador to Qatar at the time, said 3,000 ground troops would eventually be deployed at the base, planned to serve primarily as a venue for joint training exercises.

Twelve dead in suicide attacks on Iran's parliament and Khomeini shrine

Islamic State claims to have carried out twin gun and bomb attacks on Iran's parliament and the shrine of the modern country's founder, Ayatollah Khomeini.

At least 12 people were killed and 42 injured when several gunmen and suicide bombers targeted the two locations in Tehran.

Four attackers at the parliament were killed and the fate of four reported hostages is unclear.

:: Analysis - Islamic State is plotting to spread terror into the streets of Iran

Image:Iranian forces could be seen taking cover in central Tehran

One of the assailants is believed to have blown himself up on the fourth floor.

Photos showed people climbing down from exterior windows of the building as they tried to escape.

Iranian security forces were seen hiding behind bollards and running for shelter carrying guns.

Image:Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini pictured in 1979. He died 10 years later

A 24-second video released by Islamic State's Amaq news agency while the siege was ongoing purported to have been filmed inside the parliament building.

It showed a gunman and the bloody, lifeless body of a man lying on the ground.

A voice on the video praises God in Arabic and says: "Do you think we will leave? We will remain! God willing."

An interior ministry official said the attackers had been dressed as women and gained access through a visitors' entrance.

Image:The mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was targeted

At the same time as the parliament siege, two militants attacked the mausoleum of the country's venerated revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, in the south of the city.

A gardener was killed and several others were injured when one exploded a suicide vest. The other attacker was shot dead.

Iran, an ally of Syria's Bashar al Assad, backs Shia militia that are waging war on IS militants in both Iraq and Syria.

Image:Members of Iranian forces take cover during an attack on the Iranian parliament

IS, a Sunni organisation, has been losing ground in both countries.

Iran's leaders sought to play down the attacks, with neither President Hassan Rouhani nor supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei commenting by early evening.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack was linked to the meeting between Saudi Arabian leaders - who they regard as enemies - and Donald Trump.

Image:Iranian MPs attempt to continue their session amid a terror attack on their building

A statement published by the Guards said: "This terrorist attack happened only a week after the meeting between the US president (Donald Trump) and the (Saudi) backward leaders who support terrorists.

"The fact that Islamic State has claimed responsibility proves that they were involved in the brutal attack."

Some members of parliament attempted to show they were undeterred by posting selfies of themselves in the chamber as regular business continued, despite the ladders that were brought in to help staff escape.

Hawaii defies Donald Trump by backing Paris climate change deal

Hawaii has become the first US state to formally adopt pledges in the Paris Agreement to drastically tackle climate change.

The volcanic island state's Governor David Ige has signed two landmark laws supporting "the commitments and goals" of the accord.

It makes Hawaii the first state to defy President Donald Trump, who pulled the US out of the treatysigned by 148 other countries.

The first law to come into force is Senate Bill 559, which states that "not only is climate change real, but it is the overriding challenge of the 21st century".

The bill continues: "Regardless of federal action, the legislature supports the goals of the Paris Agreement to combat climate change and its effects on environments, economies, and communities around the world."

Image:Donald Trump says the Paris Agreement helped China but hindered the US

It commits Hawaii to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by publishing emission contribution levels every five years, promoting "environmental integrity", conserving forests, wetlands and nature preserves and incentivising companies to be more carbon-neutral

The second law, House Bill 1578, commits to creating a certification scheme for farmers that measures and promotes carbon-neutrality.

A task force will be created to set up the scheme and advise on "climate resiliency".

Mr Trump, who had previously dismissed climate change as a hoax, had declared he would fulfil a campaign commitment to withdraw from the UN-brokered Paris Agreement because it "disadvantaged" his country.

He claimed it would cost the US $3tn (£2.3tn) and more than 6 million jobs.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the move was "extremely regrettable", while French President Emmanuel Macron urged people to "make our planet great again".

In the US, former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "One man cannot destroy our progress. One man can't stop our clean energy revolution."

Eleven other states that account for more than a third of US GDP have made pledges to follow suit.

They are able to fight Mr Trump's plans because energy policy in the US is shared between national, state and local government.

President Obama faced a similar struggle when trying to impose stricter greenhouse gas emissions limits during his administration.

This is not the first time Hawaii has waived national policy pursued by Mr Trump.

In March, a Hawaiian judge indefinitely suspended the President's "travel ban" on seven Mulism-majority countries.

President Trump reveals he will pick Christopher Wray as FBI director

President Trump has announced he will nominate former Justice Department official Christopher Wray as his pick for FBI director.

Mr Wray, a litigation lawyer with King & Spalding in Washington and Atlanta, previously served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Criminal Division from 2003 to 2005 under President George W Bush.

He was also New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's lawyer during the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closure case.

Two former aides of Mr Christie were convicted of plotting to close bridge lanes to punish a Democratic mayor who would not endorse the Republican governor.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump said: "I will be nominating Christopher A Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new director of the FBI. Details to follow."

The US Senate has to approve the choice to replace James Comey, who was fired last month in the middle of the FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US election.

:: Comey 'did not want to be alone with Trump'

The announcement also comes the day before Mr Comey is set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on the investigation and on any potential ties between the Trump campaign or associates and Moscow.

Mr Comey is expected to dispute a claim by the US President that the then-FBI chief told him multiple times he was not under investigation over the Russia meddling.

He could also address claims that Mr Trump urged him to halt an investigation into formal national security adviser Michael Flynn and his ties to Moscow.

Mr Trump met last week with candidates for the FBI director post, including Mr Wray, according to White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

An NSA report leaked this week revealed repeated attempts by Russian military intelligence hackers to break into US voting systems before the presidential election last year.

The Trump administration quickly announced the arrest of 25-year-old intelligence contractor Reality Winner on espionage charges.

Vladimir Putin: I don't have bad days like women do

Russian President Vladimir Putin displayed his manliness during an interview with director Oliver Stone.

“I am not a woman, so I do not have bad days,” Putin said. “I am not trying to insult anyone. That’s just the nature of things. There are certain natural cycles.”

Stone met with the Kremlin leader for his documentary called, “The Putin Interviews,” Bloomberg reported.

Putin and Stone touched on topics from sports to Edward Snowden and Hillary Clinton, according to Variety.

RUSSIAN JET INTERCEPTS US BOMBER OVER BALTIC SEA

During the meeting, Putin, 64, flexed his muscles and played ice hockey. The Russian president claimed he exercised every day.

While discussing his stamina, Putin told Stone that as the president he does not have an off day due to his gender.

TILLERSON: TRUMP WANTS ME TO FIX US RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA AMID TURMOIL

The Oscar-winning director also asked Putin if he would shower next to a homosexual man while on a submarine.

“Well, I prefer not to go to the shower with him. Why provoke him? But you know, I’m a judo master.”

The interview, stretched in four parts, is slated to air on Showtime later this month.

Qatar row: Trump urges Arab unity in call to Saudi Arabia's King Salman

US President Donald Trump has called the king of Saudi Arabia to urge Gulf unity amid an escalating dispute over Qatar's alleged support for militants.

Earlier, he said the Saudis' move to isolate Qatar could mark the "beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism".

Several Gulf countries cut travel and embassy links with Qatar on Monday.

Qatar strongly denies supporting radical Islamism. The rift has affected oil prices, travel and shipping, and has raised fears of food shortages.

The emir of Kuwait is mediating in the dispute and the president of Turkey has also offered to help, saying isolation and sanctions will not resolve the crisis.

"His [Mr Trump's] message was that we need unity in the region to fight extremist ideology and terrorist financing," a US official told Reuters news agency.
Why this row has erupted
I'm flying through the Gulf: How will this affect me?
Food, flights and football at risk
Five things you may not know about Qatar
What is Trump saying?

Mr Trump had earlier claimed credit for the pressure placed on Qatar, saying his recent visit to Saudi Arabia was "already paying off".

In a series of tweets on Tuesday morning, Mr Trump accused Qatar of funding terrorism, saying: "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!"

In his phone call to King Salman, he was quoted by Reuters as saying: "It's important that the Gulf be united for peace and security in the region,"

Separately, the Pentagon thanked Qatar for hosting the largest US air force base in the Middle East.
Should Trump take a bow for Qatar row?
The Qatar diplomatic crisis explained
What do the Saudis want?

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister called on Qatar to cut ties with Palestinian group Hamas in the occupied territories, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, if it wanted to end its isolation in the Gulf region.Image copyrightAFPImage captionHamas is an Islamist Palestinian group whose flag is green

Adel Al-Jubeir said: "Nobody wants to hurt Qatar. It has to choose whether it must move in one direction or another direction."

Speaking in Paris, he said the economic measures should put pressure on Qatar to act "like a normal country".

He name-checked "support of extremist groups", "hostile media" and "interference in affairs of other countries" as things Qatar would have to change if it wished to restore ties.

He added that Qatar was undermining the Palestinian Authority and Egypt by supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and said stopping these policies would "contribute to stability in the Middle East".

Hamas is the largest of several militant Islamist Palestinian groups, and was the first Islamist group in the Arab world to win election at the ballot box, before it took power in Gaza after a battle 10 years ago.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is another Islamist group that became politically active. Some countries designate both as terrorist groups.
Profile: Hamas Palestinian movement
Muslim Brotherhood: From rapid rise to sharp decline
What is happening in Qatar?

The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Washington says Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have all funded extremists in Syria but pulled back under US pressure, while Qatar, which likes to see itself as a neutral player and potential intermediary, has dealings that are arguably murkier than the others'.

But Qatar's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Than, said: "There is no single evidence that the Qatar government is supporting radical Islamists."

On Monday, several countries withdrew their ambassadors from Doha, Qatar's capital, while some cut transport links and gave Qatari nationals two weeks to leave their territory.

Disruption to airspace in the Gulf began on Tuesday morning local time. Doha, Qatar's capital, is a major hub for international flight connections.

Airlines affected include Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have revoked the licences of Qatar Airways and ordered its offices to close.

When avoiding Saudi Arabia, their massive - and only - neighbour, Qatar's planes are having to take more indirect routes, leading to longer flight times.

Qatar is heavily dependent on food imports and residents have been queuing at supermarkets to stockpile.
Qatar travel ban for Philippine workers
Saudi pulls Qatar Airways licence
'A Qatarstrophe' - social media reacts
All you need to know about Qatar
Does anyone sympathise with Qatar?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said isolating Qatar would "not resolve any problems" and called for "mutual dialogue".

"In this respect, we appreciate Qatar's constructive stance," he said.

"Trying to isolate Qatar, which certainly carries out an efficient fight against terrorism, will not resolve any problems."

France's President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Mr Erdogan and to the emir of Qatar in separate telephone calls, saying he was ready to back "all initiatives to encourage calm".

Zuckerberg meets founder of Nigerian secret Facebook group

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, on Tuesday received Nigeria’s Lola Omolola, founder of a secret Facebook group called Female in Nigeria.

FIN was founded in 2015 by Omolola, a movement of women focused on building compassion and providing support for one another, with the goal of having up to 1000 members in the group.

However, the group exceeded its target as it recently hit one million members.

According to Zuckerberg’s Facebook page on Tuesday, he will be meeting with Lola and a few hundred of other top Facebook group admins in Chicago later in the month for the first ever Facebook Communities Summit.

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting group admins across the country that are building meaningful communities on Facebook and will be at the summit.

“Two years ago, she founded a secret Facebook group called Female IN, or FIN,’’ Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg said FIN is “a no-judgment space where more than a million women come to talk about everything from marriage and sex to health issues and work problems’’

“It is helping to end the culture of silence that exists for women in some parts of the world.’’

He said for the past decade, Facebook had been focused on making the world more open and connected.

The Facebook founder expressed the willingness of the platform to continue to connect persons, adding that there was the need to do much more by bringing people closer together and build common understanding.

“One of the best ways to do that is by helping people build community, both in the physical world and online.

“I have written and talked about these themes throughout this year, especially in my community letter in February and at Harvard Commencement in May.

“The Chicago summit will be the next chapter and we’ll discuss more of what we’re building to empower community leaders to bring the world closer.

“I’m looking forward to meeting more admins like Lola and talking about how we can help them do even more to build community.

“I’ll share more info on the summit as we get closer, and I’ll stream the event live from my profile later this month.’’