World news
Cover-up fears over Russian nuclear blast
By Matthew Bodner in MoscowFOUR Russian radiation monitoring
stations went offline two days after a
mysterious nuclear accident in Arkhan-
gelsk region on Russia’s northern
frontier, fuelling fears of a cover-up.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test
Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO),
which operates an international
network of radiation monitoring sta-
tions, said the four key stations went
offline two days after the explosion.
According to Russian officials, localnews website RBC reported, the
stations in Dubna and Kirov had “net-
work and communications problems”.
The Russian government has been
vague and at times contradictory when
addressing the mysterious explosion
near a military test range on August 8.
At least five nuclear scientists died
and a brief radiation spike was detected
over nearby Severodvinsk.
The Russian military has denied that
any radiation was released and an
official statement from Severodvinsk
authorities notifying the public of anincrease in radiation levels was quietly
withdrawn from the city government’s
website.
The head of the CTBTO, Lassina
Zerbo, tweeted that the organisation
was addressing with station operators
“technical problems experienced at
neighbouring stations”.
Some have speculated that the blast
was caused by a failed test of a nuclear-
powered cruise missile. But evidence
suggests that whatever radiation was
released was localised and far less than
would have come from a missile.Saudi royals gave Bashir $90m, court told
By Raf Sanchez
Middle east correspondent
OMAR AL-BASHIR, the ousted dictator
of Sudan, was given $90 million
(£74 million) by senior Saudi royals be-
fore he was overthrown, investigators
said at the start of his corruption trial.
Four months after being forced from
power, the 75-year-old sat in a metal
cage as prosecutors of the state he once
ruled levelled accusations against him.
The scene in the Khartoum court-
room illustrated how quickly he had
fallen, going from Sudan’s all-powerful
leader of 30 years to a defendant in a
simple white robe and turban.
Mr Bashir is charged with illicit pos-
session of foreign currency and accept-
ing gifts through unofficial channels.
Ahmed Ali Mohamed, a police detec-
tive, told the court that Mr Bashir had
admitted to receiving $25 million from
Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful
crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and
$65 million from King Abdullah, who
died in 2015. He said Mr Bashir claimedto have given the money away in dona-
tions but gave no details.
Police reportedly found €6 million
(£5.5 million), along with $351,000 and
around 5 million Sudanese pounds
(£91,000) in cash in Mr Bashir’s home.
Ahmed Ibrahim, his lawyer, rejected
the allegations against the former pres-
ident and said it was not unusual for
“anyone in his occupation to have for-
eign currency, and it was in a room at-
tached to his office in his presidential
residence”. “There is no information or
evidence with regards to the accusa-
tions of illicit gains,” he added.
In Sudan, GDP per capita is only
around $4,600.Mr Bashir spoke to confirm his name
and age and laughed bitterly when
asked about his home address.
“Formerly the airport district, at
army headquarters but now Kobar
prison,” he said, referring to a prison
where he once jailed political oppo-
nents but is now being held himself.
Members of his family were allowed
into the heavily-guarded courtroom
and shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is
great) as he was brought in. Mr Bashir
raised his hand in acknowledgement.
There was no immediate comment
from the Saudi government on the
claim that Saudi royals had given him
money. Saudi Arabia was a staunchsupporter of Mr Bashir’s regime, even
at the time of widespread protests that
led to his downfall.
During the revolution earlier this
year, the US grew frustrated with Saudi
Arabia’s support for Mr Bashir, believ-
ing its backing was emboldening the
faltering dictator to use violence
against civilian demonstrators.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s post-revolution
politics continued to make halting pro-
gress towards civilian rule.
The military council which has been
ruling the country since April signed a
deal with protest leaders on Saturday
to create a new body that would lead
the country for the next three years un-til elections can be held. The 11-mem-
ber sovereign council will include five
military officials and five civilians as
well as an independent member.
However, the military said yesterday
that the protesters had asked for a de-
lay in the council’s announcement
while they decided among themselves
who would be their representatives.
The military initially resisted a
power-sharing agreement but came
under intense pressure from both the
US and Gulf Arab states to reach an ac-
commodation with the protesters.
A deal was reached after negotia-
tions brokered by Ethiopia, the African
Union and Western states.Former Sudanese dictator
goes on trial for corruption
over illicit possession of
foreign currency charges
Circle of life Followers of the Universal White Brotherhood movement perform their traditional dance in an event that is held annually near the Rila Lakes in Bulgaria. The dance, the
paneurhythmy, is said to connect them to each other and to nature. It originates from the spiritual teachings of Peter Deunov (1864-1944), who created his own form of esoteric Christianity.STOYAN NENOV/REUTERSAssad’s fighter jets attack Turkish convoy
By Raf Sanchez
Middle east correspondent
SYRIAN regime forces carried out an
air strike near a Turkish military con-
voy yesterday, in a rare example of Da-
mascus directly confronting Turkish
troops operating inside Syria.
At least one pro-Turkey fighter was
killed in the strike and several were in-
jured, according to the Syrian Observa-
tory for Human Rights. It was not clear
if the casualties were Turkish soldiers
or Syrian rebels backed by Turkey.
The Syrian regime earlier con-
demned the convoy, which it said was
carrying weapons for rebels fighting
against Syrian forces in the town of
Khan Sheikhoun, in the south of the
opposition-held province of Idlib.
Syrian state media said the convoy
was “heading towards Khan Sheikhoun
to help the terrorists ... which confirms
once again the support by the Turkish
regime to terrorist groups”.
There was no immediate comment
from either Damascus or Ankara about
the air strike. Videos on social mediaappeared to show the Turkish convoy
had halted its advance and was waiting
on the side of the motorway.
Turkish forces maintain outposts in
Idlib, which they say are combatting ji-
hadist groups and enforcing a ceasefire
brokered by Turkey and Russia.
u Iran warned the US yesterday not to
try to intercept the Grace 1 oil tanker as
it set sail from Gibraltar after more
than a month in British custody. Iran’s
foreign ministry said there would be
“heavy consequences” if the US tried
to seize the ship in the Mediterranean.Trump tells China that crackdown on Hong Kong will harm trade
By Rozina Sabur in Washington,
Nicola Smith in Hong Kong
and Laurence Dodds in San Francisco
DONALD TRUMP has warned China
that a violent crackdown in Hong Kong
would imperil any trade deal with the
US, saying he wants to see a “humani-
tarian” solution to the unrest.
The United States president hinted
he would like to see Beijing resolve
the continuing protests in the city-state
before any trade deal is struck.
The pro-democracy movement has
rocked Hong Kong, the region’s major
financial hub, with massive demonstra-
tions over the past three months.
“I would like to see Hong Kong
worked out in a very humanitarian fash-
ion,” Mr Trump told reporters. “I think
it would be very good for the trade deal.”
Larry Kudlow, Mr Trump’s chief eco-
nomic adviser, said trade deputies from
the US and China would speak within 10days in the hope of bringing negotia-
tions around to ending the current trade
war. However China has shown little
sign of easing its position on the protests
in Hong Kong, which it has denounced
as “terrorist-like” actions.
China’s influential state-controlled
tabloid Global Times said yesterday that
the United States could not influence
China’s decisions in handling the situa-
tion in Hong Kong. “Political and public
opinion elites in the US must under-stand that although they have the ability
to instigate Hong Kong’s radical protest-
ers and make it harder for Hong Kong to
restore order, they absolutely cannot
influence Beijing’s decisions on Hong
Kong’s situation,” it said in an editorial.
The Global Times said China was hop-
ing Hong Kong’s internal forces were
able to restore order with the support of
the central government, but that “strong
intervention” from China would be the
only choice if Hong Kong was unable todo so. Chinese state media has released
a rap video accusing Western govern-
ments of meddling in Hong Kong’s af-
fairs and inciting the pro-democracy
rallies. The English-language song, by a
government-sponsored gangsta rap
group, CD Rev, bemoans “a beautiful
dream turning into a nightmare”.
Using video of the most violent
moments of the protests, it switches to
the lyrics: “Hey democracy! Once I
heard you be found in the Middle East,people were throwing bombs across the
city streets,” and issues a cry to “get
those foreign agents outta town.”
Last night Twitter and Facebook said
they had suspended accounts linked to
a covert Chinese government influence
campaign to “undermine the
legitimacy” of the protest movement.
Twitter said it had “reliable evi-
dence” that 936 active accounts were
part of a “coordinated state-backed
operation” to “sow political discord”.The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 20 August 2019 ** 11
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