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Not ours, says Iran of drone found off Bahrain

Tehran on Thursday denied a Bahraini claim it had found an Iranian drone in the sea near Saudi Arabia, and urged Manama to refrain from making "baseless accusations", the ISNA news agency reported. It cited an unnamed foreign ministry source as denying Bahrain's assertion that the downed aircraft was Iranian. "Instead of making baseless claims, it would be better to respond to the legitimate demands of its people," the source said of the Shiite-majority kingdom across the Gulf that is ruled by a Sunni Muslim dynasty.

US, Oman talk $2.1 bln defence deal

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday discussed a $2.1 billion deal with Omani leaders to supply an American-made air-defence system to the Arab state facing Iran in the Gulf. Kerry told Oman's Defence Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi that the United States was "excited" about the deal and "very grateful for your confidence in Raytheon," manufacturers of the defence system. The two countries "are pleased to announce a deal for the acquisition of a US manufactured ground based air defence system," a joint US-Bahrain statement said later on Wednesday.

Iran denies links to 'spies' arrested by Saudis

Iran denied on Wednesday claims by Saudi Arabia that alleged spies it arrested were linked to the Islamic republic, and criticised the kingdom for publicising such allegations. Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said the reports were "false," maintaining Iran's position of completely rejecting the accusations. On Tuesday, Saudi authorities said they had detained 10 more suspects, bringing to 28 the number of people accused of spying for Iran, and one of whom is Iranian. They said the ring had "direct links" to Iran's intelligence services and was busted in March.

Kerry visits Oman for arms deal, talks on Syria, Mideast

By Arshad Mohammed MUSCAT (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Oman on Tuesday for Raytheon Co's signing of an estimated $2.1 billion arms deal and to consult on Syria and Iran, U.S. officials said. Oman is expected to sign a letter of intent to purchase a ground-based air defence system that would help protect against cruise missile, drone or fighter aircraft attacks, a senior U.S. State Department official told reporters aboard Kerry's plane.

Saudi arrests 10 Iran spy suspects

Saudi authorities have arrested 10 more suspects in an alleged Iranian spy ring unveiled two months ago, an interior ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. The eight Saudis, a Lebanese and a Turk bring the number of people arrested to 28, the official SPA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying. However, a Lebanese arrested in March has since been released. "The results of investigations by security services have led to the arrest of the other 10 involved in spying for this cell," the spokesman said.

Kerry in Oman to help ink $2.1 bln defence deal

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Oman on Tuesday aiming to help finalise an estimated $2.1 billion deal to supply a US-made air-defence system to the Gulf nation. One of the main focuses of Kerry's trip was to applaud the signing of a letter of intent between Muscat and US manufacturer Raytheon ahead of talks to negotiate the final contract, officials told reporters on the flight to Oman.

US denounces waves against Muslims, Jews

The United States on Monday denounced what it called a rising tide of both anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish sentiment around the world as it urged all nations to ensure freedom of religion. In a wide-ranging annual report on religious freedom, the State Department voiced alarm at growing attacks against minority groups and painted a bleak picture in nations such as China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Secretary of State John Kerry, while acknowledging that the US record was not perfect, called religious freedom a "universal value" as he presented the report.

AFP 0500 GMT News Advisory

Duty Editor: Jitendra Joshi Tel: +852 2829 6210 -- TOP STORIES -- + Chinese premier makes fence-mending visit to India + Yahoo! set to buy blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 bn + Syrian forces launch offensive on rebel stronghold + Record $590 million lotto ticket traced to Florida India-China-diplomacy,WRAP NEW DELHI Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledges to build up trust with India and declares that ties between the Asian giants are key to world peace as he visits New Delhi only weeks after a border spat.

Arab League to hold emergency Syria meeting

An Arab League committee on Syria will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday ahead of an international peace conference on ending the country's civil war, the bloc's deputy leader said on Sunday. The foreign ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Oman, Qatar and Sudan would discuss a US-Russian push for a conference aimed at finding a political solution to the Syria conflict, Ahmed Ben-Hilli told reporters. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would also join the meeting "to follow up on developments in Syria in light of the US-Russian understanding," he said.

Kuwait MPs file to grill oil minister over Dow penalty

Three Kuwaiti lawmakers on Monday requested to question Oil Minister Hani Hussein over the payment of a $2.2-billion penalty to Dow Chemical after the emirate pulled out of a deal with the US firm. Saadun Hammad, Nasser al-Marri and Yacoub al-Sane also charged the minister had allowed deals with Israel, as well as approved liquor sales at Kuwait-owned petrol stations in Europe and illegal staff promotions.
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