I N T E R N A T I O N A L Jawza 17-1400 Sunday 06 June 2021 INo: 62- Vol: LIX IRR 1000 USD 01 GBP 01 INR 1000 PKR 1000 EUR 01 AED 01 AFN 78.50 AFN 110.04 AFN 1067 AFN 500 AFN 95.82 AFN 0.37 AFN 21.22 Putin says US wants to ‘hold back’ Saudi Arabia Facebook suspends draws Trump accounts Russia as Biden meeting looms hundreds at Russian President Vladimir first Riyadh for two years Putin has said he wants to im- prove Moscow’s ties with Wash- concert since ington when he holds his first sum- Facebook Inc has suspended book's ruling is an insult to the mit with US counterpart Joe COVID-19 former US President Donald record-setting 75m people, plus Biden later this month, but he set Trump's Facebook and Instagram many others, who voted for us..." a tough tone ahead of the meeting outbreak accounts for two years. "They shouldn't be allowed to and said the US wants to “hold He was barred indefinitely get away with this censoring and back” Russia’s development. Hundreds gathered Thurs- from both sites in January in the silencing, and ultimately, we will day for the first concert in the The face-to-face meeting wake of posts he made on the US win. Our country can't take this Saudi capital since the start of scheduled to take place in Geneva Capitol riots, but last month Fa- abuse anymore!" the COVID-19 pandemic to cebook's Oversight Board criti- In a second statement on the on June 16 comes amid deeply watch performances by Syrian strained relations between the cised the open-ended penalty. two-year ban, Mr Trump at- diva Assala Nasri and Kuwaiti Facebook said Mr Trump's tacked Facebook's founder. United States and Russia. singer Nabil Shuail. actions were "a severe violation "Next time I'm in the White Tensions are running high over “This is the first concert to a litany of issues including the jail- take place in Saudi for a very of our rules". House there will be no more din- ing of Kremlin critic Alexey Na- long time,” said one spectator at Mr Trump said the move was ners, at his request, with Mark valny and the conflict in Ukraine, the concert, held in a restaurant "an insult" to the millions who Zuckerberg and his wife," the as well as allegations of hacking of a large Riyadh hotel. voted for him in last year's presi- former president said. "It will be and election meddling. “We are delighted to come dential election. all business!" “We need to find ways of from Kuwait to attend the con- Facebook's move comes as the The move by Facebook al- looking for a settlement in our re- cert,” said a Kuwaiti tourist. social media giant is also ending a lows Mr Trump to return to the lations, which are at an extremely Saudi Arabia has officially policy shielding politicians from platform before the 2024 presi- recorded more than 454,000 some content moderation rules. dential election. low level now,” Putin told the coronavirus infections, including Saint Petersburg International It said that it would no longer It also comes as he prepares 7,408 deaths. give politicians immunity for de- to again hold the large scale in- Economic Forum on Friday. It was not the first concert - Putin said that disarmament, ceptive or abusive content based person rallies that were a signa- - Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on their comments being news- ture of his campaigns and presi- the coronavirus pandemic and en- Ryabkov warning earlier this tin announced that the laying of contract, and could continue do- sang in April at the ancient Sau- vironmental issues will also be on week that Russia would send pipes for the first of two lines of ing so after it expires if Ukraine di city of Hegra, a UNESCO worthy. dency. One of his first is planned the agenda. what he described as “uncomfort- the prospective Nord Stream 2 shows “goodwill”. World Heritage site. Bocelli per- Mr Trump's ban was effec- for Dallas, Texas, in early July, The 68-year-old said Russia able” signals to the US ahead of gas pipeline to Germany has now Russia and Ukraine have been formed alongside his family tive from the date of the initial according to local media. had “no issues with the United the summit. been fully completed, leaving only locked in a tense tug-of-war fol- members the site, a long-isolat- suspension on 7 January, Face- Earlier this week, it emerged States”. Ryabkov’s comments on welding works to finalise its con- lowing Moscow’s 2014 annex- ed area seen widely as an open- book's vice-president of global that the communications platform “But it has an issue with us: Monday came a day after Biden struction. He said the second line ation of Ukraine’s Crimean Pen- air museum. affairs Nick Clegg said in a post. set up by Mr Trump in the wake they want to hold back our devel- said he would press Putin to re- will follow suit soon. insula and its support for sepa- In February 2020, award- "Given the gravity of the cir- of his social media bans - From opment, they talk about it pub- spect human rights when the two The Russian leader hailed the ratists in the country’s east. winning American singer-song- cumstances that led to Mr the Desk of Donald J Trump - leaders meet. project as a better economic op- The US has strongly opposed writer Lionel Richie performed Trump's suspension, we believe has been permanently shut down. licly,” he said. some of his top hits to a sold- Both Russia and the US have Since taking office in January, tion than an existing pipeline via construction of the new Russian his actions constituted a severe In addition to Facebook, out crowd at the Winter at Tan- violation of our rules which merit which has over two billion month- downplayed expectations of any Biden has imposed new sanctions Ukraine, rejecting Ukrainian and pipeline, but last month waived tora dfestival, also in Saudi Ara- breakthrough at the Geneva meet- on Moscow over alleged election Western criticism that it is de- some sanctions on the project – a the highest penalty available," it ly users, Mr Trump has also been bia’s al-Ula. The “Modern Leg- added. banned from Twitter, YouTube, ing. meddling and cyberattacks. signed to rob Ukraine of transit move Biden justified by saying ends” performances also saw The Kremlin has said that dif- Putin on Friday said the mea- fees. that the project was nearly com- British singer Craig David per- On his return, Mr Trump will Snapchat, Twitch and other so- ferences between Moscow and sures were driven by domestic Putin said Russia will contin- plete, and that continuing sanc- form as a special guest. Both be held to "a strict set of rapidly cial media platforms over the Jan- Washington run too deep for a political competition in the US ue pumping 40 billion cubic me- tions could have harmed ties with performed their songs at the escalating sanctions," for any vi- uary riot. major “reset” in relations, with and were an “enigma” to Moscow. tres of gas via Ukraine a year in Europe. newly created Maraya Concert olations, Mr Clegg's statement Last month, Florida Governor Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Speaking on other issues, Pu- line with the existing five-year aljazeera hall in al-Ula, which has already noted. Ron DeSantis, a Republican seen Greek pianist, composer How has Mr Trump respond- Trump ally, signed the first law in and music producer Yanni and ed? the US that punishes tech com- Spanish opera legend José Car- In a statement issued from his panies for de-platforming politi- Leader: Revolution Egypt sends building reras perform to their Saudi Ara- Save America political action com- cians. bian and regional fans. of Imam Khomeini is equipment to begin mittee, Mr Trump said: "Face- bbc Gaza reconstruction Iran-backed Houthis refusing to engage stronger than ever ‘meaningfully’ on a Yemen ceasefire: US Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei Egypt has sent a convoy of says Iran is stronger than ever as the country marks the 32nd anniver- The Iran-backed Houthi mili- for their role in the offensive on During his most recent trip, engineers and building equipment sary of the passing away of its revolutionary founder Imam Khomeini. tia continues to block progress Marib, one of the last Yemeni gov- Lenderking made stops in Saudi to Gaza to begin reconstruction “I start the discussion from here that among the revolutionary towards reaching a ceasefire in ernment strongholds. Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, in the Palestinian enclave after the systems and establishments that have been formed in the last one or Yemen, the US State Department Lenderking also blasted the Oman and Jordan. recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two centuries, I do not know of any system that has been predicted as said Friday after its top diplomat Houthis for rejecting a meeting Separately, Secretary of State much as the Islamic Republic to collapse,” the Leader said Friday in a Egyptian state television report- for the war-torn country returned with UN Special Envoy Martin ed on Friday. Antony Blinken spoke today with televised address. to Washington. Griffiths last month. his Omani counterpart on Friday “From the first day of the revolution, the ill-wishers and those Dozens of bulldozers, cranes “The Houthis continue a dev- The Houthis virtually met to discuss regional issues, includ- who could not digest and tolerate this great phenomenon, both inside and trucks flying Egyptian flags astating offensive on Marib that with Griffiths after the sanctions.