Donald Trump : I told Saudi king he wouldn't last without U.S. support
SOUTHAVEN, Miss.: President Donald Trump made an undiplomatic remark about close ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, saying he warned Saudi Arabia’s King Salman he would not last in power “for two weeks” without the backing of the U.S. military.
“We protect Saudi Arabia. Would you say they’re rich. And I love the King, King Salman. But I said ‘King - we’re protecting you - you might not be there for two weeks without us - you have to pay for your military,’” Trump said to cheers at a rally in Southaven, Mississippi.
Trump did not say when he made those remarks to the Saudi monarch.
Despite the harsh words, the Trump administration has had a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, which it views as a bulwark against Iran’s ambitions in the region.
Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year.
Trump called King Salman on Saturday and they discussed efforts being made to maintain supplies to ensure oil market stability and global economic growth, according to Saudi state news agency SPA.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and the de facto leader of OPEC, which has been criticized by Trump for high oil prices.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Trump said OPEC members were “as usual ripping off the rest of the world.”
“We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good. We want them to stop raising prices, we want them to start lowering prices,” Trump said.
He has also pressed other U.S. allies, such as Japan, South Korea and Germany, to take more of the financial burden of their defense.
courtesy : reuters.com
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Absconding doctor held in hit-and-run case that killed woman in Kochi
Kochi (PTI): Police on Friday took a doctor into custody after he had been on the run following a hit-and-run accident near here that claimed the life of a 19-year-old woman, officials said.
Police said Dr Cyriac George was taken into custody from a resort in Kannankulam, near Wagamon, in Idukki district, after local police received a tip-off about his presence there.
Police personnel in plain clothes reached the resort, and on seeing them, George attempted to flee but failed in the attempt. The accused was handed over to a police team from Angamaly that reached Wagamon, officials said.
Earlier in the day, police had arrested George’s father, George Mathew of Athirampuzha in Kottayam district, for allegedly helping the accused evade arrest.
Mathew was summoned to the Angamaly police station and, after interrogation, his arrest was recorded for aiding the accused to remain at large, police said. Police said Mathew had met George after the accident and assisted him in going into hiding.
Officials also said the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run incident was registered in Mathew’s name.
The victim, Jasliya Johnson (19) of Edavanakkad, sustained serious injuries while she was walking back to her hostel in Angamaly at around 7.30 pm on February 28.
She was declared brain dead at a private hospital here on March 3, after which her parents consented to donate her liver, kidneys and corneas. Dr George was working as a house surgeon at a private hospital in Ernakulam.
The investigation team had issued a lookout circular and conducted raids in Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki districts before tracing him, officials said. George had also approached the Kottayam District and Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail.
