Saudi sent 'cover-up team' to dispose of Khashoggi body: report
Istanbul, Nov 5 : Saudi Arabia deployed a chemist and toxicology expert to Istanbul after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in an attempt to cover up evidence of the killing, a Turkish newspaper reported on Monday.
The murder of the Saudi royal-insider-turned critic inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul has provoked widespread international outrage.
Turkish authorities have released gruesome details of a killing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said was a targeted hit.
While Riyadh officials have admitted the murder was planned, they have so far declined to release details of the whereabouts of the 59-year-old journalist's missing body.
According to Turkey's pro-government Sabah daily, Saudi Arabia sent an 11-member "cover-up team" to Istanbul on October 11, nine days after the Washington Post contributor vanished after entering the diplomatic compound to obtain paperwork for his marriage.
The paper said chemist Ahmad Abdulaziz Aljanobi and toxicology expert Khaled Yahya Al Zahrani were among "the so-called investigative team", which visited the consulate every day until October 17, before leaving Turkey on October 20.
Saudi Arabia finally allowed Turkish police to search the consulate for the first time on October 15.
Turkey's chief prosecutor said last week that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate and also confirmed the body was dismembered.
Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Erdogan, hinted in an article published on Friday that the body may even have been destroyed in acid.
In an editorial published in The Washington Post, Erdogan accused authorities in Riyadh of refusing to answer key questions about the murder, despite their arrest of 18 suspects a fortnight ago.
He said the order to murder the journalist came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government, adding that he did "not believe for a second" that King Salman was to blame.
But he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of responsibility for unleashing a "death squad" against the outspoken Saudi journalist.
The murder has badly tainted the kingdom's de facto ruler.
Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb met with Turkish authorities last week in Istanbul but refused to share information from Riyadh's own investigation, according to Turkish officials.
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SC refuses urgent hearing of plea challenging MCD notification on picking of stray dogs
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday refused urgent listing of a plea challenging a notification issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi with regard to picking up of stray dogs.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi declined to accord urgent hearing after a lawyer mentioned that an application has been filed in this regard.
The application submitted that MCD issued the notification despite orders having been reserved by the apex court.
The whole problem of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR is because of "inaction" of local authorities, the top court had said on August 14 while reserving its order on the interim prayer seeking a stay on the August 11 directions passed by the apex court.
A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria had reserved its order in the matter.
A two-judge bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had on August 11 directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to start picking up stray dogs from all localities "at the earliest" and relocate the animals to dog shelters.
The bench had directed the authorities to immediately create dog shelters and report to it about the creation of such infrastructure within eight weeks.
It had said stray dogs would be detained in shelters and not be released on streets, colonies or public places.
The apex court had passed a slew of directions on August 11 while hearing a suo motu case initiated on July 28 over stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.
