RTSat, 20 Oct 2018 14:57 UTC
© Wikimedia Commons / U.S. NavyUSS Harry S. Truman
A US aircraft carrier strike group has entered the Arctic to join a massive NATO naval drill close to Russian border for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
Nuclear-powered carrier USS 'Harry S. Truman' will operate in the Norwegian Sea to display "the flexibility and toughness"of US forces, the Navy
stated on Friday. A ship of its type hasn't conducted voyages into Arctic waters since 1991, and hasn't shown up near Norwegian shores since 1987.
The carrier group will perform a wide array of training exercises, including takeoffs and landings in severe northern weather conditions, the carrier's commanding officer, Captain Nick Dienna, explained.
"It has been over three decades since carrier aviation has been tested by this environment."
RTFri, 19 Oct 2018 16:50 UTC
© Reuters / Kevin Lamarque
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a "fight" with individuals inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey, Saudi authorities said after nearly two weeks of speculation. A senior Saudi intelligence official was fired over the incident.
Khashoggi lived in Turkey and was last seen entering the consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. The Turkish government almost immediately accused the Saudi authorities of killing the journalist, which Riyadh denied.
On Saturday, however, a Saudi prosecutor announced on state television that an investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance
confirmed he was dead. An argument between Khashoggi and men who met him inside the consulate on October 2
escalated into "a fistfight that led to his death," the prosecutor said, adding that the men then tried to cover it up.
"The Kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place," the prosecutor's statement adds.
Comment: See also:
Here's a more detailed
version of events:
In a statement issued early Saturday morning in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, the Saudis claimed that some number of unnamed "suspects" had traveled to the consulate to meet with Khashoggi, "as there were indications of the possibility of his returning" to Saudi Arabia. ...
"The discussions that took place . . . did not go as required and developed in a negative way," the statement continued, leading to a "fight and a quarrel" and a "brawl" that led to Khashoggi's death. The unnamed suspects then attempted "to conceal and cover what happened," the Saudi government claimed, without elaborating.
As
Moon of Alabama sardonically translates: "Khashoggi started a tussle with the fifteen men we sent to kindly ask him to come home. Unfortunately he stumbled, fell onto the chainsaw and severed his head."
So far, Trump has
said he finds the Saudis' version of events "credible":
"It is a good first step. It is a big step," Trump said, admitting, though, that "some questions" do remain and that he will be dealing with Congress on how to proceed to address the issue. "Saudi Arabia has been a great ally but what happened is unacceptable," Trump emphasized.
"I would prefer if there is going to be some form of sanction, or what we may determine to do if anything," the president said. "But I would prefer that we don't use as retribution, canceling the $110 billion-worth of work, which means 600,000 jobs."
"They have been a great ally in the Middle East. We need them as a counter-balance to Iran. So it's not the simplest solution. It's not the simplest situation to be in," Trump reiterated, expressing hope that "it will get solved, it will get solved."
Just like the U.S. needed/needs al-Qaeda and ISIS as a counter-balance to Syria, as a counter-balance to Iran...
Not everyone is
buying the Saudis somewhat ridiculous sounding explanation, however:
"It does not add up! I mean who did they have at the consulate - Mike Tyson?" Richard Becker from the anti-war ANSWER Coalition noted ...
"The idea that he was killed in a fistfight and then his body was disappeared ... makes no sense. The idea that the order did not come from the top makes no sense either," Becker added. ...
"I think President Trump opened the door to this kind of thing when he used that it could be a 'rogue operation' remark," Jatras told RT. "The Saudis were not willing to walk through that a few days ago, but now I think they are getting desperate that the noose is tightening around Mohamad bin Salman."
"The story is a story meant, I think, for Donald Trump, so he can say, 'Okay, there is an explanation, and now we can go on with our money grabbing relationship with Saudi Arabia," Becker added.
Lawmakers and journalists are
also skeptical, including Lindsey Graham WaPo editor Karen Attiah, among others:
But the Saudis' MidEast allies are
voicing support, including the (illegitimate) Yemeni government, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.
Pompeo
denied an ABC News report that the Turks had played the alleged audio tape of the murder for him, but all the Turkish FM could muster was to
deny sharing the tape with him. So it's at least possible that Pompeo heard the tape, which probably does not sound like a fist-fight resulting in accidental death. Regardless, the ruling Turkish party has
vowed to reveal what happened - eventually.
Erdogan and the Saudi King have reportedly agreed on the importance of
cooperating on the case. And MBS
denies any involvement:
"There were no orders for them to kill him or even specifically kidnap him," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity and adding that there was a standing order to bring critics of the kingdom back to the country.
"MbS had no knowledge of this specific operation and certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody. He will have been aware of the general instruction to tell people to come back," the source said, using the initials of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The source said the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body were unclear after it was handed over to a "local cooperator" but there was no sign of it at the consulate.
The Saudis are clearly lying, but that does not mean that MBS or the King were responsible. They can't really admit that it was a torture or kidnap operation gone wrong - or that some high-ranking and closely-connected operatives engaged on this mission without proper orders (either on their own initiative thinking it would please their superiors, or as a result of intrigue aimed at making MBS look bad). That would make the Saudis look incompetent or divided (never mind the fact that they're both). The best solution in this case: copy the Israelis with their self-defense defense. Well, we'll see how the Turks react. Maybe they'll get something they want and let the Saudis get away with this version. Or maybe they'll release the tapes (presuming they actually exist) and make a further fool of MBS?
Phil Weiss and Donald Johnson
MondoweissThu, 18 Oct 2018 17:04 UTC
© Official White House Photo by Pete SouzaPresident Barack Obama talks with national security staff in the Oval Office after being notified of the nuclear agreement with Iran. From left, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; Jeffrey Prescott, NSC Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf States; National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice; Avril Haines, Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, July 13, 2015.
Ben Rhodes, the foreign policy wunderkind under President Obama, recently published a book on foreign policy with the bracing-realist title,
The World As It Is and
hardly mentioned U.S. support for the war on Yemen, leaving out mass starvation, war crimes, even Saudi Arabia. Rhodes's three Yemen references were all to al Qaeda's presence.Then two weeks ago the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and is now presumed murdered, and like so many others in the foreign policy establishment, Rhodes has taken the opportunity to attack Donald Trump's embrace of Saudi Arabia in a piece in the
Atlantic titled, "
The Abandonment of American Leadership," (October 12).
Mexico sent federal police to its southern border Wednesday with a warning that they will detain and deport any members of a highly publicized migrant caravan who try to enter the country without a visa.
The police officers arrived in two planes in Tapachula, a border city that is a popular waypoint for migrants coming up through Central America to cross into Mexico. Local media reports showed hundreds of agents deplaning, some carrying riot gear.
In a
statement released Wednesday evening,
the Mexican foreign ministry said any of the caravan migrants entering the country "in an irregular manner" will be arrested and administratively deported if appropriate. Migrants who claim they are fleeing violence and want to petition for asylum must do so at the border, while remaining in a government-run camp for up to 45 days, the statement also said.
The caravan, dubbed "March of the Migrant," formed in the northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on Friday, numbering about 150 migrants. It has since swelled to more than 2,000 people and has already crossed into neighboring Guatemala en route to the Mexican border.
Scores of Muslim fundamentalists are receiving weapons training at secret locations across Britain so that they can join fighting groups headed by Osama Bin Laden, the world's most wanted terrorist, media reported today.
Most of the trained militants head for Chechnya where fighters led by Bin Laden's International Islamic Front (IIF) are battling renewed Russian advances. Some of them are being sent to Kashmir, the report said.
A Sunday
Telegraph investigation has found that dozens of volunteers are being imparted training in the use of suns and explosives to prepare them for the military wing of the IIF. Many others are travelling abroad to Kosovo, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir in India to fight for mujahideen armies.
In a new article titled "
Mueller report PSA: Prepare for disappointment",
Politico cites information provided by defense attorneys and "more than 15 former government officials with investigation experience spanning Watergate to the 2016 election case" to warn everyone who's been lighting candles at their Saint Mueller altars that their hopes of Trump being removed from office are about to be dashed to the floor.
"While [Mueller is] under no deadline to complete his work, several sources tracking the investigation say the special counsel and his team appear eager to wrap up,"
Politico reports.
"The public, they say, shouldn't expect a comprehensive and presidency-wrecking account of Kremlin meddling and alleged obstruction of justice by Trump - not to mention an explanation of the myriad subplots that have bedeviled lawmakers, journalists and amateur Mueller sleuths," the report also says, adding that details of the investigation may never even see the light of day.
RTSat, 20 Oct 2018 12:34 UTC
© Reuters/Ajay Verma
Countries around the world are turning to gold as uncertainty about the global economy rises. Trade wars and the aggressive policies of the United States are making emerging economies withdraw from dollar assets, analysts told RT.
"In the near future we can witness a big change in the rules of the game. At the beginning of the year, developing countries were the first to feel investor panic. If a crisis in Latin America and South Asia doesn't surprise anybody, now is the time to worry about the largest economies of the world," Mikhail Mashchenko, an analyst at the social network for investors eToro in Russia and CIS told RT."The aggressive US policy in recent years has forced some countries to look for an alternative to the dollar and replenish their gold reserves. Worries about the future growth of global economy are an additional incentive for purchases. Many question Donald Trump's protectionism," the analyst added.
Comment: There are definitely concerns for the debt ridden world economy. Best to be prepared.
RTSat, 20 Oct 2018 12:25 UTC
© Russian Ministry of Defense
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis met his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu for the first time on Saturday. After shaking hands, the two men briefly talked about the recent horrific school shooting in Kerch.
Shoigu and Mattis spoke with each other on the sidelines of a defense and security-themed event in Singapore, the Russian Defense Ministry
reported. The officials met while making their way to a conference hall for a planned session with defense ministers of the ASEAN nations.
The Pentagon chief expressed his condolences regarding the recent deadly tech college shooting in the Russian city of Kerch. On Wednesday, an 18-year-old student
entered the school premises armed with a hunting shotgun and killed 20 people, most of whom were his teenage schoolmates.
Comment: The Pentagon must be concerned over Russia's hypersonic missiles.
RTSat, 20 Oct 2018 12:22 UTC
© Reuters / Hamad I Mohammed
At least 62 civilians have been killed in a US Air Force attack on two villages near Deir ez-Zor city, Syrian state news agency Sana has reported.
The airstrikes, which targeted the villages of Sousse and Bubradan, also injured a number of civilians,
according to the agency.
US forces have been in Syria since September 2014, working with some militias to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in the country. Deir ez-Zor province where the airstrike took place is included into the US-led locations. Islamic State is controlling large parts of Deir ez-Zor's territory. According to the Russian MoD, this is clearly a result of "inaction of the US-backed armed units."
RTSat, 20 Oct 2018 11:53 UTC
© Reuters / Leah MillisProtester dressed as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman outside the White House
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been appointed to head a ministerial committee tasked with restructuring the General Intelligence Agency, after its deputy director was sacked amid the Khashoggi death scandal.
The decision to appoint MbS to head the restructuring process came after King Salman issued a decree firing the agency's vice president, Ahmed bin Hassan bin Mohammed Asiri. The King has also issued orders to terminate some officers and appoint new ones within the primary intelligence agency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The committee tasked with overhauling the command of the general intelligence agency will include the country's Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and the chief of homeland security. The team will look at evaluating the methods and procedures of the agency and will set guidelines to determine the agency's powers. The task force will have a month to provide a progress report to the King.
Comment: See also:
- Mohammed bin Salman put in charge of 'intel purge' following Khashoggi death
- Israel lobbyists smear Khashoggi as 'terrorist who deserved to die' in order to maintain Saudi alliance
- Trump touts Saudi arms deal while talking sanctions over Khashoggi death
- Saudi man recognizes deceased brother on Khashoggi case suspects list
- Saudi friend Kushner is 'keeping low profile' as Trump admin opts for 'wait and see'
- Trump: 'It certainly looks like' Khashoggi is dead, if so, consequences will be 'severe'
- Stephen Cohen: Rogue Assassins a Possibility in Khashoggi Case
- Pat Robertson urges viewers to stop hating on Saudis in order to protect 'vital arms deals'
- 'Sawed alive?' Gruesome 'taped' details of Khashoggi's alleged murder surface
Here's a more detailed version of events: As Moon of Alabama sardonically translates: "Khashoggi started a tussle with the fifteen men we sent to kindly ask him to come home. Unfortunately he stumbled, fell onto the chainsaw and severed his head."So far, Trump has said he finds the Saudis' version of events "credible": Just like the U.S. needed/needs al-Qaeda and ISIS as a counter-balance to Syria, as a counter-balance to Iran...
Not everyone is buying the Saudis somewhat ridiculous sounding explanation, however: Lawmakers and journalists are also skeptical, including Lindsey Graham WaPo editor Karen Attiah, among others:
But the Saudis' MidEast allies are voicing support, including the (illegitimate) Yemeni government, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.
Pompeo denied an ABC News report that the Turks had played the alleged audio tape of the murder for him, but all the Turkish FM could muster was to deny sharing the tape with him. So it's at least possible that Pompeo heard the tape, which probably does not sound like a fist-fight resulting in accidental death. Regardless, the ruling Turkish party has vowed to reveal what happened - eventually.
Erdogan and the Saudi King have reportedly agreed on the importance of cooperating on the case. And MBS denies any involvement: The Saudis are clearly lying, but that does not mean that MBS or the King were responsible. They can't really admit that it was a torture or kidnap operation gone wrong - or that some high-ranking and closely-connected operatives engaged on this mission without proper orders (either on their own initiative thinking it would please their superiors, or as a result of intrigue aimed at making MBS look bad). That would make the Saudis look incompetent or divided (never mind the fact that they're both). The best solution in this case: copy the Israelis with their self-defense defense. Well, we'll see how the Turks react. Maybe they'll get something they want and let the Saudis get away with this version. Or maybe they'll release the tapes (presuming they actually exist) and make a further fool of MBS?