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Chess

UN rights chief: Saudi diplomatic immunity must be waived over Khashoggi case


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:08 UTC
Residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General
© Reuters/Huseyin Aldemir (L) - Reuters/Picture Archive (R)Residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi
The UN's high commissioner for human rights has called to drop diplomatic immunity of Saudi officials to allow for a transparent investigation over the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Michelle Bachelet made the plea on Tuesday as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo touched down in the Saudi capital Riyadh to talk to King Salman about Khashoggi's disappearance.

"In view of the seriousness of the situation surrounding the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi, I believe the inviolability or immunity of the relevant premises and officials bestowed by treaties such as the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations should be waived immediately," Bachelet said in a statement.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul on October 2 in order to collect documents that would allow him to get married. He hasn't been seen since.

Comment: Previously:

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Bullseye

Rogue killers vs. state murder: Saudi head-choppers get benefit of doubt from Trump where Russia doesn't


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 10:34 UTC
Trump and MBS
© Reuters / Jonathan Ernst
Washington has reacted with uncharacteristic calm following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Instead of slapping Riyadh with sanctions and tearing up deals, Trump has refused to pin the blame on anyone.

Turkey has flatly accused Saudi Arabia of murdering and dismembering Khashoggi when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain marriage documents. That was the last time the dissident journalist was seen - and Ankara says it has audio and video proof that he was murdered inside the building.

Trump on the other hand has been more circumspect, even suggesting that perhaps "rogue killers" were responsible for the suspected murder - a theory he proffered to journalists at the White House shortly after a phone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman.

But the mostly low-key reaction from the Washington to the disappearance provides a stark contrast to how both Trump and his predecessors have dealt with unproven accusations made against other countries - most notably Russia.


Comment: As Sputnick reports, comments regarding 'rogue killers' have been roundly denounced by Trump critics who noted he failed to cite reasons to support his ideas and have accused him of being a 'Saudi apologist'. Other news sources are reporting that the Saudi's are now planning to take responsibility for the journalists death. According to Haaretz (via CNN), Saudi Arabia is preparing a report conceding that Khashoggi was killed as part of an interrogation that went wrong, and was originally intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey. A New York Times source has claimed that Prince MBS had approved the interrogation / abduction. Given the dubious quality of CNN / NY reporting...it's best to take the news with a large grain of salt..

See also: The Murder of Jamal Khashoggi: Oil, Sanctions And The Anti-Trump Establishment

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Arrow Up

US government budget deficit soars to 6-year high


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:38 UTC
Capitol building Washington D.C.
© Reuters / Lucas Jackson
The US federal budget deficit jumped to $779 billion in fiscal year 2018, which ended September 30. It is the largest deficit since 2012, when it topped $1 trillion, according to the Treasury Department.

The figure is $113 billion more than it was a year ago. The statement from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin showed the 2018 deficit amounted to 3.9 percent of the country's more than $18 trillion annual economy, up from 3.5 percent last year.
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Stock Up

Russian economy stable thanks to soaring foreign reserves - Putin


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 14:32 UTC
bank vault
© Reuters / Ivan Alvarado
Russia is financially stable despite sanctions, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Central Bank officials on Tuesday. Higher reserves and falling dependence on oil are the key factors, according to the president.

"The financial market remains stable. That is thanks to the joint actions of the government and the Central Bank. Our foreign exchange reserves have increased by 5.7 percent since the beginning of this year and are already at $459 billion," Putin said.

The Central Bank and the government have been working together to slash oil dependence in the Russian economy, which reflects in lower inflation and a more stable ruble, said the first deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, Sergey Shvetsov.
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Star of David

Lieberman wants to inflict a "heavy blow" against Hamas in Gaza


South Front
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 13:43 UTC
Avigdor Lieberman
© Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry
On October 16th, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that a harsh Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike against Hamas is the only way to halt the continued Palestinian attacks against Israel.
"Now is the time for decisions. My position is very clear: We must deal a heavy blow against Hamas. This is the only way to return the situation to its previous state and to reduce the level of violence to nearly zero," he said.
On the previous day, Lieberman said that a ceasefire in Gaza is only possible after the IDF deals a crushing military blow to Hamas. "In contrast to those who believe that an arrangement is possible with Hamas, I don't believe there is any chance of this," the defense minister commented. He made his calls both in the Knesset as well as at the Maariv Conference in Jerusalem.

Comment: Meanwhile, Israel's massacre of civilians continues:

Seven Palestinians killed, another 250 injured by IDF live fire during latest protests at Gaza border

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Cult

Is Saudi Arabia preparing to claim that Khashoggi's death was result of 'interrogation gone wrong'?


South Front
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 11:26 UTC
khashoggi


Saudi Arabia has denied any and all of the recent evidence that connects it to the disappearance and likely murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The kingdom continues maintaining that it had no part in the event and even Saudi King Salman had no knowledge of any of the developments. US President Donald Trump appears to be the only person believing the Saudi side.

On October 15th, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Riyadh where he is to speak with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the disappearance of the journalist.

Pompeo would be looking to expand a conversation held between Trump and the Saudi King. Tweeting about the call, Trump said: "Just spoke to the king of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened 'to our Saudi Arabian citizen'." According to him, the Saudis are working closely with Turkey to unravel what has happened.

Comment: It is a plausible explanation that the Saudis wanted to interrogate and/or take Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and decided to 'roughen him up' first, but they overdid it and killed him. However, let's not forget that this comes from 'anonymous sources' who 'spoke' to the CNN - neither of whom have a solid track record of credibility - so take it with a grain of salt.

For an alternative hypothesis, see: The Murder of Jamal Khashoggi: Oil, Sanctions And The Anti-Trump Establishment

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Arrow Up

Jordan-Syria border reopening signals move to restore ties and vital trade between regional powers


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 11:00 UTC
jordan syria border
© Reuters / Omar SanadikiA civilian car from Jordan passes into Syria at the Nasib border crossing
The newly re-opened border crossing between Syria and Jordan will not only help to restore a key Middle East trade route but also move regional actors to restore relations with Damascus, experts told RT.

On Monday the main border crossing known as Jaber on the Jordanian side and Nassib on the Syrian side was operational again. Another Syrian border crossing that opened on the same day was the one with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Trade revival is expected to become the most visible immediate effect of the development, both in terms of bilateral business links between Syria and Jordan and a broader situation in the region. "This will open the door to more trade between Syria and Jordan, which would benefit people on both sides of the border," Ammar Waqqaf, the director of Gnosos, a British think tank that focuses on crises in Syria and the Middle East, told RT.
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Bad Guys

Banned Facebook pages were featured on 2016 PropOrNot 'blacklist'


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 10:52 UTC
Facebook Russia
© Reuters / Dado Ruvic
A host of alternative news pages banned by Facebook last week were first featured on the PropOrNot blacklist in 2016 - a list of "Russian propaganda" sites that was compiled with little evidence and called "McCarthyite."

Facebook banned 800 alternative media pages last week, ranging from left-leaning organizations like The Anti-Media to flag-waving opinion sites like Right Wing News and Nation in Distress. Others include those belonging to police brutality watchdog groups Filming Cops and Policing the Police. Twitter followed suit and banned many accounts associated with the same groups.

The social media giant said the pages were banned for "coordinated inauthentic behavior," and, disturbingly, the company said in a blog post that it is working hard to root out pages, groups, and accounts "created to stir up political debate,"ahead of next month's midterm elections in the US.

Comment: Also see:

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Snakes in Suits

Telegraph defense editor deletes Twitter account after being savaged over Saudi-links


RT
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 10:52 UTC
Owen Jones
© REUTERS/Simon DawsonGuardian columnist Owen Jones
Guardian journalist Owen Jones savaged the Telegraph's defence editor after he went to a Saudi Arabia Embassy party at a London Museum. Con Coughlin has now deleted his Twitter account after Jones linked him to both Saudi and MI6.

Coughlin's credibility was left in tatters after a Jones Twitter thread took aim at the journalist and his wife. The thread was instigated by Coughlin's attendance at a party hosted by the Saudi government at the Natural History Museum, amidst allegations that Saudi agents had killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Following Khashoggi's disappearance, Coughlin echoed the line of the Saudi government, tweeting: "Was Jamal Khasogghi a liberal or a Muslim Brotherhood lackey who reviled the West?" and linking to his article on the matter.
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Chess

Flashback Saudi Arabia & Russia agreed in September to lift oil output

Olesya Astakhova & Rania El Gamal
Reuters
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 10:52 UTC
Russia and Saudi Arabia energy ministers
© Aleksey Vitvitskiy / SputnikRussia and Saudi Arabia energy ministers, Aleksandr Novak and Khalid Al-Falih.
Russia and Saudi Arabia struck a private deal in September to raise oil output to cool rising prices and informed the United States before a meeting in Algiers with other producers, four sources familiar with the plan said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has blamed the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for high crude prices and called on it to boost output to bring down fuel costs before the U.S. congressional elections on Nov. 6.

The deal underlines how Russia and Saudi Arabia are increasingly deciding oil output policies bilaterally, before consulting with the rest of OPEC.
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