#people are mostly in critical condition and mostly die within a day they arrive at the ICU

[hawklanthebard]

Fractured Diamond Chapter Two

"Wakey, wakey, Diamond-boy~."

The first thing Mondo heard as he came to slowly and painfully. A singsong tone from a gruff voice he swore he'd heard once before.

Mondo was never the fastest Diamond in the gang. Always slept in, always arrived late at meetings, always slow with clever comebacks when criticized by other members, and worst of all always drove too slow. It was no wonder why he'd mostly get left behind after a heist, not that he'd expect anyone to slow down for him. It's every man for himself out here, and if Mondo were to one day cover for his brother's role as the leader, he'd have to learn how to carry his own weight. Otherwise, how would he be expected to carry the gang? Even if he'd have to find his way out of jail.

Getting arrested was probably the most shameful thing to happen to a gang member. It's bound to happen at some point to any criminal, but to a Diamond, its weakness unfolded. Diamonds are strong, everyone knows that. Nothing can ever break a diamond, except perhaps another one, a reason why infighting was strictly prohibited within the gang. Diamonds are stronger when they're packed together, but each one is made to be strong itself. No chips, no cracks, not even a chink. A weak link can break the chain, as they say. Mondo was a prime example of that. It was one thing to fall behind and get yourself arrested, it was another thing entirely to fall behind and get captured by a rival gang.

"I said, wake up!"

The voice burst between the cracks of Mondo's returning consciousness and struck him square in the stomach. Literally. With what felt like an iron fist.

Before light could pierce through his vision, shapes began to form and dance around his head. His throbbing head. It hurt like hell, and he was certain there was a pretty good-sized bruise on his temple. Although he couldn't for the life of him remember how he got it, either the ground or blunt force. Probably a side effect of his injury. He recoiled in pain, hoping to find at least some sliver of comfort after coming to, only to find he was standing uncomfortably upright. Most of his body weight seemed to be supported by his arms above him. He moved them and was met with what unmistakenly sounded like a chain rattling. He'd figured he was probably cuffed if it weren't for the obvious splintered rope eating at his wrists. Mondo realized his shoes were missing when the icy concrete under his feet surged through his body, but at least he was able to release the tension from his sore arms, finally able to comprehend his condition. Hanging by the wrists on a meat hook, maybe? Mondo recalled something like this happening in a horror movie he and Daiya used to watch on Halloween, only the victim wasn't hung by their wrists. Mondo was slightly grateful his captives weren't that fucked. Slightly.

As if his eyelids were anchored by boulders, Mondo was finally able to get a view of his surroundings and see the silhouetted owner of the gruff voice who brought him back from unconsciousness. The Diamond tried to speak but his throat was stuck together as if it was pasted with glue and shards of broken glass in some psychotic kid's art project. Only a hoarse groan escaped through his teeth.

"Ugh..."

"Well, looky here, boys. Sleeping Beauty awakens." the voice taunted. "Oof. That's quite a bump ya got there, boy." Mondo's face twisted in pain as a pair of fingers flicked his throbbing temple, earning a sea of gruff chuckles from the other men in the room.

Mondo swallowed, somehow managed to utter a noise through his hoarse, weighted throat as if he was speaking with a chest full of sand. "Hha...hoo ah...yuh..."

The man mockingly cupped a hand over his ear, grinning at the miserable boy. "Hm? A little louder, champ. I'm hard of hearing. 'Old man', as you said."

Mondo didn't try to figure out what the man meant by that. He didn't have the energy. He tried to swallow but to no avail. His tongue couldn't even produce saliva at the moment to help his parched throat. "W...wuhh..."

" 'Wuh'? 'Wuh', what, boy?" The man pretended to mull it over. "Wah...wah... Oh! Water? You want water, boy?"

Mondo licked his lips and let out a tiny hoarse cough as if to confirm the man's "guess". The man turned to the group behind him. "The boy's thirsty. Give him some water."

Another muscular man holding a plastic bottle approached Mondo with the same sick grin as the first man and unceremoniously poured the water over Mondo's head. His body slightly jolted at the sudden action as if naturally trying to get away from the cold liquid. Of course, no prevail, much to the men's amusement. Mondo's pompadour draped over his face, the water sticking no matter how many times he may shake it.

"Aww, you ruined his pretty locks." said the first man in mock sympathy. "So sorry, boy. Must've taken hours to do." He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a canteen. "Alright, here ya go, boy."

The man pressed the nozzle over Mondo's lips, who greedily began chugging. It was then when he was immediately struck with a foul taste on his tongue, and he spat out the beverage onto the floor, followed by the remaining contents of his stomach. He coughed and gagged, feeling much worse than before. The men laughed again.

"I guess some "men" just can't hold their liquor." the first man chortled.

"Fug yoo..." a whisper crawled from Mondo's throat. Even he didn't hear it, but sure enough, it met with the ears of the other men.

"What was that, boy?" the first man towered over Mondo, who scowled through his eyebrows and mangled hair.

"Fuck...you..." the Diamond hissed as if his voice was poisonous. A stupid thing to say in his position, but Mondo was prepared to die for it.

The man snatched a fistful of Mondo's wet bangs and forced his head back to meet eyes. Mondo heard a small metallic sound, followed by something sharp being pressed against his throat. It didn't take long to decipher what it was.

Before the man could do or say anything else, another male voice thundered from the lit doorway.

"He's awake, I take it?"

The first man's eyes widened before turning toward the new man. "Y-yessir." A superior, Mondo thought.

Sure enough, his suspicion was correct in a way Mondo could not be proud of himself for. The men parted, making a small path for their boss to enter. From the towering heads, Mondo was able to see the man in full form. A taller, brawny man with short black hair and piercing blue eyes as if they were made from hell flame. He was shirtless and wore bandages around his abdomen like the Diamonds and other gangs, but his shoulders were draped in a grey trenchcoat, and he was covered in tattoos. The vice leader of The Deadly Grey Reapers. Mondo remembered seeing a bigger man, the real leader, who always accompanied this one. For some reason, he was nowhere in sight.

"Good." the man approached Mondo slowly, making sure each step added more and more growing intimidation, if not to Mondo then to his subordinates. They all lowered their heads and stared at their feet. Mondo internally scoffed. How pathetic. To have to intimidate your members in order to control them. Daiya never had an issue with insubordination, and it wasn't because he was soft or weak as other gangs believed. Daiya treated his members as if he was one of them, and he was. He served them, not the other way around. 'A true leader walks among his people, not above.', Mondo remembered his brother saying. If he were here, he'd talk some sense into these so-called "men".

The grey-clad man finally reached Mondo, towering over him as if the Diamond was a mere insect that needed to be squashed. "Mondo Owada. Do you remember me?"

Of course, he did. It was only a few hours ago that night, longer depending on how long he was knocked out. A typical heist near the shopping district, followed by a classic case of wrong place wrong time, which in turn turned into a turf war. Maybe a few steps were missing, but those were the only ones that mattered right now. In the end, the Diamonds were victorious and made haste before the cops showed up. What happened afterward Mondo could take a few guesses.

He said nothing, furrowed eyes fixed on the man as if his looks could speak for him.

The grey man cocked a brow. He didn't smile. "What, they finally cut out your tongue?" he said unhumorously "It's disrespectful to stay silent when asked a question, boy. I took the effort to remember your repulsive name. Didn't your brother ever teach you to respect your elders? Oh wait, that's just not his style, is it?"

Mondo's brows arched deeper against his violet eyes. Still, he chose to be silent, although the need to smack talk the older man for disrespecting his brother was clawing its way through the back of Mondo's throat.

The man shifted the toothpick sticking out between his lips -Mondo had always thought about shoving that toothpick down the man's throat every time he sideglanced Daiya- to the other side of his mouth as he glanced down at the young biker's feet.

"Why is he all wet? And why is there vomit on my floor?" the boss asked coldly, barely turning his head to imply he was speaking to his subordinates. The men glued their eyes to their feet, making only subtle glances at each other, almost urging one of them to speak up before things got messy. Finally, the man that Mondo woke up to opened his mouth.

"H...he said he was...thirsty, boss." the man's voice quivered as something wet splashed onto the ground below him "S-so, we gave him some..."

The grey man glanced over at the empty plastic bottle and flask near the mens' feet. He let out an exasperated sigh with an almost disappointed tone. "I thought I told you not to harm him."

The first man gulped. "U-um, w-we didn't-"

"Do you think I'm fuckin' stupid?!" the grey man shot a glare over his sticking-up jacket collar with eyes like icicles shooting across the room and into the other man's chest. He was forced to look at his boss this time.

"Wh-wha-!"

"When I said not to harm him, did you think you could draw a loophole or somethin'? That I wouldn't notice if you did anything at all other than subdue him as I told you to? You thought you could get away with it?"

A shadow cast over the first man's sweating form. "Uh, w-well, boss, ah...h-he gave me and the boys a...rough time back there, a-an' w-we-I-I thought that m-maybe we could h-have some fun w-wi-"

KRRSK

Silence swept across the room. Mondo would've thought he'd gone deaf from the sickening crack if it wasn't for the sound of droplets falling from the grey man's knuckles and forming a puddle onto the concrete floor. The same color that stained the wall before him with the limp form of the first man. The back of his skull had been cracked open like a melon and blood poured from his face onto his lap. He was dead.

'One hit...he killed him in one hit...' Mondo thought. If he anything left in his stomach, he would've made a new mess over his old. Instead, all he could do was stare with unbelieved eyes and parted lips. He'd seen bloodshed many times, but not like this.

The other men barely flinched, which only deepened Mondo's growing fear. Was this a common occurrence?

The grey man flicked his hand, spraying the remaining wet beads from his knuckles before wiping them with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. Two other men made haste to drag the bloody corpse from the room, others followed behind, leaving only Mondo and the grey man alone.

"That give you a pretty good idea about how this works, boy?" he shoved the bloody rag back in his pocket, "I imagine this is your first time with a real gang, so I decided to give you an illustration. That, and I just hate wiseguys."

Mondo knew he had to look at the man in the eyes to avoid severe punishment, but he couldn't tear his vision away from the red stain on the wall. The longer he stared, the more he realized gruesome details like teeth and pieces of broken skull with dark hair still attached scattered across the floor. When Mondo was finally able to find his voice, he spoke as steady as he could.

"What do you want from me?"

"Glad to see we're on the same page. Maybe there's hope for you after all." The grey man began pacing back and forth, "It isn't about what I want from you, more what I want from your brother. He's done me a great pain this evening. I want to deliver the same onto him."

Mondo raised his brow, eyes fixed on the man as to assure himself he heard him correctly. "Pain? In what, the heist? It was a simple robbery. Just in and out the plaza. It didn't have shit to do with you, but you guys decided to turn it into a turf war, and we kicked your asses. None of us were stupid enough to stick around when the cops showed up. And here you are, taking it out on me like a pussy. If you want that shitty plaza in the middle of nowhere just barely off the highway, be my fucking guest, just leave me out of it."

A pair of boots stopped dead in their tracks. Mondo was facing the grey man's back, the aura darkened around the room as the man spoke in a voice like molten gravel.

"You think this is about that stupid plaza?" the man's knuckles turned white against the faded crimson. "Do you remember my brother?"

His brother? Was that the man Mondo remembered seeing with him all the time? The true leader of the Grey Reapers? That's his brother?

"Isn't he the leader here?" Mondo asked unsurely.

The grey man turned back towards him, eyes shadowed over his face. "He was," he said in a harsh whisper, making sure to put extra poison into that last word.

" 'Was'?" Mondo didn't really need to ask what he meant by that, he could figure it out quickly, but he had to be sure.

"He was killed. After the cops showed up, and you hightailed, the rest of us Reapers stayed behind and fought. We could've scattered like you cowards, but my brother wasn't having it, and we put up a pretty good fight. But one cop aimed his gun at me, and my brother jumped in the way. Bullet went right through his head. I still remember the cop's face."

Mondo's face widened, almost sympathetic. He knew he'd heard gunshots and the sound of battle behind him, later drowned by his bike engine. It wasn't a sound he was unfamiliar with, it was an adventure like he was living in one of those action movies. The thrill of gunshots behind him, police sirens, thugs shouting. It's almost euphoric. But it never occurred to him the danger, death, and loss, the true bloodshed that came with it. With being in a gang.

"But...why me? What does this have to do with me?" Mondo asked

"Your brother needs a lesson. A message." the grey man glanced over at the red stain "An illustration. Everything happens for a reason, I believe. My brother died so I could live and become the leader. Your brother left you behind so I could punish him through you. The pain and helplessness I felt that evening, your brother will never understand until he feels it for himself." He towered over Mondo with intense eyes.

"So, what are you gonna do, kill me?" The biker tried to ask with masked bravery, but he wasn't sure if it came off like that. He heard another metallic sound, the same one he heard before.

"It would send your brother a message." the grey man said pressing the pocket knife against Mondo's throat "But I'm not going to give you what you want, a quick death. Like I said, I want to give your brother an illustration. Do to you on the outside what he did to me on the inside."

"You're wasting your time. He'll come back for me." 'He always does.', Mondo thought the last to himself in shame. How weak he really was.

"I have no doubt he will. But when he does, he won't find his brother. He'll only find a broken kid who shares the same blood."

"You...you won't break me. I'm-"

"-A Diamond? No one can break a diamond, is that right? But I can see right through you. You're not a diamond, not a real one. You're just a shiny piece of glass. And glass can break just as easily as bones. For instance,"

Pow!

Mondo yelped in pain with a sharp gasp as something hard rammed into his abdomen with a sickening crack. His knees buckled beneath him as his wrists once again were forced to support his body weight. Mondo could only take in short breaths, he was sure a rib was cracked. Horror crossed his mind when he remembered how easily that other man died from one punch. He was holding back.

"See? A real Diamond wouldn't crumble like that." the grey man said. Mondo winced as he grabbed a handful of his hair, hoisting his head up to meet eye contact. "You're going to break, Mondo Owada. You're going to be cracked. And what happens to a diamond when it cracks?"

Another blow landed on Mondo's midsection, this time definitely breaking a few more ribs. Mondo could only let out a small whimper as he bit his lip, fighting back the urge to cry.

"It becomes worthless."

#danganronpa #danganronpa fanfiction #mondo owada #mondo oowada

[keystonewarrior]

Actually Older Than Dirt

Actually Older than Dirt

They called themself Vajra Tiglitolf these days. They had slipped into the United States in 1946 along with countless other Europeans, unheralded, unnoticed.  It was actually their second time in North America (third if you counted living underwater on the continental shelf), having resided with coastal communities stretching from modern day British Columbia south to Sinaloa, but that was when there was still a land bridge to Asia and long before the Spanish arrived on the continent.

They worked quietly at a deli in Princeton, NJ until 1961, then moved over to Philadelphia where they bagged groceries at an A&P and later attended classes as a liberal arts history major at Temple until 1968.  They always enjoyed the liberal arts classes more than the technical coursework, science and math just weren’t their thing.  Art courses were nice reminders of what they had seen and done over the millennia and they often thought it was a shame that nobody would ever see any of Leonardo’s really good stuff.  The original three-panel cartoonist, the church meticulously destroyed every last copy of those satirical hit-jobs while he was still under house arrest.  Music appreciation always took them back to the times and places where they first heard many of those stirring performances, sometimes overcome with emotion at the memory of being in the same room as the great composers.  Nakisha was little remembered among music historians and was a more accomplished harpist than anything else but as rock and roll grew in popularity in the US in the 50s they could almost hear her singing and playing, and then stopping to take her notes.  The hippies sounded a lot like Nakisha’s less serious work, the stuff she played for crowds in the market instead of the Persian palaces.  Literature classes were always fun but they often felt Chaucer would get more credit if they understood the man better and Shakespeare less credit if they’d really known him.  The most amusing classes were the history classes, especially when publishers, professors, and students got almost everything wrong and left out some of the critical tipping points and most hilarious details about so-called important people and places.  Egypt was terribly misunderstood and India all but forgotten.  But Vajra could not provide any evidence, and had spent intermittent and sporadic decades in each region and travelling between them for three thousand years, so mostly they simply asked questions about details they knew nobody could respond to and provoking debate.

The most memorable detail about those four years at Temple was the accounting class where a football player would crack jokes and hassle the TA, openly - if jokingly - copying answers from other students’ tests in class.  Vajra felt bad for the little TA but if she was ever going to make it as a mathematician she had better toughen up.  In the arts, you can often make up for a little talent with a lot of panache, but in math you have to prove it or you’re less than zero.  Zero was probably the thing historians never really got right about math - people died for zero.

There was tension in the American air as Vajra moved towns and changed careers again that summer.  Vajra had a nose now for avoiding war, but this didn’t quite feel that bad.  When the Democratic Convention in Chicago went down Vajra was working at a high school near Washington DC.  They were active in the environmental movement, civil rights movement, equal rights movement, but mostly ardently against the draft.

Vajra hated the draft most of all and when that came to an end they spent a few more years involved in various movements but saw the wind going out of the sails.  Without any skin in the game in the draft, most of the white, suburban US mosied out of protest movements and into adult family life.  The environmentalists couldn’t see the climate change writing on the wall, a few could but they didn’t have the data needed to really fight that battle even though Arrhenius had made everything very clear eighty years earlier.  Vajra was back in Europe in the late nineteenth century and had read Arrhenius’ work.  After Angstrom had argued against the climate change model, Vajra had gone to work with the Swedish physicist because (while they weren’t particularly talented at math and science) they had personally endured hundreds of environmental transformations and could see the path humanity was on.  Far too many in the environmental community thought they had essentially won the war and had the corporate polluters on the ropes.  Vajra knew how persistent - like mold inside the walls of a house - money and wealth could be, but nobody was willing to listen to a high school history teacher and low-level staffer working part-time and voluntarily across multiple national movements who actually liked disco.  When the Equal Rights Amendment fell short and Reagan and the NeoCons came to DC, Tiglitolf moved to Kissimmee, FL.  It was actually their second time in FL, but their previous abode had been underwater.

They had been to Disney twice before on summer working-vacations and decided it was a good enough place to work and hideout for maybe even several decades before having to move on again.  That was the trouble with dwelling within a body that could self-heal, it also maintained the same age and appearance if no changes were demanded of it.  There were subroutines in core memory Vajra could activate to simulate aging and to make changes to their physical form in different environmental and battlefield conditions.  A few were near-instantaneous (response to a chemical attack) while others took time and resources to manifest (changing from male to female).  The worst had been the years watching the dinosaurs die.  That particular rock had been a visible comet for weeks prior to impact and Vajra’s were the only intelligent eyes on the planet to see it coming.  A military draftee, a slave really, their body and mind had been laid open to the foundation - while they were aware and conscious - and rebuilt as the ultimate weapon.  They felt forced to fire up old diagnostics and activate telescopic sights and telemetry trackers.  Of course the computers immediately sought connection to higher headquarters, but Vajra kept shutting them down almost as soon as they booted up, but they were also distracted by the impending doom and the changes they were making to their body to survive the impact event.  Back then they looked more like a dinosaur.  Hey, above a certain size a reptile has no natural predators, except for big rocks from space.  The comet calved.  As it broke up it was clear one of the smaller pieces was going to hit the planet now, followed by a second larger impact a few weeks later as the comet’s orbit and the orbit of the Earth met again.  In the end there were essentially millions of impacts.  Rocks and ice hit the moon and the Earth and smaller rocks got pulled into other radical orbits and scattered around the solar system.  The millions of little ones might have been enough to kick the dinosaurs into the ditch along the evolutionary roadside, but it was the capital letter impact at the beginning of that death sentence followed by the exclamation point at the end that sealed the fate of almost every life on the planet.  Fourteen years later, resting in an ice-free estuary, quietly photosynthesizing and chewing on whatever corpse happened to float by, Vajra felt the tickle of communications programs being queried by a robot probe passing through the mesosphere overhead.  They had mercifully, if painfully, ripped out their IFF antenna a billion years earlier, so the communications and slave-chain programs could not be remotely activated, but Vajra nervously sat in that pond as glaciers crept closer for seventeen years before the probe finally exited the system.  They crept out of there and swam and crawled to the sea, then made their way around the planet closer to the second impact site.  The shallow seas in the area that would later become the Lake Wales Ridge on the Florida peninsula made for an excellent place to shake off this boring semi-plant existence and start eating food again.

Their first job in modern Florida was actually at Circus World.  They worked part-time there and at the Magic Kingdom waiting for Epcot to open.  They painted faces, told children the same silly jokes children had laughed at in Mesopotamia, and dropped agonizing puns on the parents.  Disney was going to be a beast, with thousands of anonymous employees, and every few months Tiglitolf could change jobs and nobody would ever say, “You haven’t aged a day” while they hid unnoticed and unheralded among the masses of workers.  Epcot ended up Vajra’s favorite park, even though between 1981 and today they had worked in almost every guest area.  Epcot ended up nice, but hardly a world’s fair, and Vajra had worked at three - Paris and Brussels in the late nineteenth century and Barcelona thirty years later.  World War One had been a disaster but they had weathered that shitstorm in Tunisia.  Nursing experience helping as a volunteer during the flu pandemic 1918-1920 led to work in Portugal through the 20s and when the Germans practiced mechanized warfare in Spain in the 30s Vajra quietly moved back to Egypt and reopened their old bakery and brewery almost on the same spot it had been over a century earlier.

Of course their name had not been Vajra Tiglitolf back then.  They’d had hundreds of names ever since that sort of thing had been important among people, but every name had been some variant of their name as a slave-soldier: Diamond Twelve.

#older than dirt #diamond twelve

[segadores-y-soldados]

Retribution and Reapercussions

A follow-up to “Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution”, “A Clash of Kings,” the post about the declassified Blackwatch memorandum on Venice, a post about Overwatch and Blackwatch investigating their own organization, “The Immortal Soldier?”, and other essays.  The ones linked above are the most important at the moment.

McCree: Did you even consider what was gonna happen before you pulled the trigger?  Reyes: I made a decision - I’ll deal with the consequences.  McCree: What, like gettin’ the four of us killed?  Reyes: That’s not going to happen.

---

McCree: How are you gonna explain this to the Strike-Commander?  Gabriel: You let me worry about what Jack needs to know.  McCree: You know you can’t shoot him.  Gabriel: No, but I could shoot you.

McCree: Our target was dead, so I guess he got what was coming to him.  But still…it didn’t seem right.  But that wasn’t the end of our problems: for the first time, people knew we were out there.  New faces stepped up to fill the void in Talon.  And I can’t help but wonder…if that’s where it all started to go wrong.

“Long Reasons Not to Trust Moira in Retribution” covered a lot of the evidence, ideas, and possible hypotheses that went into creating “the perfect storm” of the Venice mission, where different ideologies, motivations, personalities, and perspectives collided and struggled with one another for the “fate” of Overwatch and its narrative control.

In that essay, I touched on some of the consequences of the mission, but not in full detail.  This post will likely be the first of several that pull together what we know occurred after Retribution in the Overwatch timeline, and how several of those things might fit together.  It’s going to build on what was written in “Long Reasons,” so yes, hypotheses on top of hypotheses/analyses.

The Immediate Aftermath: minutes to several days (?) after Retribution

Three major things happen in the immediate aftermath of the Venice mission, likely within minutes to hours of the dropship returning to the Overwatch headquarters in Switzerland:

1. The debriefings: the four main agents involved in the Venice mission - Gabriel Reyes, Jesse McCree, Genji Shimada, and Moira O’Deorain - are debriefed on the mission, mainly by Strike-Commander Jack Morrison (although  possibly with Captain Ana Amari and BW agent Gérard Lacroix present as well).

2. The Venice memorandum: as a result of the debriefings, Gérard Lacroix prepares a three-page memorandum that has (for “us the audience”) been mostly declassified.  It covers Antonio’s profile, the events of the mission, and the main Talon paramilitary operatives (the four “minibosses”).  Plausibly missing (or still “classified”) from the mission are potentially further pages of the memorandum or an entirely separate document dealing specifically with:

Moira.

3. Blackwatch’s suspension and an internal investigation: likely, as a result of Moira, Blackwatch is suspended - either by Jack Morrison himself or by “higher ups” in the UN.  At minimum, the suspension lasts from the ending of the Venice debriefings to the events of Null Sector’s uprising the following year.  However, it is very likely the suspension was never formally lifted between “Retribution” and the fall of Overwatch (roughly a 2-year time period).

And, contrary to what people might think -

Blackwatch’s “suspension” means next to nothing in the interal workings of Overwatch.

Because the straightforward “truth” of the situation is that -

Blackwatch’s “formal suspension” was essentially “for show.”

...You could even call it a “masquerade.”

(A LOT more under the cut.  Seriously.  Like.  Imagine if we had all this information in like, book format or something.  Wouldn’t that be wild.  Maybe I wouldn’t have to write all of these then.)

Because what a lot of people miss

Is that it is very likely the suspension and internal investigation of Blackwatch and/or Overwatch was conducted so Jack and Gabriel could begin the process of identifying corrupted Overwatch and Blackwatch agents - a.k.a. Talon agents who have infiltrated the organization -

And start removing them from Overwatch in...some way.

And it is very possible 

That “Reaper” is still conducting this process in the present-day of the Recall era.

To recap:

Jack: Alright, Gabriel.  Start from the beginning Gabriel: We arrived in the Venice safehouse and set up surveillance on the manor.  We executed our plan, under cover of darkness. …You sure you want to hear about this, Jack? Jack: You haven’t left me much choice. Gabriel: What ever happened to ‘plausible deniability?’ Jack: Little late for that.  Tell me what actually happened. Gabriel: Haha, well, Jack - that’s one hell of a story.

(source)

The original mission objective - as described by both Gabriel’s comic and McCree’s narration - was to infiltrate Antonio’s compound in Rialto, secret Antonio to a secure location, and get intel on Talon from him.  In fact, McCree himself originally wanted to “[send] a stronger message” to Talon by killing Antonio, but Gabriel tells him to calm down because Antonio’s information is more important to Blackwatch’s and Overwatch’s goals than his death (as shown above).

Again, this original objective is reaffirmed by McCree’s narration, as well as Gabriel’s debriefing, McCree’s debriefing, Genji’s debriefing, and several interactions during the course of the mission.

However, when the Blackwatch team enters Antonio’s office, they have a surprise waiting for them:

Antonio has been expecting them.

And he is completely unfazed by the “threat” of his arrest.

When all the context clues and pieces of evidence are put together, then what happens next is that Gabriel realizes -

His new agent and “doctor” - a scientist he personally recruited, likely to cure his “condition” -

A “cure” which Gabriel has been hoping for for decades -

Has betrayed him.

Gabriel let his emotionality, hopes, dreams, and idealism walk him and two agents into a trap -

And not with Antonio -

But with Moira.

When it comes to tactics, strategy, and stealth, Gabriel Reyes might be the most intelligent, methodical, critically-aware character in the current “universe” of Overwatch.  He’s certainly among the top few for it: he is credited with leading the original Strike Team - a task force of only five known individuals - with stopping the global robot apocalypse.  He has canonically outsmarted machines and “God AI”.  While we don’t know his pre-Overwatch military background, we do know (based on Soldier’s Commando skins) that he was probably in a branch dealing with special operations and unconventional warfare of some sort.  Following the ending of the Omnic Crisis, Gabriel Reyes successful led Blackwatch - Overwatch’s covert operations division - for twenty years before Overwatch was formally disbanded.

He may not be able to build a Tesla Cannon 

But Gabriel Reyes is pretty goddamn smart.

And when “we the audience” realize that Gabriel Reyes is, essentially, the only person fully aware of all the information he has given Moira or let her “experiment” with -

Then it is honestly not all that surprising that Gabriel rapidly figures out what has happened in Antonio’s office.

In Antonio’s office, Gabriel knows:

1. Jesse McCree - however mad or upset or resentful he can get - is a loyal and just individual, and that he has been working in Blackwatch under Gabriel’s orders for about twelve years at that point.  

2. Even if he is new, Genji Shimada legitimately does not know who Antonio is:

Genji: Who was Antonio? Gabriel: He’s an arms dealer, with some…other interests - more and less legitimate. McCree: …Not anymore.

Genji is also deeply angry and actively loathes criminals.  He would not join Talon.

3. Only two other people “outside that room” were even aware that the Venice mission was happening, and they were: the pilot who brought them to Venice and then was put on stand-by, and Jack himself.  However, neither of these two individuals knew the details of the mission, and therefore could not have betrayed the team to Antonio.

4. Blackwatch had snuck a surveillance device into Antonio’s office, and yet Gabriel rapidly realizes that they have obviously missed something super important (e.g. a “double-agent”), so clearly significant conversations between Antonio and certain other people could not have occured in his office. This means Antonio had been warned to avoid using his office. 

Moira: I wouldn’t describe this as ‘light resistance’…quality intelligence we received. Genji: It makes no difference to me. Moira: …How droll. McCree: Aww, even though we snuck that surveillance system into Antonio’s office, our intel’s a little spotty. Genji: Next time, you should leave it to me.  I can spy upon our enemies - unseen…and undetected.

5. Therefore, there is only one other person who: 1) knew the details of the mission, 2) knew that Antonio’s office was bugged, 3) was “new enough” to Blackwatch that Gabriel could not logically verify her “loyalty” to the division or to Overwatch as a whole, 4) was already ethically compromised or ambiguous in her research, and 5) who had enough of Gabriel’s own emotional trust and vulnerability that he could’ve let himself get blindsided by her actions or promises.

However, Gabriel also realizes something incredibly crucial:

Moira is the only member of the four-person Blackwatch team capable of healing others.

The only way McCree and Genji are getting out of Venice alive is if Moira cooperates with them.

Remember: Gabriel Reyes is one of the smartest characters in the Overwatch universe -

And he realizes that he has to play a very delicate game here:

He cannot let McCree and Genji die.

He cannot get them out of Venice without a healer or medic.

He is a battle-hardened soldier, a good commander, a great tactician, and probably a semi-immortal wraith, but he himself cannot kill people fast enough to protect McCree and Genji.

Therefore:

He cannot let Moira realize that he has figured out what she has done.

And to top it off -

Antonio would just be “dead weight” to his team in a critical “survival and escape” mission (especially if Gabriel has also realized that Talon agents have no qualms about betraying each other either - using Antonio as a hostage would be a moot point if the first Trooper just shoots him).

So -

Might as well make that “dead weight” literal, right?

Since the mission has been compromised well before it ever began, there’s not really “a point” in trying to maintain its already-nonexistent integrity.

What Gabriel needs to focus on now is getting McCree and Genji to safety while keeping Moira along and encouraging her to remain compliant with the team.

The latter part means “playing up” his role as a commander going renegade.

So Gabriel puts on a masquerade.

“Reaper” is both a medical condition that affects Gabriel’s state of being and a persona - semi-“masked” and semi-genuine - that he “wears”.  

Gabriel uses both “halves” of “Reaper” when situations call for it.

In fact, it is not surprising that the “personality” that Gabriel displays throughout the Venice mission - an interesting “contrast” of flippant, sarcastic casualness and humor mixed with bursts of honesty and loyalty - 

is effectively the same “mask” he “wears” years later, after the fall of Overwatch.

Because “Reaper” - the condition, the “masquerade”, the persona, the “ends justifies the means” morality - 

all work on tricking Moira.

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

---

Moira: Well, that was certainly a decisive solution to the Antonio problem. McCree: It’s not how we do things! Moira: Well, it seems we’ve had a change in methodology. McCree, muttering: ...A little too much change.

---

Moira: How are you feeling, commander? Gabriel: Fine!  No ill effects so far. Moira: ...Let me know if that changes.

---

Gabriel: Am I the only one who feels hungry? Moira: That could be an unintended side effect... Gabriel: ...I was making a joke.

---

Gabriel: Enough art!  Let’s get out of here. McCree: Never had the eye for it anyways. Moira, muttering to herself: ...Philistines.

Almost all of Gabriel’s interactions throughout “Retribution” make a lot more sense if you see it as him putting on an invisible “Reaper” mask and “hamming up” his part: he goes out of his way to “egg McCree on” as a distraction for Moira, letting both Moira and McCree think that the “schism” between the commander and his agent is “getting to them.”  Almost all of Gabriel’s “edgy, sarcastic, or borderline insensitive” jokes have strong parallels to his present-day Reaper persona:

McCree: Did you even consider what was gonna happen before you pulled the trigger? Reyes: I made a decision - I’ll deal with the consequences. McCree: What, like gettin’ the four of us killed? Reyes: That’s not going to happen.

---

Reaper, killing an enemy Soldier: 76: This is how it should have been. Reaper, killing an enemy Sombra: Actions have consequences.

---------

McCree: I thought we were agreed, commander: snatch and grab, that’s it! Gabriel: Antonio was right, there was nothing we could do to him.  Now, he’s not our problem anymore. McCree: Something tells me that won’t be the case.

--- Reaper: Try to stick to the plan, Sombra. Sombra: Look, someone has to be ready when all your careful planning doesn't pan out.

---

Reaper: Looks like we're working together again. Widowmaker: Let's hope it goes better than the time at the museum.

---------

Gabriel/Reaper’s music and pop culture references:

Gabriel: I still think we should’ve gone with the original plan of disguising ourselves as the band. McCree: Do you even play an instrument, boss?  Gabriel: Not well.  McCree: Pssh, details.

---

Reaper: I’m back in black. Reaper, Mariachi skins: First you listen, then I kill.

---

McCree: Looks like they’ve brought in the heavy-hitters. Gabriel: Yeah, they’ve really rolled out the red carpet.

---

Reaper: If it lives, I can kill it. (Original quote: Predator - “If it bleeds, we can kill it.”) Reaper: I’m not a psychopath...I’m a high-functioning psychopath (Original quote: BBC Sherlock - “I’m not a psychopath - I’m a high-functioning sociopath.”)

---------

“Masquerades”:

Gabriel: It’s not exactly Carnevale McCree: You serious? Gabriel: I was looking forward to the masquerade! McCree: Fair enough.

---

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don't ya? Reaper: And you sure know how to play boy scout.

---

Reaper: Poor Winston. Has to hide away so he doesn't scare the children. Winston: I don't even think children are afraid of you.

---

Sombra: What are we doing today, Gabe?  You don't mind if I call you 'Gabe' do you? Reaper: Stick to the mission.

---

Reaper, Nevermore skin: (upon an elimination) Nevermore. Reaper, Pumpkin skin: Must have been the costume. Reaper, killing an enemy Sombra: You never fooled me. Reaper, killing an enemy Winston: Still trying to play “hero”, monkey? Roadhog, killing an enemy Reaper: Nice mask. Ana, killing an enemy Reaper: I don’t even know you anymore.

---------

“Reaper” in the Recall era frequently goes out of his way to make dry remarks or does something seemingly “aggressive” (especially with Winston) just to make people angry.  He does it so often and so frequently - often “failing” missions as a result - that it’s honestly suspicious.  Regardless of who knows that “Gabriel is Reaper”, “Reaper” is supposed to be a fearsome, powerful mercenary, yet mission after mission that he is put on fails.

And yet...“Reaper” is still part of Talon.

In fact, only one present-day Talon member -

finds “Reaper” and his actions...suspect.

Moira and Akande, on the other hand -

don’t.

Or rather, if they do find him suspicious, they aren’t letting on about that, or seem to think that Reaper’s abilities and skills are more important than his trustworthiness (again, this is also based off the idea that Akande possibly does not know who “Reaper” is, but only sees him as a powerful mercenary who  is...struggling to enact Talon’s vision).

What “Retribution” shows us is that Moira appears to buy into Gabriel’s “change in methodology” motivation and mission objective as being genuine, or at least being something she can use, aggravate, or “experiment” with.  She frequently encourages Gabriel’s “aggression,” or amps up McCree’s anger, or reassures Gabriel that his decision was correct.

However, this factors into our analysis of the first set of “consequences” for the Venice mission:

The Debriefings

When the Blackwatch team returns to the Swiss Base, ostensibly, the first thing conducted is the set of four debriefings.

These are both “consequences” of the Venice mission and also insights into what happened during it.  For the debriefings, we have five main audio recordings: the trailer dialogue between Gabriel and Jack, and the four “twitter” teasers.

Which means we start with:

Jack: Alright, Gabriel.  Start from the beginning Gabriel: We arrived in the Venice safehouse and set up surveillance on the manor.  We executed our plan, under cover of darkness. …You sure you want to hear about this, Jack? Jack: You haven’t left me much choice. Gabriel: What ever happened to ‘plausible deniability?’ Jack: Little late for that.  Tell me what actually happened. Gabriel: Haha, well, Jack - that’s one hell of a story.

(source)

Gabriel’s debriefing

Based on the Retribution trailer and on chain of command, Gabriel would’ve probably been the first person debriefed by Jack.

Gabriel: And what about them? We can’t walk away from this, Jack.  Jack: We won’t but we have to be smart about it.  I’ll open an official investigation on Antonio with the Italian government.  We’ll do this by the book.

What’s important to remember here is that Jack was aware the mission was occurring, even if he did not know the full details.  In fact, Jack originally wanted to start an “official investigation” into Antonio’s dealings, but was persuaded to let Gabriel try his Blackwatch, off-the-books mission first.

Jack could not “officially sanction” the mission as Overwatch’s Strike-Commander, but as Gabriel’s friend and his oldest and longest companion (in whatever...relationship terms you wish to think of that as, lol) - and as a former “special operations” soldier himself - Jack understood and personally approved of Gabriel’s desire and intentions for the original mission objective (grabbing Antonio for interrogations).  He did have a few qualms - on a personal, heart-to-heart basis - about the safety and security of the mission, but not of the intentions of the mission itself.

Jack: Gabe...I can’t officially sanction something like this. Gabriel: Not officially.  No one will ever know Blackwatch was there. Jack: I’ll leave the final call to you, but ask yourself...In the long run, will this help Overwatch keep the world safe?

What the last line by Jack shows us is that Jack trusted Gabriel and his judgment on the mission, no matter what exactly he chose to do.  This aligns with Jeff Kaplan’s description of their relationship prior to the fall:

“Reyes was relieved that Morrison had to have the more political role, and [...] it’s always easier being the number two guy because you’re not ultimately accountable for all that, Reyes was kind of, you know, in some ways thankful and relieved, um, and weirdly, we’re gonna show how that relationship actually was Morrison’s downfall because for so long, Morrison would actually defend Reyes’s questional actions.”

(source) In fact, it is heavily implied that Gabriel’s discussion with Jack is both his motivation and temperance:

His motivation to actually conduct the mission -

And likely his “temperance” to show restraint and opt for capturing Antonio instead of outright “stopping” him.

So we have to keep these things in mind:

Jack knew the mission was occuring - just not the nature of it, nor the details - but to Jack, those details originally didn’t matter so long as Gabriel was level-headed, made critical, tactically-sound decisions, and helped keep “the world” safe.  After all, Jack knows how smart Gabriel is.

That gives us significantly more context for this conversation:

Jack: Alright, Gabriel.  Start from the beginning Gabriel: We arrived in the Venice safehouse and set up surveillance on the manor.  We executed our plan, under cover of darkness. …You sure you want to hear about this, Jack? Jack: You haven’t left me much choice. Gabriel: What ever happened to ‘plausible deniability?’ Jack: Little late for that.  Tell me what actually happened. Gabriel: Haha, well, Jack - that’s one hell of a story.

(source)

I will readily admit that I have my own biases in this interpretation (no shit, right?), but to me, Jack doesn’t sound...angry.  Or bitter.  Or even all that upset?

He sound frustrated at times, especially with the “Tell me what actually happened” part, but neither man sounds...truly angry with each other.

Just that - quite simply - a mission “went awry,” and now the two of them -

The two halves of Overwatch and Blackwatch embodied -

Have to figure out the how’s, why’s, and “what happens next”.

Hell, Gabriel even gives Jack a chance to claim “plausible deniability” of the situation (for himself, not for Gabriel) by teasingly implying that Jack should back out of the conversation and effectively “save himself” from the...repercussions that will happen from the mission.  But Jack proceeds to see Gabriel’s debriefing (and the others) through, committing himself to supporting Gabriel and listening to the story.

I think that...perceiving Gabriel’s debriefing as some sort of “scolding” or “chastisement” or “talking to” reduces what is actually being implied here by the comic and the audio clips.  The conversation is short and snappy for two reasons: 1) it’s a trailer (the “no shit” reason) and 2) Gabriel and Jack have known each other and been together for over twenty years by the time of the Venice mission (math: at Recall, the Omnic Crisis was “thirty years ago.” Subtracting eight years for the mission leaves us with 22 years total).

The audio - though obviously a trailer - is short and to-the-point, though it has pepperings of Gabriel’s nonchalant humor (“plausible deniability”, “one hell of a story”) and Jack’s dry patience (“Start from the beginning,” “little late for that”).  Hell, it even (very briefly) gives Gabriel a quick moment of tenderness, when he asks, “...You sure you want to hear about this, Jack?” (again, his attempt to let Jack “walk away” from the mission and its potential consequences).

It’s true that we are obviously missing the main chunks of Gabriel’s debriefing (for narrative/story purposes because the game wants you to realize that Moira is shady on your own, even if you don’t fully believe the “Talon double-agent” theory).  But again, this audio clip, the conversation in the comic, and hell, even their future conversations:

Soldier: 76: Aren't you supposed to be dead?

Reaper: Didn't take.

Soldier: 76: One of these days someone is gonna to put an end to you.

Reaper: I invite them to try.

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don't ya?

Reaper: And you sure know how to play boy scout.

All show us a sense of familiarity, companionship, humor, patience, even trust and loyalty between Gabriel and Jack throughout Retribution (and - depending on your stance on their Recall-era relationship - possibly even “trust” and “loyalty” then as well).

So what needs to be realized is that when Gabriel makes statements like this:

Reyes: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/982317009777123328?s=19

"We followed the original plan and infiltrated the manor. From there, I evaluated the situation and made my decision - and I stand by it. When you're on operation, things don't always go according to plan."

He is not necessarily angry, or defiant, or defensive of his actions.  He is making a statement that Jack understands - Jack understands Gabriel’s character, his motivations, his beliefs, his personality, his personal background.  In fact, of the people present during Gabriel’s debriefing:

Jack is arguably the only person present to fully understand Gabriel in this moment.

Which is - in my opinion - exactly why Jack looks so upset here.

He trusted Gabriel.

Not just with this mission.

Not just with Blackwatch.

But with something far more important than either of those:

Gabriel himself.

As I wrote in “Long Reasons,” I believe Jack and the other members of the original Strike Team (Ana, Torbjörn, and Reinhardt) knew about Gabriel’s medical “Reaper” condition:

After all, Gabriel Reyes had been their commander during the Omnic Crisis.

But more importantly -

Gabriel Reyes had been Jack’s commander since before they even joined Overwatch together, and Gabriel has been his companion for twenty-two years since the war started.

We know that Gabriel very much fears or worries about being “left behind” - especially by Jack.  During “Old Soldiers,” he claims that Jack abandoning him is the reason he is “this thing” (a.k.a. “post-explosion Reaper”).

And - if you believe “Long Reasons” - Gabriel’s “fear” at the time of Retribution wasn’t a question of trust and loyalty -

But one of physical and medical problems:

That Gabriel “Reaper” Reyes had to consistently and constantly think about his friends and companions dying without him.

And that he didn’t want to be “left behind” -

Even by Death itself.

What Moira represented to Gabriel was a chance to be “cured” of his “curse”, free to finally live a normal life - and eventually, die a “normal death” with his friends and companions at his side.

And Jack...

Personally, I think Jack wanted Gabriel to be cured from his “curse” too - even if that meant understanding that Gabriel could face a different sort of “consequences” for his decision to be “de-wraithed.”

However, Jack is Gabriel’s calmer, more patient, more contemplative “half” - it’s part of what makes them a great pair and helps Overwatch function.

So we need to consider that if McCree, who at the time of “Retribution”, was hasty, borderline hotheaded, and ready to “dispense justice” with a bullet -

If McCree has this to say about Moira in the Recall-era:

McCree: Always thought hiring you was a mistake.

Moira: The best mistake one could ever make.

Then what the hell did “Retribution-era” Jack say about her recruitment?

Because what do we know about Jack and Moira?

“We stand on the brink of a breakthrough in human evolution.  I have dedicated my life to unraveling its secrets.  I take risks that others would consider to be ‘unwise,’ for I do not share their caution.  Overwatch held back the pace of scientific discovery for decades.  They believed my methods were too radical… too controversial…

“And they tried…to silence me.”

- Moira, Origin Story (source)

Reading between the lines - 

Jack, and probably some of the different science divisions of Overwatch, shut down Moira’s personal or private lab.

Again, as I wrote in “Long Reasons”, this is likely because Moira was conducting unauthorized and unethical experiments on human clinical trials - first on herself, and then possibly on other people.  After a certain point, Overwatch - led by Jack Morrison, as usual - stepped in and stopped her.

And this, of course, is my argument for why Moira has her own personal “retribution” to enact on Blackwatch and Overwatch to begin with - along with helping bring down or disband the organization to permit more unrestricted freedom in scientific experimentation and “progress.”

So Jack probably had some pretty significant qualms about hiring Moira - a scientist who was already unethical, already controversial, and already bitter with Overwatch - to cure Gabriel’s condition.

However, canonically, Jack loved Gabriel (again, in whatever way you choose to interpret Jeff’s statement on that).

And he probably wanted what was best for Gabriel.

And so he trusted Gabriel to make the necessary “final calls” about himself and his own health.

After all, during “Retribution”, no one knows Gabriel, his intelligence, his abilities, and his motivations better than Jack.

And Jack trusts his “Commander Reyes” to make the decisions he needs to: for the world, for Blackwatch and Overwatch, and for both of them on a personal level.

Yet - for what might be the first time in their shared history together -

Gabriel’s judgment and his decision-making abilities have failed him - have failed them both.

And this is the real tragedy of “Retribution”:

It is not Gabriel’s trustworthiness, nor his “rogue” or “maverick” attitude, nor his “ends justifies the means” morality, nor even his covert ops divions that has “betrayed” him.  These things “betray” him in the public’s eyes, but not in Jack’s. Because what cuts the deepest between Gabriel and Jack in the consequences of Retribution is that something else “betrayed” them:

Gabriel’s hope.

Overwatch’s greatest strengths and virtues - its love, its optimism, its sense of justice, its motivations, its hope - are also its greatest weaknesses.

Because for the first time, someone has realized that hope can be used against critical, crucial people within Overwatch - 

Allowing them to be undermined...and weakened.

“…But there were others in the shadows, searching for ways to circumvent their rules.  Freed from my shackles, the pace of our research hastened -  together, we delved deeper into those areas forbidden by law, by morality…and by fear.”

- Moira Origin story (source)

As I wrote in “Long Reasons”, this is not the image of a man who looks angry, or upset, or defiant, or defensive of his actions.  Gabriel looks solemn, arguably even worried or conflicted, as Jack appears to be getting more and more emotional or frustrated.  And the other two expressions we can see - Ana’s look of intense concern and McCree’s scowl - only seem to heighten what is probably happening here:

That the person - the scientist, the doctor, the hope - that Gabriel had put his trust in had betrayed them.

Betrayed Blackwatch and Overwatch, yes - consequences of which would be severe and long-lasting for everyone: for Blackwatch, for Overwatch, for Talon, for different companies and organizations, for the entire world.  The repercussions of Gabriel’s trust in Moira would have a ripple effect - propagated by the Venice mission - that would eventually change history.

But also that Gabriel’s trust in Moira had betrayed them, on a personal, heart-to-heart level:

An emotional debriefing?

Yes.

But not necessarily out of anger or questions of mistrust.

But instead - quite possibly - a discussion of hope and love, betrayed.

And god, how good she must feel, how satisfied with herself - to have repaid them in kind, to have enacted retribution upon them -

An eye for an eye -

Hope betrayed for hope -

to lose everything they had worked so hard for -

just like they had tried to do to her.

A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. 

- Moira, looking at the Earth through the telescope on Horizon Lunar Colony (original quote by Oscar Wilde)

Moira’s debriefing

McCree: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/983147489921503232?s=19

"Everything was going according to plan. We were going to get in, grab the target, and get out. ...But then all hell breaks loose - it was like the whole damn city was trying to kill us."

Genji: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/989172208852389888?s=19

"We were supposed to get in and out, unseen and undetected. Commander Reyes changed the plan. Survival became a primary concern."

I’m going to semi-incorporate McCree and Genji’s debriefings into this section.  It’s not that they are unimportant - they provide us with “neutral” perspectives through which we can experience and interpret the events of the mission.  The game pushes us to sympathize and “favor” McCree’s perspective by switching to his narration at the beginning and end, and by making him the most “vocal” member of the team with the most “easily unlocked” voicelines and interactions.

As I wrote above, it makes more sense (to me) to interpret Gabriel’s actions and often “tonally-conflicting” dialogue (jumping from jokes and humor to true honesty to “pushing the envelope” too far) as a masquerade and a balancing act: he has to be “honest enough” to keep McCree focused and “loyal” throughout the mission (not that he expects McCree to suddenly desert them, but that he needs McCree to “stay on target” and get out alive without doing anything “stupid”).  However, Gabriel also has to be “edgy enough” - through tactless jokes, sarcasm, and nonchalance/casualness - to keep Moira “entertained” by the mission and make her think that her experiments and her “role” in Blackwatch has started to chip away at his trust in Overwatch.

Again, much like McCree, what Moira probably doesn’t realize is that Gabriel’s trust and loyalty to “Overwatch” is far deeper and far more central to his motivations and personality than anyone (except probably one person) knows:

What McCree and Genji’s perspectives help show us is that: if Gabriel doesn’t “brief” one of his most trustworthy agents (McCree) or one of his best “assassins” (Genji) about his personal relationship and private, heart-to-heart discussions with Jack -

Then why would he ever tell Moira about them?

So we can infer that, much like McCree, Moira is unaware that Jack not only knew about the mission, but that he had given it his personal approval (paired with some personal caution) and was at least semi-aware that Blackwatch was going to be making some sort of moves in Venice.

So - much like McCree - Moira, as smart and as observant and as methodical as she is - probably has the same assumptions that Overwatch (specifically Jack Morrison) 1) will be furious about this mission and its results and 2) will attempt to “blame Gabriel” for what happened.

In fact, she says as much in the event:

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

However, again, she says these things without realizing that Gabriel already knows the basics of Jack’s stance on the mission.  Gabriel can anticipate that Jack will be upset, yes, and likely that individuals like Ana and Gérard and possibly even Reinhardt and Torbjörn will get “brought in” to debrief, discuss, and analyze the situation, but Gabriel already knows that Jack has personally approved of the mission and has almost certainly approved missions like assassinations or “snatch and grab” ones in the past.

Venice isn’t a new “song and dance” for Gabriel and Jack because it “succeeded” or “failed” - 

Venice is a new “song and dance” for Gabriel and Jack because their greatest strength - their hopes and their relationship - has been compromised by Moira herself.

In fact, by the time the dropship picks up the Blackwatch team in Venice, Moira is very gleeful that (she believes) she has effectively gotten away with murder (and by “effectively” I mean literally.  She literally got Antonio to die.  She also lost a lot of her Talon “experiments” in the process, but those are...small prices to pay).

Fio: Commander, I have visual on your position.  I’m coming in for a landing, but it’s gonna be a little hot. Gabriel: Everyone, get ready to get on-board. McCree: ‘bout damn time. Moira: ...I eagerly anticipate the debriefing on this debacle.

But at the same time, Moira is way too goddamn smart to incriminate herself in her debriefing.  We the audience have to recognize that even if we believe Moira has achieved interesting “results” from her little “experiment” of pitting Blackwatch against the then-new Talon army, she is still smart enough and cautious enough to protect herself when she returns to her real “den of lions.”

https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/990259344867553281

Moira: It felt like they had an entire army after us.  The situation was highly dangerous, but the commander made the tough decisions, kept us on mission, and we got the job done.

And from the small clip we get, we can see that she covers her tracks well.

Remember:

What Genji’s debriefing shows is that - like Reyes and McCree - he is maintaining “his perspective” of the Venice mission. Everything he says in the audio clip (the focus on how Reyes “changed the plan”, and Genji’s hyperfocus on “survival”) is comparable to stuff Genji says in the mission itself: that he approves of Reyes’ decision, that he simply wants to get out of Venice alive, that he doesn’t care much about the details of Talon’s “army” (which is in contrast to McCree’s intro, outro, and debriefing audio).

This reaffirms Genji’s “trustworthiness” as an unreliable narrator and a “witness” in our conspiracy-murder mystery-spy thriller story.

The purpose of the debriefing audio clips are two-fold: 1) to help advertise the event and build hype for it from beginning to end (the “no shit” reason), and 2) to show us that three out of the four characters - though “unreliable” - maintain the integrity of their “stories” before, during, and after the mission.

And that one character “does not” - at least, not “perfectly”.

With three of the characters - Gabriel, McCree, and Genji - we can see a consistency to their “stories” (even if Gabriel fluctuates in tone and seriousness from time to time).  McCree also has his narration to help “confirm” his perspective - if he is telling “a lie”, then he’s been maintaining that “lie” for years.  Considering his character and his post-fall focus on redemption and justice, that is at odds with who McCree is.  

And again, “we the player” can double-check Genji’s trustworthiness by unlocking his interactions in the game, where we realize 1) the surveillance system “missed its mark” (and makes us question how Antonio knew about it), 2) Talon had attempted to recruit Sojiro Shimada but neither Sojiro nor Genji liked the organization, and 3) Genji has a deep, deep hatred and anger towards all “criminals” - he would never join Talon.  

We also learn that, despite what was implied by Genji’s Hero Profile, he did not actually agree to become a heavily-augmented cyborg solely to seek revenge on Hanzo.

Instead, Genji chose to become a heavily-augmented cyborg - in pain and agony, both physically and existentially - in order to walk again.

Therefore, “we the player” and Gabriel simultaneously realize that - even if we doubt Genji’s loyalty or motivations due to how “new” he is in Blackwatch - he would never be persuaded to join Talon solely for revenge.

So - much like how one particular character contrasted with the other three during the mission (in dialogue, in tone, in motivations, and in “trustworthiness”) - that same character has subtle contrasts with the others during her debriefing.

Breaking down Moira’s statements, we find a few interesting contradictions:

Moira: but the commander made the tough decisions, kept us on mission, and we got the job done.

Gabriel: When you're on operation, things don't always go according to plan.

McCree: Everything was going according to plan. We were going to get in, grab the target, and get out. ...But then all hell breaks loose.

Genji: We were supposed to get in and out, unseen and undetected. Commander Reyes changed the plan.

Bolded here for emphasis, we see that Moira’s story differs from the other three on two key points: the idea that Gabriel “kept [them] on mission” and that “the job” was somehow completed.  The other characters, however, distinctly emphasize that the mission objective was changed, lost, or “reevaluated” (e.g. that the mission switched from secreting Antonio out of Venice to survival and extraction) from the very beginning.  “The job” was ruined from the outset.  In fact, McCree has a very angry triade against Gabriel near the end of the mission where he yells that “[Blackwatch] had a plan” and that their near-deaths and brutal fight for survival was “[Gabriel’s] fault.”

Instead, Moira’s debriefing is - very subtly - the opposite.  She starts by talking about how “an entire army” was attacking them, and that “the commander made the tough decisions” but somehow kept them “on mission” and “got the job done.”  At no point does she ever mention how the situation turned critical, or that the original mission objective was lost or abandoned or changed, and she is the only character “satisfied” with Gabriel’s actions at the end of her debriefing.  

Not even Gabriel himself sounds “happy” about it.

Reyes: https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/982317009777123328?s=19

"We followed the original plan and infiltrated the manor. From there, I evaluated the situation and made my decision - and I stand by it. When you're on operation, things don't always go according to plan."

And who is sitting in the room as Moira is saying this?  Who already knows Gabriel’s version of the events and very likely knows what she has done?

Jack Morrison.

Mister post-fall “I don’t play by the rules anymore”, “an eye for an eye”, “someone will put an end to you” retribution renegade himself.

When Gabriel himself admits that he changed the mission objective because “things don’t always go according to plan”, then Moira’s calm statement that he “kept us on mission and we got the job done” is suddenly very suspicious.

But this is where things get...murky again.

We don’t know what happens to Moira as a consequence of this mission, and her role in it.

Not directly.

But we can begin to hypothesize a few things:

Her employment was a closely kept secret, until it was uncovered during inquiries following the Venice incident.  Many high-ranking Overwatch officials disavowed all knowledge of her affiliation with them.

Despite what the Hero Profile implies, this is not about Jack Morrison.  This is, instead, very likely about members of the UN or the “organizing” aspect of Overwatch, like Director Petras and his staff.

Instead, we know where Jack Morrison’s loyalties stand - they stand with Gabriel.

After all, when Gabriel gave Jack the chance to bow out of the consequences and claim “plausible deniability,” Jack chose not to.  And we know Jack would defend Gabriel’s decisions right up until the fall.

However, Overwatch found itself in yet another bind:

Arresting Moira would almost certainly result in more retaliation by Talon, either violent ones like another explosion, or political ones, like someone high-ranking or well-moneyed securing her release.

In fact, it is not a coincidence that we see both Akande and Maxmilien here, in the near aftermath of the Venice mission.  Maximilien has the power, money, and connections to get people out of jail.

Akande, of course - 

Can literally get himself or anyone else out of prison.

So even though Overwatch and Blackwatch don’t know this for certain, considering Antonio’s confidence, and Moira’s incredible cunning and intelligence, then they can probably pretty quickly surmise that - if arresting Antonio was a “bad idea” - then outright arresting Moira would be significantly worse.

However, on a personal level, Jack and Gabriel have something “far more important” to worry about:

Gabriel’s “cure.”

If they release Moira, they run the risk of losing something Gabriel has been hoping for, possibly for decades.

And it is important to remember that - in the present day, after Recall - “Reaper” does continue to work with Moira, specifically on finding this cure for his condition.  Even if Reaper has infiltrated Talon and aims to destroy it from the inside out, I believe he genuinely wants to be freed from his “curse”, and that he believes Moira is the only person capable of doing that.

I covered this in “A Clash of Kings”, but on the flipside of this, Moira’s biggest “loyalty” isn’t to a single organization or cause or ideology.

It’s to her research.

And Gabriel’s condition is her research.

It is in Moira’s best interest not to lose Gabriel, just as much as it is in his best interest not to lose her.

But what is worth those trade-offs - both then, and “now”?

In the present, I personally think Moira would let Talon fall if she thought her research was once-again jeopardized by being associated with it.  If her choice came down to keeping Gabriel/Reaper alive to continue researching on him, or supporting Akande and his war, we actually know (in theory) which side she would pick:

Michael: Moira is a scientist. She is not so much interested in conquering the world, even though she has allied herself with people who might have proclivities in that direction. She is really just into the actual science. She wants to understand the fundamentals of human life, and how they can be manipulated. She is a geneticist, and that is her primary goal, and that is all she wants.  But the thing that makes her villainous is that she doesn’t quite have like some of the morals that the rest of us have. Yes, she is very flexible. She doesn’t want anything to get in the way of her science. So when someone tries to stop her from doing something, or tells her that she needs to take more time, she has no patience for that.

(source) (emphasis is mine, and does not reflect his actual tone)

Just as easily as Moira could undermine Blackwatch for her own goals (unrestricted experimentation) during Retribution, she could undermine Akande if she thought him and the rest of Talon could harm Reaper or send him “running.”

(And, in my opinion, this is a “plot twist” waiting to happen - where Reaper either reveals himself to Talon to attack them, or begins the process of conducting a coup in Talon, and Moira must “pick a side.”  Alternately, by the time that “plot twist” happens, Moira may have enough “resources” to conduct her own research without Reaper, thus leaving Reaper isolated.  We will have to see.)

At the time of the debriefings, Moira has achieved incredible leverage over Overwatch and Blackwatch - or, more specifically, Gabriel and Jack.

She knows it.

And they know it too.

However, Moira very likely doesn’t know three important things:

The first: that Gabriel has told Jack (and Ana, Gérard, and McCree) that he believes Moira betrayed Blackwatch.

The second: that Jack knew about the mission, and while he might be upset with Gabriel for the current situation and consequences, he loved Gabriel.

So Moira doesn’t fully realize the “depths of that relationship” between Jack and Gabriel, and what one is willing to do for the other...or what lengths they are willing to go to protect each other.

The third: that despite Jack’s patience and his ability and willingness to balance all perspectives and ideologies in a difficult situation -

His “true colors” show when he believes fairness, equality, and justice have been “broken.”

That underneath the “masquerade” of the Strike-Commander hides a soldier who is just as motivated, just as critical, and just as capable of waging unconventional “warfare” as his old “commander”.

Even before the Venice mission, Jack is willing to use unconventional tactics and strategies - like Blackwatch, like “off the books” missions - to help protect the world.

Jack and Gabriel have always represented two halves of a single whole:

And they have always worked together to achieve what they needed to do - for Overwatch and Blackwatch, for the world, and for each other.

Jack believes in “retribution” just as much as Gabriel does, except that - prior to the fall of Overwatch - he was willing to let Gabriel run his Blackwatch missions “solo” so to speak, trusting Gabriel to handle his own division’s matters and organization (as I wrote above). 

However, now that Blackwatch has been compromised -

And Gabriel’s greatest secret - and his greatest hopes and fears - have also been compromised -

Dealing with the real “threat” behind the Venice mission and all its consequences is going to require something with a little more...depth to it.

Soldier: 76: Well, you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don't ya?

Reaper: And you sure know how to play boy scout.

Gabriel and Jack know (with a lot more certainty now) that Moira does not like Overwatch, nor that she trusts the organization or its members.  She is too smart and too cunning to reveal herself and her goals to Jack, who represents everything she hates about Overwatch.

But keep in mind -

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

Moira appears to buy into Gabriel’s rogue, renegade “Reaper” persona - she appears to believe Gabriel is undergoing a change in personality and motivations, and she also believes that Gabriel will be “resentful” of taking “the blame” for what happened in Venice.

And so, a “dual” approach towards Moira may be enough to convince her to “trust” Gabriel to a degree, especially if he manages to get her to believe that he hates Jack.

So - much like Retribution shows us - it’s very possible that Gabriel “puts on the masquerade” of “Reaper” again to encourage Moira to 1) cooperate with him for his “cure” -

and 2) to give him greater intel and access into Talon.

This also essentially binds Moira’s alliance to Gabriel because, as described a few times, she is far more invested and loyal towards her research and her research subjects than anything else.  Talon is merely a mechanism for her to help her reach those goals.

So while we don’t know for certain where Moira goes or what exactly happens to her between her debriefing and the fall of Overwatch, we know that - based on her present relationship and working “alliance” with Reaper - Moira probably achieved some sort of “mutally beneficial” research agreement with Gabriel, where she was possibly allowed to continue her experiments on him while believing she was undermining his relationship with Jack and Overwatch.

What Moira may or may not realize is that this also works exactly how Gabriel “Reaper” Reyes wants it to:

That if Talon is working to destroy Overwatch and Blackwatch from the inside out -

If they are going to attempt to hurt everything he has ever worked for -

Or harm the people he loves the most -

Then he is going to repay them in kind.

An eye for an eye -

An explosion for an explosion -

And a war for a war.

Now - 

Is that what Jack Morrison also wants?

We don’t know for certain but...

The soldier who emerges from the “ashes” of Overwatch sounds more like Gabriel Reyes in motivation, dialogue, power, perspective, and morality than ever before.

This isn’t a new “song and dance” for them either.

Jack plays “the hero” - or the “renegade vigilante” in the spotlight.  Gabriel plays “the villain” - or the “ruthless mercenary” in the shadows.

And together -

They are uprisings and retributions.

However, in the immediate aftermath of the Venice mission, Jack and Gabriel still have...well -

They appear to still have some hope that Overwatch and Blackwatch can be salvaged from Talon’s grasp and the consequences of the mission.

But in order to do that, they have to “put on the masquerade” of trying to play “by the rules” again:

The memorandum, Blackwatch’s suspension, and the internal investigation

As part of Gabriel’s debriefing, Gérard Lacroix - who is present during his discussion with Jack and Ana - prepares a three-page memorandum on Antonio, the mission (both the original objective and the actual events), and the Talon paramilitary units that the Blackwatch team encountered.

And - if you believe the hypothesis that Moira was already a Talon agent and the one who sold out Blackwatch to Antonio and his forces - then it’s pretty clear that that particularly significant detail is not present on the memorandum.

Like the rest of the Retribution content, this is partially for story-telling purposes (i.e. “how ‘boring’ would it be to reveal to the audience that Moira was the double-agent in a written memo?”) in the real world, and - in-universe - also partially to maintain the huge secret that Moira was a double-agent from leaking to...other people, who were probably significantly less trustworthy than the people pictured below:

As I wrote in “Long Reasons,” we know that Gabriel, McCree, and Genji are all still “active” in Overwatch about a year after the Venice mission, as all three of them are present during the events of Null Sector’s uprising.  And - as I theorized above - it’s likely that some level of “(mis)trust” was maintained between Gabriel and Moira following her debriefing, because Gabriel’s “actual secret” (his Reaper condition) was not immediately leaked to the public or “used” as blackmail by Talon in the Venice aftermath.  These two things show us that - to some degree - the truly controversial part of “Moira’s employment” (her double-agent status) was preserved as a secret somehow.

Ostensibly, it was “covered up” and “buried” by the four people present in Gabriel’s debriefing (Gabriel, Jack, Ana, and Gérard), with McCree’s loyalty winning out over his sense of justice (in this moment, at least).

This “cover up” was - on the surface level - to help maintain Moira’s cooperation towards finding a cure for Gabriel’s condition, and to prevent her from ousting Gabriel as a semi-immortal wraith to Talon, or the UN, or the world.

But on a “deeper” level, this was likely a way for Gabriel to preserve a working “professional relationship” with Moira to not only encourage her cooperation with him, but also to get him some sort of access into Talon.

And if the Venice mission was “off-the-books” -

You can sure as hell bet that “Reaper’s mission” was likely never put in writing.

If Gabriel is “going deep undercover” as Reaper into Talon, then both Overwatch and Blackwatch cannot jeopardize his mission by writing it down or documenting it.  After all, what the Venice mission showed the leaders of Overwatch was that -

The information “internal in the organization” could very easily be compromised or revealed to Talon.

Who knew information or intelligence what Moira had leaked to Talon?

After all, the memorandum shows us that Moira had not only sold out the Venice mission to Antonio -

She had also used Gabriel’s biodata and repurposed it for Talon’s “army”.

With the declassified memorandums, we can now analyze this (original post):

“Enforcer”: Elite operators within the Talon organization appear to possess genetic and cybernetic augmentation that make them extremely dangerous in combat, particularly in close quarters.

“Assassin”: Like the enforcers, Talon’s assassins possess enhanced speed, stealth, and balance and have proven extremely elusive, as their movements are near impossible to track.

“Sniper”: Amongst Talon’s assassins, their snipers are particularly notable killers.  They are equipped with top-end military optics and targeting systems, that have made them frighteningly affective in taking out high-priority targets around the world.”

"Heavy Assault”: Believed to be the products of extensive genetic engineering, these elite troopers employ an extremely powerful exoskeleton and stimulants to increase their combat effectiveness.

Critically important (as I outlined in the first post on the issue) is that all four of the different paratrooper types are either directly described as having genetic modifications, or are implied to.  “Enhanced” in Overwatch’s in-universe terminology means genetic augmentation.

In fact, though it does not say the word “genetic”, the Assassin’s description mirrors another description very closely:

Before long, [Jack Morrison] earned a coveted position in the government's controversial and still-classified (but widely acknowledged) "soldier enhancement program." Military scientists shaped Morrison and other inductees into the perfect soldiers, blessed with superhuman speed, strength, and agility.

(source)  

This is the key takeaway from the “declassified” memos: nothing major was revealed in the writing itself (e.g. it does not say and never was going to say that “Moira O’Deorain betrayed the mission”), but instead, all the contextual writing implicates Moira’s involvement with Talon.  Especially important is the way the descriptions of the different paratroopers mirror the “enhancements” that characters like Gabriel and Jack had received in the Soldier Enhancement Program - 

Information which Gabriel had trusted to Moira in order to help her find a cure for his SEP-caused condition.

The memorandum was not written to document the exact words of Gabriel’s debriefing - doing that would immediately put everyone in much greater danger.  Instead, the memorandum was written just to document Antonio’s background and profile, the exact events of the mission, and the descriptions of Talon’s paramilitary soldiers. Most memorandums - even classified ones - are sent to other people, or send “upwards” in an organization to help inform people “higher up” on the chain of command on a certain situation or information.

So everyone knew that the Venice memorandum would get passed to people who probably were not trustworthy.

Instead, the most important parts of Gabriel’s debriefing either couldn’t be written down at all, or had to be written and then immediately stored in a truly safe, truly secure location.

(In ARG terms, the Overwatch “Archives” are - 100% - not the place to do that.  In fact, Michael Chu jokingly hinted that Sombra is the one “unlocking” the Archives material for the world to see.  While it’s possible we will see the full consequences of Moira’s role in Blackwatch in a later, playable event, I’m more inclined to believe that - like the “truth” of Retribution - that “plot twist” will be revealed in such a way that the player has to “put the pieces together” for themselves.)

This means that - whatever the four people present in Gabriel’s debriefing decided to do -

They knew they couldn’t write it down.

They also realized that - on top of not being certain what information has been compromised - 

They also don’t know who has been compromised within Overwatch and Blackwatch.

However, this creates a bit of a problem:

How do they help maintain Gabriel’s secret - and also maintain Moira’s cooperation - without risking either of these “secrets” falling into the “wrong hands” -

Whether that is Talon’s:

Or...something much bigger’s:

I do not think that they completely realized how “deep” the “conspiracy” goes - not in that moment.

But I think they understood the gravity of the situation:

That it had the potential to go much, much deeper than “just Moira.”

McCree’s ending narration effectively implies this:

McCree: Our target was dead, so I guess he got what was coming to him.  But still…it didn’t seem right.  But that wasn’t the end of our problems: for the first time, people knew we were out there.  New faces stepped up to fill the void in Talon.  And I can’t help but wonder…if that’s where it all started to go wrong.

Antonio and the “ousting” of Blackwatch in the public gaze were, quite frankly, insignificant compared to the much, much deeper problems that the team were unearthing as a consequence of the Venice mission:

Moira

Her use and repurposing of Gabriel’s biodata

The development of the highly-augmented, highly-enhanced, highly-genetically modified Talon army

The leaking of Blackwatch intelligence and mission objectives to Talon members

And the realization that it could all be much bigger than a single “double agent”.

Once again, Overwatch and Blackwatch would have to take a “dual” approach:

Open an official investigation into their own organization to appease both the United Nations and the inevitable public outcry -

While permitting only the people and agents they trusted the most to continue to work.

Blackwatch’s “suspension” was an immediate and hypothetically effective way to “freeze” all assets - both the ones compromised and uncompromised - to permit Overwatch to investigate both the division and its larger self.

What’s interesting about all of this is that - despite the mission not “going according to plan”, despite Gabriel choosing to get rid of Antonio, despite Moira’s betrayal, despite McCree’s anger, despite Blackwatch being suspended - 

“Nothing” happens.

Blackwatch’s suspension is - like all the other parts of these “repercussions” - a masquerade.

A show put on for the United Nations and the public...and also for Moira and Talon.

In fact, if you compare Gabriel in Uprising - where he clearly continues to work as he always has - to his dialogue in Retribution, you get the sense that he actually already predicted this:

Moira: You did what needed to be done, Gabriel.  Don’t apologize. Gabriel: I never have, and I don’t intend to start now.  Someone has to be the one to get things done.

---

Moira: Antonio was right about one thing: you will take the blame for this. Gabriel: Always have.  I don’t need the statues and medals anyways.

---

McCree: Is this what we’ve become, Gabriel? Gabriel: Blackwatch has always had one purpose: to do the real work of keeping the world safe.  I thought you had the stomach for it.  Looks like I was wrong.

Gabriel has no intention of “apologizing” for what happened with Antonio because he already knows that Moira and Talon are the bigger issues, and that he will be able to convince Jack, Ana, and Gérard of the “real threats” plaguing Overwatch.  He doesn’t mind “taking the blame” for the Venice mission because - in comparison to the scope of Overwatch getting disbanded or Talon harming Overwatch agents - that’s an incredibly small price to pay.  He’s never needed “statues and medals” - representations of the world’s admiration or respect - because they have never been his motivation in life:

When we frame Gabriel’s dialogue and interactions in Retribution against both Uprising and his present-day actions as “Reaper,” we find the implication that he’s actually perfectly okay with Blackwatch getting suspended as a consequence of his actions in Venice.

Because instead, he stands to lose things that are significantly more important in his life and his heart of hearts than a covert ops division:

His “hope”.

And someone who is a constant companion and a constant reminder of his “other half”.

That someone who is worth more to Gabriel than the world itself:

In fact, Blackwatch getting suspended may be the best “consequence” Gabriel could ever ask for.  If it helps him convince Moira that he’s “feeling abandoned” by Overwatch and the UN, then Moira might be more easily persuaded to continue to cooperate with him.  At the same time, because Jack doesn’t actually care about the suspension, nor does he actually take any effort to enforce it on Gabriel, McCree, and Genji, Gabriel is able to continue his own operations, sending McCree into the field to investigate Null Sector a year later.  It also permits Gabriel to conduct his own internal “investigation” into Overwatch and Blackwatch agents, trying to sort out which ones have been “corrupted” by Talon, or which ones are already Talon agents sent to infiltrate the organization.

And for a time, it looks like this “plan” might actually work:

That things regain some...normalcy.

That Overwatch and Blackwatch - Jack and Gabriel - are able to flip this “debacle” (as Moira called it) into a situation they can actually use and salvage.  Sure, Blackwatch takes a hit, and Overwatch’s social trust begins to unravel in the public’s gaze (and in the United Nations’), but again, these are small sacrifices to be made if they can actually weed out the root problems of Talon and the much larger conspiracy beginning to take shape.  Overwatch has been through the greatest war humanity has ever seen - it has helped fix and repair the world in the ashes of the Omnic Crisis.  It has made medical and scientific breakthroughs.  It has not only won peace in the war, but also made it and helped protect it.

So long as it comes out of the Venice incident able to still do those things - all while combating Talon at its core - then it can still be worthwhile.  It can still be valuable and meaningful.

And “hope”

can continue to operate as it always has.

But what they don’t realize in the immediate aftermath of Venice is that:

They are not the only ones dealing with the “consequences” of Moira’s actions and Gabriel’s decision.

And that their subsequent decision to suspend Blackwatch - either to appease the UN, or to stop Talon agents from infiltrating the division, or both - will have its own consequences.

Because it forces Talon to use...different tactics to undermine Overwatch.

Overwatch’s greatest strengths are its virtues: love and loyalty, hope and heroism, courage and compassion.

And these are also its greatest weaknesses:

“Hope” can be undermined and betrayed.

And the others?  

Love and loyalty?

Just like Gabriel’s powers, those other virtures can be stolen, reconditioned, and “repurposed.”

Moira and Talon’s first set of “experiments” were not able to kill key Blackwatch members in Venice.

But their next “experiment” -

will not miss her mark.

In the next part: the “immediate” consequences of the Venice mission in Talon, which looks at Akande’s rise to power and the creation of Widowmaker.

Along with some...potential, time-traveling sabotage.

#reaper76 #reaper #gabriel reyes #soldier: 76 #jack morrison #overwatch retribution #moira o'deorain #moira #overwatch theory #overwatch lore #blackwatch #resources #references #my essays #my writing #long post #jesse mccree #genji shimada #gerard lacroix #talon #r76 #morreyeson #this took me like six tries to draft #sombra #ana amari #widowmaker

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Do you have any advice if someone wants to create an entirely new mythology for their story?

Mythology is a human creation which serves as a way to makesense to the world, surroundings and, mostly, natural events. Mythology tellsthe story of origins of the world, of people, of elements, and such. My approach to the creation of new mythology will have thegeography as the foundation for mythology. The reason for this is that we tryto explain, or find a reason, to what we see, hear, or sense. I can notexplain, even with a myth, snow if I have never seen it, or heard about it. Ican not explain the Aurora Borealis if I don’t know it exists. This might bereductionist since mythology relies on more than meets the eye (aka symbolism,rites, traditions, roles, kinship, among others), but it is a starting point.Geography When creating a new mythology you have to know where the story will take placeand the conditions of said place. The weather, the animals, the flora, thenatural events, and so. How do the people of your story understand and perceivethe sunrise, the sunset, the waves, the rivers, the eclipses, the storms. Isthere a story behind the shape of the mountains, are the animals arepresentation of gods and godessess. What about the stars, do they meansomething to them? Compile the geography of your setting, use mythology toexplain what your characters can see, the vital elements to their survival, andnatural events that can happen from time to time. The geography itself can play an important role in thedeveloping of the story, take for example a city surrounded by mountains, thesun rises from the mountains and sets behind them. There are no hurricanes, notornados, no tsunamis, nothing that can harm the population to a big extent.What role do the mountains play here? Are they protectors of the city? How dothe people feel when they travel to a place where there are no mountains? Onits counterpart, what about people living on an island, how do they feel aboutthe ocean? What it means to them?

CreationHow did things begin for the people in your story? What’s the beginning of theirworld. What are the elements arround it? Did a powerful entity created it, wasit because of a natural, yet untraceable event. How did the rivers becomerivers, who or what created the moon, or is i tan entity on its own?

LifeIs life given or is it created? If so, who, or what, gives it; who, or what,creates it? What is the definition of life to the people of your story? Is theocean alive? Do the mountains speak to the people who can understand them? Islife a synonym of movement? Is the wind an influx of life? Are living organismsseparated into body-mind, body-mind-soul, body-soul?

DestructionSome natural events can fall into the destruction category, such as volcanoeruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, among others. For your people, isthe creator also a destroyer, or are there other entities besides the creator.Is the destruction seen as something bad or as something natural and evennecessary?

DeathIs death the opposite of life? What do the people of your story consider death?Is it given, is it earned? Who can die, who can live forever? Does the sun diesafter it sets? What happens to the body after death? Is there an afterlifepeople can look up to?

TimeIs time linear or circular? How is it measured by the people on your story? Dothe days turn into weeks or do they remain days forever? How do peopledifferentiate one season from another? Is there an entity that controls thetime, or is it time an entity on its own?

SymbolsDo the entities have a correspondece here on earth, are specific symbolsassociated to them? Are certain events a warning for something bigger?  Do the people wear objects that resemble theentities they worship? Is there any iconography for these entities?

PropheciesAre there any prophecies in your mythology? It could be about the end of theworld, about the arrival of a different group of people, about a natural event,among others.

HeroesMythology also relies on heroes who have accomplished great tasks in order toprove themselves worthy of something. They are usually portrayed as role models for the society, as they embody the values of it.

Rites (also involved in religion)Are there any rites involved in your mythology? This could be before eating,before hunting, before a birth, or after those above. A rite is usually asacred act that allows people to go from one state to another within theirsociety.

Traditions (like rites, they respond to a diferent structure)These are a less sacred form of rites. Traditions carry the past on them asthey rememorate an event of importance to society, to a family, ore ven to asingle person. A birthday celebration can be labeled as a tradition.

SuggestionsBelow you’ll find a list of books written by anthropologists and such, aboutmythology. Not all of them are explicit about it. Also this books were written by people outside the societies they wrote about, so read them with a critical eye.

Tim Ingold - The temporality of the landscape (paper)

Pierre Clastres - Chronicle of the Guayaki India

Claude Levi-Strauss - Mythologiques / How myths die / Many of his work

Mircea Eliade - Many of his work

Louis-Vincent Thomas - Anthropologie de la mort

Joseph Campbell - Transformations of Myths through time

Fernando Santos-Granero - Writing history into the landscape: Space, Myth, and Ritual in ContemporaryAmazonia

Advice

Define what is sacred and what is profane for the people in your story.

The same goes for values and moral expectations. Think of archetypes here.

In many cultures, as well as in many mythologies, you can find a universal flood and universal fire myth. This is because both elements have cleansing properties. There can be mythological creatures associated to them or not. As well, these myths can be replicated when someone is born or when someone dies.

Mythology is part of the worldbuilding, and it plays an important role in society since it permeates to daily life.

As time passes, myths change, or are changed, to keep them alive. At the same time, they can be transformed to fit societal changes.

Mythology is not the same as religion. This being said, monoteism is not a higher or more advanced state than animism or polyteism.

I hope this works for you!LiaBelow there’s a not-so-short passage of the book Blindness by José Saramago. It isn’t a major spoiler but it shows how much incidence we, humans, have on the gods we create and re-create. It’s rather long, so if you want to skip it, or read the book (which I advice), feel free to do it. Also, I cut off some parts, but it stills makes sense.

A church, if I could only lie down for a while, I’d feel like new, Let’s go. Six steps led up to the church, six steps, which the doctor’s wife climbed with great difficulty, especially since she also had to guide her husband. The doors were wide open, which was a great help, a revolving door, even of the simplest type, would on this occasion have been a difficult obstacle to overcome… She raised her head to the slender pillars, to the high vaults, to confirm the security and stability of her blood circulation, then she said, I am feeling fine, but at that very moment she thought she had gone mad or that the lifting of the vertigo had given her hallucinations, it could not be true what her eyes revealed, that mannailed to the cross with a white bandage covering his eyes, and next to him a woman, her heart pierced by seven swords and her eyes also covered with a white bandage, and it was not only that man and that woman who were in that condition, all the images in the church had their eyes covered, statues with a white cloth tied around the head, paintings with a thick brushstroke of white paint, and there was a woman teaching her daughter how to read and both had their eyes covered, and a man with an open book on which a little child was sitting, and both had their eyes covered, and another man, his body spiked with arrows, and he had his eyes covered, and a woman with a lit lamp, and shehad her eyes covered, and a man with wounds on his hands and feet and his chest, and he had his eyes covered, and another man with a lion, and both had their eyes covered, and another man with a lamb, and both had their eyes covered, and another man with an eagle, and both had their eyes covered, andanother man with a spear standing over a fallen man with horns and cloven feet, and both had their eyes covered, and another man carrying a set of scales, and he had his eyes covered, and an old bald man holding a white lily, and he had his eyes covered, and another old man leaning on an unsheathedsword, and he had his eyes covered, and a woman with a dove, and both had their eyes covered, and a man with two ravens, and all three had their eyes covered, there was only one woman who did not have her eyes covered, because she carried her gouged-out eyes on a silver tray. The doctor’s wifesaid to her husband, You won’t believe me if I tell you what I have in front of my eyes, all the images in this church have their eyes covered, How strange, I wonder why, How should I know, perhaps it was the work of someone whose faith was badly shaken when he realised that he would be blind like the others, maybe it was even the local priest, perhaps he thought that when the blind people could no longer see the images, the images should not be able to see the blind either, Images don’t see, You’re wrong, images see with the eyes of those who see them, only that now blindness is the lot of everyone, You can still see, I’ll see less and less all the time, even though I may not lose my eyesight I shall become more and more blind because I shall have no one to see me, If the priest covered the eyes of the images, That’s just my idea, It’s the only hypothesis that makes any sense, it’s the only one that can lend some dignity to our suffering, I imagine that man coming in here from the world of the blind, where he would have to return only to go blind himself, I imagine the closed doors, the deserted church, the silence, I imagine the statues, the paintings, I see him going from one to the other, climbing up to the altars and tying the bandages with a double knot so that they do not come undone and slip off, applying two coats of paint to the pictures in order to make the white night into which they are plunged still thicker, that priest must have committed the worst sacrilege of all times and all religions, the fairest and most radically human, coming here to declare that, ultimately, God does not deserve to see… The conversation was overheard by the blind people in their immediate vicinity, and it goes without saying that there was no need to wait for the confirmation by oath before the news started to circulate, to pass from mouth to mouth, in a murmur which shortly changed its tone, first incredulous, then alarmed, again incredulous, it was unfortunate that there were several superstitious andimaginative people in the congregation, the idea that the sacred images were blind, that their compassionate or pitying eyes only stared out at their own blindness, became all of a sudden unbearable, it was tantamount to having told them that they were surrounded by the living dead, one scream was enough, then another and another, then fear made all the people rise up, panic drove them to the doors, here the inevitable repeated itself, since panic is much faster than the legs which carry it, the feet of the fugitive trip up in their flight, even more so when one is blind, and there he lies on the ground, panic tells him,

#cabezotapequeno #mythology #long answer is long #l

[penderworth]

The (first of more, probably) religious trauma entry

For a very, very long time, I’ve been putting off writing or talking about this, let alone remembering it. Because as much as I love nostalgia, I hate remembering things. Why should I? They’re gone. Remembering them sounds like an unproductive way to spend time. No wonder I have such a hard time with therapy: There’s a lot of remembering things in therapy, and my dad’s voice is what said that last sentence, not mine. But we’ll get to that.

My struggle to find belonging the past few years makes complete sense in the context of my church experience. It’s a very common one, in fact, for anyone who leaves church. I hear about it often, like earlier today on The Sunday Thing. I mostly left the church when I turned 21, but all this started way before that, when I was 14 or so and Church on the Mountain split. Friends and all the other younger people started going to Lighthouse, where they had night services and it was edgy. Charismatic! They had flags! Fuck flags, man.

Originally though, when the church split, I stayed at COTM because it was tough to get up to Mammoth. Then the youth group moved up there as well, so I started getting rides from friends. And slowly, unconsciously, to their disappointment, I drifted away from the religion of my parents. But it’s okay, the new church had flags! Only for a little bit, though, then the old church got some again too. The ouroboros of church trends.

The new church also had dancing, louder music, and all the other things one finds when they Google for “charismatic church”. We just lacked Benny Hinn, Sith supreme. Fascinatingly, though, in the past few years, I find myself drawn to many of the things I spoke against in the church. But was it ever me speaking? No. It was the judgement of my parents, carried on habitually, as all family opinions are. The genes of one’s ancestors must not just make up our bodies; why not encode some opinions, traumas, and other chaos in there as well, triggering it at just the right moments? But worry not: You can avoid all this by continuing to play the game of your parents’ child.

Back to the dancing. The only relationship I’d ever had to it was that one time I asked Kristen out at a wedding, hosted at our second house in Mammoth. But wait, let’s deconstruct that real quick. Why did I ask her to dance? Someone told me to. Either my parents or my peers, probably the former. Someone said that asking a woman to dance is the key to her heart. And my adolescent mind immediately said “Yes, please, the key to those boobs! I mean, oh wait, heart. Yes. We must get married first, then the boobs shall be available.” And even the very young me sought much success in the world, so pursued what he wanted.

Then other ideas floated into my relationship with dancing. “Men only do that at weddings.” “Well, see, that makes you gay...” “Oh that’s just something they did in the 60s.” “I don’t know man, I think you might suck at it. I mean, do you even have hips?” So when Lighthouse introduced this new physical experience of church, I repeated what I’d heard my parents say, in the way one does when they’re afraid of the other: “This is getting a little weird.” To which a child for whom the world is entirely made up of wonder and mystery should reply, “Yeah! And let’s try it out.” But that child was dying. His parents and culture had killed him with their occupations, marriages, gods, and ideas. So many ideas.

Of course at this point, dancing wasn’t enough, so they added extensions to their appendages by gathering sticks with thin, colorful fabric attached, that flowed weightlessly as they spun them around, praising God. For some reason, though, if gay people wanted to celebrate a part of themselves in the same manner, that was different. And if we asked why, it was complicated.

I grew disillusioned and judgmental with all of this. Part of me – the one who was becoming someone – wanted to belong here, to be a crucial part of this community. That’s why I would plant roots, serve on their teams, play on the worship team. I wanted them to see that I wanted to be there, that I was dedicated, that I wouldn’t leave. I was seldom returned this effort. Church seems to attract many wounded souls who also don’t know how to love, hence the desire for an unconditionally loving God. I mean it’s in the marketing, right? Makes sense.

So part of me wanted to belong there. But the parental voices within said something different: This scares me, this is weird, make it go away, I don’t want to talk about how I feel. Because that last one is really it, isn’t it? You don’t want to talk about your feelings. Even you, mother. You, who feel so deeply in moments I can’t, yet freeze in many of the ones that matter to me. And that is how behavior and habits pass down to one’s children. I like to imagine we do that to our children because there are many problems in our lives that we just won’t get the chance to solve before we die, and they demand to be worked out. So we procreate to create new chances for these issues to be resolved. We’re dedicated coders staying on top of our repo.

Of course at this point, I do wonder where we are going if this is indeed the course of the universe. What would become of us if all our issues were to be resolved? A question for another time.

I remember the first time I went to Lighthouse, at their older location. I felt cool. There was such potential in this new place. It was NEW. Sparkly. They had a cool sound system, lots of drums, and a hip worship leader. This seemed like progress. I’d learn new songs, meet bandmates, find myself playing the House of Blues one day. The dream! Also there were new girls I hadn’t met before. The girl who’d rejected me previously was behind me – this was a new slate, the first of many in my life where I could recreate who Jacob was, until I eventually lost him entirely.

For someone who was homeschooled, all this was exactly what I needed. I got to meet other people my age twice a week now: Youth group on Thursday and church on Sunday. I’m sure none of my passion was driven by the sexual urges of an adolescent. No, I would never have such thoughts during my special singing and praying time with God; who, by the way, I did not understand, but was told C.S. Lewis would explain to me one day when I’m older. And all this time, they thought I wouldn’t come back one day to bite them with a joke, like the serpent who didn’t get to taste that juicy apple.

There was one other time I saw other people my age: Swim team. But I never wanted to be there. Not like I wanted to be at a mini rock concert, singing loudly and pretending to have spiritual experiences, sometimes playing on the stage myself. I was also pumped up on all the Dr. Pepper and Mambas I could buy with my allowance. If the church and educational systems focused more on embodiment, I may have made better choices. Or maybe I would have rebelled and eaten even more sugar – who’s to say.

What’s unfortunate is I never truly felt at home at Lighthouse, because there was a war going on inside me the whole time. My family was telling me it was bad, sinful, even evil and “demonic” at times. They believed more in the God than the Holy Spirit part of the trinity, and rarely talked of the Son, Yeshua. But another part of me was just happy to be among peers; my parents’ church was mostly old people who never seemed to be listening to me when we had conversations. Eventually I left Lighthouse because I moved. The first of many moves.

In examining my experiences finding community since then, they’ve slowly declined into what is currently an absence of it. My most recent sustained experience of community was in Isla Vista. Everything fell into place for me to move there. It felt like where I was supposed to be – I took it as a sign from God, because it happened so seamlessly, unlike other life transitions I'd forced.

I had incredible housemates that first year in 2014, each of whom challenged me in more ways than any of my classes ever could – I’ve always been more fascinated with relationship and the human condition than I was with any subjects. One of the most memorable things of that first year was the beginning of a more substantial deconstruction for me. Getting into deep, circular, and unreasonable arguments with my housemate Tarra would leave me cursing God, quietly and ashamedly, for how he had failed to show her what love truly looks like within the heart. Love isn't trying to convert someone to your beliefs, which felt more like someone trying to prove to themselves that what they believed was good for them by marketing it to other people as such.

At this point, I still listened to my heart. I still felt it often. When I passed a homeless person on the street, I felt the pangs of their hunger, loneliness, and disconnection from the rest of us. But I was told that’s not what we do when we see a homeless person, so I had to block that feeling to prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed, especially after moving to a larger city. This became a habit for me: Assimilating the emotional and behavioral patterns of the people around me, often without a second thought. I still had a critic within me who challenged things, but most of its energy was spent at AppStorm, finding flaws in the creations of others. Because that’s the role of a critic, I was told: To be an asshole.

Toward the second half of 2014, my faith in this God began to shake until it shattered. Breakups with another person are terrible, but try breaking up with the morals, community, and afterlife package you were given upon your arrival in this world. That fucking sucks. No one likes it. Which is why it took me years, from ages 20 to 24 to finally file for divorce with my church, my God, and my afterlife insurance plan, as Pete Holmes would say. And after all the sex I’d had while traveling, it felt freeing for a bit – maybe I hadn't greatly sinned after all, maybe I could listen to my body. But breaking up with someone usually guarantees their voice will return to haunt you for a while. And this was a 24-year relationship, so there’s a bit of history.

The wonder of that child I mentioned earlier has, at this point, really begun to disappear. I see glimpses of it some days. If he were a roaring fire at the start, he’s now a barely glowing ember. The optimism of even the 22-year-old self has been replaced with a stagnant disinterest in what life could possibly have that won't lead to more unnecessary suffering. And without people to win over, he’s unsure that he’ll ever be able to procreate, to pass at least a few of his problems on to the next great programmer who starts a branch on this vast repo. Plus the fear of all the things above, as well as those of his ancestors, and the shame of being white, having a job, and living what most would call a really great life, haunt him daily. Without the balancing optimism of others in his life, he feels as if he’ll collapse under the weight of all this. It truly is too much for one person to bear, yet in the words of Ella Wheeler Wilcox:

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;

Weep, and you weep alone;

For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,

But has trouble enough of its own.

So he’ll run off now, to find some alternate realities in his dreams, where things are different. Perhaps those dreams are a future of this very timeline.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Rare minerals (WSJ) The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to secure minerals critical to modern technology but whose supply is dominated by China—a stranglehold that miners warn could take years to break. In recent years, the U.S. and other Western nations have invested in projects and approved licenses to mine these resources—essential for the production of electric vehicles, cellphones and wind turbines—an effort these countries are now accelerating given how far they still trail China. Last week President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency and authorizing the use of the Defense Production Act to speed the development of mines.

Military leaders quarantined after official tests positive (AP) The nation’s top military leaders were under self-quarantine Tuesday after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus, the Pentagon said. Military leaders who were in contact with Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, were told Monday evening that he had tested positive. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, and the vice chairman, Gen. John Hyten, were among those affected, U.S. officials said. Multiple U.S. officials said that besides Milley, those affected included the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Guard, as well as the head of U.S. Cyber Command, Gen. Paul Nakasone.

Delta grows into hurricane in Caribbean (AP) Delta rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph (225 kmh) winds Tuesday on a course to hammer southeastern Mexico and then continue on to the U.S. Gulf coast this week. The worst of the immediate impact was expected along the resort-studded northeastern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where hurricane conditions were expected Tuesday night and landfall early Wednesday. In Cancun Tuesday, long lines stretched at supermarkets, lumber yards and gas stations as residents scrambled for provisions under mostly sunny skies. Officials warned that residents should have several days of water and food on hand. Boat owners lined up at public ramps to pull their boats out of the water. Mexico began evacuating tourists and residents from coastal areas along its Riviera Maya Tuesday. Delta is expected to arrive with an extremely dangerous storm surge raising water levels by as much as 7 to 11 feet (2.1 to 3.3 meters) in the Yucatan, accompanied by large and dangerous waves, and flash flooding inland. Once it moves on from Mexico, it’s expected to regain Category 4 status over the Gulf as it approaches the U.S. coast, where landfall around Friday would be followed by heavy rainfall across the southeastern United States.

In Colombia, a death in police custody follows a history of brutality (Washington Post) For years, Jeimmy Tique Medina, a high school security guard, held fast to her belief that the Colombian police existed to protect and serve. Then they shot her 19-year old son. Now she has joined the critics of police brutality in this South American nation. Colombia is having its own version of a George Floyd moment, an eruption of anti-police sentiment in response to the deadly beating last month of a 46-year old father of two during an altercation with officers in Bogotá. Video of their initial interaction, shared widely on social media, shows Javier Ordóñez begging “please, no more” as officers repeatedly shocked him with a stun gun. He died later of head injuries allegedly inflicted while in police custody. The Colombian National Police, which reports directly to the Ministry of Defense, have long stood accused of excessive force, particularly during the half-century civil war that ended in 2016 against the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC. But Ordóñez’s death, and the official response to it, is sparking a far larger national debate over police violence. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bogotá in the aftermath of Ordóñez’s death last month, leading to clashes with security forces that left 13 people dead and more than 400 injured. But instead of fizzling out, as protests here have tended to do, the incident has fueled a continuing string of demonstrations and social media agitation. Union members, student groups and human rights activists are now putting police brutality at the top of their list of grievances ahead of a national strike called for Oct. 21.

Iceland, an early coronavirus role model, closes bars and gyms as cases rise (Washington Post) Iceland announced new coronavirus-related restrictions this weekend, following a spike in cases in recent weeks despite the island’s early success in limiting the spread of the virus. The government ordered bars, gyms and some other businesses to close and is limiting most group gatherings to a maximum of 20 people, down from prior restrictions that capped events at 200. The country, home to about 360,000 people, has recorded fewer than 3,000 cases of the novel coronavirus. Ten people have died on the island after contracting the virus. But in the past two weeks, it has seen around 156 domestic cases per 100,000 residents, and officials worry the number of new infections will continue to rise.

Europe nears lockdown (Foreign Policy) European countries are slowly implementing new restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus as cases across the continent continue to surge. On Monday, the Irish government rejected advice from a top government health team recommending that the country return to full lockdown, but chose instead to reintroduce a series of measures that will restrict movement and limit restaurant and pub capacity. The decision follows a move by France on Sunday to place Paris under maximum coronavirus alert, closing all bars and placing certain restrictions on restaurants. Spain also announced partial lockdowns in Madrid and two other cities.

North Cyprus to reopen beach abandoned in no-man's land since 1974 conflict (Reuters) Northern Cyprus said on Tuesday it will reopen the beach area of an abandoned resort in no-man’s land, a move condemned by Greek Cypriots and likely to conjure up memories of the 1974 Turkish invasion that partitioned the island. Ersin Tatar, premier of the breakaway state of Northern Cyprus, made the announcement in Ankara alongside Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who said he backed the decision on Varosha, sealed off within barbed wire for decades. The move could weigh on Turkey’s dispute with European Union members Cyprus and Greece over territorial rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Tensions had eased after Ankara and Athens agreed to resume talks, but Cyprus, a close ally of the Greece, promptly condemned the move to partially reopen the abandoned resort. Greece also criticised the move. Sources in Cyprus said the plan was to open up about 1.5 km (1 mile) of beachfront to the public and not the approximately 6 square km (2.3 sq miles) inland that includes abandoned hotels and residences which its population of 39,000 people fled in 1974 during a Turkish invasion following a Greek inspired coup.

Opposition in Kyrgyzstan claims power after storming government buildings (Reuters) Opposition groups said they had seized power in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday after taking control of government buildings during post-election protests in the strategically important Central Asian state. President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said his country, a close ally of Russia, was facing an attempted coup d’etat. Two presidents have been toppled by revolts in Kyrgyzstan in the past 15 years. Jeenbekov called for calm and ordered security forces not to open fire on protesters after overnight unrest in which the government said one person had been killed and 686 wounded by Tuesday afternoon, according to the health ministry. Officials said Sunday’s parliamentary election would be rerun, but with protesters still on the streets and both president and opposition claiming to be in charge, it was not clear who would organise a future vote or govern until then. Kyrgyzstan, which borders China, has long been a platform for geopolitical competition between Moscow, Washington and Beijing. It houses a Russian military base and its leaders and main opposition groups have traditionally backed close ties with Russia.

China Ramps Up a War of Words, Warning the U.S. of Its Red Lines (NYT) The soldiers run through the forest, through the surf, through smoke and flames, ready to die for the motherland. The video, one of a series that has recently appeared online in China, climaxes with the launch of nine ballistic missiles and a fiery barrage of explosions. “If war breaks out,” a chorus sings, “this is my answer.” Chinese propaganda is rarely subtle or particularly persuasive, but the torrent of bombast online and in state media in recent weeks is striking and potentially ominous. The targets are China’s main adversaries: the United States and Taiwan, which are moving closer and closer together. The propaganda has accompanied a series of military drills in recent weeks, including the test-firing of ballistic missiles and the buzzing of Taiwan’s airspace. Together, they are intended to draw stark red lines for the United States, signaling that China would not shrink from a military clash. While the prospect of war remains remote, the militaristic tone reflects the hawkishness of the country’s leader, Xi Jinping. The risk is that the propaganda could translate into more provocative actions, at a time when the relationship with the United States has sharply deteriorated. The recent military moves in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait raise the possibility of actual clashes, intended or not.

Negative views of China rise sharply in advanced countries (AP) Negative perceptions of China have increased sharply in many of the world’s advanced countries, especially in Australia and Britain, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center released Tuesday. The poll comes as China is engaged in multiple trade and diplomatic disputes with its neighbors and other countries around the world, driven in part by a more aggressive diplomatic approach. The survey conducted across 14 countries showed a majority of people had an unfavorable view of China. In Australia, 81% said they have an unfavorable view of China, according to the survey, a rise of 24 percentage points from last year. The rise corresponds with higher tensions in the bilateral relationship after Australia led the call for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. China responded on the trade front, suspending imports of Australian beef, putting high tariffs on barley from the country and starting an anti-dumping probe into imports of Australian wine.

The Pressure to Be Perfect Turns Deadly for Celebrities in Japan (NYT) From the outside, Yuko Takeuchi seemed to have a golden life. She had won Japan’s top acting award three times and had recently given birth to her second child. Ms. Takeuchi, 40, died late last month, apparently in a suicide. No one can fully know what private torment might have lurked beneath the surface, but in a Japanese society that values “gaman”—endurance or self-denial—many feel pressure to hide their personal struggles. The burden is compounded for celebrities whose professional success depends on projecting a flawless ideal. Ms. Takeuchi is the latest in a succession of Japanese film and television stars who have taken their own lives this year. Her death came less than two weeks after the suicide of another actress, Sei Ashina, 36, and two months after Haruma Miura, 30, a popular television actor, was found dead in his home, leaving a suicide note. Their deaths have been echoed by an alarming rise in suicides within Japan’s general public during the coronavirus pandemic, after a decade of hard-won decline from some of the highest rates in the world. The authorities reported a nearly 16 percent increase in suicides in August compared with a year earlier, with the number spiking by 74 percent among teenage girls and women in their 20s and 30s. “As a society, we feel like we cannot show our weaknesses, that we must hold all of it in,” said Yasuyuki Shimizu, director of the Japan Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Center. “It’s not just that people feel like they can’t go to a counselor or a therapist, but many feel like they cannot even show their weaknesses to the people they are close to.”

Amid rising infections, Israeli ultra-Orthodox defy lockdown (AP) After a revered ultra-Orthodox rabbi died this week, Israeli police thought they had worked out an arrangement with his followers to allow a small, dignified funeral that would conform with public health guidelines under the current coronavirus lockdown. But when it was time to bury the rabbi on Monday, thousands of people showed up—ignoring social distancing rules and clashing with police who tried to disperse the mass gathering. Such violations of lockdown rules by segments of the ultra-Orthodox population have angered a broader Israeli public that is largely complying with the restrictions imposed to halt a raging coronavirus outbreak. The defiance on display has confounded public health experts, tested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longstanding political alliance with religious leaders and triggered a new wave of resentment from secular Israelis who fear for their health and livelihoods. “We’ve been asked to go into this lockdown, with its insane economic cost, that is causing people to go insane, because of the increase in coronavirus which is mostly occurring in the ultra-Orthodox sector and in large part because of criminal negligence,” wrote media personality Judy Shalom Nir Mozes on the Ynet news site. “There are two sets of laws here. One for us and one for them.” A deep chasm has long divided religious and secular Israelis, wrought by years of seemingly preferential treatment for the ultra-Orthodox who are granted government stipends to study full-time. Ultra-Orthodox support is the lifeblood of Netanyahu’s coalition and has helped crown him Israel’s longest-serving leader.

#headlines #news

[spicynbachili1]

Khashoggi case: All previous updates | Saudi Arabia News

Click on right here for the newest updates within the Khashoggi case

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain a document certifying he divorced his ex-wife so he could remarry. He has not been seen since.

Turkish sources have told media outlets they believe the Saudi writer and critic was killed inside the consulate in what they describe as “premeditated murder”.

Saudi officials have countered that claim, insisting Khashoggi left the building before vanishing. 

Al Jazeera started a ‘live updates’ page on October 10. Here are the all developments from Wednesday, October 10 till Wednesday, October 17:

Sunday, October 21

Turkey puts Khashoggi’s fiancee under 24-hour protection

Turkish authorities have placed the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi under 24-hour police protection, the state-run news agency Anadolu has said.

The Istanbul governor’s office put Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish national who was expected to marry Khashoggi later this month under 24-hour police protection, Anadolu said.

Authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what prompted the decision to give her a security detail.

Germany freezes arms exports to Saudi Arabia following Khashoggi’s death

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she backs a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Sunday that “I agree with all those who say that the already limited arms exports … can’t take place in the situation we’re currently in.”

Her foreign minister, Heiko Maas, had already said on Saturday that he currently saw “no basis for decisions in favour of arms exports to Saudi Arabia”.

Last month, Germany approved $480 million worth of arms exports to Saudi Arabia for 2018.

In the past, military exports by Berlin to Saudi have mostly consisted of patrol boats.

Saudi foreign minister defends kingdom’s narrative of Khashoggi killing

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister has defended the kingdom’s narrative of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, saying it was comparable to the way the US government responsed to a 2004 CBS expose on the use of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Adel Al-Jubeir told FOX News that the reason it took the kingdom 18 days to confirm Khashoggi’s killing was because Saudi authorities didn’t “want to put out speculation or hearsay or gossip”.

“When you have a situation like this, you want the information you put out to be as accurate as possible. You don’t want to put out speculation or hearsay or gossip. These things take time. You may want to look back at the issue of Abu Ghraib and the timeline between when the incidents were discovered and when the US government came out with its initial report of what happened. These things take time and you want to be careful.”

When asked if MBS was aware of Khashoggi’s killing, Jubeir hit out saying: “the individuals who did this, do so out of the scope of their authority. There was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to cover it up.”

He then added: “The people involved weren’t tied to him. There were pictures of some security officers who may have been part of his security detail from time to time but this is normal. People who deal in security details rotate among different officials both domestic and foreign, so having somebody in a picture does not imply they are close – not at all – the Crown Prince has denied this. Even the senior leadership of our intelligence service was not aware of this.

“This was a rogue operation. This was an operation where individuals ended up exceeding the authorities and responsibilities they had, and they made a mistake by killing Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate and they tried to cover-up for it.”

When asked whether Khashoggi’s body was dismembered, Jubeir said the kingdom was “working” on finding this out with its Turkish counterparts.

Khashoggi killing ‘planned’: Turkish source

The office of Turkey’s prosecutor general has obtained evidence that shows Jamal Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was planned in advance, according to a source at the prosecutor general’s office.

The source, who spoke to Al Jazeera on Sunday on condition of anonymity, said the evidence found by the Turkish criminal investigation team fully supports the prosecutor general’s view of the circumstances of the journalist’s killing, without elaborating.

How the Saudi narrative of Khashoggi’s killing changed in 18 days

According to the source, Turkish authorities have received official statements from 15 Saudi suspects but did not ask for them to be brought to Turkey, pending completion of the investigation.

Turkish media reports have released information detailing a 15-member team that purportedly arrived in Istanbul to confront Khashoggi at the consulate.

In addition to receiving statements from those present when Khashoggi was killed on October 2, investigators have also questioned 25 staff members who work at the consulate, the source said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he would announce details of the Turkish investigation into Khashoggi’s killing on Tuesday.

UK, France and Germany issue joint statement condemning Khashoggi’s killing

The UK, France and Germany have issued a joint statement condemning the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, saying there was an “urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened.”

In a statement issued on Sunday, the governments said “nothing can justify this killing and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. “

They said the “hypotheses” proposed so far in the Saudi investigation need to be backed by facts to be considered credible.

Erdogan: Turkey will reveal ‘naked truth’ over Khashoggi death on Tuesday

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he reveal the “naked truth” over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday.

Khashoggi killing: Trump ‘not satisfied’ with Saudi explanation

“We are looking for justice here and this will be revealed in all its naked truth, not through some ordinary steps but in all its naked truth,” Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul.

Leading US senator accuses Mohammed bin Salman of Khashoggi murder

Bob Corker, a Republican senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee says Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, “crossed a line” in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Corker told CNN’s “State of the Union” that Saudi Arabia had “lost all credibility as it relates to explaining what has happened,” and that based on his briefings he believed MBS directed the killing of the Washington Post columnist.

“I’m not rushing to judgement – do I think he [MBS] did it [kill Khashoggi] – Yes, I think he did it,” Corker told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“The United States and the rest of the world will believe he did it.”

In the interview, Corker also criticised MBS’s supposed anti-corruption drive when more than 200 powerful Saudis were arrested last November, and the blockade placed on Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbour Qatar.

“When you look [at] what he did when he came to power, he got the opposition in the Ritz Carlton. Detained them there. Tortured many of them.

“And if you look at the rookie mistake he made with Qatar, where without even talking to us they put in place this blockade. He has made some mistakes and obviously if he had gone forth and murdered this journalist, he’s now crossed the line, and there needs to be a punishment and a price payed for that.”

GOP Sen. Bob Corker says he thinks Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince was behind the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: “Do I think he did it? Yes, I think he did it. Let’s finish this investigation” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/e0qv5dKie4

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 21, 2018

Trump accuses Saudi Arabia of ‘lies’ over Khashoggi killing

US President Donald Trump has accused Saudi Arabia of mendacity in regards to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, in his strongest feedback thus far.

“Clearly there’s been deception and there is been lies,” he mentioned in an interview with the Washington Submit revealed late on Saturday.

“Their tales are everywhere,” Trump added.

However the US President stopped far wanting blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also referred to as MBS, of the homicide saying he has but to be proven any proof by intelligence officers that will make him imagine MBS had any direct function.

“No one has informed me he is accountable. No one has informed me he isn’t accountable. We have not reached that time. I have never heard both manner,” Trump mentioned.

Pakistan welcomes contacts between Saudi King and Erdogan

Pakistan’s Overseas Workplace has mentioned it welcomes the contacts between Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and their want to proceed to work collectively to deal with the Jamal Khashoggi problem.

“We welcome the steps taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey to deal with this problem. Disclosing details to the general public and bringing these accountable to justice is vital on this regard,” it mentioned.

Saudi official offers new model of Khashoggi killing

A Saudi official has informed the Reuters information company that the workforce of 15 Saudis who had been despatched to confront Khashoggi on October 2 killed him in a chokehold after “overstepping” their orders.

Talking on situation of anonymity, the official mentioned the workforce tried to intimidate Khashoggi however when the 59-year-old raised his voice, the workforce panicked.

They then tried to restrain him and positioned him in a chokehold and coated his mouth.

Requested if the workforce had smothered Khashoggi, the official mentioned: “When you put somebody of Jamal’s age on this place, he would in all probability die.”

A member of the 15-man-team then wearing Khashoggi’s garments to make it seem as if he had left the consulate, the official added.

UK add voice to states casting doubt on Saudi narrative

Britain says Saudi Arabia’s rationalization for a way Jamal Khashoggi died inside Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul just isn’t credible.

“No, I do not assume it’s credible,” mentioned Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, including: “We assist the Turkish investigation into it and the British authorities will need to see individuals held to account for that dying.”

The UK joins a rising record of nations to pour chilly water on Saudi Arabia’s newest official try to clarify the Washington Submit columnist’s disappearance.

Canada has additionally solid doubt and German chief Angela Merkel has known as the official Saudi rationalization “insufficient”.

WSJ: King Salman’s emissary heard Khashoggi recording 

A report within the Wall Avenue Journal (WSJ) citing two unnamed members of the Saudi royal household says a Saudi emissary despatched to Ankara by King Salman heard an audio recording that dispels the official Saudi rationalization that Khashoggi was killed in a brawl.

Prince Khalid al-Faisal allegedly had entry to proof that the journalist was “drugged, killed, and dismembered” shortly after coming into the consulate, the report says.

“The audio doesn’t have this nonsense a couple of battle that broke out after an argument,” one royal informed the WSJ.

This account additionally contradicts the story supplied within the earlier submit, through which an unnamed Saudi official informed Reuters that Khashoggi’s physique had not been reduce up.

Prince Khalid al Faisal, an envoy of King Salman, has entry to audio that exhibits Khashoggi was drugged, killed and dismembered inside minutes of coming into the consulate—not after a fist battle. https://t.co/jvOLCE4cTf pic.twitter.com/KmFEsMoO1u

— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) October 21, 2018

Reuters: Saudi official floats new story about Khashoggi dying

As Saudi Arabia confronted intensifying worldwide scepticism over its story in regards to the dying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a senior authorities official laid out a brand new model of the dying contained in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that in key respects contradicts earlier explanations.

The newest account, offered by a Saudi official who requested anonymity, contains particulars on how the workforce of 15 Saudi nationals despatched to confront Khashoggi on October 2 had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped after which killed him in a chokehold when he resisted.

A member of the workforce then wearing Khashoggi’s garments to make it seem as if he had left the consulate.

Turkish officers suspect the physique of Khashoggi, a Washington Submit columnist and critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was reduce up however the Saudi official mentioned it was rolled up in a rug and given to a “native cooperator” for disposal. Requested about allegations that Khashoggi had been tortured and beheaded, he mentioned preliminary outcomes of the investigation didn’t counsel that.

The official introduced what he mentioned had been inner intelligence paperwork which appeared to indicate the initiative to convey again dissidents in addition to the particular one involving Khashoggi. He additionally confirmed testimony from these concerned in what he described because the 15-man workforce’s cover-up, and the preliminary outcomes of an inner probe.

Canada condemns Khashoggi killing, questions Saudi narrative

Canadian Overseas Minister Chrystia Freedland has condemned the killing of Washington Submit columnist Jamal Khashoggi and supplied her “honest condolences” to his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and his household.

“The reasons supplied (by Saudi Arabia) thus far lack consistency and credibility,” she mentioned in an announcement, additional calling for a “by investigation”.

“These liable for the killing have to be held to account and should face justice,” Freedland added.

Saturday, October 20

Washington Submit: This isn’t a proof; it’s a cover-up

The Washington Submit has refused to just accept Saudi Arabia’s rationalization for the killing of Khashoggi, who was one of many paper’s columnists, accusing the dominion of mendacity and finishing up a cover-up.

“The federal government of Saudi Arabia has shamefully and repeatedly supplied one lie after one other within the practically three weeks since Jamal Khashoggi disappeared of their Istanbul consulate,” Fred Ryan, the newspaper’s writer and chief government, mentioned in an announcement.

“Providing no proof, and opposite to all obtainable proof, they now count on the world to imagine that Jamal died in a battle following a dialogue. This isn’t a proof; it’s a cover-up.

“President Trump, Congress and leaders of the civilised world ought to demand to see verifiable proof. The Saudis can’t be allowed to manufacture a face-saving answer to an atrocity that seems to have been directed by the best ranges of their authorities.”

Trump ‘not satisified’ with Khashoggi case dealing with 

US President Donald Trump has mentioned questions stay unanswered over Khashoggi’s killing following Saudi Arabia’s admission that the journalist died in a “fist-fight” inside its consulate. 

Requested throughout a visit to Nevada if he was happy that Saudi officers had been fired over Khashoggi’s dying, Trump mentioned: “No, I’m not happy till we discover the reply. But it surely was an enormous first step, it was a very good first step. However I need to get solutions.”

However Trump warned towards halting a Saudi arms deal, saying it might damage American jobs, regardless of the worldwide furor over the dying within the conservative kingdom’s Istanbul consulate of a dissident journalist.

“We’ve $450bn, $110bn of which is a army order, however that is tools and varied issues ordered from Saudi Arabia,” Trump informed reporters about an settlement to promote weapons to Riyadh.

“It is over 1,000,000 jobs; that is not useful for us to cancel an order like that. That hurts us excess of it hurts them,” he added, noting Riyadh may acquire the weapons from different international locations like China or Russia.

“However there are different issues that might be accomplished, together with sanctions.”

Riyadh has been a key ally of the US for many years and solely grew nearer underneath the Trump administration.

Trump has pointed to a “$450bn” arms cope with Saudi Arabia and the dominion’s place as a bulwark to Iranian enlargement within the area as causes to proceed shut relations.

It’s unclear from the place Trump drew the $450bn determine. The US and Saudi Arabia introduced a $350bn arms deal earlier than Trump’s first journey to Saudi Arabia as president. Roughly $110bn of that deal, which is ready to increase over 10 years, was efficient instantly, in keeping with CNBC.

On Friday, Trump had mentioned he believed Saudi Arabia’s rationalization was credible. 

Riyadh makes use of twitter trolls to silence critics: NY Occasions 

A New York Occasions report on Saturday mentioned Saudi authorities had been making use of an “military of Twitter trolls” to silence critics, together with Khashoggi.

In its report, titled Saudis “Picture Makers: A Troll Military and a Twitter Insider”, the each day claimed that authorities in Riyadh had been conducting operations on Twitter to silence voices crucial of the Saudi management and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman particularly.

The report is predicated on interviews with seven individuals concerned in these actions or “briefed on them; activists and consultants who’ve studied them; and American and Saudi officers, together with messages seen by The New York Occasions that described the internal workings of the troll farm”.

Underneath the directive of the crown prince, “Saudi operatives have mobilized to harass critics on Twitter”, which turned particularly well-liked because the Arab Spring uprisings in 2010.

“Saud al-Qahtani, a prime adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed who was fired on Saturday within the fallout from Mr. Khashoggi’s killing, was the strategist behind the operation, in keeping with United States and Saudi officers, in addition to activist organisations,” the report mentioned.

France’s Le Drian condemns Khashoggi’s killing, requires in-depth probe

French Overseas Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian mentioned his nation condemned the killing of Khashoggi and known as for a radical investigation into the incident. 

“France condemns this homicide within the strongest phrases,” Le Drian mentioned in an announcement. 

“The affirmation of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi’s dying is a primary step towards the institution of the reality. Nonetheless, many questions stay unanswered,” he added. 

Le Drian added that these liable for Khashoggi’s dying ought to be held accountable. 

Merkel condemns Khashoggi’s killing

German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned Khashoggi’s killing within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and mentioned explanations given up to now of the circumstances surrounding his dying had been insufficient.

“We condemn this act within the strongest phrases,” she and Overseas Minister Heiko Maas mentioned in a joint assertion.

“We count on transparency from Saudi Arabia in regards to the circumstances of his dying […] The data obtainable about occasions within the Istanbul consulate is insufficient.”

Expressing deep sympathy to Khashoggi’s buddies and kinfolk, they mentioned these liable for his dying have to be held accountable.

Remembering Jamal Khashoggi – the outstanding Saudi journalist whose 30-year profession got here to an finish when he was killed within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/zulzY4NrTX

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 20, 2018

Turkey won’t settle for ‘cover-up’ in Khashoggi case – AK Get together spokesperson

Turkey will uncover the total particulars of Khashoggi’s killing utilizing all doable means, a spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Growth Get together (AK Get together) mentioned.

Jamal Khashoggi’s last interview

“Turkey will reveal no matter occurred. No one ought to ever doubt it,” spokesperson Omer Celik was quoted as saying by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu information company.

“We’re not accusing anybody prematurely however we do not settle for something remaining coated [up],” Celik added.

Turkish-Arab Media Affiliation calls for solutions over Khashoggi killing

Turkish-Arab Media Affiliation President Turan Kislakci mentioned the group needs “true justice” for Khashoggi and the “authority that gave the orders” to kill the Saudi dissident punished.

“We have to know the place Jamal’s physique is […] and we would like the remainder of the world to know the way it occurred and what occurred precisely,” Kislakci mentioned in an announcement to reporters exterior the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Amnesty calls for Saudi Arabia hand over Khashoggi’s physique for unbiased post-mortem

Amnesty Worldwide has known as for an unbiased probe into Khashoggi’s killing and demanded Saudi Arabia “instantly produce” his physique so an post-mortem will be carried out by forensic consultants “in accordance with worldwide requirements“.

“The investigation findings by the Saudi authorities claiming that Khashoggi died on account of a “fist-fight” contained in the consulate are usually not reliable and marks an abysmal new low to Saudi Arabia’s human rights document,” Samah Hadid, Amnesty’s director of campaigns for the Center East, mentioned in an announcement.

“His household and the world deserve the total fact about what occurred to him, and people accountable, nevertheless excessive their rank or standing, should face justice,” Hadid added.

“An unbiased investigation would be the solely assure towards what more and more seems as a Saudi whitewash surrounding the circumstances of Khashoggi’s homicide or any makes an attempt by different governments to comb the difficulty underneath the carpet to protect profitable arms offers and different enterprise ties with Riyadh.”

European leaders heap skepticism on Saudi account of Khashoggi killing, name for readability

European leaders have demanded additional examination of Khashoggi’s killing after Saudi Arabia’s confession on Saturday that the 59-year-old author and critic died throughout a “fist-fight” within the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected Saudi’s rationalization of Khashoggi’s dying.

Merkel mentioned the “horrific occasions” had not been “cleared up”, Bloomberg reported.

“In fact we demand that they be cleared up,” Merkel added.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen additionally expressed scepticism over the Saudi’s account of Khashoggi’s dying.

“The truth that the Saudis final night time confirmed that he died, after beforehand insisting he left the consulate alive, exhibits that we’ve not been informed the total fact, and we should insist on getting that,” Bloomberg quoted Rasmussen as saying.

If Trump won’t reply to Khashoggi killing, Congress may

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte mentioned “lots nonetheless stays unsure” within the case.

“So much nonetheless stays unsure. What occurred? How did he die? Who’s accountable? I count on and I hope that every one related details will probably be clear as quickly as doable … Thorough investigation is critical,” Rutte informed reporters in Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, in the meantime, known as for a world investigation to look at the proof linked to Khashoggi’s dying.

“[A] rigorous, worldwide investigation [is] urgently wanted to look at proof, make clear circumstances surrounding dying of Jamal Khashoggi,” Tajani mentioned in a post on Twitter.

Regional allies reward Saudi’s response to ongoing Khashoggi probe

Saudi Arabia’s allies within the Center East rallied behind the dominion over its response to the continued investigation into the killing of Saudi author and critic Khashoggi.

Egypt praised Saudi’s King Salman for taking “decisive” motion over the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Khashoggi.

On Saturday, Saudi state media reported that King Salman had ordered the formation of a ministerial committee, headed by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to restructure the Kingdom’s intelligence providers.

“Egypt sees that the courageous and decisive choices and actions taken by the Saudi King over this matter align together with his majesty’s method that respects the rules of legislation and purposes of efficient justice,” the Egyptian Overseas Ministry mentioned in an announcement.

The ministry supplied its condolences to Khashoggi’s household and mentioned it was assured the continued probe into his dying would reveal the reality.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) additionally voiced assist for Saudi’s King Salman and counseled his “directives and choices … on the difficulty of Kashoggi”, UAE’s state-run WAM information company reported.

Bahrain, in the meantime, mentioned in an official assertion that Saudi Arabia “will stay a state of justice, worth and rules”, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV community reported.

Saudi pressured into releasing preliminary outcomes – AK Get together’s human rights head

Saudi Arabia had no selection however to disclose preliminary outcomes from an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance and alleged homicide due to proof gathered by Turkish officers, the pinnacle of human rights for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Growth Get together (AK Get together) mentioned in an announcement.

Additional proof will probably be launched quickly, Layla Sahin Usta mentioned, as a Turkish-led probe into the 59-year-old’s destiny stays ongoing towards a backdrop of widespread skepticism over Saudi’s model of occasions.

On Saturday, Saudi state media reported Khashoggi was killed in a “fist-fight” with the Kingdom’s officers inside its consulate within the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul.

The announcement marked a U-turn from the Kingdom, which had beforehand denied the 60-year-old died contained in the constructing.

Britain contemplating ‘subsequent steps’ following Saudi Arabia confession over Khashoggi killing

Britain is contemplating its “subsequent steps” following Saudi Arabia’s admission over the killing of Khashoggi throughout the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, the UK’s overseas ministry mentioned in an announcement.

“We ship our condolences to Jamal Khashoggi’s household after this affirmation of his dying. We’re contemplating the Saudi report and our subsequent steps,” the assertion mentioned.

“Because the Overseas Secretary has mentioned, this was a horrible act and people accountable have to be held to account,” the assertion added.

The UK’s fundamental opposition Labour occasion has known as on the governing Conservative Get together to droop arms gross sales to the dominion.

Khashoggi case ‘most severe’ diplomatic disaster confronted by Saudi since 9/11 – analyst

Marwan Kabalan, director of coverage and evaluation on the Doha-based Arab Heart for Analysis & Coverage Research, mentioned the uproar sparked by the killing of Khashoggi has posed the “most severe diplomatic disaster for Saudi Arabia since September 11 [2001]”.

Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi killed in Istanbul consulate

“The [Saudi’s] story won’t be convincing to many individuals; it is very tough to imagine the hit squad that arrived in Istanbul got here to have a dialogue with Khashoggi,” Kabalan informed Al Jazeera.

“I feel with the assistance of their buddies in Washington – I am speaking about President Donald Trump, who’s making an attempt to offer them with an exit and manner out – they could assume that they’re near closing this case,” he added.

“However I do not assume so as a result of it very a lot is determined by whether or not the Turks are going to just accept this [Saudi] story. The Turks [may] have their very own model of what occurred within the consulate.”

Former CIA intelligence officer: Saudi account is ‘silly’

Former CIA intelligence officer Glenn Carle informed Al Jazeera the “absurdity of the crumbling cowl tales” would convey a smile to the face of anybody paying consideration.

The most recent account, through which Khashoggi died throughout a battle with consulate officers, was proper to attract ire, Carle mentioned.

“As if a 59 or 60-year-old man would stroll right into a consulate … and choose a battle with 15 thugs. I do not assume so. So the story is silly.”

Carle mentioned Trump’s statements affirming that he believes the Saudi account of what occurred had been “silly and offensive” however “attribute”.

“Trump has clearly been accepting regardless of the Saudis say “to be able to keep relations”, Carle concluded.

World reacts to Saudi affirmation of Khashoggi’s killing

Here is how the world reacted to Saudi Arabia’s announcement confirming Jamal Khashoggi was killed in its consulate in Istanbul.

Who’s Ahmed al-Asiri, the sacked Saudi intelligence chief?

Main Common Ahmed Al-Asiri was sacked as Saudi Arabia’s deputy intelligence chief on Friday, Saudi state media reported.

Al-Asiri has served as an adviser to bin Salman, who promoted him to his intelligence place final yr, and is taken into account to be considered one of MBS’ closest aides.

He’s “a key determine throughout the royal family, a really senior determine,” Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons reported from Istanbul, following the announcement. “He has been fingered by the royal family as being partly accountable for this.”

Saudi Arabia pays UK companies tens of millions to spice up picture: Guardian

Saudi Arabia has been paying UK companies million of kilos to assist enhance the dominion’s picture in recent times, a Guardian investigation discovered on Friday.

Saudi Arabia’s status has been hit arduous in recent times because of its document on human rights and its function within the warfare in Yemen, however particularly following the killing of Washington Submit journalist Khashoggi.

Corporations which have labored to spice up Saudi Arabia’s picture embrace PR company Freud’s – which is now distancing itself from the dominion; the London workplace of on-line writer Vice which has been engaged on a sequence of movies to advertise Saudi Arabia; the Unbiased, which established a partnership with a Saudi writer with shut hyperlinks to the Saudi authorities; and the Tony Blair Institute for World Change.

A Saudi publishing firm that’s signing partnerships with western media companies donated to the Tony Blair Institute for World Change in alternate for his recommendation for Saudi Arabia, the Guardian reported.

Trump needs to guard arms sale to Saudi Arabia 

US President Donald Trump says he’d desire “some type of sanction” on Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi’s dying, however added that he needs to guard arms sale. 

Trump says he does not assume Saudi management lied to him

US President Donald Trump informed reporters that he does not assume the Saudi management lied to him once they denied Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the dominion’s consulate in Istanbul. 

Trump mentioned he’ll converse to the Saudi crown prince. 

Trump: Saudi announcement on Khashoggi ‘good first step’ 

US President Donald Trump mentioned Saudi Arabia’s announcement on Saturday confirming Jamal Khashoggi’s dying is a “good first step, an enormous step”. 

Trump mentioned what occurred to Khashoggi is “unacceptable”, including nevertheless, that he thinks Saudi Arabia’s rationalization was credible.  

MBS had no information of ‘particular’ Khashoggi operation: Reuters supply

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had no information of the particular operation that resulted within the dying of Jamal Khashoggi within the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, a Saudi official aware of the investigation informed Reuters on Friday.

“There have been no orders for them to kill him and even particularly kidnap him,” mentioned the official, talking on situation of anonymity and including that there was a standing order to convey critics of the dominion again to the nation.

“MBS had no information of this particular operation and definitely didn’t order a kidnapping or homicide of anyone. He can have been conscious of the final instruction to inform individuals to come back again,” the supply mentioned, utilizing the initials of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The supply mentioned the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s physique had been unclear after it was handed over to a “native cooperator” however there was no signal of it on the consulate.

US congressman: Saudi rationalization ‘not credible’

A high-ranking Democratic US congressman is expressing doubts in regards to the credibility of Saudi Arabia’s rationalization that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a battle contained in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

California Consultant Adam Schiff, the rating Democrat on the Home intelligence committee, mentioned Friday that Saudi Arabia’s declare that he was “killed whereas brawling with a workforce of greater than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia just isn’t credible”.

Schiff says that if Khashoggi was combating contained in the consulate, he was “combating for his life with individuals despatched to seize or kill him”.

He says if Trump’s Republican administration will not maintain Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi’s dying, Congress will.

UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by affirmation of journalist’s dying

UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres is “deeply troubled” by the affirmation of Jamal Khashoggi, a UN spokesman mentioned. 

The spokesman added that Guterres “stresses the necessity for a immediate, thorough and clear investigation” into the circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s dying. 

US Senator Menendez: ‘World Magnitsky Act does not have exceptions’ 

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez mentioned on Twitter: “We’ve confirmed that worldwide stress can succeed. Our united outrage clearly factored into the Saudi gov’s calculated admission”. 

The senator, who’s the rating member of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee, was a part of a gaggle of senators who triggered the Magnitsky Act earlier this month, which requires the US president to find out whether or not Khashoggi’s rights had been violated and whether or not to impose focused sanctions. 

Following the information of Saudi Arabia’s affirmation, Menendez mentioned: The World Magnitsky Act does not have exceptions for accidents. Even when Khashoggi died due to an altercation, that is no excuse for his homicide.

White Home ‘saddened’ to listen to affirmation of Khashoggi’s dying

The White Home acknowledged in an announcement the Saudi announcement on the investigation of Khashoggi’s dying. 

“We’re saddened to listen to affirmation of Mr. Khashoggi’s dying, and we provide our deepest condolences to his household, fiance and buddies,” White Home Press Secretary Sarah Sanders mentioned in an announcement. 

She added that the US will proceed to intently comply with the worldwide investigations into the incident and “advocate for justice that’s well timed, clear and in accordance with all due course of”. 

US Senator Graham ‘sceptical of Saudi narrative’

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been outspoken on Khashoggi’s disappearance, tweeted: “To say that I’m skeptical of the brand new Saudi narrative about Mr Khashoggi is an understatement.”

Saudi King orders formation of committee headed by crown prince

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has ordered the restructuring of the command of the final intelligence company underneath the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official Saudi press company mentioned on Saturday.

The company added the order additionally included updating laws, figuring out the company’s powers, and evaluating its strategies and procedures. The committee, in keeping with the King’s order, ought to report back to the King inside a month.

‘Kingdom expresses its deep remorse’ over Khashoggi’s killing

Saudi state-run information company says “the dominion expresses its deep remorse” over the slaying of author Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi king to restructure kingdom’s intelligence providers 

Saudi King Salman has proposal to restructure kingdom’s intelligence providers after Khashoggi killing, state media reported. 

18 Saudi nationals arrested over Khashoggi’s dying

A press release from the Saudi public prosecutor mentioned a battle broke out between Khashoggi and individuals who met him within the consulate and led to his dying.

“The investigations are nonetheless underway and 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested,” the assertion on state media mentioned

Saudi Arabia sacks two senior officers over Khashoggi killing 

The Saudi kingdom fired royal courtroom adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed Asiri, state media mentioned. 

Saudi Arabia confirms Khashoggi killed inside Istanbul consulate

Saudi Arabia mentioned on Saturday preliminary outcomes of investigations confirmed US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi died within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after a battle with individuals he met there, state media reported.

Friday, October 19

Saudi funding summit to go forward with new programme

Saudi Arabia’s Future Funding Initiative, dubbed “Davos within the Desert”, will go forward later this month with an up to date programme that features heads of state from the Arab world, Africa and Asia, in keeping with a convention spokeseperson. 

The spokesperson added that the convention will embrace “enterprise leaders, buyers and innovators from internationally”.

A string of Western executives have pulled out of Riyadh’s Future Funding Initiative convention within the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance. 

Pompeo: ‘Wide selection‘ of US responses if Saudis behind journalist dying

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of a “wide selection” of responses ought to Washington decide that Saudi Arabia is behind the disappearance and obvious dying of Khashoggi.

“We’ll definitely take into account a variety of potential responses, however I feel the vital factor to do is that the details come out,” Pompeo informed Voice of America radio.

The US is Saudi Arabia’s largest backer and the scary homicide of Khashoggi has introduced President Donald Trump with probably the most acute overseas coverage crises of his practically two-year-old presidency.

Trump: Pompeo wasn’t proven purported recording of Khashoggi killing  

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has not seen or heard any purported recordings from the Saudi consulate in Turkey, President Donald Trump mentioned in a tweet. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was by no means given or proven a Transcript or Video of the Saudi Consulate occasion. FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2018

Each Pompeo and Turkey’s overseas ministry dismissed media studies that mentioned Ankara had shared audio recordings from the continued investigation. 

Firms which have dropped out of Saudi funding summit up to now

Overseas direct funding in Saudi Arabia had already fallen to traditionally low ranges earlier than Khashoggi went lacking.

However because the allegations of his homicide, many multinational firms and people say they aren’t going to a Saudi funding summit because of be held in Riyadh subsequent week.

Discover out extra by watching the video beneath.

WATCH: Firms that boycotted the Saudi summit up to now (01:36)

Ex- UK intelligence chief: ‘Khashoggi in all probability killed on order of individuals near MBS’

A former head of Britain’s MI6 spy company mentioned Khashoggi was in all probability killed on the orders of individuals near Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

John Sawers, who headed MI6 between 2009 and 2014, informed the BBC that “all of the proof factors to it being ordered and carried out” by individuals near Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.

“I do not assume he would have accomplished this if he hadn’t thought he had license from the U.S. administration to frankly behave as he wished to take action,” he mentioned.

Sawyers mentioned Khashoggi’s disappearance was a wake-up name to the Trump administration about “simply how harmful it’s to have individuals performing with a way that they’ve impunity of their relationship with the US.”

ABB engineering group CEO newest to drop out of funding convention 

Swiss engineering group ABB has mentioned Chief Govt Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer won’t attend the Future Funding Initiative within the Saudi capital, Riyadh, subsequent week. 

Spiesshofer joins different world enterprise and political leaders who’ve withdrawn amid concern about Khashoggi’s destiny. ABB didn’t give a motive for his resolution.

Airbus defence chief Dirk Hoke and Deutsche Financial institution’s CEO Christian Stitching additionally dropped out. 

Report: ‘King Salman asserts authority, checks son’s energy’

Citing 5 sources near the Saudi royal household, Reuters information company reported that King Salman, lengthy absent from the everyday operating of the dominion, has felt compelled to intervene because the Khashoggi disaster deepened.

Since outmanoeuvring his rivals to change into Saudi Arabia’s de-facto chief in 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s portfolio of duties had slowly expanded to incorporate points equivalent to financial diversification, diplomacy and defence. 

This got here to a pointy halt with the disappearance of Khashoggi on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. 

The report notes that the king, initially unaware of the Khashoggi disaster, ultimately despatched his most trusted aide, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of Mecca, to fulfill Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 11. 

“The choice of Khaled, a senior royal with excessive standing, is telling as he’s the king’s private adviser, his proper hand man and has very sturdy ties and a friendship with Erdogan,” Reuters quoted a Saudi supply with hyperlinks to authorities circles as saying. 

One of many sources informed Reuters that the king’s unawareness was partly “as a result of [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] MBS aides had been directing the king to glowing information in regards to the nation on Saudi TV channels”.

“Even when MBS needed to maintain this away from the king he could not as a result of the story about Khashoggi’s disappearance was on all of the Arab and Saudi TV channels watched by the king,” one other unnamed supply mentioned. 

“The King began asking aides and MBS about it. MBS needed to inform him and requested him to intervene when Khashoggi’s case turned a world disaster.” 

Turkish probe locates precise web site of Khashoggi ‘killing’ – sources

Turkish investigators had been in a position to find the precise place throughout the Saudi consulate the place Khashoggi was allegedly killed throughout their search of the constructing earlier this week, Turkish sources have informed Al Jazeera.

The investigators, who used audio recordings of Khashoggi’s alleged homicide to information their search, additionally confirmed that Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, an post-mortem knowledgeable, started slicing up the 60-year-old’s physique instantly after he was killed, the sources mentioned.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from exterior the consulate in Istanbul, mentioned the leaks confirmed Turkish officers had been rising “more and more pissed off with the tempo of the investigation”.

“That frustration is now pushing the Turks to launch extra info and the extra info that’s being leaked, the extra seemingly macabre and surprising it [this case] has change into,” Stratford mentioned.

European aerospace large drops out of Saudi funding convention

European aerospace large Airbus mentioned the chief of its defence and house division, Dirk Hoke, won’t attend Saudi Arabia’s Future Funding Initiative convention, scheduled to start in Riyadh on October 23.

“A tenet has been issued to abstain from excessive profile engagements at this cut-off date. Nonetheless, we imagine you will need to keep engagement and dialogue in a rustic which hosts about 1,000 of our workers,” a spokesman mentioned.

Hoke’s pull out marks the newest high-profile enterprise boycott of the occasion, broadly dubbed “Davos within the Desert”, as worldwide scrutiny and media concentrate on Saudi Arabia continues to escalate following the disappearance of Saudi author and critic Jamal Khashoggi.

On Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin introduced he wouldn’t attend after talks with US President Donald Trump.

Turkish overseas minister denies sharing audio recordings with Washington

Turkish Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has dismissed studies Ankara shared audio recordings documenting the alleged homicide of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with the US, in keeping with Reuters information company.

On Thursday, studies steered Turkish officers had offered US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with a recording indicating Khashoggi was killed by Saudi operatives after coming into the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

Cavusoglu additionally mentioned Turkey has proof and data obtained from its ongoing investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance on October 2, and can share the outcomes of the probe “transparently” with the world.

British Overseas Secretary: UK to take ‘thought of’ response to outcomes of Khashoggi probe

British Overseas Secretary Jeremy Hunt mentioned the UK authorities will take a “thought of” response to any outcomes that emerge from the continued investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi.

How harmful is it to be a journalist within the Arab world?

He additionally warned that allegations the Saudi author and critic was brutally murdered could be completely unacceptable if confirmed to be true.

“A part of our response will rely upon the Saudi response, and whether or not we sense that they’re taking it as severely as we’re taking it. However this can be a very, very severe matter,” Hunt informed the BBC.

“Our relationship with Saudi is a strategic relationship as nicely. Our response will probably be thought of … [but] ultimately, if these tales are true, we now have to be completely clear, it might not be according to our values.”

Thursday, October 18

Amnesty raises alarm over tennis stars’ participation in Saudi exhibition match

Amnesty Worldwide UK has warned tennis superstars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic their participation in an exhibition match because of be held within the Saudi metropolis of Jeddah in December may “sportswash” the Kingdom’s “really appalling human rights document”, UK newspaper The Occasions reported.

Introduced earlier this month, the so-called King Salman Tennis Championship, has come underneath elevated scrutiny on account of mounting worldwide concern and media focus relating to the destiny of lacking Saudi author and critic Jamal Khashoggi.

“It isn’t for us to say which international locations ought to and should not be internet hosting sporting competitions, but it surely’s additionally clear that international locations like Saudi Arabia are nicely conscious of the potential for sport to subtly ‘rebrand’ a rustic,” The Occasions quoted Allan Hogarth, head of advocacy and programmes at Amnesty Worldwide UK, as saying.

“Even earlier than the extraordinarily alarming case of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia had a really appalling human rights document and any sportsperson wants to know that their participation in sporting occasions within the nation might be used as a type of ‘sportswashing’,” Hogarth added.

“It is as much as Nadal and Djokovic the place they play their profitable exhibition matches, but when they go to Jeddah we might prefer to see them utilizing their profiles to boost human rights points. Tweeting assist for Saudi Arabia’s courageous human rights defenders could be a begin.”

Neither of the pair have made any public remark relating to the occasion since October 7, once they each mentioned on Twitter they had been “trying ahead to enjoying [the match] and visiting [Saudi Arabia]”.

NYT: Saudis could blame intelligence official for Khashoggi killing

Saudi rulers are contemplating blaming a prime intelligence official near Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the suspected killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the New York Occasions reported.

World reactions to #Khashoggi ‘homicide’

Citing three individuals with information of the Saudi plans, the newspaper mentioned Saudi Arabia is planning to assign blame to Common Ahmed al-Assiri, a high-ranking adviser to the crown prince.

Individuals near the White Home have already been briefed in regards to the plan and given Assiri’s title, the Occasions mentioned.

“The Saudis are already pointing to Common Assiri because the perpetrator,” it reported.

Assiri beforehand served because the spokesman for the Saudi-Emirati led army coalition combating in Yemen.

In accordance the Occasions, the Saudi management is anticipated to say Assiri obtained the green-light from the crown prince to rendition Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, however he both “misunderstood his directions or overstepped”, in keeping with two sources talking on situation of anonymity.

Pompeo listened Khashoggi ‘homicide’ recording: report

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened to an alleged audio recording of Khashoggi’s killing, ABC Information reported, citing a senior Turkish official.

The Turkish official, who spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned Pompeo listened to the recording on Wednesday throughout a gathering in Turkey, including he was additionally given a transcript of it.

Turkish officers additionally imagine Khashoggi was killed contained in the Saudi consulate following a wrestle that lasted eight minutes they usually imagine he died of strangulation.

The State Division denied the report. “Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript associated to Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance,” spokeswoman Heather Nauert mentioned in an announcement.

US’ Pompeo briefing on #Khashoggi ‘homicide’ after Saudi go to

Dozens of American lawmakers demand Saudi sanctions

Greater than 40 lawmakers pressed US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions towards Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s disappearance and suspected homicide.

“In case your rapid investigation and dedication are according to ongoing media studies about this outrageous motion, we urge sturdy, complete sanctions,” members of the Home of Representatives mentioned in a letter, which additionally known as for an finish to US assist for Saudi Arabia’s army motion in Yemen.

Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern launched a invoice within the Home of Representatives that will halt arms gross sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certifies the dominion didn’t order the killing of Khashoggi. The invoice at the moment has eight co-sponsors from each political events.

The lawmakers additionally voiced assist for his or her colleagues within the Senate, who’ve already triggered an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance underneath the World Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

NEW: Right now, greater than 40 lawmakers joined me in urging President Trump to implement sturdy sanctions on these liable for the homicide & dismemberment of American resident, @washingtonpost journalist Jamal Khashoggi. pic.twitter.com/C0VAzrYnu6

— Lloyd Doggett (@RepLloydDoggett) October 18, 2018

US VP: ‘World deserves solutions’ on Khashoggi

Vice President Mike Pence mentioned after Saudi Arabia studies the outcomes of its investigation – and the administration seems to be at different obtainable info – it should determine what to do subsequent.

“The world must know what occurred right here, and people who are accountable must be held to account,” Pence mentioned.

“We’ll acquire all of the proof after which the president can have a choice about what the correct plan of action is for us going ahead. The world deserves solutions. If what has been alleged occurred – if an harmless particular person misplaced their life by the hands of violence – that is to be condemned.

“If a journalist, particularly, misplaced their life by the hands of violence, that is an affront to a free and unbiased press around the globe, and there will probably be penalties. However, we’ll look ahead to the details. We’ll look ahead to all the data to come back in.” 

Trump: ‘Actually seems to be’ like Khashoggi is lifeless

US President Donald Trump says it “definitely seems to be” as if Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is lifeless.

Trump didn’t say what he based mostly his conclusion on, however informed reporters at Andrews Air Drive Base the results for the Saudis “must be very extreme” if they’re discovered to have killed him.

“It is unhealthy, unhealthy stuff,” he mentioned.

Turkey expands Khashoggi search to wooded areas

Turkish investigators widened their probe into Khashoggi’s disappearance to incorporate three totally different areas on the outskirts of Istanbul, officers informed Al Jazeera.

“Investigators tracked the autos that left the Saudi consulate and consul normal’s residence on the day Khashoggi disappeared to those areas. They used visitors cameras to try this,” Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal mentioned, citing sources on the Turkish prosecutor’s workplace.

One space investigators are looking out was a forest known as Belgrad, roughly 16km from Istanbul’s metropolis centre, Elshayyal mentioned, whereas the opposite was farmland in Turkey’s Yalova province, about 93km east of the town.

Saudi prince’s companion at consulate when Khashoggi vanished

A member of Crown Prince Mohammed’s entourage throughout a number of journeys overseas walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul simply earlier than Khashoggi vanished there, in keeping with photographs revealed by Turkish newspaper Sabah.

The person, recognized as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb by Turkish officers, has been photographed within the background of Prince Mohammed’s journeys to the US, France and Spain this yr.

Surveillance photos revealed by Sabah present Mutreb strolling previous police barricades on the consulate at 9:55am on October 2 with a number of males trailing behind him.

Khashoggi arrived on the consulate a number of hours later at 1:14pm, and by no means re-emerged.

Turkish officers recognized the person as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb [Sabah via AP]

Rights teams search UN probe over Khashoggi

4 outstanding human rights and press freedom teams urged Turkey to request a UN investigation into Khashoggi’s suspected homicide to forestall a “whitewash” of the alleged crime.

The Committee to Defend Journalists (CPJ), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty Worldwide and Reporters With out Borders mentioned Turkey ought to enlist the UN “to provoke a well timed, credible, and clear investigation”.

“UN involvement is the perfect assure towards a Saudi whitewash or makes an attempt by different governments to comb the difficulty underneath the carpet to protect profitable enterprise ties with Riyadh,” mentioned Robert Mahoney, deputy government director of the CPJ.

US Treasury Secretary withdraws from Riyadh convention

Secretary of US Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, says he won’t attend subsequent week’s funding convention in Saudi Arabia as a probe continues into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Simply met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we now have determined, I can’t be taking part within the Future Funding Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.

— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 18, 2018

US offers Saudi Arabia ‘few extra days’ on Khashoggi

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he informed President Donald Trump that the US ought to give Saudi Arabia a couple of extra days to wrap up its investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance.

“I informed President Trump this morning that we ought to offer them a couple of extra days … in order that we too have a whole understanding of the details” earlier than deciding on a response, Pompeo informed reporters on the White Home.

Putin needs extra proof on Khashoggi’s destiny

Saudi Crown Prince within the highlight after #Khashoggi ‘homicide’

Vladimir Putin says Russia will look ahead to the end result of an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance earlier than deciding what affect the author’s destiny could have on relations with Saudi Arabia.

Talking at a world coverage discussion board in Sochi, the Russian president known as Khashoggi’s disappearance a “tragedy”, however mentioned Moscow wants “to know what occurred” earlier than deciding what affect it could have on ties with Riyadh.

“Those that imagine that there was a homicide should current proof,” he mentioned.

Biden: Trump ‘appears to have a love affair with autocrats’

A former US Vice President has criticised Trump’s response to Khashoggi’s disappearance, saying the president “coddles” dictators.

Joe Biden informed CBS’ “This Morning” programme that if Saudi Arabia is discovered to be liable for the journalist’s suspected homicide, the dominion ought to “completely, positively” face penalties.

Biden, who has been tipped as a possible Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 elections, mentioned the “retaliation” may take the type of cancelled arms gross sales.

He added that his doubts about Crown Prince Mohammed management have “been confirmed”.

“My doubts are that there is little or no of rule of legislation, respect for human rights, dignity and the allegations which are made up to now – we do not know but – are usually not inconsistent with the way in which the dominion would act and so I am very apprehensive that the president appears to have a love affair with autocrats and the concept that he is already making excuses earlier than the details are recognized is typical but it surely hurts us internationally,” he mentioned.

UK commerce minister pulls out of Saudi convention

British commerce minister Liam Fox has pulled out of the Saudi funding summit, saying the time “was not proper for him” to attend the Future Funding Initiative in Riyadh on October 23.

“The UK stays very involved about Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance,” a spokesperson for the minister mentioned. “These bearing accountability for his disappearance have to be held to account.”

Audio ‘reveals Khashoggi was crushed as he entered the consulate’

Sources within the Turkish police and public prosecutor’s workplace have informed Al Jazeera that an 11-minute audio recording reveals Khashoggi was crushed up as he entered the Saudi consulate.

The recording purportedly options voices within the A and B blocks of the consulate constructing, that are a part of the constructing’s entrance.

Who’re the Saudi suspects within the Khashoggi case?

The data comes a day after Turkish authorities searched the Saudi consulate and the residence of the consul normal.

Fingerprints discovered throughout the search embrace these of Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, an post-mortem knowledgeable from Naif Arab College for Safety Sciences.

He’s among the many 15 males suspected of forming a Saudi hit squad to kill Khashoggi. His fingerprints had been discovered round socket within the consulate.

Not one of the males entered Turkey on pretend passports, in keeping with sources within the public prosecutor’s workplace, who say some are thought to have used diplomatic passports.

Sources have additionally informed Al Jazeera that a person near Khashoggi is believed to have been relaying info again to Saudi Arabia in regards to the journalist’s actions and whereabouts since he left the dominion.

Dutch cancel Saudi commerce mission

The Dutch authorities cancelled a commerce mission to Saudi Arabia subsequent month because of issues over the disappearance of Khashoggi, a spokeswoman mentioned.

“All commerce missions to the nation have been suspended for now,” a spokeswoman for PSPS Consultants, which had organised the journey for the federal government informed Reuters.

The choice got here minutes after Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra mentioned he was scrapping plans to attend the Future Funding Initiatives convention in Riyadh subsequent week.

Additionally on Thursday, the CEO of French defence electronics group Thales introduced that he would not be attending the convention, nevertheless the corporate will nonetheless be represented by Jean-Loic Galle, an government in Thales’ house division.

Searches flip up fingerprints and ‘vital samples’

Turkish sources have informed Al Jazeera that “vital samples” had been discovered throughout searches of two Saudi diplomatic buildings in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Istanbul, mentioned explicit consideration had been paid to an space of the consulate known as the “C-block”.

“It was solely open to diplomatic employees. Sources within the final couple of hours have mentioned that they’ve very sturdy proof that Khashoggi was killed contained in the C-block of the consulate.

Khashoggi disappearance: Trump asks Turkey for recordings

Sources informed Al Jazeera that they discovered fingerprints inside C-block of six of the 15 males accused of forming a part of a hit-squad.

Investigators spent greater than 12 hours scouring the consulate and consul normal’s residence for clues about Khashoggi’s destiny.

French economic system minister pulls out of Saudi convention

French Economic system Minister Bruno Le Maire has change into the newest high-profile determine to drop out of an financial convention in Saudi Arabia over the alleged homicide of Khashoggi.

“I will not go to Riyadh subsequent week,” he informed France’s Public Senate TV channel on Thursday, saying the journalist’s disappearance was “very severe”.

Firms equivalent to Uber, JP Morgan Chase and HSBC have additionally dropped out, together with media giants CNN, The Monetary Occasions and The New York Occasions.

Turkish investigators go away Saudi consul’s residence

Turkish investigators who searched the Saudi consul-general’s residence in Istanbul recovered “samples” after analyzing the premises for greater than 9 hours, in keeping with sources on the prosecutor’s workplace.

“Whether or not these had been samples of DNA or blood samples is unclear. Apparently, in keeping with sources, these had been fairly convincing when it comes to proof,” mentioned Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from exterior the constructing.

The forensics workforce scoured the residence, storage and backyard as nicely, Simmons mentioned. Turkish investigators had been seen leaving the constructing carrying packing containers and baggage.

Sources say there’s video proof automotive drove from the Saudi consulate to the consul normal’s residence on the day Khashoggi disappeared.

Saudi Consul Common Mohammed al-Otaibi and his household unexpectedly left Turkey on Tuesday.

Turkish investigators additionally re-examined the Saudi consulate after looking out it for 9 hours on Monday as a part of the Khashoggi investigation.

Turkey’s inside minister mentioned the investigation’s outcomes will probably be “shared with the world”, which may occur this week.

Turkish newspaper offers graphic element of alleged homicide

A professional-government Turkish newspaper revealed a ugly recount of Khashoggi’s alleged killing on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Yeni Safak reported Khashoggi was killed inside minutes of coming into the consulate and his torturers severed his fingers throughout an interrogation. His killers later beheaded and dismembered him, it mentioned, citing an alleged audio recording of the assault.

The newspaper mentioned Saudi Consul Common Mohammed al-Otaibi might be heard on the tape telling these allegedly torturing Khashoggi: “Do that exterior; you are going to get me in bother.”

The newspaper mentioned one of many males torturing Khashoggi replied: “Shut up if you wish to stay whenever you return to [Saudi] Arabia.”

A New York Occasions report cited a senior Turkish official confirming the main points revealed by Yeni Safak.

Turkey has not shared with the US authorities or European allies graphic audio or video proof, seven US and European safety officers informed Reuters information company.

The US and allies have collected some intelligence by their very own sources and strategies, which partly confirms information studies based mostly on leaks of audio recordings, 4 of the sources mentioned.

A person holds a Yeni Safak newspaper with the headline: ‘[To the Saudi consul] Shut up’ [Burhan Ozbilici/AP]

Trump denies masking for Saudis

How will Jamal Khashoggi’s doable dying have an effect on MBS?

US President Donald Trump denied masking up for ally Saudi Arabia in Khashoggi’s suspected homicide.

Trump’s feedback adopted the publication in pro-government Turkish media of allegations purporting to substantiate Khashoggi was not solely murdered by Saudi brokers of their consulate in Istanbul, however tortured and dismembered.

“No under no circumstances, I simply need to discover out what’s occurring,” Trump informed reporters within the White Home when requested if his cautious method to the scandal quantities to a cover-up.

“I am not giving cowl in any respect.”

The president mentioned he would get a “full report” from Pompeo on the diplomat’s return from conferences with Saudi and Turkish leaders, permitting him to evaluate what actually occurred.

“We are going to in all probability know that by the top of the week,” Trump mentioned.

Turkish forensic consultants go away the Saudi consulate in Istanbul early Thursday [Murad Sezer/Reuters]

Mnuchin to determine Thursday if attending Saudi convention

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he’ll determine on Thursday whether or not he’ll attend an funding convention in Riyadh that has been boycotted by world enterprise leaders involved about Khashoggi’s destiny.

Mnuchin mentioned he’ll “revisit the choice once more” after reviewing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s report on the case on Thursday.

Washington Submit publishes new Khashoggi column

The Washington Submit revealed a brand new column by Khashoggi, through which he mentioned the significance of a free press within the Center East.

Governments within the area “have been given free rein to proceed silencing the media at an growing price”, he wrote.

Khashoggi condemned what he known as silence from the worldwide group over assaults on press freedom, saying imprisonment of journalists and seizing management of newspapers “not carry the consequence of a backlash from the worldwide group”.

“As an alternative, these actions could set off condemnation adopted by silence,” he wrote.

Submit World Opinions editor Karen Attiah mentioned she obtained the column from Khashoggi’s assistant a day after he was reported lacking.

The newspaper additionally plans to publish a web page devoted to Khashoggi in its opinions part on Thursday.

US senators press Trump on Saudi enterprise ties

Eleven Democratic senators have despatched a letter to Trump and to the Trump Group searching for a full accounting of any monetary ties between the Trump Group and Saudi Arabia.

“It’s crucial that this sanctions dedication, and US coverage in the direction of Saudi Arabia usually, are usually not influenced by any conflicts of curiosity that will exist due to your or your loved ones’s deep monetary ties to Saudi Arabia,” the senators wrote to Trump.

Earlier updates

Click on right here for all earlier updates

The lawmakers additionally voiced assist for his or her colleagues within the Senate, who’ve already triggered an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance underneath the World Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Wednesday, October 17

Turkey but to share Khashoggi audio, video proof with US

Turkey has not shared with the US authorities or key European allies graphic audio or video proof it allegedly collected on Khashoggi’s go to to Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, seven US and European safety officers informed Reuters.

‘An identical samples uncovered at consulate and consul’s residence’

Turkish forensic consultants who searched the residence of Saudi Arabia’s Consul Common in Istanbul have discovered “samples similar to these uncovered” on the kingdom’s consulate within the metropolis, in keeping with Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal.

Sources on the Lawyer Common’s Workplace “say these samples present additional proof of the conclusion that Jamal Khashoggi was killed contained in the consulate constructing”, our correspondent mentioned, reporting from Istanbul.

  Turkey has now requested the US to share Khashoggi’s blood and DNA samples with them, he added.

Trump requested Turkey for audio, video proof

President Donald Trump mentioned the US has requested Turkey for any audio or video proof it could have associated to the disappearance of Khashoggi however was undecided whether or not any such proof exists.

“We’ve requested for it, if it exists … I am undecided but that it exists, in all probability does, probably does,” he mentioned.

Trump, talking to reporters on the White Home, denied he was making an attempt to offer cowl to Saudi leaders, a day after he cautioned towards assuming Saudi leaders had been responsible within the case till confirmed harmless.

“I simply need to discover out what’s occurring,” he mentioned. “I am not giving cowl in any respect.”

Trump says he doesn’t need to stroll away from Saudi Arabia

Donald Trump says he doesn’t need to stroll away from Saudi Arabia regardless of ongoing issues about Khashoggi’s disappearance, arguing the US depends on the dominion within the battle towards “terrorism”.

In an interview with Fox Enterprise Community, Trump mentioned “I don’t need to do this” when requested if the US would stroll away from its Gulf ally.

He added that the dominion has “an amazing order, $110bn”, referring to the promised US arms gross sales to Saudi Arabia.

Pompeo: US takes Khashoggi case ‘severely’

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the US takes Khashoggi’s disappearance “severely” and must know the details behind the case earlier than it could possibly formulate an acceptable response.

Pompeo made the feedback to journalists after leaving Turkey throughout a fast go to that included a chat with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Pompeo mentioned Erdogan “made clear that the Saudis had cooperated with the investigation that the Turks are engaged in and they’ll share info”.

  Khashoggi case brings new scrutiny on Saudi Arabia over Yemen warfare

  Turkish investigators enter Saudi consul’s dwelling

A workforce of Turkish investigators entered the Saudi consul’s Istanbul residence as a part of the investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mentioned earlier that Turkish officers hoped to enter the consulate on Wednesday. Turkish police entered the Saudi consulate on Monday for the primary time since Khashoggi’s disappearance two weeks in the past, looking out the premises for 9 hours.

Saudi investigation workforce arrives at consul’s Istanbul residence

An 11-member Saudi investigation workforce arrived on the Saudi consul’s Istanbul residence on Wednesday, in keeping with CNN Turk, forward of an anticipated search by Turkish police in relation to Khashoggi’s disappearance and alleged homicide.

Turkish FM Cavusoglu beforehand had mentioned Turkey hopes to enter the residence on Wednesday.

Turkish police had been anticipated to go looking the residence on Tuesday however officers on the scene mentioned it was known as off for the day as a result of Saudi officers had been unable to affix.

German FM delays resolution on journey to Saudi Arabia

Germany’s Overseas Minister Heiko Maas mentioned he would delay a choice on whether or not to undergo with a deliberate go to to Saudi Arabia till Riyadh had given extra readability on Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Maas mentioned the journey, which had been meant as a part of a push to restore strained relations with the desert kingdom, made no sense within the context of issues over the destiny of Khashoggi, whom Turkish authorities imagine was murdered.

“We had deliberate a go to within the context of the dialogue with Saudi Arabia. We are going to wait on that now,” Maas mentioned at a Berlin information convention.

“The Saudi aspect plans an announcement [on the affair], and we are going to use that as a foundation for deciding whether or not a visit is sensible on the present time.”

French banking government cancels Saudi journey

Federic Oudea, the chief government of French financial institution Societe Generale has cancelled his attendance on the ‘Davos within the Desert’ funding convention to be held later this month, a spokesman for the financial institution confirmed.

Oudea’s cancellation comes a day after BNP Paribas Chairman Jean Lemierre had additionally cancelled his attendance at this month’s convention in Riyadh.

Quite a few enterprise executives and journalists have pulled out of the convention amid widespread concern about Khashoggi.

Assembly with Pompeo ‘fruitful’: Turkish FM

Pompeo met with each Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu and President Erdogan in separate conferences that every lasted roughly 40 minutes.

Cavusoglu mentioned dialogue with Pompeo was “useful and fruitful”, in keeping with studies from Turkey.

Khashoggi’s disappearance, together with points in Syria and US-Turkish relations, had been mentioned within the conferences, the FM mentioned.

Cavusoglu additionally mentioned a search on the Saudi consul normal residence didn’t occur Tuesday however the workforce hopes to enter right now.

Pompeo meets with Erdogan

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has landed in Turkey to debate Khashoggi’s disappearance and doable killing.

A gathering between Turkish President Erdogan and Pompeo has begun in Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, in keeping with studies. 

Pompeo was beforehand in Saudi Arabia for conferences with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, generally often called MBS. 

The US prime diplomat mentioned the dominion has made a “severe dedication” to carry senior leaders and officers accountable within the case of lacking journalist Khashoggi, if any wrongdoing is found.

Because the assembly started, Turkish Inside Minister Suleyman Soylu mentioned Turkish authorities are ready for a joint settlement to go looking the Saudi consulate in Istanbul the place Khashoggi’s alleged homicide is assumed to have taken place. 

‘Responsible till confirmed harmless’: Trump condemns accusations

In his strongest assertion but backing Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump criticised quickly mounting world condemnation of Riyadh over the thriller of the lacking journalist.

In an interview with The Related Press, Trump in contrast the case of Khashoggi to the allegations of sexual assault levelled towards Supreme Courtroom Justice Brett Kavanaugh throughout his affirmation listening to.

“I feel we now have to search out out what occurred first,” Trump mentioned. “Right here we go once more with, you understand, you are responsible till confirmed harmless. I do not like that. We simply went by that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was harmless all the way in which so far as I am involved.”

Trump’s remarks had been his most strong defence but of the Saudis, a US ally he has made central to his Center East agenda. The feedback put the president at odds with different key allies and with some leaders in his Republican Get together who’ve condemned the Saudi management for what they are saying is an apparent function within the Khashoggi case.

Trump appeared prepared to withstand the stress to comply with go well with, accepting Saudi denials and their pledge to research.

  Who killed Jamal Khashoggi?

  After Khashoggi’s disappearance, there was mounting criticism of a few of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strikes.

These embrace Riyadh’s involvement within the warfare in Yemen, the arrest of ladies activists, and a diplomatic dispute with Canada. The dominion additionally denied an assertion by France that it held Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri captive in November 2017.

Regardless of Western issues about Saudi Arabia’s human rights document, Trump nonetheless says he’s unwilling to tug out of multi-billion-dollar weapons gross sales offers with Riyadh.

Suspects linked to crown prince: report

4 suspects recognized by Turkey in Khashoggi’s disappearance are tied to Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, The New York Occasions studies.

One is a frequent companion of the highly effective crown prince and the three others are linked to his safety element, the report mentioned.

Turkish authorities sources have mentioned police imagine the journalist was killed by a particular workforce of 15 Saudi operatives despatched to Istanbul particularly for the assassination. Riyadh insists Khashoggi left the consulate safely.

The Occasions mentioned it confirmed a minimum of 9 of the 15 labored for the Saudi safety providers, army or different authorities ministries.

The newspaper mentioned it gathered extra details about the suspects by facial recognition software program, a database of Saudi cell phone numbers, leaked Saudi authorities paperwork, witnesses and media.

One suspect, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, was a diplomat assigned to the Saudi embassy in London in 2007, it mentioned, citing a British diplomatic roster.

Mutreb has been photographed rising from planes with Prince Mohammed on latest journeys to Madrid and Paris, the newspaper reported.

He was additionally photographed standing guard throughout the crown prince’s visits in the US to Houston, Boston and the United Nations.

Pompeo: ‘Credible’ investigation by Saudi officers

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Saudi Arabia has made a “severe dedication” to carry senior leaders and officers accountable within the case of lacking journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if any wrongdoing is found.

Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia for conferences with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He supplied his evaluation after talks with the Saudi management, and mentioned the crown prince once more denied any information of what occurred to Khashoggi.

Pompeo’s assertion mentioned the Saudis acknowledged one thing had occurred to the lacking journalist, however weren’t particular.

The crown prince “conveyed severe and credible investigation is already underneath manner. He pledged that the work of the Saudi public prosecutor will produce a full and full conclusion with full transparency for the world to see”, it mentioned.

“They made no exceptions to who they might maintain accountable. They had been very clear. They perceive the significance of this problem they’re decided to unravel it. They every promised they might obtain that for us,” mentioned Pompeo.  

  Who was murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi?

  He visits Turkey earlier than arriving late on Wednesday again within the US to ship his report back to President Donald Trump.

G7 requires ‘clear’ probe in Khashoggi case

Overseas ministers from the Group of Seven known as for a “clear” probe into Khashoggi’s disappearance.    

“We stay very troubled by the disappearance of outstanding Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. These bearing accountability for his disappearance have to be held to account,” mentioned an announcement by Canada, which at the moment holds the presidency of the group of commercial democracies.

“We encourage Turkish-Saudi collaboration and stay up for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conducting a radical, credible, clear and immediate investigation, as introduced.”

IMF chief Lagarde to skip Saudi convention

Worldwide Financial Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has deferred a deliberate journey to the Center East, which included a cease in Riyadh to attend an funding convention.

On Saturday, Lagarde informed a information convention in Indonesia she didn’t intend to vary her journey plans however was “horrified” by media studies in regards to the disappearance of the Saudi journalist.

“The Managing Director’s beforehand scheduled journey to the Center East area is being deferred,” an IMF spokesperson mentioned in an announcement, with out giving a motive for the choice.

Muqtada al-Sadr calls out Trump over Khashoggi

Iraq’s populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accused President Donald Trump of feigning concern over Khashoggi’s disappearance whereas ignoring different types of injustice.

Sadr known as Trump a “Pharaoh” and “tyrant” who speaks out about injustice when it fits him.

The message, revealed by his workplace on Tuesday, appeared crucial of Saudi Arabia as nicely at a time when Iraq’s politicians are discovering themselves courted by the Gulf state and its rival, Iran.

Saudis nonetheless have $6m lobbying payroll regardless of departures

Saudi Arabia is paying influential lobbyists, attorneys, and public relations consultants practically $6m a yr to interact US officers and promote the Gulf kingdom, even after three Washington companies reduce ties after the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The determine comes from information filed with the Justice Division that present particulars of agreements with the Saudi embassy and different arms of its authorities.

The Saudis are spending closely in Washington as a bitter political dispute simmers within the Center East that pits the dominion and three different Arab nations towards Qatar over claims it funds “terrorism” and is near regional rival Iran – accusations Doha vehemently denies.

Extra enterprise defections are doable as stress mounts on Saudi Arabia to clarify what occurred to Khashoggi.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday [Leah Millis via AP]

Tuesday, October 16

Trump speaks to MBS, says solutions coming ‘shortly’

US President Donald Trump says he spoke with Mohammed bin Salman and the crown prince “completely denied” any information of what occurred to Khashoggi.

In a tweet, Trump mentioned the crown prince informed him the Saudis would quickly develop an investigation into the matter. Solutions will probably be coming “shortly”, the president mentioned.

…throughout the name, and informed me that he has already began, and can quickly develop, a full and full investigation into this matter. Solutions will probably be forthcoming shortly.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018

Trump informed Fox Enterprise Community it “could be unhealthy” if King Salman or bin Salman knew about any operation towards Khashoggi.

“It relies upon whether or not or not the king or the crown prince knew about it, in my view, primary, what occurred, however whether or not or not they knew about it. In the event that they knew about it that will be unhealthy,” Trump mentioned in keeping with an excerpt from the interview.

Saudi consul’s residence won’t be searched

Turkish investigators won’t search the residence of the Saudi consul in Istanbul on Tuesday. Police mentioned the search was known as off as a result of Saudi officers weren’t in a position to be a part of.

Saudi consul-general leaves for Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s Consul-Common in Istanbul Mohammad al-Otaibi left Turkey for Riyadh, Anadolu information company reported citing diplomatic sources.

His departure comes as Turkish and Saudi officers are getting ready to go looking al-Otaibi’s residence, Turkish overseas ministry officers mentioned.

US: Pompeo, MBS again Khashoggi probe

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at their assembly “agreed on the significance of a radical, clear, and well timed investigation that gives solutions” to Khashoggi’s disappearance, in keeping with a US assertion.

“The secretary reiterated the president’s concern with respect to Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance, in addition to the president’s want to find out what occurred,” US State Division spokeswoman Heather Nauert mentioned of the assembly that befell in Saudi Arabia.

US Senator Graham: MBS is poisonous, has acquired to go

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who’s on the US Armed Companies Committee, informed Fox Information he’s sure Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew about an alleged Saudi operation to kill Khashoggi.

“I do know this, nothing occurs in Saudi Arabia with out MBS figuring out it… I feel he is on a nasty monitor. I can by no means do enterprise with Saudi Arabia once more till we get this behind us…Meaning I am not going again to Saudi Arabia so long as this man’s in cost.”

On @foxandfriends, @LindseyGrahamSC describes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as “a wrecking ball. He had [Khashoggi] murdered…the MBS determine is poisonous. He can by no means be a world chief…This man’s acquired to go. Saudi Arabia in case you’re listening, MBS has tainted your nation.”  pic.twitter.com/dGRDRVsztc

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2018

Requested if he feels if bin Salman ought to step apart, Graham mentioned: “It is as much as them, however I am not going, I have been their largest defender on the ground of the US Senate.

“This man is a wrecking ball, he had this man murdered in a consulate in Turkey, and to count on me to disregard it. I really feel used and abused. I used to be on the ground each time defending Saudi Arabia as a result of there is a good ally.

“There is a distinction between a rustic and a person. The MBS determine is, to me, poisonous, he can by no means be a world chief on the world stage.”

Graham mentioned he feels the US ought to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s disappearance.

“It is as much as the president, however what I might do, I do know what I’ll do, I’ll sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia.

“We cope with unhealthy individuals on a regular basis however that is in our face. I really feel personally offended, they don’t have anything however contempt for us. Why would you place a man like me and the president on this field, after all of the president has accomplished?

“This man has acquired to go. Saudi Arabia, in case you are listening, there are plenty of good individuals you possibly can select, however MBS has tainted your nation and tainted himself.”

Turkish FM: Investigators may interview Saudi consulate officers

Turkish Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mentioned officers investigating the Khashoggi case could ask for testimony from employees on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul if deemed crucial however that no restrictions on journey had been positioned on the dominion’s diplomats in Turkey.

Cavusoglu informed reporters at a press convention within the Turkish capital, Ankara, that US counterpart Mike Pompeo would share any info gathered relating to Khashoggi’s disappearance throughout his ongoing go to to Saudi Arabia with Turkish officers.

Khashoggi was final seen coming into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Banks announce boycott of Saudi enterprise summit

The leaders of HSBC, Credit score Suisse and Commonplace Chartered have pulled out of Saudi Arabia’s Future Funding Initiative, scheduled to start in Riyadh on October 23.

Chief executives John Flint, Tidjane Thiam and Invoice Winters are the newest high-profile enterprise figures to boycott the occasion within the wake of Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance.

On Monday, Google introduced that Google Cloud Chief Govt Diane Greene wouldn’t be attending the enterprise convention.

Pompeo thanks Saudi King Salman

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Saudi monarch King Salman for his dedication to a “thorough and clear” investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

Throughout face-to-face talks in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, Pompeo reportedly reiterated the US’ concern over the destiny of the Saudi author and critic, who was final seen coming into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Erdogan: Investigators looked for ‘poisonous supplies’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the likelihood that components of the consulate had been repainted since Khashoggi disappeared.

“The investigation is trying into many issues equivalent to poisonous supplies and people supplies being eliminated by portray them over,” he informed reporters.

A Turkish safety official mentioned no conclusive proof emerged from the in a single day search that indicated Khashoggi was killed within the consulate.

“Nonetheless, there are some findings and they’re being labored on,” he mentioned, including that portray could have broken some proof. “These cannot be absolutely erased in spite of everything, so the groups will proceed to work on this.”

Erdogan additionally mentioned he hoped an affordable opinion could be reached as quickly as doable, Reuters information company reported.

Saudi consul’s Istanbul dwelling to be searched

An official from the Turkish Overseas Ministry mentioned the house of Saudi Arabia’s consul in Istanbul will probably be searched as a part of ongoing investigations into the Khashoggi case, AP information company reported.

UN rights chief calls on Saudi Arabia to waive immunity

The United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet known as on Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Tuesday to disclose all info they’d on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

“Two weeks is a really very long time for the possible scene of a criminal offense to not have been subjected to a full forensic investigation,” Bachelet mentioned in an announcement.

“Underneath worldwide legislation, each a pressured disappearance and an extra-judicial killing are very severe crimes, and immunity shouldn’t be used to impede investigations into what occurred and who’s accountable,” she added.

Pompeo touches down in Riyadh

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has landed in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, for talks with King Salman over the Khashoggi case.

Pompeo can even meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman afterward Tuesday, AFP information company reported, quoting an unnamed US official.

Pompeo’s arrival in Riyadh adopted a 20-minute cellphone name between King Salman and US President Donald Trump on Monday.

Turkish police go away Saudi consulate

A workforce of Turkish police investigating Khashoggi’s disappearance has left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish police investigators entered the premises late on Monday.

A Turkish diplomatic supply had earlier mentioned a joint Turkish-Saudi workforce would search the consulate – the final place Khashoggi was seen earlier than he vanished on October 2.

The outcomes of the investigation will probably be launched in two to a few days, the prosecutor’s workplace mentioned.

Monday, October 15

Google drops out of Saudi financial convention

Alphabet Inc’s Google introduced on Monday that Google Cloud Chief Govt Diane Greene wouldn’t attend a enterprise convention in Saudi Arabia scheduled to happen later this month.

The announcement got here after a number of different enterprise leaders – together with representatives from Uber, Virgin, JP Morgan, Mastercard, The World Financial institution and Ford – additionally mentioned they might boycott the convention, formally often called the Future Funding Initiative, which is scheduled to begin on October 23.

NY Occasions: Saudi accountable ‘incompetent’ spy for Khashoggi killing

The New York Occasions studies the Saudi royal courtroom will quickly put out a story that an official throughout the kingdom’s intelligence providers – who occurs to be a good friend of Prince Mohammed – carried out Khashoggi’s killing.

Trump accused of siding with Saudi in Khashoggi ‘homicide’ case

In response to that narrative, the crown prince accepted an interrogation or rendition of Khashoggi again to Saudi Arabia, however the intelligence official was tragically incompetent as he eagerly sought to show himself. He then tried to cowl up the botched dealing with of the state of affairs.

CNN earlier reported an analogous story. Each studies cited nameless individuals mentioned to be aware of the Saudi plans.

Trump mentioned he couldn’t verify such studies. “I’ve heard that report however no one’s is aware of if it is an official report. To date it is simply the hearsay, the hearsay of a report popping out,” he mentioned.

The Occasions reported the idea was broadly dismissed amongst Khashoggi’s buddies , human rights defenders, and a few US politicians.

Been listening to the ridiculous “rogue killers” principle was the place the Saudis would go along with this. Completely extaordinary they had been in a position to enlist the President of the US as their PR agent to drift it. https://t.co/ChRFyleneR

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 15, 2018

Azzam Tamimi, a Khashoggi good friend, known as the “rogue” principle “disastrous” for the credibility of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“The Turks have leaked a lot that it’s inconceivable that they might accept lower than telling the world precisely what occurred,” mentioned Tamimi.

David Hearst, editor of the Center East Eye, mentioned the “interrogation-gone flawed” story “actually does not maintain water”, contemplating the 15-member assassination workforce that has been recognized consisted of particular forces – not interrogators.

“This isn’t the workforce you ship to interrogate and even kidnap somebody,” Hearst informed Al Jazeera.

“What is going on is the Saudi story is crumbling, and crumbling in a short time. And now there’s an try to construct a firewall round [Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman and the king.”

Trump suggests ‘rogue killers’ murdered Saudi journalist

President Donald Trump steered “rogue killers” might be liable for Khashoggi’s mysterious disappearance, a proof providing US ally Saudi Arabia a doable path out of a world diplomatic firestorm.

The Saudis continued to disclaim they killed the author, however there have been indications the story may quickly change.

Trump spoke after a private 20-minute cellphone name with Saudi King Salman and because the president dispatched his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to Riyadh for a face-to-face dialogue with the king on Tuesday.

Trump quoted the king as saying neither he nor his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had any details about what had occurred to Khashoggi.

“The king [Salman] firmly denied any information of it,” Trump informed reporters of Khashoggi’s disappearance. 

“It sounded to me like possibly these may have been rogue killers. I imply, who is aware of? We will strive attending to the underside of it very quickly, however his was a flat denial.”

Khashoggi household calls for worldwide probe

A press release launched by Khashoggi’s kinfolk is urging an internationally recognised investigation into his whereabouts.

“As we await definitive solutions and details from a number of ongoing investigations, we imagine it’s crucial to launch an unbiased, neutral, and internationally recognised investigation to be able to present us – and the various who beloved him – with a lot wanted readability and determination,” it mentioned. 

Turkish prosecutors discover ‘proof of killing’

Turkish authorities say prosecutors have discovered proof that helps suspicions Khashoggi was killed within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

A supply on the attorney-general’s workplace, talking on the situation of anonymity, informed Al Jazeera “they’ve discovered proof that helps their suspicions that Jamal Khashoggi was killed contained in the Saudi consulate”, correspondent Jamal Elshayyal reported from Istanbul. 

“It is a important step ahead after a number of days of an deadlock,” he mentioned. 

The attorney-general’s workplace additionally mentioned their workforce contained in the consulate discovered proof of “tampering”, Elshayyal added.

The outcomes of the investigation could be launched in two to a few days, the prosecutors workplace mentioned.

In the meantime, CNN is reporting that Saudi Arabia is getting ready to confess that Khashoggi was killed as the results of an interrogation that went flawed, citing two unnamed sources.

One supply cautioned report was nonetheless being ready and will change, CNN mentioned. The opposite supply mentioned the report would possible conclude the operation was carried out with out clearance and people concerned will probably be held accountable, the American information outlet mentioned.

Jamal Khashoggi, Mohammed bin Salman and the media | The Listening Submit

US ‘prepared to help’ in Khashoggi probe

The US Nationwide Safety Council launched an announcement demanding a radical investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi.

“It’s completely important that Turkish authorities, with full and clear assist from the federal government of Saudi Arabia, are in a position to conduct a radical investigation and formally launch the outcomes of that investigation when concluded.

“We assist Turkish investigators’ efforts and are usually not going to prejudge the end result of the official investigation. We stand prepared to help.”

Turkish investigators enter Saudi consulate

Turkish police investigators entered Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, practically two weeks after the disappearance of Khashoggi.

A Turkish diplomatic supply had earlier mentioned joint Turkish-Saudi workforce would conduct a search of the consulate.

Trump speaks with Saudi King Salman

Donald Trump mentioned on Twitter that he has spoken with King Salman, who “denies any information of no matter could have occurred” to Jamal Khashoggi. He additionally mentioned he would ship his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to fulfill with the Saudi king “instantly”. 

Pompeo, hurriedly despatched to Riyadh, is anticipated to get extra readability throughout talks with Saudi leaders on Tuesday. The White Home expects credible solutions rapidly after Pompeo wraps up his journey with a cease in Ankara for conferences with senior Turkish officers.

Simply spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any information of no matter could have occurred “to our Saudi Arabian citizen.” He mentioned that they’re working intently with Turkey to search out reply. I’m instantly sending our Secretary of State to fulfill with King!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2018

Turkish officers to go looking Saudi consulate in Istanbul

Turkish investigators will search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Monday afternoon, the Turkish Overseas Ministry has mentioned in keeping with AP information company.

For the final week, authorities have sought to enter the Saudi consulate, the place the place Khashoggi was final seen earlier than his disappearance in keeping with CCTV footage.

After coming into the consulate two weeks in the past, Khashoggi disappeared, main Turkey to say the journalist was murdered by Saudi officers.

Saudi Arabia has denied all allegations.

How will Saudi cope with its inventory market plunge?

The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is hitting the Saudi economic system, with shares plunging virtually 7 p.c in early buying and selling on Sunday, wiping out all of the features it had made because the begin of the yr.

The autumn got here after US President Donald Trump threatened “extreme punishment” if Saudi Arabia was discovered to be liable for Khashoggi’s disappearance, however Riyadh warned it might retaliate if financial sanctions are imposed on it.

What was dubbed “Davos within the desert” is meant to advertise Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform imaginative and prescient for the Kingdom.

So, the place does that go away all his plans?

Bahrain FM backs boycott of Uber after firm pulls out of occasion

Bahrain’s Overseas Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has voiced his assist for a boycott of ride-hailing app Uber over the Khashoggi case.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has mentioned he wouldn’t attend a enterprise convention within the kingdom’s ally Saudi Arabia due to its alleged involvement within the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.

On Twitter, Al Khalifa known as for a boycott of Uber in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, following comparable responses to Uber’s withdrawal in Saudi Arabia.

Equally, a outstanding Emirati businessman known as for the boycott of Virgin after its CEO Richard Branson cancelled on the Saudi financial convention.

“Now it’s time for GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) to show their loyalty by boycotting Virgin and Uber and all the businesses pulling out of KSA… Collectively we will show our unity and that we can’t be bullied,” Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor mentioned on Twitter.

Now could be time for #GCC & allies of #SaudiArabia to show their loyalty by boycotting @Virgin @Uber & all the businesses pulling out of #KSA earlier than the reality about #Khashoggi’s disappearance is revealed. Collectively we will show our unity & that we can’t be bullied. #KhalafAlHabtoor pic.twitter.com/9HuFDe0sVQ

— KhalafAhmadAlHabtoor (@KhalafAlHabtoor) October 13, 2018

Financial issues develop for Saudi, world economic system

The sell-off on Riyadh’s Tadawul inventory alternate exhibits buyers are uneasy, analysts say.

The alternate dropped by greater than 500 factors, then clawed again among the losses, ending Sunday down 264 factors, or greater than 4 p.c. Of 188 shares traded on the alternate, 179 ended the day with a loss.

“One thing this huge would undoubtedly spook buyers, and Saudi simply opened up for overseas direct funding, in order that was huge,” mentioned Issam Kassabieh, a monetary analyst at Dubai-based agency Menacorp Finance.

“Traders don’t really feel strong in Saudi but, so it is easy for them to take again their funds.”

Neem Aslam, chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets, mentioned the unstable political state of affairs would possible proceed to frighten buyers away.

“This may change into a serious concern. If entrepreneurs at these ranges determine to chop ties or pullback from investments in Saudi Arabia, the inventory market goes to have an enormous response… Uncertainty for FDI [foreign direct investment] is the worst factor that may occur to any nation,” he informed Al Jazeera.

Oil as a weapon? Distinguished Saudi author suggests it might be

A column by the final supervisor of the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya satellite tv for pc information community steered Saudi Arabia may use its oil manufacturing as a weapon if the US had been to impose sanctions over Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Benchmark Brent crude is buying and selling at about $80 a barrel, and US President Donald Trump has criticised OPEC and Saudi Arabia over rising costs.

“If the worth of oil reaching $80 angered President Trump, nobody ought to rule out the worth leaping to $100, or $200, and even double that determine,” Turki Aldakhil wrote.

It is unclear, nevertheless, whether or not Saudi Arabia could be prepared to unilaterally reduce manufacturing.

“The reality is that if Washington imposes sanctions on Riyadh, it should stab its personal economic system to dying, regardless that it thinks that it’s stabbing solely Riyadh,” mentioned Aldakhil.

Saudi dissident believes Riyadh tapped calls with Khashoggi

A Saudi dissident in Canada believes the dominion hacked his cellphone and listened to calls he had with Jamal Khashoggi previous to the journalist’s disappearance.

“For positive, they listened to the dialog between me and Jamal and different activists, in Canada, within the [United] States, in Turkey, in Saudi Arabia,” Omar Abdulaziz mentioned in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

A report revealed just lately by the College of Toronto’s Citizen Lab concluded that Saudi authorities had been “very possible” liable for hacking his cellphone with highly effective spy ware bought solely to governments.

Abdulaziz mentioned he was engaged on a number of tasks with Khashoggi in latest months, together with a marketing campaign to counter Riyadh’s pro-government propaganda on social media.

Khashoggi “promised me to sponsor the undertaking and I suppose they might pay attention in to these conversations”, he mentioned. “His voice was a headache for the Saudi authorities.”

Morgan and Ford cancel plans for Saudi investor occasion

JP Morgan Chase Chief Govt Jamie Dimon and Ford Motor Firm Chairman Invoice Ford cancelled plans to attend a Saudi investor convention, the newest such high-profile bulletins after Khashoggi’s disappearance.

The cancellations may add stress on different American companies equivalent to Goldman Sachs Group, Mastercard, and Financial institution of America to rethink their plans to attend the high-profile occasion often called “Davos within the Desert”.

Neither JP Morgan nor Ford would elaborate on the explanations for the choice to not attend the Future Funding Initiative convention in Riyadh later this month and didn’t touch upon whether or not issues about Khashoggi had been an element.

Enterprise barons – together with British billionaire Richard Branson and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, in addition to media powerhouses like Bloomberg and CNN – have all pulled out.

The absence of media and know-how executives is more likely to solid a shadow over the three-day occasion, which has change into the most important present for buyers to advertise Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform imaginative and prescient.

Individuals maintain indicators throughout a protest on the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC over Khashoggi’s disappearance [Jacquelyn Martin/AP]

Sunday, October 14

Erdogan, King Salman stress significance of joint working group 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and King Salman of Saudi Arabia spoke by phone and mentioned the investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, in keeping with Turkish presidential sources.

They mentioned the leaders careworn the significance of their two international locations making a joint working group as a part of the investigation. The king thanked Erdogan for welcoming the Saudi proposal for the joint group and mentioned nobody may undermine their relationship.

Egypt helps Saudi efforts on Khashoggi

Egypt mentioned it was following with concern the case of Khashoggi’s disappearance and known as for a clear investigation into the matter.

“Egypt stresses the significance of unveiling the reality of what occurred in a clear investigation,” its overseas ministry mentioned in an announcement.

Cairo warned towards those that sought to take advantage of the incident politically towards Saudi Arabia and careworn its assist for Riyadh’s efforts to cope with the state of affairs.

Britain to find out plan of action if Saudi confirmed responsible

The UK’s Overseas Minister Jeremy Hunt mentioned Britain would have to consider the suitable response if it had been confirmed that Saudi Arabia was behind the disappearance of Khashoggi.

“I do not need to get drawn into hypotheticals as a result of we do not know the details but, however we now have been very, very clear that if these tales are true, that will be completely appalling and we might have to consider the suitable strategy to react in that state of affairs,” Hunt informed British tv. 

Saudi thanks US for exhibiting warning in Khashoggi case 

Saudi Arabia thanked international locations, together with the US, for “refraining from leaping to conclusions” over the destiny of the lacking journalist. 

The Saudi embassy in Washington issued a tweet to make clear an earlier assertion through which Saudi Arabia mentioned it might retaliate to worldwide stress or sanctions with larger measures. 

To assist make clear just lately issued Saudi assertion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extends it appreciation to all, together with the US administration, for refraining from leaping to conclusions on the continued investigation. https://t.co/AhcsVkn7Cy

— Saudi Embassy (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) October 14, 2018

UK, France, Germany name for ‘credible investigation’ 

The UK, France and Germany have known as on Saudi Arabia and Turkey to mount a “credible investigation” into the disappearance of Khashoggi, including they had been treating the case with “utmost seriousness”. 

“There must be a reputable investigation to determine the reality about what occurred, and – if related – to establish these bearing accountability for the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, and be sure that they’re held to account,” overseas ministers from the three international locations mentioned in a joint assertion.

“We encourage joint Saudi-Turkish efforts in that regard, and count on the Saudi Authorities to offer a whole and detailed response. We’ve conveyed this message on to the Saudi authorities.”

US Treasury Secretary to attend upcoming Saudi summit 

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin continues to be planning to attend the three-day Future Funding Initiative scheduled to happen on October 23, White Home financial adviser Larry Kudlow mentioned on ABC’s “This Week.”

“Mr Mnuchin will make up his thoughts because the week progresses and as new info surfaces,” Kudlow mentioned.

His feedback got here shortly after Florida Senator Marco Rubio informed CNN’s State of the Union he believes Mnuchin ought to boycott the occasion.

Senator Rubio: ‘US should take motion’ 

Republican Senator Marco Rubio mentioned the US needed to react in response to Khashoggi’s disappearance or face dropping its status on human rights. 

“If we don’t take motion, together with probably arms gross sales, on account of this, if it seems to be what they are saying it’s, then we’re not going to have the ability to with a straight face or any credibility confront Putin or Assad or Maduro in Venezuela or frankly confront the Chinese language and their human rights violations,” Rubio mentioned on Sunday in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation.

Saudi Arabia vows retaliation towards doable sanctions

Riyadh dismissed threats of sanctions over the disappearance of Khashoggi and vowed Saudi Arabia would retaliate towards such motion.

“The dominion affirms its whole rejection of any threats or makes an attempt to undermine it whether or not by threats to impose financial sanctions or using political stress,” an official supply mentioned, quoted by state information company SPA.

“The dominion additionally affirms that it’s going to reply to any motion with a much bigger one,” the supply mentioned.

Saudi shares tumble as stress mounts

Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All-Shares Index (TASI) misplaced greater than 500 factors on the primary buying and selling day of the week on Sunday, wiping out all of the features it had made because the begin of the yr.

TASI is the biggest Arab bourse and has shed virtually $50bn of its capital worth, dropping to $450bn.

Khashoggi’s fiancee requires ‘accountability’

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancee, has known as for accountability if studies of his homicide are true.

In an op-ed written for The New York Occasions, Cengiz mentioned if allegations are confirmed true, the lack of Khashoggi impacts “each particular person with a conscience and ethical compass.

“If we now have already misplaced Jamal, then condemnation just isn’t sufficient. The individuals who took him from us, no matter their political positions, have to be held accountable and punished to the total extent of the legislation,” she wrote.

Cengiz, who was invited to the White Home by Trump, mentioned she would “take into account accepting” such an invite if the US president helped reveal the reality of what occurred to Khashoggi.

US, UK could boycott Riyadh convention

US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, and the UK’s Worldwide Commerce Secretary, Liam Fox, could not attend the “Davos within the Desert”, a serious funding convention in Riyadh, over issues that Saudi Arabia is liable for Khashoggi’s reported dying.

The officers’ doable boycott was confirmed to the BBC by “diplomatic sources”.

If Mnuchin and Fox determine to boycott the Future Funding Initiative convention, they are going to be a part of buyers equivalent to Richard Branson and journalists from The Economist, CNBC and The New York Occasions, who pulled out of the convention in Riyadh on Friday amid rising issues over Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Saturday, October 13

Trump pessimistic about Khashoggi’s destiny

Trump says he’ll in all probability name Saudi King Salman tonight or tomorrow about Khashoggi, including that the case is “not trying too good”.

Trump additionally mentioned the US could be “punishing itself” if it halts army gross sales to Saudi Arabia, even whether it is confirmed that Khashoggi was killed contained in the nation’s consulate in Istanbul.

Turkey urges Saudis to permit consulate search

Turkey’s prime diplomat has reiterated a name to Saudi Arabia to permit Turkish authorities to enter the dominion’s consulate in Istanbul. 

Overseas Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu mentioned that Saudi Arabia had not but cooperated with Turkey on the seek for Khashoggi. He mentioned that Turkish “prosecutors and technical buddies should enter” the consulate “and Saudi Arabia should cooperate with us on this”.

Trump: ‘Extreme punishment’ if Saudi killed Khashoggi

US President Donald Trump mentioned in a CBS interview that there could be “extreme punishment” for Saudi Arabia if it seems that Khashoggi was killed within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Trump mentioned in an interview for 60 Minutes that there was a lot at stake with Khashoggi case, “possibly particularly so” as a result of he was a journalist.

‘Trump’s rhetoric encourages assaults on press’: IPI

Daoud Kuttab, a board member on the Worldwide Press Institute, an organisation selling press freedom globally, mentioned US President Donald Trump’s tirades towards journalists and claims of “pretend information” encourage leaders elsewhere to clamp down on press freedom.

“The rhetoric popping out of the White Home, popping out of the president, assaults each day on information as being pretend information offers the permission to autocratic leaders to take out their very own opposition and unbiased journalists,” he informed Al Jazeera.

“Leaders around the globe, and particularly autocratic leaders, watch the White Home and the president fastidiously. When the president of the US says that journalists are the enemies of the individuals, that is music to their ears and the texture like they’ll get a inexperienced mild or a yellow mild from America to do what they need [to] their very own journalists,” he mentioned.

UN chief involved over assaults on journalists

The United Nations Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres expressed fears that enforced disappearances are set to change into the “new regular”.

Talking to the BBC on the Worldwide Financial Fund assembly in Bali, Guterres mentioned governments should reply appropriately as soon as a “clear reply” on what occurred to Khashoggi emerges. 

“I have to say I’m feeling apprehensive [at] this obvious new regular,” he mentioned.

Members of UK Parliament name for ‘thorough investigation’

A number of members of the British Homes of Parliament have written a letter to Overseas Affairs Minister Jeremy Hunt, calling for a “thorough investigation” into the Khashoggi case.

“Clearly this can be a very regarding case, with severe implications for the way forward for Saudi Arabia and her relations with liberal democracies worldwide,” a letter written by Mark Menzies, chair of the all-party parliamentarian group on Saudi Arabia wrote in a letter.

“The UK should name for a full and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi, and stand able to assist all authorities of their inquiries,” Menzies continued.

The letter was signed by 13 MPs.

Trump to name King Salman

US President Donald Trump has mentioned he’ll handle Khashoggi’s disappearance in a cellphone name with Saudi’s King Salman, after confirming he had not talked to any of the nation’s officers but relating to the case. 

“I will probably be calling, in some unspecified time in the future, King Salman, I will be talking to him fairly quickly,” Trump mentioned.

“We’re gonna discover out what occurred with respect to the horrible state of affairs in Turkey having to do with Saudi Arabia and the reporter,” he informed reporters in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Friday.

Whereas avoiding questions of what the dialog could be like, Trump did say that the Saudis and others are trying “very arduous and really quick” into what occurred to Khashoggi.

“It’s probably a very, actually horrible state of affairs,” he mentioned.

Smartwatch recorded Khashoggi’s final moments: report

In response to Turkish authorities, Jamal Khashoggi’s smartwatch may probably play an vital think about fixing the disappearance and alleged homicide of the Saudi journalist.

The authorities have mentioned Khashoggi’s smartwatch recorded audio of his assembly contained in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which was then despatched to a cellphone he gave his fiancee forward of his assembly.

Turkish newspaper Day by day Sabah reported on Saturday that Khashoggi’s alleged interrogation, torture and homicide had been recorded within the watch’s reminiscence. 

Sabah, which cited “dependable sources in a particular intelligence division” for its report, mentioned Khashoggi was believed to have turned on the recording characteristic on the cellphone earlier than coming into the consulate.

Some know-how analysts have expressed doubt on the veracity of the report, Alp Toker, from digital rights group Netblocks.org informed Al Jazeera on Saturday that it was not clear if Khashoggi’s watch had syncing capabilities or if the opposite gadgets had been inside vary on the time.

“It isn’t out of the realm of risk, however trying on the details of the state of affairs, it’s fairly tough to see the circumstances when this might have occurred,” he mentioned. 

IMF managing director to attend convention in Riyadh

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) has mentioned she is going to attend a excessive profile financial convention within the Saudi capital Riyadh, regardless of criticising the Saudi authorities for his or her alleged involvement within the disappearance of Khashoggi.

“Human rights and freedom of knowledge are important rights,” Lagarde mentioned. “Horrifying issues have been reported, and I’m horrified however I’ve to conduct the enterprise of the IMF in all corners of the world.”

“After I go to a rustic I at all times converse my thoughts, so at this cut-off date I can’t change my plan.”

On Friday, a number of key attendees of the funding convention, together with the heads of Uber, CNN and FT, who mentioned they won’t be a part of the occasion.

Saudi inside minister denies all allegations

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Inside Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz has denied allegations relating to the disappearance and alleged homicide of Khashoggi.

He mentioned that allegations about orders to homicide Khashoggi had been “lies” concentrating on the federal government, in keeping with the official Saudi Press Company.

Friday, October 12

Saudi funding convention to go on: Spokesperson 

A spokesperson for the Future Funding Initiative set to happen within the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 23 mentioned the occasion will transfer forward as deliberate. 

“Whereas it’s disappointing that some audio system and companions have pulled out, we’re trying ahead to welcoming hundreds of audio system, moderators and company from everywhere in the world to Riyadh from Oct. 23-25,” the spokesperson mentioned in an announcement. 

A number of US media organisations and enterprise leaders have withdrawn from the convention over the disappearance and suspected homicide of Khashoggi. 

France’s Macron: Khashoggi’s disappearance ‘extraordinarily worrying’ 

French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned he was “extraordinarily apprehensive” in regards to the Saudi journalist’s disappearance. 

“I’m ready for the reality and full readability to be established,” Macron mentioned in an interview with France 24. “What’s being talked about is severe, very severe […] France needs every thing to be accomplished in order that we now have all the reality on this case of which the primary parts are extraordinarily worrying.” 

Macron mentioned he’ll take a last stance as soon as the details are established and would focus on the matter with leaders from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. 

CNN, FT withdraw from Saudi occasion

CNN and The Monetary Occasions turned the newest media companies to drop out of a Saudi funding convention on Friday.

They be a part of journalists from The Economist, CNBC and The New York Occasions, who pulled out of the Future Funding Initiative convention in Riyadh earlier on Friday amid rising issues over Khashoggi’s disappearance. 

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin mentioned he was nonetheless planning to attend the convention. 

“If extra info comes out and modifications, we will have a look at that, however I’m planning on going,” he informed CNBC.

France joins requires Saudi transparency

France’s overseas ministry mentioned on Friday that it had requested Saudi Arabian authorities to offer detailed solutions over the query of what occurred to Khashoggi.

“The disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul … has raised severe questions on his destiny. France asks that the details be clearly established and that every one those that can contribute to the reality absolutely contribute to it,” Agnes Von der Muhll, a overseas ministry spokeswoman mentioned in an announcement.

“That is the message we handed to Saudi authorities. The fees introduced towards them require that they be clear and supply a whole and detailed response”.

Saudi delegation arrives in Ankara

A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived within the Turkish capital, Ankara, for an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance, in keeping with two Turkish sources cited by the nation’s Anadolu information company.

Turkish state media additionally reported the arrival.

The go to follows an announcement on Thursday that Turkey had accepted a Saudi proposal to launch joint investigations into Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Amnesty Worldwide requires transparency from Saudi Arabia

Rights group Amnesty Worldwide has known as for Saudi Arabia to disclose Khashoggi’s “destiny and whereabouts at the moment”.

“The accountability is obvious for the dominion of Saudi Arabia,” mentioned MENA Regional Director, Heba Morayef.

Throughout a press convention on Friday, which coated a number of regional points, together with the warfare in Syria, Morayef mentioned the potential for Khashoggi being forcibly disappeared was worrying.

“It’s throughout enforced disappearances that torture occurs and that killings can occur so [this is] on the minimal an enforced disappearance and – if it’s true that he was assassinated contained in the embassy – then [Saudi Arabia] would even be liable for extrajudicial executions,” she mentioned.

Audio, video recordings show Khashoggi killed inside consulate: report

US and Turkish officers informed The Washington Submit there are audio and video recordings proving Khashoggi was tortured and murdered contained in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Video recordings present a Saudi assassination workforce seizing the journalist after he walked in on October 2. He was then killed and his physique dismembered, the officers informed the Submit – the newspaper that Khashoggi wrote for as a columnist.

The audio was notably ugly, the sources mentioned.

“The voice recording from contained in the embassy lays out what occurred to Jamal after he entered,” mentioned one official talking anonymously as a result of the intelligence is classed.

“You’ll be able to hear his voice and the voices of males talking Arabic. You’ll be able to hear how he was interrogated, tortured, after which murdered.”

One other unnamed official confirmed males might be heard beating Khashoggi on the recording.

It was unclear how the Turkish and American officers obtained the recordings.

Safety knowledgeable says Turkey possible has secret proof of killing

David Katz, CEO of World Safety Group, informed Al Jazeera the intelligence officers quoted by The Washington Submit possible have audio and video that clandestinely recorded Khashoggi’s killing.

“There’s clearly pressure between the Saudis and the Turkish authorities, so that implies Turkey goes to be directing its very appreciable intelligence equipment at every thing to do with the Saudi authorities in Turkey for positive,” mentioned Katz.

“So it is very doable that they do in truth have audio and video recordings of issues which have gone on contained in the consulate, whether or not that was bugs planted or digital intercepts. So that you would not actually need full forensics when you’ve got proof of that nature. And if the report in The Washington Submit is appropriate, that is apparently what they’ve.”

Katz mentioned spies have “strong digital gadgets” that may enable them to take heed to what is going on on inside buildings from exterior.

“You may really hear what occurred, you may hear the voices. There was a suggestion there was an interrogation adopted by a really brutal homicide. If that is the case – and if that is on audio and/or videotape – you do not want anything. That is the case proper there.”

Vital Saudi royal says he was focused with plan to ‘disappear’ him

Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud, a Saudi prince residing in exile in Germany, informed The Unbiased that luring dissidents to conferences to “disappear” them is a standard technique utilized by Saudi leaders.

Al-Saud alleged Saudi officers plotted to abduct him days earlier than Khashoggi vanished, including that it was a part of a plan by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to maintain adversaries quiet.

“Over 30 instances the Saudi authorities have informed me to fulfill them within the Saudi embassy, however I’ve refused each time,” al-Saud informed the UK newspaper. 

“I do know what can occur if I’m going into the embassy. Round 10 days earlier than Jamal went lacking, they requested my household to convey me to Cairo to offer me a cheque. I refused.”

He mentioned a minimum of 5 Saudi royals final week approached the management in Riyadh about Khashoggi’s disappearance, they usually had been detained.

“Simply 5 days in the past a gaggle tried to go to King Salman saying they had been afraid for the way forward for the al-Saud household. They talked about Mr Khashoggi’s case. They had been all put in jail,” mentioned Saud.

Everyone seems to be “scared”, he added.

Media firms, journalists drop out of Saudi occasion

Media firms are pulling out of a Saudi funding convention due to rising outrage over Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Economist Editor-In-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes won’t take part within the Future Funding Initiative convention in Riyadh, spokeswoman Lauren Hackett mentioned in an e-mail.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, a CNBC anchor and New York Occasions enterprise journalist, tweeted he was not attending the convention, saying he was “terribly distressed by the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and studies of his homicide”.

The New York Occasions additionally determined to tug out of the occasion as a media sponsor, spokeswoman Eileen Murphy mentioned.

The Monetary Occasions mentioned in an announcement that it was reviewing its involvement as a media associate.

Virgin’s Branson halts talks on $1bn Saudi funding in house ventures

British billionaire Richard Branson mentioned his Virgin Group would droop its discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund over a deliberate $1bn funding within the group’s house ventures.

“What has reportedly occurred in Turkey across the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the power of any of us within the West to do enterprise with the Saudi authorities,” Branson mentioned in an announcement.

Branson additionally mentioned he would droop his directorship in two Saudi tourism tasks across the Crimson Sea, citing Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Final yr, Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund mentioned it deliberate to speculate about $1bn in Branson’s house firm, Virgin Galactic, The Spaceship Firm and Virgin Orbit.

“We’ve requested for extra info from the authorities in Saudi and to make clear their place in relation to Mr Khashoggi,” Branson mentioned on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned on Thursday that the US has investigators abroad to help Turkey in its investigation of the journalist’s disappearance and that they had been additionally working with Saudi Arabia.

TV present devoted to Khashoggi

Distinguished Palestinian-British activist and TV presenter Azzam Tamimi devoted his present on Thursday night time to his lacking good friend and fellow journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Saudi author was alleged to be a visitor on the programme on the Alhiwar TV Channel to speak about his future tasks. As an alternative, the studio featured a framed of Khashoggi.

Tamimi mentioned he noticed Khashoggi in London after his first go to to the Saudi consulate and the day earlier than his disappearance.

“Properly, I used to be horrified as a result of he assured me once we had been in London that there was nothing to be involved about. He mentioned on Friday he had been to the consulate. They obtained him very nicely though they had been initially stunned to see him and promised him that if he got here again once more a couple of days later, they might problem him the papers he was after.

“So he felt it was okay, however apparently they ready a lure for him,” Tamimi mentioned.

‘You do not have to be Sherlock Holmes’

US Senator Lindsey Graham informed Al Jazeera that he has learn US intelligence that factors to the Saudi authorities’s involvement within the disappearance of Khashoggi.

“I’ve already seen the intel. It was very unnerving. You do not have to be Sherlock Holmes to determine this out,” Graham mentioned.

“If it seems that this man was killed or mistreated by the Saudi authorities, we count on stuff like this from [Russian President Vladmir] Putin and we come down arduous on him when he does it. So, every thing we did to Putin, I need to do to Saudi Arabia,” Graham added.

Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee, informed Al Jazeera: “All the pieces that we all know factors to the Saudi authorities and but none of us need to bounce to conclusions. If I needed to guess right now, they ordered it, they killed him and possibly very high-level individuals had been conscious of it.”

“We’ve acquired to ship a sign early on that going round killing journalists is completely inappropriate and if he [Saudi crown prince] has been concerned there’s acquired to be sanctions.”

A protester wears a masks of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman exterior the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC [Jacquelyn Martin/AP]

Thursday, October 11

Saudi envoy returns to Riyadh 

Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington heads again to Riyadh to collect info on the whereabouts of Khashoggi. 

“I am informed that he is headed again to his dwelling nation, and we count on some info when he will get again,” State Division spokeswoman Heather Nauert informed a media briefing. 

Turkish-Saudi workforce in joint probe  

Turkey’s official Anadolu information company reported a Turkish official as saying that Ankara and Riyadh will type a joint group to look into Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Earlier within the day, Sarah Leah Whitson, Center East director at Human Rights Watch, warned towards Saudi Arabia’s participation within the official probe.

“Provided that Saudi Arabia won’t present any proof about Khashoggi’s actions out and in of the consulate, they can’t be trusted to conduct a real – far much less efficient – investigation,” Whitson mentioned. 

Istanbul’s public prosecutor mentioned he would proceed the present investigation individually. 

Turkey to make probe outcomes public 

Turkish overseas minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has promised to share the outcomes of the probe into the journalist’s disappearance. 

“We are going to share with the worldwide group every thing we are going to study in the course of the investigation,” Cavusoglu mentioned in a televised announcement throughout a visit to Iraq.

US Senator: Journalist’s dying could advantage sanctions at ‘highest degree’

US Senate Overseas Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker mentioned sanctions will probably be imposed on the “highest ranges” of the Saudi management if Riyadh is discovered to have a hand within the disappearance of Khashoggi.

“If it seems to be what we expect it’s right now however do not know, there must be important sanctions positioned on the highest ranges,” the Republican senator mentioned. 

Trump: No motive to cease Saudi investments 

US President Donald Trump mentioned he noticed no motive to dam Saudi Arabian investments within the US regardless of concern over Khashoggi’s disappearance, saying the Gulf nation would then simply transfer its cash into Russia and China.

Trump, talking to reporters on the White Home, additionally mentioned the US was anticipating a report quickly on the case, however gave no different particulars.

‘US should stress Saudi’ – Marwan Bishara

Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara mentioned Washington needed to act and stress the Saudis if it needed to defend its credibility. 

“We can not ignore the truth that there’s big public stress brewing now in the US, in Europe and certainly around the globe,” Bishara mentioned. 

“There’s a ethical facet to it in addition to an financial and geopolitical one. That is why I mentioned the one manner for a win-win state of affairs whereby the US can have the ethical higher hand on that is by pressuring the Saudis which is able to enable them to proceed the financial and army relationship with Riyadh.”

Trump: US aiding Turkish investigators 

The US has investigators abroad to help Turkey in its investigation of the disappearance of Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump mentioned on Thursday, including that also they are working with Saudi Arabia.

“We’re being very robust. And we now have investigators over there and we’re working with Turkey, and admittedly, we’re working with Saudi Arabia. We need to discover out what occurred,” Trump mentioned in an interview with Fox Information’ Fox & Pals programme.

US senator requires halt in Saudi arms gross sales

US Kentucky Senator Rand Paul demanded a halt in army assist to Saudi Arabia till Khashoggi is “returned alive”.

In an article in The Atlantic, Paul mentioned that he deliberate to introduce laws to scrap “all funding, coaching, advising, and another coordination” with the dominion till they obtained affirmation that the journalist is alive.

“The regime have to be held accountable for Jamal Khashoggi,” he mentioned.

Erdogan: Turkey ‘can not stay silent’ 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has elevated stress on Riyadh over the disappearance of Khashoggi, saying that Ankara ‘can not stay silent to such an incident”.

Talking to reporters as he returned from a go to to Hungary, Erdogan expressed disbelief at Saudi claims that Khashoggi disappeared with out being picked up by safety cameras after leaving the consulate.

“How is it doable for a consulate, an embassy to not have safety digicam methods? Is it doable for the Saudi Arabian consulate the place the incident occurred to not have digicam methods?” he mentioned.

“If a chook flew, if a mosquito appeared, these methods would catch them and [I believe] they might have probably the most superior of methods,” he mentioned.

Erdogan added that the investigation by Turkey’s authorized, safety and intelligence our bodies is ongoing.

Consular supply heard screams and sounds of wrestle

Turkish investigators have heard testimony from a supply who was contained in the Saudi consulate on the time of Khashoggi’s disappearance who claims to have heard sounds of a wrestle, in keeping with Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Istanbul.

“I’ve realized earlier that, among the many proof with the investigation is testimony from contained in the consulate on the time that Jamal [Khashoggi] was there, which incorporates listening to sounds of loud screams and shouting, in addition to requires assist and the sound of a wrestle after which sudden silence,” he mentioned.

Turkish overseas ministry sources denied to Al Jazeera that Saudis rescinded their authorisation for Turkish authorities to go looking the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The ministry’s remarks got here after some media retailers claimed that Saudi Arabia cancelled a suggestion to permit Turkish authorities onto the premises after Turkish state-owned media revealed a listing of the 15 Saudi nationals who allegedly arrived in Istanbul on the identical day Khashoggi disappeared.

Turkish investigators are additionally requesting to go looking numerous autos registered to the consulate, together with the house of the consul normal, which is a couple of hundred metres from the consulate, after a van with tinted home windows was seen leaving the consulate and driving to the house a few hours after Khashoggi entered.

Titles of ‘assassination squad’ revealed

The identities of a minimum of eight of the alleged 15-member Saudi “assassination squad” that Turkish authorities imagine carried out Khashoggi’s assassination are starting to come back to mild.

The top of the forensic unit within the Saudi defence forces, a former head of intelligence on the Saudi Arabian embassy in London and several other particular forces officers are among the many group, which flew into Istanbul on Tuesday, October 2, Al Jazeera studies.

All 15 males had booked 4 nights in resorts close to the Saudi consulate however left Turkey lower than 24 hours after arriving.

Report: Prince Salman ordered Khashoggi operation 

The Washington Submit studies Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself ordered an operation concentrating on Jamal Khashoggi.

Primarily based on US intelligence intercepts, Saudi officers had been heard discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi from the US state of Virginia, the place he resides, again to Saudi Arabia the place he could be detained, the newspaper mentioned, citing unnamed US officers.

It was not clear to the officers with information of the intelligence whether or not the Saudis mentioned harming Khashoggi as a part of the plan to seize him, it mentioned.

His buddies informed the Submit that Khashoggi had been approached by Saudi officers with shut ties to the crown prince over the previous 4 months with provides to reconcile and return to the dominion, together with being given a outstanding function within the authorities.

The author was sceptical of the provides, nevertheless.

“He mentioned: ‘Are you kidding? I do not belief them one bit,'” mentioned Khaled Saffuri, an Arab American political activist, recounting a dialog he had with Khashoggi in Might.

Trump: Saudi assassination ‘trying a bit like that’

In feedback made by President Donald Trump to an American TV community, the US president indicated the Saudis could have killed the crucial Saudi journalist.

Requested in a phone interview with Fox Information Channel late on Wednesday whether or not the Saudis had been liable for Khashoggi’s disappearance or dying, Trump mentioned: “I suppose you would need to say up to now it is trying a bit of bit like that, and we’ll must see.”

In the course of the interview, Trump expressed reluctance to behave on calls to withhold US arms gross sales to the dominion, saying that US jobs and financial energy are tied to such commerce offers.

“A part of that’s what we’re doing with our defence methods and all people’s wanting them. And admittedly, I feel that will be a really, very robust tablet to swallow for our nation. I imply, you are affecting us and, you understand, they’re at all times fast to leap that manner,” he mentioned.

Greater than 20 Republican and Democratic senators instructed Trump to order an investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance underneath laws that authorises imposing sanctions on perpetrators of extrajudicial killings. 

American senators threaten arms gross sales repercussions

US Senator Chris Murphy mentioned if Saudi Arabia had lured a US resident right into a consulate and killed him, “it is time for the US to rethink our army, political and financial relationship with Saudi Arabia”.

Senator Rand Paul, a long-time critic of the Saudi authorities, mentioned he’ll attempt to pressure a vote within the Senate this week blocking US arms gross sales to Saudi Arabia. He mentioned he needs to finish arms shipments if there’s “any indication” the Saudis are “implicated in killing this journalist that was crucial of them”.

Karen Elliott Home, a veteran author on Saudi affairs and chairwoman of the board of trustees at RAND Corp, mentioned US assist for the Yemen warfare is more likely to be the main focus of congressional criticism, but it surely will not endanger a relationship that has endured for many years, underpinned by shared strategic pursuits.

Even underneath the Obama administration, which had tough relations with Riyadh in contrast with Trump, there have been some $65bn in accomplished arms gross sales, she famous.

“The US-Saudi relationship is definitely not about shared ethical values,” Home mentioned. “It is about shared safety pursuits.”

Saudi official condemns ‘malicious’ accusations

The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, has described the allegations as “malicious leaks and grim rumours” and mentioned the dominion is “gravely involved” about Khashoggi.

Saudi officers keep he left the consulate shortly after coming into, although it has failed to offer proof to again that up, equivalent to video footage.

Senior US officers name Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

The White Home mentioned Nationwide Safety Advisor John Bolton and Senior Advisor Jared Kushner – Donald Trump’s son-in-law – spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Khashoggi’s disappearance over the previous two days.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo adopted up together with his personal name to the crown prince, who has cast shut ties to the Trump administration, particularly Kushner.

“In each calls, they requested for extra particulars and for the Saudi authorities to be clear within the investigation course of,” White Home spokeswoman Sarah Sanders mentioned in an announcement.

White Home officers mentioned the Saudis offered little info.

US senators set off human rights probe

Twenty-two US senators signed a letter to President Donald Trump triggering a US investigation into whether or not human rights sanctions ought to be imposed on Saudi Arabi over Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Within the letter, the senators mentioned they triggered a provision of the World Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, requiring the president to find out whether or not a overseas particular person is liable for a gross human rights violation.

“Our expectation is that in making your dedication you’ll take into account any related info, together with with respect to the best rating officers within the authorities of Saudi Arabia,” the senators mentioned.

Trump informed reporters earlier he raised Khashoggi’s case with Saudi Arabia “on the highest degree” and greater than as soon as in latest days.

“We need to see what is going on on. It is a very severe state of affairs for us and for this White Home… We need to unravel it,” mentioned Trump.

Wednesday, October 10

US adviser suspends Saudi function

Ernest Moniz, who served as President Barack Obama’s power secretary, mentioned he has suspended his function on the board of Saudi Arabia’s deliberate megacity NEOM till extra is thought in regards to the destiny of Khashoggi.

“I share the deep issues of many in regards to the disappearance and doable assassination of Jamal Khashoggi on the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul,” Axios cited Moniz as saying.

Moniz is considered one of 18 individuals advising Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the $500bn NEOM undertaking. 

Turkey and Saudi Arabia ‘in talks’

The New York Occasions writes that Saudi officers on Tuesday started for the primary time to contact Turkish counterparts for secret talks about Khashoggi’s disappearance.

“The Saudis have informed Washington that they imagine they’ll easy over the difficulty, in keeping with each Turkish and American officers briefed on the discussions,” the NYT wrote.

Khashoggi’s Apple watch 

A Turkish safety official informed Reuters information company the Apple smartwatch Khashoggi was sporting on the time of his disappearance was being seemed into by Turkish investigators. 

They mentioned the watch was related to a cell phone Khashoggi left exterior and safety and intelligence brokers in Turkey imagine it could present vital clues as to Khashoggi’s whereabouts or what occurred to him.

If the watch and cellphone had been related to the web and the gadgets had been shut sufficient to synchronise, knowledge from the watch – saved to the cloud – may probably present investigators with info such because the journalist’s coronary heart price and site.

“We’ve decided that it was on him when he walked into the consulate,” a safety official mentioned. “Intelligence providers, the prosecutor’s workplace, and a know-how workforce are engaged on this.”

Trump needs solutions

President Donald Trump says the US is “demanding” solutions from Saudi Arabia about Khashoggi and that he needs to convey his fiancee to the White Home.

Trump informed reporters within the Oval Workplace on Wednesday that he has a name in to Hatice Cengiz.

“Individuals noticed him go in and did not see him come out. We will take a really severe have a look at it. It is a horrible factor,” Trump mentioned. “It is a unhealthy state of affairs. We can not let this occur – to reporters, to anyone.”

Fifteen-member ‘hit squad’

Turkish media have revealed photos of an alleged 15-member Saudi “assassination squad” and video of suspicious actions on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul following Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Saudi Arabia remained silent as the pictures, although not providing definitive proof about Khashoggi’s destiny, performed throughout tv networks in Turkey and around the globe.

Turkish media airs surveillance video

Information channel 24, a personal Turkish TV channel near Erdogan, has aired surveillance video of Khashoggi strolling into the Saudi consulate and a black van leaving later for the consul’s dwelling.

The channel aired the video, suggesting that Khashoggi was within the black Mercedes Vito.

It mentioned the van then drove some to the consul’s dwelling, roughly 200 metres from the consulate, the place it parked inside a storage.

Saudi Arabia didn’t reply to requests for touch upon Wednesday.

Khashoggi’s fiancee writes letter to Trump

Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, is asking Trump and first woman Melania to “assist shed mild” on his disappearance.

In a column revealed Wednesday by the Submit, she wrote: “I additionally urge Saudi Arabia, particularly King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to indicate the identical degree of sensitivity and launch CCTV footage from the consulate.”

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Starving to death

By Max Bearak and Laris Karklis, Washington Post, April 11, 2017

Our world produces enough food to feed all its inhabitants. When one region is suffering severe hunger, global humanitarian institutions, though often cash-strapped, are theoretically capable of transporting food and averting catastrophe.

But this year, South Sudan slipped into famine, and Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen are each on the verge of their own. Famine now threatens 20 million people--more than at any time since World War II. As defined by the United Nations, famine occurs when a region’s daily hunger-related death rate exceeds 2 per 10,000 people.

The persistence of such severe hunger, even in inhospitable climates, would be almost unthinkable without war.

Each of these four countries is in a protracted conflict. While humanitarian assistance can save lives in the immediate term, none of the food crises can be solved in the long term without a semblance of peace. The threat of violence can limit or prohibit aid workers’ access to affected regions, and in some cases, starvation may be a deliberate war tactic.

Entire generations are at risk of lasting damage stemming from the vicious cycle of greed, hate, hunger and violence that produces these famines. Children are always the most affected, as even those who survive may be mentally and physically stunted for life. And while this article focuses on the four countries most immediately at risk, ongoing conflicts in Congo, the Central African Republic, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan has left millions hungry in those places, too.

South Sudan. In February, the United Nations declared a famine in South Sudan’s Mayendit and Leer counties. It was the world’s first famine declaration since 2011, in Somalia.

But even in these two counties, more people still die every day from bullets than from empty stomachs or disease. The state the counties are in, Unity, has seen some of the most ruthless violence since South Sudan became an independent country five years ago.

Unity is the home state of Riek Machar, former vice president and leader of a rebel army of mostly ethnic Nuer people that has been locked in violent confrontations with South Sudan’s army, controlled by President Salva Kiir of the Dinka ethnic group, since 2013. Kiir’s army and allied militias have swept through Unity time and again, razing and burning entire villages, slaughtering and raping as they go. Thousands of people have drowned in the state’s rivers and swamps as they fled.

Those rivers and swamps would otherwise provide Unity’s people with abundant fish and water for irrigation. But relentless war renders just about all aspects of daily life unsafe, with people too afraid to leave home, fish, plant or trade. Even fleeing can be risky. Many are eating grass and water lilies just to survive.

Both the rebels and the government have made it difficult for aid workers to reach the most-affected counties. The Washington Post’s Africa correspondent, Kevin Sieff, recently reported on the government’s obstructionism.

“Some of their actions appear to be brute thuggery, like the theft by soldiers last summer of more than 4,000 tons of food from a warehouse in Juba, the capital, enough to feed 220,000 people for a month,” he wrote. “But aid workers fear the government is intentionally denying aid to regions where it believes residents support the rebels.”

Sieff described how, at more than 70 checkpoints on the road between Juba and Unity State, soldiers would often demand bribes or food from aid workers, and how the government refuses to let the United Nations operate flights that could drop food aid over areas at risk of famine. Dozens of aid workers attempting workarounds have been killed in the war’s crossfire.

The United States and others in the U.N. Security Council have proposed an arms embargo to limit the South Sudan government’s capacity for violence. But when it came to a vote last December, more than half of the council members, including China and Russia, abstained. Neighboring African countries have also discussed a coordinated armed intervention, but that has not garnered much support.

Yemen. Since 2015, Yemen has been in a civil war. The fighting has divided control of the country along sectarian and ideological lines, and resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000. It has also decimated Yemen’s economy.

Yemen was fragile before the war, but its currency, industry, transport infrastructure and public services have all but been destroyed in the past two years. Millions are jobless, and food and fuel prices have shot through the roof. An estimated 17 million people, or 60 percent of the country’s population, are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance; about 7 million are living day-to-day, enduring until they wither away.

The physical destruction has mostly been the work of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition--advised and supplied by the United States, Britain, and others--that has sided with Yemen’s Sunni president against the Houthis, an armed Shiite militia that now controls the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s western coast.

One key piece of infrastructure that the coalition has made near-inoperable is the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida, Yemen’s largest and most vital. Almost 90 percent of Yemen’s food is imported, and most of it came through Hodeida. Saudi ships are currently enforcing a near total blockade of the port, arguing that they can’t risk arms smuggling even though the United Nations inspects each ship on arrival.

Should the coalition move to take Hodeida’s city and port militarily, it could shut off what trickle of food is left to Sanaa and other highly populated inland areas, triggering a famine, according to aid agencies. Coalition officials, on the other hand, have argued that if they took the port, they could ensure the passage of aid without worrying about arms smuggling.

Either way, vast swaths of Yemen are under constant bombardment from the coalition, which has reduced markets, factories, hospitals, roads and bridges to rubble. Three quarters of the residents of the city of Taizz and its surrounding areas, for instance, are facing an emergency food shortage because the area is effectively inaccessible. Saudi Arabia maintains that it does all it can to avoid civilian casualties, but human rights groups have documented countless strikes on seemingly nonstrategic targets.

Yemen’s food crisis is expected to deteriorate as international traders become less and less likely to do business in a country without a functioning central bank and currency. The fate of millions also hangs on what happens in Hodeida, which is likely to be the scene of a major battle in the near future.

Nigeria. Boko Haram’s bloody reign of terror in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State has been so intense over the past few years that aid groups have struggled to even enter the region. Reliable data on hunger is limited. Some aid workers speculate that Borno may have already passed through periods of famine, or may be in one now.

The fighting has displaced more than 3 million people, and left a previously fertile region desiccated and barren. Vast camps have sprung up within Nigeria, as well as across the borders in Niger and Cameroon. The population of the relatively safe capital of Borno, Maiduguri, has doubled because of the influx, and the city is now a hub for disease. Tens of thousands of Nigerians, meanwhile, have set their sights north, across the Sahara, toward Libya and ultimately Europe, attempting an expensive and dangerous trip that many do not survive.

Almost as many as those who have fled Boko Haram-controlled areas have stayed behind. Those people are most at risk of starvation, because their villages are inaccessible to outside aid.

Nigeria’s military, even in cooperation with neighboring countries and U.S. and British advisers, has proved sorely inadequate in rooting out the insurgency, although they have made some progress. When they have succeed in liberating towns and villages from Boko Haram, they often find residents eating grass and insects because that’s all that’s left.

The United Nations has warned that half a million children in northeastern Nigeria are so severely malnourished that 75,000 could die by June. A growing measles outbreak in the region could transform into an epidemic, too.

Because of the struggle to gain access to the most critically affected people, organizations realized the scale of the crisis in Nigeria long after malnutrition was rife. Much of the blame falls on the Nigerian government’s lack of response, according to aid workers. Despite having the continent’s largest economy, the country’s leaders have failed to address the hunger emergency in Borno.

Somalia. Six years ago, more than a quarter of a million Somalis died in a famine. The rains have now failed for two consecutive years in parts of the country, and there are growing fears of a repeat catastrophe. But droughts are common in Somalia, and do not always result in famine. The common link between 2011 and today is the continued presence of al-Shabab, an armed group closely linked with al-Qaeda.

While al-Shabab has lost ground since 2011, the famine risk in Somalia is concentrated in rural areas in the country’s south, where the group is still strong. That is because the militant group severely restricts the movement of locals who may be in search of scarce food and water. They also restrict access to aid.

Yet Somalia, surprisingly, is where there is the most optimism at averting a famine. Despite the fighting, al-Shabab has recently given assurances that it will allow for freer movement of people. The power of the group has also declined significantly, meaning that climatic conditions contribute more to Somalia’s crisis proportionally than the others.

And while a drought can leave a nation reliant on aid, that is ultimately an easier problem to solve than war.

At this time of unprecedented need, the world’s biggest supplier of humanitarian relief is getting ready for a major cutback. Humanitarian aid makes up a tiny fraction of the U.S. government spending--less than 1 percent--but the Trump administration’s proposed budget would eliminate much of it. Although the cuts would have to withstand bipartisan opposition, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) could see their budgets reduced by more than a third. U.S. funding to the United Nations might drop by more than half.

The United Nations had sought $4.4 billion by the end of March for emergency hunger relief operations, but raised barely a fraction of that. Emergency funding doesn’t address the root causes of famine, nor can it always reach the worst-affected. But it can prevent the spread of disease and provide enough sustenance to the millions it does reach so that they might survive.

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