INTERESTING AF

https://www.facebook.com/pepe.escobar.77377/posts/10156650792361678

Saudi Retaliates, Pulls HyperLoop Funding As Silicon Valley Startups Quake

Anybody who understands the temperament of Mohammad bin Salman probably suspected that the Saudi Crown Prince wasn't just going to throw his hands up in despair when confronted by the embarrassing wave of cancellations by Western business executives whom he had enlisted to attend his Future Investment Initiative - better known as "Davos in the Desert." And just hours after a bevy of banking executives became the latest group to publicly state that they would be skipping the conference, the Saudis have struck back with what the Financial Times described as "the first concrete retaliation by Saudi to the wave of Western executives deciding not to attend FII and criticising Saudi over Mr Khashoggi’s case."

Saudi Arabia has pulled a planned deal with Virgin Hyperloop One after Sir Richard Branson said early last week that he would temporarily cut ties with the kingdom until more details about the death of regime insider-turned-critic Jamal Khashoggi - whose Oct. 2 murder at the hands of Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul has sparked a diplomatic crisis with global implications - have been unearthed.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-16/saudi-retaliates-pulls-hyperloop-funding-silicon-valley-startups-quake

Israeli Leadership Pushes For War In Gaza

On October 16th, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that a harsh Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike against Hamas is the only way to halt the continued Palestinian attacks against Israel.

“Now is the time for decisions. My position is very clear: We must deal a heavy blow against Hamas. This is the only way to return the situation to its previous state and to reduce the level of violence to nearly zero,” he said.

On the previous day, Lieberman said that a ceasefire in Gaza is only possible after the IDF deals a crushing military blow to Hamas. “In contrast to those who believe that an arrangement is possible with Hamas, I don’t believe there is any chance of this,” the defense minister commented. He made his calls both in the Knesset as well as at the Maariv Conference in Jerusalem.

Avigdor Lieberman is one of the most hawkish voices in the Israeli leadership regarding the issue of the weekly Palestinian protests along the Gaza fence.

Liberman acknowledged that a Gaza military operation must come after “a decision of the entire cabinet.”

“Everyone understands that the situation today cannot continue. We cannot accept violence week after week. The Defense Ministry has used kid gloves before the violence broke out [on March 30], including with international organizations. We have exhausted our options,” he said.

He explained his he became convinced of this after Hamas responded with violence to Israel’s humanitarian gesture on October 9th. To help alleviate the electricity crisis in Gaza, Israel facilitated the transfer into the Strip of a large shipment of Qatari-funded fuel for the Gaza power plant.

“The change came last Friday. We allowed tanks of diesel to enter Gaza and, in return, were facing the kind of violence that we have not seen in a long time. We also saw [Hamas leader Ismail] Haniyeh saying: ‘Diesel and salaries are not going to stop the violence until the blockade is lifted.’”

He also said that opening Gaza’s borders without any inspection mechanism would allow Iran to strengthen its influence in the Strip and would allow for an increased entry of weapons.

“This means Iranian weapons and Hezbollah fighters to Gaza. When Hamas says this, we must accept it as it is, without exegesis. We have paid a heavy price for such interpretations in the past, including in the 1930s.”

“The only formula in my opinion is rebuilding in exchange for disarmament. At the moment, we need to make decisions, and I hope the cabinet will make decisions. The only way is a heavy blow that can, in my opinion, lead to five years of quiet,” Liberman said.

https://southfront.org/israeli-leadership-pushes-for-war-in-gaza/

US Training For War Against Russia Under Ukrainian Flag Goes Wrong: US And Ukrainian Pilots Die In Su-27 Crash

On October 15, a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet crashed during a simulated combat flight in the framework of Clear Sky 2018 military drills. The crash resulted in the death of two pilots a Ukrainain serviceman and a US serviceman.

“We regret to inform that according to the rescue team, the bodies of two pilots have been discovered: one is a serviceman of the Ukrainian Air Force, the other is a member of the US National Guard,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement via Facebook.

Clear Sky 2018 is a joint military exercise involving Ukraine and NATO member states. It is taking place from October 8 to October 19. According to the Ukrainian leadership, the goal of the drill is to defend Ukrainian airspace from “Russian aggression”.

https://southfront.org/us-training-for-war-against-russia-under-ukrainian-flag-goes-wrong-us-and-ukrainian-pilots-die-in-su-27-crash/

Welcome to the G-20 from Hell

World leaders wrestle with a maelstrom of complex, burning issues as they prepare for November 30 summit

The G-20 in Buenos Aires on November 30 could set the world on fire – perhaps literally. Let’s start with the US-China trade war. Washington won’t even start discussing trade with China at the G-20 unless Beijing comes up with a quite detailed list of potential concessions.

The word from Chinese negotiators is not at all bleak. Some sort of agreement could be reached on about a third of US demands. Debate on another third could ensue. But the last third is absolutely off-limits – due to Chinese national security imperatives, such as refusing to allow the opening of the domestic cloud computing market to foreign competition.

http://www.atimes.com/article/welcome-to-the-g-20-from-hell/

Trump: Saudi Prince "Totally Denied" Knowledge Of Khashoggi Killing, Promised "Complete" Investigation

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-16/trump-mbs-totally-denied-knowledge-khashoggi-killing-promised-full-and-complete

Kurdish Leader Comes With New Threats Against Damascus, Claims Any Attacker Will Face Like “ISIS Fate”

Salih Muslim, a senior member of the ruling council of area occupied by the US-led coalition and its proxies in northeastern Syria, has come with a harsh response to remarks by Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem.

“Anybody try to attack our liberated areas will face the same fate as DAESH,” Muslim tweeted obviously pointing out to the defeat of ISIS in Raqqa and nearby areas, which had been achieved by the Kurdish-dominated “Syrian Democratic Forces” with help from the US-led coalition.

While Muslim’s comments themselves are aimed to spin the meaning of al-Muallem’s remarks, who once again proposed the Kurdish faction negotiations in the legal framework of the Syrian constitution, these coments also ignore some important facts on the ground.

ISIS is still not defeated on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, which is allegedly “liberated” by the SDF and its patrons from the US. The terrorist group controls a large chunk of the area in the Euphrates Valley. The town of Hajin, which is located there, is the biggest existing ISIS stronghold in Syria.

The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which are the core of the SDF, already suffered a devastating defeat from Turkey in the northern Syrian region of Afrin earlier in 2018. Prior to abandonning a large part of northwestern Syria, the YPG was also claiming that it will defeat any force attacking it. The problem is that the words did not correspond with the reality.

The hostile approach employed by some leaders of the Kurdish groups and political parties receiving support from the US is one of the reasons fueling the Syrian conflict in its current stage. Russia, one of the key backers of Damascus, has repeatedly demonstrated that it’s ready to back negotiations between the Assad government and the Kurdish leaders if this approach is changed. However, it looks that some Kurdish leaders are not interested in promoting any kind of peaceful solution of the conflict because this will cut off a flow of financial and political support, which they receive from Washington.

https://southfront.org/kurdish-leader-comes-with-new-threats-against-damascus-claims-any-attacker-will-face-like-isis-fate/

"I Think I Can Beat Her": Lindsey Graham Taking DNA Test To Challenge Elizabeth Warren

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) seems to have a newfound "Trumpian" swagger of late, all starting with his fiery speech during Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation - and culminating in several recent clips of the South Carolina Senator giving Democrats what for.

MORE:

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-16/i-think-i-can-beat-her-lindsey-graham-taking-dna-test-challenge-elizabeth-warren