Audio linked to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/jamal-khashoggi-murder-saudi-kill-teams-luggage-contained-syringes-scissors-says-report-177063">Jamal Khashoggi's murder</a> inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate does not implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tuesday, citing others who have heard the tapes.

Turkey has previously said it shared <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/im-suffocating-take-this-bag-off-my-head-jamal-khashoggis-last-words-176839">recordings linked to the murder</a> of Khashoggi - a Saudi dissident and fierce critic of the crown prince - with officials in Riyadh, Washington and other capitals.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-was-dead-in-twenty-minutes-says-tura-khislakchi-as-he-unfolds-the-incident-to-wion-173771">Khashoggi</a> was last seen entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation.

Bolton, speaking to reporters in Singapore ahead of a regional summit, was asked whether it was right to say the audio contained nothing that implicated the crown prince. &nbsp;

"I haven't listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it that’s right," he said.

Khashoggi's brazen murder has caused intense speculation over what, if anything, Crown Prince Salman might have known about the operation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility.

The New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be the crown prince, that the operation had been accomplished.

The Trump administration embraced the young prince as a reform-minded ally, but the murder of Khashoggi - a US resident - has soured that narrative.

Bolton emphasised that Trump has demanded a full investigation from the Saudis and for those responsible to be held accountable. &nbsp;

"The president has made it very clear that he expects we’re going to get the truth from the Saudis - and the king and the crown prince, in the conversations they’ve had with the president, have committed to that," he said.

But Trump has also emphasised America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state as well as lucrative arms contracts.

Audio linked to Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate does not implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tuesday, citing others who have heard the tapes.

Audio linked to Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate does not implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Tuesday, citing others who have heard the tapes. Turkey has previously said it shared recordings linked to the murder of Khashoggi - a Saudi dissident and fierce critic of the crown prince - with officials in Riyadh, Washington and other capitals. Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage. After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old had been murdered at the mission in a "rogue" operation. Bolton, speaking to reporters in Singapore ahead of a regional summit, was asked whether it was right to say the audio contained nothing that implicated the crown prince. "I haven't listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it that’s right," he said. Khashoggi's brazen murder has caused intense speculation over what, if anything, Crown Prince Salman might have known about the operation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government and pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Salman of responsibility. The New York Times reported that a member of the team at the consulate had told a superior by phone to "tell your boss", suspected to be the crown prince, that the operation had been accomplished. The Trump administration embraced the young prince as a reform-minded ally, but the murder of Khashoggi - a US resident - has soured that narrative. Bolton emphasised that Trump has demanded a full investigation from the Saudis and for those responsible to be held accountable. "The president has made it very clear that he expects we’re going to get the truth from the Saudis - and the king and the crown prince, in the conversations they’ve had with the president, have committed to that," he said. But Trump has also emphasised America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state as well as lucrative arms contracts.

Khashoggi murder tapes do not implicate Mohammed bin Salman: US's Bolton

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday the US will hold accountable all those involved in the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist, in a telephone call that also took in the conflict in Yemen.

The killing of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-erdogan-met-in-paris-discussed-how-to-respond-to-khashoggis-killing-176665">Jamal Khashoggi</a> in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul and the war in Yemen, which has pushed the country to the brink of famine, are two of the main sources of strain in the decades-old alliance between Washington and Riyadh.

Prince Mohammed is controversially linked to both: he has played a direct role in overseeing Saudi Arabia's Yemen intervention and has also been accused of orchestrating the October 2 murder of Khashoggi, who was a US resident.

"The Secretary emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The top US diplomat has previously said Khashoggi's killing "violates the norms of international law," and that the US was reviewing possible sanctions on individuals identified as having been involved. &nbsp;

But Pompeo and US President Donald Trump have also both emphasized America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state.

Upping the pressure on Saudi Arabia, President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-tapes-given-to-key-foreign-nations-turkeys-erdogan-176556">Recep Tayyip Erdogan</a> said Saturday that Turkey had shared recordings related to Khashoggi's murder with Riyadh, Washington and other capitals, without giving details of their specific contents.

After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old journalist had been murdered at its diplomatic mission in what it termed a "rogue" operation.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-journalist-khashoggi-corpse-went-down-the-drains-report-176538">Saudi journalist Khashoggi's corpse went down the drains</a>

Reduced US role in Yemen

Ankara has been demanding, to date without success, the extradition of those involved in the killing.

Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was critical of Prince Mohammed and the country's intervention in Yemen, a conflict which also came up during the call, said Nauert.&nbsp;

Pompeo "reiterated the United States' calls for a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to come to the table to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict," she said.

Pompeo has previously called for an end to the fighting in the impoverished Arab state, saying that Shiite Huthi rebels must stop missile and drone strikes from areas they control and that the Saudi-led coalition must subsequently halt strikes in populated areas.

Pompeo's latest remarks come just days after the announcement of the end of a controversial refuelling arrangement between the US and the Saudi-led coalition carrying out strikes in Yemen -- a step that lessens American involvement in the war.

Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said he supported Saudi Arabia's decision after the official Saudi Press Agency said the coalition asked for the "cessation of in-flight refuelling support" from the United States.

The end of the arrangement comes amid ongoing international outcry over Saudi actions in Yemen, particularly after a string of high-profile coalition strikes that have killed scores of civilians, many of them children.

The Pentagon had provided refuelling capabilities for about 20 per cent of coalition planes flying sorties over Yemen, supporting a highly controversial intervention led by Riyadh to bolster President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government in the face of an insurgency by the Huthis -- a conflict that has left nearly 10,000 people dead.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday the US will hold accountable all those involved in the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist, in a telephone call that also took in the conflict in Yemen.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday the US will hold accountable all those involved in the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist, in a telephone call that also took in the conflict in Yemen. The killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul and the war in Yemen, which has pushed the country to the brink of famine, are two of the main sources of strain in the decades-old alliance between Washington and Riyadh. Prince Mohammed is controversially linked to both: he has played a direct role in overseeing Saudi Arabia's Yemen intervention and has also been accused of orchestrating the October 2 murder of Khashoggi, who was a US resident. "The Secretary emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. The top US diplomat has previously said Khashoggi's killing "violates the norms of international law," and that the US was reviewing possible sanctions on individuals identified as having been involved. But Pompeo and US President Donald Trump have also both emphasized America's important commercial, strategic and national security relationships with the petro-state. Upping the pressure on Saudi Arabia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey had shared recordings related to Khashoggi's murder with Riyadh, Washington and other capitals, without giving details of their specific contents. After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia finally admitted the 59-year-old journalist had been murdered at its diplomatic mission in what it termed a "rogue" operation. Also read: Saudi journalist Khashoggi's corpse went down the drains Reduced US role in Yemen Ankara has been demanding, to date without success, the extradition of those involved in the killing. Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was critical of Prince Mohammed and the country's intervention in Yemen, a conflict which also came up during the call, said Nauert. Pompeo "reiterated the United States' calls for a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to come to the table to negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict," she said. Pompeo has previously called for an end to the fighting in the impoverished Arab state, saying that Shiite Huthi rebels must stop missile and drone strikes from areas they control and that the Saudi-led coalition must subsequently halt strikes in populated areas. Pompeo's latest remarks come just days after the announcement of the end of a controversial refuelling arrangement between the US and the Saudi-led coalition carrying out strikes in Yemen -- a step that lessens American involvement in the war. Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said he supported Saudi Arabia's decision after the official Saudi Press Agency said the coalition asked for the "cessation of in-flight refuelling support" from the United States. The end of the arrangement comes amid ongoing international outcry over Saudi actions in Yemen, particularly after a string of high-profile coalition strikes that have killed scores of civilians, many of them children. The Pentagon had provided refuelling capabilities for about 20 per cent of coalition planes flying sorties over Yemen, supporting a highly controversial intervention led by Riyadh to bolster President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government in the face of an insurgency by the Huthis -- a conflict that has left nearly 10,000 people dead.

Khashoggi killers to be held accountable: US to Saudi Prince Salman

Canadian PM Trudeau acknowledges receiving Khashoggi tapes

By Bill Law

We are at a very low point for journalism in the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

My thoughts are with Hatice Cengiz and Jamal Khashoggi’s family at this very painful time.

The job of journalists is to ask questions, to speak truth to power, to question authority. This has always been a very difficult struggle in the Gulf and wider Middle East, but this is what Jamal Khashoggi was committed to. He believed with great courage and passion that the way to achieve a better place for his country and society was to strive for an independent and free media. He was a pragmatist who understood well the limits of just how far he could push that narrative on, but he never ever gave up pushing.

He was a brave and dedicated journalist and a warm and funny man.

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi does tremendous damage to the struggle to create a free and independent media in the Gulf and Arab worlds. It has already suffered so many grievous setbacks. To name but one, the Bahraini news site Al Wasat, the only truly independent voice in the Gulf, was shuttered by the authorities in the summer of 2017 with scarcely a murmur here in the West.

In 2011, Karim Fakhawi, Al Wasat’s co-founder, was beaten to death in detention by the police when he went to complain about his house being bulldozed. How quickly Karim’s fate was forgotten. In 2017 the UAE sentenced a Jordanian journalist Tayseer Al Najjar to three years in jail and a huge fine for “insulting the symbols of the state.” In January of this year, Lebanese journalist Hanin Ghaddar was sentenced in absentia by a military court for insulting the armed forces. How discouraging is that given the relative level of freedom the media enjoys in Lebanon?

Under the guise of security, open criticism and free media are being inexorably crushed. A friend of mine in the region said it is as if the walls are closing in: “We cannot breathe.” It has become a grim narrative arc, one that began with modest gains and hope for a freer media environment in the early part of this century but — especially after 2011 and the events of what has been called the Arab Spring — spirals downward to the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

It is telling that a chief demand of the Saudis and the Emiratis when they launched their land, air and sea blockade of Qatar last June, joined by the Egyptians and the Bahrainis, was the shuttering of Al Jazeera. The news network is not without its faults, but thank goodness that Qatar has withstood the siege — even Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, has had to acknowledge that — and Al Jazeera remains safe.

Nonetheless, we are at a very low point for journalism in the Gulf and the wider Middle East. In my nearly 20 years of covering the region, I can think of no time when the struggle for free media has been so grievously wounded and so seriously set back.

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi — especially if the man I and many others believe is responsible for his death, MBS — is allowed to get away with it, as I fear now seems the case, his killing will only empower further atrocities and reprisals. The tame media will reflect the views and attitudes of the ruling families. Those journalists who want to ask questions dare not.

And silence will not be an option. Those who stay silent because they cannot stomach parroting lies will be seen as traitors or, as the president of the United States calls honest journalists, “enemies of the people.” In Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain the media are the slaves of their masters. It is a new form of Stalinism — &nbsp;Gulf Stalinism — whereby the media become the mouthpiece of the rulers.

For the sake of my murdered colleague, I do not want to end on a note of pessimism, because to do so would be to acknowledge his death was in vain. It was not. What he believed in, what he stood for and wrote about, and what he died for is the way forward. The Gulf and its citizens and those throughout the Middle East will only realize their full potential in a society where a free media flourishes. That is what Jamal passionately believed. And he was right. Jamal is a martyr to that noble cause.

Dictators and their lies do not endure. Speaking truth to power, even with all the terrible consequences it entails for journalists, ultimately brings their lies crashing down around them.

Thank you, Jamal, for your great and courageous journalism, your dedication, your commitment, your humour and your kindness. Know that you will not be forgotten and that your death is not in vain. In your name, the cause of free media in the Gulf and wider Middle East will carry on. Its victory will be your lasting legacy. 
 
(Bill Law is an award-winning journalist. He joined the BBC in 1995 and since 2002 has reported extensively from the Middle East)

(This article was originally published on Fair Observer. Read the <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/jamal-khashoggi-murder-media-freedom-gulf-middle-east-news-16421/">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By Bill Law We are at a very low point for journalism in the Gulf and the wider Middle East. My thoughts are with Hatice Cengiz and Jamal Khashoggi’s family at this very painful time.

By Bill Law We are at a very low point for journalism in the Gulf and the wider Middle East. My thoughts are with Hatice Cengiz and Jamal Khashoggi’s family at this very painful time. The job of journalists is to ask questions, to speak truth to power, to question authority. This has always been a very difficult struggle in the Gulf and wider Middle East, but this is what Jamal Khashoggi was committed to. He believed with great courage and passion that the way to achieve a better place for his country and society was to strive for an independent and free media. He was a pragmatist who understood well the limits of just how far he could push that narrative on, but he never ever gave up pushing. He was a brave and dedicated journalist and a warm and funny man. The murder of Jamal Khashoggi does tremendous damage to the struggle to create a free and independent media in the Gulf and Arab worlds. It has already suffered so many grievous setbacks. To name but one, the Bahraini news site Al Wasat, the only truly independent voice in the Gulf, was shuttered by the authorities in the summer of 2017 with scarcely a murmur here in the West. In 2011, Karim Fakhawi, Al Wasat’s co-founder, was beaten to death in detention by the police when he went to complain about his house being bulldozed. How quickly Karim’s fate was forgotten. In 2017 the UAE sentenced a Jordanian journalist Tayseer Al Najjar to three years in jail and a huge fine for “insulting the symbols of the state.” In January of this year, Lebanese journalist Hanin Ghaddar was sentenced in absentia by a military court for insulting the armed forces. How discouraging is that given the relative level of freedom the media enjoys in Lebanon? Under the guise of security, open criticism and free media are being inexorably crushed. A friend of mine in the region said it is as if the walls are closing in: “We cannot breathe.” It has become a grim narrative arc, one that began with modest gains and hope for a freer media environment in the early part of this century but — especially after 2011 and the events of what has been called the Arab Spring — spirals downward to the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi. It is telling that a chief demand of the Saudis and the Emiratis when they launched their land, air and sea blockade of Qatar last June, joined by the Egyptians and the Bahrainis, was the shuttering of Al Jazeera. The news network is not without its faults, but thank goodness that Qatar has withstood the siege — even Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, has had to acknowledge that — and Al Jazeera remains safe. Nonetheless, we are at a very low point for journalism in the Gulf and the wider Middle East. In my nearly 20 years of covering the region, I can think of no time when the struggle for free media has been so grievously wounded and so seriously set back. The killing of Jamal Khashoggi — especially if the man I and many others believe is responsible for his death, MBS — is allowed to get away with it, as I fear now seems the case, his killing will only empower further atrocities and reprisals. The tame media will reflect the views and attitudes of the ruling families. Those journalists who want to ask questions dare not. And silence will not be an option. Those who stay silent because they cannot stomach parroting lies will be seen as traitors or, as the president of the United States calls honest journalists, “enemies of the people.” In Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain the media are the slaves of their masters. It is a new form of Stalinism — Gulf Stalinism — whereby the media become the mouthpiece of the rulers. For the sake of my murdered colleague, I do not want to end on a note of pessimism, because to do so would be to acknowledge his death was in vain. It was not. What he believed in, what he stood for and wrote about, and what he died for is the way forward. The Gulf and its citizens and those throughout the Middle East will only realize their full potential in a society where a free media flourishes. That is what Jamal passionately believed. And he was right. Jamal is a martyr to that noble cause. Dictators and their lies do not endure. Speaking truth to power, even with all the terrible consequences it entails for journalists, ultimately brings their lies crashing down around them. Thank you, Jamal, for your great and courageous journalism, your dedication, your commitment, your humour and your kindness. Know that you will not be forgotten and that your death is not in vain. In your name, the cause of free media in the Gulf and wider Middle East will carry on. Its victory will be your lasting legacy. (Bill Law is an award-winning journalist. He joined the BBC in 1995 and since 2002 has reported extensively from the Middle East) (This article was originally published on Fair Observer. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The walls are closing in on free media in the Arab world

Khashoggi's murder: UN calls for impartial probe

The sons of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Sunday issued an appeal for the return of their father's body and said they wanted to return to Saudi Arabia to bury him.

In an interview with CNN, Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi said that without their father's body, their family is unable to grieve and deal with the emotional burden of their father's death.

"It's not a normal situation, it's not a normal death at all. All what we want right now is to bury him in Al-Baqi (cemetery) in Medina (Saudi Arabia) with the rest of his family," Salah Khashoggi said. "I talked about that with the Saudi authorities and I just hope that it happens soon."

Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Saudi authorities have admitted that Khashoggi was murdered in a premeditated action, revising previous statements that his death was unintended. Turkish officials and some U.S. lawmakers have said that Crown Prince Mohammed ordered the murder, an allegation that Riyadh denies.

Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Saudi authorities are conducting an official investigation.

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an international businessman, said on Sunday that the probe will exonerate the country's leader.

Salah Khashoggi on Oct. 24 met in Riyadh with the crown prince and King Salman to receive condolences along with other Khashoggi family members. Salah departed for Washington a day later, and his CNN interview was his first public comments since then.

He said King Salman assured him that those involved in Jamal Khashoggi's murder would be brought to justice.

"We just need to make sure that he rests in peace," Salah Khashoggi said of his father. "Until now, I still can't believe that he's dead. It's not sinking in with me emotionally," he said, adding that there has been a lot of "misinformation" about the circumstances of the death.

Salah said that charges that his father was a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood organization were not true.

Asked how Khashoggi should be remembered, Salah replied, "As a moderate man who has common values with everyone ... a man who loved his country, who believed so much in it and its potential."

"Jamal was never a dissident. He believed in the monarchy, that it is the thing that is keeping the country together. And he believed in the transformation that it is going through."

The sons of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Sunday issued an appeal for the return of their father's body and said they wanted to return to Saudi Arabia to bury him.

The sons of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Sunday issued an appeal for the return of their father's body and said they wanted to return to Saudi Arabia to bury him. In an interview with CNN, Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi said that without their father's body, their family is unable to grieve and deal with the emotional burden of their father's death. "It's not a normal situation, it's not a normal death at all. All what we want right now is to bury him in Al-Baqi (cemetery) in Medina (Saudi Arabia) with the rest of his family," Salah Khashoggi said. "I talked about that with the Saudi authorities and I just hope that it happens soon." Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Saudi authorities have admitted that Khashoggi was murdered in a premeditated action, revising previous statements that his death was unintended. Turkish officials and some U.S. lawmakers have said that Crown Prince Mohammed ordered the murder, an allegation that Riyadh denies. Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Saudi authorities are conducting an official investigation. Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, an international businessman, said on Sunday that the probe will exonerate the country's leader. Salah Khashoggi on Oct. 24 met in Riyadh with the crown prince and King Salman to receive condolences along with other Khashoggi family members. Salah departed for Washington a day later, and his CNN interview was his first public comments since then. He said King Salman assured him that those involved in Jamal Khashoggi's murder would be brought to justice. "We just need to make sure that he rests in peace," Salah Khashoggi said of his father. "Until now, I still can't believe that he's dead. It's not sinking in with me emotionally," he said, adding that there has been a lot of "misinformation" about the circumstances of the death. Salah said that charges that his father was a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood organization were not true. Asked how Khashoggi should be remembered, Salah replied, "As a moderate man who has common values with everyone ... a man who loved his country, who believed so much in it and its potential." "Jamal was never a dissident. He believed in the monarchy, that it is the thing that is keeping the country together. And he believed in the transformation that it is going through."

Sons of slain Saudi journalist Khashoggi appeal for return of his body

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has sparked global outrage and a full-blown crisis for Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October&nbsp;2.&nbsp;He had gone to collect a document that would allow him to remarry.

For two weeks, Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi before finally confessing to the killing.

WION's Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma spoke to Khashoggi's friend Tura Khislakchi&nbsp;in Istanbul.

They spoke about the events leading to the brutal killing, Khashoggi's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-had-not-wanted-to-go-to-saudi-consulate-fiancee-173764">upcoming marriage to Hatice Cengiz</a> — they were to get married the day after Jamal visited the Saudi consulate — and what Khashoggi's future plans looked like.&nbsp;

Did Jamal think he was under threat?

"No, but when his article was published in the Washington Post, some people in Saudi Arabia were threatening him on the internet but he was not aware of it," said&nbsp;Khislakchi.&nbsp;

Jamal had thought people in Saudi Arabia&nbsp;might abduct him but never did he imagine such a horrific outcome, Khislakchi told WION.&nbsp;

Was it because of the newly-crowned prince?&nbsp;&nbsp;

Everything changed when the new prince was crowned, Khislakchi answered. "All the politicians and the rich are in jail."&nbsp;

Khislakchi added that Jamal "left Saudi Arabia about a year back and stayed in Washington. The crown&nbsp;prince was afraid of Jamal's article because people in Saudi Arabia and Gulf area knew Jamal very well. Every time Jamal would publish anything, everybody would read it."

Khislakchi said Prince Salman had told him about five or six months back to send a person to talk to Jamal and ultimately bring him back to Saudi Arabia as his political advisor. That way Jamal&nbsp;would stop writing about Saudi Arabia, but Jamal turned down the offer.&nbsp;

Khislakchi said Jamal was a critic of the regime because of Yemen.

Initially, Jamal was in support of the war on Yemen but four months down the line, when it "got brutal", he turned against it.

Jamal went against the geopolitical strategies of the prince on Qatar, Syria, Kurdish and on Yemen, said&nbsp;Khislakchi. He was also against Turkey.&nbsp;

Khislakchi added that Jamal was not afraid of the Saudi consulate.&nbsp;

Before he had been scheduled to go to the consulate he was in the UK and thereafter met with his finance,&nbsp;Hatice Cengiz, to visit the consulate to collect documents on October 2 when the incident happened.&nbsp;

Khashoggi had gone to the consulate four days back as well but the officials told him to come on October 2. &nbsp;

When he arrived at the consulate with Cengiz&nbsp;on the day they did not allow him to enter.&nbsp;

"That day, they closed all the cameras in the consulate. Some of the Turkish people, when Jamal entered, they put all of them in one room. When Jamal entered in the sound audio room, it is said that within 20 minutes they killed him," Khislakchi narrated.&nbsp;

Khislakchi further said that some people who worked in the consulate could hear Jamal screaming but they were told them to be in their rooms.

Marriage to Hatice Cengiz and the future

It was a surprise for Khislakchi when Khashoggi told him about his plan to marry&nbsp;Hatice Cengiz&nbsp;and&nbsp;to ultimately settle in Turkey, he said.&nbsp;

Khashoggi had told Khislakchi about Cengiz around two months back and requested him to meet with her father for his permission for their marriage.&nbsp;

One primary problem was the age difference - Khashoggi was in his 50s and Cengiz was in her 30s - which posed as a potential hurdle during talks with her father, Khislakchi told WION.&nbsp;

"I spoke to her father, he told me to call Jamal to Turkey. Jamal came on September 8-9 and they talked for an hour about what her father wanted from the marriage proposal," Khislakchi said.&nbsp;

They met after two days again, along with Cengiz's brothers. They spoke for four hours, he said.&nbsp;

Finally, when everything was successful, Khislakchi had asked him "Do you want to live here (Turkey) or the United States?." Khashoggi had said: "Mostly I want to stay in the United States but also come here every three or four months," Khislakchi remembered.

The couple, after they decided to get married, had also bought a house in Turkey, Khislakchi told WION. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has sparked global outrage and a full-blown crisis for Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has sparked global outrage and a full-blown crisis for Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. He had gone to collect a document that would allow him to remarry. For two weeks, Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi before finally confessing to the killing. WION's Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma spoke to Khashoggi's friend Tura Khislakchi in Istanbul. They spoke about the events leading to the brutal killing, Khashoggi's upcoming marriage to Hatice Cengiz — they were to get married the day after Jamal visited the Saudi consulate — and what Khashoggi's future plans looked like. Did Jamal think he was under threat? "No, but when his article was published in the Washington Post, some people in Saudi Arabia were threatening him on the internet but he was not aware of it," said Khislakchi. Jamal had thought people in Saudi Arabia might abduct him but never did he imagine such a horrific outcome, Khislakchi told WION. Was it because of the newly-crowned prince? Everything changed when the new prince was crowned, Khislakchi answered. "All the politicians and the rich are in jail." Khislakchi added that Jamal "left Saudi Arabia about a year back and stayed in Washington. The crown prince was afraid of Jamal's article because people in Saudi Arabia and Gulf area knew Jamal very well. Every time Jamal would publish anything, everybody would read it." Khislakchi said Prince Salman had told him about five or six months back to send a person to talk to Jamal and ultimately bring him back to Saudi Arabia as his political advisor. That way Jamal would stop writing about Saudi Arabia, but Jamal turned down the offer. Khislakchi said Jamal was a critic of the regime because of Yemen. Initially, Jamal was in support of the war on Yemen but four months down the line, when it "got brutal", he turned against it. Jamal went against the geopolitical strategies of the prince on Qatar, Syria, Kurdish and on Yemen, said Khislakchi. He was also against Turkey. Khislakchi added that Jamal was not afraid of the Saudi consulate. Before he had been scheduled to go to the consulate he was in the UK and thereafter met with his finance, Hatice Cengiz, to visit the consulate to collect documents on October 2 when the incident happened. Khashoggi had gone to the consulate four days back as well but the officials told him to come on October 2. When he arrived at the consulate with Cengiz on the day they did not allow him to enter. "That day, they closed all the cameras in the consulate. Some of the Turkish people, when Jamal entered, they put all of them in one room. When Jamal entered in the sound audio room, it is said that within 20 minutes they killed him," Khislakchi narrated. Khislakchi further said that some people who worked in the consulate could hear Jamal screaming but they were told them to be in their rooms. Marriage to Hatice Cengiz and the future It was a surprise for Khislakchi when Khashoggi told him about his plan to marry Hatice Cengiz and to ultimately settle in Turkey, he said. Khashoggi had told Khislakchi about Cengiz around two months back and requested him to meet with her father for his permission for their marriage. One primary problem was the age difference - Khashoggi was in his 50s and Cengiz was in her 30s - which posed as a potential hurdle during talks with her father, Khislakchi told WION. "I spoke to her father, he told me to call Jamal to Turkey. Jamal came on September 8-9 and they talked for an hour about what her father wanted from the marriage proposal," Khislakchi said. They met after two days again, along with Cengiz's brothers. They spoke for four hours, he said. Finally, when everything was successful, Khislakchi had asked him "Do you want to live here (Turkey) or the United States?." Khashoggi had said: "Mostly I want to stay in the United States but also come here every three or four months," Khislakchi remembered. The couple, after they decided to get married, had also bought a house in Turkey, Khislakchi told WION.

He never imagined such a horrific outcome, Jamal Khashoggi's friend tells WION

Saudi Arabia deployed a chemist and toxicology expert to Istanbul after the murder of journalist <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sons-of-slain-saudi-journalist-khashoggi-appeal-for-return-of-his-body-175542">Jamal Khashoggi</a> in an attempt to cover up evidence of the killing, a Turkish newspaper reported on Monday.

The murder of the Saudi royal-insider-turned critic inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul has provoked widespread international outrage.&nbsp;

Turkish authorities have released gruesome details of a killing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said was a targeted hit.

While Riyadh officials have admitted the murder was planned, they have so far declined to release details of the whereabouts of the 59-year-old journalist's missing body. &nbsp;

According to Turkey's pro-government Sabah daily, Saudi Arabia sent an 11-member "cover-up team" to Istanbul on October 11, nine days after the Washington Post contributor vanished after entering the diplomatic compound to obtain paperwork for his marriage.

The paper said chemist Ahmad Abdulaziz Aljanobi and toxicology expert Khaled Yahya Al Zahrani were among "the so-called investigative team", which visited the consulate every day until October 17, before leaving Turkey on October 20.

Saudi Arabia finally allowed Turkish police to search the consulate for the first time on October 15.

Turkey's chief prosecutor said last week that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate and also confirmed the body was dismembered.

Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Erdogan, hinted in an article published on Friday that the body may even have been destroyed in acid.

In an editorial published in The Washington Post, Erdogan accused authorities in Riyadh of refusing to answer key questions about the murder, despite their arrest of 18 suspects a fortnight ago.

He said the order to murder the journalist came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government, adding that he did "not believe for a second" that King Salman was to blame.

But he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of responsibility for unleashing a "death squad" against the outspoken Saudi journalist.

The murder has badly tainted the kingdom's de facto ruler.

Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb met with Turkish authorities last week in Istanbul but refused to share information from Riyadh's own investigation, according to Turkish officials.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia deployed a chemist and toxicology expert to Istanbul after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in an attempt to cover up evidence of the killing, a Turkish newspaper reported on Monday.

Saudi Arabia deployed a chemist and toxicology expert to Istanbul after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in an attempt to cover up evidence of the killing, a Turkish newspaper reported on Monday. The murder of the Saudi royal-insider-turned critic inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul has provoked widespread international outrage. Turkish authorities have released gruesome details of a killing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said was a targeted hit. While Riyadh officials have admitted the murder was planned, they have so far declined to release details of the whereabouts of the 59-year-old journalist's missing body. According to Turkey's pro-government Sabah daily, Saudi Arabia sent an 11-member "cover-up team" to Istanbul on October 11, nine days after the Washington Post contributor vanished after entering the diplomatic compound to obtain paperwork for his marriage. The paper said chemist Ahmad Abdulaziz Aljanobi and toxicology expert Khaled Yahya Al Zahrani were among "the so-called investigative team", which visited the consulate every day until October 17, before leaving Turkey on October 20. Saudi Arabia finally allowed Turkish police to search the consulate for the first time on October 15. Turkey's chief prosecutor said last week that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate and also confirmed the body was dismembered. Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Erdogan, hinted in an article published on Friday that the body may even have been destroyed in acid. In an editorial published in The Washington Post, Erdogan accused authorities in Riyadh of refusing to answer key questions about the murder, despite their arrest of 18 suspects a fortnight ago. He said the order to murder the journalist came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government, adding that he did "not believe for a second" that King Salman was to blame. But he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of responsibility for unleashing a "death squad" against the outspoken Saudi journalist. The murder has badly tainted the kingdom's de facto ruler. Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb met with Turkish authorities last week in Istanbul but refused to share information from Riyadh's own investigation, according to Turkish officials.

Saudi Arabia sent chemist, toxicology expert to cover up evidence of Khashoggi killing: Report

If Saudi Arabia is under pressure to give chapter and verse on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its consulate in Istanbul, Iran risks straining relations with Europe at a time when it needs European support the most by targeting ethnic rights activists.

Khashoggi’s murder has focused attention on Saudi harassment and intimidation of dissidents as part of the kingdom’s effort to silence critical voices. The Saudi campaign had little geopolitical significance until Khashoggi’s killing.

By contrast, Iran’s long history of targeting ethnic rights activists, including Iranians of Arab descent and Kurds, has long been rooted in the Islamic republic’s belief that they enjoy the support of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel in a bid to destabilise the country.

If Saudi Arabia has suffered severe reputational damage with the killing of Khashoggi and could face sanctions for the first time in its history, Iran, long struggling to polish its tarnished image, could face sanctioning by Europe at a moment when it needs the Europeans the most.

In the latest Iranian incident, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen are calling for European Union sanctions after they discovered a plot to kill Danish residents associated with the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), an Iranian Arab group.

The plot, together with at least two other incidents in Europe in the last year, complicates European efforts to salvage a 2015 international agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program after the United States withdrew from the deal and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran despite Iran’s denials of involvement.

The alleged Danish plot came to a head when authorities in late September closed bridges into Copenhagen and suspended train operations in connection with the case. Andersen said that Norway had since extradited to Denmark a Norwegian national of Iranian descent who was seen taking pictures of the Danish home of an ASMLA leader.

ASMLA strives for the independence of Iran’s south-eastern oil-rich province of Khuzestan that is home to Iran’s ethnic Arab community and borders on Iraq at the head of the Gulf.

Two other groups, the Islamic State and the Ahvaz National Resistance, claimed responsibility in September for an attack on a Revolutionary Guards parade in the Khuzestan capital of Ahwaz in which 29 people were killed and 70 others wounded.

Iranian officials blamed the United States and its allies, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel for the attack.

Iran at the time summoned the ambassadors of the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain to protest the three countries’ hosting of Iranian ethnic rights militants.

The Danish plot followed the killing by unidentified gunmen in the Netherlands in November 2017 of Ahmad Mola Nissi, another ASMLA leader. Shot dead on a street in The Hague, Mola Nissi died the violent life he was alleged to have lived.

A 52-year-old refugee living in the Netherlands since 2005, was believed to have been responsible for attacks in Khuzestan in 2005, 2006 and 2013 on oil facilities, the office of the Khuzestan governor, other government offices, and banks.

Together with Habib Jaber al-Ahvazi also known as Abo Naheth, another ASMLA activist, Mola Nissi focussed in recent years on media activities and fundraising, at times creating footage of alleged attacks involving gas cylinder explosions to attract Saudi funding, according to Iranian activists.

Mola Nissi was killed as he was preparing to establish a television station backed by Saudi-trained personnel and funding that would target Khuzestan.

The Netherlands has emerged in recent years as a hub for Iranian activists alongside Britain.

A group of exile Iranian academics and political activists, led by The Hague-based social scientist Damon Golriz, announced in September the creation of a group that intends to campaign for a liberal democracy in Iran under the auspices of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted Shah of Iran who lives in the United States.

Compounding the fallout of Iran’s targeting of activists is last month’s expulsion by France of an Iranian diplomat accused of being part of a plot to bomb a rally in Paris organised by the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a Saudi-backed Iranian exile group that calls for regime change in Tehran. The diplomat was among six people arrested for allegedly plotting the bombing.

Mujahedeen enjoy the support of prominent Western politicians like US President Donald J Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton, his personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, and Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal. Giuliani addressed the targeted rally.

US officials say Iran plotted to attack the group’s massive base in Albania in March.

Support for the Mujahedeen has figured prominently in broadcasts of UK-based television station Iran International that according to The Guardian is owned by a secretive offshore entity with close links to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Guardian reported that Saud al-Qahtani, Prince Mohammed’s menacing information czar who was one of several senior Saudi officials removed from office in the wake of the killing of Khashoggi, was among the station’s main funders.

“I can say that Iran International TV has turned into a platform … for ethnic partisanship and sectarianism,” The Guardian quoted a source as saying.

The Danish, French and Dutch incidents suggest that Iran takes serious indications that Saudi Arabia is considering attempting to destabilise the Islamic republic by stirring unrest among its ethnic minorities.

Bolton advocated a similar strategy before becoming Trump’s national security advisor.

Iran has been the target in the past year of various insurgent groups believed to have Saudi support, sparking repeated clashes with Iranian security forces and the interception of Kurdish, Baloch and other ethnic rebels.

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Islamabad this week on an unscheduled visit to discuss the recent kidnapping of at least 12 Iranian border and Revolutionary Guards believed to have been abducted on the Iranian side of the Pakistani-Iranian border by Jaish al-Adl, a Pakistani group that often issues its statements in Arabic rather than Baloch, Urdu or Farsi.

As the United States prepared to next week impose a new round of sanctions against Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the Iranian attacks in Europe to weaken European rejection of the US move.

“For nearly 40 years, Europe has been the target of Iran-sponsored terrorist attacks. We call on our allies and partners to confront the full range of Iran’s threats to peace and security,” Pompeo tweeted.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

If Saudi Arabia is under pressure to give chapter and verse on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its consulate in Istanbul, Iran risks straining relations with Europe at a time when it needs European support the most by targeting ethnic rights activists.

If Saudi Arabia is under pressure to give chapter and verse on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its consulate in Istanbul, Iran risks straining relations with Europe at a time when it needs European support the most by targeting ethnic rights activists. Khashoggi’s murder has focused attention on Saudi harassment and intimidation of dissidents as part of the kingdom’s effort to silence critical voices. The Saudi campaign had little geopolitical significance until Khashoggi’s killing. By contrast, Iran’s long history of targeting ethnic rights activists, including Iranians of Arab descent and Kurds, has long been rooted in the Islamic republic’s belief that they enjoy the support of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel in a bid to destabilise the country. If Saudi Arabia has suffered severe reputational damage with the killing of Khashoggi and could face sanctions for the first time in its history, Iran, long struggling to polish its tarnished image, could face sanctioning by Europe at a moment when it needs the Europeans the most. In the latest Iranian incident, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and intelligence chief Finn Borch Andersen are calling for European Union sanctions after they discovered a plot to kill Danish residents associated with the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA), an Iranian Arab group. The plot, together with at least two other incidents in Europe in the last year, complicates European efforts to salvage a 2015 international agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program after the United States withdrew from the deal and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran despite Iran’s denials of involvement. The alleged Danish plot came to a head when authorities in late September closed bridges into Copenhagen and suspended train operations in connection with the case. Andersen said that Norway had since extradited to Denmark a Norwegian national of Iranian descent who was seen taking pictures of the Danish home of an ASMLA leader. ASMLA strives for the independence of Iran’s south-eastern oil-rich province of Khuzestan that is home to Iran’s ethnic Arab community and borders on Iraq at the head of the Gulf. Two other groups, the Islamic State and the Ahvaz National Resistance, claimed responsibility in September for an attack on a Revolutionary Guards parade in the Khuzestan capital of Ahwaz in which 29 people were killed and 70 others wounded. Iranian officials blamed the United States and its allies, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel for the attack. Iran at the time summoned the ambassadors of the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain to protest the three countries’ hosting of Iranian ethnic rights militants. The Danish plot followed the killing by unidentified gunmen in the Netherlands in November 2017 of Ahmad Mola Nissi, another ASMLA leader. Shot dead on a street in The Hague, Mola Nissi died the violent life he was alleged to have lived. A 52-year-old refugee living in the Netherlands since 2005, was believed to have been responsible for attacks in Khuzestan in 2005, 2006 and 2013 on oil facilities, the office of the Khuzestan governor, other government offices, and banks. Together with Habib Jaber al-Ahvazi also known as Abo Naheth, another ASMLA activist, Mola Nissi focussed in recent years on media activities and fundraising, at times creating footage of alleged attacks involving gas cylinder explosions to attract Saudi funding, according to Iranian activists. Mola Nissi was killed as he was preparing to establish a television station backed by Saudi-trained personnel and funding that would target Khuzestan. The Netherlands has emerged in recent years as a hub for Iranian activists alongside Britain. A group of exile Iranian academics and political activists, led by The Hague-based social scientist Damon Golriz, announced in September the creation of a group that intends to campaign for a liberal democracy in Iran under the auspices of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted Shah of Iran who lives in the United States. Compounding the fallout of Iran’s targeting of activists is last month’s expulsion by France of an Iranian diplomat accused of being part of a plot to bomb a rally in Paris organised by the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, a Saudi-backed Iranian exile group that calls for regime change in Tehran. The diplomat was among six people arrested for allegedly plotting the bombing. Mujahedeen enjoy the support of prominent Western politicians like US President Donald J Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton, his personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, and Saudi Arabia’s former intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal. Giuliani addressed the targeted rally. US officials say Iran plotted to attack the group’s massive base in Albania in March. Support for the Mujahedeen has figured prominently in broadcasts of UK-based television station Iran International that according to The Guardian is owned by a secretive offshore entity with close links to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Guardian reported that Saud al-Qahtani, Prince Mohammed’s menacing information czar who was one of several senior Saudi officials removed from office in the wake of the killing of Khashoggi, was among the station’s main funders. “I can say that Iran International TV has turned into a platform … for ethnic partisanship and sectarianism,” The Guardian quoted a source as saying. The Danish, French and Dutch incidents suggest that Iran takes serious indications that Saudi Arabia is considering attempting to destabilise the Islamic republic by stirring unrest among its ethnic minorities. Bolton advocated a similar strategy before becoming Trump’s national security advisor. Iran has been the target in the past year of various insurgent groups believed to have Saudi support, sparking repeated clashes with Iranian security forces and the interception of Kurdish, Baloch and other ethnic rebels. Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Islamabad this week on an unscheduled visit to discuss the recent kidnapping of at least 12 Iranian border and Revolutionary Guards believed to have been abducted on the Iranian side of the Pakistani-Iranian border by Jaish al-Adl, a Pakistani group that often issues its statements in Arabic rather than Baloch, Urdu or Farsi. As the United States prepared to next week impose a new round of sanctions against Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used the Iranian attacks in Europe to weaken European rejection of the US move. “For nearly 40 years, Europe has been the target of Iran-sponsored terrorist attacks. We call on our allies and partners to confront the full range of Iran’s threats to peace and security,” Pompeo tweeted. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi Arabia and Iran: When it comes to exiles, the pot calls the kettle black

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/earths-wild-animal-population-plummets-60-per-cent-in-44-years-wwf-174289">In 40 years, humans have wiped out 60% of the world's animal population: WWF</a>

Unbridled consumption has decimated global wildlife, triggered a mass extinction and exhausted Earth's capacity to accommodate humanity's expanding appetites, the conservation group WWF warned Tuesday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-fiancee-hits-at-trump-response-warns-of-money-influence-174297">Khashoggi fiancee slams Trump response to </a><a class="gr-progress" href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-fiancee-hits-at-trump-response-warns-of-money-influence-174297">killing</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-fiancee-hits-at-trump-response-warns-of-money-influence-174297">, tells him to set aside trade interests</a>

The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s response to his killing, urging him to set aside US trade interests in the push for truth, and demanded Riyadh disclose more details to bring those who ordered it to justice.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/over-1-lakh-children-under-five-died-due-to-toxic-air-in-2016-who-study-174295">Over 100,000 Indian children under 5 died from air pollution in 2016: WHO</a>

Over one lakh children under five years of age died in India in 2016 due to exposure to toxic air, according to a new WHO study which noted that about 98 per cent of children in the same age group in low- and middle-income countries were exposed to air pollution.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/fuel-prices-drop-for-13th-straight-day-petrol-at-rs-7955-per-litre-in-delhi-174298">Fuel prices continue to drop, petrol at Rs 79.55 per </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/fuel-prices-drop-for-13th-straight-day-petrol-at-rs-7955-per-litre-in-delhi-174298">litre</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/fuel-prices-drop-for-13th-straight-day-petrol-at-rs-7955-per-litre-in-delhi-174298"> in Delhi</a>

Fuel prices in the national capital dropped for the thirteenth consecutive day on Tuesday as petrol prices stood at Rs 79.55 per litre, down by Rs 0.20 paise, and diesel prices at Rs. 73.73, down by Rs 0.07 paise.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-interviews-indian-american-woman-to-replace-kavanaugh-in-dc-circuit-court-174293">Trump interviews Indian-American woman to replace Kavanaugh in DC circuit court</a>

US President Donald Trump has interviewed an Indian-American woman to replace Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the powerful federal appeals court in Washington, DC, according to a report.

In 40 years, humans have wiped out 60% of the world's animal population: WWF Unbridled consumption has decimated global wildlife, triggered a mass extinction and exhausted Earth's capacity to accommodate humanity's expanding appetites, the conservation group WWF warned Tuesday.

In 40 years, humans have wiped out 60% of the world's animal population: WWF Unbridled consumption has decimated global wildlife, triggered a mass extinction and exhausted Earth's capacity to accommodate humanity's expanding appetites, the conservation group WWF warned Tuesday. Khashoggi fiancee slams Trump response to killing, tells him to set aside trade interests The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s response to his killing, urging him to set aside US trade interests in the push for truth, and demanded Riyadh disclose more details to bring those who ordered it to justice. Over 100,000 Indian children under 5 died from air pollution in 2016: WHO Over one lakh children under five years of age died in India in 2016 due to exposure to toxic air, according to a new WHO study which noted that about 98 per cent of children in the same age group in low- and middle-income countries were exposed to air pollution. Fuel prices continue to drop, petrol at Rs 79.55 per litre in Delhi Fuel prices in the national capital dropped for the thirteenth consecutive day on Tuesday as petrol prices stood at Rs 79.55 per litre, down by Rs 0.20 paise, and diesel prices at Rs. 73.73, down by Rs 0.07 paise. Trump interviews Indian-American woman to replace Kavanaugh in DC circuit court US President Donald Trump has interviewed an Indian-American woman to replace Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the powerful federal appeals court in Washington, DC, according to a report.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi on Monday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggi-fiancee-declined-trump-invite-fearing-public-opinion-ploy-173722">criticized President Donald Trump’s</a> response to his killing, urging him to set aside US&nbsp;trade interests in the push for truth, and demanded Riyadh disclose more details to bring those who ordered it to justice.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-rejects-turkey-call-to-extradite-khashoggi-killers-173820">death of Khashoggi </a>- a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - sparked global outrage and pitched the world’s top oil exporter into crisis.

Trump has hedged his criticism of Saudi leaders over Khashoggi, insisting he does not want to imperil a “tremendous order” of US $110 billion of weapons he says will support 500,000 US&nbsp;jobs - figures that experts say are highly exaggerated.

His fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, told an audience on a visit to London she was disappointed with Trump’s approach.

“I am disappointed by the actions of the leadership in many countries, particularly in the US,” she said.

“President Trump should help reveal the truth and ensure justice be served. He should not pave the way for a cover-up of my fiance’s murder. Let’s not let money taint our conscience and compromise our values.”

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/khashoggis-fiancee-says-he-treated-well-during-first-consulate-visit-173677">Khashoggi's fiancee says he was treated well during first consulate visit</a>

When asked who was ultimately responsible for the killing, Cengiz told Reuters in an interview in Turkish: “This took place inside a Saudi diplomatic mission ... In such circumstances, the Saudi Arabian authorities are responsible for this.”

Trump has said Prince Mohammed, who has consolidated control over Saudi security and intelligence agencies over the past three years, bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Khashoggi’s killing.

She said the West is considered a stronghold of human rights and democracy so it should stand up to the killers of her husband-to-be.

Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October&nbsp;2 to obtain paperwork necessary for his upcoming marriage to Cengiz, a Turkish national. He did not walk out of the consulate. Cengiz first raised the alarm.

Saudi Arabia initially denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance but a Saudi official eventually attributed his death to a botched attempt to return him to the kingdom.

Later, Riyadh said the killing was premeditated and Prince Mohammed has vowed that the killers would be brought to justice.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of the investigation into Khashoggi’s murder. Some were members of a 15-man hit team, many of them Saudi intelligence operatives, who flew into Istanbul hours before Khashoggi’s death, Turkish security sources say.

“This incident, this assassination, took place in the Saudi consulate,” Cengiz said, speaking through a translator. “So the Saudi authorities probably know how such a murder took place.”

“They need to explain what happened,” said Cengiz, who was somber, guarded and appeared at times on the verge of tears.

When asked what she would say to Prince Mohammed if she ever got the chance to speak to him, she said: “I don’t think that will ever happen.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who Cengiz praised, has urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder and prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia.

“The explanations given so far by Saudi Arabia are not sufficient,” Cengiz said. “I want to know the details of who is responsible.”

Asked if she held Crown Prince Mohammed or the Saudi royal family responsible, she said:

“I and my government would like all those responsible, from the person who gave this order to those who carried it out, to be brought to justice and punished under international law,” she said.

Cengiz said she had not been contacted by Prince Mohammed or the Saudi royal family, nor offered any condolences by them.

Cengiz met Khashoggi in May at a conference in Istanbul and their relationship blossomed. But the decision to marry in Istanbul, whose mosques reminded Khashoggi of his hometown Medina, set off a paper chase that ultimately ended in death.

Turkish law required that Khashoggi, who was divorced, provide proof that he did not have a wife and thus his trip to the consulate. Cengiz said she had been shown no recordings of what happened inside the consulate and that she got most of her information from the media.

“Like everyone else, I am still waiting for answers,” she said. “The world should know who instigated, were involved in and committed this crime.”

The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s response to his killing, urging him to set aside US trade interests in the push for truth, and demanded Riyadh disclose more details to bring those who ordered it to justice.

The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s response to his killing, urging him to set aside US trade interests in the push for truth, and demanded Riyadh disclose more details to bring those who ordered it to justice. The death of Khashoggi - a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - sparked global outrage and pitched the world’s top oil exporter into crisis. Trump has hedged his criticism of Saudi leaders over Khashoggi, insisting he does not want to imperil a “tremendous order” of US $110 billion of weapons he says will support 500,000 US jobs - figures that experts say are highly exaggerated. His fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, told an audience on a visit to London she was disappointed with Trump’s approach. “I am disappointed by the actions of the leadership in many countries, particularly in the US,” she said. “President Trump should help reveal the truth and ensure justice be served. He should not pave the way for a cover-up of my fiance’s murder. Let’s not let money taint our conscience and compromise our values.” Also read: Khashoggi's fiancee says he was treated well during first consulate visit When asked who was ultimately responsible for the killing, Cengiz told Reuters in an interview in Turkish: “This took place inside a Saudi diplomatic mission ... In such circumstances, the Saudi Arabian authorities are responsible for this.” Trump has said Prince Mohammed, who has consolidated control over Saudi security and intelligence agencies over the past three years, bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to Khashoggi’s killing. She said the West is considered a stronghold of human rights and democracy so it should stand up to the killers of her husband-to-be. Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork necessary for his upcoming marriage to Cengiz, a Turkish national. He did not walk out of the consulate. Cengiz first raised the alarm. Saudi Arabia initially denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance but a Saudi official eventually attributed his death to a botched attempt to return him to the kingdom. Later, Riyadh said the killing was premeditated and Prince Mohammed has vowed that the killers would be brought to justice. Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of the investigation into Khashoggi’s murder. Some were members of a 15-man hit team, many of them Saudi intelligence operatives, who flew into Istanbul hours before Khashoggi’s death, Turkish security sources say. “This incident, this assassination, took place in the Saudi consulate,” Cengiz said, speaking through a translator. “So the Saudi authorities probably know how such a murder took place.” “They need to explain what happened,” said Cengiz, who was somber, guarded and appeared at times on the verge of tears. When asked what she would say to Prince Mohammed if she ever got the chance to speak to him, she said: “I don’t think that will ever happen.” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who Cengiz praised, has urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder and prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia. “The explanations given so far by Saudi Arabia are not sufficient,” Cengiz said. “I want to know the details of who is responsible.” Asked if she held Crown Prince Mohammed or the Saudi royal family responsible, she said: “I and my government would like all those responsible, from the person who gave this order to those who carried it out, to be brought to justice and punished under international law,” she said. Cengiz said she had not been contacted by Prince Mohammed or the Saudi royal family, nor offered any condolences by them. Cengiz met Khashoggi in May at a conference in Istanbul and their relationship blossomed. But the decision to marry in Istanbul, whose mosques reminded Khashoggi of his hometown Medina, set off a paper chase that ultimately ended in death. Turkish law required that Khashoggi, who was divorced, provide proof that he did not have a wife and thus his trip to the consulate. Cengiz said she had been shown no recordings of what happened inside the consulate and that she got most of her information from the media. “Like everyone else, I am still waiting for answers,” she said. “The world should know who instigated, were involved in and committed this crime.”

Khashoggi fiancee slams Trump response to killing, tells him to put trade interests aside

WION Chat: Meet over Khashoggi Murder in Saudi Consulate

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor is set to visit Istanbul to hold talks with Turkish authorities as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist and critic of&nbsp;Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's president Recept Erdogan recently announced.&nbsp;

WION spoke to&nbsp;Egeman Bagis, a&nbsp;former Turkish minister on the journalist's murder and the significance of the meeting. Edited excerpts.&nbsp;

WION: What is the significance of the meeting to be held between Saudi prosecutor and the Turkish prosecutor in the context of the Jamal Khashoggi's murder?

Egemen Bagis: Well, first of all Mr Khashoggi was killed as far as we know in a very heinous and barbaric way at the diplomatic property. According to the diplomatic convention of Vienna, such rules about restriction apply. So, yes it is considered Saudi land, however, it needs to respect and obey the rules and the laws of the country it belongs&nbsp;to.....which is Turkey. So it makes a very complicated investigation for both sides, but this is not a matter between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. This is a human rights issue. This is about freedom of press. This is about human life. A&nbsp;journalist who was hoping to get papers so could get married was killed in the consulate general of his own country. You don't go to consulates with fears, you don't go to consulates, or diplomatic mission, embassies with suspicion. You go there to be assisted, not to be killed. So we all need to find out why he was killed? How he was killed? When he was killed? With whose instructions was he killed and most importantly where are his remains?&nbsp;Where is the body?

WION: You know they have been accepting certain facts of the case established by Turkey earlier in the day with great reticence, you know first it was a killing then it was an operation gone wrong, then it was about the fact that yes it was premeditated, there has been so much reticence to come around what we call truth.&nbsp;

Egemen Bagis:&nbsp;Well, we also know for a fact that Saudi Arabia, in the beginning, declined to accept any responsibility. At first their position was he came in and&nbsp;finished his procedure and left the consulate and then we realised that they actually have someone put on his own clothes and pretend that it was him and then left his belongings and his watch somewhere in&nbsp;office in Istanbul. Later on, they accepted that it was a killing and that he was actually dead. Then they said yes! this was done but people are being detained for that... and 18 people were supposedly detained in Saudi Arabia. Then we were told that they are investigating on to the reasons for his killing but we don't really know and the story has not been very persistent. It&nbsp;has not been very stable. We are finding out new things as we go along. They are accepting new responsibilities and we are all trying to understand what really happened.

WION: Why has Turkey pursued this case so seriously. this is not the first time, it's very unfortunate but such a hit has taken place, Israelis have done it for the 1950s onwards. You know, There was a drone program expanded under Barack Obama. He dropped more than 26,000 bombs in various war theatres. It's not as if its a new development.

Egemen Bagis:&nbsp;Actually for us, it is a very new development. For us,&nbsp;it's a very devastating development. This country and its lands have been a safe haven for centuries for many nations, many groups, many oppositions. This is a place where people find a safe haven. This is the place when Saddam was gassing the church into death they all went into the Turkish lands for refuge. Today as we speak, we have 3.5 million Syrians in Turkey who have found a safe haven. We have more than half a million Iraqis who have fled the war and the bloodshed in their own country. This is not a country to get killed. It is a country to find protection, to find stability, to find peace. And for us, someone being killed in our own country in his own country's diplomatic mission, is really devastating.&nbsp;

WION: What is the geopolitical consequence of this killing? specifically in the context of Saudi Arabia. What is your observation?&nbsp;

Egemen Bagis:&nbsp;Well, there are many opposition groups an many different countries. We have very important and good relations with Saudi Arabia. It's a very important country for Turks and Muslims around the world. This (Saudi Arabia) is where the holy sites of Islam are located and, therefore,&nbsp;we prioritise having good relations with Saudi Arabia. But, we don't want this incident to turn into a conflicting situation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia but just because Saudi Arabia is an important country for us doesn't mean everybody in Saudi Arabia can get out of jail free card. Everyone no matter where they are,&nbsp; have to accept responsibilities for their actions and if they are wrong actions then they have to be punished for it and they have to be prosecuted for it. without any prosecution, we cannot claim anyone is guilty or anyone is innocent so we have to find out what really happened.&nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;Won't you agree under the new dispensation under Saudi Arabia, you have a war theatre in Yemen, different politics in Qatar, a different take of the regime in Syria and I really don't think that Turkey shares the same vision or the view.

Egemen Bagis:&nbsp;Turkey and Saudi Arabia might differ on different political issues, &nbsp;they might agree on some others but that doesn't mean anyone has to be killed or anyone's killing has to be covered. I know president Erdogan. I have spent 17 years working closely with him and I know he will not let this issue to be covered up.

WION:&nbsp;You mention the president's take, why,&nbsp;what makes him pursue this case so closely on an everyday basis.

Egemen Bagis:&nbsp;This is an important issue. This is a diplomatic crisis. This is also a very important humanitarian issue. When you think Erdogan, you have to realise that the guy himself was in prison for reciting a poem which was in the textbook of this country. So, he knows how wrongful the prosecution can harm individuals and their image.&nbsp; He has been fighting to enhance democracy in this country. You might not agree with him on everything he does. He has his opposition as well but one thing for sure even his opponents, even his competition, respects that he is a man of his words and he is a man of justice. Everyone agrees he has no blood on his hands unlike some other leaders around the world.

WION: But the international impression is Saudi Arabia can buy their way through the oil

Egemen Bagis:&nbsp;That's not going to work in Turkey. May be in other countries.

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor is set to visit Istanbul to hold talks with Turkish authorities as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's president Recept Erdogan recently announced.

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor is set to visit Istanbul to hold talks with Turkish authorities as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's president Recept Erdogan recently announced. WION spoke to Egeman Bagis, a former Turkish minister on the journalist's murder and the significance of the meeting. Edited excerpts. WION: What is the significance of the meeting to be held between Saudi prosecutor and the Turkish prosecutor in the context of the Jamal Khashoggi's murder? Egemen Bagis: Well, first of all Mr Khashoggi was killed as far as we know in a very heinous and barbaric way at the diplomatic property. According to the diplomatic convention of Vienna, such rules about restriction apply. So, yes it is considered Saudi land, however, it needs to respect and obey the rules and the laws of the country it belongs to.....which is Turkey. So it makes a very complicated investigation for both sides, but this is not a matter between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. This is a human rights issue. This is about freedom of press. This is about human life. A journalist who was hoping to get papers so could get married was killed in the consulate general of his own country. You don't go to consulates with fears, you don't go to consulates, or diplomatic mission, embassies with suspicion. You go there to be assisted, not to be killed. So we all need to find out why he was killed? How he was killed? When he was killed? With whose instructions was he killed and most importantly where are his remains? Where is the body? WION: You know they have been accepting certain facts of the case established by Turkey earlier in the day with great reticence, you know first it was a killing then it was an operation gone wrong, then it was about the fact that yes it was premeditated, there has been so much reticence to come around what we call truth. Egemen Bagis: Well, we also know for a fact that Saudi Arabia, in the beginning, declined to accept any responsibility. At first their position was he came in and finished his procedure and left the consulate and then we realised that they actually have someone put on his own clothes and pretend that it was him and then left his belongings and his watch somewhere in office in Istanbul. Later on, they accepted that it was a killing and that he was actually dead. Then they said yes! this was done but people are being detained for that... and 18 people were supposedly detained in Saudi Arabia. Then we were told that they are investigating on to the reasons for his killing but we don't really know and the story has not been very persistent. It has not been very stable. We are finding out new things as we go along. They are accepting new responsibilities and we are all trying to understand what really happened. WION: Why has Turkey pursued this case so seriously. this is not the first time, it's very unfortunate but such a hit has taken place, Israelis have done it for the 1950s onwards. You know, There was a drone program expanded under Barack Obama. He dropped more than 26,000 bombs in various war theatres. It's not as if its a new development. Egemen Bagis: Actually for us, it is a very new development. For us, it's a very devastating development. This country and its lands have been a safe haven for centuries for many nations, many groups, many oppositions. This is a place where people find a safe haven. This is the place when Saddam was gassing the church into death they all went into the Turkish lands for refuge. Today as we speak, we have 3.5 million Syrians in Turkey who have found a safe haven. We have more than half a million Iraqis who have fled the war and the bloodshed in their own country. This is not a country to get killed. It is a country to find protection, to find stability, to find peace. And for us, someone being killed in our own country in his own country's diplomatic mission, is really devastating. WION: What is the geopolitical consequence of this killing? specifically in the context of Saudi Arabia. What is your observation? Egemen Bagis: Well, there are many opposition groups an many different countries. We have very important and good relations with Saudi Arabia. It's a very important country for Turks and Muslims around the world. This (Saudi Arabia) is where the holy sites of Islam are located and, therefore, we prioritise having good relations with Saudi Arabia. But, we don't want this incident to turn into a conflicting situation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia but just because Saudi Arabia is an important country for us doesn't mean everybody in Saudi Arabia can get out of jail free card. Everyone no matter where they are, have to accept responsibilities for their actions and if they are wrong actions then they have to be punished for it and they have to be prosecuted for it. without any prosecution, we cannot claim anyone is guilty or anyone is innocent so we have to find out what really happened. WION: Won't you agree under the new dispensation under Saudi Arabia, you have a war theatre in Yemen, different politics in Qatar, a different take of the regime in Syria and I really don't think that Turkey shares the same vision or the view. Egemen Bagis: Turkey and Saudi Arabia might differ on different political issues, they might agree on some others but that doesn't mean anyone has to be killed or anyone's killing has to be covered. I know president Erdogan. I have spent 17 years working closely with him and I know he will not let this issue to be covered up. WION: You mention the president's take, why, what makes him pursue this case so closely on an everyday basis. Egemen Bagis: This is an important issue. This is a diplomatic crisis. This is also a very important humanitarian issue. When you think Erdogan, you have to realise that the guy himself was in prison for reciting a poem which was in the textbook of this country. So, he knows how wrongful the prosecution can harm individuals and their image. He has been fighting to enhance democracy in this country. You might not agree with him on everything he does. He has his opposition as well but one thing for sure even his opponents, even his competition, respects that he is a man of his words and he is a man of justice. Everyone agrees he has no blood on his hands unlike some other leaders around the world. WION: But the international impression is Saudi Arabia can buy their way through the oil Egemen Bagis: That's not going to work in Turkey. May be in other countries.

Saudi key country for us doesn't mean everyone there can get 'out of jail free card': Ex-Turkish minister to WION

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shared details of the case of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in bilateral talks during a four-way summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany, he said on Saturday.

Erdogan, speaking at a joint news conference following a summit in Istanbul, said Saudi Arabia needed to say who sent to Turkey the 18 people believed to be responsible for Khashoggi's killing.

He also said Turkey valued the conclusion of discussions between Turkish and Saudi prosecutors, who are due to meet on Sunday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the summit on the conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011.

&nbsp;A constitutional committee for Syria should be formed as soon as possible, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday (October 27), adding that he hoped it would be formed before the end of the year.

Erdogan said the four leaders discussed the return of refugees to Syria and they agreed that the returns should be voluntary. He also called on European Union to fulfil its promises for fair burden-sharing.

Turkey agreed to stem the record flow of migrants to Europe in 2016 in exchange for billions of Euros in aid from the European Union and the lifting of short-term visa requirements for Turkish citizens wishing to enter the bloc.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shared details of the case of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in bilateral talks during a four-way summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany, he said on Saturday.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shared details of the case of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in bilateral talks during a four-way summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany, he said on Saturday. Erdogan, speaking at a joint news conference following a summit in Istanbul, said Saudi Arabia needed to say who sent to Turkey the 18 people believed to be responsible for Khashoggi's killing. He also said Turkey valued the conclusion of discussions between Turkish and Saudi prosecutors, who are due to meet on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the summit on the conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011. A constitutional committee for Syria should be formed as soon as possible, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday (October 27), adding that he hoped it would be formed before the end of the year. Erdogan said the four leaders discussed the return of refugees to Syria and they agreed that the returns should be voluntary. He also called on European Union to fulfil its promises for fair burden-sharing. Turkey agreed to stem the record flow of migrants to Europe in 2016 in exchange for billions of Euros in aid from the European Union and the lifting of short-term visa requirements for Turkish citizens wishing to enter the bloc.

Turkey's Erdogan says shared details of Khashoggi case with leaders at four-way summit

Turkish prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, authorities said on Friday, after President Tayyip Erdogan urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder.

Erdogan has in recent days stepped up pressure on Saudi Arabia to come clean in the case, and Western governments have also voiced increasing scepticism, pitching the world's top oil exporter and a pivotal Middle East ally into a worsening crisis.

Erdogan said Turkey had more information than it had shared so far about the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi national and Washington Post columnist who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct.2.

Khashoggi, who lived in the United States, was a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler.

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor on Thursday said the killing of Khashoggi was premeditated, contradicting a previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the consulate. Riyadh's numerous shifting accounts of the killing have undermined Prince Mohammed's stance in the West.

Turkish prosecutors seeking the extradition accuse the 18 of "murder by premeditation, monstrous intent or by torture". Riyadh previously arrested the 18 as part of its investigation into the case. Those include a 15-man security team that Turkey says flew in hours before the killing and carried it out.

"Who gave this order?" Erdogan said in a speech to members of his AK Party in Ankara. "Who gave the order for 15 people to come to Turkey?" he said.

Saudi officials initially denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's disappearance after he entered the consulate, which he had visited to obtain paperwork for a planned marriage.

"The reasoning behind the extradition request is that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in Turkey by Saudi nationals who travelled to Turkey for this specific purpose," a senior Turkish official said.

"It is clear that the judicial system in Turkey is better equipped to genuinely serve the cause of justice in this case."

Saudi Arabia has also sacked five senior government officials as part of the investigation.

Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said she did not accept an invitation from US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, the kingdom's staunchest Western champion, to visit the White House after Khashoggi's murder because she thought it was aimed at influencing public opinion in his own favour.

In her first television interview since the killing, Cengiz recounted the events leading up to their visit to the consulate on October&nbsp;2 where Khashoggi handed her his two mobile phones and went inside while she waited outside for him to emerge.

"Trump invited me to the United States but I perceived it as a statement to win public favour," Cengiz told broadcaster Haberturk, pausing at times during an interview and more than once breaking down in tears.

Trump and Prince Mohammed have cultivated warm ties though the US&nbsp;president said earlier this week that the crown prince, as the kingdom's de facto ruler, bore ultimate responsibility for the operation against Khashoggi. Trump also said Riyadh had staged the "worst cover-up ever" over the killing.

Cengiz said Khashoggi was concerned tensions would arise when he visited the consulate for the first time on Sept. 28, but he was treated well at that visit, which appeared to reassure him, she said.

"He thought Turkey is a safe country and if he would be held or interrogated, this issue would be swiftly solved," she said.

How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for Khashoggi's death lies directly with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities.

Prince Mohammed, who casts himself as a reformer, has said the killers will be brought to justice.

Erdogan said he had spoken with Prince Mohammed. "I also told the crown prince. I said, 'You know how to make people talk. Whatever happened between these 18 people, this dodgy business is among them. If you are determined to lift suspicion, then the key point of our cooperation is these 18 people.'"

Turkish officials suspect Saudi agents killed Khashoggi, 59, inside the consulate and dismembered him. Turkish sources say authorities have an audio recording documenting the murder.

U. CIA Director Gina Haspel heard the audio during a visit to Turkey this week, sources told Reuters, and has briefed Trump about Turkey's findings and her discussions.

Saudi state television quoted the Saudi public prosecutor on Thursday as saying Riyadh was interrogating suspects on the basis of information given by a joint Saudi-Turkish task force.

Many Saudis have been shocked by Riyadh's admission after two weeks of denials and condemnation of foreign news reports.

On Friday, authorities tried to stem the domestic fallout, instructing mosque preachers to focus sermons on "the fierce and unjust onslaught targeting the country", according to a directive seen by Reuters that did not specifically mention the Khashoggi murder.

One Riyadh cleric warned worshippers against repeating reports from TV or social media "without contemplating the danger of this news", adding that "most of them are lies".

Turkish prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, authorities said on Friday, after President Tayyip Erdogan urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder.

Turkish prosecutors have prepared an extradition request for 18 suspects from Saudi Arabia in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, authorities said on Friday, after President Tayyip Erdogan urged Riyadh to disclose who ordered the murder. Erdogan has in recent days stepped up pressure on Saudi Arabia to come clean in the case, and Western governments have also voiced increasing scepticism, pitching the world's top oil exporter and a pivotal Middle East ally into a worsening crisis. Erdogan said Turkey had more information than it had shared so far about the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi national and Washington Post columnist who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct.2. Khashoggi, who lived in the United States, was a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler. Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor on Thursday said the killing of Khashoggi was premeditated, contradicting a previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the consulate. Riyadh's numerous shifting accounts of the killing have undermined Prince Mohammed's stance in the West. Turkish prosecutors seeking the extradition accuse the 18 of "murder by premeditation, monstrous intent or by torture". Riyadh previously arrested the 18 as part of its investigation into the case. Those include a 15-man security team that Turkey says flew in hours before the killing and carried it out. "Who gave this order?" Erdogan said in a speech to members of his AK Party in Ankara. "Who gave the order for 15 people to come to Turkey?" he said. Saudi officials initially denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's disappearance after he entered the consulate, which he had visited to obtain paperwork for a planned marriage. "The reasoning behind the extradition request is that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in Turkey by Saudi nationals who travelled to Turkey for this specific purpose," a senior Turkish official said. "It is clear that the judicial system in Turkey is better equipped to genuinely serve the cause of justice in this case." Saudi Arabia has also sacked five senior government officials as part of the investigation. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said she did not accept an invitation from US President Donald Trump, the kingdom's staunchest Western champion, to visit the White House after Khashoggi's murder because she thought it was aimed at influencing public opinion in his own favour. In her first television interview since the killing, Cengiz recounted the events leading up to their visit to the consulate on October 2 where Khashoggi handed her his two mobile phones and went inside while she waited outside for him to emerge. "Trump invited me to the United States but I perceived it as a statement to win public favour," Cengiz told broadcaster Haberturk, pausing at times during an interview and more than once breaking down in tears. Trump and Prince Mohammed have cultivated warm ties though the US president said earlier this week that the crown prince, as the kingdom's de facto ruler, bore ultimate responsibility for the operation against Khashoggi. Trump also said Riyadh had staged the "worst cover-up ever" over the killing. Cengiz said Khashoggi was concerned tensions would arise when he visited the consulate for the first time on Sept. 28, but he was treated well at that visit, which appeared to reassure him, she said. "He thought Turkey is a safe country and if he would be held or interrogated, this issue would be swiftly solved," she said. How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for Khashoggi's death lies directly with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities. Prince Mohammed, who casts himself as a reformer, has said the killers will be brought to justice. Erdogan said he had spoken with Prince Mohammed. "I also told the crown prince. I said, 'You know how to make people talk. Whatever happened between these 18 people, this dodgy business is among them. If you are determined to lift suspicion, then the key point of our cooperation is these 18 people.'" Turkish officials suspect Saudi agents killed Khashoggi, 59, inside the consulate and dismembered him. Turkish sources say authorities have an audio recording documenting the murder. U. CIA Director Gina Haspel heard the audio during a visit to Turkey this week, sources told Reuters, and has briefed Trump about Turkey's findings and her discussions. Saudi state television quoted the Saudi public prosecutor on Thursday as saying Riyadh was interrogating suspects on the basis of information given by a joint Saudi-Turkish task force. Many Saudis have been shocked by Riyadh's admission after two weeks of denials and condemnation of foreign news reports. On Friday, authorities tried to stem the domestic fallout, instructing mosque preachers to focus sermons on "the fierce and unjust onslaught targeting the country", according to a directive seen by Reuters that did not specifically mention the Khashoggi murder. One Riyadh cleric warned worshippers against repeating reports from TV or social media "without contemplating the danger of this news", adding that "most of them are lies".

Turkey demands extradition of 18 Saudis in Khashoggi case

The head of the CIA on Thursday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/murder-of-khashoggi-premeditated-saudi-prosecutor-173420">briefed US President Donald Trump on the latest </a>developments in the investigation of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after a fact-finding mission to Turkey, officials said.

CIA Director Gina Haspel delivered her report to Trump at the White House with the secretary of state Mike Pompeo also present, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said.

Haspel shared her "findings and discussions from her trip to Turkey," said Palladino, who declined to discuss the substance of her presentation.

The CIA chief held talks Tuesday in Turkey as global outrage mounted over the killing of Saudi palace critic Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, where he went to complete paperwork for his upcoming marriage.

Turkish media said that intelligence officers showed Haspel video images and audio tapes of Khashoggi's killing gathered from the consulate.

The United States has a long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia but on Tuesday slapped visa restrictions on 21 Saudis suspected of involvement in the killing.

Palladino said that the United States was still waiting for a more detailed probe by the Saudis.

"We want this as soon as possible. The longer the investigation takes, the more concerned we become about its impact and its efficacy. And the longer it takes, the longer there are questions about this tragedy that remain unanswered," he said.

Saudi Arabia said Thursday for the first time that the murder appeared to be premeditated, but based its information on Turkey.

The kingdom initially said that Khashoggi walked out freely from its consulate and then said he died in a fistfight, abrupt changes in a narrative about what Trump has called "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

The head of the CIA on Thursday briefed US President Donald Trump on the latest developments in the investigation of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after a fact-finding mission to Turkey, officials said.

The head of the CIA on Thursday briefed US President Donald Trump on the latest developments in the investigation of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after a fact-finding mission to Turkey, officials said. CIA Director Gina Haspel delivered her report to Trump at the White House with the secretary of state Mike Pompeo also present, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said. Haspel shared her "findings and discussions from her trip to Turkey," said Palladino, who declined to discuss the substance of her presentation. The CIA chief held talks Tuesday in Turkey as global outrage mounted over the killing of Saudi palace critic Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, where he went to complete paperwork for his upcoming marriage. Turkish media said that intelligence officers showed Haspel video images and audio tapes of Khashoggi's killing gathered from the consulate. The United States has a long-standing alliance with Saudi Arabia but on Tuesday slapped visa restrictions on 21 Saudis suspected of involvement in the killing. Palladino said that the United States was still waiting for a more detailed probe by the Saudis. "We want this as soon as possible. The longer the investigation takes, the more concerned we become about its impact and its efficacy. And the longer it takes, the longer there are questions about this tragedy that remain unanswered," he said. Saudi Arabia said Thursday for the first time that the murder appeared to be premeditated, but based its information on Turkey. The kingdom initially said that Khashoggi walked out freely from its consulate and then said he died in a fistfight, abrupt changes in a narrative about what Trump has called "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

After visiting Turkey, CIA chief Gina Haspel submits report on Khashoggi to Trump

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor will visit Istanbul to speak with Turkish authorities as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's president said Friday, adding that Ankara has yet more evidence in the case.

The announcement by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes a day after the Saudi prosecutor said that, based on evidence supplied by Turkey, the murder appeared to have been premeditated -- the first time Saudi authorities have made such an admission.

The killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor critical of Riyadh, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 has sparked international backlash against the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to draw a line under the crisis but a string of gruesome details about the murder have continued to appear in the Turkish media.

Erdogan said that the Saudi prosecutor would arrive on Sunday, and called on Riyadh to reveal who ordered the killing and the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body.

"You need to show this body," Erdogan said during an address in Ankara to his ruling party's provincial heads.&nbsp;

Khashoggi, 59, had been living in self-exile in the United States since 2017.

He was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to a Turkish woman.&nbsp;

The kingdom has arrested 18 Saudi suspects over the case. Erdogan said that they must know who killed Khashoggi and his repeated call for the men to be tried in Turkey.

"The culprit is among them. If that is not the case, then who is the local conspirator? You have to tell," said Erdogan.

"Unless you tell, Saudi Arabia will not be free from this suspicion."

Erdogan, who has so far stopped short of directly blaming the Saudi government, said Turkey had already shared evidence with countries including Saudi Arabia and added that it had even more.

"It is not that we don't have any other information or documents. We do. Tomorrow is another day," he said.

'Childish'

Riyadh's admission that the murder appeared to be a premeditated hit marked the latest twist in the shifting official narrative from Saudi authorities.

They had first insisted Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, then said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into a brawl.

In his speech Erdogan mocked the initial explanation of Khashoggi's disappearance as "childish" and "far from state seriousness".

On Thursday, CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed US President Donald Trump on the latest developments in the investigation after a fact-finding mission to Turkey.

Trump has called the case "one of the worst cover-ups in history".

Pro-government Turkish media said that intelligence officers showed Haspel video images and audio tapes of Khashoggi's killing gathered from the consulate.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de factor ruler, denounced the "repulsive" murder this week after facing mounting pressure from sceptical world powers.

Prince Mohammed spoke with Erdogan on the phone on Wednesday for the first time since the murder.

He has denied any involvement and the kingdom's leadership has pushed responsibility down the chain of command.

However, UN expert Agnes Callamard said Thursday that Khashoggi was the victim of an "extrajudicial execution" committed by the Saudi state. She called for an international investigation.

Khashoggi's eldest son Salah and his family left Saudi Arabia this week after the government lifted a travel ban, according to Human Rights Watch.

His departure came after he was photographed with Prince Mohammed during a condolence visit, staring coldly as the pair shook hands.

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor will visit Istanbul to speak with Turkish authorities as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's president said Friday, adding that Ankara has yet more evidence in the case.

Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor will visit Istanbul to speak with Turkish authorities as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkey's president said Friday, adding that Ankara has yet more evidence in the case. The announcement by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comes a day after the Saudi prosecutor said that, based on evidence supplied by Turkey, the murder appeared to have been premeditated -- the first time Saudi authorities have made such an admission. The killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor critical of Riyadh, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 has sparked international backlash against the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is seeking to draw a line under the crisis but a string of gruesome details about the murder have continued to appear in the Turkish media. Erdogan said that the Saudi prosecutor would arrive on Sunday, and called on Riyadh to reveal who ordered the killing and the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body. "You need to show this body," Erdogan said during an address in Ankara to his ruling party's provincial heads. Khashoggi, 59, had been living in self-exile in the United States since 2017. He was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage to a Turkish woman. The kingdom has arrested 18 Saudi suspects over the case. Erdogan said that they must know who killed Khashoggi and his repeated call for the men to be tried in Turkey. "The culprit is among them. If that is not the case, then who is the local conspirator? You have to tell," said Erdogan. "Unless you tell, Saudi Arabia will not be free from this suspicion." Erdogan, who has so far stopped short of directly blaming the Saudi government, said Turkey had already shared evidence with countries including Saudi Arabia and added that it had even more. "It is not that we don't have any other information or documents. We do. Tomorrow is another day," he said. 'Childish' Riyadh's admission that the murder appeared to be a premeditated hit marked the latest twist in the shifting official narrative from Saudi authorities. They had first insisted Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, then said he was killed in an argument that degenerated into a brawl. In his speech Erdogan mocked the initial explanation of Khashoggi's disappearance as "childish" and "far from state seriousness". On Thursday, CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed US President Donald Trump on the latest developments in the investigation after a fact-finding mission to Turkey. Trump has called the case "one of the worst cover-ups in history". Pro-government Turkish media said that intelligence officers showed Haspel video images and audio tapes of Khashoggi's killing gathered from the consulate. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de factor ruler, denounced the "repulsive" murder this week after facing mounting pressure from sceptical world powers. Prince Mohammed spoke with Erdogan on the phone on Wednesday for the first time since the murder. He has denied any involvement and the kingdom's leadership has pushed responsibility down the chain of command. However, UN expert Agnes Callamard said Thursday that Khashoggi was the victim of an "extrajudicial execution" committed by the Saudi state. She called for an international investigation. Khashoggi's eldest son Salah and his family left Saudi Arabia this week after the government lifted a travel ban, according to Human Rights Watch. His departure came after he was photographed with Prince Mohammed during a condolence visit, staring coldly as the pair shook hands.

Saudi prosecutor to visit Istanbul over Khashoggi murder

Turkey continues to probe the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/amid-scepticism-saudi-official-provides-yet-another-version-of-khashoggi-death-172620">murder of Saudi journalist</a> Jamal Khashoggi who was reportedly killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

WION has learned from Turkish <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/we-do-not-know-where-jamal-khashoggis-body-is-saudi-arabia-172683">sources that Saudi Arabia has&nbsp;</a>reportedly given permission to authorities to investigate the well inside Saudi consulate for clues related to Khashoggi's disappearance.

Last week Saudi Arabia had conceded that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate leading to worldwide condemnation.

Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Salman speaking at the investor's summit at Riyadh said the death of Khashoggi will not harm relations with Turkey even as President Erdogan in a televised address demanded answers from the Saudi government over the sudden disappearance and the subsequent&nbsp;murder of the US resident.

Prince Salman vowed to bring Khashoggi's killers to justice.

"We will prove to the world that the two governments (Saudi and Turkish) are cooperating to punish any criminal, any culprit and at the end justice will prevail," Prince Mohammed had said.

Despite Prince Salman's insistence, the West including President Trump has openly pointed fingers at the Saudi regime.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron told King Salman in a phone call that his country in coordination with partners&nbsp;could take action against those held responsible for the murder.

Britain had said earlier that Saudi Arabia's explanations lacked credibility as Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to Prince Salman.

"The incident that happened is very painful, for all Saudis... the incident is not justifiable," the Crown Prince said while asserting that &nbsp;Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together "to reach results" on a joint investigation while describing the cooperation as "special" even as President Erdogan hit out against the Saudi regime in a televised address beamed live around the world.

President Trump said he wanted to believe Prince Mohammed when he said lower level officials were to blame for Khashoggi's death&nbsp;but added that "the prince is running things over there more so at this stage, he's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him."

Turkey continues to probe the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was reportedly killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. WION has learned from Turkish sources that Saudi Arabia has reportedly given permission to authorities to investigate the well inside Saudi consulate for clues related to Khashoggi's disappearance.

Turkey continues to probe the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was reportedly killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. WION has learned from Turkish sources that Saudi Arabia has reportedly given permission to authorities to investigate the well inside Saudi consulate for clues related to Khashoggi's disappearance. Last week Saudi Arabia had conceded that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate leading to worldwide condemnation. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Salman speaking at the investor's summit at Riyadh said the death of Khashoggi will not harm relations with Turkey even as President Erdogan in a televised address demanded answers from the Saudi government over the sudden disappearance and the subsequent murder of the US resident. Prince Salman vowed to bring Khashoggi's killers to justice. "We will prove to the world that the two governments (Saudi and Turkish) are cooperating to punish any criminal, any culprit and at the end justice will prevail," Prince Mohammed had said. Despite Prince Salman's insistence, the West including President Trump has openly pointed fingers at the Saudi regime. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron told King Salman in a phone call that his country in coordination with partners could take action against those held responsible for the murder. Britain had said earlier that Saudi Arabia's explanations lacked credibility as Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to Prince Salman. "The incident that happened is very painful, for all Saudis... the incident is not justifiable," the Crown Prince said while asserting that Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together "to reach results" on a joint investigation while describing the cooperation as "special" even as President Erdogan hit out against the Saudi regime in a televised address beamed live around the world. President Trump said he wanted to believe Prince Mohammed when he said lower level officials were to blame for Khashoggi's death but added that "the prince is running things over there more so at this stage, he's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him."

Khashoggi killing: Turkey reportedly gets permission to inspect well inside Saudi consulate

Trump hints Saudi prince could be behind Khashoggi's murder

WION Gravitas: Saudis face risk of sanctions over Khashoggi's murder

WION Dispatch: Trump calls Saudi cover-up of Khashoggi's death 'total fiasco'

US takes punitive action in Khashoggi's killing; revokes 21 Saudi visas

It was violent, pre-planned murder, says Erdogan on Khashoggi's murder

Khashoggi Murder: 15-member squad that killed Khashoggi

He ran social media for Saudi Arabia's crown prince. He masterminded the arrest of hundreds of his country's elite. He detained a Lebanese prime minister. And, according to two intelligence sources, he ran journalist <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudis-king-salman-prince-mohammed-makes-condolence-call-to-jamal-khashoggis-son-172794">Jamal Khashoggi's brutal killing</a> at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by giving orders over Skype.

Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is one of the fall guys as Riyadh tries to stem international outrage at <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-says-khashoggi-murder-savagely-planned-172861">Khashoggi’s death</a>. On Saturday, Saudi state media said King Salman had sacked Qahtani and four other officials over the killing carried out by a 15-man hit team.

But Qahtani's influence in the crown prince's entourage has been so vast over the past three years - his own rise tracking that of his boss - that it will be hard for Saudi officials to paint Qahtani as the mastermind of the murder without also raising questions about the involvement of Prince Mohammed, according to several sources with links to the royal court.

"This episode won't topple MbS, but it has hit his image which will take a long time to be repaired if it ever does. The king is protecting him," one of the sources with ties to the royal court said.

Qahtani himself once said he would never do anything without his boss' approval.

"Do you think I make decisions without guidance? I am an employee and a faithful executor of the orders of my lord the king and my lord the faithful crown prince," Qahtani tweeted last summer.

Qahtani did not respond to questions from Reuters. His biography on Twitter changed in recent days from royal adviser to chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, a role he had held before.

Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the operation that led to Khashoggi's death and "certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody", a Saudi official said on Saturday. Officials in Riyadh could not be reached for further comment.

As the crisis has grown over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia has changed its tune on Khashoggi's fate, first denying his death, then saying he died during a brawl at the consulate, and now attributing the death to a chokehold.

A senior Saudi official told Reuters that the killers had tried to cover up what happened, contending that the truth was only now emerging. The Turks reject that version of the story, saying they have audio recordings of what happened.

The kingdom has survived other crises in the past year, including the fallout of the crown prince's short-lived kidnapping of Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri in 2017. Hariri, too, was verbally humiliated and beaten, according to eight Saudi, Arab and Western diplomatic sources. The man leading that interrogation: Saud al-Qahtani.

France intervened to free Hariri, but Western capitals did not take Riyadh to task for detaining a head of government - and Prince Mohammed emerged emboldened, according to these Saudi sources.

This time is different, with some Western capitals increasingly critical of the murder and the Saudi explanation.

Germany has announced it will stop arms sales, while Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement asking for an "urgent … clarification of exactly what happened Oct 2."

President Donald Trump has swung between saying he is unhappy with the Saudi investigation but also that he does not want to jeopardise US arms sales to the country.

SKYPE CALL

To stem the fallout of the Khashoggi killing, the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS, allowed Qahtani to take the fall, according to one source close to the Saudi royal court.

A second senior Saudi official said Qahtani had been detained following his sacking by royal decree, but he continued to tweet afterwards. The sources with links to the royal court said he was not believed to be under arrest.

In the Khashoggi killing, Qahtani was present as he has been in other key moments of MbS's administration. This time, though, his presence was virtual.

Khashoggi, a US-based Saudi journalist often critical of Saudi Arabia and its leadership, walked into the Istanbul consulate at around 1pm on October 2, to pick up some documents that would allow him to marry.

Turkish security sources say he was immediately seized inside the consulate by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

According to one high-ranking Arab source with access to intelligence and links to members of Saudi Arabia’s royal court, Qahtani was beamed into a room of the Saudi consulate via Skype.

He began to hurl insults at Khashoggi over the phone. According to the Arab and Turkish sources, Khashoggi answered Qahtani’s insults with his own. But he was no match for the squad, which included top security and intelligence operatives, some with direct links to the royal court.

A Turkish intelligence source relayed that at one point Qahtani told his men to dispose of Khashoggi. "Bring me the head of the dog", the Turkish intelligence source says Qahtani instructed.

It is not clear if Qahtani watched the entire proceedings, which the high-ranking Arab source described as a "bungled and botched operation".

The Arab source and the Turkish intelligence source said the audio of the Skype call is now in the possession of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The sources say he is refusing to release it to the Americans.

Erdogan said on Sunday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-vows-to-reveal-naked-truth-over-khashoggi-death-172685">he would release information</a> about the Turkish investigation during a weekly speech on Tuesday. Three Turkish officials reached by Reuters declined to comment ahead of that speech.

The senior Saudi official who laid out the official version of events - that Khashoggi had got into a fight - said he had not heard about Qahtani appearing via Skype, but that the Saudi investigation was ongoing.

QAHTANI’S RISE

Qahtani, 40, has earned a reputation at home as both a violent enforcer of princely whims and as a strident nationalist. In blogs and on social media, some liberal Saudi journalists and activists dubbed him the Saudi Steve Bannon for his aggressive manipulation of the news media and behind-the-scenes strategizing.

Qahtani wrote odes on Twitter to the royal family under the pen name Dari, which means predator in Arabic. Some of his opponents on social media call him Dalim, a figure in Arabic folklore who rose from being a lowly servant to much greater heights.

According to his biography on his Twitter account, Qahtani studied law and made the rank of captain in the Saudi air force. After launching a blog, he caught the eye of Khaled al-Tuwaijri, the former head of the royal court, who hired him in the early 2000s to run an electronic media army tasked with protecting Saudi Arabia’s image , according to a source with ties to the royal court.

Tuwaijri is under house arrest and could not be reached for comment.

Qahtani rose to further prominence after latching onto Prince Mohammed, who was part of his father Salman's court as Riyadh governor, then crown prince and finally king in 2015

Tasked with countering alleged Qatari influence on social media, Qahtani used Twitter to attack criticism of the kingdom in general and Prince Mohammed in particular. He also ran a WhatsApp group with local newspaper editors and prominent journalists, dictating the royal court’s line.

When Riyadh led an economic boycott against Qatar in June 2017, Qahtani ramped up his attacks on the small Gulf state. Online, he urged Saudis to tweet the names of anyone showing sympathy with Qatar under the Arabic hashtag "The Black List".

The high-ranking Arab official and Saudi sources with ties to the royal court said Qahtani was MbS's "bad cop" late last year when 200 people, including Saudi princes, ministers and business tycoons, were detained and put under house arrest at the Ritz Carlton in an anti-corruption sweep. Qahtani oversaw some of the interrogations, the Arab official said.

A KIDNAPPING

The extent of Qahtani’s power is perhaps best illustrated by the kidnapping of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri last year, several of the Saudi and Arab diplomatic sources said.

The Saudis were incensed at the inability of Hariri, a Sunni Muslim and a Saudi client, to stand up to their regional rival Iran and Hezbollah, the Shi'ite paramilitary movement that acts as Tehran’s spearhead in the region. Hariri belonged to the same multi-party coalition government as Hezbollah.

The Saudis were particularly dismayed that Hariri had failed to deliver a message to a top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to stop interfering in Lebanon and Yemen. Hariri claimed he had delivered the Saudi message, but an informer, planted by Qahtani in Hariri's circle, gave the Saudis the minutes of the meeting which showed that he had not done so.

The Saudis lured Hariri to Riyadh for a meeting with MbS. Upon his arrival on November 3, 2017, there was no line-up of Saudi princes or officials, as would typically greet a prime minister on an official visit. Hariri later received a call that the meeting with the crown prince would take place the next day at a royal compound.

When Hariri arrived, he was ushered into a room where Qahtani was waiting for him with a security team, according to three Arab sources familiar with the incident. The security team beat Hariri; Qahtani cursed at him and then forced him to resign as prime minister in a statement that was broadcast by a Saudi-owned TV channel.

"He (Qahtani) told him you have no choice but to resign and read this statement," said one of the sources. "Qahtani oversaw the interrogation and ill-treatment of Hariri."

Another source said it was the intervention of French President Emmanuel Macron that secured his release following an international outcry.

Macron claimed credit in May for ending the crisis, saying an unscheduled stopover in Riyadh to convince MbS, followed by an invitation to Hariri to come to France, had been the catalyst to resolving it. Lebanese officials confirmed to Reuters that Macron's quick intervention secured Hariri's return.

Saudi officials could not be reached for comment about the sequence of events or Qahtani's involvement. French officials declined to comment when asked about Qahtani's role.

AN OFFER TO RETURN HOME

At least three friends of Khashoggi told Reuters that in the months after the journalist moved to Washington a year ago he received multiple phone calls from MbS’s right-hand man urging him to return to Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi had balked, they said, fearing reprisals for his Washington Post columns and outspoken views.

Qahtani had tried to reassure the former newspaper editor that he was still well respected and had offered the journalist a job as a consultant at the royal court, the friends said.

Khashoggi said that while he found Qahtani gentle and polite during those conversations, he did not trust him, one close friend told Reuters. "Jamal told me afterwards, 'he thinks that I will go back so that he can throw me in jail?"

The second senior Saudi official confirmed that Qahtani had spoken to Khashoggi about returning home. The ambush in Istanbul seems to have been another way to get him home.

How much did the crown prince know about his trusted aide’s plan to abduct Khashoggi?

Most of the 15 hit-man team identified by Turkish and Saudi authorities worked for the kingdom's security and intelligence services, military, government ministries, royal court security and air force. One of them, General Maher Mutreb, a senior intelligence officer, who is part of the security team of Prince Mohammed, appeared in photographs with him on official visits earlier this year to the United States and Europe.

The high-ranking Arab official and the Turkish intelligence source said it was Mutreb's phone that was used to dial in Qahtani while Khashoggi was being interrogated.

Reuters tried to contact members of 15-man team but their phones were either switched off, on voicemail or no longer in service.

The Saudi official said Deputy Intelligence Chief General Ahmed al-Asiri put together the 15-man squad from the intelligence and security forces. Asiri was one of the five officials dismissed on Saturday.

Another key figure was Dr. Salah al-Tubaigy, a forensic expert specialised in autopsies attached to the Saudi Ministry of Interior. His presence - equipped with a bone-saw Turkish sources say was used to dismember the journalist - is hard to explain in an operation Saudi officials now say was aimed at persuading Khashoggi to return home.

It is hard to imagine that the crown prince could have not known about such a delicate operation, the Saudi sources with ties to the royal court say.

The Saudi official who spoke on Saturday said an existing standing order provided authorisation to "negotiate" with dissidents to return home without requiring approval, but that the team involved with Khashoggi exceeded that authorisation.

Another Saudi official close to the investigation said that Qahtani decided on his own to organise Khashoggi’s kidnapping and that he asked Asiri to get a team together, but that their plans had gone wrong.

Qahtani's final act may be to serve his boss by assuming the responsibility for the crisis that has hit Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi's murder. The Saudi king has sacked Qahtani and ordered a restructuring of the general intelligence agency.

To head it, he named MbS.

He ran social media for Saudi Arabia's crown prince. He masterminded the arrest of hundreds of his country's elite. He detained a Lebanese prime minister. And, according to two intelligence sources, he ran journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by giving orders over Skype.

He ran social media for Saudi Arabia's crown prince. He masterminded the arrest of hundreds of his country's elite. He detained a Lebanese prime minister. And, according to two intelligence sources, he ran journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by giving orders over Skype. Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is one of the fall guys as Riyadh tries to stem international outrage at Khashoggi’s death. On Saturday, Saudi state media said King Salman had sacked Qahtani and four other officials over the killing carried out by a 15-man hit team. But Qahtani's influence in the crown prince's entourage has been so vast over the past three years - his own rise tracking that of his boss - that it will be hard for Saudi officials to paint Qahtani as the mastermind of the murder without also raising questions about the involvement of Prince Mohammed, according to several sources with links to the royal court. "This episode won't topple MbS, but it has hit his image which will take a long time to be repaired if it ever does. The king is protecting him," one of the sources with ties to the royal court said. Qahtani himself once said he would never do anything without his boss' approval. "Do you think I make decisions without guidance? I am an employee and a faithful executor of the orders of my lord the king and my lord the faithful crown prince," Qahtani tweeted last summer. Qahtani did not respond to questions from Reuters. His biography on Twitter changed in recent days from royal adviser to chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, a role he had held before. Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the operation that led to Khashoggi's death and "certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody", a Saudi official said on Saturday. Officials in Riyadh could not be reached for further comment. As the crisis has grown over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia has changed its tune on Khashoggi's fate, first denying his death, then saying he died during a brawl at the consulate, and now attributing the death to a chokehold. A senior Saudi official told Reuters that the killers had tried to cover up what happened, contending that the truth was only now emerging. The Turks reject that version of the story, saying they have audio recordings of what happened. The kingdom has survived other crises in the past year, including the fallout of the crown prince's short-lived kidnapping of Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri in 2017. Hariri, too, was verbally humiliated and beaten, according to eight Saudi, Arab and Western diplomatic sources. The man leading that interrogation: Saud al-Qahtani. France intervened to free Hariri, but Western capitals did not take Riyadh to task for detaining a head of government - and Prince Mohammed emerged emboldened, according to these Saudi sources. This time is different, with some Western capitals increasingly critical of the murder and the Saudi explanation. Germany has announced it will stop arms sales, while Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement asking for an "urgent … clarification of exactly what happened Oct 2." President Donald Trump has swung between saying he is unhappy with the Saudi investigation but also that he does not want to jeopardise US arms sales to the country. SKYPE CALL To stem the fallout of the Khashoggi killing, the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS, allowed Qahtani to take the fall, according to one source close to the Saudi royal court. A second senior Saudi official said Qahtani had been detained following his sacking by royal decree, but he continued to tweet afterwards. The sources with links to the royal court said he was not believed to be under arrest. In the Khashoggi killing, Qahtani was present as he has been in other key moments of MbS's administration. This time, though, his presence was virtual. Khashoggi, a US-based Saudi journalist often critical of Saudi Arabia and its leadership, walked into the Istanbul consulate at around 1pm on October 2, to pick up some documents that would allow him to marry. Turkish security sources say he was immediately seized inside the consulate by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before. According to one high-ranking Arab source with access to intelligence and links to members of Saudi Arabia’s royal court, Qahtani was beamed into a room of the Saudi consulate via Skype. He began to hurl insults at Khashoggi over the phone. According to the Arab and Turkish sources, Khashoggi answered Qahtani’s insults with his own. But he was no match for the squad, which included top security and intelligence operatives, some with direct links to the royal court. A Turkish intelligence source relayed that at one point Qahtani told his men to dispose of Khashoggi. "Bring me the head of the dog", the Turkish intelligence source says Qahtani instructed. It is not clear if Qahtani watched the entire proceedings, which the high-ranking Arab source described as a "bungled and botched operation". The Arab source and the Turkish intelligence source said the audio of the Skype call is now in the possession of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The sources say he is refusing to release it to the Americans. Erdogan said on Sunday he would release information about the Turkish investigation during a weekly speech on Tuesday. Three Turkish officials reached by Reuters declined to comment ahead of that speech. The senior Saudi official who laid out the official version of events - that Khashoggi had got into a fight - said he had not heard about Qahtani appearing via Skype, but that the Saudi investigation was ongoing. QAHTANI’S RISE Qahtani, 40, has earned a reputation at home as both a violent enforcer of princely whims and as a strident nationalist. In blogs and on social media, some liberal Saudi journalists and activists dubbed him the Saudi Steve Bannon for his aggressive manipulation of the news media and behind-the-scenes strategizing. Qahtani wrote odes on Twitter to the royal family under the pen name Dari, which means predator in Arabic. Some of his opponents on social media call him Dalim, a figure in Arabic folklore who rose from being a lowly servant to much greater heights. According to his biography on his Twitter account, Qahtani studied law and made the rank of captain in the Saudi air force. After launching a blog, he caught the eye of Khaled al-Tuwaijri, the former head of the royal court, who hired him in the early 2000s to run an electronic media army tasked with protecting Saudi Arabia’s image , according to a source with ties to the royal court. Tuwaijri is under house arrest and could not be reached for comment. Qahtani rose to further prominence after latching onto Prince Mohammed, who was part of his father Salman's court as Riyadh governor, then crown prince and finally king in 2015 Tasked with countering alleged Qatari influence on social media, Qahtani used Twitter to attack criticism of the kingdom in general and Prince Mohammed in particular. He also ran a WhatsApp group with local newspaper editors and prominent journalists, dictating the royal court’s line. When Riyadh led an economic boycott against Qatar in June 2017, Qahtani ramped up his attacks on the small Gulf state. Online, he urged Saudis to tweet the names of anyone showing sympathy with Qatar under the Arabic hashtag "The Black List". The high-ranking Arab official and Saudi sources with ties to the royal court said Qahtani was MbS's "bad cop" late last year when 200 people, including Saudi princes, ministers and business tycoons, were detained and put under house arrest at the Ritz Carlton in an anti-corruption sweep. Qahtani oversaw some of the interrogations, the Arab official said. A KIDNAPPING The extent of Qahtani’s power is perhaps best illustrated by the kidnapping of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri last year, several of the Saudi and Arab diplomatic sources said. The Saudis were incensed at the inability of Hariri, a Sunni Muslim and a Saudi client, to stand up to their regional rival Iran and Hezbollah, the Shi'ite paramilitary movement that acts as Tehran’s spearhead in the region. Hariri belonged to the same multi-party coalition government as Hezbollah. The Saudis were particularly dismayed that Hariri had failed to deliver a message to a top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to stop interfering in Lebanon and Yemen. Hariri claimed he had delivered the Saudi message, but an informer, planted by Qahtani in Hariri's circle, gave the Saudis the minutes of the meeting which showed that he had not done so. The Saudis lured Hariri to Riyadh for a meeting with MbS. Upon his arrival on November 3, 2017, there was no line-up of Saudi princes or officials, as would typically greet a prime minister on an official visit. Hariri later received a call that the meeting with the crown prince would take place the next day at a royal compound. When Hariri arrived, he was ushered into a room where Qahtani was waiting for him with a security team, according to three Arab sources familiar with the incident. The security team beat Hariri; Qahtani cursed at him and then forced him to resign as prime minister in a statement that was broadcast by a Saudi-owned TV channel. "He (Qahtani) told him you have no choice but to resign and read this statement," said one of the sources. "Qahtani oversaw the interrogation and ill-treatment of Hariri." Another source said it was the intervention of French President Emmanuel Macron that secured his release following an international outcry. Macron claimed credit in May for ending the crisis, saying an unscheduled stopover in Riyadh to convince MbS, followed by an invitation to Hariri to come to France, had been the catalyst to resolving it. Lebanese officials confirmed to Reuters that Macron's quick intervention secured Hariri's return. Saudi officials could not be reached for comment about the sequence of events or Qahtani's involvement. French officials declined to comment when asked about Qahtani's role. AN OFFER TO RETURN HOME At least three friends of Khashoggi told Reuters that in the months after the journalist moved to Washington a year ago he received multiple phone calls from MbS’s right-hand man urging him to return to Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi had balked, they said, fearing reprisals for his Washington Post columns and outspoken views. Qahtani had tried to reassure the former newspaper editor that he was still well respected and had offered the journalist a job as a consultant at the royal court, the friends said. Khashoggi said that while he found Qahtani gentle and polite during those conversations, he did not trust him, one close friend told Reuters. "Jamal told me afterwards, 'he thinks that I will go back so that he can throw me in jail?" The second senior Saudi official confirmed that Qahtani had spoken to Khashoggi about returning home. The ambush in Istanbul seems to have been another way to get him home. How much did the crown prince know about his trusted aide’s plan to abduct Khashoggi? Most of the 15 hit-man team identified by Turkish and Saudi authorities worked for the kingdom's security and intelligence services, military, government ministries, royal court security and air force. One of them, General Maher Mutreb, a senior intelligence officer, who is part of the security team of Prince Mohammed, appeared in photographs with him on official visits earlier this year to the United States and Europe. The high-ranking Arab official and the Turkish intelligence source said it was Mutreb's phone that was used to dial in Qahtani while Khashoggi was being interrogated. Reuters tried to contact members of 15-man team but their phones were either switched off, on voicemail or no longer in service. The Saudi official said Deputy Intelligence Chief General Ahmed al-Asiri put together the 15-man squad from the intelligence and security forces. Asiri was one of the five officials dismissed on Saturday. Another key figure was Dr. Salah al-Tubaigy, a forensic expert specialised in autopsies attached to the Saudi Ministry of Interior. His presence - equipped with a bone-saw Turkish sources say was used to dismember the journalist - is hard to explain in an operation Saudi officials now say was aimed at persuading Khashoggi to return home. It is hard to imagine that the crown prince could have not known about such a delicate operation, the Saudi sources with ties to the royal court say. The Saudi official who spoke on Saturday said an existing standing order provided authorisation to "negotiate" with dissidents to return home without requiring approval, but that the team involved with Khashoggi exceeded that authorisation. Another Saudi official close to the investigation said that Qahtani decided on his own to organise Khashoggi’s kidnapping and that he asked Asiri to get a team together, but that their plans had gone wrong. Qahtani's final act may be to serve his boss by assuming the responsibility for the crisis that has hit Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi's murder. The Saudi king has sacked Qahtani and ordered a restructuring of the general intelligence agency. To head it, he named MbS.

How the man behind Khashoggi murder ran the killing via Skype

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s gruesome murder raises fundamental questions that go far beyond Middle Eastern geopolitics.

They go to the risks of support for autocratic regimes by democratic and authoritarian world powers, the rise of illiberal democracy in the West, increasing authoritarianism in Russia, and absolute power in China in which checks and balances are weakened or non-existent.

Khashoggi’s killing is but the latest incident of hubris that stems from the abandonment of notions of civility, tolerance and plurality; and the ability of leaders to get away with murder, literally and figuratively. It also is the product of political systems with no provisions to ensure that the power of men like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is restrained and checked.

Khashoggi was an advocate of the necessary checks and balances.

In his&nbsp;last column published in The Washington Post posthumously, Khashoggi argued that “the Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.”

Khashoggi’s words were echoed by prominent journalist and political analyst Rami Khouri. “We are heading to the law of the jungle&nbsp;if big power and Mideast state autocracy is not held accountable,” Khouri said.

In a similar vein, a survey by the Arab Barometer survey concluded that&nbsp;public institutions in the Arab world, including the judiciary enjoyed little, if any, public trust.

“Part of the lack of trust comes from the disenfranchisement felt by many, especially youth and women…&nbsp;The lack of alternative political forces is adding to the fatigue and lack of trust in institutions. Citizens in the region struggle to find an alternative to the ruling elite that might help address the issues of ineffective governance and corruption,” said a report by the Carnegie for Endowment of Peace.

“Citizens are increasingly turning toward informal mechanisms such as protests and boycotts, and focusing more on specific issues of governance, such as service provision, particularly at the local level. Furthermore, with democracy under threat across the globe, calls for broad democratic reform have been replaced by more basic demands,” the report went on to say.

What puts the price Khashoggi paid for advocating controls of absolute power in a class of its own, is the brutality of his killing, the fact that he was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul rather than, for example, by an unknown killer on a motorbike; and the increasingly difficult effort to resolve politically the crisis his death sparked.

Beyond the support by world powers of often brutal autocrats facilitated by a lack of checks and balances that in the past three decades has destroyed countries and costs the lives of millions, Khashoggi’s murder is also the product of the failure of Western leaders to seriously address the breakdown in confidence in leadership and political systems at home and abroad.

The breakdown peaked with the 2011 popular Arab revolts; simultaneous widespread protests in Latin America, the United States and Europe; and the increased popularity of anti-system, nationalist and populist politicians on both the right and the left.

Khashoggi joins the victims of extrajudicial poisoning in Britain by Russian operatives of people who like him may have been a thorn in the side of their leaders but did not pose an existential threat – not that that would justify murder or attempted murder.

He also joins the millions of casualties of failed policy and hubris caused by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s gassing of Kurds in the 1980s and reckless 1990 invasion of Kuwait, support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s determination to cling to power irrespective of the human cost, the Saudi-UAE-led war in Yemen that has produced the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two, and China’s attempt to brainwash and socially engineer what the country’s leaders see as the model Chinese citizen.

And those are just some of the most egregious instances.

No better are the multiple ways in which autocratic leaders try to ensure conformity not only through repression and suppression of a free press but also, for example, by deciding who deserves citizenship based upon whether they like their political, economic or social views rather than on birth right.

Take Bahrain whose minority Sunni Muslim regime has&nbsp;stripped hundreds of its nationals of their citizenship&nbsp;simply because it did not like their views or Turkey with its&nbsp;mass arrests of anyone critical of the government.

The irony is that if elections in democracies are producing illiberal leaders like US President Donald J. Trump, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary’s Victor Orban, in Asia and Africa they are bring forth governments mandated to reverse Belt and Road-related, Chinese funding of projects that primarily benefit China rather than the recipient economically and pave the way for greater Chinese influencing of domestic politics as well as the export of systems that enhance unchecked state power.

In some cases, like Malaysia, they produce leaders willing to take on China’s creation of a 21st&nbsp;century Orwellian surveillance state in its north-western province of Xinjiang.

It matters little what label world powers put on their support for autocrats and illiberals. The United States has long justified its policy with the need for regional stability in the greater Middle East. Russia calls it international legality while China packages is it as non-interference in the domestic affairs of others.

Said Middle East expert and former US official Charles Kestenbaum building on Khashoggi’s words: “If they (Middle Eastern states) want to compete with the globe in IT (information technology) and tech more broadly, they must encourage risk, innovation and freedom to fail. Such social and political freedom does not exist adequately in the region. The opposite in fact, authoritarian regimes repress such initiative and openness. So what do they have to compete and globally engage in the 2020’s? Nothing.”

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s gruesome murder raises fundamental questions that go far beyond Middle Eastern geopolitics. They go to the risks of support for autocratic regimes by democratic and authoritarian world powers, the rise of illiberal democracy in the West, increasing authoritarianism in Russia, and absolute power in China in which checks and balances are weakened or non-existent.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s gruesome murder raises fundamental questions that go far beyond Middle Eastern geopolitics. They go to the risks of support for autocratic regimes by democratic and authoritarian world powers, the rise of illiberal democracy in the West, increasing authoritarianism in Russia, and absolute power in China in which checks and balances are weakened or non-existent. Khashoggi’s killing is but the latest incident of hubris that stems from the abandonment of notions of civility, tolerance and plurality; and the ability of leaders to get away with murder, literally and figuratively. It also is the product of political systems with no provisions to ensure that the power of men like Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is restrained and checked. Khashoggi was an advocate of the necessary checks and balances. In his last column published in The Washington Post posthumously, Khashoggi argued that “the Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.” Khashoggi’s words were echoed by prominent journalist and political analyst Rami Khouri. “We are heading to the law of the jungle if big power and Mideast state autocracy is not held accountable,” Khouri said. In a similar vein, a survey by the Arab Barometer survey concluded that public institutions in the Arab world, including the judiciary enjoyed little, if any, public trust. “Part of the lack of trust comes from the disenfranchisement felt by many, especially youth and women… The lack of alternative political forces is adding to the fatigue and lack of trust in institutions. Citizens in the region struggle to find an alternative to the ruling elite that might help address the issues of ineffective governance and corruption,” said a report by the Carnegie for Endowment of Peace. “Citizens are increasingly turning toward informal mechanisms such as protests and boycotts, and focusing more on specific issues of governance, such as service provision, particularly at the local level. Furthermore, with democracy under threat across the globe, calls for broad democratic reform have been replaced by more basic demands,” the report went on to say. What puts the price Khashoggi paid for advocating controls of absolute power in a class of its own, is the brutality of his killing, the fact that he was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul rather than, for example, by an unknown killer on a motorbike; and the increasingly difficult effort to resolve politically the crisis his death sparked. Beyond the support by world powers of often brutal autocrats facilitated by a lack of checks and balances that in the past three decades has destroyed countries and costs the lives of millions, Khashoggi’s murder is also the product of the failure of Western leaders to seriously address the breakdown in confidence in leadership and political systems at home and abroad. The breakdown peaked with the 2011 popular Arab revolts; simultaneous widespread protests in Latin America, the United States and Europe; and the increased popularity of anti-system, nationalist and populist politicians on both the right and the left. Khashoggi joins the victims of extrajudicial poisoning in Britain by Russian operatives of people who like him may have been a thorn in the side of their leaders but did not pose an existential threat – not that that would justify murder or attempted murder. He also joins the millions of casualties of failed policy and hubris caused by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s gassing of Kurds in the 1980s and reckless 1990 invasion of Kuwait, support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s determination to cling to power irrespective of the human cost, the Saudi-UAE-led war in Yemen that has produced the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two, and China’s attempt to brainwash and socially engineer what the country’s leaders see as the model Chinese citizen. And those are just some of the most egregious instances. No better are the multiple ways in which autocratic leaders try to ensure conformity not only through repression and suppression of a free press but also, for example, by deciding who deserves citizenship based upon whether they like their political, economic or social views rather than on birth right. Take Bahrain whose minority Sunni Muslim regime has stripped hundreds of its nationals of their citizenship simply because it did not like their views or Turkey with its mass arrests of anyone critical of the government. The irony is that if elections in democracies are producing illiberal leaders like US President Donald J. Trump, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary’s Victor Orban, in Asia and Africa they are bring forth governments mandated to reverse Belt and Road-related, Chinese funding of projects that primarily benefit China rather than the recipient economically and pave the way for greater Chinese influencing of domestic politics as well as the export of systems that enhance unchecked state power. In some cases, like Malaysia, they produce leaders willing to take on China’s creation of a 21st century Orwellian surveillance state in its north-western province of Xinjiang. It matters little what label world powers put on their support for autocrats and illiberals. The United States has long justified its policy with the need for regional stability in the greater Middle East. Russia calls it international legality while China packages is it as non-interference in the domestic affairs of others. Said Middle East expert and former US official Charles Kestenbaum building on Khashoggi’s words: “If they (Middle Eastern states) want to compete with the globe in IT (information technology) and tech more broadly, they must encourage risk, innovation and freedom to fail. Such social and political freedom does not exist adequately in the region. The opposite in fact, authoritarian regimes repress such initiative and openness. So what do they have to compete and globally engage in the 2020’s? Nothing.” (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

A gruesome murder bares world powers' flawed policies

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411">Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi died in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411">consulate</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411">, Donald Trump says Saudi explanation credible</a>

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate and said it had fired two senior officials over the incident, giving an account that U.S. President Donald Trump said was credible.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/three-fourths-of-h1b-visa-holders-in-2018-are-indians-us-report-172413">Three-fourths of H-1B visa holders in 2018 are Indians: US report</a>

Nearly three out of every four H-1B visa holders as of October 5 are Indian citizens, an official US report has said. 
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), there were as many as 419,637 foreign nationals working in the US on H-1B visas as on October 5.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/over-60-dead-in-amritsar-train-accident-centre-to-give-rs-2-lakh-to-kin-of-deceased-rs-50000-to-injured-172416">Over 60 dead, at least 72 injured in Amritsar train accident, Punjab declares mourning on Saturday</a>

Over 60 people have been dead and at least 70 were left injured on Friday when a speeding train mowed them down while they were celebrating Dussehra.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sabarimala-is-south-indias-ayodhya-vhp-172417">Sabarimala is South India's Ayodhya: VHP</a>

Responding to the comparison drawn by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury between the violence in Sabarimala and the uproar witnessed during the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the Sabarimala Temple was southern India`s Ayodhya.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-braces-for-militant-attacks-as-polling-centres-open-172420">Afghanistan braces for militant attacks as polling </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-braces-for-militant-attacks-as-polling-centres-open-172420">centres</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-braces-for-militant-attacks-as-polling-centres-open-172420"> open</a>

Afghans are bracing for more deadly violence on Saturday as voting gets under way in the long-delayed legislative election that the Taliban has vowed to attack.

Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi died in consulate, Donald Trump says Saudi explanation credible Saudi Arabia said on Friday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate and said it had fired two senior officials over the incident, giving an account that U.

Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi died in consulate, Donald Trump says Saudi explanation credible Saudi Arabia said on Friday that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate and said it had fired two senior officials over the incident, giving an account that U.S. President Donald Trump said was credible. Three-fourths of H-1B visa holders in 2018 are Indians: US report Nearly three out of every four H-1B visa holders as of October 5 are Indian citizens, an official US report has said. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), there were as many as 419,637 foreign nationals working in the US on H-1B visas as on October 5. Over 60 dead, at least 72 injured in Amritsar train accident, Punjab declares mourning on Saturday Over 60 people have been dead and at least 70 were left injured on Friday when a speeding train mowed them down while they were celebrating Dussehra. Sabarimala is South India's Ayodhya: VHP Responding to the comparison drawn by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury between the violence in Sabarimala and the uproar witnessed during the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the Sabarimala Temple was southern India`s Ayodhya. Afghanistan braces for militant attacks as polling centres open Afghans are bracing for more deadly violence on Saturday as voting gets under way in the long-delayed legislative election that the Taliban has vowed to attack.

Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the body of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi "before long", a senior Turkish official said on Saturday.

The official, who declined to be identified, also told Reuters that Khashoggi's DNA samples were being obtained from Turkey.

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Khashoggi had died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate - Riyadh's first acknowledgement of his death after two weeks of denials that it was involved in his disappearance.

"We'll find out what happened to the body before long," the senior official said. "The DNA is being procured from within Turkey. It seems there will be no need to ask Saudi Arabia at the moment."

Khashoggi's killers may have dumped his remains in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, a 90-kme (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul, officials told Reuters on Thursday.

Investigators were still focused on the Yalova and Belgrad Forest areas, and were looking at CCTV footage from near Belgrad Forest, the senior official said.

Investigators were also still examining traffic records of every car that went in and out of the Saudi Consulate on Oct.2, the day Khashoggi entered the consulate, the senior official said.

Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the body of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi "before long", a senior Turkish official said on Saturday.

Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the body of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi "before long", a senior Turkish official said on Saturday. The official, who declined to be identified, also told Reuters that Khashoggi's DNA samples were being obtained from Turkey. Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Khashoggi had died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate - Riyadh's first acknowledgement of his death after two weeks of denials that it was involved in his disappearance. "We'll find out what happened to the body before long," the senior official said. "The DNA is being procured from within Turkey. It seems there will be no need to ask Saudi Arabia at the moment." Khashoggi's killers may have dumped his remains in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, a 90-kme (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul, officials told Reuters on Thursday. Investigators were still focused on the Yalova and Belgrad Forest areas, and were looking at CCTV footage from near Belgrad Forest, the senior official said. Investigators were also still examining traffic records of every car that went in and out of the Saudi Consulate on Oct.2, the day Khashoggi entered the consulate, the senior official said.

Investigators likely to discover what happened to Khashoggi body 'before long': Turkish official

Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates on Saturday hailed Saudi Arabia for its response to the death of critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

"The United Arab Emirates welcomes the decisions and the directives by King Salman," regarding the Khashoggi affair, state news agency WAM said.

Earlier on Saturday, Riyadh announced the arrest of 18 Saudis and the sacking of two top aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as part of its probe into the killing.

Saudi Arabia's acknowledgement that Khashoggi died came after two weeks of denials and growing demands from Western allies for an explanation over Khashoggi's disappearance, which galvanized a global outcry and prompted some US lawmakers to call for harsh action against Riyadh.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, went missing after entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Days later, Turkish officials said they believed he was killed in the building, an allegation that Saudi Arabia had, until now, strenuously denied.

In a separate statement on Saturday, the Saudi public prosecutor said a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate, leading to his death.

(With inputs from news agencies)

Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates on Saturday hailed Saudi Arabia for its response to the death of critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates on Saturday hailed Saudi Arabia for its response to the death of critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate. "The United Arab Emirates welcomes the decisions and the directives by King Salman," regarding the Khashoggi affair, state news agency WAM said. Earlier on Saturday, Riyadh announced the arrest of 18 Saudis and the sacking of two top aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as part of its probe into the killing. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgement that Khashoggi died came after two weeks of denials and growing demands from Western allies for an explanation over Khashoggi's disappearance, which galvanized a global outcry and prompted some US lawmakers to call for harsh action against Riyadh. Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, went missing after entering the consulate on October 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Days later, Turkish officials said they believed he was killed in the building, an allegation that Saudi Arabia had, until now, strenuously denied. In a separate statement on Saturday, the Saudi public prosecutor said a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate, leading to his death. (With inputs from news agencies)

Gulf ally UAE hails Saudi response on Khashoggi

Growing Western political and corporate reluctance to be associated with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the suspected killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi spotlights fundamentally different investment strategies and environments in the bulk of Asia and the oil-rich Gulf states, the continent’s most western flank.

The Khashoggi crisis highlighted the fact that much of investment in the Gulf, irrespective of whether it is domestic, Western or Chinese, comes from financial, technology and other service industries, the arms industry or Gulf governments. It is focused on services, infrastructure or enhancing the state’s capacities rather than on manufacturing, industrial development, and the nurturing of an independent private sector.

The crisis has put on display the risks Gulf governments run by adopting policies that significantly tarnish their international reputations. Technology, media, financial and other services industries, as well as various European ministers and the US Treasury Secretary, have cancelled, in the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance and likely killing while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, their participation in Davos in the Desert, a high-profile investors’ conference in Riyadh later this month.

By contrast, the military industry, with US President Donald J. Trump’s encouragement, has proven so far less worried about reputational damage.

Sponsored by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is suspected of being responsible for Khashoggi’s likely murder, the conference was intended to attract investment in his Vision 2030 plan to reform and diversify the Saudi economy.

In highlighting differences in investment strategies in the Middle East and the rest of Asia, the fallout of Khashoggi’s disappearance goes beyond the parameters of a single incident. It suggests that foreign investment must be embedded in broader social and economic policies as well as an environment that promises stability to ensure that it is productive, contributes to sustainable growth, and benefits broad segments of the population.

In contrast to the Gulf where, with the exception of state-run airlines and DP World, Dubai’s global port operator, the bulk of investment in portfolios managed by sovereign wealth funds, trophies or investment designed to enhance a country’s international prestige and soft power, major Asian nations like China and India have used investment to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, foster a substantial middle class, and create an industrial base.

To be sure, with small populations, Gulf states are more likely to ensure sustainability in services and oil and gas derivatives rather than in manufacturing and industry. Nonetheless, that too requires enabling policies and an education system that encourages critical thinking and the freedom to question, allow one’s mind to roam without fear of repercussion, and grants free, unfettered access to information – categories that are becoming increasingly rare in a part of the world in which freedoms are severely curtailed.

China’s $1 trillion, infrastructure-driven Belt and Road initiative may be the Asian exception that would come closest to some of the Gulf’s soft power investments. Yet, even so, the Belt and Road initiative, designed to alleviate domestic over capacity by state-owned companies that are not beholden to shareholders’ short-term demands and/or geopolitical gain, contributes to productive economic growth in the People’s Republic itself.

Asian nations, moreover, have been able to manage investors’ expectations in an environment of relative political stability. By contrast, Saudi Arabia damaged confidence in its ability to reform and diversify its oil-based economy when after repeated delays it suspended indefinitely plans to list five per cent of its national oil company, Saudi Arabian Oil Company or Aramco, in what would have been the world’s largest-ever initial public offering.

The Khashoggi crisis and the Aramco delay followed a series of political initiatives for which there was little equivalent in the rest of Asia. These included the Saudi-United Arab Emirates military campaign in Yemen causing the world’s worst post-World War Two humanitarian crisis; the 16-month-old diplomatic and economic embargo of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt; the detention and failed effort to force Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign; and the diplomatic Saudi spat with Canada in response to a tweet criticizing the kingdom’s human rights record. As a result, foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia last year plunged to a 14-year low.

All of this is not to say that the rest of Asia does not have its own questionable policies such as Chinese claims in the South China Sea or the Pakistani-Indian feud, and questionable business practices such as China’s alleged industrial espionage. However, with the exception of China’s massive repression of Turkic Muslims in its north-western province of Xinjiang, none of these is likely to fundamentally undermine investor confidence, derail existing social and economic policies that have produced results or produce situations in which avoidance of reputational damage becomes a priority.

At the bottom line, China is no less autocratic than the Gulf states, while Hindu nationalism in India fits a global trend towards populism and illiberal democracy. Nevertheless, what differentiates much of Asia from the Gulf and accounts for its economic success are policies that ensure a relatively stable environment and are focused on social and economic enhancement rather than primarily on regime survival. That may be the lesson for Gulf rulers. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Growing Western political and corporate reluctance to be associated with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the suspected killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi spotlights fundamentally different investment strategies and environments in the bulk of Asia and the oil-rich Gulf states, the continent’s most western flank.

Growing Western political and corporate reluctance to be associated with Saudi Arabia in the wake of the suspected killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi spotlights fundamentally different investment strategies and environments in the bulk of Asia and the oil-rich Gulf states, the continent’s most western flank. The Khashoggi crisis highlighted the fact that much of investment in the Gulf, irrespective of whether it is domestic, Western or Chinese, comes from financial, technology and other service industries, the arms industry or Gulf governments. It is focused on services, infrastructure or enhancing the state’s capacities rather than on manufacturing, industrial development, and the nurturing of an independent private sector. The crisis has put on display the risks Gulf governments run by adopting policies that significantly tarnish their international reputations. Technology, media, financial and other services industries, as well as various European ministers and the US Treasury Secretary, have cancelled, in the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance and likely killing while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, their participation in Davos in the Desert, a high-profile investors’ conference in Riyadh later this month. By contrast, the military industry, with US President Donald J. Trump’s encouragement, has proven so far less worried about reputational damage. Sponsored by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is suspected of being responsible for Khashoggi’s likely murder, the conference was intended to attract investment in his Vision 2030 plan to reform and diversify the Saudi economy. In highlighting differences in investment strategies in the Middle East and the rest of Asia, the fallout of Khashoggi’s disappearance goes beyond the parameters of a single incident. It suggests that foreign investment must be embedded in broader social and economic policies as well as an environment that promises stability to ensure that it is productive, contributes to sustainable growth, and benefits broad segments of the population. In contrast to the Gulf where, with the exception of state-run airlines and DP World, Dubai’s global port operator, the bulk of investment in portfolios managed by sovereign wealth funds, trophies or investment designed to enhance a country’s international prestige and soft power, major Asian nations like China and India have used investment to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, foster a substantial middle class, and create an industrial base. To be sure, with small populations, Gulf states are more likely to ensure sustainability in services and oil and gas derivatives rather than in manufacturing and industry. Nonetheless, that too requires enabling policies and an education system that encourages critical thinking and the freedom to question, allow one’s mind to roam without fear of repercussion, and grants free, unfettered access to information – categories that are becoming increasingly rare in a part of the world in which freedoms are severely curtailed. China’s $1 trillion, infrastructure-driven Belt and Road initiative may be the Asian exception that would come closest to some of the Gulf’s soft power investments. Yet, even so, the Belt and Road initiative, designed to alleviate domestic over capacity by state-owned companies that are not beholden to shareholders’ short-term demands and/or geopolitical gain, contributes to productive economic growth in the People’s Republic itself. Asian nations, moreover, have been able to manage investors’ expectations in an environment of relative political stability. By contrast, Saudi Arabia damaged confidence in its ability to reform and diversify its oil-based economy when after repeated delays it suspended indefinitely plans to list five per cent of its national oil company, Saudi Arabian Oil Company or Aramco, in what would have been the world’s largest-ever initial public offering. The Khashoggi crisis and the Aramco delay followed a series of political initiatives for which there was little equivalent in the rest of Asia. These included the Saudi-United Arab Emirates military campaign in Yemen causing the world’s worst post-World War Two humanitarian crisis; the 16-month-old diplomatic and economic embargo of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt; the detention and failed effort to force Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign; and the diplomatic Saudi spat with Canada in response to a tweet criticizing the kingdom’s human rights record. As a result, foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia last year plunged to a 14-year low. All of this is not to say that the rest of Asia does not have its own questionable policies such as Chinese claims in the South China Sea or the Pakistani-Indian feud, and questionable business practices such as China’s alleged industrial espionage. However, with the exception of China’s massive repression of Turkic Muslims in its north-western province of Xinjiang, none of these is likely to fundamentally undermine investor confidence, derail existing social and economic policies that have produced results or produce situations in which avoidance of reputational damage becomes a priority. At the bottom line, China is no less autocratic than the Gulf states, while Hindu nationalism in India fits a global trend towards populism and illiberal democracy. Nevertheless, what differentiates much of Asia from the Gulf and accounts for its economic success are policies that ensure a relatively stable environment and are focused on social and economic enhancement rather than primarily on regime survival. That may be the lesson for Gulf rulers. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Jamal Khashoggi crisis highlights why investment in Asia is more productive

US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said he would no longer attend next week’s investment conference in Saudi Arabia, as the Trump administration awaited the outcome of investigations into missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Mnuchin announced the decision in a post on Twitter following a meeting with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who recently returned from meetings with top leaders in Riyadh and Ankara.

“Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia,” Mnuchin wrote on Twitter.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Just met with <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecPompeo</a> and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.
— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevenmnuchin1/status/1052944784355205120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The Saudis have said they plan to move forward with the conference, scheduled for October&nbsp;23-25, despite a wave of cancellations by high-profile business, government and media leaders.

Mnuchin’s withdrawal comes after top financial, trade and foreign officials from Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands also dropped out.

Trump has urged patience in the wake of US-based Khashoggi’s disappearance earlier this month during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and said he took the matter seriously.

Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi - a Washington Post columnist who was a strong critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said he would no longer attend next week’s investment conference in Saudi Arabia, as the Trump administration awaited the outcome of investigations into missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said he would no longer attend next week’s investment conference in Saudi Arabia, as the Trump administration awaited the outcome of investigations into missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mnuchin announced the decision in a post on Twitter following a meeting with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who recently returned from meetings with top leaders in Riyadh and Ankara. “Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia,” Mnuchin wrote on Twitter. Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia. — Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 18, 2018 × The Saudis have said they plan to move forward with the conference, scheduled for October 23-25, despite a wave of cancellations by high-profile business, government and media leaders. Mnuchin’s withdrawal comes after top financial, trade and foreign officials from Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands also dropped out. Trump has urged patience in the wake of US-based Khashoggi’s disappearance earlier this month during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and said he took the matter seriously. Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi - a Washington Post columnist who was a strong critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed.

US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin withdraws from Saudi conference

khashoggi-case

Khashoggi Case, News on Khashoggi Case, stories on Khashoggi Case, articles on Khashoggi Case, Khashoggi Case stories at Wion, Khashoggi Case news, Khashoggi Case latest news

khashoggi case