Saudi Arabia vs Iran

Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of an “act of war” after a missile was intercepted over the capital city Riyadh. The long-range ballistic rocket was fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen, however the Saudi ruling coalition claimed the missile launch was an aggressive act by Iran, who reportedly smuggled weapons to the Yemeni militias.

Saudi Arabia vs Yemen

There is growing tension between Yemen and the Saudis due to the same incident, as it was Yemeni Houthi militias who fired the missile. Saudi Arabia closed all ground, air and sea access to Yemen following the rocket attack. The kingdom said the closures would be temporary and take into account the work of humanitarian organisations. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been fighting against its internationally-recognised government in a civil war that started in 2015. The rebels, backed by Iran, have seized control of the capital Sanaa and forced the government into exile.

Saudi Arabia vs Lebanon

Saudi Arabia has accused Lebanon of declaring war against the kingdom over aggression by Lebanese group Hezbollah. Thamer al-Sabhan, the Saudi minister for Gulf affairs, said the Lebanese government would now “be dealt with as a government declaring war on Saudi Arabia” over “acts of agressionn” by Hezbollah.

Lebanon vs Iran

Lebanon is fully immersed in the regional power play between Saudi Arabia and Iran with key political figures playing into it. Now ex-prime minister Saas al-Hariri has blamed Iranian interference in Lebanon for his resignation over the weekend. He described Hezbollah - a political party with an allegedly terrorist military wing which was part of his “unity” government - as “Iran’s arm” in Lebanon.

Bahrain vs Lebanon

Bahrain has ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon amid mounting tensions between regional powers and Iran. It will also ban its citizens from travelling to Lebanon amid fears for the country’s stability after Mr al-Hariri’s resignation.

Qatar vs Everyone

Several countries, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed land, sea and air blockades. Qatar is accused of supporting terrorist groups, including Islamic State and Hezbollah - charges the oil-rich state strongly denies. 

So don’t be fooled by the mainstream media.  They may be trying to convince you that everything is just wonderful, but that is not the reality that most people are facing at all.

It was a striking shift in tone for the president, who for months has issued increasingly dire threats to answer any hostile North Korean action with “fire and fury.” On Tuesday, his first day on the Korean Peninsula as president, Trump said he’d seen “a lot of progress” in dealing with Pyongyang, though he stopped short of saying whether he wanted direct diplomatic talks.

“It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world,” Trump said at a news conference with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. “I do see certain movement.”

Trump was winding down his visit to Seoul on Wednesday with an address to South Korea’s National Assembly, where he was expected to outline his view of dangers posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The next stop on his five-nation Asian tour: Beijing, where he will press China to constrict the North’s economic lifeblood.

Analysts said the arrests were another pre-emptive measure by the crown prince to remove powerful figures as he exerts control over the world's leading oil exporter. The roundup recalls the palace coup in June through which he ousted his elder cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef, as heir to the throne and interior minister.

MbS, as he is known, was expected to follow at least by removing Prince Miteb from leadership of the National Guard, a pivotal power base rooted in the kingdom's tribes. Over the past year, MbS has become the ultimate decision-maker for the kingdom's military, foreign, economic and social policies, causing resentment among parts of the Al Saud dynasty frustrated by his meteoric rise.

The October 4 killings of four US soldiers on a “routine training mission” in Niger brought the committee’s hearing into sharper focus. It turns out the presence of these troops in Niger was unlawful. The hostilities in Niger that resulted in the deaths of four US troops were not conducted in self-defense.

In addition, the deployment of these forces to engage in hostilities was not authorized by any other provision of law… Congress must retain the power to authorize war, which is what the framers intended. They should refrain from relinquishing it to an unpredictable and volatile president.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Monday, US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged that Pyongyang is high on their meeting’s agenda. The American leader yet again blasted Pyongyang for the continued development of its “unlawful weapons programs, including its illegal nuclear tests and outrageous launches of ballistic missiles” over Japanese territory.

“We will not stand for that,” he said, reiterating once again that “the era of strategic patience is over.” Abe echoed the message, but stopped short of threatening North Korea, saying that it is “time for dialogue,” while also promising more sanctions on the reclusive state.

Japan is already buying defense equipment from Washington, but there are further plans to modernize the Japanese military in light of heightened tensions with North Korea. “The situation in Asia-Pacific is getting very tough, and we have to qualitatively and quantitatively enhance our capabilities,” Abe said.

He mentioned the purchase of F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets, SM-3 Block III anti-aircraft missiles, and Aegis-capable warships. “The quality and quantity must be enhanced by buying more from the United States, that’s what I’m thinking of,” Prime Minister Abe stated.

The 58-member board had been expected to vote on two resolutions condemning Israeli actions in Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights on Friday, but according to Shama Hacohen it is likely that the board will agree to delay the issue for six months.

“Time will tell whether this is a tactical change or a new approach. If it is, it is significant progress toward wiping the table clean from the incitement and politicization against us in the organization,” Shama Hacohen said, adding: “It could be a significant step toward the elimination of these proposals altogether.”

Stocks are trading at levels only previously reached in the run-up to Black Tuesday and the tech collapse of 2000, fuelling concerns among economists that markets are destined for a devastating reversal that would throw world economic growth off track.

“In both cases, sharp market ­declines followed these high readings,” warned Graham Hacche at the National Institute for Economic and Social ­Research (NIESR). 

Pointing to the cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio (the Shiller CAPE ratio), rising to above 30, Mr Hacche said that this indicated “markets may have become increasingly vulnerable to shocks”, which “could have significant negative repercussions on private consumption and investment”.

In a joint statement issued Saturday, 15 Democratic lawmakers and one Republican — all military veterans — called the assessment that a ground invasion would be required to destroy the North’s nuclear arsenal “deeply disturbing” and said that such an action “could result in hundreds of thousands, or even millions of deaths in just the first few days of fighting.”

The statement goes on to say that entering into a protracted and massive ground war with North Korea would be disastrous for US troops and allies. "There are no good military options for North Korea. Invading North Korea could result in a catastrophic loss of lives for US troops and US civilians in South Korea," the statement reads. "It could kill millions of South Koreans and put troops and civilians in Guam and Japan at risk."

Among those fired and/or arrested are the head of National Royal Guards, Miteb Bin Abdullah, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Adel Fakeih, and Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, the Commander of the Saudi Naval Forces. According to the AngryArab blog, the removal of Prince Miteb bin Abdullah as head of the National Guard, means that "this is the first time that the National Guard is not in the hands of Abdullah or his son."

That put all apparatus of the military-intelligence network in the hands of Muhammad bin Salman.  News that Al-Walid bin Talal has been arrested and accused of money laundering could be a service to Trump, who hates Al-Walid: the two fought it out on Twitter during the campaign although Al-Walid tried to reconcile with Trump after his election but to no avail. 

Bin Talal's arrest and the government reshuffle caps off a bizarre day for Saudi newsflow, which started with the resignation of Palestinian prime minister Saad al-Hariri, who announced he was quitting due to fears of an assassination plot, allegedly organized by Iran, followed shortly after by the Saudi defense forces intercepting a ballistic missile as it was about to strike the capital Riyadh.

The 102-page “Strategic Perspective 2040” report — adopted in late February and kept under wraps since then — outlines six scenarios for how social trends and international conflicts are likely to play out and influence German security, the weekly magazine reported Saturday.

It includes a worst-case scenario in which the EU unravels and Germany is forced into a “reactive mode.” In this projection, the international order falls apart after “decades of instability,” value systems lose their influence and globalization grinds to a halt.

“EU enlargement has been largely abandoned, other states have left the community, Europe has lost its global competitiveness,” the report reads, according to Der Spiegel. “The increasingly disorderly, sometimes chaotic and conflict-prone world has dramatically changed the security environment of Germany and Europe.”