Adnan Khashoggi, the Middle Eastern arms dealer and fixer, vastly wealthy with a high-rolling international lifestyle, and mired in various scandals throughout his life, has died. In the 1970s and 1980s, he made hundreds of millions brokering vast arms deals for his friends in the Saudi royal family, his wealth once estimated at £2.4 billion. His assets included 12 homes, fully staffed at all times, including a 10,000 acre ranch in Kenya, an estate in Marbella and houses in London, Paris, Cannes, Madrid, Monte Carlo and Manhattan. He had a stable of Arabian horses and 200 exotic animals, 100 limousines, a personal airline of three jets and a fleet of three yachts, one of which he sold to Donald Trump.

Scandal was never far away. He negotiated a defence contract with Maggie Thatcher’s government and the Saudis, with Mark Thatcher allegedly involved (which he denies) which raised eyebrows; and was a facilitator with various US administrations from Nixon onwards, which appeared to help him survive his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal of 1975-76 and the Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s as well as other legal tangles. A sister, Samira, would marry the Harrods owner Mohammed Fayed and was the mother of Dodi Fayed.

He was a lavish host, clearly charming for those on his right side, generous to his multiple mistreses and the women he procured to grease his business deals with the Saudis. And he did organise and fund the top secret Operation Moses in 1984, which airlifted 14,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel during the famine caused by the Ethiopian civil war.

Born in Mecca on 25 July 1935, he had a fearsomely determined and quite ruthless chart, with a flamboyant Leo Sun close to controlling Pluto opposition a Capricorn North Node square Mars in Libra opposition Uranus. Overflowing with initiative, not short of courage, attracted to a high-adrenaline lifestyle. His more charitable side would come from an emotional Water Grand Trine of Mercury in Cancer trine Jupiter in Scorpio trine Saturn in Pisces, with Saturn opposition elusive Neptune and Venus in Virgo.

Certainly one of a kind, though his business methods left a great deal to be desired.

Right on the button of tr Uranus squaring his Capricorn Moon, George Clooney welcomed twins, Ella and Alexander, into his new family with Amal this morning.

Fittingly enough for twins they are Sun Gemini with an expansive, lucky, sociable trine to Jupiter in Libra and a creative though vague square to Neptune; and a Scorpio Moon probably trine Neptune and, if an early morning birth, trine Mars in Cancer. They have the inspirational, entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Uranus in Aries (Venus in Taurus) trine Saturn in Sagittarius trine a leadership North Node in Leo; still formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Mars. So they’ll be talented, go-getters, confident, attention-seeking and utterly determined as well as disciplined.

Their Neptune falls on Pa’s Ascendant so they’ll soften his image; while their Saturn is in his 10^th, making him better organised and possibly harder-working. Their Scorpio Moon is probably conjunct his Neptune and Amal’s Uranus, so they’ll also experience him as elusive and Amal fairly unpredictable.

With a composite Sun opposition Jupiter in their relationship chart with their father, they’ll find him laid-back and enthusiastic, though also fairly disrupted by their presence with an odd composite Mars opposition Saturn Neptune – he’ll worry about them and be reasonably strict at times, perhaps also edgy if they hog the limelight.

Their relationship with Amal, who is a Sun Venus in Aquarius with Moon Neptune in Sagittarius, will also be expansive with a composite Sun trine Jupiter and argumentative with Sun square Mars.

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The tiny oil-rich country of Qatar has been left isolated as several countries have broken off diplomatic and commercial ties with accusations that it supported terrorism in the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have closed their airspace to Qatari planes. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have given Qatari nationals two weeks to leave, and banned their own citizens from travelling to Qatar. For a country 40% of whose food is imported largely from Saudi Arabia it’ll be a crippling blow. Trump’s recent visit to the Middle East supporting Saudi Arabia and condemning Iran appears to be one factor. The FT also reports that Gulf allies were angry that Qatar paid a one billion dollar ransom to jihadists and Iranian security officials after Qatari nationals on  a hunting party were kidnapped in Iraq and Syria.

Qatar declared independence on 1 September 1971. They certainly look in troubled times with their Solar Arc Mars opposing Pluto in late 2018 and in effect beforehand, grinding them to a halt in a scarily trapped scenario, and stuck later this year with tr Saturn square Pluto. They may bounce up in 2019 with Solar Arc Uranus conjunct their Jupiter.

Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, home to 11,000 troops; and the command and control of US air power throughout Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and 17 other nations. And Qatari investors own more property in London than the Mayor’s office and three times more than the Queen. So the repercussions won’t just be confined to the Middle East.

Trump now has his Progressed Moon moving into his 12^th for two years and a confidant described him as a lost man: “He now lives within himself, which is a dangerous place for Donald Trump to be. I see him emotionally withdrawing. He’s gained weight. He doesn’t have anybody whom he trusts.” Which is fairly much a perfect description of that influence.

His ‘grown-up’ ministers spend their time patching up his wild statements, often contradicting what he’s said, for example on NATO, and wincing when he makes legal woes over his travel ban worse by giving hostages to fortune in inflammatory tweets about the recent London attack. And he’s now lashing out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not getting him what he wants.

His relationship with HR McMaster, who dented his previously stellar reputation by defending Trump’s over intelligence sharing with Russia, looks completely frustrated and aggravated at the moment with his boss, with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars from early June through till mid July, and returning on an off till late 2018.

Jeff Sessions, Steve Mnuchin (Treasury Secy), Don McGahn (WH counsel) and Kellyanne Conway all have separating Saturn transits to their Trump relationship charts through till late 2017. As do the military chiefs – Mattis, Dunford, Kelly.

Even die-hard supporters like Stephen Miller and Gary Cohn look unnerved and jolted by strong tr Uranus hard aspects to their composite Suns.

Where problems may escalate is mid July to early September this year with tr Pluto square Trump’s Jupiter, which is likely to send him into an over forceful, might-makes-right push. And that returns in November. VP Mike Pence, Gary Cohn and Chief of Staff Dunford, look especially alarmed and confused in their interactions with him then.

Conflict and interpersonal difficulties are to be expected in the hothouse of the White House. But this one seems to beat all previous records.

Add on: Trump’s extraordinary twitter attack on Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, is turning into a toxic ping pong match with Khan now saying he shouldn’t be invited to the UK.

Khan, born 8 October 1970, is a Sun Uranus in Libra; with a fearsomely determined Saturn in Taurus trine Mars Pluto in Virgo, and opposition Venus Neptune in Scorpio. Khan’s Saturn is conjunct Trump’s MC, so he could teach him to be more sensible and better organised but here Saturn’s critical, put-down side appears to be taking precedence. Plus Khan’s Mars Pluto squares Trump’s Sun and Moon; and Khan’s Neptune squares Trump’s Mars Ascendant – the first is bitterly hostile and the second not mutually supportive. Their relationship chart has similar patterns with a composite outright-dislike on both sides Pluto Mars conjunction bringing a determined and destructive power struggle ; with a differing-agendas composite Sun Uranus. And a chilly composite Venus square Saturn which is getting the deep freeze treatment this year from tr Saturn hard aspects.

The State visit won’t be Khan’s decision but with feelings running high I can’t imagine even the lure of HMQ and a gilded carriage ride down the Mall would be too attractive to Trump, given the reception he’s likely to get. Rex Tillerson got the bird pretty constantly on a recent visit to NZ and he’s not the kingpin.

“He was a great role model, a great husband, a great entertainer . . . America’s dad. A giant. A legend.”

And now Bill Cosby goes on trial for three sexual assault charges relating to one woman. Though those are the tip of the iceberg. Dozens of women have been brave enough to come forward and speak about what they say happened to them, with allegations of drugging and rape. The lawyer Gloria Allred “It’s not a ‘he said, she said’ situation any more. It’s a ‘he said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, she said . . .’ ”

Born 12 July 1937 12.30am Philadelphia, PA, he has a 4^th house Cancer Sun, which is the ego-centric driving planet of a Kite, in opposition to a lucky, pillar-of-the-community 10^th house Jupiter in an Earth Grand Trine to Neptune (Moon) in Virgo trine Uranus in Taurus. So very earthy and confident, pushily so with his Jupiter also opposition Pluto. Plus he has Mars in intense Scorpio, which has a tendency to dominate and hold grudges – it’s in a no-compromise opposition to Uranus.

He’s got tr Pluto moving through his 10^th for many years ahead, deconstructing his reputation and career, and now opposition his Sun, which it continues to hard aspect till late 2018. So a time of considerable pressure; and this month he has tr Saturn square his Mars/Pluto through this trial, which will put him on the back foot; plus an undermining tr Pluto square his Mars/Neptune (also till late 2018). His lucky Jupiter has always fished him (or kept him) out of trouble up till now and may come back into play in 2019/2020. Though his health may be sagging with tr Pluto trine his 6^th house Neptune this year.

His self-undoing 10^th Harmonic, throws high and brings low, is strong joining Venus Pluto and the Sun, which makes sense of sexual coercion.

There’s been violence at an “alt-right” rally in Portland, Oregon with police using stun grenades and tear gas. Tensions have been high since Jeremy Christian, a white supremacist, was charged for the killing of two men and wounding a third after they intervened to help two young women on a train who were the target of racial abuse. In court, Christian shouted: “You call it terrorism, I call it patriotism!”

Born 1 May 1982, he’s a Sun Taurus opposition Jupiter in Scorpio, so not lacking in stubbornness or confidence. His Mars in Libra opposes Venus in Pisces squaring onto Neptune in Sagittarius, so he channels all the passionate although insensitive enthusiasm of Mars Venus into delusional Neptune. Plus he has a wide-ish Yod of Mercury sextile Venus inconjunct Pluto, so has problems exercising his willpower. It makes him coercive, giving him an extreme perspective and an inability to interact with or understand others.

The white nationalists were given heart by Trump’s campaigning. Matthew Heimbach, leader of one of the myriad far-right (neo-Nazi/KKK and other) groups described Trump as the “gateway drug” to outright white nationalism. “He’s not one of us and everyone needs to know that. But he’s definitely opening up political space for people like ourselves.” Heimbach is a Holocaust denier, believing that it’s all a “Bolshevik conspiracy”. He has expressed sympathy for the racist killer Dylann Roof and praised white supremacist Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. Real Christianity, he said, is “patriarchal, homophobic, racist and anti-semitic. I see that as a good thing.”

Heimbach, 8 April 1991, is a Sun Aries square the can-be-fanatical Uranus Neptune conjunction in Capricorn. With an unstable Jupiter opposition Saturn square Mercury in Aries; and an emotionally intense Venus in Taurus opposition Pluto. His Sun is conjunct his Mars/Saturn midpoint; his Mercury = Mars/Pluto; and his almost unaspected Mars in excitable Cancer is sesqui-square (135 degrees) to Mars.

His compatriot Thomas Buhls, 6 June 1983, is a Sun Mars in Gemini opposition Uranus Jupiter in Sagittarius, so explosive, rebellious; with his Mercury square his Mars/Pluto and Mars/Saturn midpoints – suffused with anger and rage. And his Mars = Saturn/Pluto; his Pluto = Mars/Uranus. All in all a powderkeg.

Another UK terrorist atrocity killed seven and wounded at least 48 others in a van and knife attack close to London Bridge restaurants and market at 10pm last night. All three terrorists, wearing hoax suicide vests and shouting ‘This is for Allah’, were killed by police.

The chart is remarkably similar to the Manchester bombing on 22 May which left 23 dead and 116 injured. The attention-demanding Fire Grand Trine of Saturn in Sagittarius trine Leo Node trine Uranus Venus in Aries is still in place, with the assassination-prone Mars opposition Saturn funnelling all the unshakeable-self-belief of the Fire trine energy into a deadly Mars-led attack. That falls across the Ascendant/Descendant with Mars in the 7^th in both cases – so anger towards others very prominent.

The February Pisces Solar Eclipse, so relevant for Manchester with the explosive Mars Uranus in Aries on the MC, is the same for London. Houses aren’t supposed to matter for Eclipse charts, but my impression is that a strong 8^th house emphasis is present in many disaster Eclipse charts. In this case the Pisces New Moon Neptune are in the 8^th – with Pisces being an ISIS/fundamentalist Islam signature.

The Solar Arc MC on the UK 1801 chart is certainly making its mark as it approaches a square to the deeply buried 8^th house Mars in Taurus, exact in 2 months, though usually acting out ahead of time. That UK Mars in Taurus has in the past been connected to many large-scale death experiences in the UK when it is triggered by transits or progressions. The Solar Arc Mars is also being undermined by tr Neptune in square exactly now, and off and on through 2018 as well.

For all Trump’s opportunistic, knee-jerk tweet about it justifying his travel ban for Muslim immigrants, these will probably turn out to be home-grown.

Kathy Griffin, the controversial stand-up comedian and television presenter, is watching her career disintegrate in front of her eyes after a stunt with a severed head of Donald Trump. Several comedians, including Jim Carrey, have stepped up to support her, saying comedians sometimes step across the line, but she’s had gigs cancelled and sponsorship withdrawn. Her supporters point out that “Obama’s presidency was marked by effigies of our first black president hanging from nooses across the country … or being burned around the world.” Sauce for the goose and all that. Those that give it can rarely take it.

Griffin was born 4 November 1960 6am Oak Park, Illinois (astrotheme), the youngest of six to older Irish immigrant parents, had a paedophile, drug-addicted, abusive brother and suffered from an eating disorder. Not a great childhood.

She is a Sun Mercury Neptune in Scorpio so undoubtedly intense; with her Scorpio planets trine an excitable Mars in Cancer. Her Mars in the 9^th is also opposition Saturn in Capricorn, so she’ll be hard-edged, prone to overstatement, bubbling with anger. She’ll certainly be talented with a Half Grand Sextile off that opposition, of Mars sextile Node Pluto sextile Neptune Sun sextile Saturn – but a happy lady at heart she is not.

Her Uranus is in her 10^th like Jim Carrey as is her Pluto. Her Uranus is conjunct Trump’s Mars, so a recipe for fireworks. She’ll perk up marginally from late this month with a lucky-break tr Uranus opposition her Jupiter/Uranus; but she’s in a generally low-profile, less successful phase with undermining Neptune transits running till late 2018.

Like Carrey, her 7^th Harmonic, which can be mentally on the edge as well as creative is ferociously strong; as is her victim 12H; and she has a strained and aggravated 13H (= breaking with the orthodox).

Much is being made of Leo Varadkar about to become the youngest ever Prime Minister of Ireland after he was voted leader of the country’s main governing centre-right party. He is son of an Indian immigrant doctor and came out as gay in 2015. One commentator said: ’ He has come to personify the liberalisation of a country which was once regarded as one of Europe’s most socially conservative nations – homosexuality was illegal until 1993.’

Born 18 January 1979, with a doctor father and an Irish nurse mother, he took a medical training, became a General Practitioner and went into politics in his mid-twenties.

He’s an ambitious Sun Mars in Capricorn in a determined square to Pluto; with a hard-working Saturn and Moon in Virgo. It won’t all be easy ahead for him with tr Uranus square his Sun Mars into 2018, and tr Neptune opposition his Saturn now until late 2018.

And for all the talk of a liberal Ireland, neither the 1922 nor the 1949 Ireland charts look entirely enamoured.