The US President has wrestled back control of the Russia probe by firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replacing him with a loyalist who has echoed Donald Trump’s complaints about the special counsel investigation into the election interference.

Sessions delivered his resignation letter to the White House on Wednesday at the request of the President. The former Alabama senator who was an early supporter of Trump, made clear the decision to go was not his own.

“Dear Mr President, at your request I am submitting my resignation,” he wrote in an undated letter.

Sessions’s Chief of Staff Matthew Whitaker, who has criticised the Russia inquiry will take over temporarily, raising questions about the future of the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller III.

“We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well!” tweeted Trump. “A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.”

Till now, Rod J. Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, oversaw the investigation because Sessions recused himself in March 2017, citing his active role in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

A Justice Department official said Whitaker’s role in the Russia probe will be subject to the normal review process for conflicts, the Washington Post reported.

Democrats were outraged by Session’s removal and demanded that Whitaker also remove himself from taking charge of the inquiry, citing potential conflicts of interest, including his criticisms of the Mueller investigation as well as his connections to a witness in that investigation, Sam Clovis, a former Trump campaign aide.

In 2014, Whitaker was the chairman of Clovis’ unsuccessful campaign to become Iowa state treasurer.

“Given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation, Whitaker should recuse himself from its oversight for the duration of his time as acting attorney general,” Democratic party Senate leader Chuck Schumer said.

House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said: “It is impossible to read Sessions’ firing as anything other than another blatant attempt by Trump to undermine and end Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder, who served during President Barack Obama’s administration, tweeted that anyone who tried to interfere with the Mueller investigation “must be held accountable”.

On Tuesday, after the voters chose a divided government by handing the House majority back to Democrats, the CNN said Trump made his hallmark — the sort of “I-do-what-feels-right-when-it-feels-right” move — just like it has been over the past three years.

Whitaker could hold the Attorney General’s post for roughly 200 days because he has not been confirmed previously by the Senate. He has not shied away from sharing his concerns over the investigation.

In August 2017, he wrote a piece for CNN in which he stated that looking into Trump’s personal finances or those of his family, “goes beyond the scope of the appointment of the special counsel”.

He went on to call on Rosenstein to “order Mueller to limit the scope of the investigation” or risk the inquiry starting “to look like a political fishing expedition”.

Meanwhile, Trump in a wide-ranging and sharp-tongued news conference on Wednesday said that any hope for bipartisan deals would evaporate if House Democrats use their new power to investigate him or his administration.

Such efforts, he said bluntly, would precipitate “a warlike posture”.

Democrats said they plan to begin a series of investigations of the President, including issuing a subpoena for his tax returns, which he has for years refused to release.

During his combative conference, Trump repeatedly lost his cool as he answered questions from journalists. He called CNN’s Jim Acosta “a rude, terrible person”, snapped at Peter Alexander of NBC News and directed April Ryan of American Urban Radio to “sit down”.

Later, the White House withdrew the permanent credential from the CNN journalist Acosta for confronting Trump following the mid-term results.

IANS

New York US President Donald Trump broke a 15-year tradition of holding formal Diwali celebrations at the White House this year with the festival falling amid the crucial midterm polls.

The Diwali celebration was started by former President George W. Bush in 2003 and was carried on by his successor Barack Obama.

Continuing the tradition, Trump held the celebration at the Oval Office, where he lit a traditional lamp last year.

This year, however, he is caught up in the elections, which took place on Tuesday after a whirlwind of campaigning that ended on Monday.

On Wednesday, he will be tied up dealing with the aftermath of the elections, which saw his Republican Party lose control of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his Diwali greeting issued on Wednesday hailed the contributions of Indian Americans.

“As those celebrating decorate their homes with vibrant lights, I would also like to recognize the achievements of our friends in the United States observing Diwali who make important contributions to our country on a daily basis,” said in his message.

(IANS)

Chinese tycoon and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma said that he really hated the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing and called it the “most stupid thing in this world”.

“(The) Trade war is the most stupid thing in this world,” Ma said on Monday at the China International Import Expo here.

It’s the latest and perhaps bluntest barb about the trade conflict from the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, China’s biggest internet company, reports CNN.

In September, he blamed it for derailing his highly ambitious promise to create 1 million new US jobs.

The US and China have slapped heavy new tariffs on huge swathes of each other’s exports this year.

The US government accuses China of stealing American intellectual property and forcing US firms to handover valuable tech. But US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly complained about his country’s $375 billion deficit in the trade of goods with China.

Ma argued on Monday that the purpose of trade should be to promote peace and communication rather than conflict, and that the rise of protectionism is misguided.

“Nobody can stop the free trade,” he said.

His remarks at the event came hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping slammed a “winner-takes-all” approach to international trade.

The China International Import Expo has been organised by the Chinese government to promote the country as a market for imports from other countries.

IANS

Washington, (IANS) The sons of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi issued an emotional appeal for the return of their father’s body, in their first interview since he was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October.

Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi, who called their father “courageous, generous and very brave”, told CNN on Sunday night they endured weeks of anguish and uncertainty following his disappearance and death.

“I really hope that whatever happened wasn’t painful for him, or it was quick. Or he had a peaceful death,” Abdullah Khashoggi, 33, told the news channel during a sit-down interview in here with his brother, Salah, 35.

Without their father’s body, the brothers said that their family was unable to grieve or find closure.

“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 said.

“I talked about that with the Saudi authorities and I just hope that it happens soon.”

Authorities in Turkey, who believe that Khashoggi was murdered by a hit squad sent from Riyadh, were still searching for the journalist’s remains.

Last week, the chief prosecutor’s office said Khashoggi’s body was dismembered after he was strangled, while the Washington Post reported investigators were looking into the theory that the body was dissolved in acid.

The Saudi Royal Palace has denied any knowledge of the body’s whereabouts.

Abdullah and Salah told CNN that their father had been misunderstood and intentionally misrepresented for political reasons.

“Jamal was a moderate person. He was liked by everybody. He had differences and common values with everyone,” Salah said, describing the late Washington Post columnist as a genuine, happy person and an “amazing” father.

“I see a lot of people coming out right now and trying to claim his legacy and unfortunately some of them are using that in a political way that we totally don’t agree with.

“Public opinion is important… But my fear is that it’s being over politicized. People are throwing analysis that may direct us away from the truth,” he added.

According to reports in The Washington Post and The New York Times, Khashoggi was labelled as a Muslim Brotherhood sympathiser and a dangerous Islamist in phone calls the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had with Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser, and John Bolton, National Security Adviser.

“It’s just labels and people not doing their homework properly, and reading his article and going in depth. It’s easier to stick a label on him,” Abdullah said, when asked about the Muslim Brotherhood claim.

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.”

Reflecting on their father’s career as a journalist, the brothers said their father was “like a rock and roll star” when they were out with him in Saudi Arabia.

Salah, the eldest sibling, has been made the principal family point of contact by the Saudi government. Abdullah, who lives in the United Arab Emirates was the last of the slain journalist’s children to see him alive.

They have two sisters, Noha, 27 and Razan, 25.

Noumea (New Caledonia) Voters in the French Pacific territory here have rejected a bid for independence prompting President Emmanuel Macron to say that it showed “confidence in the French republic”.

“I have to tell you how proud I am that we have finally passed this historic step together,” Macron added.

Final results showed that 56.4 per cent chose to remain part of France while 43.6 per cent voted to leave — a tighter result than some polls had predicted.

Turnout was about 81 per cent in this island that is one of UN’s 17 “non-self governing territories” where the process of decolonisation has not been completed.

The vote was promised in a 1988 deal that put an end to a violent campaign for independence, the BBC reported.

Although the referendum passed peacefully but some unrest was reported post polls closed. Cars and a shop were set ablaze in the capital, Noumea, media reports said. The high commissioner’s office said some roads were closed by protesters.

New Caledonia has large deposits of nickel, a vital component in manufacturing electronics, and is seen by France as a strategic political and economic asset in the region.

(IANS)

Pakistan’s far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party has called off protests against the acquittal of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy which have rocked the Muslim-majority South Asian democracy in recent days.

TLP on Friday signed an agreement with the Pakistani government to end the demonstrations, which also involved a number of other religious parties, party spokesperson Zubair Kasuri told Al Jazeera by telephone from Lahore.

According to Kasuri, protesters will be granted legal amnesty under the terms of the deal and Aasia Bibi – the 53-year-old Christian woman at the centre of this week’s furore – will be placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List.

This means she is effectively barred from leaving the country.

The agreement comes after three days of protests sparked by the landmark acquittal of Bibi byPakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday.

In its judgement, the court declared there were “glaring and stark” contradictions in the case against her.

The original complainant in the case, Muhammad Salim, has filed a review petition against the top court’s verdict, Kasuri said.

But according to Pakistani law, the grounds for review petitions are extremely narrow and such appeals are seldom upheld, meaning the court’s acquittal of Bibi is likely to stand.

Bibi had been on death row for eight years following her arrest in the central Pakistani village of Ithan Wali over an argument with two Muslim women, who refused to drink water from the same vessel as her due to her religion.

The women accused her of having insulted Islam’s Prophet Muhammad during the altercation, a charge Bibi has consistently denied.

Blasphemy is a sensitive subject in Pakistan, where the country’s strict laws prescribe a mandatory death penalty for some forms of the crime.

Increasingly, blasphemy allegations have led to murders and mob lynchings, with at least 74 people killed in such violence since 1990, acccording to media tally.

Aljazeera

US President Donald Trump has said that Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, is “under very serious consideration” for the post of the country’s ambassador to the UN.

Trump told the media at the White House, “She is under very serious consideration” to replace Nikki Haley for the job, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

“She’s excellent. She’s been with us for a very long time. She’s been a supporter for a long time,” Trump said. “We’ll probably make a decision next week,” he added.

US media outlets reported a few days ago that Nauert had been offered the job, but it remained unclear whether she would take it.

Reuters quoted a source familiar with the selection process as saying that Nauert was “at the top of the list,” while Bloomberg reported that Trump met with Nauert on Monday.

Nauert has not attended any press briefing recently, and her deputy Robert Palladino has chaired three briefings this week.

Asked about the nomination on Thursday, Palladino said “any announcement like that is the prerogative of the White House.”

Nauert, 48, a former anchor at Fox News Channel, has worked for the State Department as a spokeswoman since April 2017. She was named acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs earlier this year.

Haley announced in early October she would step down from her position by the end of the year, saying she needed a break after decades of public office.

The appointment of Nauert, if confirmed, would be unorthodox, given that she had no prior political or foreign policy-making experience before joining the State Department.

However, she has reportedly gained the trust of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and is also close to Trump’s daughter and son-in-law.

Nevertheless, the US media have complained about the falling frequency of the State Department’s press briefings under Nauert.

“In keeping with broader administration practice, Nauert has cut back State Department briefings from almost every day to, at most, twice a week,” Bloomberg noted.

US media earlier reported that Kelly Craft, the US ambassador to Canada; Dina Powell, a former White House aide; Kay Bailey Hutchison, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Jamie McCourt, US ambassador to France and Monaco; and Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, were among the candidates being considered.

More than 1,500 bodies have been found in a mass grave in Syria’s Raqqa province, the former de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS), the media reported on Wednesday.

Citing medical sources, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said “the bodies belonged to civilians who had been killed by the strikes of the US-led coalition on Raqqa”.

The bodies of 4,000 civilians had been found so far in mass graves in Raqqa, Xinhua news agency reported citing the newspaper. It said more bodies were being unearthed on daily basis.

The US-led coalition had supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their push to capture IS’ former stronghold Raqqa in 2017.

IANS

South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook will visit India from November 4 to 7 and will be the chief guest at the Uttar Pradesh government’s Deepotsav, it was announced on Wednesday.

She would be in the country on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and would be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

She would attend the ground-breaking ceremony of the Queen Suriratna Memorial in Ayodhya on November 6. Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya got married to King Suro and was renamed Queen Heo Hwang-ok.

“Ayodhya and Korea have a deep historical connection through the legendary Princess Suriratna of Ayodhya, who travelled to Korea in 48 CE and married Korean King Suro,” the statement said.

“The First Lady’s participation in the festivities in Ayodhya will showcase our close civilisational links as well as the ongoing deepening engagement between our two countries.”

Indian and Pakistani troops on Wednesday traded heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

Police said the Pakistan Army targeted Indian posts in Tangdhar and Keran sectors, after which the Indian positions retaliated.

The police said heavy firing continued between the two sides for around 15 minutes at both places. No casualty or damage was reported on the Indian side.

IANS