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

Two new suspicious packages targeting Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris and billionaire political activist Tom Steyer — both Democrats — have been recovered even as federal officials arrested a Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of President Donald Trump.

These packages put the total number of devices found in the US by law enforcement officials to 14. None have detonated, but all have pushed officials onto high alert as they worry about additional devices being delivered.

Law enforcement authorities on Friday rushed to investigate one package addressed to Harris, the first Indian-American to serve in the Senate, that was discovered by a postal employee in Sacramento.

Harris, a potential contender in the 2020 presidential race, has been a vocal critic of Trump like the others who have been targeted earlier this week.

Another package was addressed to Steyer, a major Democratic donor, and was found at a post office in Burlingame, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“Our office was informed that a suspicious package was addressed to the senator similar to those that have been sent to other elected officials,” Harris’ spokeswoman Lily Adams said.

Sacramento County sheriff’s officials said the Harris package contained a legitimate explosive device, similar to those sent earlier in the week to high-profile political targets. The FBI later said its bomb technicians rendered the package safe.

Investigators also were examining another package addressed to Steyer, who has previously advocated Trump’s impeachment.

On Friday, Florida man Cesar Altieri Sayoc was detained in connection with the spate of suspicious, potentially explosive devices sent to prominent critics of Trump earlier this week.

Trump said that the suspect would face “swift and certain justice”, while urging Americans to “unify” against these “despicable” acts.

The arrest came after 12 people received suspicious packages containing suspected explosives in the last few days, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The other two packages, intercepted on Friday in Florida and New York, were addressed to Democratic Senator Cory Booker and to former National Intelligence Director James Clapper.

The discovery of suspicious packages containing suspected explosives began on Monday, when billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a known Democratic donor, received one at his home in the state of New York.

The episode comes less than two weeks ahead of the November 6 mid-term congressional elections.

 The person in custody on suspicion of sending suspicious packages to a dozen prominent people has been identified as Florida resident Cesar Sayoc, US media reported Friday, citing law enforcement sources.

Sayoc was apprehended in a shopping centre in Plantation, Florida, west of Ft. Lauderdale, and authorities seized the white van he was driving.

The van was covered with photos of president Donald Trump and with threatening images against figures such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – the intended recipient of one of the packages – and filmmaker Michael Moore, Efe reported.

Sayoc, who has a criminal record, resided in Aventura, northeast of Miami and, according to his LinkedIn page, worked in the entertainment industry.

Trump said Friday that the suspect would face “swift and certain justice,” while urging Americans to “unify” against these “despicable” acts.

“I am pleased to inform you that law enforcement has apprehended the suspect and taken him into custody,” Trump said during an event at the White House.

The president said that his administration would prosecute the suspect and anyone else possibly involved to the “fullest extent of the law.”

Trump praised US law enforcement agencies for their “incredible job” capturing the suspect, adding that finding the alleged culprit was like uncovering “a needle in a haystack.”

The president said that the sending of the suspicious packages containing suspected explosives was a “terrorizing” act that has “no place in our country.”

“We must never allow political violence to take root in America. We cannot let it happen. I am committed to do everything in my power as president to stop it and stop it now,” Trump said.

“Americans must unify and we must show the world that we are united together in peace and love and harmony as fellow American citizens,” he added.

The arrest came after 12 people received suspicious packages containing suspected explosives in the last few days, including former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The last two packages, intercepted on Friday in Florida and New York, were addressed to Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and to former National Intelligence Director James Clapper.

None of the packages exploded, though they have elevated the level of alert of US authorities, as they fear more packages will be found in the coming days.

The FBI said Friday via Twitter that a similar package was found in Florida addressed to Sen. Booker, who is considered to be a possible contender in the 2020 presidential election.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) intercepted a suspicious package on Friday addressed to Clapper at a post office in Manhattan.

The discovery of suspicious packages containing suspected explosives began on Monday, when billionaire philanthropist George Soros, a known Democratic donor, received one at his home in the state of New York.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, two packages were sent to Hillary Clinton and Obama, while other similar packages were sent to former Attorney General Eric Holder, Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters, former CIA Director John Brennan and CNN’s New York offices.

The fact that all of the packages were addressed to members of the Democratic Party or to Trump critics suggests a possible political motivation.

The episode comes less than two weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 mid-term congressional elections.

Trump acknowledged Friday that the discovery of the suspicious packages could affect Republican candidates’ momentum for the mid-term elections, in which a third of the seats in the House of Representatives and all of the seats in the Senate are up for grabs.

IANS