Trump vows to fire special counsel Jack Smith ‘in two seconds’ when he wins presidential race

Special Counsel Jack Smith (L) and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AFP)
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Updated 25 October 2024
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Trump vows to fire special counsel Jack Smith ‘in two seconds’ when he wins presidential race

  • Trump is accused by Smith of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden
  • Harris campaign says Trump's comments are right in line with the warnings made by Trump’s former Chief of Staff John Kelly)that "he wants to rule as a dictator with unchecked power

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Thursday that he would immediately fire Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought two federal cases against him, if he wins the November election.
Trump, who is awaiting sentencing on separate charges relating to hush money payments, is accused by Smith of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump’s remarks targeting the special counsel prompted the campaign of his White House rival Kamala Harris to accuse the former president of thinking he was “above the law.”
Trump’s lawyers filed a motion meanwhile which sought the dismissal of the election subversion case on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed — an argument that they successfully used in another case against the former president brought by the special counsel.
Trump was charged in Florida with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House, but the case was tossed out by District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee.
The legitimacy of special counsels has been validated in numerous other cases and Cannon’s extraordinary ruling has been appealed by Smith.
Trump praised Cannon as a “brave, brilliant judge” during an interview on Thursday with conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt.
Trump, who has threatened to prosecute his perceived political enemies if reelected, was asked by Hewitt whether he would pardon himself or dismiss Smith on his first day back in the White House.
“It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump said.
Smith was appointed special counsel by Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland.
A US president does not have the authority to dismiss a special counsel, but if reelected Trump could appoint a new attorney general who could do so.
A Trump-appointed attorney general could also have any federal cases against him thrown out.

Ammar Moussa, a Harris campaign spokesman, said Trump’s comments “are right in line with the warnings made by Trump’s former Chief of Staff (John Kelly) that he wants to rule as a dictator with unchecked power.”
“A second Trump term, where a more unstable and unhinged Trump has essentially no guardrails and is surrounded by loyalists who will enable his worst instincts, is guaranteed to be more dangerous,” Moussa added.
Trump, 78, had been scheduled to go on trial for the election subversion charges in March, but the case was frozen while his lawyers argued that an ex-president should be immune from criminal prosecution.
The Supreme Court ruled in July that a former president has broad immunity from prosecution for official acts conducted while in office, but can be pursued for unofficial acts.
Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding — the session of Congress that was to certify Biden’s 2020 election victory — when it was violently attacked by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021.
The former president is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise US voters with his false claims that he won the 2020 election.
In May, Trump was convicted in New York of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
He also faces racketeering charges in Georgia related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
 


‘Can’t describe the pain’: Bosnia marks 30 years since Srebrenica massacre

Updated 6 sec ago
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‘Can’t describe the pain’: Bosnia marks 30 years since Srebrenica massacre

  • After decades of painstaking work, about 7,000 victims have been identified and properly buried, but about 1,000 remain missing

SARAJEVO: Three decades after the Srebrenica genocide, relatives are still looking for and burying the remains of more than 8,000 men and boys killed by Bosnian Serb forces, revealing the painful scars cut deep into the country.
On July 11, 1995, Bosnian Serb forces stormed the Muslim enclave of more than 40,000 people in eastern Bosnia.
At the time, it was a “UN protected zone” — an ultimately hollow phrase meant to shield the many displaced people who had fled the 1992-1995 war.
Gen. Ratko Mladic’s forces executed thousands of men and boys before burying them in mass graves.

BACKGROUND

An international criminal court has sentenced Gen. Ratko Mladic, and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to life jail terms for war crimes and genocide during the conflict.

After decades of painstaking work, about 7,000 victims have been identified and properly buried, but about 1,000 remain missing.
Mass grave discoveries are now rare. The last was uncovered in 2021, when the remains of 10 victims were exhumed 180 km southwest of Srebrenica.
This year, the remains of seven victims will be buried during the July 11 commemorations at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center, including two 19-year-old men and a 67-year-old woman.
“This year, I’m having my father buried. But only one bone, his lower jaw,” Mirzeta Karic said.
The 50-year-old said her mother was very ill, and so she decided to go ahead with the burial without waiting for more remains to be found.
Her father, Sejdalija Alic, joined several thousand men and teenagers who tried to flee Mladic’s troops through the dense forests.
He failed.
His 22-year-old son, Sejdin, was also killed, as were Alic’s three brothers and their four sons.
He will be Karic’s 50th immediate family member laid to rest at Potocari cemetery.
The ceremony for her brother, Sejdin, was in 2003.
“I’ve been able to endure everything, but I think this funeral will be the worst. We’re having a bone buried. I can’t describe the pain.”
An international criminal court sentenced Mladic, now 83, and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, now 80, to life jail terms for war crimes and genocide during the conflict that left nearly 100,000 dead. Both are still incarcerated, but a proper reckoning inside the splintered Bosnian states remains overdue.
Political leaders in the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska, reject the term genocide and regularly downplay the massacre.
“This denial is trivialized,” said Neira Sabanovic, a researcher at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
“It is very rare to find someone in Republika Srpska who acknowledges that there was genocide,” she said.
Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik remains one of the most heard voices of genocide-denial in the statelet and Serbia.
Of 305 instances of denial or downplaying in Serbian and the Bosnian Serb media during 2024, he leads the way, appearing 42 times, according to an annual study published by the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
Last year, an international day of remembrance was established by the UN to mark the Srebrenica genocide, despite protests from Belgrade and Republika Srpska.
On Saturday, political leaders from the Bosnian Serb entity and Serbia, along with dignitaries from the Serbian Orthodox Church, planned to gather in Bratunac, near Srebrenica, for a commemoration of more than 3,200 eastern Bosnian Serb soldiers and civilians killed during the war.
Portraits of some 600 of these dead were hung along the road this week near the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
“These people are not participating in the same debate. They are having a conversation with themselves, and they are still in 1995,” said the director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, Emir Suljagic.
“We have won a very important battle, the battle for international recognition,” he added, referring to the UN resolution.

 


Ukraine’s Zelensky says latest phone call with Trump his most productive yet

Updated 5 min 58 sec ago
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Ukraine’s Zelensky says latest phone call with Trump his most productive yet

  • “It was probably the best conversation we have had during this whole time, the most productive,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
  • “We discussed air defense issues and I’m grateful for the willingness to help”

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his latest conversation with US President Donald Trump this week was the best and “most productive” he has had to date.

“Regarding the conversation with the president of the United States, which took place a day earlier, it was probably the best conversation we have had during this whole time, the most productive,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

“We discussed air defense issues and I’m grateful for the willingness to help. The Patriot system is precisely the key to protection against ballistic threats.”

Zelensky said the two leaders had discussed “several other important matters” that officials from the two sides would be considering in forthcoming meetings.

Trump told reporters on Friday that he had a good call with Zelensky and restated his disappointment at a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin over what he said was Moscow’s lack of willingness to work toward a ceasefire.

Asked whether the United States would agree to supply more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, as requested by Zelensky, Trump said: “They’re going to need them for defense... They’re going to need something because they’re being hit pretty hard.”

Russia has intensified air attacks on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks. Moscow’s forces launched the largest drone attack of the 40-month-old war on the Ukrainian capital hours after Trump’s conversation with Putin on Thursday.


UK police arrest over 20 supporters of now banned pro-Palestine group

Updated 05 July 2025
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UK police arrest over 20 supporters of now banned pro-Palestine group

  • On Saturday, supporters gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster, some holding placards that said “I OPPOSE GENOCIDE. I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION.”
  • Sky News footage showed some being led away in handcuffs

LONDON: British police arrested over 20 people on suspicion of terrorism offenses after they showed support for the newly banned Palestine Action group in London on Saturday, hours after the proscription came into effect.

The government moved to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws last month after its activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against what the group said was Britain’s support for Israel.

Late on Friday, the campaign lost an urgent appeal against the parliamentary vote to proscribe it as a terrorist organization, with the ban coming into force from midnight.

Under UK laws, offenses include inviting support, expressing approval, or displaying symbols of a banned group and are punishable by up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine. Britain has proscribed 81 groups under anti-terrorism laws, including Hamas, Al-Qaeda and Daesh.

On Saturday, supporters gathered in Parliament Square in Westminster, some holding placards that said “I OPPOSE GENOCIDE. I SUPPORT PALESTINE ACTION.” Sky News footage showed some being led away in handcuffs from a statue of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in the square, as they shouted their support.

United Nations experts have accused Israel of carrying out “genocidal acts” against Palestinians in the conflict in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has repeatedly dismissed such accusations.

PRIDE PARADE PROTEST
Palestine Action has targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain in its protests, with interior minister Yvette Cooper saying that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that the group’s activities justify proscription.

Critics of the decision, including some United Nations experts and civil liberties groups, have argued that damaging property does not amount to terrorism.

At another protest on Saturday, five pro-Palestinian activists from the Youth Demand group were arrested after they threw red paint over US company Cisco’s truck, which was participating in London’s Pride parade, and glued themselves to the vehicle.

The parade, which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, has since resumed, a separate police statement said.

“Young people will not accept ... crimes against humanity,” Youth Demand’s statement — which did not mention Palestine Action — said. It added that its activists targeted Cisco’s float as the company supplies “technology that is helping Israel.”

Cisco did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of business hours.


Macron to press Starmer on recognizing Palestinian state during UK visit

Updated 05 July 2025
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Macron to press Starmer on recognizing Palestinian state during UK visit

  • French leader’s trip comes as Paris pushes for relaunch of UN-led process on the issue to be hosted with Saudi Arabia
  • Macron also expected to discuss ‘one-in, one-out’ migrant return deal to curb Channel crossings

LONDON: Emmanuel Macron is expected to urge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to formally recognize Palestinian statehood during his upcoming state visit to the UK, it was reported on Saturday.

The French president arrives in London on Tuesday for a three-day trip, which will include a summit with Starmer, an address to both Houses of Parliament, and a state banquet hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle.

While the centerpiece of the visit is expected to be a new “one-in, one-out” migrant returns deal aimed at curbing Channel crossings, sources say Macron will also raise the issue of Palestinian statehood during private talks with the UK leader.

“The French are trying to get us back on board with recognition. We’re reticent,” a Whitehall insider told The Telegraph.

“You do it when you think you can achieve something from it, not for the sake of saying ‘we’ve done it.’”

Downing Street and the Elysee Palace are said to be at odds over the pace and conditions under which recognition should take place, though both governments publicly support the idea in principle at the “right time.”

Paris views recognition as a possible catalyst for a two-state solution and is pushing to relaunch a proposed UN-led process to discuss the matter to be hosted with Saudi Arabia.

However, UK officials fear the move could be largely symbolic without commitments from Hamas, including disarmament and withdrawal from leadership roles.

Israel has strongly opposed unilateral recognition, warning it would amount to “rewarding” Hamas for its Oct. 7 attacks.

The bilateral summit will also cover joint civil nuclear projects and coordination on a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

Macron’s visit will be marked by pageantry, including a carriage procession through Windsor and a tour of the Royal Collection. The French president will also be presented with Fabuleu de Maucour, a horse he gifted the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.


Afghans in British defense ministry data breach to get compensation

Updated 05 July 2025
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Afghans in British defense ministry data breach to get compensation

  • Individuals can claim $5,400, armed forces minister says
  • Lord Coaker promises to ‘drive improvement’ in data handling

LONDON: Afghans whose personal information was exposed in a UK Ministry of Defence data breach have been told they can claim up to £4,000 ($5,400) in compensation.

The breach, which happened in September 2021, saw the email addresses of 265 Afghans who had worked with British forces mistakenly shared in a group email sent by the ministry’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy team.

The message, intended to provide updates on evacuation plans, used the “To” field instead of the blind carbon copy function, which revealed names, email addresses and in some cases thumbnail profile images.

On Friday, Armed Forces Minister Lord Coaker confirmed the compensation scheme in a written statement to Parliament, saying the ministry was taking a “proactive” approach to what he described as a historical data-handling incident, The Times reported on Saturday.

“I can confirm to members the Ministry of Defence will be directly contacting those individuals who were affected by the data incident,” he said. “Once a response is received and the affected individual’s identity confirmed, a single ex gratia payment of up to £4,000 per individual will be made.”

The ministry expects the total cost to be about £1.6 million.

“Every effort will be made to ensure payments are made as quickly as reasonably practical,” Coaker said.

“I cannot undo past mistakes but I wish to assure members that in my role as minister for the armed forces I intend to drive improvement in the department’s data handling training and practices.”

The ministry’s record on such issues “must improve and I am determined to ensure it does,” he said.

The breach was condemned at the time by then shadow defense secretary John Healey, who said: “We told these Afghan interpreters we would keep them safe, instead this breach has needlessly put lives at risk.”

In December 2023, the Information Commissioner’s Office fined the ministry £350,000 over the incident.

UK Information Commissioner John Edwards described it as “a particularly egregious breach of the obligation of security owed to these people, thus warranting the financial penalty my office imposes today.”

“This deeply regrettable data breach let down those to whom our country owes so much,” he said.

Following the incident, the ministry contacted those affected and asked them to delete the original email, change their contact details and inform the ARAP team using a secure form. Concerns were raised at the time that the information could have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.