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Mike Coffman, a Republican representative from Colorado, has demanded the immediate recall of the acting U.S. ambassador to Riyadh over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday admitted that Khashoggi was killed during a fight inside the consulate.
In a statement released on Friday, Coffman, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a former serviceman with the U.S. Marines, said the U.S. must demand its allies respect human rights.
"The United States and the rest of the international community must condemn the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and the use of diplomatic posts as torture chambers for rogue nations," said Coffman.
Melissa Madara was not surprised to receive death threats on Friday as her Brooklyn witchcraft store prepared to host a public hexing of newly confirmed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh this weekend.The planned casting of an anti-Kavanaugh spell, one of the more striking instances of politically disgruntled Americans turning to the supernatural when frustrated by democracy, has drawn backlash from some Christian groups but support from like-minded witch covens."It gives the people who are seeking agency a little bit of chance to have that back," Madara said. The ritual was scheduled to be livestreamed on Facebook and Instagram at 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday (1200 GMT Sunday).Seated at a desk phone among bird skulls and crystal balls at Catland Books, the occult shop she co-owns, Madara said the Kavanaugh hex is expected to be the most popular event the store has hosted since its 2013 opening, including spells aimed at President Donald Trump. Madara declined to provide details of what the latest ritual will entail.More than 15,000 people who have seen Catland Books promotions on Facebook have expressed interest in attending the event, vastly exceeding the shop's 60-person capacity.Not everyone is a witchcraft fan. Madara said she had fielded numerous irate calls from critics, with at least one threatening violence. “Every time we host something like this there’s always people who like to call in with death threats or read us scripture," she said.As far as supporters go, some are sexual assault survivors still angry that the U.S. Senate confirmed Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment to the nation's highest court despite accusations that he had sexually assaulted multiple women.Kavanaugh has denied the allegations, and an FBI investigation failed to corroborate his accusers' accounts.Trump gives Saudi Arabia benefit of doubt in journalist's disappearanceDemocrats hope lingering outrage over Kavanaugh, particularly among women, will translate into election gains for them on Nov. 6. Republicans are likewise trying to seize on anger among conservatives at how they perceive Kavanaugh was mistreated.Believers in mysticism on both sides of the political divide are taking matters into their own hands.Plans for the Catland Books event have sparked "counter hexes" around the country by those seeking to undo the spell that the Brooklyn witches cast against Kavanaugh, Madara said.Even mainstream clergy was joining the fray. Rev. Gary Thomas of the Diocese of San Jose in California said on Friday that he would include Kavanaugh in his prayers at Saturday mass."I think this is much more serious than people give it credit for," Thomas said. "Conjuring a hex can be very dangerous."Politically oriented witchcraft has seen a renewed surge in popularity since Trump took office.Magician Michael Hughes drew crowds of supporters and more than 12,000 "likes" to his Facebook page when he held a “mass spell" to curse Trump in February 2017."We are embracing witchcraft's true roots as the magik of the poor, the downtrodden and disenfranchised," Catland Books said in Facebook post for its event. Russia's Putin to meet US security adviser Bolton next weekClash over Trump tariffs heats up with barrage of WTO litigation
New York witches aim hex at Supreme Court's Brett Kavanaugh despite death threats
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday met top Kosovar officials.On the second day of his two-day visit to Kosovo's capital Pristina, he met Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli, and Public Administration Minister Mahir Yağcılar.Turkey's Ambassador to Pristina Kıvılcım Kılıç and other officials also attended the meeting which lasted about 35 minutes.Separately, Cavusoglu met Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli for 45 minutes.He will also meet Kosovo Turks in the southwestern city of Prizren.On the first day of the visit, Cavusoglu met President Hashim Thaci.Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorates 1st president's death'Turkey gives about as much in foreign aid as the US'
Turkish foreign minister meets top Kosovo officials
Several thousand people protested in Croatia's capital on Saturday over government plans to raise the retirement age to 67 and cut pensions for those who retire early.This week the government asked parliament to pass legislation lifting the retirement age of 65 from 2033 onwards, defending the reform as a step in efforts to make the pension system sustainable.The bill also includes a proposal to cut the pensions of people who stop working before reaching retirement age by about four percent per year."There is a lot of misery and bitterness in us. Isn't such a retirement proposal irresponsible towards our workers and pensioners?," Kresimir Sever, one of the leaders of the trade unions that organized the protest, told the crowd gathered in central Zagreb.Some of the demonstrators shouted "Thieves", and many held banners accusing the government of impoverishing pensioners and workers. "From school to unemployment, from work to graveyard" read one of the banners.Workers representing metal industry employees, nurses and other professions took turns to address the rally, saying they cannot work until the age of 67."I work in the rain and the burning sun. My legs and back have to carry hundreds of overloaded waste bins every day. I've already had a surgery on one knee, the other one will have to be treated soon," a worker from a waste collection and disposal company, who said his name was Elvis, told the gathering.Trade union leaders say the new law would particularly hurt older employees, who are often under pressure to retire earlier for health reasons or because the employers want to get rid of older staff. They have also pointed out that Croatians have a shorter life expectancy than people in many other European Union countries.The unions have vowed to launch a campaign for a nationwide referendum to be called over the pension reform proposal if the government rejects their demands to scrap the plan.For a referendum to take place, supporters of the ballot must collect the signatures of 10 percent of the electorate, equivalent to roughly 375,000 people.Economic analysts and researchers say Croatia cannot make its pension system sustainable in the long term without increasing the retirement age.Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorates 1st president's deathBosnia commemorates first President Izetbegovic
Croatians protest over government plan to raise retirement age
"I am calling on President [Donald] Trump to immediately recall the (Acting) U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom pending further consultation with Congress," he added.
Washington does not have an official ambassador to the Kingdom, but Christopher Hanzel serves as interim charge d’affaires in Riyadh.
Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday that 18 Saudi citizens have been arrested over possible role in the death of Khashoggi, and attempts to conceal and cover what happened.
Turkey, for its part, vowed to reveal the full details of Khashoggi's killing using all possible means, a spokesperson for ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party said.
"Turkey will uncover whatever happened. No one should have doubts about that," Ömer Çelik told reporters in Istanbul.
Texas Congressman Member of the House Foreign Affairs and House Intelligence Committees Joaquin Castro accused senior White House adviser Jared Kushner of organizing the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.“Jared Kushner may have, with U.S. intelligence, delivered a hit list, an enemies list, to the crown prince, to MBS, in Saudi Arabia and that the prince may have acted on that, and one of the people he took action against is Mr. Khashoggi,” Castro told CNN on Friday.“That needs to be investigated,” Castro added, stating that there were links between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia.To be clear, I did not intend to accuse @jaredkushner of orchestrating anything. Based on press reporting, I’m asking for Congress to open an investigation of whether any US Intelligence was shared with Saudi Arabia that led to political persecution or killing of #Khashoggi (1/7) https://t.co/31vUT7bEUc— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) 19 Ekim 2018 Castro later clarified his comments, tweeting: “To be clear, I did not intend to accuse @jaredkushner of orchestrating anything. Based on press reporting, I’m asking for Congress to open an investigation of whether any US Intelligence was shared with Saudi Arabia that led to political persecution or killing of #Khashoggi.”Castro’s comments were dubbed “slanderous” by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders..@JoaquinCastrotx’s allegation is an outrageous slanderous lie without a shred of proof, it’s reprehensible for a sitting Congressman and supposed “news” outlets to continue citing an article that used unnamed sources and was completely debunked.https://t.co/xf2Zhitg8B— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) 19 Ekim 2018 Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.We want justice for Jamal Khashoggi, says head of Turkish-Arab Media AssociationInvestigators likely to discover what happened to Khashoggi body 'before long'Turkey vows to reveal details of Khashoggi's killingBritain considering 'next steps' after Saudi Arabia admits journalist's deathTrump a reluctant critic of Saudi Arabia despite pressure to act
US congressman says Jared Kushner may have organized Khashoggi murder
The next summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to happen early next year, a senior administration official said on Friday.The two sides have been engaged in talks on the leaders' second meeting after the first, unprecedented, one in Singapore in June."A meeting is likely sometime after the first of the year," the U.S. official told a small group of reporters.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday he hopes to meet his North Korean counterpart soon to lay the groundwork for a "big step forward" on denuclearization during the next summit.Pompeo, in an interview with Voice of America on a trip to Mexico City, said Kim told him two weeks ago he was committed to the promises he had made to Trump during their first summit."I'm very hopeful we'll have senior leader meetings here in the next week and a half or so between myself and my counterpart to continue this discussion so that when the two of them get together there is real opportunity to make another big step forward on denuclearization," he told VOA.Pompeo met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.Russian charged with conspiring to interfere in US congressional electionsAsian football 'architect' Velappan diesUS, China, others tentatively agree to multilateral air encounter codeA State Department spokeswoman declined to clarify if Pompeo meant he would meet his counterpart in Washington, saying she had no meetings to announce.The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's official party newspaper, said the United States should not take an approach with "two faces" as Washington touts progress in denuclearization talks while keeping sanctions in place."We do not want good will and generosity of the U.S. but urge it to act with the elementary give-and-take principle," the Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary on Saturday.The United States and South Korea on Friday said they had suspended upcoming joint air defense drills in a bid to ensure diplomatic efforts with North Korea continue.The two Koreas have held three summits this year. Two top Trump aides get into heated exchange outside Oval OfficeTrump says he believes Khashoggi is deadUS general doesn't believe he was target of Kandahar attack
Next summit for Trump, N.Korea's Kim likely after first of year: senior US official
Turan Kışlakçı, head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM), called for justice following Saudi Arabia’s admission that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate“It’s not over yet. We invite the whole world to take action. We want justice for Jamal Khashoggi. We want Khashoggi’s murderers punished, and not just the 15 men responsible but also those who gave the order,” Kışlakçı said.“I am calling out to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Saudi’s people of reason using the 135th ayah of Surah Nisa: ‘O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted’,” he added.Amnesty urges UN investigation, independent autopsy in Khashoggi deathKhashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.“I would like to thank those who have shown sensitivity and reevaluated their economic ties, and the government officials, businessmen and politicians who cancelled their participation in the Riyadh Economic Forum, but we owe the greatest thanks to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who oversaw the situation with devotion and diplomacy,” Kışlakçı said.Many key speakers and partners pulled out from a major investment conference Saudi Arabia planned for later this month following the disappearance of Khashoggi.Bahrain praises Saudi king's decisions: Al Arabiya TVInvestigators likely to discover what happened to Khashoggi body 'before long'Turkey vows to reveal details of Khashoggi's killingEgypt commends 'decisive' and 'brave' actions by Saudi King over Khashoggi caseEuropean Parliament urges investigation on KhashoggiBritain considering 'next steps' after Saudi Arabia admits journalist's deathUAE voices support for Saudi king statement on journalist's death
We want justice for Jamal Khashoggi, says head of Turkish-Arab Media Association