8 International Thursday, June 27, 2019 Trump makes Melania spokeswoman new White House press secretary Grisham becomes White House communications director WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on his presidential campaign back in 2015 and “warrior.” Sharp, sometimes acid-tongued, Tuesday named Stephanie Grisham-until now winning a reputation as a tough operator in Sanders has not been prone to the almost spokeswoman for his wife Melania-the chief the first lady’s office. Melania Trump’s White comic slip-ups that embarrassed predeces- White House press secretary, taking over an House activities-principally a campaign for sors in the job, such as short-lived Trump office that has seen sharply deteriorating rela- helping children that she calls #BeBest- spokesman Anthony Scaramucci. But she has tions with the media. Trump said Grisham receive relatively little media attention. But earned a reputation for bruising clashes with would do a “fantastic job.” “She actually gets Grisham revealed the behind-the-scenes journalists whom she finds over-critical-often along with the media very well, as you know. power of the first lady during an unusual spat echoing her boss’s attacks on unfavorable A lot of the folks in the media like her very last November that effectively saw Melania coverage as “fake news.” much,” he told reporters. Trump ordering deputy national security Pressed during one particularly combative This would mark a change of temperature advisor Mira Ricardel to be fired. exchange with reporters to distance herself in the White House, where Trump has labeled The dispute reportedly began when from Trump’s “enemy of the people” jibes, journalists the “enemy of the people” and the Ricardel was angered by seating arrange- Sanders refused. Sanders was also seen as outgoing spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, all but ments on the government plane taking responsible for the demise of the formal daily abandoned formal press briefings. The Melania Trump on a four-country tour of briefing-practically an institution under previ- appointment, first announced by Melania Africa, her first big solo foreign trip. In a high- ous presidents. Trump on Twitter, also gives Grisham the ly unusual move, Grisham issued a statement Grisham has been supportive of Sanders, more strategic post of White House communi- on Ricardel afterward that said: “It is the posi- reacting to her departure by saying she would cations director. “She has been with us since tion of the Office of the First Lady that she no “miss her sincere love of country & great 2015 - @POTUS & I can think of no better longer deserves the honor of serving in this sense of humor at the @WhiteHouse.” person to serve the Administration & our White House.” Shortly after, Ricardel found Whether Grisham will revive the long estab- country,” Melania Trump tweeted. According herself being shuffled to another role. lished norms of the White House press office to Trump, “a lot of people wanted the job, a lot is an open question. Her boss disdains what he of people.” Sanders leaves under shadow calls the mainstream media and says he Sanders leaves her job under a consider- prefers to engage with the public via Twitter WASHINGTON: In this file photo Stephanie Grisham, White House press secretary and Behind the scenes able shadow. Trump announced her exit in a and other social media-effectively making Communications Director, attends the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House Grisham is a Trump loyalist, having joined tweet earlier this month and praised her as a himself his own press secretary. —AFP in Washington, DC. — AFP Living in hell Sisters who killed More than 160,000 people have signed an online peti- tion to free the sisters and campaigners have held small abusive father spark protests outside the court where pre-trial hearings have France’s Macron taken place. “The girls were living in hell,” said Anna Russia domestic Rivina, who runs a centre providing free legal help for vic- says climate ‘red tims of domestic violence. “They saved their lives like that because they knew there will be no help from anyone-not violence debate from the police, the neighbors or teachers,” she said. line’ at G20 “Domestic abuse against women is not recognized by the state, there is no lawful mechanism to protect these MOSCOW: A case against three teenage sisters who killed people.” She partly blames Russian state media for only TOKYO: France wants the G20 to issue a statement their father after what lawyers say was years of beatings covering domestic abuse stories “when there are injuries, committing to strong action on climate change and and sexual abuse has sparked protest and highlighted corpses or limbs cut off”. Rivina referred to the widely- considers the issue a “red line”, President Emmanuel Russia’s dire record on domestic violence. Krestina, covered case of Margarita Gracheva, whose husband took Macron said yesterday ahead of the summit. Macron Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan have been in custody or her to a forest where he tortured her and chopped off her was speaking in Tokyo on a visit ahead of this week’s under house arrest since July 2018, when they stabbed hands in December 2017. Her complaints to police had Group of 20 meeting, where climate change will be father Mikhail to death. been ignored. among several contentious issues on the table, along The sisters-who were 17, 18 and 19 at the time of the with trade and tensions with Iran. killing-face between eight and 20 years in prison if they Catastrophic consequences The French leader held bilateral talks with are convicted of conspiring to murder as a group. But Alyona Popova, one of Russia’s leading women’s rights Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday, reaf- lawyers and activists say the teenagers were forced to act activists, said a guilty sentence for the sisters would have firming an alliance that has been tested in recent to save their own lives, pointing to poor legal protections “catastrophic” consequences for other victims of domestic months after the arrest of auto tycoon Carlos Ghosn. for abuse victims in a country where punishments for violence. “There will be more fatalities,” she said, adding Ghosn, a French citizen, once headed an auto domestic violence have been scaled back in recent years. that the trial will show “if the state supports abusers or alliance of Japan’s Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors and Women’s rights campaigners insist the sisters should victims”. The outcry around the case, she said, will affect France’s Renault, and his arrest has laid bare tensions MOSCOW: Angelina Khachaturyan, one of three teenage receive psychological rehabilitation instead of a prison similar ongoing trials. In one case, 19-year-old Daria in the partnership. The G20 is expected to be domi- sisters accused of murdering their father, attends a hear- sentence and demand the father be tried posthumously. Ageny faces nine years in prison for using a pencil-sharp- nated by the ongoing trade war between China and ing at a court in Moscow. — AFP The Khachaturyan sisters were beaten “practically every ening knife to fend off a male attacker. the United States, as well as concerns that spiraling day” by their father, who also regularly sexually abused In another trial in southern Russia, 28-year-old Kristina tensions between Washington and Tehran could lead Women’s rights campaigners say Russia’s legal system them, lawyer Alexey Liptser told AFP. He also shot at them Shydukova faces 15 years for killing her abusive partner to war. But climate change will also be a battle- effectively leaves women without any state protection for with an air gun, he added. A neighbor and relative had with a knife during a regular beating. Online petitions calling ground, with Washington likely to oppose strong ref- abuse in the home. There is no separate law covering approached police but their reports were not taken seri- for charges to be dropped against the two women have erences to the Paris climate deal, an agreement from domestic violence in cases where the victim is living with ously. According to Liptser, Mikhail Khachaturyan had gathered a total of almost 300,000 signatures. Activists which it plans to withdraw. the attacker, but rather it is included under the offense of “good relationships” with people in law enforcement. expressed hope that campaigns were raising awareness of battery. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree In 2016, Krestina tried to commit suicide but her sisters violence against women in Russia. Rivina said such efforts Climate red line softening the punishment of abuse in families in 2017, saved her. Lawyers say last year the father took each girl had led to small victories in the past. Last year a court in far Macron said France would refuse to sign any making a first offence punishable by only a fine instead of into his room one at a time and used pepper spray on eastern Nakhodka overturned the three-year sentence of agreement that bowed to such demands, amid reports a jail sentence. them, almost suffocating the eldest. Liptser said the two Galina Katorova, who killed her husband after long-term that Japan is seeking consensus language that could Domestic violence is rarely discussed publicly and older girls “decided that if they did not act, one of them abuse and complaints to police that were ignored. She water down previous communique wording on cli- rights campaigners say police often ignore cases. Instead would die”. They waited until he fell asleep and stabbed served over a year behind bars but her release was “seen as mate change. “I have a red line,” he told a gathering women who commit violence while protecting themselves him dozens of times.