Judge to climb Statue of Liberty before sentencing protester

New York: A US federal judge has received permission to climb the Statue of Liberty before sentencing the protester who illegally scrambled up the iconic monument last year. US Judge Gabriel Gorenstein is handling the case of Therese Patricia Okoumou, who was found guilty in December of misdemeanor charges for climbing up to the base of the iconic statue to protest US immigration policies on July 4 — US independence day — 2018. AFP

Jihadi Jack wants to return to UK, says misses mum

London: A British Muslim convert, dubbed Jihadi Jack, has become the latest member of the Islamic State terrorist group to urge the UK government to allow him to return to the country, saying he is missing home and his mother. Jack Letts had travelled to Syria in 2014 and was later captured by the Kurdish-led YPG — the group fighting against ISIS — when he fled Raqqa, the de facto capital of the terror network. PTI

Trump nominates Craft as Haley’s successor at UN 

Washington: President Donald Trump has nominated his envoy to Canada Kelly Knight Craft as the next US Ambassador to the UN to succeed Indian-American Nikki Haley. In October, Haley announced that she was leaving the post by the end of the year. The 46-year-old former South Carolina governor has served nearly two years in the post. She was the first Indian-American ever appointed to a Cabinet position in any US presidential administration. If confirmed by the Senate, Craft, 56, would replace Haley. PTI