Some 200 people rallied on Saturday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, calling for the resignation of the president who has ruled the former Soviet republic since 1994.

Opposition activists carrying Belarusian and European Union flags urged President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. They criticized some of the laws he recently pushed through, including one forcing citizens to register with the state employment exchange or pay a hefty fine.

“We demand that authorities stop stealing from people – and only Lukashenko’s resignation can change that,” said Mykola Statkevich, a former presidential candidate who spent five years in prison on what was largely viewed as politically motivated charges.

Police allowed the protesters chanting “For shame!” to rally outside the seat of government and KGB headquarters. They did not make any arrests during the protest, but an Associated Press reporter saw at least two people detained afterward.

Lukashenko, who has been described as Europe’s last dictator, in recent years has often allowed Belarusian opposition, fragmented and largely unpopular, to protest unhindered.
…

A man with a knife attacked four people in Munich on Saturday and then fled, police said. A suspect was arrested a few hours later, and authorities were working to determine whether he was the assailant.

Police received initial reports of an attack in the Haidhausen area, just east of downtown Munich, at about 8:30 a.m., spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins said. They determined that a lone attacker apparently had gone after passers-by indiscriminately with a knife.

The assailant attacked six people – five men and one woman – at different sites in the area, with four of them wounded and none seriously, da Gloria Martins said. They mainly had superficial stab wounds and in one case had been hit, he added.

After the attack, police took to Twitter to warn people in the Rosenheimer Platz area to stay indoors and cautioned them to avoid the area around the nearby Ostbahnhof railway station and a park amid conflicting accounts of the direction in which the suspect fled.

Police also issued a description of the suspect, who they said appeared to be about 40 years old and had a black bicycle, gray trousers, a green jacket and a backpack. They decribed him as having a “corpulent figure” and added that he had short blond hair and was unshaven.

About three hours after the stabbing, police arrested a man matching that description who initially tried to evade officers. “We can’t yet confirm whether he is the perpetrator,” da Gloria Martins said.

There was no immediate word on a possible motive.
…

Police say a man with a knife has lightly wounded four people in Munich. Officers are looking for the assailant.

Munich police called on people in the Rosenheimer Platz area, located close to the German city’s downtown, to stay inside after the incident Saturday morning.

The perpetrator fled the scene. Police said he appeared to be about 40 years old and had a black bicycle, gray trousers, a green jacket and a backpack.

The police department said on Twitter that officers are looking for the assailant “with all available police forces.”

It said the motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
…

The European Union will push to conclude free trade talks with South American bloc Mercosur by the end of the year, leaders said, despite French reservations over the surge of farm imports an agreement would bring.

French President Emmanuel Macron had said he was in no hurry to do a deal with the beef-exporting Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay and succeeded in pushing trade onto the agenda of an EU leaders summit in Brussels.

“We had a short moment just after midnight to discuss international trade,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told a news conference after the leaders met on Friday.

Juncker said Europe had a great opportunity to seal trade deals with countries across the world, while respecting European values and standards and the “reciprocity sought by the French president.”

“We will continue to do everything we can to conclude the negotiations with Mercosur before the end of the year. It’s important. We underestimate the importance of Mercosur for the European Union,” he said.

The European Commission says the savings the EU could make from reduced import tariffs with Mercosur would be three times greater than for deals with Canada and Japan combined.

EU exports to Mercosur from cars to pharmaceuticals are subject to duties of about 4.4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) per year. France, said a Commission source, would be among one of the greatest beneficiaries if these were cut.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he and fellow EU leaders had decided not to slow down the talks and still wanted a deal by the end of the year.

The French president said Europe faced an internal challenge to persuade the public to support to trade deals.

“And an external one which is to have a growth agenda and, at a time when the United States is turning isolationist, to be able to build strategic commercial relationships with several regions of the world.”

France has been concerned that the Commission was rushing towards a deal with Mercosur, while also seeking to open talks with Australia and New Zealand, two other countries that want to expand exports of farm products.

With 10 other countries, it told the Commission last month that Europe first needed to determine how much beef, ethanol and other farm products it can afford to let in under current and future deals.

One of them, Ireland, injected a note of caution on Friday. “A Mercosur deal by Christmas is optimistic,” its Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.

($1 = 0.8472 euros)

Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski and Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Andrew Heavens.
…

Ankara is facing growing national and international criticism over Wednesday’s arrest of Turkish philanthropist and businessman Osman Kavala. Kavala –  a leading member of Turkey’s civic society – was detained Wednesday night at Istanbul airport. According to his lawyer, he is being held at Istanbul’s counterterrorism department.  

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert voiced concern on Thursday.

“It’s just another example, right, of a lot of things taking place, of respected civil society leaders, human rights defenders, journalists  we’ve all followed this story closely  academics, also activists detained in that country,” she said. “The detentions are often made without  very little evidence, very little transparency, and we consider that to be a very alarming trend in that country.”

The European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, Kati Piri, wrote on Twitter, “Very disturbing news that Osman Kavala has been detained in Istanbul.” Piri added she would propose the European Parliament launch an urgent call for his release.

The European Union has been voicing growing concern over Turkey’s ongoing crackdown following last year’s coup, which has seen over 60,000 people arrested.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, attending a summit of EU leaders this week, described developments in Turkey as very negative and said she would propose funding to Turkey be curbed.  

Kavala has set up and funded projects to bridge deep social and ethnic divides in Turkey and encourage cultural diversity. Human rights groups nationally and internationally have voiced outrage over his arrest.

Political scientist Cengiz Aktar said Kavala’s arrest is a watershed moment.

“He was one of the main movers and shakers of the Turkish liberal civil society and nothing will be like before since the custody of Osman Kavala,” he said. I think now the Turkish liberal civil society activist will be much move cautious in their actions in Turkey. It actually confirms a very frightening trend whereby the Turkish liberal civil society is targeted if not annihilated.”

Ankara strongly defends the ongoing crackdown, insisting it is facing a continuing threat from conspirators seeking to overthrow the government.

International pressure over the crackdown is likely to grow with the trial beginning Wednesday (Oct. 25) of leading Turkish members of Amnesty International and two European nationals detained at a human rights meeting.
…

Slovenia, the Alpine home country of Melania Trump, is holding a presidential election Sunday that incumbent President Borut Pahor — a former fashion model, like the U.S. first lady — is favored to win. Eight other candidates are vying for the largely ceremonial, but still influential head of state post.

Opinion polls show Pahor, a veteran politician who gave up modeling long ago, could win a majority of votes and avoid a runoff election two weeks later.

Below is some background on the race being decided in nature-loving Slovenia:

A president who is king of Instagram

The 53-year-old Pahor started his political career when Slovenia was part of the former Yugoslavia. He served as parliament speaker, a member of the European Parliament, prime minister before he took office as president in December 2012.

Pahor has been nicknamed Slovenia’s “King of Instagram” for his frequent presence on social media. He walked about 700 kilometers (420 miles) during the presidential campaign, posting photos and short videos all along the way. Critics think Pahor has degraded the presidency by turning himself into a “celebrity.”

The competition

Pahor’s main opponent is Marjan Sarec, a former actor and comedian who is the mayor of the northern town of Kamnik. Before becoming a politician himself, Sarec was known for imitating politicians. He starred in Slovenian satirical shows until he mounted an independent bid for mayor in 2010 and won against an established candidate.

Sarec, 39, is currently serving his second term as mayor. He toured Slovenia in a rented bus during his campaign.

Other presidential candidates include Romana Tomc, a tax expert backed by the conservatives; Ljudmila Novak, a former teacher who leads the New Slovenia Christian-Democrats; and Angelca Likovic, who is promoting Catholic Christian values.

What opinion surveys say

Pre-election surveys showed Pahor could win as much as 55 percent of the vote on Sunday, trailed by Sarec with 21 percent. The survey conducted by Ninamedia polling agency has put all other candidates far behind.

Why the vote matters

Slovenia’s presidency holds no executive powers. However, the president proposes the prime minister who runs the government and the office-holder’s opinion carries weight on important issues. Key topics facing Slovenia include the economy, a border dispute with neighboring Croatia stemming from the 1990s’ breakup of the former Yugoslavia, the future of the European Union, the large numbers of migrants and refugees who have reached Europe or are attempting to immigrate.

Election day

Slovenia, which has a population of around 2 million, has about 1.7 million voters. Polling places are set to open Sunday at 0500GMT and close 12 hours later. Initial results are expected a few hours after the polls close.
…

The U.N. Children’s Fund warns that more than 320,000 Rohingya refugee children are living in desperate conditions in squalid makeshift settlements in Bangladesh, putting them at risk of disease and vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers.

UNICEF reports that up to 12,000 children a week are fleeing to Bangladesh to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar. In what is the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis, nearly 600,000 Rohingyas have arrived in Cox’s Bazar since the end of August. Almost 60 percent are children.

Heart-breaking report

The UNICEF report graphically describes the fearful existence of these many children. It says they arrive in Bangladesh — painfully thin, malnourished and hungry. After having escaped a near-death experience, the report says the children find themselves living in flimsy shelters. They are reduced to drinking dirty water and having to scrounge for whatever food might be available.

Author and UNICEF senior communications adviser, Simon Ingram, says the chaotic, overcrowded refugee camps are dangerous and challenging for the children.

“People surging in all directions.” he said. “So, for children caught up in that, they are getting lost. … And then in the longer term, it is the sense that these children feel so abandoned. So, completely remote and without a means of finding support or help. And, in a sense, it is no surprise that they must truly see these places as a hell on earth.”

Traumatized children

Ingram said it was particularly painful to see how traumatized the children were from their horrendous experiences in Myanmar.

“Talking to children, hearing their stories and really getting the sense that they had been through something absolutely terrible, absolutely horrific. And, yet, so often the delivery that came across was almost matter of fact. It was almost like they were already shutting it out from their minds,” he said.

UNICEF is calling for an end to the atrocities against civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and for aid agencies to be given unrestricted access to all child victims of violence there.
…

European Union leaders pledged more money Thursday to help Italy work with Libya to stem the flow of migrants from North Africa trying to get to Europe.

“We have a real chance of closing the central Mediterranean route,” European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters at a Brussels summit.

Tusk was referring to the extremely dangerous sea crossing between Libya and Italy’s Lampedusa island — the first EU territory the migrants encounter. Thousands have died trying to cross the Mediterranean on unsafe boats or after being left on their own by human smugglers.

Italian officials say the number of migrants leaving Libyan shores has dropped 20 percent in 2017, since Italy began working with Libya to stop the flow. This includes Italy providing more training to the Libyan coast guard to crack down on human smugglers and rescuing migrants stranded at sea.

Italy has been demanding more money and help from the EU for several years.

“Member states so far have committed 175 million euros [$207 million]. This is clearly not enough,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.
…

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Thursday described Russian interference in U.S. elections as “warfare.”

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia used cyber-enabled means in an attempt to help President Donald Trump win the White House, an allegation the Kremlin has denied.

“We have to be so hard on this and we have to hold them accountable,” Haley said during a panel discussion with former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice held by the George W. Bush Institute in New York on Thursday.

“When a country can come interfere in another country’s elections that is warfare. It really is, because you’re making sure that the democracy shifts from what the people want,” she said. “This is their new weapon of choice and we have to get in front of it.”

Congressional committees and special counsel Robert Mueller are investigating alleged Russian interference in the election, including whether there was any collusion between Trump associates and Moscow. Trump has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and associates and Russia.
…

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called on mayors of three major cities to resign, including the high-profile mayor of the capital, Ankara, the Hurriyet newspaper reported Thursday, in a push to revitalize his ruling party ahead of 2019 elections.

The comments mark Erdogan’s most explicit demand yet for a shake-up of veteran politicians, some of whom are nationally prominent, after voters in many cities rejected an April referendum granting him sweeping power.

While Erdogan narrowly won the referendum to change the constitution and create an executive presidency, voters in 17 of Turkey’s 30 largest cities voted against the change. Since then, Erdogan has spoken of the need for renewal in local government and the ruling AK Party, citing signs of “metal fatigue” within administrations.

“People do not take these offices as independent candidates but as candidates shown by parties. We cannot regard these posts as chairs, which are kept eternally and never abandoned,” the Hurriyet quoted him as telling reporters on his plane back from a trip to Poland this week.

A request had been conveyed for the resignation of the mayor of Balikesir in northwest Turkey, the newspaper quoted him as saying.

“Likewise, this situation was conveyed to (Ankara Mayor) Melih (Gokcek). The same with Bursa,” he was quoted as saying. Bursa is a city in northwest Turkey.

The mayor of Istanbul has resigned in the last month, as has the mayor of Duzce city in northwest Turkey. The mayor of Nigde city in central Turkey, resigned Wednesday.

But Gokcek, who has been Ankara mayor since 1994 and won five consecutive elections, has so far stayed in place, despite widespread speculation that he would step down.

Gokcek has avoided addressing the resignation issue and pointedly steered clear of the subject in public when he made an unexpected visit to the presidential palace this month.

“I presented to my president all the project details of the museum to be built opposite the (presidential) palace. I also gave various information about ongoing municipal projects. … For the public’s information,” he wrote on Twitter.

Gokcek, generally regarded as a staunch Erdogan loyalist, is well known in Turkey for tweets in which he has engaged in spats with journalists and other senior members of the AKP.

In February he suggested the U.S.-based cleric blamed for last year’s failed coup might be plotting an earthquake, with the help of foreign powers, to damage the economy.
…

Catalonia’s leader on Thursday threatened to explicitly declare independence if no talks with the central government were offered. Spain then called a special Cabinet session to be held over the weekend to activate measures to take control of Catalonia’s semi-autonomous powers.

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s warning came in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy with minutes to spare before the expiration of a deadline set by the central government for him to backtrack on his calls for secession.

“If the central government persists in impeding dialogue and continuing its repression, Catalonia’s parliament will proceed … with a vote to formally declare independence,” Puigdemont’s letter said.

Cabinet session called

Spain’s government quickly responded with a statement saying it was calling a special Cabinet session for Saturday in which it would trigger the process to activate Article 155 of Spain’s Constitution. It allows for central authorities to take over the semi-autonomous powers of any of the country’s 17 regions, including Catalonia.

The Cabinet meeting will “approve the measures that will be sent to the Senate to protect the general interest of all Spaniards,” the statement said.

The measure has never been used in the four decades since democracy was restored at the end of Gen. Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.

Spain’s government needs to outline what are the exact measures it wants to apply in Catalonia and submit them for a vote in Spain’s Senate.

The ruling Popular Party’s majority in the top chamber would be enough to approve the measure, but Rajoy has held discussions with opposition leaders to rally further support.

Referendum and violence

Catalans would consider the application of the measure an “invasion” of the region’s self-government, while Spain’s central authorities have portrayed it as an undesired move, yet a necessary one, to restore legality after Puigdemont’s government pushed ahead with a banned referendum that violated the country’s constitution.

More than 40 percent of Catalonia’s 5.5 million eligible voters cast ballots in the illegal Oct. 1 referendum as police used violence to try to enforce a court order to stop it from going ahead.Opponents boycotted the vote.

Catalan officials say that hundreds of people were injured in police violence, while Spanish authorities say hundreds of police officers were also hurt and the use of force was proportional to the resistance they met.

The separatists declared an overwhelming victory despite the boycott by opponents and on the grounds that it was illegal and lacked basic guarantees such as an independent electoral board.

Spain’s government had said it would be willing to hold off on applying Article 155 if the Catalan separatist leader were to call a snap regional election. But Catalan officials have ruled that out.

The Catalan government’s international affairs director, Raul Romeva, told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday that Catalonia’s banned secession referendum gave the region’s separatist government a mandate to declare independence from Spain.
…

Catalonia is one of 17 autonomous areas of Spain, but as home to the country’s second-largest city and 20 percent of its economic output, the region holds special prominence as its leaders seek independence.

History of separatism

— The history of separatism movements in Catalonia stretches back several centuries, including a decision in 1640 to align itself with neighboring France.

— More recently, in moves rejected by the Spanish government, voters in Catalonia approved independence referendums in 2014 and earlier this month, while in 2015 lawmakers approved a roadmap for secession.

— The independence movement gained momentum in the past decade as Spain went through an economic crisis, but polls in the region show support for self-rule declining as the economy rebounds. A vast majority of those who voted in the latest referendum chose for independence, though well under half of eligible voters cast a ballot and polls suggest more Catalans favor remaining in Spain.

Tourism key to region’s economy

— With its Mediterranean coast and the historic city of Barcelona, tourism is a key part of the region’s economy.

— An estimated 18 million foreign tourists visited there last year.

— One in every seven people in Spain live in Catalonia, which has been operating as an autonomous region in its current form since 1979.That structure includes its own president and parliament.

Rich cultural history

— The latest version of its official Statement of Autonomy, issued in 2006, highlights Catalonia as a community “based on respect for individual dignity.”

— “The civil and associative tradition of Catalonia has always underlined the importance of Catalan language and culture, of rights and duties, of knowledge, of education, of social cohesion, of sustainable development and equality of rights, and today, especially, of equality between men and women,” the preamble reads.

Economic powerhouse

— The region is one of the richest in Spain and accounted for about one-fourth of the country’s exports last year.

— There is a large agricultural sector, as well as an automotive industry that includes factories that make cars for Nissan and a division of Volkswagen.

— Catalonia is also home to a large portion of Spain’s pharmaceutical industry, housing major drug makers, biotech firms, medical device manufacturers and research institutions.
…

United Nations judges will decide next week on a verdict in the trial of former Bosnian Serb army leader Ratko Mladic, who is accused of war crimes stemming from the conflict in the Balkans during the 1990s.

Mladic, dubbed “the butcher of the Balkans,” is the last soldier to face war crimes charges in the court, which was set up to deal with the fallout from the Bosnian war that raged from 1992 through 1995.

Mladic has been charged with 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his alleged role in leading sniper campaigns in Sarajevo and the killings of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica.

Prosecutors have asked the International Criminal Tribunal to sentence Mladic to life in prison. Last year, attorney Alan Tieger said anything less than a life sentence would be “an insult to the victims, living and dead, and an affront to justice.”

Mladic’s defense lawyer Dragan Ivetic has accused prosecutors of seeking to make the former general a “symbolic sacrificial lamb for the perceived guilt” of all Serbs during the war.

He called for Mladic to be acquitted on all charges.

 
…

The European Union on Wednesday unveiled new measures to help counter deadly low-tech attacks following a spate of killings in major cities by extremists driving vehicles into crowds of people.

The European Commission, which proposes and ensures compliance with EU laws, said the measures aim to better protect major gatherings like concerts or sports events.

They include additional funding and training to improve cooperation between police and private security at malls or concerts.

“Terrorists don’t stand still. They change and adapt their methods. We need to be ready to adapt our response,” EU Security Commissioner Julian King said.

The response, he said, is meant to “build our resilience, to limit terrorist access to the means they use to carry out attacks, and to strengthen international cooperation.”

Brussels also wants to review rules for the sale of bomb-making material to make it harder for extremists to obtain the ingredients, and help investigators tackle encrypted phone or computer data. The Commission didn’t explain exactly how this would be done, though King said EU countries with more experience in tackling encryption should share the know-how.

To help protect public spaces and raise awareness about potential dangers at events, the Commission has earmarked a total of 118.5 million euros ($140 million) in funding for this year and 2018.

It also hopes to boost European police cooperation with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, notably to secure the transfer of personal data to combat serious crime.
…

Hungarian police say they are carrying out a search at a Church of Scientology center in Budapest.

Police said the search by members of the National Investigation Bureau is related to an investigation into the suspected misuse of personal information and other crimes, but will not be releasing more information because the inquiry was ongoing.

Online publication ripost.hu said over 50 police officers surrounded the church’s Budapest headquarters on one of the Hungarian capital’s busiest roads early Wednesday.

The Church of Scientology is not among the 32 churches officially recognized by Hungary since a widely disputed law on churches and religious matters went into force in 2012.

The church did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
…

In a rare public speech Tuesday, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency said the terror threat in the country is worse now that it has ever been during his 34-year career.

“It’s clear that we’re contending with an intense UK terrorist threat from Islamist extremists,” MI5 chief Andrew Parker said. “That threat is multi-dimensional, evolving rapidly and operating at a scale and pace we’ve not seen before. But so too is our response.”

Parker said the MI5, also known as he Security Service, has noted a “dramatic upshift” in the threat this year, with a total of 36 people killed in separate attacks in London and Manchester.

“Twenty attacks in the U.K. have been foiled over the past four years. Many more will have been prevented by the early interventions we and the police make,” Parker said.

Last month, a makeshift bomb on the London subway injured at least 30 people. The blast was the fifth major terrorist attack in Britain this year.
…

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge say their third child will be due in April.

The royal couple had already revealed that they were having a child, but didn’t previously say which month the child is due. The brief statement released Tuesday by their Kensington Palace office offered no further details.

The former Kate Middleton had announced she was pregnant after missing a royal engagement in September. As with her other two pregnancies, she is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, or acute morning sickness.

She has since appeared in other events, including one Monday in which she danced with a person dressed as the beloved British children’s book character, Paddington Bear.

William and Kate, both 35, already have two children: Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2.
…

A U.N. report warns gender inequality and the denial of reproductive rights and family planning threatens development goals, weakens national economies and will undermine efforts to eliminate poverty by 2030.

In its annual State of World Population report, the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) describes the poorest women in most developing countries as the most powerless members of society.   It says the poorest women have the least access to care during pregnancy and childbirth. And it says the inequality has life-long repercussions for women’s health, ability to get an education and employment.

UNFPA Geneva Office Director Monica Ferro said family planning is not only a human right, but necessary for women’s empowerment.  She said a woman or adolescent who cannot enjoy reproductive rights cannot stay healthy.  She and her family will be locked into lifelong poverty and deprivation.

“Limited access to family planning translates into 89 million unintended pregnancies and 48 million abortions in developing countries annually.  This does not only harm women’s health, but also restricts their ability to join or stay in the paid labor force and move towards financial independence,” Ferro said.

Ferro also expressed regret over the decision by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump not to fund the U.N. Population Fund.  In April, the administration announced it was cutting the U.S. contribution which in 2016 stood at $63 million.  Ferro said that will take a heavy toll on the health and well-being of thousands of impoverished women in developing countries.  

“With previous United States contribution for UNFPA, we were really fighting gender-based violence and reducing maternal deaths, especially in fragile and crisis and disaster-hit countries,” Ferro said.

They include Iraq, Nepal, Sudan, Syria, the Philippines, Ukraine and Yemen.  Ferro added the U.S. contribution helped save the lives of thousands of women during pregnancy and childbirth.  In addition, she said the organization was able to prevent thousands of unwanted pregnancies and provide other crucial family planning services.
…

Spain’s high court ordered two top Catalan separatists jailed for alleged sedition while the question of the region’s independence remains unclear.

Prosecutors accuse Jordi Cuixart of the Omnium Cultural movement and Jordi Sanchez of the Catalan National Assembly of provoking violence against police during a pro-independence march last month.

Protesters trapped officers inside a building and destroyed several police cars.

“Spain jails Catalonia’s civil society leaders for organizing peaceful demonstrations,” Catalan President Carles Puigdemont tweeted Monday. “Sadly, we have political prisoners again,” an apparent reference to Francisco Franco’s military dictatorship that ended more than 40 years ago.

The High Court also placed Catalan police chief Josep Lluis Trapero under investigation. The court declined to order him behind bars, but did revoke his passport to keep him from leaving the country.

Meanwhile, Puigdemont has still not said whether he will declare Catalan independence outright after the court and Spanish government declared a pro-independence referendum illegal.

Puigdemont had a Monday deadline to give a simple “yes” or “no” answer to the question whether he will declare independence. So far, he has only called for talks with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the deadline has been pushed to Thursday.

A frustrated Rajoy has said the uncertainty surrounding Catalonia is hurting the Spanish economy. The economic ministry Monday cut its economic growth forecast for 2018 because of the crisis.

Catalonia, Spain’s most prosperous region, is home to 7.5 million people. Its capital, Barcelona, is one of Europe’s major tourist attractions. Catalonia has its own language and distinct culture, and is deeply divided over independence.

The Catalan government said that 90 percent of Catalans voted for independence from Spain in the October 1 referendum. Many opponents of independence boycotted the vote, reducing turnout to around 43 percent.

VOA’s Isabela Cocoli contributed to this report.
…

At least three people have been killed as Tropical Storm Ophelia battered Ireland on Monday.

One of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the northeastern Atlantic hit every corner of Ireland with wind speeds of 190 kilometers per hour recorded at the southernmost tip of the country.

Ophelia knocked down trees and power lines, leaving more than 330,000 homes without power.

About 200 flights from Ireland’s two main airports in Dublin and Shannon were canceled. The airports are expected to reopen Tuesday as cleanup begins.

“There are still dangers out there, but the cleanup has started in some areas and the job of getting the country back to work has begun,” the chairman of Ireland’s National Emergency Coordination Group, Sean Hogan, told a news conference.

Schools across Northern Ireland will remain closed Tuesday to “avoid any potential risk to life for children, young people and staff,” the Education Department said.
…

Turkey has offered assistance to the Iraqi government in its effort to take control of the city of Kirkuk from Kurdish peshmerga forces.

The offer was made in a statement by the Turkish foreign ministry: “We once again emphasize the importance we attach to the protection of Iraq’s political unity and territorial integrity.”

Ankara strongly backs Baghdad in its opposition to an independence referendum passed last month by Iraqi Kurds. Turkey fears similar secessionist demands from its own large restive Kurdish minority.

“Ankara’s thinking is that if Kirkuk is taken back from Iraqi Kurds, then their dreams of independence are quashed permanently and there would be one less problem in Turkish foreign policy,” said political consultant Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.

Kirkuk has approximately 5 percent of world’s oil reserves, and Iraqi Kurds have been exporting around 60,000 barrels a day from the region under its control.

Pro-government Turkish media gloated over reports of the imminent fall of Kirkuk.

“[Kurdish president Masoud] Barzani’s childhood dream shattered,” wrote the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak. Despite Kirkuk’s multi-ethnic population, the identity of many Kurds is linked to their capital. On Monday, Ankara stepped up its pressure on the semiautonomous Iraqi Kurdish region, announcing an air embargo in the latest sanction to protest the referendum vote.

Monday’s foreign office statement also reiterated Kirkuk’s multi-ethnic identity, underlining the importance of the Turkmen population.

“Our relatives, our kinsman, rhetoric re-emerged [for] a while now,” observed former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who established Turkey’s consulate in the Iraqi Kurdish region. “It proves the fact, the oncoming presidential elections which will be held in 2019 effect the foreign policy of Turkey.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing a widely predicted close re-election bid and is courting nationalist voters, many of whom care deeply about Kirkuk and the fate of their Iraqi ethnic kin.

“The nationalists consider Kirkuk and Mosul part of Turkey,” said analyst Yesilada. “Kirkuk city and Kirkuk province, there are up to more than a million Turkmens — more than 50 percent are Sunni and they have close ties to Turkey. This is an important issue for Turkey and, in particular, for [Turkey’s Nationalist Action Party leader] Mr. [Devlet] Bahceli, who is an implicit partner for Mr. Erdogan’s endeavors at home and abroad.”

Last month, Bahceli declared that 5,000 of his party members would go to Kirkuk to protect Turkmen against the city’s then-Kurdish rulers. But analysts warn the threat faced by Turkmen is far from removed, with Baghdad forces set to take back control.

“Baghdad’s policy so far has been to disenfranchise the minorities, which are Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen. And this policy, if the Shia or Iraqi army take over Kirkuk, I am fairly sure they will not treat minorities with grace or favor,” Yesilada said.

Baghdad appears sensitive to such concerns.

“The Iraqi government was clever enough to use a Turkmen brigade among the PMU [Iraqi Shia militia force] that claimed Kirkuk province,” said former senior Turkish diplomat Selcen. “And not only the PMU is being used, but also the main duties are on the shoulders of the Iraqi army and Iraqi special forces Golden Division [Sunni military forces] elements.”

But Selcen says Ankara’s offers of military assistance will likely be rejected politically. A planned visit Sunday by Turkish Prime Minster Binali Yildirim was canceled, as was a high-level Turkish minister delegation Monday because of the Iraqi military operation in Kirkuk.

Analysts point out that while Ankara and Baghdad have found common ground on thwarting Iraqi Kurdish independence aspirations, strategic differences remain that potentially could come to the fore over the fate of Iraq’s ethnic Turks.
…

Hillary Clinton has told an Australian state broadcaster that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was a tool of Russia in his release of hacked emails that hurt the U.S. Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign.

Clinton told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview broadcast on Monday that the Australian whistleblower had “become a kind of nihilistic opportunist who does the bidding of a dictator,” Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“He’s a tool of Russian intelligence, and if he’s such a … martyr of free speech, why doesn’t WikiLeaks ever publish anything coming out of Russia?” she said.

Clinton was complaining about WikiLeaks’ publication during the 2016 election campaign of politically damaging emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Assange, who is holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London, hit back at Clinton’s interview, tweeting that she was “not a credible person.”

“It is not just her constant lying. It is not just that she throws off menacing glares and seethes thwarted entitlement,” he tweeted. “Watch closely. Something much darker rides along with it. A cold creepiness rarely seen.”

‘Concerted operation’

In the interview, Clinton rejected reporter Sarah Ferguson’s proposition that Assange was simply performing a journalist’s role by publishing information.

“There was a concerted operation between WikiLeaks and Russia and most likely people in the United States to, as I say, weaponize that information, to make up stories, outlandish, often terrible stories that had no basis in fact, no basis even in the emails themselves, but which were used to denigrate me, my campaign, people who supported me, and to help [Donald] Trump,” Clinton said.

“WikiLeaks is unfortunately now practically a fully owned subsidiary of Russian intelligence,” she said.

The 45-year-old Australian fled to the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over an investigation of sexual offense allegations. Despite a Swedish prosecutor announcing in May that he was no longer the target of an active rape investigation, Assange remains in the embassy for fear of extradition to the United States on charges over WikiLeaks’ aggressive publication of thousands of pages of classified U.S. government documents.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo in April denounced WikiLeaks as a “hostile intelligence service” and a threat to U.S. national security. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Assange’s arrest was a priority as the Justice Department steps up efforts to prosecute people who leak classified information to the media.

Their condemnation of WikiLeaks differed sharply from President Donald Trump’s past praise of the organization. Before last year’s election, Trump said he was happy to see WikiLeaks publish private, politically damaging emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta. He was less happy about the release of CIA tactics, which the White House said was different because it involved information about secretive national security tools.

The president said in April that he was not involved in the decision-making process regarding charging Assange but that the move would be “OK with me.”

 
…

The French government is unveiling a draft bill that focuses on sexual harassment on French streets and sexual violence against minors.

Speaking on French radio RTL on Monday, Gender Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa said she has been setting up workshops across France with the aim of eventually criminalizing threatening attitudes toward women in French streets. Schiappa also wants to extend the statute of limitations for sexual assaults to 30 years from the current 20 years when minors are involved.

The draft bill is expected to be voted on next year.

A parliamentary group of five lawmakers is studying the new law.

Schiappa said she has the support of President Emmanuel Macron, who has been urging victims of sexual harassment to speak out.

 
…

The president of Spain’s region of Catalonia has responded to a Monday deadline, failing to clarify whether he will push ahead with efforts for the region to break away from Madrid and signaling that the secession crisis is far from over.

The Spanish government had given Catalonian leader Carles Puigdemont until Monday to provide a simple “yes” or “no” answer.

In a letter, Puigdemont told Spanish President Mariano Rajoy secessionists want to suspend initiating steps towards independence for two months. “For the next two months, our main objective is to bring you to dialogue,” Puigdemont wrote.

Following an independence referendum on October 1, Puigdemont said last week he was prepared for Catalonia to “become an independent state,” despite a court ruling that declared such a move would be unconstitutional.

But Puigdemont immediately said he was suspending the secession drive to allow time for negotiations with Madrid.

The contradictory statements prompted Rajoy to give Puigdemont until 10 a.m. (0800 UTC) Monday to clarify his position with a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Rajoy said Madrid was ready to suspend the region’s autonomy and begin to exercise direct control if Puigdemont decided to continue pressing for secession.

Spanish officials had said they would consider anything other than a simple “no” answer an indication that the independence drive would continue and thus begin steps to strip Catalonia of its autonomy. After receiving Puigdemont’s letter Monday, Spanish leaders indicated they would treat his reply as a “yes.”

“He has not answered the question clearly,” said Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria at news conference Monday. Saenz de Santamaria said the government would now give Puigdemont until Thursday to re-think his response.

Catalonia, Spain’s most prosperous region, is home to 7.5 million people, has its own language and distinct culture, and is deeply divided over independence.

The Catalan government said that 90 percent of Catalans voted for independence from Spain in October 1 referendum. Many opponents of independence boycotted the vote, reducing turnout to around 43 percent.

 
…

Sebastian Kurz, leader of Austria’s conservative People’s Party (OVP), is set to become the world’s youngest leader after declaring his party’s victory in Sunday’s general election. At 31, Kurz is believed to be younger than North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and France’s Emmanuel Macron who is approaching 40. With most of the votes counted, The People’s Party won more than 31 percent of the vote and is expected to form a coalition with right-wing Freedom Party (FPO).VOA’s Zlatica Hoke has more.
…

Ireland dispatched its armed forces to bolster flood defenses on Sunday and warned people against non-essential travel as the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia threatened the country with its worst storm in 50 years.

Ophelia, the sixth major hurricane of the Atlantic season, is due to make landfall on the south west coast of Ireland at around 0500 GMT on Monday, the Irish weather service said, describing the storm as “unprecedented.”

Hurricane force winds are likely off Ireland’s south coast but they are expected to ease before they reach the coastline, said the weather service, which has declared a Status Red weather alert.

The weather service has warned some gusts may exceed 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour).

The government has also warned of localized coastal flooding and likely disruption to transport and electricity services.

“You should not be out in this storm … this is an extreme weather event,” the chairman of Ireland’s National Emergency Coordination Group Sean Hogan said at a briefing.

Asked if it was likely to be the worst storm in half a century, he said the “comparable weather event” was Hurricane Debbie, which killed 12 in Ireland in 1961. Ophelia has the potential to be a life-threatening event in Ireland, he said.

The storm is likely to pass close to a west of Ireland golf course owned by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has been planning a wall to protect its greens from coastal erosion.

“The storm has the potential to reshape stretches of the Irish coast, John Sweeney, a climatologist at Maynooth University,” said.

“It is going to be perhaps an event comparable to Debbie in 1961 which has effectively marked many of the coastlines of the west coast of Ireland to the present day,” Sweeney told state broadcaster RTE.

Members of the armed forces have been sent to Tralee on the south west coast to build coastal defenses with sandbags.

Britain’s meteorological service said in a statement that the weather system may effect road, rail, air and ferry services.

British media are comparing the storm to the Great Storm of 1987, which subjected parts of the United Kingdom to hurricane strength winds 30 years ago to the day.
…

Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton cautioned Britain on Sunday over its push to secure a trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump after it leaves the European Union.

Clinton, the Democratic Party candidate who lost out to Trump in last November’s election, also said Britain would face serious disruption if it left the EU without a negotiated deal with Brussels.

The British government has talked up the prospect of bilateral trade deals with the United States and others as one of the major benefits of leaving the EU following last year’s surprise referendum vote to leave.

Asked about the prospects of a British-U.S. deal, Clinton told the BBC: “You’re making a trade deal with somebody who says he doesn’t believe in trade, so I’m not quite sure how that’s going to play out over the next few years.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Trump in January to talk trade. The countries share $200 billion of trade each year.

But May has since intervened in a dispute between U.S. aerospace firm Boeing and Canadian planemaker Bombardier, lobbying in the interests of Bombardier to try to protect jobs at its factory in Northern Ireland.

Clinton also said Britain would be at a “very big disadvantage” if divorce negotiations with the EU failed, and went on to compare the factors behind the Brexit vote to her own election loss.

“Looking at the Brexit vote now it was a precursor to some extent to what happened to us in the United States… The amount of fabricated, false information that your voters were given by the ‘Leave’ campaign,” she said.

She said her own presidential campaign was subject to similar treatment, citing the spread of false stories by online news outlets, and warned that Britain and other countries must be alert to the risks of such new media.

“The big lie is a very potent tool,” she said.
…

After sitting fifty years in the National Geographic archives, 100 hours of footage on Jane Goodall and her groundbreaking observations of Chimpanzees in the African forest of Tanzania have been compiled into a documentary film. At a screening of the film in Los Angeles, Goodall spoke to VOA’s Elizabeth Lee about her work and thoughts on the film.
…

Hurricane Ophelia, a rare storm for the North Atlantic, was expected to bring high winds and rough seas to five western counties of Ireland this weekend.

Ophelia, strengthening offshore near the Azores Islands, was a   Category 3 storm, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It had top sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 mph) and was expected to produce total rain accumulations of up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) over the southern Azores.

Seven of the nine islands of the Azores were on red alert as ordered by regional civil protection services. The islands were expecting heavy rainfall overnight.

The 245,000 people who inhabit the Azores were told to stay inside while the storm passes.

Ophelia was expected to wind down slightly before reaching Ireland as a tropical cyclone on Monday. Five counties were placed on red alert for severe weather conditions on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Irish Meteorological Service.

Ireland, which only rarely sees hurricanes, was expected to endure winds in excess of 130 kph (80 mph) on Monday.

Coincidentally, Monday will be the 30th anniversary of what has been nicknamed the Great Storm of 1987, a hurricane that took down 15 million trees in Britain and killed more than 20 people in Britain and France together.
…

The United Nations warns some 4 million people across Ukraine are facing a desperate situation as winter approaches and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance to survive the bitterly cold months ahead.

Ukraine is into its fourth year of war, a war that the United Nations estimates has killed about 10,000 people and injured more than 23,500 others. No resolution is in sight to what has become a frozen conflict between the Kyiv government and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.

This is causing immense suffering to millions of people living in zones close to the contact line that separates the areas controlled by each side. The UN reports some four million people need food, health services, shelter, water and sanitation and protection as winter approaches.

Jens Laerke is spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He says most of the people in urgent need of aid live in the rebel-controlled areas in the east, though pockets of need also exist in Government-controlled areas throughout the country.

“One of the results of this deteriorating crisis is that we now estimate that 1.2 million people in Ukraine on both sides of the contact line…are food insecure. So, that is certainly a concern,” said Laerke.

Laerke says some 600,000 people, most living in separatist east Ukraine, are unable to access their pensions, which are critical for their survival.

He warns aid agencies will not be able to provide the humanitarian aid needed to help Ukraine’s millions of vulnerable people this winter without more money. He notes only 26 percent of this year’s $200 million U.N. appeal for Ukraine has been received.
…