250/2018 • 3 NOVEMBER, 2018 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Spanish prosecutors call for up to 25 years for jailed Catalan leaders Spanish state prosecutors are seeking long jail sentences for nine leaders
Spanish state prosecutors are seeking long jail sentences for nine leaders of Cataloniaʼs independence movement. But a separate body of attorneys also involved in the case is being milder in its demands.
Russia tactics send NATO back to basics Norway provides ample obstacles as the military allianceʼs make-believe battleground for the Trident Juncture exercise. Still, Teri Schultz finds todayʼs high-tech capabilities require (warm) boots on the ground. Russian President Vladimir Putin brags that heʼs got hypersonic missiles invincible to NATO defenses; heʼs building up his depot of tactical nuclear weapons on the allianceʼs border in Kaliningrad, and heʼs allegedly developed a groundlaunched cruise missile that violates international arms control treaties.
US announces broad new sanctions against Iran The United States announced on Friday that it would add 700 individuals and entities to a list ofsanctions against Iran. It also put pressure onthe SWIFT international banking networkto cut off Tehran. The sanctions, which take effect on November 5, hit Iranʼs financial, shipping and energy sectors. This is the second major batch of sanctions imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump since he pulled the US from a landmark nuclear deal.
Spanish state prosecutors have called forformer Catalan Vice President Oriol Junquerasto be imprisoned for 25 years on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds over an illegal secession bid by Catalonia last year, it was announced on Friday. For eight other jailed Catalan separatists, the prosecution has demanded 16 or 17 years in jail, as well as fines or shorter prison terms for a number of other politicians, activists and civil servants accused of being behind the independence push, including a banned referendum. However, state attorneys, a separate group also prosecuting in the case on behalf of the Spanish government, have called for the charge of rebellion to be dropped and that of sedition — which under Spanish law implies that no violence was used to subvert the state — to be leveled instead. They sought maximum sentences of 12 years. The lesser charge asked for by the state attorneys is being seen as reflecting the Spanish governmentʼs need for parliamentary support from separatist parties topass the national budget and remain in power. The nine Catalan politicians were jailed without bail for their involvement in last yearʼs secession drive, which saw Catalonia being put under four months ofdirect rule from Madridafter the region declared its independence following a referendum that Spanish courts ruled as unconstitutional. Spanish media have speculated that their trial might begin early next year after an almost yearlong investigation. Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont isstill living in exile in Belgiumafter fleeing Spanish justice. A number of other
Catalan politicians have either been indicted or have also left the country. The Catalan independence bid was Spainʼs worst political crisis in the four decades since the end of the Franco dictatorship. Spanish state prosecutors have called forformer Catalan Vice President Oriol Junquerasto be imprisoned for 25 years on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds over an illegal secession bid by Catalonia last year, it was announced on Friday. For eight other jailed Catalan separatists, the prosecution has demanded 16 or 17 years in jail, as well as fines or shorter prison terms for a number of other politicians, activists and civil servants accused of being behind the independence push, including a banned referendum. However, state attorneys, a separate group also prosecuting in the case on behalf of the Spanish government, have called for the charge of rebellion to be dropped and that of sedition — which under Spanish law implies that no violence was used to subvert the state — to be leveled instead. They sought maximum sentences of 12 years. The lesser charge asked for by the state attorneys is being seen as reflecting the Spanish governmentʼs need for parliamentary support from separatist parties topass the national budget and remain in power. The nine Catalan politicians were jailed without bail for their involvement in last yearʼs secession drive, which saw Catalonia being put under four months ofdirect rule from Madridafter the region declared its independence following a referendum that Spanish courts ruled as unconstitutional.
Gunmen kill Coptic Christians on pilgrimage
ʼFather of the Talibanʼ killed in Pakistan
At least seven people died and 14 others were wounded when gunmen opened fire on two buses driving towards the St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in Minya province south of Cairo, according to the interior minister. Assailants reportedly used side roads to reach the main highway and shoot at the buses, which were nearing the monastery. According to the Archbishop in Minya, the attack took place in almost the same place as one by Islamist militants which killed 28 Christians in May 2017.
Maulana Sami ul Haq, a leading Islamist cleric, was killed in Pakistan on Friday by unknown assailants, his nephew and son reported. Pakistani government officials confirmed Haqʼs death, though details remained hazy. According to his son, Hamidul, Haq was stabbed to death in his bedroom at home in Rawalpindi. "My father ... was alone at his home," Hamidul told reporters. "His guard had gone out minutes before the attack and upon his return he saw my father in critical condition."