1UA TV

Seven Catalan separatists arrested on suspicion of planning violent attacks have been charged with belonging to a “terrorist organisation” and remanded in custody, Spanish judicial authorities said on Thursday.The seven were among nine people detained on Monday on accusations they were planning attacks with possible explosives. The other two were released.A judge in Madrid ruled that there was evidence suggesting the seven were members of an organization intending to achieve Catalan independence “by any means including violence,” a court statement said.No details of the accused were given.The seven suspects have also been charged with making and possessing explosives.The arrests come just weeks before the second anniversary of the banned Catalan independence referendum which triggered one of Spain’s biggest political crises.Several hundred people demonstrated outside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona and then the city’s police headquarters shouting “freedom for political prisoners.”The parliament earlier Thursday approved a resolution calling for the “withdrawal from Catalan territory of the civil guard police,” described as a “type of political police.”A verdict is due next month in the trial of 12 separatist leaders for their roles in the attempted secession in 2017.Sentencing the separatist leaders could provoke strong protests in Spain’s northeastern region.Alleged violence in 2017 was a key focus of the trial, in which the separatist leaders defended the peaceful nature of their movement.  
…

This story originated in FILE – German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attend the welcome ceremony in Berlin, Germany, June 18, 2019.He was referring to Zelenskiy’s response to a remark by Trump, who had criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders for failing to provide Ukraine with adequate financial support for its fight against Russian-backed separatists.“Yes, you are absolutely right, not just 100%, but 1,000%,” Zelenskiy agreed.“I talked to Angela Merkel and met her,” Zelenskiy added. “I also met and talked to [French President Emmanuel] Macron and told them that they were not doing enough about sanctions. They do not impose sanctions. They are not acting as they should for Ukraine. “Yelisieiev, who represented Ukraine in Brussels from 2010 to 2015, before serving as diplomatic adviser to former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, wrote that “Berlin — and, first and foremost, Merkel personally — along with Paris, have played a key role in the sustenance of a powerful EU economy and targeted sanctions against Russia.”Impending Normandy Format peace negotiations to end Ukraine’s war with Russia, which directly involve the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany and Russia, Yelisieiev wrote, will be “a moment of truth and a test for EU unity and solidarity with Ukraine.”British political scientist James Sherr, who now works at the Estonian Institute for International Policy, called Zelenskiy’s references to his German and French counterparts “harmful,” and “especially unfair, in this case, to Germany.”FILE – U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missiles are displayed in Tripoli, Libya, after being captured from the self-styled Libyan National Army, June 29, 2019.A tough spotSome observers, however, say top officials in Berlin, Brussels and Paris may be understanding of the unusually difficult circumstances Zelenskiy faced during the July 25 phone call.According to a summary of the conversation, when Zelenskiy expressed interest in buying Javelin anti-tank missiles from the United States with funding from an annually allocated U.S. military aid package, Trump said, “I would like you to do us a favor though,” before asking Zelenskiy to investigate whether Biden, when he was vice president, had shut down a probe into the Ukrainian company his son worked for.Trump did not explicitly link a probe of Biden with the U.S. aid package. He had, however, ordered that the aid be placed on hold a week before the phone call, according to page 9 of the Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump face reporters during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Sept. 25, 2019.“It was interesting watching the press conference after the meeting in New York,” he told VOA’s Russian Service, referring to Trump’s meeting with Zelenskiy at this week’s United Nations General Assembly. “It seemed to me that President Zelenskiy was probably aware of this, because he walked a very fine line and he maintained a very neutral position about how far he was going to get into or get pulled into American politics. I think he needs to maintain that course. Otherwise, it could undo this broad political support there is in the United States for Ukraine.”European responseIn response to Trump’s allegations that EU members states have failed to provide Ukraine with adequate military aid and other forms of financial support, EU representatives pointed to official figures documenting their contributions.In statement to the Poynter Institute’s Politifact web site, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic called the bloc’s financial support for Ukraine “the largest support package in the history of the European Union,” including more than $2.1 billion in grants, nearly $54 million to monitor the truce in Ukraine’s war-torn east, and roughly $3.8 billion in loans to develop and rebuild Ukraine’s banking, agriculture, and transit sectors.According to the figures compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), since 2014, Germany has been the third largest donor to Ukraine after the European Union as a whole and the United States.According to Germany’s foreign ministry, Berlin has footed roughly $1.3 billion in bilateral financial aid to Ukraine, including $595 million in development, $120 million in humanitarian aid, $546 million in loans, and an estimated $27 million in truce monitoring.Germany’s foreign ministry has also allocated an additional $218 million to Ukraine via EU aid packages.The United States says it has provided $1.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. That assistance has expanded since Trump took office, including weaponry like Javelin missiles.According to the Associated Press, the State Department has prepared $141 million in funding, of which roughly $115 million will support systems and equipment contained in the Pentagon aid package, along with $10 million for equipment and training directed at maritime security, and $16.5 million for maritime security in the Black Sea.
…

Spain’s second election this year is unlikely to break the stalemate between the main right and left-wing parties, with acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist Party falling even shorter of a full majority than in the first, a poll showed on Thursday.Sanchez set the election for Nov. 10 — the country’s fourth in four years — after failing to reach a deal with the far-left Unidas Podemos.
The survey by GAD3 for ABC newspaper put the Socialists on 27.2%, down from 28.7% in the previous parliamentary election in April, which would give them 121 seats in the 350-seat house, two fewer than before. Podemos also fell in the poll.
Spain has not had a stable government for years, with mainstream parties and newcomers that have appeared over the past five years struggling to strike deals.
A separate poll by state-run CIS pollster showed that almost half of those surveyed consider politicians to be one of the biggest problems in the election-weary country, which has not been ruled by more than one party at a time since the return of democracy in the late 1970s.
According to the poll, a majority of Spaniards want politicians to create a “culture of agreements and deals” to avoid stalemates, while a third would like to change the constitution for that purpose.
In the GED3 survey, the main opposition People’s Party rose to 21.4% of voting intentions and was projected to win 97 seats, after getting just 16.7% of the vote in April, but that came mostly at the expense of center-right Ciudadanos, which fell to 11.3% from 15.9%.
The right, including the far-right Vox, which remained relatively stable on 9.6%, would get 150 seats altogether, three more than in April, but behind the combined three left-wing parties, which would have 164 seats including a new splinter party, Mas Pais (More Country).
Mas Pais would get 5.9%, or nine seats, according to GED3. Podemos would lose eight seats, having fallen to 12.4% of voting intentions from 14.3% in the April election.
GAD3 surveyed 1,207 people between Set. 23 and 25 and the poll’s margin of error is 2.8%.
…

Prince William and his wife Kate formally named a new British polar research ship Sir David Attenborough on Thursday, a more dignified title than the public’s choice of Boaty McBoatface.The humorous moniker was the most popular suggestion in an
online poll that went viral in 2016, but the government opted to
honor the naturalist and broadcaster Attenborough, who has
become a campaigner on climate issues in his 10th decade.
As a consolation prize, the name Boaty McBoatface was
instead given to a small, yellow autonomous underwater vehicle,
capable of traveling long distances under the sea ice to
collect data, which forms part of the ship’s research equipment.Britain’s Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Sir David Attenborough during the naming ceremony for the new polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough at Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, Sept. 26, 2019.The ceremony to formally name the Sir David Attenborough took place at a shipyard in Birkenhead, northwest England, where
the giant ice-breaker was built.
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, pressed a yellow button to
activate a lever that smashed a bottle of champagne on the
ship’s hull, in accordance with maritime tradition.
Her husband Prince William, grandson of Queen Elizabeth,
said in a speech that the state-of-the-art vessel would help
expand global knowledge of the polar oceans and the impact of
climate change on them.
“As last week’s climate protests the world over, and yesterday’s report on our oceans and frozen regions demonstrated, there has never been a more important moment for this ship to get to work,” he said.
Ushering Attenborough to speak just after him, William made
clear his preference for the official name.
“It is my immense privilege and relief to welcome Sir David
Attenborough, rather than Boaty McBoatface, to speak,” he said.
The 93-year-old naturalist said it was the greatest possible
honour to have the ship named after him.
“Great problems require great research and facts to solve
them, and that’s what this astonishing ship will be here to do,”
he said.
Operated by the publicly funded British Antarctic Survey,
the Sir David Attenborough is 129 meters long and can break ice
up to one meter thick at three knots (5.6 km per hour). It
requires a crew of about 30, and can carry up to 60 scientists
and support staff.
It will conduct ice trials in the northern hemisphere from
March 2020, and is scheduled to enter full service from October
next year.
…

An alliance of human right organizations says nine Sudanese people have filed a criminal complaint against French bank BNP Paribas for alleged complicity in crimes against humanity, torture, and genocide during the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.The International Federation for Human Rights said the complaint filed Thursday in Paris marks “the first attempt” to hold the bank responsible for its alleged role in giving Sudanese authorities access to international money markets from at least 2002 to 2008.
 
The Sudanese government, military and militias were accused of committing crimes against humanity in response to a rebellion that started in 2003.
 
Former President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges linked to the Darfur conflict.  
…

Prince Andrew and his former wife Sarah Ferguson have announced the engagement of their elder daughter, Princess Beatrice.They said Thursday that Beatrice is engaged to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a real estate entrepreneur. The 31-year-old princess is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
 
Buckingham Palace says the couple became engaged in Italy earlier this month. The wedding will take place in 2020.”We are both so excited to be embarking on this life adventure together and can’t wait to actually be married,” the couple said.Andrew and Sarah, who remain on good terms despite their 1996 divorce, said in a statement they are “thrilled” with the engagement.”We send them every good wish for a wonderful family future,” they said.They said they are “the lucky parents of a wonderful daughter who has found her love and companion in a completely devoted friend and loyal young man.”Their younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, married Jack Brooksbank last year.
…

Jacques Chirac, a two-term French president who was the first leader to acknowledge France’s role in the Holocaust and defiantly opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, died Thursday at age 86.
His son-in-law Frederic Salat-Baroux told The Associated Press that Chirac died “peacefully, among his loved ones.” He did not give a cause of death, though Chirac had had repeated health problems since leaving office in 2007.
 
Chirac was long the standard-bearer of France’s conservative right, and mayor of Paris for nearly two decades. He was nicknamed “Le Bulldozer” early in his career for his determination and ambition. As president from 1995-2007 he was a consummate global diplomat but failed to reform the economy or defuse tensions between police and minority youths that exploded into riots across France in 2005.
 
Yet Chirac showed courage and statesmanship during his presidency.
 
In what may have been his finest hour, France’s last leader with memories of World War II crushed the myth of his nation’s innocence in the persecution of Jews and their deportation during the Holocaust when he acknowledged France’s part.
 
 “Yes, the criminal folly of the occupiers was seconded by the French, by the French state,” he said on July 16, 1995. “France, the land of the Enlightenment and human rights … delivered those it protects to their executioners.”
 
With words less grand, the man who embraced European unity — once calling it an “art” — raged at the French ahead of their “no” vote in a 2005 referendum on the European constitution meant to fortify the EU.  “If you want to shoot yourself in the foot, do it, but after don’t complain,” he said. “It’s stupid, I’m telling you.” He was personally and politically humiliated by the defeat.
 
His popularity didn’t fully recover until after he left office in 2007, handing power to protege-turned-rival Nicolas Sarkozy.
 
Chirac ultimately became one of the French’s favorite political figures, often praised for his down-to-earth human touch rather than his political achievements.
 
In his 40 years in public life, Chirac was derided by critics as opportunistic and impulsive. But as president, he embodied the fierce independence so treasured in France: He championed the United Nations and multipolarism as a counterweight to U.S. global dominance, and defended agricultural subsidies over protests by the European Union.
 
Chirac was also remembered for another trait valued by the French: style.
 
Tall, dapper and charming, Chirac was a well-bred bon vivant who openly enjoyed the trappings of power: luxury trips abroad and life in a government-owned palace. His slicked-back hair and ski-slope nose were favorites of political cartoonists.
 
Yet he retained a common touch that worked wonders on the campaign trail, exuding warmth when kissing babies and enthusiasm when farmers — a key constituency — displayed their tractors. His preferences were for western movies and beer — and “tete de veau,” calf’s head.
 
After two failed attempts, Chirac won the presidency in 1995, ending 14 years of Socialist rule. But his government quickly fell out of favor and parliamentary elections in 1997 forced him to share power with Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.
 
The pendulum swung the other way during Chirac’s re-election bid in 2002, when far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen took a surprise second place behind Chirac in first-round voting. In a rare show of unity, the moderate right and the left united behind Chirac, and he crushed le Pen with 82 percent of the vote in the runoff.
 
 “By thwarting extremism, the French have just confirmed, reaffirmed with force, their attachment to a democratic tradition, liberty and engagement in Europe,” Chirac enthused at his second inauguration.
 
Later that year, an extreme right militant shot at Chirac — and missed — during a Bastille Day parade in 2002. Inspecting troops, the president was unaware of the drama.
 
While he had won a convincing mandate for his anti-crime, pro-Europe agenda at home, Chirac’s outspoken opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 rocked relations with France’s top ally, and the clash weakened the Atlantic alliance.
 
Angry Americans poured Bordeaux wine into the gutter and restaurants renamed French fries “freedom fries” in retaliation.
 
The United States invaded anyway, yet Chirac gained international support from other war critics.
 
Troubles over Iraq aside, Chirac was often seen as the consummate diplomat. He cultivated ties with leaders across the Middle East and Africa. He was the first head of state to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Chirac was greeted by adulating crowds on a 2003 trip to Algeria, where he once battled Algerians fighting for independence from France.
 
At home, myriad scandals dogged Chirac, including allegations of misuse of funds and kickbacks during his time as Paris mayor.
 
He was formally charged in 2007 after he left office as president, losing immunity from prosecution. In 2011, he was found guilty of misuse of public money, breach of trust and illegal conflict of interest and given a two-year suspended jail sentence.
 
He did not attend the trial. His lawyers explained he was suffering severe memory lapses, possibly related to a stroke. While still president in 2005, Chirac suffered a stroke that put him in the hospital for a week. He had a pacemaker inserted in 2008.
…

An immense mass of black smoke is rising over Normandy as firefighters battle a blaze Thursday at a chemical plant, and authorities closed schools in 11 surrounding towns and asked residents to stay indoors.The fire poses a pollution risk for the nearby Seine River, the government’s top official for the region said Thursday, according to the French news service AFP.“We’re still fighting the blaze, with the risk that pollution could spill into the Seine if retention ponds overflow,” Pierre-Andre Durand told journalists.No injuries have been reported and French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on RTL radio “there is no element that could lead us to believe that the smoke is dangerous.”But authorities are taking precautionary measures and carrying out air quality tests as about 200 firefighters work to extinguish the fire.The administration for the Seine-Maritime region urged people to avoid non-essential travel in the area after the fire alarm rang at the Lubrizol plant in Rouen early Thursday. The Interior Ministry tweeted that schools and nurseries in the area have been closed, and residents in nursing homes are being confined.A policeman stands on a blocked road in Le Petit-Quevilly on September 26, 2019 as smoke billows from a Lubrizol factory classified Seveso high-threshold site on fire in Rouen. Residents of twelve towns including Rouen have been asked to stay at…Images showed bursts of orange flames and the sounds of repeated explosions from the plant overnight. The site was still spewing huge plumes of black smoke midmorning, with bursts of flames still visible as sirens sounded over and over.The cause of the fire is being investigated.The plant produces additives for lubricants and paint, and pledges on its website “to lead all activities in full security for people and goods while preserving the natural environment.” The company didn’t comment on the fire.It is among many industrial sites around Europe required to have additional security measures it handles dangerous substances.
 
…

British car production increased by an annual 3.3% in August, the first rise in 15 months, helped by several factories having moved their summertime shutdowns to April in preparation for the original Brexit date, an industry body said Thursday.MW, Peugeot, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover all closed factories ranging from a few days to four weeks in April over concerns that Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union in March could lead to disruption, including delays to the arrival of parts.The move led to a 44.5% decline in output in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and ended up being in vain as Brexit was eventually pushed back to the end of October.August saw a small bounce back with output rising 3.3% to 92,158 cars, helped by a 15.2% increase in domestic demand, data showed.“Today’s figures mask the underlying downward trend and strengthening global headwinds facing the sector, including international trade tensions, massive technological upheaval and, in the UK, political and economic uncertainty,” said SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.“We now need parliament and government to redouble efforts to get a deal that maintains free and frictionless trade.”
 
…