Spain’s supreme court has refused to grant bail to the ousted Catalan vice-president, Oriol Junqueras, who has been in prison for more than two months over his role in the region’s unilateral push for independence.
On Friday afternoon, three judges ruled Junqueras would remain in custody on the grounds that he could seek to carry on with the secessionist struggle if released.
In a written ruling, they also said there were indications to suggest he had committed the offences on suspicion of which he was being held: sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-5 22:56:47
[North-South Korea] North Korea agrees to talks after U.S., South Korea postpone military drills
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Friday to hold official talks with the South next week, the first in more than two years, hours after the United States and South Korea delayed a military exercise amid a standoff over the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
South Korea said the North had sent its consent for the talks to be held on Tuesday. The last time the two Koreas engaged in official talks was in December 2015.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 09:36:33
[Brazil] Brazil police request Temer answer questions in alleged graft probe
Police are investigating whether Temer took bribes in exchange for shaping the decree in a way that would benefit logistics firm Rodrimar SA, which operates some services in the Port of Santos, Latin America’s busiest container port.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 09:37:52
[Pakistan] Pakistan PM calls US aid 'insignificant' as Trump threatens to cut it off
In an interview with the Guardian, Abbasi said that reports that the US was considering cuts of up to $2bn in security assistance were bewildering because the total aid Pakistan – civilian and military – actually received was a tiny fraction of that amount.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 09:43:28
Macron tells Erdogan: No chance of Turkey joining EU
French President Emmanuel Macron has told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that there is no chance of progress towards Turkey joining the European Union at present.
At a joint news conference in Paris, Mr Macron said there were differences over human rights since Turkey's purges following a failed coup in 2016.
Mr Erdogan said Turkey was tired of constantly imploring to join the EU.
He lashed out at a journalist who asked about claims Turkey sent arms to Syria.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 09:52:07
[US-Iran-UN] Hard-won UN debate sees US at odds with partners over Iran
The US successfully fought off a Russian-led attempt on Friday to block a UN security council discussion over the past week’s Iranian protests. But it immediately found itself at odds with its European partners, who used the subsequent debate to reject American efforts to make the protests an excuse for ditching the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.
Russia had tried to stop the UN discussion on the grounds that it would represent an inappropriate interference in Iran’s internal affairs. But the US countered by finding the required votes on the 15-strong security council to press for a debate.
But the UN’s French representative distanced his country from the tone of the US strategy towards the protests. In an implicit rebuke to the US for calling the debate, François Delattre said: “However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security. We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished.” The nuclear deal was a cornerstone for stability in the Middle East, he added.
The UK’s representative Matthew Rycoft said Britain remained fully committed to the JCPOA [the nuclear deal], describing it as one of the great diplomatic successes of recent memory. He added: “We encourage all member states to uphold all their commitments. A prosperous, stable Iran is beneficial to all.” He urged Iran to allow peaceful protests and said too often the country’s legitimate security interests were pursued in ways that endangered others and undermined the Iranian economy.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 13:00:39
[US] FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months
The FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months, reviving a probe that was dialed back during the 2016 campaign amid tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents about the politically charged case, according to people familiar with the matter.
Word of the investigation comes at a particularly fraught time for the Justice Department and FBI, as it tries to navigate several polarizing issues, including an ongoing special-counsel probe of President Trump and his associates, as well as demands from Republicans in Congress that Clinton be reinvestigated on a host of issues. Among those is the foundation case.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 20:18:19
Ice expected across UK as weekend weather warnings issued
Temperatures across the UK are expected to plummet this weekend with weather warnings for ice issued.
The Met Office released a yellow warning for icy conditions on Friday night and into Saturday morning for parts of the north-east of England and Scotland, and in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
Temperatures are then set to fall on Saturday night due to “cold air and clear skies”, a Met Office spokesman said.
Across parts of Scotland temperatures overnight could fall as far as –10C (14F), which is much colder than average for the time of year.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 22:56:33
Frustration simmers as Nepalis await new government
Students in Nepal have been taking to the streets to demand the outgoing government swiftly hand over power to a leftist alliance that swept to victory in national elections last month.
The landmark post-war poll had raised hopes that it would bring much-needed stability to the impoverished country. Yet, several weeks after the defeat of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress, elation has given way to frustration as Nepal remains caught in a political deadlock.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-6 22:57:33
Saudi arrests 11 princes over economic protest: report
Saudi officials have arrested 11 princes for staging a protest against the kingdom's austerity measures, according to a report from the Saudi news website Sabq.
The princes, who gathered in the historical Palace of Government area in the capital Riyadh on Saturday, were demonstrating against a government decision to suspend payment of their utility bills, Sabq said.
Upon arrest, they were reportedly sent to Ha'ir prison, a maximum-security facility south of Riyadh.
簡單definition可以refer wiki: " treat all data on the Internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication. For instance, under these principles, internet service providers are unable to intentionally block, slow down or charge money for specific websites and online content."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will launch a new round of coalition talks on Sunday in a bid to end the country's political stalemate.
More than three months after its election, Germany is still without a new government.
The five-day talks will include Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), her allies the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats (SPD).
Experts say this may be her last chance to form a stable coalition.
The centre-left SPD has governed jointly with the chancellor's centre-right party for eight of the last 12 years. But a historically poor poll result in September saw SPD leader Martin Schulz vow to take the Social Democrats into opposition.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-7 14:01:56
[Trump] Donald Trump mounts extraordinary defence of his 'mental stability'
Suggestions in a new tell-all book that he was mentally unfit to be president were out of “the old Ronald Reagan playbook”, Trump wrote on Saturday.
“Actually,” the president added, “throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.”
He also said he “would qualify as not smart, but genius ... and a very stable genius at that!”
Trump Tweet:
Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....
Ninety university students are among the more than 1,000 people arrested in Iran’s unrest, an Iranian MP has said.
Mahmoud Sadeghi, who represents an electoral district in Tehran, was quoted by the Iranian labour news agency as saying: “It seems that the total number of detainees is around 90. Ten students from universities in Tehran and some other cities are in an uncertain position and … it is still unknown which body has detained them.”
According to Reuters, Iran has several parallel security bodies and arrests are often not immediately announced. Videos that have appeared on social media in recent days showed relatives of detainees gathering outside prisons in search of their loved ones.
Iran’s state TV on Saturday showed government supporters rallying in several cities. The demonstrations were described as a “response to rioters and supporters of the riots”.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-7 18:00:04
Theresa May to reshuffle cabinet on Monday, No 10 confirms
Theresa May will carry out a reshuffle of her cabinet and junior ministers this week, Downing Street has confirmed. The jobs of the education secretary, Justine Greening, and the party chairman, Sir Patrick McLoughlin, are particularly vulnerable, it is believed.
Downing Street refused to comment on possible changes on Saturday evening but it is understood that the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, the chancellor, Philip Hammond, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, and the home secretary, Amber Rudd, would all be continuing in their posts.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-7 19:19:34
[Weather]
[US] Brutal and 'bone-chilling' cold envelops US east coast two days after storm
Brutally cold conditions are expected to envelop the US east coast most of this weekend, prompting wind chill warnings from Virginia to Vermont.
Temperatures will reach close to 0F from Philadelphia to Boston through Saturday night, with wind chills making it feel like -10F (-23C) to -20F (-29C). Even more temperate locations will not escape the cold, with the mercury dipping into the single digits in Baltimore and Washington DC – about 20F below normal for this time of year.
The blast of cold air, which comes just days after a storm dumped as much as 18in (46cm) of snow in some places, could bring the feeling of real jaw-clenching temperatures to people living further north.
Sydney suffers through hottest day since 1939 as temperatures reach 47.3C in Penrith
Sydney has sweltered through its hottest day in almost 80 years with the mercury in Penrith hitting 47.3C.
Much of Sydney reached its peak temperature about 3pm on Sunday, with the city’s west bearing the brunt of the heat. Richmond reached 46.3C just after 2.30pm while the temperature in Bankstown exceeded 45C.
A severe fire danger rating was issued for the greater Sydney region on Sunday, while much of the rest of the state has a “very high” rating.
Filibuster_HK
2018-1-7 22:02:15
[Sweden] Man omgekomen na explosie bij metrostation voorstad Stockholm (in dutch)
Theresa May will give her government a new year reboot by carrying out what is expected to be her most wide-ranging reshuffle since her ill-fated decision to call a snap general election last summer.
The prime minister is expected to sack or move about a quarter of her cabinet on Monday in an assertion of authority that was impossible for her in the immediate aftermath of the loss of her Commons majority, when her post-election reshuffle involved minimal changes at cabinet level and no outright dismissals.
May is expected to give junior ministerial jobs to a number of high-fliers from the 2015 intake.
Going down? Justine Greening: Education secretary
Sir Patrick McLoughlin: Conservative chairman
Greg Clark: Business secretary
Andrea Leadsom: Leader of the House of Commons
Going up?
Jeremy Hunt: First secretary of state and Cabinet Office minister
Brandon Lewis: Conservative party chairman
Dominic Raab: Minister of state at the Ministry of Justice and expected to get a department of his own
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-42577394/midnight-release-of-fire-and-fury-draws-dozens-to-harry-potter-like-queues