Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held emergency talks with opposition leaders on Wednesday about violent protests by separatists in Catalonia.
Scores of people have been hurt and dozens arrested in the past two nights of clashes between protesters and police in Barcelona and other Catalan cities.
Protesters are furious at the jailing of nine separatist leaders for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid that sparked a deep political crisis.
The convictions on Monday revived tensions in the wealthy northeastern region, split between Catalans loyal to Madrid and those who want it to break away from Spain.
In Barcelona on Tuesday night, police charged hundreds of masked demonstrators who threw projectiles at officers and set garbage bins and cardboard boxes on fire.
In a tweet, Sanchez said the government "firmly and resoundingly condemns the violence that seeks to break co-existence in Catalonia."
On Wednesday thousands of protesters departed on foot along highways from five ...

Spain PM holds emergency talks over violent Catalan protests

PTI Automatic

Russian television on Wednesday showed the first images of Russian and Syrian forces taking up positions in and around the northern city of Manbij following the withdrawal of US troops.
State channel Rossiya-24 showed Russian armoured vehicles patrolling in the city, a day after Moscow announced it had deployed forces in the area.
News channel RT also broadcast footage of US and Syrian convoys crossing paths on the road between Manbij and the city of Kobane on the Syrian-Turkish border.
Russia said Tuesday its military police were patrolling in the area following the withdrawal of forces from a US-led coalition.
Russia said the patrols were taking place after the regime -- invited to return by Kurdish forces who lost their US patrons -- took control of Manbij.
Syrian forces have moved into several Kurdish-controlled areas as part of a deal to protect the region from an assault by Turkish forces.
Russia's defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Syrian forces had taken ...

Russian TV shows troops replacing Americans in Syria

A prominent French academic has been in detention in Iran since June, when he was arrested with his Franco-Iranian colleague, a researchers' group announced Wednesday.
Roland Marchal, a sociologist whose research focuses on civil wars in Africa, and Fariba Adelkhah, an anthropologist, both work at the Sciences Po university in Paris.
The FASOPO association, of which they are both members, announced Marchal's detention on its website, saying it had remained quiet about his arrest at the request of French authorities until the story was reported on Tuesday by French newspaper Le Figaro.
It said that "discretion had seemed preferable to the French authorities, who immediately began working, at the highest level, to obtain the liberation of our colleagues..."
The French government, it said, had wished to prevent the issue becoming a reason for "nationalist flare-up" in Tehran.
The FASOPO had alerted France of the pair's disappearance on June 25.
The association said it supported the ...

Second French academic detained in Iran since June

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's brother entered prison Wednesday to begin a five-year sentence after he was convicted of corruption, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported, citing his lawyer.
Hossein Fereydoun, who served as an aide to the president, was arrested in July 2017 and put on trial in February this year on allegations of financial violations.
In a final ruling, his sentence was reduced to five years from seven and he was ordered to pay a fine as well as bribes he was convicted of receiving, the judiciary said on October 1.
His lawyer said he entered Tehran's Evin prison on Wednesday.
"This morning Mr Fereydoun together with myself were present at the prosecutor's office," Hossein Sartipi said, quoted by ISNA.
"After legal procedures were completed, he was taken to Evin prison and was admitted to the prison," he added.
Fereydoun acted as a key adviser and gatekeeper to the president before his arrest.
The brothers do not share the same name because Rouhani changed ...

Iran president's brother starts 5-year jail term: report

A prominent French academic, Roland Marchal, has been in detention in Iran since June, when he was arrested alongside his Franco-Iranian colleague, anthropologist Fariba Adelkhah, a researchers' group announced Wednesday.
Marchal and Abdelkhah both work at Sciences Po university in Paris.
The FASOPO association, of which they are both members, announced Marchal's detention on its website, saying that it had remained quiet about his arrest at the request of French authorities until it was reported on Tuesday evening by French newspaper Le Figaro.

Second French academic detained in Iran since June: research group

Turkish police have detained nearly 200 people over their social media posts against its military offensive in Syria since the operation began last week, state news agency Anadolu said Wednesday.
Of the 186 people held, 24 have been formally arrested, according to Anadolu.  So far, 78 were released and 40 were freed under judicial control, while legal proceedings were ongoing for the rest, it said.  Among those detained for "terrorist propaganda" against the operation this week were the co-presidents of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan.  Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring against Kurdish militants in Syria a week ago.  It is thought to have widespread support at home, but has been widely criticised by the international community, who relied on Kurdish forces to fight the Islamic State group.

Turkey detains nearly 200 for opposing Syria operation: report

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was "disappointed" after attending a historic but bizarre World Cup qualifier between North and South Korea that had empty stands and no live broadcast.
The rare match in the North Korean capital ended 0-0 on Tuesday, with Infantino one of the few people allowed to see the surreal game play out at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Stadium.
"I was looking forward to seeing a full stadium for such a historic match but was disappointed to see there were no fans in the stands," he said in an interview published on the FIFA website.
"We were surprised by this and by several issues related to its live broadcast and problems with visas and access for foreign journalists."
No foreign media were at the game -- the first competitive men's match to be played in Pyongyang between the two sides, whose countries are still technically at war.
Frustrated South Korean fans who were not permitted to travel to the game will have to wait days to see it on television after ...

FIFA president 'disappointed' by empty stands at Koreas qualifier

British government efforts to minimise border chaos should the UK leave the EU without a negotiated deal face "significant risks" that are largely outside its control, an audit said Wednesday.
The government's own worst-case scenario assumes trade flows across the Channel slowing by 45 to 65 per cent and taking up to a year to recover in full.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has created a task force to make sure these do not cause food and medicine shipment disruptions that his government fears could spark riots on the street.
The National Audit Office (NOA) said Wednesday that government departments "have done a great deal to prepare".
But "despite their efforts, significant risks remain which may have consequences for the public and businesses", NOA head Gareth Davies said in the office's updated preparedness report.
"The most significant risks to the smooth operation of the border remain and resolving them is now, to some extent, out of government's control," the report said.
Britain .

No-deal Brexit poses 'significant' border risks: UK audit office

The EU's powerful anti-trust authority on Wednesday ordered US chipmaker Broadcom to immediately halt certain practices, in an unprecedented salvo against US big tech.
The European Commission took the extremely rare move of ordering the interim changes from one of Silicon Valley's pioneer companies while the EU's investigation was still under way, citing the "irreparable" threats to competition.
"Broadcom's behaviour is likely, in the absence of intervention, to create serious and irreversible harm to competition," the EU's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
"We have strong indications that Broadcom, the world's leading supplier of chipsets used for TV set-top boxes and modems, is engaging in anticompetitive practices," she said.
With the order, Vestager significantly stepped up her scrutiny of US tech giants, where investigations usually dragged on for years before companies were fined or ordered into compliance.
The ongoing investigation centres on ...

EU orders emergency anti-trust measures against chipmaker Broadcom

Qatar's defence minister ruled out Wednesday the possibility of a war between the United States and Iran amid rising tensions in the Gulf following attacks on oil tankers.
Doha is an ally of Washington, but also has good relations with Tehran that has helped it overcome a political and economic boycott by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies over accusations the tiny kingdom backs the Islamic republic and extremists.
"I don't see a war in the future between the United States and Iran," said Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah during the Global Security Forum in Doha.
"A war will be in no one's interest," he said.
Tensions have soared in the Gulf in recent months with a series of attacks on oil infrastructure and tankers which have raised fears of a war between the arch-rivals.
Last month, two Saudi oil facilities were attacked, temporarily halving the kingdom's crude output and setting oil markets alight.
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed responsibility, but US officials blamed Tehran ..

Qatar rules out war between US and Iran

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Wednesday said he remained hopeful that Britain would secure a deal to leave the European Union but sticking points remained as a deadline for talks loomed.
"I am convinced that all parties are serious about getting an agreement by the end of this month. There is a pathway to a possible deal but there are many issues that still need to be resolved," he said.

Irish PM says 'many issues' unresolved in Brexit talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday firmly ruled out any negotiations with Kurdish militants in Syria as the United States pushed for a ceasefire.
"There are some leaders who are trying to mediate... There has never been any such thing in the history of the Turkish republic as the state sitting at the same table with a terror organisation," Erdogan said in a speech to parliament.

Turkey's Erdogan rules out talks with Syrian Kurdish forces

Turkey remained defiant against mounting international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, raising tensions with Washington as Vice President Mike Pence headed for Ankara on Wednesday to demand a ceasefire.
Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as dawn broke on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters trying to hold off the onslaught by Turkish-backed forces, now in its second week.
The fighting has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers, with US President Donald Trump dispatching Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis in relations for decades between the NATO allies.
The Kremlin said it would host President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days, to ensure the operation does not turn into an all-out war between Turkey and Syria.
Russia has stepped into the void caused by Trump's withdrawal of US troops from northern ...

Turkey defiant on Syria operation as US demands ceasefire

Chinese tech giant Huawei said on Wednesday that its revenue for the first nine months of the year grew by almost a quarter despite a US campaign to isolate the company globally.
Huawei's revenues jumped 24.4 per cent on-year to 610.8 billion yuan (USD 86.2 billion) and its profit margin increased 8.7 per cent, it announced.
Huawei, based in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, is the world's leading supplier of telecoms networking equipment and the number-two global smartphone vendor.
But it has been under pressure this year as US officials lobbied allies worldwide to avoid the company's telecom gear over security concerns, amid a wider trade conflict between the two economic superpowers.
In May, Washington said it would blacklist Huawei from the US market and from buying crucial American components, though it has twice extended the company 90-day reprieves, the latest coming in August.
The United States has expressed concern that Huawei equipment could contain security loopholes ..

Huawei says nine-month revenue up despite US pressure

Hong Kong's embattled leader abandoned a State of the Union-style speech on Wednesday after she was heckled by rowdy opposition lawmakers during chaotic scenes inside the city's legislature.
The speech by chief executive Carrie Lam was billed as an attempt to win hearts and minds after four months of seething pro-democracy protests.
But it instead laid bare the intense polarisation coursing through the semi-autonomous financial hub after weeks of huge and increasingly violent rallies.
Lam, who has historic low approval ratings, tried twice to begin her policy address inside the Legislative Council which had opened for a new session some three months after it was trashed by masked protesters.
But pro-democracy lawmakers, a minority of the pro-Beijing stacked legislature, shouted her down.
One used a projector to broadcast protest slogans behind Lam as she stood on the podium, and later donned a face mask of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Lam instead released a pre-recorded video, the ...

Hong Kong leader abandons policy speech after heckles from lawmakers

At least three people were killed and about 20 children wounded when a Taliban truck bomb detonated near a rural police station and partially destroyed a nearby religious school, Afghan officials said.
The early morning attack happened in Alishing district in eastern Laghman province, said interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.
"Three people including two security forces were killed and 27 were wounded," he added.
According to Asadullah Daulatzai, spokesman for the provincial governor, the bomb exploded outside a police station and severely damaged a nearby madrassa, or religious school.
"The students were wounded by flying glass," he said, adding about 20 students were hurt.
Ezatullah, an injured 10-year-old, said the blast was "huge and loud".
"I was in class with my friends reciting the Koran when we saw a red truck rushing toward us. For a moment everything went dark, and when I woke up I found myself in the hospital," he told AFP.
Six police officers were wounded in the ...

Three killed, dozens children wounded in Taliban truck blast

Police in Spain said Wednesday they arrested 51 people across Catalonia overnight after violent protests over the jailing of nine separatist leaders for their role in a failed 2017 independence bid.
Pro-independence groups staged sit-ins outside Spanish government offices in a number of Catalan cities late Tuesday, with around 40,000 people taking part in Barcelona and 9,000 in the separatist stronghold of Girona, according to police.
The protests descended into clashes with police in many cities.
In Barcelona, police charged hundreds of masked demonstrators who threw projectiles at officers and set garbage bins and cardboard boxes on fire.
When one man tried to put out the flames of a burning rubbish container with a fire extinguisher, masked protesters pushed him away, images broadcast on Spanish television showed.
National and regional police arrested 29 people in the province of Barcelona, 14 in Tarragona province and eight in Lleida, according to Spain's interior ministry.
The ...

Spain police arrest 51 people during Catalan protests

The parents of a British teen killed in a road crash involving an American diplomat's wife met with President Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday to urge that she be returned to Britain to face justice.
Trump met with Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles and dropped a "bombshell" that the woman at the wheel, Anne Sacoolas, was in the building and willing to meet them.
The couple said they refused.
"We made it very clear that, as we've said all along, we will meet with her... and we would still love to meet with her, but it has to be on our terms and on UK soil," Charles told reporters after the meeting, which lasted about 15 minutes.
"She needs to come back and face the justice system," she said.
Harry Dunn, aged 19, died on August 27 in a head-on collision between his motorcycle and a car being driven on the wrong side of the road in Northamptonshire in central England.
Sacoolas was interviewed by police but flew back to the United States after claiming diplomatic immunity.
She has not 

Parents of UK crash victim meet Trump at White House

Italian club Lazio have been hit with a partial stadium closure for their next Europa League home match against Celtic for "racist behaviour" by fans against Rennes, UEFA confirmed on Wednesday.
The Roman side have been ordered to close four sections of the Stadio Olimpico which make up the Curva Nord (North Stand) for the game against the Scottish champions on November 7.
Lazio had been charged after some of their supporters made fascist salutes in the Curva Nord section during the 2-1 home win over French club Rennes on October 3.  Lazio have also been fined 20,000 euros ($22,000) by European football's governing body which has called for football to launch a war on racism.
A suspended sentence of playing one match behind closed doors was also handed down while Lazio must display a banner with the wording #EqualGame, with the UEFA logo on it.
On Tuesday UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said football needed to 'wage war' on racism, after Bulgaria's football union chief resigned ...

Lazio hit with stand closure for Celtic game over 'racist behaviour'

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday said he would discuss a judicial framework for putting jihadists on trial during an upcoming visit to Iraq, as calls grow for an international court to judge the extremists.
"We need to work things out with the Iraqi authorities so that we can find a way to have a judicial mechanism that is able to judge all these fighters, including obviously the French fighters," he told BFM-TV, without specifying when he would go to Baghdad.
Seven European countries -- France, Britain, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark -- have during the last months been discussing setting up an international court in Iraq for putting foreign Islamic State (IS) jihadists on trial.
Officials from all seven countries took part in a technical mission to Baghdad to assess the situation.
In a joint statement they said they had learned from the Iraqi authorities about "the daunting task they are facing in bringing Daesh (IS) to justice and ...

France, Iraq to discuss framework for putting jihadists on trial

British and European negotiators return to intense negotiations on a draft Brexit deal Wednesday after late-night talks brought them closer but failed to confirm an elusive breakthrough.
Reports that Britain has softened its stance on the customs status of Northern Ireland in order to clinch an accord at this week's European summit had raised hopes that a chaotic "no-deal Brexit" can be avoided and driven the pound higher.
But a marathon overnight negotiating session in the EU's Brussels headquarters brought them to the eve of the meeting with still some distance to go to agree the wording of a treaty to govern the terms of Britain's October 31 departure from the bloc.
"The teams worked into the night and continue to make progress. The teams will meet again this morning," a UK official said, describing the talks as "constructive".
He and EU officials said the teams would get back to work at around 9.00am (0700 GMT).
A senior European diplomat told AFP that the negotiators had begun to 

AFP

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