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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 31 december 2019

Spain: Socialists pin future government on Catalan's release

By ARITZ PARRA court, which at the time
Associated Press was already hearing the
MADRID (AP) — Two left- case against Junqueras
wing parties striving to form and other Catalans who
Spain's first coalition gov- pushed ahead with an ille-
ernment in decades joined gal declaration of indepen-
forces Monday announc- dence, denied Junqueras
ing plans to hike taxes on permission to get out of jail
the rich and boost social to take his seat.
spending if they take office Junqueras, 50, was eventu-
with the key acquiescence ally convicted of sedition
of a Catalan pro-indepen- and misuse of public funds
dence party. for his role two years ago
But the final go-ahead to in promoting the illegal se-
a potential governing al- cession bid of the prosper-
liance between interim ous northeastern region of
Prime Minister Pedro Sán- Catalonia, which includes
chez' Socialists and the an- the city of Barcelona.
ti-austerity United We Can In its response to the Euro-
(Unidas Podemos) party pean ruling, the Spanish
could depend largely on state attorney's office also
the fate of an imprisoned said Monday that, while
separatist politician — Oriol allowing the Catalan poli-
Junqueras, who served as Spain's caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, right and Podemos party leader Pablo Iglesias tician to become a law-
Catalonia's vice president clasp hands after signing an agreement between the two parties in the Spanish parliament in maker, a request should
until 2017. Madrid, Spain, Monday, Dec. 30, 2019. be made immediately for
In a move that could ease Associated Press the European Parliament
the way for the coali- to drop the separatist poli-
tion, Spain's state attorney the Spanish Congress of against in the parliament's state attorney's move on tician's immunity so he can
called Monday for Jun- Deputies, and their votes lower house. But even Junqueras. serve the 13-year prison
queras, who remains the are crucial for success in with the support of a small The attorney's recommen- term he was given.
head of the Catalan ERC breaking months of po- Basque nationalist party, dation came after the Eu- The Supreme Court is ex-
party, to be released tem- litical deadlock unresolved Sánchez and Iglesias still ropean Union's top court pected to make a decision
porarily so he can be sworn by two consecutive gen- need ERC's abstention from rebuked Spain earlier this in coming days.
in as a member of the Eu- eral elections this year. the vote. month, ruling that Junquer- Other Spanish parties on
ropean Union's legislative Spanish laws allow minority ERC has said it will decide as enjoyed immunity from Monday criticized the two
body. governments to be formed on the matter next week, prosecution when he was potential coalition partners
Junqueras' ERC party con- as long as they receive but is expected to be fa- elected to the bloc's par- for relying on the help of an
trols 13 of the 350 seats in more votes in favor than vorably swayed by the liament in May. Spain's top imprisoned separatist.

Police: no confirmation shots fired after alert in Berlin

Associated Press tered on a cafe a block nesses and examining the
BERLIN (AP) — Police sealed from the famous former whole building, they had
off a junction near Berlin's border crossing between been unable to confirm
Checkpoint Charlie after East and West Berlin, a pop- the reported shots. They
they were alerted that a ular tourist spot. A subway also said there had been
man had fired shots in an station next to the scene no robbery. They said af-
apparent robbery attempt was closed. ter searching the area that
on Monday, but later said Police initially said that a they also had garnered no
that there was no robbery man apparently tried to further leads on a possible
and they found a cartridge rob the cafe and fired shots suspect. But they did find A policeman in protective gear instructs the passers-by to bring
casing from a gun used to before fleeing. the casing from a cartridge themselves to safety during a police operation near the former
fire blank shots. But they later said that, af- that appeared to come Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 30, 2019.
The police operation cen- ter questioning further wit- from a starting pistol.q Associated Press