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WORLD NEWSFriday 5 January 2018

UK’s Tony Blair argues voters deserve another say on Brexit

By GREGORY KATZ ain’s departure from the ister Theresa May and her deadline. back Brexit by a four-point
Associated Press European Union are clear. Conservative Party allies. Blair and other opponents margin.
LONDON (AP) — Former Blair said Thursday that the May’s government is nego- argue that voters should be Blair, the only Labour lead-
British Prime Minister Tony Labour Party he led for 13 tiating exit plans and the able to review these terms er to win three consecutive
Blair is pressing his long-held years should be actively outlines of a new trade re- and decide whether to general elections, said La-
view that voters should be challenging Brexit rather lationship with the EU with go ahead rather than be bour leader Jeremy Cor-
given a chance to re-think than going along with an eye toward departing bound by the 2016 refer- byn’s pro-Brexit strategy is
Brexit once plans for Brit- plans laid out by Prime Min- the bloc by a March 2019 endum, which saw Britons misguided.q

Spanish court reviews custody of ex-Catalan vice president

The sacked Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras arrives at the National Court for questioning jailing because of the risk of al government and called
by a National Court judge investigating possible rebellion charges, in Madrid, Spain. A Spanish further crimes being com- early regional elections.
court on Thursday Jan. 4, 2018 is reviewing an appeal by Junqueras against his imprisonment mitted. Pro-secession parties, in-
as he awaits formal charges over possible rebellion, sedition and embezzlement in the restive Vox’s lawyer and secre- cluding a ticket led by the
region’s recent drive for independence from Spain. tary general Javier Ortega fugitive ousted president
said the separatist politi- Carles Puigdemont and
(AP Photo/Paul White) cians had staged a “coup Junqueras’ ERC, won most
d’etat.” seats in the election.
CIARAN GILES voted for him, to be with his lowing a Dec. 21 regional “Proof is overwhelming, But it remains to be seen if
ARITZ PARRA family, and to let him man- election, and possibly be- and we hope time will suf- they can form government
Associated Press age this situation which de- come the new leader of fice to produce a convic- with some of their elected
MADRID (AP) — Former Cat- mands political maturity, Catalonia. tion against all involved,” lawmakers and their presi-
alan Vice President Oriol which is the way of dia- Junqueras faces poten- he said. dential hopefuls either
Junqueras vowed Thursday logue, the way of bilateral tial rebellion, sedition and Junqueras, the head of the seeking refuge abroad or
to abide by Spanish laws as negotiations,” Junqueras’ embezzlement charges for left-republican ERC party, in jail.
he sought bail following his lawyer Andreu Van den pushing ahead with the ille- has already had two court The new Catalan parlia-
jailing during the restive re- Eynde said. gal independence bid for appeals rejected. ment convenes on Jan.
gion’s recent drive for inde- “I believe the tribunal will the wealthy northeastern With a population of 7.5 mil- 17, and the first attempt to
pendence from Spain. be sensitive to his situation.” region that flared during lion, Catalonia generates elect a government is ex-
At the conclusion of his The three Supreme Court the fall. The crimes can be a fifth of Spain’s 1.1 trillion- pected to be held by the
hearing into his jailing, judges are expected to punished with up to three euro ($1.3 trillion) econo- end of the month.
Junqueras told a panel of publicly pronounce their decades behind bars un- my. A series of opinion polls The secession parties hope
judges in Madrid that he ruling as soon as Friday over der Spanish law. have shown that a majority to vote Puigdemont in as
would not act unilaterally whether to keep Junqueras Both the public prosecu- of Catalans want the right president but the former
over the Catalan issue if he in custody or grant bail. Re- tor and lawyers represent- to decide the region’s fu- leader risks being arrested
is released. lease would ease Junquer- ing Vox, a small right-wing ture in a binding and legal and jailed if he returns to
“He asked to be freed, to as’ way to take his oath as Spanish party, said the referendum but that they Spain from Brussels, where
represent the people who a Catalan lawmaker fol- court should uphold the are evenly divided over he fled with four other
the merits of splitting from members of his former cab-
Spain. inet.
The current tumult in Cata- Alternatively, Junqueras
lonia peaked Oct. 1 when could be the separatists’
the then Catalan gov- candidate but he would
ernment ran an indepen- need to be present for an
dence referendum that investiture vote in the par-
was deemed illegal in terms liament in Barcelona, and
of the Spanish constitution. would also need the votes
Backers of independence of those in self-imposed ex-
claimed to have won the ile or in jail.
referendum even though Junqueras’ lawyer has
pro-Spain parties boycot- said that if the court did
ted the vote. not agree to his release,
In response to the Catalan he would seek to have
government’s subsequent him transferred to a prison
declaration of indepen- in Catalonia, a base from
dence, Spanish Prime Min- where he might be better
ister Mariano Rajoy took able to attend parliament
direct control of the region, whether as a lawmaker or
sacked the defiant region- president.q

Snow slide kills farmer, third storm-linked death in France

BERLIN (AP) — A 50-year- Heavy rainfall in recent In another somber discov- firefighter who managed to an who died in the eastern
old farmer was found dead days has led to flooding ery, the body of a 93-year- save a family of three that Isere region succumbed to
Thursday under a snow in many parts of Germany old woman was found in was stranded atop their a heart attack or drowned.
slide in the Savoie region and France, which also southeastern France after car in a torrential river in A skier was also killed
of the French Alps, the third faces the risk of avalanch- her house flooded by a riv- eastern France before be- Wednesday in the French
death in France since win- es in the Alps. More rain is er. And a search team that ing swept away himself. It Alps by a falling tree at the
ter storms began battering forecast for Friday in both included helicopters and was not immediately clear Morillon resort, which was
northern Europe this week. countries. dogs was trying to locate a whether the elderly wom- closed Thursday q.