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Catalan separatist leader freed from Italy jail

By
IFP Media Wire
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“Spain never misses the opportunity to be ridiculous. NoSurrender,” Puigdemont tweeted after he left the jail. Mobbed by reporters outside the gates, he said of his less than 24 hours behind bars, “Very good, no problem. The police and prison guards were very professional, very serious people.”

The judge who authorized his release ruled hours earlier that Puigdemont was free to travel without restrictions.

Judge Plinia Clara Azzena told The Associated Press by phone from the courthouse in Sassari that while she found his arrest to be valid, based on the documentation she examined, “we didn’t restrict him in any way. He can travel” if he wants.

Azzena and two other judges will hold an Oct. 4 hearing to rule on extradition.

Earlier, Puigdemont’s Italian lawyer, Agostinangelo Marras, told reporters that when the judge during the brief hearing asked his client whether he wanted to go to Spain, Puigdemont replied “no”.

Puigdemont and a number of his separatist colleagues fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest after holding an independence referendum for Catalonia that the Spanish courts and government said was illegal.

He was taken into custody Thursday night when he arrived at the airport in Alghero, Sardinia. Sardinia has strong Catalan cultural roots and its own independence movement. Alghero, a city on the island’s northwest coast, is hosting the traditional Catalan folklore festival that Puigdemont planned to attend.

“Freedom, freedom,” shouted demonstrators outside the courthouse in Sassari. They held signs in a Sardinian dialect proclaiming, “Democracy, the Sardinian nation supports the Catalan nation”, and held the flags of Sardinia and Catalonia.

Although Puigdemont currently holds a seat in the European Parliament, that legislature stripped him of parliamentary immunity.

Puigdemont’s detention caused political commotion in Spain, where the topic of Catalan independence has for decades been a deeply divisive issue. Separatists demanded his release and scheduled street protests, while right-of-center parties said he should face justice.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said during an official visit to the Canary Islands on Friday that he has “respect for all legal procedures opened in Spain, in Europe and, in this case, in Italy”.

Sánchez, who recently opened direct talks with Catalan regional leaders, added that “dialogue is the only way to bring together Catalans who have distinct opinions and to bring together Catalans with the rest of Spain.”

Just under half of Catalans want to break away from Spain, opinion polls indicate. Most Spaniards don’t want Catalonia to be granted independence.

At the heart of the immediate legal matter was whether the warrant issued by Spain seeking Puigdemont’s arrest is valid. Gonzalo Boye, his lawyer, has insisted the warrant issued in 2019 that provided the basis for Italian authorities to detain him has been suspended.

Boye told Spanish radio station SER, “We have to see whether the arrest warrant is enforceable. That’ll be up to the legal authorities” in Italy.

The Spanish Supreme Court judge handling the case, Pablo Llarena, sent a letter to the European Union’s Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation stating that the arrest warrant is “in force and pending the capture of those accused of rebellion”.

Ultimately, it would be up to the Italian Justice Ministry to approve or deny extradition. Spain’s Supreme Court, which issued the European arrest warrant, made no official comment.

It’s not the first time Spanish courts have tried to detain Puigdemont abroad. After a Belgian court declined to send him back in 2017, the following year he was arrested in Germany but a court there also refused to extradite him.

Nine Catalan separatists later received prison sentences for their role in the 2017 referendum ranging from nine to 13 years. They were pardoned in July, but Puigdemont, who fled, was not.

Puigdemont’s being taken into custody in Italy at Spain’s request triggered anger by some Italian politicians, including Democratic Party lawmaker Romina Mura, who is Sardinian.

“To arrest a representative of the Catalan people who sits in the European Parliament, who is traveling to carry out his functions and on top of that arrest him in Sardinia in a city of Catalan tradition and culture like Alghero, is a relevant political deed, even if carried out as a judicial act,” Mura noted.

Alghero’s historic and cultural ties date with Catalonia date back to the 14th century, when a Catalan-Aragonese force won a naval battle off the Sardinian coast and the force’s commander triumphantly entered the city on Sardinia’s northwest coast.

Some 20% of Alghero’s residents speak a Sardinian dialect derived from the Catalan language and recognized by both the national government of Italy and the island’s regional government.

Source: The AP

Iran FM: Tehran not to tie its economy to nuclear talks

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister thanked the president and the government of South Africa for their messages of congratulation to the president and foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Amirabdollahian described mutual ties between the two countries as very good and reiterated that there is no problem in bilateral relations between Iran and South Africa.

He also touched on the past support the two countries offered to each other at international forums and expressed Tehran’s readiness to hold a joint economic commission between Iran and South Africa.

The foreign minister also said the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran pursues a pragmatic foreign policy. He said Iran will return to the negotiations on the nuclear deal but will not tie its economy to the talks.

He stressed that if the negotiating parties return to the implementation of their obligations, Iran will do the same.

During the meeting, the South African foreign minister also congratulated Amirabdollahian on his appointment as Iran’s foreign minister and underlined her country’s interest in cooperation and expansion of ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Naledi Pandor said the two countries now enjoy very good cooperation in the fields of science and technology. 

She said, during her visit to Iran, she witnessed the country’s visible progress in different domains, especially in the fields of science and technology. 

The top diplomat also touched on the mining and tourism sectors as other areas where the two countries can expand their cooperation. 

Naledi Pandor also noted that she deeply wishes for the nuclear negotiations to bear result, adding that her country wants anti-Iran sanctions to be removed.

She concluded by saying that South African seeks greater bilateral cooperation and cooperation in international bodies with Iran as well as contact between the peoples of the two countries.

Indonesia FM thanks Iran for exporting pharmaceutical items

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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During the meeting, the Indonesian foreign minister said Jakarta attaches importance to maintaining and improving relations with Tehran and expressed readiness to hold a joint commission between the two countries.

Marsudi thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for exporting pharmaceutical items to Indonesia and announced her country’s readiness to expand trade relations with Iran, including in the field of palm oil exports.

The Indonesian foreign minister also stressed the need to follow up on agreements previously reached between the two countries.

Amirabdollahian, for his part, referred to the seven-decade history of diplomatic relations between Iran and Indonesia, and clarified that the expansion of relations with Asia is one of the main priorities of the new administration in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that among Asian countries, Indonesia is one of the high priority countries in Iran’s foreign policy.

He also thanked and praised Indonesia for its stances and support for Iran in international organizations.

The Iranian foreign minister mentioned the talks previously held on expanding cooperation in various fields, including health, industry, agriculture and technology. He stressed that Iran is ready to hold a joint commission at the earliest opportunity and also to finalize the preferential trade agreement.

He also noted that it is necessary for the two sides to focus on activating areas such as tourism and public exchanges.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan.

Iran Pres. Sends Condolence Message on Demise of Brave Teen Burnt to Death

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a message, Ebrahim Raeisi said Ali Landi will always be remembered as a national hero.

“The passing of my dear son, Ali Landi, this brave young boy from [the Iranian town of] Izeh, caused pain and sorrow,” said Raeisi.

“The name of this dear teenager, who bravely ventured into the fire to save two humans, will be registered among the heroes of this land,” he added.

“I express condolences on the sorrowful death of our dear child and I ask God Almighty to bestow patience and consolation upon his survivors,” he noted.

Landi was rushed to hospital due to severe burns after he saved two people from a fire, but passed away due to the severity of his injuries.

Polls show Biden facing dropping approval rating

By
IFP Media Wire
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Forty-four percent of American adults approve of Biden’s handling of his job while 53 percent disapprove, according to the poll, a sharp decline in his poll numbers since July.

Two months ago, Pew found that 55 percent approved of Biden’s handling of his job as president and 43 percent disapproved. Biden has seen his approval rating among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents drop 13 percentage points since then, declining from 88 percent to 75 percent. His support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents has declined from 17 percent to 9 percent.

Overall, confidence in elected officials of both parties is declining, according to the Pew poll.

Pew finds that, since April, public confidence in GOP congressional leaders has declined by 5 percentage points while confidence in Democratic congressional leaders has declined 11 percentage.

Biden has entered a difficult stretch of his presidency as his White House has grappled with a resurgence of coronavirus infections among the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated and a chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The White House is also trying to unite Democrats behind passing Biden’s economic agenda in totality, which has proven increasingly difficult as moderates and progressives have sparred over the substance, size and timing of the packages.

The poll does have some good news for Biden — it finds his economic proposals to be largely popular among the public, consistent with past polling. According to Pew, 51 percent of respondents said they support the Senate-passed $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, while only 20 percent oppose; the remaining 29 percent are unsure.

Meanwhile, 49 percent favor the $3.5 trillion budget package, while only 25 percent oppose and the remaining 25 percent are unsure.

And despite Republican complaints of Biden’s tax proposals, 66 percent of respondents to the poll said they support raising taxes on large businesses and corporations and 61 percent support raising taxes on households making above $400,000.

On specific issues, Biden has seen confidence in his handling of the coronavirus decline from 65 percent in March to 51 percent — still a majority — in the most recent poll. Forty-eight percent are somewhat or very confident he will make good decisions on economic policy, whereas 51 percent not at all or not too confident.

Forty-five percent are somewhat or very confident he will make good decisions on foreign policy, while 54 percent are less confident. And only 34 percent are somewhat or very confident Biden will bring the country closer together — one of his main campaign pledges — while 66 percent are less confident.

The Pew survey comes on the heels of Biden hitting an in-office low 43 percent approval rating in a Gallup poll out earlier this week.

Source: The Hill

Norway calls for the revival of JCPOA

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The Norwegian foreign minister reiterated that Iran will maintain its special place in her country’s foreign policy despite the changes that are going to happen in Norway’s government in a few weeks. 

Eriksen Søreide referred to the situation in Afghanistan and called for more disciplined talks on the issue. She said the developments in Afghanistan have far-reaching implications for the region and the world. 

The Norwegian foreign minister also spoke of the Iran nuclear deal and said that the agreement is highly important in international politics. She also expressed hope the nuclear deal will be revived. 

Amirabdollahian also said Iran is interested in holding a joint political commission with Norway at the level of deputy foreign ministers for political affairs. He also invited the Norwegian foreign minister to visit Iran.

Amirabdollahian also referred to the high potential for expanding relations with Norway, saying Iran’s new government’s priority is to deepen economic relations with other countries and that this administration is ready for expanding ties. 

The Iranian foreign minister said there is much room for serious cooperation between Iran and Norway. He stressed that the situation in Afghanistan can only be resolved through genuine dialog among Afghan factions and through the formation of an inclusive government. Amirabdollahian warned that if all groups do not help with the process, serious challenges could arise in future. The Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic of Iran has done its utmost to give assistance to the Afghans. He said Iran is ready for cooperation with Norway for the purpose.

Armenian calls for Tehran-Yerevan cooperation in oil and gas

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The Armenian foreign minister congratulated Amirabdollahian on his appointment as Iran’s top diplomat. He also described Iran-Armenia talks as “good and expanding”. 

Mirzoyan underlined the need for holding an Iran-Armenia joint commission as soon as possible. He also called for the two countries to start their cooperation in the oil and energy sector. 

Amirabdollahian also underscored the transit capacity between Iran and Armenia and described cooperation in the energy sector as an important component in economic relations. The Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic is ready to host Armenia’s energy minister for a review of the related possibilities of the two countries.

Iran ready to cooperate with Singapore in security, counter-terrorism, narcotics

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The top Iranian diplomat touched on the growing political and parliamentary relations between the two countries, and mentioned the challenges in the economic relations between the two sides and called for these challenges to be addressed.

He also referred to the agreement to support joint ventures between the two countries, stating that it is necessary to form a trade and commerce working group between Iran and Singapore.

The agreement to avoid double taxation, which is currently ready to be signed by the two sides, was another issue mentioned by the Iranian foreign minister in this meeting.

Amirabdollahian also stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes Singapore’s investment in the oil and petrochemical industry, as well as the development of ports and tourism, and announced Iran’s readiness to cooperate in the fields of security, counter-terrorism, narcotics, organized crime and cyber security.

He said Iran is ready to cooperate with ASEAN and welcomes a joint commission between Iran and Singapore.

During the meeting, the Singaporean foreign minister described as stable, respectful and excellent the ties between the two sides.

Balakrishnan referred to the Singaporean president’s visit to Tehran, stressing that his country is ready to develop cooperation with Iran and said there is vast potential for expanding bilateral relations.

It should be noted that the two sides also discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan and Yemen.

Erdogan: Turkey-US ties not ‘healthy’

By
IFP Media Wire
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“I cannot say that a healthy process is running in Turkish-American ties … We bought F-35s, we paid $1.4 billion and these F-35s were not given to us. The United States needs to first sort this out,” Erdogan told reported on Thursday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

The two countries should work together as friends but “the current direction does not bode well”, Erdogan said, adding he and Biden had not “started off right”.

“I’ve worked well with [George] Bush junior, I’ve worked well with Mr [Barack] Obama, I’ve worked well with Mr [Donald] Trump, but I can’t say we started well with Mr Biden,” Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said that “Biden has started to supply terror groups [PKK/YPG] with weapons, vehicles, and equipment”, adding, “US hasn’t acted honestly and isn’t acting honestly.”

Erdogan stressed that Ankara would meet its defence needs from elsewhere if Washington did not help.

Turkey has no intention to reverse its decision on the purchase and use of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, Erdogan stated.

He noted that “for us, the work with S-400s has been completed and we will not backtrack. The United States should understand this”.

Ankara’s decision to purchase the Russian-made system infuriated the United States and NATO. So far, Washington has not abandoned its efforts to make Turkey give up the Russian air defense system. Turkey has not caved to US pressure and said that it would keep the S-400 system. Washington has responded by excluding Ankara from the US program of developing the fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bomber.

Sources: TRT, Haberturk, Sabah

US House approves $1bn for Israel’s Iron Dome

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The House passed legislation on Thursday to provide $1 billion to support Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system after Democrats stripped the funding from a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown due to progressive objections earlier this week.

The standalone bill to ensure the Iron Dome funding passed handily on a bipartisan basis, 420-9, with two Democrats voting “present”. Eight liberal Democrats and one Republican voted in opposition.

House Democrats passed a bill on Tuesday that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3, but Republicans universally opposed it because it included a provision to suspend the debt limit into next year.

Because of the widespread GOP opposition on Tuesday, House Democrats couldn’t afford more than three defections and still pass the bill on their own. Democratic leaders therefore opted to remove the Iron Dome funding from the government spending bill to accommodate progressives’ concerns and instead consider it on a standalone basis.

The debate over the Iron Dome funding once again laid bare the internal Democratic divisions over Israel, which have repeatedly flared since they took over the House majority two years ago.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) spoke with the Israeli foreign minister on Tuesday and assured him that lawmakers would address the Iron Dome funding, despite its removal from the bill to prevent a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Funding for the Iron Dome, which is designed to help Israel defend itself from rocket attacks launched by Hamas in Gaza, has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee sought to stress that the funding is purely for defensive purposes and cannot be used by Israel for procurement of offensive weapons.

“As we continue to stand up for a two-state solution that achieves peace, security and hope and opportunity for both Israelis and Palestinians, we vigorously, strongly, unshakably stand for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism,” Hoyer said.

But moments before Hoyer took to the podium on the House floor, tensions flashed as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the lone Palestinian American member of Congress, spoke out against the Iron Dome funding.

“We cannot be talking only about Israelis’ need for safety at a time when Palestinians are living under a violent apartheid system,” Tlaib stated, calling the Israeli government “an apartheid regime.”
“We should also be talking about Palestinian need for security from Israeli attacks,” she added.
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, subsequently abandoned his prepared remarks and angrily blasted Tlaib for having “besmirched our ally”.
“I cannot, I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and label the Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state. I reject it,” Deutch noted.

Deutch argued that describing the Israeli government in such terms is “consistent with those who advocate for the dismantling of the one Jewish state in the world. And when there is no place on the map for one Jewish state, that’s anti-Semitism”.

The Senate is expected to consider the standalone Iron Dome funding bill at a later time.

But the bill that the House passed on Tuesday to keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3 and suspend the debt limit before an October deadline is set to fail amid widespread GOP opposition in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is insisting that Republicans won’t help Democrats prevent a disastrous default on the nation’s debt obligations, as the GOP protests Democrats’ plans to enact a $3.5 trillion spending plan to expand social safety net programs.

Democrats argue that they acted to suspend the debt limit multiple times during the Trump presidency and that the accumulated debt is also a result of spending from those years.

“From the start, they’ve planned to use a party-line fast-track process to ram this through the Senate on their own,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday, referring to the budget reconciliation process Democrats are using for their spending plan to circumvent a GOP filibuster.

“That’s why Republicans will not help this unified Democratic government with its basic duty to raise the debt ceiling,” he added.

Source: The Hill

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