NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 _ Vienna attack: Austria’s leader called Thursday for more legal options to fight extremism and for an overhaul of the country’s domestic intelligence agency in the wake of this week’s deadly attack by an Islamic State sympathizer who authorities knew had tried to buy ammunition in neighboring Slovakia. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a special session of parliament on Thursday that Austria currently doesn’t have all the legal means necessary to monitor and sanction extremists, and that the government couldn’t allow a repeat of the situation that led to the attack Monday night. The gunman fatally shot four people and wounded 20 others with an automatic rifle before being killed by police. 2 _ Terror suspects: The office of Belgium’s federal prosecutor says two underage people suspected of plotting what it called a terror attack have been arrested. Aged 16 and 17, they were arrested on Oct. 31 following raids in the cities of Eupen and La Calamine, located in the province of Liege. The prosecutor’s office said they are suspected of “attempted terrorist assassination and participation in a terrorist organization.” The two minors have been placed in a youth protection center. According to Belgian broadcaster RTBF, the two suspects had recorded a video of allegiance to the Islamic State and are suspected of planning a stabbing attack against police officers. 3 _ Nogozone: Indonesian authorities raised the danger level for the volatile Mount Merapi volcano on the densely populated island of Java on Thursday and ordered a halt to tourism and mining activities. Indonesia’s geological agency raised Merapi’s alert level, which had been at the thirdhighest level since it began erupting last year, to the secondhighest level after sensors picked up increasing activity. Its last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The nation has more than 120 active volcanoes. 4 Vatican probe: The Vatican ordered an investigation into allegations that a nowretired archbishop in Poland was negligent in investigating reports of sex abuse of minors by priests in his Gdansk archdiocese. The Vatican Embassy in predominantly Roman Catholic Poland said the archbishop of Warsaw had been assigned to conduct the probe and that the investigation into Archbishop Slawoj Leszek Glodz has been completed. Pope Francis accepted Glodz’s resignation on his 75th birthday in August, a sign he was taking the allegations against the archbishop seriously. Abuse survivors included Glodz in a report identifying two dozen current and retired Polish bishops accused of protecting predator priests. The report was delivered to Francis on the eve of his 2019 global abuse prevention summit at the Vatican. 5 _ Troubled vote: Tanzania’s populist President John Magufuli took the oath of office for a second fiveyear term amid tight security Thursday after the opposition called for a fresh election, the disbandment of the electoral commission and an “endless peaceful demonstration” over the Oct. 28 vote. Magufuli said he will not pursue another term amid some concerns that the ruling party, which won nearly all parliament seats, might try to extend the presidency’s twoterm limit. The leaders of the two main opposition parties were charged with organizing unlawful assembly and demonstration. The opposition asserts that the election was riddled with irregularities, and the U. S. and others have called the election — and the East African country’s democratic ideals — into question.