CATALAN EXILE UNDERCOVER
The ousted leader of Catalonia remained the subject of a European arrest warrant Saturday as questions mounted over how long he would elude the Spanish justice system by staying undercover in Belgium and delaying extradition.
Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and several members of his separatist government fled north to Brussels after Spanish authorities removed the region’s top officials from office a week ago. It is thought that Puigdemont and four others still are in Belgium, but sources close to them would not reveal their whereabouts.
Puigdemont wrote in Dutch on his Twitter account Saturday that he would “cooperate” with Belgian authorities, although his lawyer has said the pro-independence politician would fight a forced return to Spain.
Prosecutors in Belgium’s capital, Brussels, said they were examining the arrest warrants for Puigdemont and four of his associates Saturday and hope to launch extradition proceedings as soon as possible.
Tatler magazine apologizes. LONDON» Britain’s gossipy glossy Tatler magazine has apologized for inappropriate comments about the former Downton Abbey actress Daisy Lewis.the magazine tweeted Saturday that it “apologizes unreservedly” to Lewis and will publish an apology in the next print edition.
Lewis had tweeted that she was “shocked and upset” by the magazine’s characterization, which described Lewis as small but loud, which made her “fun” at a party and in bed.
Fraud wasted millions in Ebola aid.
FREEDOWN, LEONE» Fraud by Red Cross workers and others wasted more than $6 million meant to fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the organization confirmed Saturday.
The revelations follow an internal investigation of how money was handled during the 2014-2016 epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
As much as $2 million disappeared as the result of “likely collusion” between Red Cross staff and employees at a Sierra Leonean bank, the investigation found.
Egyptian TV presenter guilty. CAIRO» Egyptian court has convicted a female TV presenter of inciting immorality for offering on-air advice to women on how to be single mothers, sentencing her to three years in prison.
The imprisonment of presenter Doaa Salah of the privately owned Annahar network was suspended pending her appeal and she remains free. Her bond was set by the court at 10,000 Egyptian pounds (about $570).
Austrian lawmaker gives up seat. A prominent Austrian lawmaker says he’s giving up his seat in parliament amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Peter Pilz, a former Green party parliamentarian who split away to form a new opposition party that won seats an election last month, was accused in comments published Saturday in the Falter newsweekly of groping a young woman at a 2013 conference.