WORLD

Barcelona, Spain | AFP |  Hundreds of thousands of Catalans rallied on Monday to demand their region’s secession from Spain, in a show of strength three weeks ahead of an independence referendum which has been banned by Madrid. Draped in red, yellow and blue separatist flags — with one banner …

Chicago, United States | AFP | Jury selection began Monday in the trial of one of two US teens accused of stabbing a friend to appease a fictitious internet character, in a case that sparked a TV documentary. Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser — now 15, but 12 years old …

Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | Turkish government warnings to its citizens in Germany to be “cautious” and avoid political gatherings during election season are a “bad joke”, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s most senior aide said Sunday. “Turkey’s travel warning against Germany is a bad joke!”, Peter Altmaier, head of Merkel’s …

Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | Countries that fail to take part in the quota scheme for assigning asylum seekers around the European Union could themselves be denied help in other areas, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday. “If there is no solidarity on migration, neither will there be in …

Lisbon, Portugal | AFP | Portugal has approved its first surrogate mother — a 50-year-old grandmother who will bear a child to allow her daughter to start a family, media reports said on Saturday. The Portuguese Council for Assisted Birth late Friday unanimously approved the request of a 30-year-old woman who …

Gaza City, Palestinian Territories | AFP | The head of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas Ismail Haniya travelled on Saturday to Egypt for his first visit there since his election, the group said. Hamas controls the small Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave and has been seeking to improve relations with neighbouring Egypt …

Beijing, China | AFP | China’s factory price inflation, a key barometer of the industrial sector, accelerated sharply in August, reflecting strong demand and a reduction in excess capacity which has plagued China’s economy. The producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, rose 6.3 percent …

New Delhi, India | AFP | A team of six naval officers are starting a historic and gruelling around-the-world mission on Sunday — the first circumnavigation of the globe by an Indian all-female crew. Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, who is leading the voyage which will begin in the western state of …

Besançon, France | AFP | Tourists visiting a church in the picturesque French town of Chateau-Chalon were surprised to discover that local pranksters had replaced the fonts’ holy water with alcohol, the local tourism office said Friday. A dozen tourists sniffed out the telltale signs of eau-de-vie, a clear fruit brandy, …

Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Friday his government will sell oil and other commodities in currencies other than the dollar, in a bid to weather US-imposed sanctions on the embattled country. “I have decided to start selling oil, gas, gold and all other products that Venezuela …