1A. Watch for news out of the following Websites and choose 3 of them: 

1. http://www.bbc.com/weather/
2. https://colombiareports.com/
3. http://www.bbc.com/news

1B. Write the selected News in the forum for your classmate to look and comment.

From http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41699425

Choe Son-hui said the US should "be prepared to co-exist with" a nuclear North Korea.

She said it was "the only way to secure lasting peace on the Korean peninsula".

CIA director Mike Pompeo earlier warned that North Korea would probably be able to hit the US with a nuclear missile within months. North Korea claims it already has the capability.

Mr Pompeo stressed that Washington still preferred diplomacy and sanctions but said force remained an option for the US.

Speaking at a non-proliferation conference in Moscow, Ms Choe repeated phrasing used before by North Korean officials that nuclear weapons are "a matter of life and death" for the country.

Earlier this year, she was reported as saying that the country's government would be open for talks with the US, if conditions were right.

But on Friday Ms Choe said North Korea would consider the implementation of "so-called UN sanctions resolutions" an act of aggression and war.

Since North Korea stepped up its missile testing earlier this year, sanctions against its economy have intensified.

The Australian government said on Friday that it had received a letter from North Korea, seemingly also sent to other countries, urging it to distance itself from the US.

On Thursday, Mr Pompeo warned that Pyongyang's missile expertise was now advancing so quickly that it was hard for US intelligence to be sure when it would succeed, but said it would happen soon.

"When you're now talking about months our capacity to understand that at a detailed level is in some sense irrelevant," he said.

 

From https://colombiareports.com/talks-end-avianca-pilot-strike-colombia-collapse/

written by Reuters September 27, 2017

Talks to end a strike by the largest pilots’ union at Colombia’s flagship airline Avianca were suspended after failure to reach agreement on wages and benefits, the two sides said on Wednesday, extending an indefinite walkout that has left travelers grounded.

The Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC), which represents more than 700 of the 1,300 Avianca pilots working in the country, began the strike on Sept. 20 when talks mediated by the Labor Ministry ended without a deal.

 

 

Avianca said the ACDAC did not accept the company’s proposal, which included a wage increase of 12.75 percent, and the union said the airline then withdrew the offer without allowing it to consult with affiliates.

“Widespread demands, including a 60 percent increase in wages and a number of benefits that exceed the limits of the company, would cost more than $274 million annually, are inadmissible and puts at high risk the (company‘s) sustainability and competitiveness,” Avianca president Hernan Rincon said in a statement.

A statement from the ACDAC said several of the agreements reached during mediation with the Labor Ministry were changed and that Avianca “in an attitude of pride decided to leave the table and withdraw the proposal.”

Avianca, which has suspended ticket sales, has asked Colombian courts to declare the strike illegal on the grounds that transport is an essential public service and that the walkout was approved by only a part of the ACDAC affiliated pilots and without the support of all the airline’s employees.

If it is declared illegal, the pilots can be fired.

Avianca, a member of the Star Alliance and one of the leading airlines in Latin America, carried 29.5 million passengers in 2016. It has more than 21,000 employees and serves 105 destinations in 28 countries in America and Europe.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by Bill Trott)

 

From http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41694290

 

 

The annual Orionid meteor shower will see around 20 meteors passing through the sky every hour.

The shower is visible throughout the month, but experts say the peak time to view it in the UK will be early on Sunday, between midnight and 03:00 BST.

Astronomer Tom Kerss said the Orionid meteors are known for their "speed and brilliance".

Halley's Comet is the only comet regularly visible from Earth by the naked eye and it comes into view once every 75 years.

The last time it appeared was in 1986, with the next viewing expected in 2061.                              

When Halley's Comet passes through the solar system, particles of debris break away from it.

These hurtle towards Earth at the speed of 148,000mph, and we see them as shooting stars.

Mr Kerss, who is based at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, recommended secluded spots with the darkest skies for the best view, but he said not to worry about bringing any equipment.

"There's no advantage to using binoculars or a telescope," he said. "Your eyes are the best tool available for spotting meteors."

"So, relax and gaze up at the sky, and eventually your patience will be rewarded."
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tLOgvnmqqI

October 11, 2017

From: https://colombiareports.com/went-wrong-colombias-new-drug-policy/

When Colombia’s government and FARC guerrillas negotiated a deal to end the hemisphere’s longest armed conflict, they also took an unprecedented step toward a more productive and reasonable drug policy.

They argued that building peace in the world’s greatest cocaine producing country would require a “new” and “permanent solution” to the drug problem–not the hard-hitting, Narcos-style method of taking down cartel “Capos” ad infinitum, but a more sustainable and human rights-based approach that hits at the core of drug production: the farmers.

Large swaths of Colombia’s rural territories are covered in coca, the base ingredient of cocaine. The plant itself is harmless, and many use it to make herbal teas or as a natural energy supplement. But when mixed with gasoline, cement, and a host of other chemicals, coca becomes white-colored gold.

In spite of its value, the majority of Colombian farmers who grow the base ingredient for cocaine are poor. Many belong to ethnic minorities inhabiting portions of the country that have never seen a government presence. They lack basic infrastructure like roads, schools, hospitals, and plumbing.

Rather than planting a legal crop like cacao or coffee, and then struggling to take it to market without the infrastructure to do so, many farmers in remote regions have chosen to plant coca instead. It’s a durable crop that grows in a variety of environments, and drug traffickers will pay a nice sum to come pick it up and whisk it away.

As part of the US-backed “War on Drugs,” Colombian authorities used to directly target and sanction poor coca farmers. They jailed those growing coca, and they initiated a public health crisis using airplanes to spray a likely carcinogenic herbicide over thousands of acres of farmland.

Since initiating a peace process with the FARC rebel group, Colombia has tried to back away from the repressive “War on Drugs” approach that punished poor coca farmers.

Recently the government launched a national crop substitution program, for example, offering small coca farmers up to $12,000 over a two-year period as well as technical support, improved protection from drug traffickers, and investment in their communities in exchange for voluntarily tearing up their coca plants. Any farmers that don’t participate in the program may have their crops removed by force.

The idea is that farmers with infrastructure, security, and an added cash incentive will be able to transition away from coca toward other, legal crops. On paper, the program is highly laudable. It recognizes farmers’ plights, invests in their communities, and features a reasonable two-year timeline to seek positive results.

Just as Colombia launched the substitution system, pledging to have 50,000 hectares of coca voluntarily removed by the end of the year, the government–under pressure from the US and the UN–also promised to eradicate an additional 50,000 hectares of coca by force, without farmers’ consent.

Since then, there have been at least twenty-two violent clashes–multiple in every coca-rich region of Colombia–between police and farmers. In the majority of instances, coca growers participating in the substitution program, or those who have expressed an interest in doing so, are combatting police officers who ignore substitution agreements and continue to pull up their coca.

The violent clashes have resulted in multiple deaths, countless injuries, and thousands of coca farmers losing trust in their government to honor the substitution agreements.

What was supposed to be a sustainable human-rights based approach is now another War on Drugs painted in a different light.

When the government announced its new approach to eliminating coca cultivations in Colombia, it was clear that coca farmers would benefit from the program.

Now, coca farmers find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place, at odds with police who want to eradicate their crops and violent armed groups who want them to keep planting.

In an incident that reflects farmers’ situations across the country, anti-narcotics police last week killed at least six farmers during a coca protest in Tumaco, Nariño.

The event follows countless others around the country in which members of the anti-narcotics police, anti-riot police, and the military have acted violently toward farmers while disregarding agreements made within the national crop substitution program.

At the same time, credible sources reported that illegal armed groups in the region threatened and pressured farmers in Tumaco to attend the protest that turned deadly.

That also reflects the situation across the country, as farmers and community leaders face consistent threats from armed groups not to participate in the national crop substitution program.

Meanwhile, the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos, originally lauded for its new approach to tackling coca, is getting terrible PR.

Members of the domestic and international community have repeatedly criticized the government for its poor rollout of the crop substitution program and for the faulty coordination between the program and the police, as well as the latter’s use of excessive force.

At its current rate the government is also unlikely to meet its promise to remove 100,000 hectares of coca by the end of the year. As Colombia Reports stated last month, only about 7,500 families are actively engaged in the crop substitution program, which amounts to approximately 6,500 hectares of the 50,000 goal. And the recent violence by anti-narcotics police is not going to inspire more farmers to join the program.

The only clear winner in Colombia’s new, faulty drug paradigm is the United States.

In an August Senate hearing on Colombia, Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield emphasized the importance of “overcoming the persistent social protests” by Colombian coca farmers — not because the protests represent a failure of the government to provide farmers with a viable alternative — but because they “disrupt forced eradication operations.”

These kinds of statements, which go directly against the spirit of the peace accord with the FARC, reflect the US position on coca cultivation in Colombia. The US has long disregarded the plight of poor coca farmers, instead promoting drug policies that, on the contemporary global scale, are considered old fashioned, counterproductive, and at worse, abusive.

Nonetheless, the US has continued to successfully push its anti-supply chain agenda on Colombia, managing to hold foreign aid funding over the country’s head unless the government engages in stricter, more repressive policies like forced eradication.

Colombia’s “new solution” to the drug problem, outlined in Point Four of the Final Peace Agreement with the FARC, has the potential to be a great success.

Given the proper amount of time, resources, and adherence to the language of the agreement, the national crop substitution program can help farmers overcome their reliance on coca, improve the security situation in rural regions, and promote prosperity across the country.

But that means the government needs to get serious about supporting farmers. It needs to protect them from illegal armed groups rather than focusing the security resources on the unpopular and violent coca eradication squads.

It also means the government needs to stand up for the merits of its new solution rather than submitting to the pressure of foreign states to meet unrealistic coca eradication goals.

“The persistence of illegal cultivations,” as the Final Peace Agreement says, “is linked to conditions of poverty, marginality, and a weak state presence.”

When the Colombian state improves those conditions in a peaceful, sustainable, and patient manner, coca cultivations will disappear and small-time farmers will prosper.

2. Home news:

October 5, 2017

From: https://colombiareports.com/two-late-paraguay-goals-stun-colombia-blow-world-cup-qualification-wide-open/

 

Two goals at the death saw Paraguay register a shock 2-1 win over Colombia in the penultimate game of World Cup qualifying in Barranquilla on Thursday.

A Radamel Falcao goal in the 79th minute looked to have secured automatic qualification to Russia 2018 for Jose Pekerman’s side but a late late show from Paraguay quenched the premature celebrations.

Goals from Oscar Cardozo and substitute Arnaldo Sanabria in the closing stages cancelled out Falcao’s opener to secure victory for the Paraguayans in the most dramatic fashion leaving Colombia with a must-win final game against Peru in Lima on Tuesday.

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman named the same starting XI that drew 1-1 with group leaders Brazil in the previous round for the decisive clash in the Metropolitano Roberto Melendez stadium.

It was the visitors Paraguay who made the more aggressive start reflecting their desperate need to secure all three points to keep their World Cup dream alive, imposing themselves physically throughout the field from the kick-off.

As Colombia failed to gain a foothold in the opening stages of the game, Paraguay went close to taking the lead in the 19th minute when striker Derlis Gonzalez hit the post from a Miguel Samudio cross.

In a tempestuous opening half hour, Colombia eventually responded in the 30th minute when Juventus star Juan Cuadrado broke down the right wing to square for Edwin Cardona. The Boca Juniors attacker composed himself in the box before seeing his close-range shot saved by Paraguay ‘keeper Antony Silva.

Cardona turned provider a minute later flashing a dangerous cross in from the left but Davinson Sanchez failed to secure sufficient contact to turn the ball into the Paraguay net.
 The magnitude of the tie was evident in the basic errors made by both sides in a tense first half that yielded four yellow cards and failed to produce any real fluidity.

Colombia made a much brighter start to the second half and began an immediate onslaught on the Paraguay goal.

The home side almost went ahead in the first minute of the half as the industrious Cuadrado cut inside from the right and unleashed a thunderous left foot strike, only to be denied by a fantastic save from Silva in the Paraguay goal.

The Cerro Porteño stopper came to the rescue again a minute later when he kept out a powerful header from Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, following a James Rodriguez cross.
 “La Albirroja” rallied thereafter as Colombia became slightly unbalanced following the introduction of Teofilo Gutierrez for Juan Cuadrado as Angel Romero tested David Ospina in the 67th minute.

The introduction of Junior Barranquilla’s Yimmi Chara who replaced Edwin Cardona in the 75th minute saw the game spark into life.

The diminutive attacker had an immediate impact putting Falcao through on goal in the 79th minute. The Monaco ace lifted the ball over the advancing Silva to put Colombia almost within touching distance of qualification as the home crowd went wild.

As Pekerman’s side sought to see the result out, a mistake by goalkeeper David Ospina gifted Paraguay a lifeline in the 89th minute when substitute Cardozo slotted home following some confusion in the Colombian box.

Incredibly, as a subsequent Colombian attack broke down, with the last few minutes of play resembling the chaos of a 5-a-side, Paraguay struck on the counter attack with Real Betis striker Sanabria firing to the net to silence the home faithful.

The loss now means that Colombia slip down to fourth place in the CONMEBOL South American section of qualifying following Chile’s 2-1 win over Ecuador.

Just two points separate Colombia (26 points) in third from Paraguay in seventh with one game left to play.

With Brazil already qualified, three more automatic places remain up for grabs with the fifth place team facing an additional play off against New Zealand to secure passage to world football’s most prestigious competition.

3. Home news.

 

October 10, 2017

From: https://colombiareports.com/draw-enough-peru-seal-colombias-passage-world-cup-2018-russia/

 

Colombia’s national soccer team on Tuesday qualified for next year’s World Cup in Russia with a hard fought 1-1 draw against Peru in the final round of matches in the CONMEBOL South American campaign.

In a dramatic night of action across the continent, Colombia joined Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina in qualifying directly to world soccer’s most prestigious showpiece.

A second half goal from Bayern Munich’s James Rodriguez was cancelled out by the conversion of a free kick by veteran Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero, the draw meaning that Peru will now go forward to play New Zealand in an inter-confederation play-off in November.

The absence of Cristian Zapata saw Mexico-based central defender Oscar Murillo promoted to Colombia’s starting XI while Sampdoria’s Duvan Zapata replaced  Edwin Cardona in attack.

The opening exchanges at the Estadio Nacional de Lima reflected the magnitude of the occasion with both sides battling frantically to gain a foothold in the game.

Peru eventually managed to secure dominance over possession but a compact Colombian side worked hard to prevent the possession resulting in any clear-cut opportunities.

Meanwhile, Colombia sought to use winger Juan Cuadrado as an outlet on the right as well as the powerful Duvan Zapata up front to pose problems for the Peruvians on the counter attack.

A 12th minute James Rodriguez shot and a 21st minute header from Peru’s Guerrero made up the sum of the significant attempts on goal by both sides in a first half bereft of fluidity and invention.

The second half continued in similar fashion until a long direct ball from Colombian goalkeeper David Opsina was flicked on by Duvan Zapata into the Peru box in the 55th minute.

Radamel Falcao battled eagerly to touch the ball onto the advancing James who slotted past Pedro Gallese in the Peruvian goal to give “La Tricolor” the lead.

Pekerman’s side experienced a period of dominance after the goal with James testing Gallese again in the 61st minute and Cuadrado going close in the 67th minute from a free kick.

Pekerman introduced midfielder Wilmar Barrios in the 71st minute for striker Zapata as Colombia sought to close out the result but this allowed Peru to get back into the game.

While Colombia continued to be compact in defense, the concession of a free kick on the edge of the box in the 75th minute proved to be decisive.

Despite the referee indicating that the free was indirect, a powerful strike from Flamengo’s Guerrero took a touch from Ospina en route to the Colombian net giving the the Peruvians a life line in their quest to secure fifth place in the group.

With news of other results filtering into the stadium, the closing stages played out in tentative fashion with both sides almost assured of their fates.

In a bizarre final two minutes, Peru stroked the ball around the middle of the field unopposed by the Colombians as the two sides apparently settled for the draw.

Colombia's coach Pekerman, who shipped a lot of criticism after the team’s failure to secure a World Cup berth last week after squandering a lead against Paraguay will breath a sigh of relief after leading the team to back-to-back World Cups.

Record goalscorer and captain Falcao, who cruelly missed the 2014 World Cup through injury could not hide his emotion post match.

“The truth is that I want to thank God. I missed the World Cup in Brazil. Then I spent two horrible years, but now I can reach Russia,” said “El Tigre” to reporters.

With the play-offs and the final round of games in the African qualifiers scheduled for November, the Monaco star will have to wait until December 1st for the draw for the group stages of the World Cup in Russia 2018.

 Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81hIC8Nj7ZE&feature=youtu.be

The Telegraph•October 18, 2017

The pilots of an Air Berlin flight that performed a fly-past during the insolvent carrier's last long-haul flight to its hub in Düsseldorf have been suspended, the airline said on Wednesday.

When coming into land from Miami on Monday morning, the A330 jet flew low across the runway, then pulled up and banked sharply to the left before landing on its second approach.

Pilots are trained in such "go-around" procedures for aborted landings, but the manoeuvre was unusual and the German aviation authorities are investigating.

"In aviation, safety always comes first. We are taking the incident very seriously," an Air Berlin spokesman said.

The Air Berlin pilot had requested permission from the tower to make a left turn should a go-around be necessary.

"We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye," the Air Berlin pilot was quoted as saying by German broadcaster ZDF. His identity was not given.

Another pilot for a different carrier told Reuters that a go-around should be performed only for operational or safety reasons. "Electing to do one if it is known not to be required adds an unnecessary risk," he said.

Several videos of the incident can be viewed online. In one, control tower staff can be heard exclaiming as the plane flies past, with one person saying: "We are all in awe."

The Air Berlin spokesman said the videos raised questions that had to be answered as part of the investigation.

Air Berlin filed for insolvency on August 15 and Lufthansa has signed a deal to buy large parts of its operations.

The airline will fly its final short-haul flights under the Air Berlin brand at the end of this month.

From: https://www.yahoo.com/news/air-berlin-pilots-suspended-saying-234601670.html
2. Home News: http://www.theguardian.com/world/colombia

Venezuela’s beleaguered government appeared prepared to go ahead with a vote on Sunday that critics at home and abroad have warned will seal the demise of the oil-rich nation’s democracy.

At least five people were killed last week after the opposition stepped up its protests against the controversial vote that will elect a 545-member constituent assembly with the power to rewrite the constitution and dissolve state institutions.

A government ban on public demonstrations in the run-up to the election reduced turnouts for nationwide protests called by the opposition, but sporadic looting and clashes between protesters manning barricades of tree branches and barbed wire were reported in several cities on Friday night.

Despite the continuing threat of repression, the opposition coalition, known as MUD, called for mass demonstrations in Caracas on Sunday while voting takes place.

“Tomorrow we rebel,” tweeted Freddy Guevara, vice-president of the opposition-held national legislature, whose power to legislate was hamstrung by a supreme court decision in April, prompting the protests.

At least 113 people have been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, in constant street protests since April, triggering President Nicolás Maduro’s decision to create the assembly.

Maduro has said the assembly will help bring peace to the sharply divided country where, despite its oil wealth, many Venezuelans are going hungry because of food shortages and spiralling inflation. But the opposition said it is little more than a power grab to consolidate the ruling socialist party’s grip. It is boycotting the assembly and demanding general elections instead.

“On 30 July, the constitutional assembly will happen,” Maduro said. “I’ve been loyal to Chávez’s legacy. Now it’s your turn.”

An attempt at brokering an agreement by the former prime minister of Spain, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, to avert the increased tensions appeared to have failed. Zapatero issued a statement on Saturday tacitly acknowledging that the constituent assembly vote would be held, but calling on the assembly’s powers to be limited and for firm dates for local and presidential elections to be set.

“Today and tomorrow are transcendental for Venezuela,” Zapatero said in the statement. He called on the government to make “new gestures” to help ease tensions but did not call for the vote to be cancelled. 

The opposition also appeared resigned to seeing the vote take place. “But we are not backing down because our problem is not the constituent assembly, it is the dictatorship,” said Guevara in a statement.

“What comes after Sunday will not be easy for us,” he said, adding however that the “deepening of the crisis will affect those in government much more”.

But polls show that 70% of Venezuelans do not want a constituent assembly, although turnout on Sunday may not reflect that. To avoid an embarrassingly low turnout, government officials and pro-government neighbourhood committees have been warning that people who do not show up for the vote may lose their jobs, essential food subsidies or homes.

Delcy Leonor Medina, a 52-year-old housekeeper, said she and her neighbours in a working-class district of Caracas face the threat of armed muggings and murders.

Now they face an added threat of losing their government-subsidised homes if they don’t vote. But she remained defiant. “I’m not giving that bastard anything. If the constituent assembly is voted in, I may have to leave here,” she said.

Many of Venezuela’s 2.8 million state workers have reported getting text messages, phone calls and being required to attend political rallies during work hours, according to Reuters.

Early on Saturday, the opposition coalition’s website appeared to have been hacked, showing a message saying “Yanquis, leave our America” with a photo of the US president, Donald Trump. Hours later, the site showed a message reading “Democracy cannot be hacked.”

Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife and a candidate for the assembly, said the new body with supra-legislative powers would create a commission to punish those responsible for the political upheaval. They will “pay and learn their lesson”, she said, playing on the fears of the opposition that they will suffer further persecution.

Diosdado Cabello, the first vice-president of Venezuela’s socialist party, said the assembly will strip legislators in the opposition-controlled National Assembly of their immunity from prosecution. He said the office of Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, who recently became one of Maduro’s most outspoken critics, would be “turned upside down”.

The US has led other nations in imposing targeted sanctions against 13 current and former officials close to the government. They were followed by similar measures by Mexico and Colombia.

US vice-president Mike Pence spoke by phone with opposition leader and political prisoner Leopoldo López, sentenced to 14 years for inciting violence, charges human rights groups have said were trumped up. Pence told López, who was transferred to house arrest earlier this month, that the United States “stands with the Venezuelan people”.

The Trump administration has threatened further measures if the vote goes ahead, which may target the country’s oil industry, one of the few economic lifelines left in Venezuela.

Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos, who is often the target of Maduro’s public rants of an international conspiracy against him, said he would not recognise the constituent assembly, which he called “spurious”.

In a tacit recognition of the growing humanitarian and political crisis, the Colombian government said on Friday it was granting a special permit for Venezuelans already in the country to remain for up to two years.

And more than one Venezuelan is preparing to pack his bags and join the growing number of people fleeing.

Carlos, a 24-year-old student at the Metropolitan University in Caracas, said most of his friends are leaving the country. His parents have said that if the constituent assembly is voted in, they want him to join them. “I would lose my family, my home, my friends, my university,” said Carlos, who declined to give his real name. But he also holds another fear. “I’m afraid of losing my country,” he said.
3. Weather

 Current Conditions 15°

17° / 12° Drizzle

 

Feels like: 15°

Humidity: 82%

Wind: SSW 12 mph

Sunrise: 7:31 am

Sunset: 5:58 pm

Barometer: 29.5" Hg

Updated 6:20 PM

 

Tonight 12° Showers

 

Friday, October 20^th 14° / 13° Showers

Saturday, October 21^st 14° / 9° Windy

Sunday, October 22^nd 13° / 10° Mst Cloudy

Monday, October 23^rd 16° / 14° Showers

Tuesday, October 24^th 17° / 13° Showers

Wednesday, October 25^th 17° / 12° Cloudy

Thursday, October 26^th 18° / 12° Ptly Cloudy

Friday, October 27^th 18° / 12° Mst Cloudy

Video:
https://youtu.be/U0wjaPFQmaI

 

It is his second intervention in the Catalonia secession crisis.

He told an awards ceremony in the northern city of Oviedo that the Catalan government was causing a rift and Spain would solve the problem through democratic institutions.

Catalonia's leader has threatened to declare independence, and Madrid is making plans to impose direct rule.

According to the opposition Socialists - who support the central government's stand against Catalan independence - the plans include elections in Catalonia in January.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will announce the full set of measures on Saturday, two days after a deadline for Catalonia's autonomous government to abandon its independence bid.

The central government has said it will trigger Article 155 of the constitution, which allows it to impose direct rule in a crisis, for the first time.

Other moves may include taking control of Catalonia's regional police force.

Article 155 does not give the government the power to fully suspend autonomy.

A referendum, regarded as illegal by Spain, was held in Catalonia on 1 October.

Of the 43% of Catalans who reportedly voted, 90% were in favour of independence. Most anti-independence voters boycotted the ballot.

King Felipe previously said Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and other separatist leaders who organised the referendum had "broken the democratic principles of the rule of law" and showed "disrespect to the powers of the state".

While the dissolution of Catalonia's parliament and the holding of snap regional elections may appear to offer a way of defusing today's state of extreme tension, there are plenty of reasons to doubt that such a strategy would provide a clear solution to the crisis.

The far-left CUP has suggested that it would boycott any election imposed on the region. Other pro-independence forces might do the same. Massive street protests against any form of direct rule from Madrid can also be expected.

And what are the potential consequences of forcing an election on Catalonia?

Mr Puigdemont has promised to call a formal vote on independence in Catalonia's parliament if Article 155 is invoked. If such a declaration were approved, the pro-independence forces could style the ballot as the election of a constituent assembly for a new republic, the next stage laid down in the secessionists' road map.

Assuming the participation of all parties, voters would be bound to interpret the election as a de facto plebiscite on independence. If a separatist majority emerged once again, it is hard to see how the conflict could be considered closed.

 
2. Home news:  https://colombiareports.com/talks-end-avianca-pilot-strike-colombia-collapse/

Talks to end a strike by the largest pilots’ union at Colombia’s flagship airline Avianca were suspended after failure to reach agreement on wages and benefits, the two sides said on Wednesday, extending an indefinite walkout that has left travelers grounded.

The Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC), which represents more than 700 of the 1,300 Avianca pilots working in the country, began the strike on Sept. 20 when talks mediated by the Labor Ministry ended without a deal.

Avianca said the ACDAC did not accept the company’s proposal, which included a wage increase of 12.75 percent, and the union said the airline then withdrew the offer without allowing it to consult with affiliates.

“Widespread demands, including a 60 percent increase in wages and a number of benefits that exceed the limits of the company, would cost more than $274 million annually, are inadmissible and puts at high risk the (company‘s) sustainability and competitiveness,” Avianca president Hernan Rincon said in a statement.

A statement from the ACDAC said several of the agreements reached during mediation with the Labor Ministry were changed and that Avianca “in an attitude of pride decided to leave the table and withdraw the proposal.”

Avianca, which has suspended ticket sales, has asked Colombian courts to declare the strike illegal on the grounds that transport is an essential public service and that the walkout was approved by only a part of the ACDAC affiliated pilots and without the support of all the airline’s employees.

If it is declared illegal, the pilots can be fired.

Avianca, a member of the Star Alliance and one of the leading airlines in Latin America, carried 29.5 million passengers in 2016. It has more than 21,000 employees and serves 105 destinations in 28 countries in America and Europe.

3. Sports News:  http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1/michael-schumacher-ski-accident-10360005

Formula 1 legend driver Michael Schumacher suffered life-threatening injuries following a ski accident in the French Alps in 2013.

The motor sport icon was left in a coma after sustaining a severe head injury in the incident.

Earlier this year, a Hamburg court ruled German outlet Bunte must pay Schumacher €50,000 for false claims that he could 'walk again' two years after the accident.

Official updates from Schumacher's family have been incredibly scarce in the months and years following the incident.

However, reports in September claimed he could be taken to the US for specialist treatmentnear the Texas ranch he owns.

Here is what we know so far...

Schumacher was holidaying with friends and family in the French Alps when he suffered a 'severe head injury' while skiing on 29 December 2013.

He was airlifted to Grenoble Hospital requiring 'immediate neurosurgical intervention' and underwent two life-saving operations.

Schumacher remained in a coma, with doctors describing his condition as 'extremely serious' the day after his admission.

News became scarce after the immediate aftermath of the accident, with the Schumacher family's next statement coming in April 2014.

They said the former F1 champ had shown 'moments of consciousness and awakening'.

Three months followed before it was released that Schumacher was no longer in a coma and had left Grenoble Hospital.

It was confirmed three months after that that Schumacher had been transferred from Lausanne Hospital to the family home on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The statement read: "Henceforth, Michael's rehabilitation will take place at his home. Considering the severe head injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months.

"There is still, however, a long and difficult road ahead."

In 2015, Schumacher's manager said his condition was improving "considering the severeness of the injury he had."

A year later, the German's lawyer told a court that his client "cannot walk".

The first pictures of Schumacher since the accident were touted around European media outlets for £1million in December last year, with police launching an investigation in to how the photographs were taken from the German's home in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sabine Kehm, Schumacher's manager, said before Christmas that there are no plans to release a statement with an update on the 47-year-old's current plight.

"Michael's health is not a public issue, and so we will continue to make no comment in that regard," Kehm said.

"We have to protect his intimate sphere. Legally seen and in the longer term, every statement related to his health would diminish the extent of his intimate sphere."

Speaking in November 2016, Ross Brawn revealed that family and friends of Schumacher are still holding out hope they will see the F1 legend 'as we knew him'.

“We go see him and hope and pray that one day he will make a recovery. I was quoted as saying he’s improving and it was not what I really meant," Brawn told the Guardian.

"The family are conducting his convalescence in private and I need to respect that.

"So I don’t want to comment on his condition beyond saying we’re extremely hopeful we’ll see Michael as we knew him at some point in the future.”

Also last year, Schumacher's lawyer outlined his client's injuries in court after an article in German magazine Bunte claimed the 47-year-old could walk again.

Felix Damm said simply: "He cannot walk," adding Schumacher is unable to stand even with the assistance of therapists.

Bunte's report featured a comment from an unnamed friend of Schumacher's, who said: "Michael is very thin. But he can once again walk a little with the help of his therapists.

"He manages to make a couple of steps. And he can also raise an arm."

Kehm also rejected the claims of the magazine, saying: "Unfortunately, we are forced by a recent press report to clarify that the assertion that Michael could move again is not true," Kehm said.

"Such speculation is irresponsible, because given the seriousness of his injuries, his privacy is very important for Michael.

"Unfortunately they also give false hopes to many involved people."

In reports on September 20, it was claimed Schumacher could be moved to the US for specialist treatment.

German magazine Bravo claimed relatives were considering a move to the States, where Schumacher owns a cattle ranch in Dallas, Texas.

It is hoped a nearby brain specialist, Dr Mark Meeks, could offer a breakthrough.

Dr Meeks said: "We have extensive experience with trauma patients.

"There is probably no clinic in Europe that handles as many cases as we do."

There is also a plan for a Michael Schumacher Museum. Discussing plans for the Museum, his agent Kehm said: "During all his active years Michael kept most of his cars and many overalls and helmets.

"At the back of our minds we had always planned to make them available to the public."

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjM3N8091xk