Carles Puigdemont, the former president of Catalonia who fled Spain after leading a botched independence attempt, was arrested on the Italian island of Sardinia, his lawyer said Thursday.  

Gonzalo Boye said on Twitter that Puigdemont was arrested upon his arrival to Sardinia, where he was traveling in his role as a member of the European Parliament (MEP). 

This is not the first time Puigdemont has been arrested since he fled Spain in 2017 after holding an illegal referendum on independence and subsequently declaring his intention to split the region from Spain. He was arrested in both Belgium and Germany, but authorities in those countries have refused to extradite him. 

In Spain, he faces major charges, including rebellion and sedition. 

Few details are known about the latest arrest, except that Puigdemont was traveling to Sardinia to participate in an event about Catalan culture.

Sardinia, which is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, is home to a separatist movement of its own. ​​​​​​​

As an MEP, Puigdemont did get automatic immunity from being arrested. However, last March, the European Parliament voted to strip him of that legal protection./agencies

Social media and networking giant Facebook confirmed Thursday that one of its executives will be testifying before the US Senate next week amid claims over its photo and video sharing service Instagram.

Facebook's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, will be appearing before the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection on Sept. 30, Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman, confirmed to Anadolu Agency.

News of the Senate hearing comes after The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 14 that Facebook is aware that Instagram is harmful to teenagers, especially girls, through leaked internal studies it conducted over the last three years that examined how its youth user base is affected.

Facebook is the parent company of Instagram.

Instagram's researchers concluded via a study that 32% of girls say that when they feel bad about their bodies, Instagram makes them feel worse. The slide presentation reviewed by the Journal also said, "Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves."

"We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls," a slide from 2019 said.

"Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression," said another. "This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups."

The study further found that among respondents who reported having suicidal thoughts, 6% of American users and 13% of those in the UK said those feelings originated from Instagram.

Instagram's head of public policy, Karina Newton, however, said the same day the Journal published its report that the company is "increasingly focused on addressing negative social comparison and negative body image."

"The question on many people’s minds is if social media is good or bad for people," she wrote. "We’re proud that our app can give voice to those who have been marginalized, that it can help friends and families stay connected from all corners of the world, that it can prompt societal change; but we also know it can be a place where people have negative experiences, as the Journal called out today."/aa

The repatriation of Rohingya refugees is a matter of “real urgency,” and the international community “must do everything possible” to ensure their safe return to Myanmar, the prime minister of Bangladesh said Thursday. 

Speaking at an event in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Sheikh Hasina decried the inaction of world powers as a shock for Bangladesh, saying its resources are being severely strained as it hosts some 1.2 million Rohingya on humanitarian grounds.

Millions of Rohingya have been living in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s southern Cox’s Bazar district after fleeing from Myanmar’s Rakhine State following a brutal military crackdown in in August 2017.

Hasina said Dhaka has reposed its trust in the global community for the past four years, but its “calls have remained unheeded and hopes unfulfilled.”

A failure to resolve the issue will “jeopardize our collective security … [and] potentially destabilize the entire region,” she warned in her address at the event, which was organized by Bangladesh and cosponsored by eight countries and organizations, including Turkey, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union.

“On the regional front, we have tried to take on board the major powers, including China and India. We have all along tried to have more active involvement of the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations],” Hasina said.

“At the multilateral front, we kept the issue on the table by UN resolutions engaging important countries and the UN agencies, but sadly our efforts … have not generated any tangible outcome yet.”

She said the world needs to “go beyond words and rhetoric,” stressing that repatriation is also “the cherished desire of the Rohingya.”

Ensuring accountability of those responsible for the community’s persecution in Myanmar is imperative as there should never be “impunity for such a heinous crime,” the premier added.

Hasina laid out a five-point course of action for the international community, including revision of efforts in view of the changed political scenario in Myanmar following the February coup and enhanced efforts by ASEAN members.​​​​​​​

‘Vaccines must be global public goods’

In her address to the virtual COVID-19 summit convened by the US president, the Bangladeshi premier called for vaccines to be declared “global public goods.”

Hasina criticized the monopoly over vaccine production and supply, saying that developing and less-developed countries must be allowed to manufacture the jabs domestically.

“To guarantee universal access, local production of vaccines by developing countries and LDCs [less-developed countries] which have the capacity must be allowed,” she emphasized.

Detailing Bangladesh’s vaccination strategy, she said her government aims to target 20 million people per month until 80% of the country’s population is inoculated by August 2022.

According to government data, the South Asian nation of some 170 million people has managed to fully vaccinate just about 11% of its population.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh is now over 1.5 million, including a death toll inching toward 27,500./agencies

The Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) on Thursday reaffirmed its longstanding support for the "right of self-determination" of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. 

In a joint communique after a meeting of the foreign ministers of OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, it stressed that lasting peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without a "just" settlement of the core dispute.

The foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, with the OIC under-secretary general in the chair, said a statement by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

The meeting, according to the readout, denounced India's August 2019 actions, and subsequent steps to "alter the demographic structure of the Himalayan valley through the issuance of over 4.2 million domiciles to non-Kashmiri Indian citizens."

New Delhi scrapped the long-standing semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir on Aug. 5, 2019, promoting Islamabad to downgrade its diplomatic status and halt trade with the longtime rival.

Eulogizing the "legitimate" struggle of the Kashmiris for their right to self-determination, the meeting denounced India’s "continued refusal" to allow UN officials and international civil society organizations to visit the disputed valley.

Expressing condolences over the demise of revered Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani, the foreign ministers deplored the "unconscionable act of snatching mortal remains of Syed Ali Geelani from his family by the Indian occupation forces and denying them the right to organize a funeral as well as to bury him as per his will."

They demanded India to reverse all "illegal and unilateral" measures taken on or after Aug. 2019, stop the "gross, systematic and widespread human rights abuses" in the valley, and take "concrete and meaningful" steps for the full implementation of UNSC resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.

They called for an independent investigation against "well-documented cases of human rights violations including extra-judicial killings, sexual violence by the Indian occupation forces" in Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting also urged New Delhi to immediately release also detained Kashmiri political leaders and youth./aa

Major indexes on the US stock market closed strong on Thursday with a massive rally after the Federal Reserve opened the door for tapering but delayed its formal start.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 504 points, or 1.48%, to close at almost 34,765. The blue-chip index soared 844 points in the last two sessions. The S&P 500 rose 53 points, or 1.2%, to 4,449

The Nasdaq increased 155 points, or 1.04%, to 15,052 as the tech-heavy index again climbed above 15,000.

The Fed said Wednesday that moderation in the pace of asset purchases may soon be warranted, indicating tapering would soon begin. Chair Jerome Powell later said the bank may conclude tapering by the middle of 2022.

Tapering, the process of scaling back its $120 billion worth of monthly bond purchases, could begin in November or December, according to analysts, but its delay provided relief for investors and temporarily removed the risk of liquidity shortage.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, plummeted 10.7% to below the critical level of 20 as it settled at 18.63. The dollar index was down 0.4% to 93.09.

The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes, on the other hand, increased 7.8% to 1.435%.

Precious metals reversed course during the session and later extended losses. Gold lost 2.1% to $1,740 per ounce and silver declined 0.7% $22.52.

Oil prices rose more than 1.3% with Brent crude trading at $77.22 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude at $73.23./aa

 At least one victim died and at least 12 others were injured after a gunman opened fire in a grocery store near Memphis in the US state of Tennessee on Thursday, according to police.

The shooter died, possibly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane told reporters at a press conference. The suspect's vehicle is in the Kroger Supermarket parking lot, and police are waiting on specialized equipment to carry out a search.

Initially 13 people were reported to have been injured, but Lane said the number is at least 12, with one confirmed fatality.

Lane said the status and number of the victims "is probably going to change," describing some of the injuries that have been confirmed as "very serious." He cautioned that additional people may have been injured with at least one person taking themself to a local hospital.

"This scene is horrific. I've been involved in this for 34 years and never seen anything like it," he said. “We found people hiding in freezers. They were doing what they had been trained to do: run, hide, fight.”

Additional updates are expected during a press conference scheduled later Thursday evening./aa

Twitter announced Thursday that a feature will start globally this week that allows users to send tips to creators and will include payments in Bitcoin.

The tip feature will be available for iOS users initially and Android in the coming weeks, the social media company said in a statement.

"Whether you want to tip your favorite account because you adore their commentary, send some love to an emerging comedy creator for their hilarious Tweets, help a small business owner through a difficult time, give to an important cause — whatever you want to support, Tips is here to help you do it," it said.

Users will be able to tip with the world's largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin, by using Strike -- a payment application built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network. It allows users to send and receive Bitcoin, while the application will allow instant and free payments globally, it added.

"We want everyone on Twitter to have access to pathways to get paid. Digital currencies that encourage more people to participate in the economy and help people send each other money across borders and with as little friction as possible," the statement said.

Other payment services or platforms that support tips include Bandcamp, Cash App, Chipper, Patreon, Razorpay, Wealthsimple Cash and Venmo.

Twitter introduced tipping as a beta feature in May through Tip Jar, where users could send money to creators by connecting accounts.

The move comes after the social media firm announced in February that it wants to increase daily active users to 315 million, and revenues to $7.5 billion by the end of 2023, which would double from 152 million at the end of 2019 and $3.7 billion in 2020, respectively, if achieved./aa

The ongoing global semiconductor shortage is estimated to cost the automotive industry $210 billion in revenues this year, according to a report by AlixPartners on Thursday.

This is up significantly from the global consulting company's forecast of $110 billion in May. The New York-based firm's initial estimate was $60.6 billion in January.

"Of course, everyone had hoped that the chip crisis would have abated more by now, but unfortunate events such as the COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia and continued problems elsewhere have exacerbated things," Mark Wakefield, global co-leader of the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners, said in a statement.

"There’s no room for error for automakers and suppliers right now; they need to calculate every alternative and make sure they’re undertaking only the best options," he added, noting that steel and labor shortages are some of the additional disruptions in the auto industry.

The company anticipates production of 7.7 million units will be lost in 2021, up from a 3.9 million forecast made in May.

"There really are no ‘shock absorbers’ left in the industry right now when it comes to production or obtaining material," said Dan Hearsch, a managing director at AlixPartners’ automotive and industrial practice.

"Virtually any shortage or production interruption in any part of the world affects companies around the globe, and the impacts are now amplified due to all the other shortages," he added.

Executives from major US auto and tech companies, including Intel, Apple, Microsoft, GM and Ford, are planning to attend a virtual White House meeting Thursday to discuss the chip shortage.

The meeting, which is similar to one in April attended by 19 firms, will be hosted by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese.

US President Joe Biden administration in April called the global chip crisis "a national security issue," after Biden signed an executive order in February that ordered a 100-day review of semiconductors, advanced batteries used in electric vehicles and required policy recommendations to strengthen supply chains.

"Some analysts estimate the chip shortage could cut nearly a percentage point from GDP growth this year," the White House said in a statement Thursday that was authored by Sameera Fazili, a Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, and Peter Harrell who serves on the White House National Security Council.

Stressing that the shortage has proven harder to resolve and is dragging down the US economy, they said the administration since April has strengthened communication and trust between firms that produce semiconductors and their industrial users.

"In the longer term, however, the US must take stronger action to identify and get ahead of vulnerabilities in the supply chains of critical goods," they wrote./agencies

UK's policy of not accepting coronavirus certificates from Africa is confusing, a top African public health official said Thursday.

The policy is confusing the African population, "creating more reticence, reluctance for people to receive vaccines,” John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference.

"This message doesn't really speak to solidarity and cooperation that we all believe are the cornerstone and ingredients for us to emerge from this pandemic together," he said.

Nkengasong questioned why the UK keeps sending vaccines if it failed to recognize vaccination status certificates from Africa.

Last week, the UK instituted a policy of not recognizing COVID-19 certificates from Africa that practically subject fully vaccinated Africans and those certified to quarantine upon entering the UK.

Africa demands an increase of sevenfold the current amount of vaccines supplied to the continent of 1.3 billion.

Less than 4% of the African population has been fully inoculated with wide disparities among countries on the continent in vaccination performance.

The best performer, Morocco, has immunized 44% of its population, according to Nkengasong./agencies

The Houthi group announced Thursday that it seized control of al-Bayda province in central Yemen after a military offensive.

"The armed forces, with support of al-Bayda tribes, complemented the task of liberating the remaining areas in Al-Bayda province in the course of the military operation, Dawn of Freedom," group spokesman Yahya Saree told a news conference according to the Houthis-run Saba news agency.

He said 70 Yemeni forces were killed, 40 arrested and 10 military vehicles damaged in 48 hours of fighting.

The Saudi Arabian-led coalition carried out 30 raids in an attempt to stop the advancement of the Houthi rebels, he added.

The Yemeni government has yet to comment on the claims.

Al-Bayda province is in a strategic central position connecting northern Yemen with its southern territories. The Houthis and the government forces sought to take it under their control.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

The conflict has claimed more than 233,000 lives, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs./agencies