Egypt Today’s evening international news

CAIRO – 27 October 2017: Egypt Today briefs top newspapers for political issues.

Catalan parliament declares independence from Spain

Catalonia declared independence from Spain on Friday in a disputed vote, a motion which is received joyfully from separatists who struggled to seek independence from Spain.


Catalonia referendum 2017 Spain Catalan independence vote REUTERS

The independence motion was passed in the 135-strong assembly with 70 votes in favor, 10 against and 2 blank ballots, the assembly's speaker said.

Lawmakers from the Socialist Party, the People's Party (PP) and Ciudadanos had left the chamber before the vote in protest, Reuters reported.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy immediately called for calm, emphasizing that the rule of law would be restored.

Gaza’s top security official survives assassination attempt

The director general of the Internal Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, Tawfiq Abu Naim, reportedly survived an assassination attempt after his car detonated on Friday, according to Palestinian security sources.

Sources said that the Gaza’s top security official was targeted after he finished Friday prayers at the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.


Gaza's Deputy Minister of Interior Tawfik Abu Naim- Reuters

Abu Naim’s car reportedly exploded, leaving him with slight injuries on his back and head. His condition is stable, sources confirmed.

Kenya’s president leads election with 96 pct support

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has overwhelmingly won over 96 percent of the votes counted so far from Thursday's re-run election, according to local media sources, which released the constituencies of the election.

Kenyatta had won 5.58 million votes, ahead of rival Raila Odinga, who has boycotted the process.


Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta casts his vote during a presidential election re-run in Gatundu - REUTERS

Kenya's first election in August was annulled by the courts because of procedural irregularities, denying Kenyatta a simple victory over his political rival, Reuters reported.

Polls did not open on Thursday due to violence, and the opposition asked their supporters to boycott any process that goes ahead.

Twitter bans ads from two Russian media outlets

Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, two leading media outlets, were accused by the worldwide social media network Twitter Inc. on Thursday of interfering in the 2016 U.S.

election and banned them from buying ads on its network, an action aimed to deter international meddling.


A 3D-printed Twitter logo displayed in front of Russian flag is seen in this illustration picture, October 27, 2017 - REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

RT and Sputnik slammed the decision, while Russia’s foreign ministry said the ban was an attempt by the U.S. government to practice pressure and retaliate.

Russia’s Kremlin widely condemned the U.S. Congress of imposing possible sanctions over Russia, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a Twitter ban on adverts from Russian media was motivated by deep prejudice against Russia, Reuters reported.