The World in Brief

The German army’s fast forces jump from an aircraft during a maneuver in Borstel, eastern Germany, on Monday.
The German army’s fast forces jump from an aircraft during a maneuver in Borstel, eastern Germany, on Monday.

Pope readying reply to cover-up claim

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican is preparing the "necessary clarifications" about accusations that top Vatican officials including Pope Francis covered up the sexual misconduct of a now-disgraced American ex-cardinal, Francis' top advisers said Monday.

In a statement, Francis' nine cardinal advisers expressed their "full solidarity" with the pope over the scandal, which has thrown his papacy into crisis.

The cardinals, who are meeting at the Vatican this week, said they were aware that "the Holy See is working on formulating the potential and necessary clarifications."

Francis has refused to respond to the 11-page document published Aug. 26 by the retired ambassador to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano.

Vigano named more than two dozen current and former Vatican and U.S. officials and accused them of knowing about and covering up for ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of sexually molesting and harassing minors as well as adults.

Specifically, Vigano accused Francis of rehabilitating McCarrick from canonical sanctions imposed on him by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 or 2010.

The Vatican has known since at least 2000 that McCarrick slept with seminarians.

Francis removed McCarrick as cardinal in July after accusations he groped a teenage altar boy in the 1970s, a canonical crime that could result in him being defrocked.

Brexit deal doable by November, EU says

BLED, Slovenia -- The European Union's chief negotiator to exit the European Union was cautiously optimistic Monday about the prospects of a deal with Britain by early November, in comments that triggered a big rally in the value of the pound.

At a conference in the Alpine lake resort of Bled in northwestern Slovenia, Michel Barnier said an exit deal was "not far" and that some 80 percent of the withdrawal agreement had been agreed.

Though Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, an agreement will have to be reached months before hand in order to get the necessary ratifications though such places as the British Parliament and the European Parliament.

Being "realistic," Barnier said a deal can be reached within six or eight weeks and by early November.

"I think it's possible," Barnier said at a panel dubbed Bridging the Divide.

His comments helped the pound push back above $1.30. In late afternoon trading, the pound was 0.9 percent higher at $1.3030.

Nigerian gas-depot blast kills 18 people

WARRI, Nigeria -- A gas depot exploded in central Nigeria, killing 18 people and leaving some burned beyond recognition, a witness said Monday.

More than 40 other people had burns after the blast in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa state, taxi driver Yakubu Charles told The Associated Press. He said he helped to evacuate victims after more than a dozen occupied vehicles were set on fire. Victims had to be taken to hospitals on motorbikes as no ambulances were available, he said.

Both the Nigeria Police Force and Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed the blast but declined to give a number of casualties.

Nigeria's Senate president, Bukola Saraki, in a Twitter post called the explosion "horrific" and said he met with survivors. He offered prayers for families who lost relatives.

Many gas dealers operate mini-depots in Nigerian cities with no strong measures to regulate their activities, leading to frequent explosions. In January, 10 people died in a blast in Magodo in Lagos state.

U.N. migrant query miffs Italy, Austria

GENEVA -- The new U.N. human-rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on Monday announced plans to send teams to Italy and Austria to examine the treatment of migrants, drawing a quick retort from Vienna and Rome after her first big appearance in the job.

Both governments take a hard line on migration. The rebuttals from two key Europe Union states -- Austria now holds the rotating EU presidency -- suggested Bachelet is already ruffling governmental feathers after becoming high commissioner for human rights on Sept. 1.

A former Chilean president who was once a political detainee herself, Bachelet said that "prioritizing the return of migrants from Europe, without ensuring that key international human rights obligations are upheld, cannot be considered a protection response."

Bachelet said her office expects to dispatch a team to Austria to "assess recent developments in this area," and also send staff to Italy to "assess the reported sharp increase in acts of violence and racism against migrants, persons of African descent and Roma."

She didn't say when either team would travel, or give other details in a written statement to the U.N. Human Rights Council, posted on her office's website , in which she also called on the European Union to set up a dedicated search and rescue operation for people crossing the Mediterranean Sea. She didn't mention sending teams to Austria and Italy in shorter oral remarks to the council in Geneva.

-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS

A Section on 09/11/2018

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