News Watch (02-10-2018)

Swedish court finds man at centre of Nobel prize scandal guilty of rape

STOCKHOLM, Oct 01: A Swedish court found Jean-Claude Arnault, at the centre of a scandal that has rocked the body that awards the Nobel literature prize, guilty of rape and sentenced him to two years' jail on Monday. The crisis over the charges against Jean-Claude Arnault prompted some members of the Swedish Academy to quit and forced it to cancel this year's literature prize, which would have been announced this month. It is the biggest scandal to hit the Academy since a Swedish king founded it more than 200 years ago. — Reuters

US hails outcome of Macedonia referendum

WASHINGTON, Oct 01: The United States (US) on Sunday welcomed the outcome of a referendum in Macedonia on changing its name that could bring it economically and militarily closer to the West. Macedonian voters chose to support a plan to rename the country in a way that will end a decades-long spat with Greece and unlock a path to NATO and EU membership. — AFP

Pro-independence protesters in Catalonia block roads

BARCELONA, Oct 01: Pro-independence protesters obstructed major roads and a high-speed railway line in Spain's Catalonia region on Monday, one year after a banned referendum on secession marred by police violence. — AFP