New president of Spain's Catalonia visits jailed ex-regional ministers

The newly sworn-in president of Spain's northeastern Catalonia region on Monday visited several former regional government ministers being held in a prison on the outskirts of Madrid, where they are awaiting trial for rebellion and sedition allegations related to their suspected role in a secessionist bid that in October brought the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis.

Le président du gouvernement catalan fera une déclaration à 21H

Après l'annonce de sa destitution par le Premier ministre espagnol, le président du gouvernement catalan Carles Puidgemont fera une déclaration à 21H (19H GMT), a annnoncé samedi un porte-parole de la Generalitat à Barcelone.

L'Ukraine prolonge le "statut spécial" pour l'Est rebelle

Le Parlement ukrainien a prolongé d'un an la loi octroyant davantage d'autonomie à l'Est séparatiste prorusse lors d'une session houleuse vendredi marquée par des accrochages entre députés, décision aussitôt saluée par les Occidentaux et Moscou.

Syrian Foreign Minister: US supports ISIS, Kurdish autonomy negotiable

American military planes regularly airlift and transport ISIS terrorists from battle zones to safe areas, presumably to use them in later offensives elsewhere. This was said by Walid al-Muallem, Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic, during an interview with RT on Monday.

Syrian Kurds Call Local Elections in Rojava Region

The Constituent Council of North-Syria Democratic Federation, which controls the de facto autonomous region of Rojava, proclaimed by the Kurds in the north of Syria, called a number of local elections, media reported on Saturday.

Hong Kong: la disqualification de deux députés confirmée en appel

La justice hongkongaise a confirmé en appel mercredi la disqualification de deux députés indépendantistes qui avaient été frappés d'une interdiction de siéger par Pékin, au motif qu'ils avaient délibérément écorché leur prestation de serment.

Syrian govt rejects UN proposal on eastern Aleppo

The Syrian government refused the UN envoy’s latest proposal for a truce in Aleppo on Sunday, calling on "insurgents" to withdraw and saying it would not grant autonomy to the terroristrebel-held east in exchange for calm.

Raqqa rift & America Kaos: State Dept says US leaves once ISIS ousted, military plan to hold & govern city

US officials are split over the future of Raqqa, Syria, with some claiming all international forces will leave the city once it is freed from terrorists, and others announcing plans to stay to ‘govern’ it along with Turkey.

Syrian Kurds 'Swallowed Washington's Bait' but They Are Just a Pawn in US Hands

The Syrian Kurds might hope that Washington can help them secure greater autonomy, If not independence, but they are merely an instrument that the United States is using to achieve its own objectives in the region, Russian analyst and former diplomat Vyacheslav Matuzov told Izvestiya.

Changing the system of government: The Director of the CIA doubts about the ability to restore Iraq and Syria

CIA Director John Brennan said in an interview with a publication of the center for combating terrorism, STS, not sure that it is possible to restore Iraq and Syria as the United States, and expressed support for changing the system of government.

Kurds reject Iraqi call for them to stop Mosul advance

The Kurdish government is rejecting calls from the Iraqi government for the Peshmerga to stop advancing towards the city of Mosul in the battle against the Islamic State.

Philippine President Duterte calls for peace with Abu Sayyaf

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called for an end to violence during a visit to a predominantly Muslim region of the country where the Abu Sayyaf militant group is headquartered.

HDP deputies refuse to answer prosecutors’ call

Two Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers, Ahmet Yıldırım and Burcu Çelik Özcan, have refused a call from prosecutors to give their testimonies, in the first case since scores of MPs were stripped of their immunity by the Turkish parliament.

Syria warns against any attempt to undermine its unity and territorial integrity

The Syrian government warned against any attempt to undermine Syria’s unity and territorial integrity under whatever names.

Une région unifiée et autonome kurde en Syrie? Washington n'en veut pas

Les Etats-Unis ont prévenu mercredi qu'ils ne reconnaîtraient pas la création par les groupes kurdes de Syrie d'une région unifiée et autonome dans les zones qu'ils contrôlent.

Syrian Kurds 'preparing to declare self-administration' (Turkey: Syrian Kurds’ unilateral act for federal system to have no ‘validity’)

Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria are expected to declare a federal system imminently, a Kurdish official says, as peace negotiations continue to be held in Geneva about how to end the country's five-year war.

Syrian Kurds begin diplomatic push with Moscow office

Syrian Kurdish separatists have announced plans to open “representation” offices in several capitals, starting next week with Damascus regime ally Moscow, an official told AFP on Saturday.

European court dismisses requests to lift curfews in Turkey’s southeast

The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed demands for an interim injunction to lift ongoing curfews in two southeastern districts where operations against militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are continuing.

Kosovo opposition protests turn violent in Pristina

Anti-government protesters in Kosovo's capital Pristina have clashed with police at a demonstration against an agreement with the Serb minority.

Turkey’s HDP plans to hold ‘autonomy’ rallies amid tension with gov’t over self-rule policy

The Kurdish problem-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is planning to hold rallies in favor of “autonomy” and “self-rule” before the end of January, at a time when one of its co-chairs is being investigated over his call for greater Kurdish self-governance.