Catalan parliament defies Spanish court with motion on self-determination
Catalonia’s regional parliament approved on Tuesday a non-binding motion expressing the will to exercise self-determination, defying a warning from Spain’s Constitutional Court.
Violence brings Hong Kong to ‘brink of total breakdown’: police
Police fired tear gas at pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong’s Central financial district and at demonstrators on the other side of the harbour on Tuesday as a senior officer said the unrest had brought the city to “the brink of total breakdown”.
Jailed Catalan leader is MEP and can seek immunity: EU court adviser
A jailed Catalan separatist leader was a member of the European Parliament despite not being able to take up his seat and can seek immunity from prosecution on that basis, an adviser to the European Court of Justice said on Tuesday.
Lebanon’s banks shut as staff strike over safety fears
Lebanon’s banks and schools were shut on Tuesday in a new wave of disruption amid urgent political efforts to form a new government to steer the country out of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.
‘YOU? Really?’: Iran’s Zarif scorns EU warning over nuclear deal
Europeans have failed to fulfill their own commitments to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Tuesday, in response to a warning by the EU that urged Tehran to stick to the pact or face consequences.
Flash mob rallies in downtown Hong Kong financial district
Hong Kong police fired tear gas in the heart of the Central financial district and at two university campuses after territory-wide transport disruptions wreaked commuter havoc in the Chinese-ruled city.
French police disperse protesters blocking major Spain-France road link
French riot police were dispersing on Tuesday morning hundreds of Catalan pro-independence demonstrators who had been blocking a major road link that connects the Spanish region with France for nearly 24 hours.
Turkey’s Erdogan says will tell Trump U.S. failed to keep Syria promise
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would tell President Donald Trump that the United States has not fulfilled its agreement last month to remove the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia from a region along Turkey’s border.
Cambodian opposition veteran meets Malaysian MPs in democracy push
Cambodia’s self-exiled opposition veteran Sam Rainsy met Malaysian lawmakers on Tuesday in a push to rally support in Southeast Asia against authoritarian ruler Hun Sen just as the European Union considers withdrawing trade preferences.
China says stopping violence is the most important thing in Hong Kong
China said stopping violence is the most important thing in Hong Kong now after the United States condemned “unjustified use of deadly force” in the latest violence and urged China to honor its commitments to freedom of expression in the territory.
