The Catalan government remained defiant on Sunday, stating it would not accept Madrid's plan of direct rule. 

Almost a half a million Catalans came out in protest the day before, demonstrating against the suspension of autonomy following Catalonia's referendum on independence. 

"The Spanish government was acting against the democratic will of the Catalans after refusing all offers of dialogue," the Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont said. 

Iraq’s highest court has ordered the arrest of the vice-president of Kurdistan Kosrat Rasul for calling Iraqi troops deployed in Kirkuk “occupying forces,” reports the BBC.

The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq labelled Mr Rasul’s remarks as an incitement to violence.

Spain is holding a special cabinet meeting to approve measures that will allow its government to take direct control of the semi-autonomous region of Catalonia.

Spanish prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is expected to make a statement later today outlining whether Spain will invoke Article 155 of its constitution, which allows the government to use “necessary measures” to take over powers of a regional authority.

The United Nations on Thursday expressed concern about reports of the forced displacement of Kurds from Kirkuk, which was recently taken over by Iraqi forces following a Kurdish indepedence referundum.  

Spain moved on Thursday to suspend Catalan's autonomy after the Catalan leader refused to meet the deadline Madrid imposed on the to abandon independence. 

Madrid said in a statement on Thursday that it would invoke article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which would begin stripping the region of its autonomy. 

Spain reiterated its intention to implement direct rule over Catalonia if Catalan president Carles Puigdemont failed to abandon secession plans by 8:00 GMT on Thursday, reports the BBC.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said,
“All I ask of Mr Puigdemont is that he acts sensibly to put the interest of all citizens first.”

The Chinese president Xi Jinping on Wednesday warned that his country was ready to defeat Taiwan separatism. 

China has "the resolve, the confidence, and the ability to defeat separatist attempts for Taiwan independence in any form",  he told a gathering of the Communist Party in Beijing. 

Iraq’s army says it has taken full control of Kirkuk following a major advance, reports Al Jazeera.

The federal government in Baghdad told AL Jazeera that Iraqi forces had captured the governing building in the centre of Kirkuk and moved in to take control of of oil fields, a refinery and military base from Kurdish control.

Over 300 people are now believed to have been killed by two truck bomb attacks in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu on Saturday. 

"We have confirmed 300 people died in the blast. The death toll will still be higher because some people are still missing," Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of the city's ambulance service, was quoted by Reuters as saying. 

Britain’s former prime minister Tony Blaire said that he and other world leaders were wrong to yield to Israeli pressure to impose an immediate boycott of Hamas after the militant group won Palestinian elections in 2006, reports the Guardian.

Interviewed for a new book ‘Gaza: Preparing for Dawn’, Mr Blair said,

Baghdad accused Kurdistan of making a “declaration of war” by moving extra Peshmerga troops to the disputed regions of Kirkuk.

The Kurdistan Regional Government said it has placed thousands of troops in Kirkuk following a build-up of Iraqi forces to the south of the disputed city, reports the Financial Times.

A top aide to the KRG President Masoud Benzani said,

“Thousand’s of heavily armed Peshmerga units are now completely in their positons around Kirkuk. Their order is to defend at any cost.”

A Bosnian Muslim commander who defended Srebrenica during the 1992-95 war was acquitted of war crimes on Monday over charges of war crimes. 

Naser Oric, who is a considered a hero by Bosnian Muslims for defending them against Bosnian Serbs was found to be not guilty in the case of the killing of three Serb prisoners of war. 

Fatah and Hamas have signed a deal today aimed at bringing the two Palestinian organisations together. 

The deal, which was brokered by Egypt and signed in Cairo, comes after Hamas announced last month it would dissolve its administration of the Gaza strip in view of holding general elections and forming a unity government with Fatah.