The parliament of Catalonia has voted to declare independence from Spain.
Seventy legislators voted in favour, 10 voted against, while two cast blank ballots.
The decision was made during a secret vote in Barcelona on Friday afternoon.
Tuesday, 10 October, 2017
Spain: Catalonia independence declaration signed and suspended
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and other regional leaders have signed a declaration of independence from Spain, following the disputed referendum.
However, they say the move will not be implemented for several weeks to allow talks with the government in Madrid.
The document calls for Catalonia to be recognised as an “independent and sovereign state”.
Tuesday, 3 October, 2017
Cameroon: Several killed as anglophones declare independent State of Ambazonia
Soldiers shot at least eight people dead in Cameroon’s restive anglophone belt at the weekend as a separatist group made a symbolic declaration of independence.
The separatists chose 1 October, the anniversary of the official reunification of the anglophone and francophone parts of Cameroon, to declare independence for “Ambazonia”, the name of the state they want to create.
Thursday, 28 September, 2017
Iraq: 92% of Iraqi Kurds voted in favor of independence
Iraq’s Kurds voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Iraq, but faced being left stranded after Baghdad ordered international flights to halt service to Kurdish airports starting Friday. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ruled out the use of force, but vowed to take other measures to keep his country from breaking apart as the standoff looked set to worsen.
The referendum passed with more than 92 percent of voters approving independence, the Kurdish region’s election commission told a news conference on Wednesday. Turnout was over 72 percent, it said.
Sunday, 24 September, 2017
Iraq: Iraqi Kurds to go ahead with independence vote despite threats
Iraq’s Kurds said Sunday they will hold an independence referendum “whatever the risk and price”, despite threats of retaliation from the country’s central government on the eve of the vote.
Massud Barzani, the leader of oil-rich Iraqi Kurdistan, said his people’s partnership with Baghdad had failed and that the plebiscite would proceed as planned on Monday.