COLU @ CONCEPTS

Media caption Europe correspondent Gavin Lee looks to the past for the origins of the Catalan crisis The Spanish government has said that the head of the Catalonia region has failed to clarify whether he declared independence last week. In a letter to Madrid on Monday, Carles Puigdemont instead called for negotiation over the next two months. Spain's Deputy PM Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Mr Puigdemont now has until Thursday to clarify his position. The Spanish government has warned that Catalonia must revoke the declaration or face direct rule from Madrid. Last week Mr Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence, but halted its implementation to allow negotiations. Catalan crisis in 300 words The man who wants to break up Spain Ms Saenz de Santamaria said on Monday that Madrid "deeply regrets" that the Catalan government had "decided not to respond" to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's request for clarity on the region's i...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Iraq's central government said the operation aimed to "secure bases and government facilities" Iraqi government forces have captured key installations outside the disputed city of Kirkuk from Kurdish fighters. A military statement said units had taken control of the K1 military base, the Baba Gurgur oil and gas field, and a state-owned oil company's offices. Baghdad said the Peshmerga had withdrawn "without fighting", but clashes were reported south of Kirkuk. The operation was launched a month after the Kurdistan Region held a controversial independence referendum. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the vote, in which residents overwhelmingly backed secession, was illegal and demanded it be annulled. Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence Independence: What is at stake? The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) insisted it was legitimate. US officials said they were "engaged with all pa...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been ordered to defend Kirkuk "at any cost" A deadline allegedly set by Iraq's central government for Kurdish fighters to withdraw from key sites in the disputed city of Kirkuk has passed. Kurdish security officials said the deadline had been set for early on Sunday but Iraqi authorities denied it. Some reports now suggest the deadline has been extended by 24 hours. Both sides have sent troops to Kirkuk and brief clashes have already erupted between Kurds and Shia militia backing the government. Peshmerga fighters say they are preparing to defend positions in the city against possible attack by Iraqi forces. Tensions have been on the rise since Kurds held a referendum on independence last month, which Iraq called illegal. Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence Independence: What is at stake? The Iraqi parliament asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to Kirkuk and othe...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption The suspect was paraded in front of the truck for the media Police in the Afghan capital Kabul say they have arrested a would-be suicide truck bomber, averting a major attack on the city. The truck was carrying nearly three tonnes of explosives and two bombs which had been hidden under boxes of tomatoes, a senior official said. When police acting on a tip-off tried to stop the driver at a checkpoint, he drove on and was shot and injured. A truck bomb killed more than 150 people in Kabul in May. The police officers' timely action on Saturday, a police official said, had saved the city from a great tragedy. Thirty yellow and orange plastic containers filled with explosive material and two bombs each weighing 100kg (220lb) were found in the truck, AFP news agency reports, quoting the interior ministry. Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Two bombs could be seen in the back of the truck A Western security source told the agency that...