Catalonia

Europol will look for Carles Puigdemont and hand him to Madrid. The Spanish prosecutor demanded a European arrest warrant for former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont. A request was also made for four other members of the former regional government of the Autonomous Region after they refused to appear in Madrid for questioning.

The crisis in Spain dramatically deepened and extended across the Continent after eight Catalan ministers were jailed by a court in Madrid and a European arrest warrant was issued to extradite the region’s disputed president Carles Puigdemont from Belgium on charges of rebellion and sedition.

The first collateral damage or, more precisely, the first serious casualty - from the Catalonia independence row in terms of how this is being felt in Greece was the affair involving Madrid's ambassador in Athens, Enrique Viguera, who is said to have criticized the stance of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's leftist-led government on the issue (the envoy has denied the allegation).

Catalan Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont, fired by central Spanish authorities, has confirmed that along with some members of his disbanded government remain in Brussels waiting a fair trial.

This was clear from his speech, quoted on Thursday by world news agencies.

Spain's Constitutional Court has blocked Catalonia's declaration of independence, the Spanish daily El Mundo reported on Tuesday.

The Constitutional Court warned members of the permanent parliamentary office in Catalonia, including the sacked speaker of the Catalan parliament Carme Forcadell, to suspend any initiative that involves implementation of the declaration, the paper said.

The countries that cheered when Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union broke up and insisted on "independent Kosovo" now say Catalonia's independence is unacceptable.

Political analyst and historian Nebojsa Malic observed this in an op-ed penned for RT, published under the headline, "Kosovo led to Catalonia. But West won't admit it."

Spain's Constitutional Court has blocked Catalonia’s declaration of independence, the Spanish daily El Mundo reported on Tuesday.

The Constitutional Court warned members of the permanent parliamentary office in Catalonia, including the sacked speaker of the Catalan parliament Carme Forcadell, to suspend any initiative that involves implementation of the declaration, the paper said.

Ousted Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont is expected to make a public appearance Tuesday in Brussels, a day after he traveled there while Spanish prosecutors announced plans to seek sedition, rebellion and embezzlement charges against Catalan leaders.

Belgian lawyer Paul Bekaert told VRT television Monday Puigdemont was in Brussels and had appointed him as his lawyer.

Catalonia Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont, who was removed from office, met today in Belgium with lawyer Paul Bekaert, who had been defending members of the Basque terrorist organization ETA, Vanguardia said, citing the lawyer himself.

The Spanish prosecutor's office is raising charges against Catalan Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont as well as other members of the deposed regional government, BBC reports.

They will be accused of initiating a rebellion against the power of the state and the appropriation of public funds.