Briefly

TURKIYE

Kurdish group PKK will disarm and disband

The Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has been locked in conflict with the Turkish state for more than 40 years, decided to disband and end its armed struggle, group members and Turkish leaders said on Monday. "The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK's organizational structure ... and end the armed struggle," Firat News Agency reported it as saying in the closing declaration of a congress held last week in northern Iraq, where the group is based. A PKK official separately confirmed the decision and said all military operations would cease "immediately", adding that weapon handovers were contingent on Ankara's response and approach to Kurdish rights, and the fate of PKK fighters and leaders. The PKK held the congress in response to a February call to disband from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hailed the PKK decision to disarm and disband, saying it was a "historic" milestone for regional peace and stability.

ALBANIA

Prime Minister Rama set for fourth term

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama was on course for a fourth term in office on Monday as partial results showed his Socialist Party with a commanding lead in Sunday's parliamentary election. The Socialist Party won 53 percent of the vote with 30 percent of ballots counted, results from the election commission showed, far ahead of the opposition Democratic Party of former prime minister Sali Berisha, which had 34 percent. If the lead holds, it will give Rama four more years to continue his mission to bring the Balkan country into the European Union by 2030, a pledge that he centered his campaign around but which some experts believe is overly optimistic.

SOUTH KOREA

Yoon attends third criminal trial hearing

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol appeared in court on Monday for the third hearing in his criminal trial, as he defends himself against insurrection charges over his declaration of martial law. Yoon was stripped of office last month after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his Dec 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule. Dressed in a suit and red tie, Yoon walked past journalists without responding to any questions. It marked the first time that his court appearance was made public. Yoon was allowed to enter the courtroom through an underground parking lot for the past two hearings.

Agencies - Xinhua