Mr Puigdemont, who is wanted in Spain for sedition and rebellion, was held crossing from Denmark on the way to Belgium, his lawyer said.

Mr Puigdemont had been on a visit to Finland since Thursday.

He has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium since Catalonia’s parliament unilaterally declared independence from Spain in October.

The charges of rebellion and sedition that Mr Puigdemont faces in Spain could result in 30 years in prison.

He slipped out of Finland on Friday before authorities could arrest him.

“The president was going to Belgium to put himself, as always, at the disposal of Belgian justice,” his spokesman, Joan Maria Pique, told Reuters news agency.

German police said that Mr Puigdemont was detained by a highway patrol in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark.

Tensions in Catalonia are very high and its separatist leaders abandoned plans to name a new president following the arrest of the latest candidate, Jordi Turull, on Friday.

Crowds of protesters had clashed with police in Barcelona on Friday night after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled 25 Catalan leaders should be tried for rebellion, embezzlement or disobeying the state. Mr Turull was among five people taken into custody in fresh arrests.

The rulings were considered the most serious challenge to date to the Catalan independence movement. Almost the entire leadership now faces a major legal fight.

Following the referendum, the central government in Madrid sacked the Catalan regional government, imposed direct rule and called new elections but pro-independence parties returned with a slim majority.

International warrants for Mr Puigdemont and other Catalan leaders were withdrawn in December by a Spanish judge who said they had shown a willingness to return to the country.

The warrants were reactivated on Friday, surprising Mr Puigdemont, who had been in Finland to give a university lecture.

Among those wanted is Catalonia’s former education minister, Clara Ponsati. She is in Scotland, where she has a position at the University of St Andrews.

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Source: BBC

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He addressed a campaign event on his first visit there since imposing direct rule on the region a fortnight ago.

Defending his decision in Barcelona, he said he had “exhausted all roads” after the Catalan government’s unilateral declaration of independence last month.

Several key Catalan leaders are currently being detained over the move.

Some 750,000 people protested in Barcelona on Saturday against the arrests, local police estimated.

The crisis was sparked by a disputed referendum held in Catalonia in October, which had been barred by the Spanish courts.

Catalan officials said the independence campaign won 92% of the vote, from a turnout of 43%. Many of those who were against independence did not cast votes, refusing to recognise the legitimacy of the referendum.

The Catalan government subsequently declared independence. In response, the Spanish government dissolved the region’s parliament, imposed direct rule, and called a snap regional election on 21 December.

Speaking at a campaign event in Barcelona for his Popular Party (PP) on Sunday, Mr Rajoy called on the participation of the “silent majority” to “convert their voice into a vote”.

“We must reclaim Catalonia from the havoc of separatism,” he added, saying: “With democracy, we want to reclaim Catalonia for everyone.”

He told PP supporters that the right result would boost Spain’s economic growth next year to above 3%.

He called on companies not to leave the region, after hundreds of firms moved their headquarters away amid uncertainty over the region – which accounts for a fifth of Spain’s economy. He also urged people in Spain to continue buying Catalan products.

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Source: BBC

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Alfonso Dastis has told the BBC a nationwide vote on the issue could be held.

The move is in recognition of the events in Catalonia, where the regional government was deposed after a unilateral declaration of independence.

Protests were held against the detention of the region’s ex-leaders.

Meanwhile, Spain’s constitutional court has ruled that the declaration of independence was “unconstitutional and void”.

What has the foreign minister said?

“We have created a committee in parliament to explore the possibility of amending the constitution to be able to accommodate better the aspirations of some of the Catalan people,” Mr Dastis told the BBC.

“We acknowledge there is a political situation that deserves to be looked at but, in any case, it’s clear that the decision will be taken, will have to be taken by all Spaniards.”

He also said he was sorry if people got hurt during the banned referendum last month, but that there was no disproportionate use of force.

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Source: BBC

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Speaking to the Associated Press, Paul Bekaert suggested Mr Puigdemont should instead be questioned in Belgium where he has been since Monday.

He has been summoned to court in Madrid on Thursday, alongside 13 deputies.

They face charges including sedition and misuse of public funds over last month’s banned independence referendum.

Spanish prosecutors could order their arrest if they fail to appear in court for questioning.

But Mr Bekaert told Dutch and Belgian media that his client would “wait and see” further reaction from the Spanish authorities before returning because of the “high” risk of detention.

He also suggested he would fight any extradition ordered by the Spanish national government.

Spain has been gripped by a constitutional crisis since a referendum, organised by Mr Puigdemont’s separatist government, was held on 1 October in defiance of a constitutional court ruling that had declared it illegal.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part, 90% were in favour of independence.

After the regional parliament declared independence, Spain’s took direct control and sacked the government, including Mr Puigdemont.

On Monday, Spain’s chief prosecutor said the Catalan leaders were accused of rebellion – which carries a maximum 30 year jail term – as well as sedition and misuse of funds.

The leaders are yet to be formally charged but are due to testify at the Audiencia National (National Court) on Thursday and Friday.

The court summons also gave them three days to pay a deposit of €6.2m ($7.2m) to cover potential liabilities.

Both Mr Puigdemont and his lawyer denied at a news conference on Tuesday that he had travelled to Belgium to seek asylum.

He said he was there “for safety purposes” and wanted to be able to speak freely.

Joaquim Forn and Dolors Bassa, the deposed Catalan interior and labour ministers who travelled with the former Catalan president to Belgium, returned to Barcelona on Tuesday night.

They were greeted by chants of “off to prison” by some crowds that had gathered at Barcelona international airport, according to media reports.

Mr Puigdemont previously said he would return to Spain if he and his colleagues received guarantees of a fair trial from the Spanish government.

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Source: BBC

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On Friday, Madrid stripped Catalonia of its autonomy and removed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont from office.

The temporary move will see as many as 150 of the region’s ministers replaced. Some have vowed to continue to work.

Mr Puigdemont and other Catalan officials may face criminal charges, a move likely to lead to huge protests.

What happens next?

Spain’s central government is set to take control of Catalan institutions with Spanish officials expected to be put in place in the region’s ministries on Monday.

Madrid has called for the Spanish constitutional court to revoke Catalonia’s unilateral vote for independence.

Mr Puigdemont and his vice-president Oriol Junqueras say they do not accept the moves by Madrid, adding that they can only be removed from office by the citizens of Catalonia.

If Mr Puigdemont and others refuse to step aside, they face possible arrest and prosecution on charges of rebellion – the maximum sentence for which is 30 years.

About 200,000 civil servants are due to arrive on Monday, but it is not clear how many will stay away or refuse to follow instructions.

The former Catalan Sustainability Minister, Josep Rull, said he was continuing with his “scheduled agenda” and posted an image on Twitter showing him at his desk.

“I’m at the office carrying out the responsibilities that the people [of Catalonia] entrusted to us,” he wrote.

However, Madrid has given Catalan ministers hours to pack up their belongings and leave their offices or Catalonia’s regional police force, known as Mossos, will “act”.

Mossos, whose chief was dismissed last week, are deployed in Sant Jaume square, near the government palace in the centre of Barcelona.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis has said he expects the officers to “act professionally”.

Spain’s chief prosecutor has also been preparing criminal charges against any officials considered to have acted against Spanish law in declaring independence following a referendum deemed illegal under the Spanish constitution.

Meanwhile, Madrid has called for fresh regional elections on 21 December.

Mr Puigdemont could run in new elections, according to Mr Dastis, but only if the sacked Catalan leader has not been jailed.

What about Catalonia’s autonomy?

On Monday, Mr Dastis said he hoped the forthcoming elections would help to “restore legal governance and rule of law in Catalonia”.

“We hope and believe that after these elections, Catalonia will again be the same society it was before: open and integrated,” he said during a press briefing in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido has written to all police officers in Catalonia asking for their loyalty as a “new era” begins in the region.

Senior police officers have told the BBC that they have already complied with an order to remove framed photographs of Mr Puigdemont from police stations across the region.

What is the local press saying?

• The centre-left and unionist Madrid-based El País says that Sunday’s huge pro-union protest in Barcelona “has shown in this difficult moment that Catalan society is much more plural than what the pro-independence block strives to show”
• The pro-union Barcelona-based El Periódico says the protest was the “start of the election campaign”. It adds that “the new regional elections should serve to move Catalonia out of its current impasse”
• The pro-independence Catalan language Ara suggests in an editorial that it would be an “error” for the pro-independence parties not to contest the 21 December elections
• The moderate Barcelona-based La Vanguardia focuses on the importance of “reconstruction” and how to overcome the divisions in Catalan society. “All sides will inevitably discover that there is no political problem that cannot be resolved by dialogue” it says

Rule from Madrid

Spain has been gripped by a constitutional crisis since a referendum, organised by Mr Puigdemont’s separatist government, was held earlier this month in defiance of a ruling by the constitutional court which had declared it illegal.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part, 90% were in favour of independence.

Friday saw the regional parliament declare independence.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy then announced the dissolution of the regional parliament and the removal of Mr Puigdemont as Catalan leader.

Mr Puigdemont has urged “democratic opposition” to direct rule from Madrid.

Before Madrid took over the Catalan government, the region had one of the greatest levels of self-government in Spain.

It has its own parliament, police force and public broadcaster, as well as a government and president, though those have now been dismissed.

Catalans had a range of powers in many policy areas from culture and environment to communications, transportation, commerce and public safety.

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Source: BBC

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Many of those protesting in the region’s largest city brought signs calling for sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to be jailed.

Mr Puigdemont was dismissed as Spain’s central government took control of Catalan institutions.

On Sunday, a minister in Belgium said he could get political asylum there.

Spain has been gripped by a constitutional crisis since an independence referendum, organised by Mr Puigdemont’s separatist government, was held earlier this month in defiance of a ruling by the Constitutional Court which had declared it illegal.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part, 90% were in favour of independence.

Friday saw the regional parliament declare independence, with Madrid responding by declaring the move illegal.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy then announced the dissolution of the regional parliament and the removal of Mr Puigdemont as Catalan leader, and ordered that fresh regional elections should be held in December.

Mr Puigdemont has urged “democratic opposition” to direct rule from Madrid, which has said it would welcome his participation in the election.

Belgium’s migration minister Theo Francken told local TV the separatist leader could be given asylum protection which Spain would find difficult to reverse.

“If you see the situation at the moment, the prison sentences and the repression from Madrid and the prison sentences that are bandied about. Then the question is obviously whether somebody like that has the chance of a fair trial,” he said.

There is no suggestion that Mr Puigdemont is seeking to leave Catalonia.

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Source: BBC

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The Three Lions had never gone beyond the quarter-finals in the tournament before but emulated England U20s who won their World Cup in June.

The margin of victory did not flatter Steve Cooper’s side, who were superb throughout and could consider themselves unlucky to fall behind to a double from Barcelona forward Sergio Gomez.

Heads did not drop, and from the moment Morgan Gibbs White added to Rhian Brewster’s eighth goal of the tournament to equalise, England looked the most likely to go on and win.

Phil Foden, an outstanding talent form Manchester City and the man of the match, stole in at the back post to put England ahead, and slotted in the fifth late on with a neat shot.

Chelsea defender Marc Guehi also got on the scoresheet, prodding home the fourth from close range, as England avenged Spain’s victory in the European Championship final back in May.

Who starred?

The stereotypical roles of the two nations were reversed, as England bossed possession and Spain looked to hit on the counter, a tactic that worked as Gomes twice profited from half-cleared balls inside the area.

Those goals were two of just five Spanish efforts on target though, while England had 25 shots on goal, 11 of which found the target.

Liverpool striker Brewster secured the tournament’s golden boot with the goal that put the game back within reach but it was the players just behind him who really stood out.

In player of the tournament Foden and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, this England side had the players to seriously hurt Spain, almost at will in the second half.

Right-back Steven Sessegnon also impressed, setting up the first two goals with powerful overlapping runs, while another major player, Jadon Sancho, was not involved at all after being recalled by new club Borussia Dortmund.

Sancho has already made his Bundesliga debut. How long until we see some of this squad playing in the Premier League? Foden, for example, was told by his Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola that he would have played in the League Cup had he not gone to India.

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Source: BBC

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He condemned the suspension of Catalonia’s autonomy and promised to continue to “work to build a free country”.

He made the call in a pre-recorded TV address to Catalans broadcast on Saturday afternoon.

The Spanish government has stripped Catalonia of its autonomy and taken charge of its government.

The measures came early on Saturday after the Catalan parliament voted to declare independence the previous day.

Earlier, Spain’s interior ministry took charge of Catalonia’s police after firing senior Catalan police officials.

Friday saw Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announce the dissolution of the regional parliament and the removal of Mr Puigdemont as Catalan leader, and call snap regional elections.

An an official state bulletin (in Spanish) handed control of Catalonia to Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria.

Demonstrations for and against independence went on into the night and a large rally “for the unity of Spain and the constitution” was held in Madrid on Saturday.

In his TV address, Mr Puigdemont, describing the declaration of independence, said Friday had been “a day with democratic and civic sensibility”.

He said the central government’s actions since then were “contrary to the expressed will of the citizens of our country, who know perfectly well that in a democracy it is parliaments that choose, or remove, presidents”.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part, 90% were in favour of independence.

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Source: BBC

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The move was backed 70-10 in a ballot boycotted by opposition MPs.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy earlier told senators direct rule was needed to return “law, democracy and stability” to Catalonia.

The crisis began when Catalans backed independence in an illegal vote earlier this month.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part in the referendum, 90% were in favour of independence. But Spain’s Constitutional Court had ruled the vote illegal.

In all, the motion declaring independence was approved with 70 in favour, 10 against and two abstentions in the 135-seat chamber.

Immediately afterwards, Mr Rajoy called for all Spaniards to remain calm, promising to “restore legality” to Catalonia.

Spain’s Senate is still to vote on whether for the first time to enact Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which empowers the government to take “all measures necessary to compel” a region in case of a crisis.

It would enable Madrid to fire Catalan leaders, and take control of the region’s finances, police and public media.

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Source: BBC

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The plan, which still requires the approval of the upper house Senate, seeks to resolve Spain’s worst political crisis in four decades but risks an angry reaction from independence supporters, who plan street protests later in the day.

In outlining the cabinet’s decision, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the Catalan economy, which accounts for a fifth of the national economy, was already in worrying shape as a result of the regional’s government push for independence.

“We will ask the Senate, with the aim of protecting the general interest of the nation, to authorize the government… to sack the Catalan president and his government,” Rajoy told a news conference.

It is the first time since Spain’s return to democracy in the late 1970s that the central government has invoked the constitutional right to take control of a region and rule it directly from Madrid.

Direct rule will include full control of the region’s police, finances and public media. The powers of the regional parliament will also be curbed.

Rajoy said his intention was to not use those special powers for more than six months and he would call a regional election as soon as the situation was back to “normal.”

“Our objective is to restore the law and a normal cohabitation among citizens, which has deteriorated a lot, continue with the economic recovery, which is under threat today in Catalonia, and celebrate elections in a situation of normality,” Rajoy said.

The measures must now be approved by Spain’s upper house, the Senate, where a vote is scheduled for Oct. 27.

UNSUSTAINABLE

Rajoy has insisted that Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who heads the northeastern region’s government, has broken the law several times in pushing for independence, including with a referendum on Oct. 1 that the government declared illegal.

“The rulers of Catalonia have respected neither the law on which is based our democracy nor the general interest,” the government said in a memorandum obtained by Reuters. “This situation is unsustainable.”

The independence push has brought on Spain’s worst political crisis since a failed military coup in 1981 several years after the end of the Franco dictatorship. It has met with strong opposition across the rest of Spain, divided Catalonia itself, and raised the prospect of prolonged street protests

It has also led Madrid to cut economic growth forecasts for the euro zone’s fourth-largest economy and prompted hundreds of firms to move their headquarters from Catalonia. Rajoy on Saturday urged firms to stay in the region.

The main opposition Socialists said on Friday they would back special measures and had agreed on the holding of regional elections in January. Rajoy also received the backing of the head of state, King Felipe, on Friday, who said at a public ceremony that “Catalonia is and will remain an essential part” of Spain.

Pro-independence groups have mustered more than one million people onto the streets in protest at Madrid’s refusal to negotiate a solution. Heavy-handed police tactics to shut down a the Oct. 1 independence referendum drew criticism from human rights groups.

Regional authorities said about 90 percent of those who cast ballots voted for independence. But only 43 percent of voters participated and opponents of secession mostly stayed home.

Puigdemont stopped short of making a unilateral declaration of independence following the referendum, but on Thursday he threatened to do so unless the government agreed to a dialogue. He accused Madrid of “repression”.

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Source: Reuters

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