POLITICS
Spain moves to override Catalonia’s autonomy
By Jordi Bou
October 19, 2017 - Deadline set up by the Spanish government for Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to back away from claiming independence or face the possibility of direct rule from Madrid.
In a confrontation viewed with mounting alarm in European capitals and financial markets, Puigdemont has yet to respond to Madrid’s ultimatum to clarify whether he had declared unilateral independence in a speech on Oct 10. He has instead called for dialogue.