https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Spain's audit office on Monday ordered former Catalan president Artur Mas and nine others to repay €4.9 million ($5.5 million) of public money spent on staging a 2014 independence referendum. https://www.thelocal.es/20181112/former-catalan-leader-ordered-to-pay-49-million-over-vote Mon, 12 Nov 2018 19:18:46 +0100 former-catalan-leader-ordered-to-pay-49-million-over-vote The trial of Artur Mas, former president of Spain's Catalonia region, over a non-binding independence vote in 2014 ended Friday after a day of heated courtroom exchanges. https://www.thelocal.es/20170211/ex-catalan-chiefs-trial-over-independence-vote-ends Sat, 11 Feb 2017 14:28:21 +0100 ex-catalan-chiefs-trial-over-independence-vote-ends On trial for holding a symbolic independence vote, Catalonia's former leader Artur Mas warned Madrid against implementing drastic measures to stop another such referendum - binding this time - from taking place as planned by his successor. https://www.thelocal.es/20170208/catalonias-former-separatist-leader-mas-warns-madrid-of-backlash Wed, 08 Feb 2017 15:47:09 +0100 catalonias-former-separatist-leader-mas-warns-madrid-of-backlash Catalonia's former separatist chief Artur Mas will stand trial for staging a symbolic independence vote, judicial authorities said on Thursday, just weeks after the Spanish region's current president promised a referendum. https://www.thelocal.es/20161013/ex-catalan-chief-to-stand-trial-for-independence-vote Thu, 13 Oct 2016 17:50:02 +0200 ex-catalan-chief-to-stand-trial-for-independence-vote Spanish prosecutors called on Monday for Catalonia's former separatist chief Artur Mas to be handed a 10-year ban on holding public office ahead of his trial for staging a symbolic vote on independence. https://www.thelocal.es/20161004/spain-prosecutors-seek-public-office-ban-for-ex-catalan-chief Tue, 04 Oct 2016 11:29:15 +0200 spain-prosecutors-seek-public-office-ban-for-ex-catalan-chief Catalonia's new fiercely secessionist president Carles Puigdemont took office Tuesday with a clear mandate to lead the wealthy Spanish region towards independence from Madrid - carefully avoiding swearing loyalty to Spain as he was inaugurated. https://www.thelocal.es/20160113/catalonias-new-pro-independence-leader-takes-office Wed, 13 Jan 2016 09:53:03 +0100 catalonias-new-pro-independence-leader-takes-office Catalonia's separatist leader Artur Mas said he was reluctantly "ready" to call fresh parliamentary elections as a deadline for the Spanish region's secessionist faction to form a government approached dangerously close. https://www.thelocal.es/20160105/catalonias-separatist-leader-ready-to-call-fresh-elections Tue, 05 Jan 2016 15:27:35 +0100 catalonias-separatist-leader-ready-to-call-fresh-elections A far-left Catalan separatist party on Sunday put off until January 2nd a decision on whether to back the formation of a new government led by outgoing regional president Artur Mas that would work towards breaking away from Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20151228/separtists-in-deadlock-over-new-cata Mon, 28 Dec 2015 09:59:43 +0100 separtists-in-deadlock-over-new-cata Artur Mas has failed in his second attempt to win re-election as the region’s president after he was denied support from the anti-capitalist CUP party. https://www.thelocal.es/20151112/artur-mas-fails-vote-president-catalonia Thu, 12 Nov 2015 17:01:37 +0100 artur-mas-fails-vote-president-catalonia UPDATED: Catalonia's regional parliament kicked off a hugely anticipated debate on Monday that will culminate with a vote on whether to launch a secession process, in its latest showdown with the central government of Spain in Madrid. https://www.thelocal.es/20151109/cata Mon, 09 Nov 2015 10:05:51 +0100 cata UPDATED: Catalonia leader Artur Mas said on Thursday he took full responsibility for a ballot on independence for his region from Spain, after a judge questioned him on charges over the vote. https://www.thelocal.es/20151015/catalan-president-due-in-court-over-independence-vote Thu, 15 Oct 2015 11:11:19 +0200 catalan-president-due-in-court-over-independence-vote Catalonia's leader Artur Mas admits that he was not always a nationalist. But now he is pledging his political life to the cause of making his region independent from Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20150928/artur-mas-last-regional-president-or-future-head-of-independent-state Mon, 28 Sep 2015 16:03:59 +0200 artur-mas-last-regional-president-or-future-head-of-independent-state Catalonia on Monday called early regional elections for September 27th, polls that will serve as a proxy vote on independence from Spain and raise tensions with the central government in Madrid. https://www.thelocal.es/20150804/catalonia-calls-early-poll-in-independence-vote Tue, 04 Aug 2015 10:54:30 +0200 catalonia-calls-early-poll-in-independence-vote Three ministers from the junior party in the coalition that runs Catalonia pulled out of the regional government due to disagreements over its push to break away from Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20150618/catalan-ministers-step-down-over-independence Thu, 18 Jun 2015 10:59:47 +0200 catalan-ministers-step-down-over-independence President of Catalonia, Artur Mas, has revived Barack Obama’s famous election slogan "yes we can" six years after it was originally used, to describe the struggle for Catalan independence on a visit to New York. https://www.thelocal.es/20150409/mas-jumps-on-yes-we-can-bandwagon Thu, 09 Apr 2015 13:19:13 +0200 mas-jumps-on-yes-we-can-bandwagon The Catalonia region plans to open more offices representing its interests abroad in the hope of facilitating secession from Spain if Catalan separatists win a regional election, a source said. https://www.thelocal.es/20150121/new-catalan-embassies-boost-independence-bid Wed, 21 Jan 2015 10:26:00 +0100 new-catalan-embassies-boost-independence-bid The President of Catalonia Artur Mas announced on Wednesday that voters in the region will go to the polls in 2015. Pro-independence parties will not however, join forces to win the election. https://www.thelocal.es/20150114/catalan-president-calls-early-regions-elections Wed, 14 Jan 2015 21:42:00 +0100 catalan-president-calls-early-regions-elections What will be the front page stories in Spain in 2015? And who, or what, will hog the limelight? The Local has gazed into the crystal ball to make predictions about what the country can expect in the year to come. https://www.thelocal.es/20150102/spains-top-news-in-2015-a-sneak-preview Fri, 02 Jan 2015 11:00:00 +0100 spains-top-news-in-2015-a-sneak-preview Catalonia's president Artur Mas was placed under investigation on Monday for holding a banned vote on whether his region should be independent from Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20141222/court-launches-case-against-catalan-leader-artur-mas-spain Mon, 22 Dec 2014 17:52:31 +0100 court-launches-case-against-catalan-leader-artur-mas-spain Spain's King Felipe VI praised the merits of unity on Thursday in his first speech in Catalonia since the wealthy northwest region held a symbolic vote on independence. https://www.thelocal.es/20141212/spanish-king-praises-unity-on-visit-to-catalonia-after-vote Fri, 12 Dec 2014 10:15:00 +0100 spanish-king-praises-unity-on-visit-to-catalonia-after-vote