All the latest headlines this lunchtime.

When Catalonia went to the polls eight weeks ago there was a sense among Barcelona fans that this was a defining moment for their club as well as the country.

Our man inside the game has seen plenty of midweek trips to the sun backfire.

Interpretation can be a wonderful thing, it has the ability to decipher and unite in the form of

At a moment when faith in politics, especially international politics, to champion liberal, uplifting, human-rights values is at a low ebb, it is reassuring that Angela Merkel seems close to securing a fourth term as Germany’s chancellor.

Here's all you need to know.

World markets gave a muted reception to the passage of US tax cuts, while bonds steadied having been spooked by the expected blowout in government debt needed to fund the giveaways.

A Spanish judge has ordered that four prominent members of the Catalan independence movement should remain in custody, including the vice-president of the ousted regional government.

Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has criticised the passivity of European politicians in denouncing the prosecution of dismissed secessionist officials.

Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and four close separatist allies have regained their freedom at the end of a tumultuous week that started when they surrendered in Brussels to face possible extradition to Spain for allegedly plotting a rebellion.

The current crisis in Catalonia is just one of a number of separatist issues being looked on with disfavour and alarm in Europe’s corridors of power, writes John Lloyd    

I have friends in Barcelona, and when we go there, a must-see with them is the traditional dances and music outside of the parliament building on the square.

The Catalans’ decision to declare independence showed contempt for democratic norms, writes Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt.

Opposition parties have heavily criticised the Government’s decision not to recognise the Catalonian independence vote, saying the move is a “travesty” that “ignores our own history”.

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans took to the streets of Barcelona to voice their opposition to the region's declaration of independence.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned Irish people planning to visit Spain to be prepared to adjust their travel plans at short notice if necessary.

SHOWDOWN BETWEEN SPAIN AND CATALONIA SET TO COME TO A HEAD

A Spain senate commission has approved the government's proposal for taking over the running of the country's powerful Catalonia region to stop its push for independence.

The leader of Spain's secession-minded Catalonia region says he has decided against calling a parliamentary election that might have defused tension with the Spanish government.

Latest: The president of Catalonia arranged and then hastily cancelled an official address today amid speculation that he might back off a full independence bid by calling a snap election.

Mr Rajoy said he hopes the measures planned, including the sacking of Mr Puigdemont's government and curtailment of the Catalan parliament's powers, will be brief.

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Catalonia's government is appealing against plans by Spain's central authorities to directly run the troubled north-eastern region.

Spanish government bonds and stockmarkets are not panicking over Catalonia because any secession by the region would have limited effects on Madrid’s finances and economy, a leading analytical firm has said.

David Davis will travel to Paris on Monday for Brexit talks days after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Britain would need to up its divorce payment offer to unlock trade negotiations.

The Spanish government is preparing to activate a constitutional article to take control of the Catalonia region in a bid to stop a rebellion from separatist politicians.

The pound surged against the euro today amid jitters over Catalonia's independence and news that EU member states will start preparing for the second phase of Brexit talks.

Spain's King Felipe VI has spoken out forcefully against Catalonia's independence drive, saying all Spaniards must respect each other and the law.

Spain is to hold a special Cabinet meeting at the weekend to activate measures to take control of Catalonia's semi-autonomous powers after the region's leader threatened to explicitly declare independence if no talks were offered.

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Spain cut its economic forecast for 2018 as the costs of the Catalan crisis begin to mount.

Output will grow by 2.3% next year instead of the 2.6% previously projected, the economy ministry said, citing the impact of the political standoff in Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spain’s gross domestic product, and the related struggle to approve a budget.

Catalonia's leader has called for dialogue with Spain and a meeting with the country's prime minister, complying with a Monday deadline to respond to a request from the central government to state explicitly whether he had declared independence.

All week the build-up to Barcelona’s visit to Atletico Madrid on Saturday night had centred on the difficult political situation in Spain, with a push towards independence in Catalonia, and the central authorities in the capital pushing back.

Recent events on radio station Newstalk resulted in the dinosaur (aka George Hook) being fired for his insensitive remarks.

Thousands of Catalans who want their region to remain in Spain marked the country's national day today, marching through Barcelona waving both Spanish and Catalan flags and shouting "I am Spanish".

LAST year’s Brexit vote in the UK provoked a mixture of shock and awe in Brussels but, as soon as they had picked themselves up off their marble floors, leading EU politicians, bureaucrats and policy makers were quick to announce that the community of nations still had a glorious future, remaining strong, resolute, economically powerful and united.

Update - 5.43pm: The Spanish government has given Catalan leaders a Monday deadline to clarify whether independence has been declared, an official said.

Spain's prime minister has described this month's referendum in Catalonia as part of a strategy "to impose independence that few want and is good for nobody".

Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy has formally asked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to clarify whether independence has been declared, saying that is needed before he can decide what steps to take.

Catch up on this morning's headlines...

In her article of October 7, under the headline “Ireland relied on support of others...it mustn’t look away as Catalans chart own freedom”, Marina Devlin compared the armed Spanish police disruption of the Catalan independence referendum to the 1916 Rising.

In the wake of Catalonia’s bid for independence, Yanis Varoufakis argues that a wish for a pan-European democracy is the prerequisite for imagining a Europe worth saving.

Spain's government has approved a decree making it easier for companies to move their official base out of Catalonia.