Spanish government

The Spanish government has stripped Catalonia's most senior police officials of their powers, hours after direct rule was imposed on the region, BBC reports.

The Catalan regional parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain, while the Spanish parliament has approved direct rule over the region.

Catalan MPs backed the motion 70-10 in a ballot boycotted by the opposition.

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

The Spanish government prepared to impose direct rule over Catalonia on Friday to block its push for independence, an unprecedented move that takes Spain's worst political crisis in four decades to a new level, Reuters reports.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont kept friends and foes guessing on Wednesday on whether he intends to unilaterally declare independence as the Spanish government prepares to impose direct rule to stop the region breaking away, Reuters reports.

Spanish King Felipe VI was named last night as a persona non grata in the city council of the Catalan city of Girona, where the separatists have strong positions, according to TASS.

CATALONIA is set to defy any attempt by Madrid to impose direct rule over the region which will see the region's police stand in defiance of control from the Spanish capital, The Daily Express reports.

Representatives of the government and parliament in Catalonia have warned that civil disobedience may be possible if Madrid actually triggered the constitutional clause stopping the autonomous rights of the region, reports sega. 

The EC says that its position on Catalonia remained unchanged after Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy said the Constitution's Article 155 would be triggered.

Catalonia's leaders said on Saturday they would not accept direct rule imposed on the region by the Spanish government, as a political crisis that has rattled the economy and raised fears of prolonged unrest showed no signs of easing, Reuters reports.

End of the self-management of Catalonia. As the state warned on Thursday, the Spanish government has begun the process of taking away the autonomous status of the area. Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, spoke personally after the extraordinary government meeting held today in Madrid.