Catalonia's parliament has met for the first time since the region's failed attempt to gain independence from Spain.
On Wednesday, Catalan MPs elected a pro-independence speaker, Roger Torrent, in what is the first step to reinstating local government.
Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont tweeted his congratulations to the new speaker.
"I am sure you will exercise the post with nobility and bravery, protecting institutions and the country," he said.
There has been a clear show of support from many Catalan MPs for Mr Puigdemont to return to his former post as president.
The Catalan parliament in Barcelona has been standing empty for almost 90 days, last filled with celebrating separatists who had just illegally declared their independence from Spain in October.
In response, Mr Rajoy took direct control of the region, sacking its leaders and dissolving its parliament.
Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has been in self-imposed exile in Belgium ever since. He fled hours before Spain’s attorney general asked for charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds to be brought against him and some of his cabinet over their decision to declare independence.
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Read more
Spain's PM warns ousted Catalan leader against swearing-in from Brussels
Catalan separatists join to re-elect ousted Puigdemont as leader
Former Catalan president presses his case for a return to power
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He risks arrest if he returns to Spain and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has also threatened to refuse to restore Catalonia's autonomous powers if the regional parliament permits Mr Puigdemont to lead the government from exile.
Nicknamed the ‘hologram president’, Mr Puigdemont's team believe he could rule via Skype, Facebook and social media if need be, citing the success of US president Donald Trump’s use of social media to disseminate his message.
Mr Rajoy has called this absurd and the Catalan parliament's own legal experts have ruled that any president must be physically present in the parliamentary building.
The region's three separatist parties are set to govern again, after they won 72 out of 135 available seats in the snap elections called in December. This qualifies them to govern as a coalition if they choose to establish one.
Mr Torrent is a member of the left-wing separatist ERC party, whose leader, Oriol Junqueras, is among three Catalan MPs in prison awaiting trial over the declaration of independence. The MPs were allowed to vote to select a parliamentary speaker via proxies.
Five others in self-imposed exile in Belgium, who were ‘represented’ in parliament by large yellow ribbons on their seats, did not assign proxies.
The MPs will select a board who will decide who gets the first shot at forming a government. The selection of a new president is expected to take place on January 31.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Understand What Black Is
The Last Poets
(Studio Rockers)
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
