Spain sacks Catalan government after independence vote

The Cumbre Vieja volcano sends huge plumes of thick black smoke into the sky, churning up molten lava that oozed down the mountainside on the Spanish island of La Palma.

The price of electricity in Spain has skyrocketed in recent months, leaving some consumers with difficult choices to make about their spending. The Spanish government has announced measures including a VAT cut and a windfall tax on energy company profits to try to combat the price increases, which have been triggered by the rising price of gas. Also today, the troubled Chinese property developer Evergrande faces a major debt deadline.

The exiled former Catalan leader has arrived in court in Sassari, Italy. He is wanted on charges of sedition over his role in Catalonia's ill-fated push for independence.

World champions France won the Nations League final with goals from Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe earning them a 2-1 win over Spain at the San Siro stadium on Sunday. Didier Deschamps' side had struggled to get a foothold in the game during a first half dominated by Spain but after going a goal down through Mikel Oyarzabal's strike, they came alive.

Europe's bear population is on the increase and in the French Pyrenees, bears and farmers have been struggling to cohabit. But over in northern Spain's Cantabrian Mountains, NGOs have found solutions to ensure that bears and humans can live side by side in harmony. So what's their secret? Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Camille Nedelec.

Spain's foreign minister has responded to comments by the exiled Catalan independence leader Carles Puigdemont that Madrid is "using judicial power to achieve political goals", saying "in Spain, no one is above the law". On October 5, an Italian court suspended Puigdemont's extradition proceedings pending a ruling by the European Court of Justice – proceedings that the Catalan leader says should be dropped by Spain.

With greenhouses as far as the eye can see, the southern Spanish region of Andalusia has been nicknamed the "Sea of Plastic". Intensive farming is the norm and it helps feed the European market with fruit and vegetables all year long. It also produces an estimated 33,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year. Until two years ago, this waste was exported to countries such as China, Pakistan and Turkey. But now that these countries are refusing to take rubbish from rich countries, the "Sea of Plastic" is faced with the urgent challenge of recycling its own waste. Our correspondents report.

Last year in Spain, some 50,000 children were in state care – a high number that is largely a consequence of failures in the care system. In Spain, children can be taken into care as a precautionary measure, a step that is five times more frequent than in neighbouring France. The decision in Spain to remove children from their parents is made not by a judge but by social workers. However, it often becomes irreversible, meaning that those parents face a long battle to get their children back. Our correspondents investigate.

A grave lack of state support programs has driven many young Spaniards to despair in recent years, which were marked by multiple economic crises. As students are suffering the most, efforts are underway to help them.

The first stop for the devout Catholic US president is an audience with the pope, then Biden will make the case for democratic values and US leadership on climate change at the G20 and COP26 meetings.

After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, thousands of people were evacuated to Europe. Paralympic wheelchair basketball player Nilofar Bayat and her husband are now living in the Spanish city of Bilbao - making a fresh start on the court.

After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, thousands of people were evacuated to Europe. Paralympic wheelchair basketball player Nilofar Bayat and her husband are now living in the Spanish city of Bilbao - making a fresh start on the court.