Spanish parliament approves direct rule over Catalonia

Intense flooding has caused devastating damage to cars and houses in the town of Alcanar, on the Spanish Catalan coast. Authorities accelerated clean up efforts after intense rain washed away cars, filled homes with mud and knocked out power in the east of the country.

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 eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in Spain's Canaries archipelago enters the seventh day. The airport of La Palma reopened Sunday after a 24-hour closure due to ash, but with flights remaining suspended until conditions improve.

US President Joe Biden sends his best wishes as Mexico celebrates 200 years of independence, saying that both countries have learned that they are stronger when they "stand together as neighbors, partners and friends."

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.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991, but few countries recognise it statehood. The territory of 4.5 million is fiercely proud of its independence, but three decades on, the lack of official status hobbles economic hopes.

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.