The ousted leader of the Catalan provincial government, Carles Puigdemont, made his first appearance in public on Tuesday after fleeing to Brussels to escape charges of sedition that could see him sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Vowing to continue to agitate for independence from the capital of the European Union, Mr Puigdemont accused Madrid of “sowing chaos” through its confrontation with the separatists. He demanded guarantee of a fair trial before he would contemplate returning. "We want to avoid violence because peace and dialogue will always be our priority" he said.
“If they can guarantee to all of us — and to me in particular – a just, independent process, with the separation of powers that we have in the majority of European nations – if they guarantee that, we would return immediately.”
In fact the streets of Barcelona and other parts of the region are calm after a smooth takeover of the local police force and the branches of the devolved government.
Four days after the unilateral declaration of the republic, only the diehards would persist in the belief that the foundation of independence has been laid. It was effectively snuffed out at birth by Madrid’s use of constitutional powers to shut down the Catalan government and parliament on Friday.
Independence supporters expressed anger at Mr Puigdemont’s flight to Brussels ahead in the aftermath of the declaration.
“If you declare independence, you should stay close to your people,” said Xisca Pascual, an activist and academic.
The headquarters of Mr Puigdemont’s Catalan Democratic Party, a centre-right grouping, sits at the heart of Barcelona’s main tourist areas, on the same street as a fantastically curved building designed by the architect Antonio Gaudi.
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Read more:
Catalans opposing referendum fear dangerous path ahead
Catalonia crisis: Hundreds of thousands march in Barcelona against independence
An Independent Catalonia: what does it mean?
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There is a desolate air in the office, where the receptionist was watching his Brussels press conference on her mobile phone. Next door at the Provenca cafe, only one man was watching the question and answer session.
“This is difficult to watch,” said Angel Navarro, a former hotel worker. "We have been left alone when we need leadership. The independently minded Catalans are still small in number and the belief in the division of Spain is still weak.
“How can Puigdemont do this from Brussels? Who will listen to him?”
Pro-independence politicians are split on participation in the December 21 regional elections. The executive of the Catalan Democratic Party says it will contest the polls but fears losses on its 2016 result.
Its coalition partner, the smaller, leftist CUP, is split with a fierce debate on boycotting the Madrid-run vote.
“We must strengthen the mobilisation of our supporters to create a popular movement that is clearly the majority and not of elections that are a clearly undemocratic framework,” said Benet Salellas, one of the outgoing MPs. "We need to reflect on what happened in the last days and weeks, they have demonstrated the limitations of the institution. There must be new institutions that reflect the views of the people, the street. These proposals must come from the bottom up.”
The more suspicious-minded residents suspect a conspiracy of interests between the central government of Mariano Rajoy and Mr Puigdemont ahead of his flit across the border. One man pointed out that the only office representing Catalan’s government abroad that had not been shut down was in Belgium.
“We already know why the Catalan 'embassy' in Belgium is the only one that does not close. Puigdemont needs it. Everything very agreed upon and premeditated,” said Josep Tou Tarres, a businessman.
The Belgian lawyer engaged by Mr Puigdemont has a reputation for working with separatists, including accused terrorists of the Basque group ETA and the Irish faction Sinn Fein.
Paul Beckaert, who specialises in asylum issues, said his client had yet to decide whether to seek protection from extradition from Brussels. Belgium is the only country in the EU which does not apply the so-called Spanish Protocol, which does not allow one member state to protect the citizens of another from prosecution.
"We have a lot of time to decide," Mr Beckaert said. "We will see in the coming weeks what we are doing.”
Belgium’s coalition government includes Flemish separatists and there are concerns the Catalonia crisis will revive campaigns to break up other European countries.
Despite the collapse of the putative republic, many Catalonians continue to insist the region’s moment will come. Even those with family in other parts of Spain say they feel a degree of separation from the kingdom that was not present during their childhood.
“It's a cultural thing and I know it makes a lot of people angry,” said David Banos, a waiter in Barcelona. “I have cousins in Madrid who feel very betrayed. But we in Catalonia have developed our own language and we want the opportunity of standing on our own in the world. We believe we have more opportunities to prosper if we run our own affairs. The Madrid government holds us back.”
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Muguruza's singles career in stats
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)
Wins / losses 293 / 149
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
SHAITTAN
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Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: Eghel De Pine, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Sheaar, Szczepan Mazur, Saeed Al Shamsi
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA) Group 3 Dh500,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Torch, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,600m | Winner: Forjatt, Chris Hayes, Nicholas Bachalard
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,400m | Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Ridha ben Attia
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Qader, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roaulle
