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Plaid Cymru - Party of Wales leader Leanne Wood has condemned the Spanish Government repression in Catalonia, saying: “In a democratic country it is crucial that citizens are able to debate the future of their nation.

"The Catalan people are asking only for a vote on their nation’s future and for the Spanish Government to respond with threats and repression falls far short of modern democratic standards.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): "On average around 55 elephants are poached every day in Africa, that's one every 25 minutes. This appalling slaughter continues due to the global demand for ivory, with the majority of elephant tusks smuggled by criminals to Asia, despite an international trade ban." 

Raids on Catalan government offices this morning saw Spanish police arrest Catalonia's junior economy minister Josep Maria Jove. This comes ahead of the Catalan referendum on independence from Spain on 1st October, which the Spanish state is doing all in its power to prevent. Local reports say that Spanish police entered offices of the Catalan region's economy, interior, foreign affairs, welfare, telecommunications and tax departments with at least 12 high-ranking local officials being arrested.

Celebrations to mark Owain Glyndŵr Day took place throughout Wales last week. He was the last person to legitimately hold the title Prince of Wales. Owain Glyndŵr (c.1349-c.1416) was the leader of a Welsh revolt against English rule between 1400 and 1409. He created the first Welsh parliament at Machynlleth in 1404 and 16th September 2017 marked 617 years since he raised his standard against the English invaders.

The government of Scotland has made a clear statement of support for the Catalan people to have the right to vote for their independence from Spain. Catalonia has its own democratically elected parliament, which is in charge of a great number of its own affairs. The Catalan parliament has voted to hold a referendum on independence from Spain. The vote is supported by the Catalan President and the Catalan government and a referendum is to be held on 1st October 2017.

An increase of the number of court cases conducted in Welsh is in the offing according to a report issued by Roger Thomas, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.

Citing an “increased awareness” of the impact of devolution in Wales the report suggests the way is being paved for a significant increase in the use of Welsh in the court room and in the “general administration of justice in Wales”.

At the time of Canadian Confederation, in 1867, Gaelic was the third most spoken language in Canada. As many as one hundred thousand Nova Scotians spoke Gaelic as their mother tongue in 1900. Today, estimates claim there are between 1000 and 2000 Gaelic speakers and learners in the province. The decline in Gaelic language is, in large part, due to educational policies…. In the early 1900’s many students began school as Gaelic speakers but were forced to learn English as that was the only language spoken in school.

News from the Celtic League. The General Secretary of the Celtic League has issued the following statement:

Outrageous Behaviour by Spanish Authorities

On the weekend before the National Day of Catalunya (11th September) it is disappointing , but not surprising that the Spanish authorities have started making overt attempts to disrupt the Catalan referendum on independence.

The decision by the head of An Garda Síochána (Ireland's police) Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan, to retire with immediate effect has been welcomed by many. Despite, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar telling the Dail in June that he and his government had confidence in the Garda commissioner, she had faced several opposition calls for her to stand down. The Garda has been mired in a number of controversies.

In this news item on Yn Commeeys Yn Celtiagh - Celtic News Mannin, the escalating tensions in Catalonia are dicussed ahead of next months Catalan referendum on independence from Spain. The Spanish government's hard line stance to prevent the Catalan people from exercising their democratic right to vote is set to see the biggest confrontation in Europe since the events in Ukraine:

TENSION GROWS AHEAD OF CATALAN REFERENDUM