Catalan MPs have elected a fervent separatist as the new chief of the region, ending a leadership vacuum of more than six months and setting the scene for more confrontations with the Spanish government. Quim Torra, 55, a former corporate lawyer who went on to lead a prominent pro-secession group, vowed to build an independent Catalan republic by working under the leadership of his fugitive predecessor, Carles Puigdemont.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is ignoring a London Metropolitan Police order to surrender himself at a police station, his representative has said. Susan Benn said he was advised to decline to comply and will remain inside the Ecuadorian embassy while his application for asylum is processed.
The former Panamanian leader, Manuel Noriega, has been extradited to France by the United States after spending more than 20 years in a prison there.