Jordi Sànchez, who has been behind bars for almost five months now, is requesting permission to defend his candidacy for president by appealing the ruling made by the Spanish Supreme Court. After Carles Puigdemont, he is the second pro-independence MP to try to become Catalan leader - and the second to come up against Spanish opposition. In the meantime, there is no government, and Madrid’s direct rule continues, which continues to cause concerns. Also today, there was a report on the state of child poverty in the country, and the Catalan film industry got an international platform, in Mexico.