Spain Lifts Arrest Warrant for Catalan Leader Carles Puigdemont

After nine years in exile, the separatist leader is now free to return home as Spanish courts drop the charges against him.

Big news out of Spain today. The country has officially lifted the arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont. He is a famous leader who wants Catalonia, a region in Spain, to be its own independent country. Puigdemont has been living in exile—meaning he had to stay outside of Spain to avoid being arrested—for nine years. This all started because of his role in a push for Catalan independence that the Spanish government said was illegal. Because the court dropped the warrant, Puigdemont is now free to travel back to his home. This move comes at a big time, as there are important local elections …