Catalans stage symbolic independence vote

Inhabitants of the Spanish region of Catalonia turned out to vote in a symbolic referendum on independence on Sunday (13 December), a headache for Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero just two weeks before his country takes over the EU's rotating presidency.

But a lower turnout than organisers had hoped for indicated the minority status of those seeking independence in the rich north eastern region - home to seven million people and whose capital is Barcelona.