Catalan authorities call independence vote

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont signed a decree on Wednesday evening (6 September), officially calling an independence referendum on 1 October, in a move that the Spanish government has vowed to block.

"No one has the authority to take away our right to decide" he said after signing. "Catalonia will decide its own future on 1 October."

He called on Catalans to "build a modern, democratic, and free state."

Earlier in the day, separatist parties in the Catalan parliament app...