Spain and Catalonia spar over Separatism

Photo by Josep Renalias

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rahoy today took the first tentative step toward imposing administrative control over the would-be breakaway region of Catalonia. He asked Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to clarify whether he'd actually meant to declare independence in a speech yesterday. If he did, the Spanish government is prepared to invoke a provision in the national constitution that would suspend Catalonia's autonomous administration. For more, we turn to Raphael Minder, a Spain-based reporter for the New York Times who's been following the situation.