Spain rejects Catalonia independence poll

Spain’s prime minister has rejected a request by the leader of Catalonia to approve a referendum that would allow the north-eastern region to decide whether to secede from the rest of the country.

In a written reply, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told Artur Mas, leader of the economically powerful region, “the ties that bind us together cannot be undone without enormous cost” and that the two politicians should hold talks instead.