Catalan leader rules out new regional elections to end stand-off with Madrid

The leader of Spain's secession-minded Catalonia region says he has decided against calling a parliamentary election that might have defused tension with the Spanish government.

Carles Puigdemont said he considered calling a snap election, but was choosing not to because he did not receive enough guarantees that the central government's "abusive" moves to take control of Catalonia would be suspended.