Showdown between Spain and Catalonia set to come to a head
The stand-off between Spain and Catalonia over the wealthy region's bid to secede is set to come to a head today as the Spanish government prepares to strip away Catalan regional powers.
After weeks of mounting antagonism, Catalan officials had initially indicated regional President Carles Puigdemont was preparing to announce a snap election for December - a vote that had been the Spanish government's idea as a way of ending the country's worst political crisis in decades.
