Catalans pledge wave of civil disobedience

Silver-haired activists armed with a broom and a bucket quietly plastered posters on walls saying "Hola nou pais" - "Hello new country", as the last customers finished their drinks at pavement cafes on a warm October night.

That birth was exactly what they and many others were celebrating in Catalonia, a prosperous north-eastern region whose politicians voted in favour of independence from Spain on Friday.