MADRID: Frustration and anxiety mounted across Spain on Saturday in the face of Catalonia’s determination to defy Madrid and hold a banned independence referendum for the wealthy northeastern region. “The latest polls show 75 percent of Spaniards oppose the referendum, for fear of secession,” he said. My bottles, my labels, come from Catalan companies, and I need them for my exports,” he said. Keeping Spain united is also crucial for Rodrigo Marrero, a lawyer from Spain’s Canary Islands who works in Madrid. He said that some Catalans complain that Andalusians lack a strong work ethic and benefit from the tax revenues their region transfers to Madrid.

Source: New Strait Times September 30, 2017 15:45 UTC