Spanish police arrested 12 politicians and officials in Barcelona days ahead of a controversial independence referendum in Catalonia that the federal government has said is illegal. Hundreds of people protested in front of the offices of the regional authorities in Barcelona, the capital, chanting for the Spanish police to "get out." The head of the regional government, Carles Puigdemont, convened an emergency meeting following the raids and arrests. Even though the Constitutional Court in Madrid has banned the vote, Puigdemont has vowed to go ahead with the referendum on October 1. Last week, 1 million people took to the streets of Barcelona to demonstrate in favour of independence.

Source: The China Post September 20, 2017 23:48 UTC