Separatist backers disappointed as Catalonia's regional leader stops short of declaring independence from Spain
BARCELONA, Spain - Catalonia's leader stopped short Tuesday of an outright independence declaration for the region in northeastern Spain, instead charting a course that seemingly satisfied neither his separatist base nor the central government in Madrid.
The Catalonia confrontation, Spain's worst political crisis in decades, pits breakaway-minded leaders in the wealthy region against the Madrid government, which has warned of harsh but unspecified measures if the independence bid goes forward.
