Spain's Catalonia region is set to pick a new parliament Thursday amid ongoing independence fight
Spain's Catalonia region - best known for ravishing beaches and its tourist-magnet capital, Barcelona - grabbed the spotlight in October by holding an independence referendum despite central government warnings against any moves toward breaking away. The vote, which favored secession, was followed by a unilateral declaration by the regional parliament that Catalonia was cleaving itself off from Spain.
That hasn't happened: Spain's central government swiftly stepped in, stripping the northeastern region of its powers of autonomy and ordering early regional elections to determine new local leadership. With that vote set Thursday,
