Spain To Suspend Catalonia's Government, Calls For Elections

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on October 21 that he would restrict the powers of the parliament in Catalonia, dismiss its government, and call elections within six months in an attempt to stop its leaders from declaring independence. Rajoy's government is activating Article 155, which allows the national government to impose direct rule over a semiautonomous region if it does not fulfill its obligations to the state. The article has never been invoked in democratic Spain. (Reuters)