Catalans have switched on a giant clock in Barcelona to count the days and hours to a referendum on secession on 9 November after local leader Artur Mas signed the project into law on Saturday (27 September). But Madrid says it will not go ahead. Spain’s deputy PM, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, told press shortly after Mas’ signature ceremony that “this referendum will not take place because it is not constitutional”. She added: “No government and no single person is above the will of sovereignty, and it is the government’s job to ensure that the law is not broken … No one is above democracy, nor can they decide [which ... (full story)