Spain's Catalonia gripped by general strike

Barcelona, Spain • Trade unions in Catalonia led a general strike Tuesday that closed down businesses and blocked highways to protest violence by Spain’s national police during the region’s chaotic independence vote.Huge crowds poured through the streets of Barcelona in the latest act of defiance against the central government and its rejection of Sunday’s referendum that backed Catalonia’s long-held ambitions for autonomy.Some marches were led by firefighters in the