News; Catalonia pushes harder to be independent

MADRID (AP) — Ruling pro-independence parties in Catalonia have reaffirmed their declared intention to disconnect from Spain despite a Constitutional Court ruling suspending that declaration.

The motion was approved Thursday in the regional parliament in Barcelona by the "Together for Yes" group and its anti-capitalist coalition partner, CUP.

    The parliament, however, rejected calls by CUP for regional lawmakers and institutions, including local police, to disobey Spanish courts.

The motion's approval comes in response to the Constitutional Court's rejection of the original announcement of a road map for independence by 2017 that was approved Nov. 10.

Pro-secession parties hold a slim majority in the parliament but the region of 7.5 million people is evenly divided over splitting from Spain.

                                                                                                                                                           

Catalonia accounts for nearly a fifth of Spain's economic output.