Toxic Spill As Train Plunges Off Bridge

A rail bridge has collapsed over a creek in New Jersey causing a freight train to derail and spill hazardous chemicals.

Police said vinyl chloride, a highly toxic and flammable industrial chemical, was spilling from at least one of the Conrail cars that derailed in Paulsboro at a crossing near the Delaware River.

Seven cars derailed and three fell into Mantua Creek. Some 22 people were checked by a doctor, many for breathing problems, but there were only "minor" injuries.

Larry Ragonese, spokesman for New Jersey's environmental health department, said: "Several cars had vinyl chloride and only one of those cars went into the water and lost some of its cargo and released some of the vinyl chloride into the air.

"That vinyl chloride has dissipated at this point. It's really a minimal environmental or health issue at this point."

Residents in the area were advised to remain indoors, with their windows shut.

The US Coast Guard said in a statement: "Authorities are in the process of assessing what materials have been spilled from any damaged container cars."

Television images of the scene showed several cars partly submerged in the creek.

One car was shown at a near-vertical angle from the bridge bed into the water.

Conrail is jointly owned by rail operators CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp.

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West Bank Settlement Plan Blow To Peace Hopes

By Dominic Waghorn, US Correspondent

Palestinians say the two-state solution to the Middle East conflict is at death's door after Israel announced it is reviving plans to build on occupied land in a controversial area of East Jerusalem.

The US government is also criticising Israel for the move.

"This administration - like previous administrations - has been very clear with Israel that these activities set back the cause of a negotiated peace," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Washington.

E1 is the only large area of empty land left between East Jerusalem and the West Bank, sandwiched between Israeli settlements.

Reviving plans to build a settlement there could be fatal for the peace process, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told Sky News in Washington.

"It would kill it. This would be the last nail in the coffin of the peace process a process that fulfils that which has been and has become a matter of international consensus. The two state solution to this conflict. It simply cannot happen if E1 is implemented."

Palestinians say they cannot sign any peace deal that does not have at least a part of Jerusalem as their capital, for religious and political reasons.

An Israeli settlement on E1 would make a land corridor between that capital and the rest of a Palestinian state impossible.

That makes building on E1 a very different proposition to other Israeli settlement plans. For that reason former US President George Bush made then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promise not to build on E1 and put construction plans there on ice.

Danny Seidemann, from Jerusalem NGO Ir Amim, told Sky News: "E1 is the fatal heart attack of the two-state solution.

"If E1 is built there is no possibility of a contiguous viable Palestinian state and no possibility of connecting East Jerusalem and its hinterland on the West Bank."

An Israeli government spokesman told Sky News those plans are now being unfrozen.

"Planning is now going ahead," he said.

No decision to build has yet been taken but extensive plans are known to already exist.

Israel is responding to a vote in the United Nations General Assembly to recognise Palestine as a non-member state. Some 138 countries voted in favour of the move, only eight supported Israel in opposing it.

Israel has also said it will build 3,000 new units in existing settlements.

Under all interpretations of international law, Israel's settlements on occupied land are illegal.

Israel agreed to freeze settlement construction under the Roadmap for Peace plan in 2002 but has failed to comply with that commitment.

A European diplomatic source told Sky News: "If Israel officially confirms plans to expedite settlement building in E1 area, it will elicit a 'strong response' from European states."

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Syria: Internet Cut Off Amid Airport Clashes

Syria has been cut off from the internet amid fierce fighting in the capital which saw rebels claiming they have blocked access to the capital city's airport.

The unprecedented nationwide blackout was reported by two US-based internet-monitoring companies and confirmed by activists in the country.

Renesys, a network security firm that studies web disruptions, said Syria effectively disappeared from the internet at 12.26pm local time while Akamai Technologies, which distributes content on the internet, confirmed the development.

It came amid clashes in Damascus which saw Syrian rebel fighters fire mortars at the runways of the international airport - blocking the road leading to the capital, according to a rebel Jund Allah brigade fighter, who uses the name Abu Omar.

Although the report could not be verified, he said fighters were not inside the airport but were able to prevent access in and out of it.

The scene of a car bomb explosion in Damascus

"No one can come in or out of the airport," he said.

Activists earlier said the airport road had been closed by fighting.

Dubai's Emirates airline said it was suspending flights to Damascus with immediate effect and Egypt Air said it had cancelled its Friday flight because of the "deteriorating situation" around the airport.

A spokesman for the rebel military council in Damascus, Moataz al Qanawati, said he had no information about attacks on the airport but that insurgents in the area "have the capability of striking the airport".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors violence in Syria, said there had been clashes on the airport road but that rebels were not close to the airport itself.

A rebel fighter in Aleppo

Reports of an internet shutdown could mean that the embattled regime of Bashar al Assad has cut off the networks as he cracks down on rebels in the war-wracked country.

Renesys said in a blog posting that its monitoring showed "Syria's international internet connectivity shut down".

"In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the internet," the company said.

Earlier, activists in Syria said internet and mobile telephone communications were cut in Damascus and land lines were barely functioning.

The Local Coordination Committees, a leading network of activists on the ground, said: "Communications and internet service have been cut in most parts of Damascus and its suburbs, raising fears that the criminal Syrian regime is up to something."

Fighting between rebels and troops is currently focused around Damascus, with the army trying to dislodge rebels who have set up rear bases on the outskirts of the capital.

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Palestinian Status Upgraded After UN Vote

The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly in favour of upgrading the Palestinians' status from observer entity to non-member observer state.

It marks a major diplomatic triumph for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who had met fierce opposition from the United States and Israel over the vote.

The resolution was approved by a vote of 138-9, with 41 abstentions. It gives the Palestinian Authority the same status as the Vatican and enables it to join UN agencies, sign international treaties and access bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A Palestinian flag was quickly unfurled on the floor of the General Assembly, behind the Palestinian delegation.

Thousands of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah celebrated the news - firing shots into the air, embracing each other and chanting "God is greatest".

Palestinians celebrate in Ramallah

In his speech to the General Assembly before the vote, Mr Abbas said the assembly was "being asked today to issue the birth certificate of Palestine".

His speech angered the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The world watched a defamatory and venomous speech that was full of mendacious propaganda against the IDF (army) and the citizens of Israel," he said in a statement.

Mr Netanyahu said the UN move violated past agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and that Israel would act accordingly, without elaborating what steps it might take.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dubbed the vote as "unfortunate and counterproductive", saying it would "place further obstacles in the path to peace".

She said: "Only through direct negotiations between the parties can the Palestinians and Israelis achieve the peace that both deserve: two states for two people, with a sovereign, viable and independent Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security with a Jewish and democratic Israel."

The UK abstained in the vote after Foreign Secretary William Hague said he could only back the move if the Palestinians gave a commitment to an immediate and unconditional return to the negotiating table with Israel.

He said he respected the decision but added: "We continue to believe that the prospects for a swift return to negotiations on a two state solution - the only way to create a Palestinian state on the ground - would be greater today if President (Mahmoud) Abbas had been able to give the assurances we suggested, and without which we were unable to vote in favour of the resolution."

The vote had been certain to succeed, with most of the member states sympathetic to the Palestinians.

Several key countries, including France, this week announced they would support the move to elevate the status of the Palestinians.

Some countries fear the Palestinians new access to the ICC could become a springboard for pursuing Israel for alleged war crimes or its ongoing settlement building on war-won land.

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Syria: Deadly Car Bomb Blasts Rock Damascus

At least 50 people have been killed after two suspected car bombs exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus, according to UK-based opposition activists.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added that more than 120 people were wounded in the blasts occurred early in the morning in the eastern district of Jaramana.

Addounia television broadcast footage of firefighters hosing down two vehicles. Debris from damaged buildings had crushed other cars in the area.

State TV blamed "terrorists" for the bombings - a phrase its uses to refer to the rebels battling to force the regime of President Bashar al Assad from power.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The bombs went off in a car park lot between two commercial buildings. They were detonated within five minutes of one another as groups of labourers and employees were arriving to work.

The Jaramana district is mostly home to Christians and Druze

After the first explosion, people rushed to the site to help the injured before the second bomb went off, said Ismail Zlaiaa.

"It is an area packed with rush-hour passengers," he said. "God will not forgive the criminal perpetrators."

The explosions happened as the opposition coalition was due to meet in Cairo to discuss forming a transitional government.

"The objective is to name the prime minister for a transitional government, or at least have a list of candidates ahead of the Friends of Syria meeting," said Suhair al Atassi, one of the coalition's two vice presidents.

Countries friendly to the rebels are also meeting in the Egyptian capital over the coming days.

Meanwhile, a UN committee condemned "gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms" by both the Syrian regime and government-controlled militias.

The resolution urges Syrian authorities to immediately release all detainees and calls for a prompt independent international investigation into abuses and violations of international law with a view to bringing to justice those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other crimes.

It makes no mention of opposition forces but does express "grave concern at the escalation of violence" in the country.

The resolution is almost certain to be adopted by the 193-member General Assembly next month, however will not be legally binding.

More than 40,000 people are estimated to have died since the uprising against Assad's regime began 20 months ago.

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Palestinian Vote At UN May See UK Abstain

The UK will abstain from a UN vote granting recognition to a Palestinian state if a commitment to talk with Israel is not made.

The Foreign Secretary said the UK would only vote in favour of an upgrade in the Palestinians' diplomatic status at the UN General Assembly in New York later if they gave an immediate commitment to return to negotiations with Israel.

William Hague said the UK would also require an assurance that the Palestinians would not seek to extend the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Occupied Territories.

"Up until the time of the vote itself, we will remain open to voting in favour of the resolution if we see public assurances by the Palestinians on these points," he said in a statement to the House of Commons.

"However, in the absence of these assurances, the United Kingdom would abstain on the vote."

His comments drew a dismissive response from shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander who urged him to stop dithering and come out firmly in favour of Palestinian statehood.

He warned it was unreasonable to expect the Palestinians to make an unconditional commitment to return to talks while the Israelis were continuing settlement building on Palestinian territory.

"Statehood for the Palestinians is not a gift to be given but a right to be acknowledged. Abstention tomorrow would be an abdication of Britain's responsibilities," he said.

Hillary Clinton with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat

The calls came after France announced it was ready to support the resolution to upgrade the Palestinians' status at the UN from observer to non-member observer state, with other European states expected to follow suit.

With the General Assembly dominated by countries sympathetic to the Palestinian cause - and no veto for members of the Security Council - the resolution looks set to be passed, despite the opposition of both Israel and the United States.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned the vote "will not produce the outcome" that many desire.

"The only way to get a lasting solution is to commence direct negotiations," she said.

"And we need an environment conducive to that, and we urge both parties to refrain from actions that might, in any way, make a return to meaningful negotiations that focus on getting to a resolution more difficult."

Israel had already said it would not return to negotiations following the vote, arguing it would undermine efforts to secure a Middle East peace settlement.

Mr Hague told MPs that he, like Mrs Clinton, had appealed to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas not to move the resolution at the General Assembly, but to give the newly re-elected US administration of Barack Obama the chance to launch a fresh peace initiative.

"We pointed out that a UN resolution would be depicted by some as a move away from bilateral negotiations with Israel," he said.

"We were also concerned about the considerable financial risks to the Palestinian Authority, at a time when their situation is already precarious, if a vote led to a strong backlash from Israel and within the US political system," he added.

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Hugo Chavez To Get Medical Treatment In Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will return to Cuba for medical treatment, months after he received chemotherapy for cancer there.

The 58-year-old, who was re-elected for a fourth term in October, has made regular trips to Cuba since he was diagnosed with the disease in June 2011.

He celebrated his election win in front of thousands of supporters on a balcony of the presidential palace and had appeared to be making a good recovery.

The Venezuelan President celebrates his election victory in October

However, he has not been seen in public for almost two weeks and has been absent from Twitter, where he has not posted a message to his 3.7m followers since November 1.

Mr Chavez revealed his travel plans in a letter to Venezuela's National Assembly.

He wrote: "Six months after I completed the last radiation therapy treatment, it has been recommended that I begin a special treatment consisting of various sessions of hyperbaric oxygenation.

"Together with physical therapy, (this) will consolidate the process of strengthening my health."

Mr Chavez was given permission to travel to Cuba by his country's Congress, and was expected to make the journey on Tuesday.

Hyperbaric oxygenation involves breathing pure oxygen while in a pressurised chamber, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.

The charity said it is most commonly used to treat the side effects of radiotherapy, which affects blood cells and vessels and can cause changes in the oxygen supply to body tissues.

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Egypt: Major Protest Against President Morsi

More than 200,000 people packed Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi's new 'pharoah' powers.

They accused the Islamist leader of seeking to impose a new era of autocracy after he issued a decree that expanded his powers and barred court challenges to his decisions.

The demonstration in the iconic plaza was as large as some of the protests during last year's uprising that drove ex-president Hosni Mubarak from power.

The same chants aimed against Mr Mubarak have now been directed towards the country's first freely elected leader.

Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the protest and there were clashes between Mr Morsi's opponents and supporters in a city north of Cairo.

Protesters in Tahrir Square

But the violence could not overshadow the show of strength by the normally divided opponents of Islamists in power, as the Muslim Brotherhood politician faces the biggest challenge in his five months in office.

"The people want to bring down the regime," protesters in Tahrir Square chanted, echoing slogans used in the 2011 revolt.

"We don't want a dictatorship again. The Mubarak regime was a dictatorship. We had a revolution to have justice and freedom," said 32-year-old Ahmed Husseini in Cairo.

Protesters also demonstrated in Alexandria, Suez, Minya and other Nile Delta cities.

A 52-year-old demonstrator died after inhaling teargas in Cairo, the second protester death since Mr Morsi issued his decree last week.

The president's administration has defended the decree as an attempt to speed up reforms and complete a democratic transformation.

But opponents say Mr Morsi is behaving like a modern-day pharaoh, a jibe that was levelled at Mr Mubarak.

Mr Morsi's move also provoked a rebellion by judges and has battered confidence in an economy struggling after two years of turmoil.

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Eurozone And IMF Reach Greece Debt Deal

Eurozone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund have reached an agreement on Greek debt, which paves the way for the release of much-needed loans.

After nearly 10 hours of talks, it was agreed that the country's public debt should fall to 124% of GDP in 2020 through a package of extra debt cutting measures.

The deal emerged in Brussels after a meeting of finance ministers from the 17 eurozone countries, the European Central Bank and the IMF on how to make Greek debt sustainable - their third meeting on the issue in as many weeks.

"It's going very slow, but we have financing and a Debt Sustainability Analysis. We've filled the financing gap until the end of programme in 2014," one official said, adding that talks on the details of the debt cutting measures with the IMF were still ongoing.

The deal is a breakthrough towards releasing the next tranche of loans to Greece after its 31.2bn (£25bn) aid package was suspended in the summer over concerns it was not meeting the conditions of its bailout programme.

The Greek finance minister Yannis Stournaras said earlier that Athens had fulfilled its part of the deal by enacting tough austerity measures and economic reforms, and it was now up to the lenders to do their part.

The IMF has said Greece's debt as a proportion of GDP must be cut to around 120% by 2020, from a forecast 190% next year, for it to be manageable in the long term.

It was not immediately clear how the debt would be reduced from its currently forecast level of 144% in 2020 to the target, but it is expected to involve a series of measures including the lowering of interest rate on loans to Greece.

Last week Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras criticised the failure to deliver bailout funds to Athens after 12 hours of emergency talks among the eurozone finance ministers and representatives of the troika of lenders had ended without agreement.

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Scientists To Exhume Body Of Yasser Arafat

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

International teams of scientists will take samples of tissue from the exhumed body of Yasser Arafat to test for polonium poisoning, following allegations he was killed by Israeli agents.

Tawfiq al Tirawi, the head of the Palestinian investigation committee said: "We have evidence which suggests he was poisoned by Israelis. I consider this a painful necessity. It is necessary to find the truth in the death of President Yasser Arafat".

Mr Arafat, the revered and reviled leader of Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization, died suddenly in 2004.

He was flown to Paris for treatment before he died and doctors were unable to diagnose the cause of his death. His wife, Suha, refused to allow an autopsy.

An investigation by al Jazeera TV claimed to have found "elevated levels of the substance in Mr Arafat's final personal effects," according to its website.

The Israeli government has denied any involvement in his death, and refused to comment.

Mr Arafat was interred in the Mukataa, the head-quarters of the Palestinian Authority, in a marble-floored mausoleum.

He will be removed for a few hours while samples are taken and then re-buried with full military honours.

Investigators from Switzerland, France and Russia will take samples back to their laboratories to test for unnatural levels of polonium, the radioactive material allegedly used in the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko.

Ex-KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, who was allegedly killed with polonium

Mr Arafat's comb, his toothbrush and his iconic kaffiyeh (traditional Arab headdress) were examined earlier this year and tested for Polinium-210 by  the Institut de Radiophysique in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Experts found unusually high levels of the substance.

The results of news tests are likely to be released in four months. If his death turns out to have been the work of assassins, the consequences are likely to be explosive.

Israel would be blamed. The Jewish state will be accused of killing the man who, along with Yitzhak Rabin, ushered in the Oslo Peace Process.

This lead to the creation of the Palestinian Authority in the 1990s but collapsed after the eruption of the Second Intifada in 2000.

Peace talks continued through the violence but got nowhere as the death toll of Palestinians and Israelis climbed.

But Israel has continued with its campaign to expand its territory into the Occupied West Bank of the Jordan River by building Jewish settlements.

These have caused intense anger among Palestinians who, many believe, may be on the verge of a third Intifada which could be ignited if evidence emerges Mr Arafat was murdered.

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Gas Worker's Blunder Caused Strip Club Blast

An explosion which flattened a strip club in Springfield, Massachusetts, has been blamed on a gas worker who accidentally pierced a high-pressure pipeline while looking for a leak.

The blast levelled the Scores Gentlemen's Club on Friday evening, and blew out the windows of dozens more buildings up to three blocks away.

Eighteen people were hurt. Most of the injured were part of a group of gas workers, firefighters and police officers who ducked for cover behind a lorry just before the blast.

Officials said it was a miracle no one was killed.

State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan confirmed the explosion was caused by "human error".

He said a Columbia Gas company worker was responding to reports of a gas leak when he damaged the underground pipe with a  metal probe.

The explosion damaged buildings in a three-block radius

A flood of gas then built up in a building that housed the strip club, and a spark touched off the blast, Mr Coan said.

Preliminary reports showed the blast damaged 42 buildings in the vicinity and 115 residential units.

Three buildings were immediately condemned, while 24 others require additional inspections by structural engineers to determine whether they are safe.

The building that housed the Scores Gentleman's Club was completely destroyed and a children's day care centre next door was heavily damaged.

Several buildings were evacuated after the gas pipe was ruptured.

The injured were mostly gas workers, police officers and firefighters

Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant praised the actions of firefighters.

"The firefighters did an excellent job evacuating the area which certainly prevented additional civilian injuries and saved many lives," he said.

Columbia Gas said it planned to open a claims centre for residents and businesses affected by the explosion.

Company officials have been co-operating with investigators and have determined there are no more gas leaks in the area.

Springfield, which is 90 miles (145km) west of Boston and has about 150,000 residents, is the largest city in western Massachusetts.

The city is still recovering from a tornado that caused extensive damage in June 2011.

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Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood HQ Clashes 'Kill One'

At least one person has been killed in clashes outside an office of Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood, reports say.

The violence at the Freedom and Justice Party headquarters in the Nile Delta town of Damanhour came amid widespread anger in Egypt over President Mohamed Morsi's decision to grant himself sweeping new powers.

"Brotherhood member, Islam Fathy Masoud, 15, was killed and 60 were injured after thugs attacked the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Damanhour in the total absence of police forces," the party's website said.

Mr Morsi had sought to calm the anger over the decree which effectively protects the president's decisions from any legal challenge.

"The presidency reiterates the temporary nature of the said measures, which are not meant to concentrate power, but ... to devolve it to a democratically elected parliament ... as well as as preserving the impartiality of the judiciary and to avoid politicising it," a statement from the president's office said.

The statement also reaffirmed that the new powers - which Mr Morsi says were taken to protect Egypt's revolution from followers of former president Hosni Mubarak -  would only apply until a new constitution is adopted.

Mr Morsi will meet senior members of the judiciary, which has changed little since the Mubarak era, on Monday after they called the move an "unprecedented attack" on their authority.

Angry protesters accusing him of blatant power grab clashed with police for a third consecutive day in central Cairo on Sunday as Egypt's stock market reacted with a nearly 10% fall.

More than 500 people are believed to have been injured in violent protests since the decree was announced on Thursday.

Several offices belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party have been torched.

Activists are staging a sit-in at Cairo's Tahrir Square - the symbolic hub of the popular uprising that forced Mubarak from power - and a mass protest has been called for Tuesday. The Muslim Brotherhood is planning a counter demonstration.

Many of Morsi's political opponents share the view that Egypt's judiciary needs reform, but they disagree with the concentration of power into the hands of the president.

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Egypt Judges Condemn President's 'Attack'

Egyptian judges have condemned a decree granting President Mohamed Morsi sweeping new powers, as angry protesters clashed with police for a second day.

A handful of rock-throwing activists battled riot police in the streets near Tahrir Square, where several thousand protesters massed on Friday to demonstrate against the decree, which effectively prevents Mr Morsi's decisions from being challenged.

The move also removed powers from the judiciary and allows the president to take any measures to protect national security.

The Supreme Judicial Council, the country's highest judicial authority, said the decree was an "unprecedented attack" on their independence, the state news agency reported.

Judges in the coastal city of Alexandria said all work at courts and prosecution offices would be suspended until the measures were reversed.

Some protesters are staging a sit-in in Tahrir Square

A number of opposition parties have called for an open-ended sit-in with the aim of "toppling" the decree, which has also drawn criticism from the US, the UN and the European Union.

A mass protest has also been called for Tuesday.

"We are facing a historic moment in which we either complete our revolution or we abandon it to become prey for a group that has put its narrow party interests above the national interest," the liberal Dustour Party said in a statement.

Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party also called its supporters out onto the streets of Cairo on Tuesday for a counter-demonstration to show support for the move.

On Friday, the president addressed his supporters at a rally outside the presidential palace, telling them he would press forward and that he was on the path to "freedom and democracy".

He said that the new powers were designed to stop "weevils" from the regime of ousted former president Hosni Mubarak blocking progress.

The decree reflects the concerns in the Muslim Brotherhood-led government that sections of the judiciary remain unreformed following the overthrown of Mubarak.

"It aims to sideline Morsi's enemies in the judiciary and ultimately to impose and head off any legal challenges to the constitution," said Elijah Zarwan, a Fellow with The European Council on Foreign Relations.

"We are in a situation now where both sides are escalating and it's getting harder and harder to see how either side can gracefully climb down."

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Catalonia Holds Vote That Could Reshape Spain

Spain's wealthy region of Catalonia votes today in an election that could determine whether it eventually breaks away from the rest of the country.

The region must choose a new assembly, after a campaign dominated by the issue of independence from Spain and financial woes.

Opinion polls show that most voters will cast ballots for pro-independence parties, with Catalan President Artur Mas expected to win re-election.

Mr Mas has advocated independence despite strong resistance from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has been fighting deep recession in his country.

"I hope to be the last president of a Catalonia that the Spanish state is trying to destroy," Mr Mas told a recent campaign rally for his conservative Convergence and Union Party.

"The next one will not depend on the Spanish state and they will no longer be able to destroy it," he told supporters, who chanted back to him: "Independence! Independence!"

If the vote today goes his way, he has promised to call a referendum on statehood within four years.

Like the Basque Country, Catalonia - a northeastern region of 7.5 million people - has its own language and sees itself as different from the rest of Spain.

Until recently, Catalans were content just pushing for greater autonomy, and stopped short of seeking independence.

But Spain's economic woes, including a 25% unemployment rate, and tough austerity measures imposed by Madrid have added to the Catalans' discontent and persuaded many they would be better off on their own.

Catalonia has a significant weight in Spain's economy, accounting for one-fifth of its total output, and a greater share of its exports.

It features one of the world's greatest football teams, FC Barcelona, which contributes many players to Spain's World Cup winning national squad.

However, the region has also suffered from Europe's financial crisis and has a 44bn euro debt.

In the voting for the regional assembly, called by Mr Mas two years ahead of schedule, 135 seats are up for grabs, with Mr Mas' alliance expected to take 60-64, according to recent surveys.

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