Welcome to bbc news. The spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has announced steps to remove the Current Administration in catalonia and to hold fresh tim willcox is in barcelona. I am standing in the centre of barcelona, leading down to. At the tail end of a massive demonstration against the decision to oppose direct rule from madrid. You can see some live pictures now. There are tens of thousands of people at this demonstration. According to the local police, at its height the run nearly half a Million People out on the streets. It follows that crisis cabinet meetings held by Mariano Rajoy earlier today, with his cabinet in madrid. Where they said that having gone through the senate, they would invoke article 155, effectively imposing direct rule from madrid on this region of catalonia. It follows that referendum deemed illegal by madrid on october one, when separatists claim 90 of the people who voted for independence, on a turnout of just 43 . Who voted for independence, on a turn
Welcome to bbc news. Spains political crisis has escalated. Prime minister Mariano Rajoy has announced his government tim wilcox is in barcelona. You join me high above central barcelona. In the last few hours, tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of Pro Independence demonstrators have taken to the streets in defiance of that decision by the spanish by ministers to impose home rule. Numbers of protesters vary according to the organisers of this rally today. They say nearly half a Million People took to the streets, according to organisations which are pro unity they say the number 170 5,000. Nonetheless, there were significant numbers out here on the streets of barcelona. There are crowds of those nights as i speak outside the place where the catalan president is shortly to give a speech. Would you give statements. Its not clear what his next move will be. It follows a dramatic day here in spain, when the spanish by minister Mariano Rajoy convened a crisis Cabinet Meeting to
Of over 70 mph, although the effects have not been as bad as expected. We will go live to the catalan region, Carles Puigdemont is calling for independence of the region, we will see what he has to say. Translation that is what the government, with the support of the socialist party, as given the strongest hit to our autonomy since the days of the dictatorship and franco. Undermining the will of the cata la n franco. Undermining the will of the catalan people, and violating all the guarantees of parliament and representatives of the Catalan Government that have approved. That the Spanish Government has represented itself as. As a representative of the catalan people without going to the ballot boxes, without going to the ballot boxes, with a very short representation. The government of marijuana the government of Mariano Rajoy would like to govern directly from madrid, it is not the first time that the catalan institutions have received this strong clue from the Spanish Government in o
News. The leader of catalonia has condemned the Spanish Governments plans to sack the Regional Administration as a coup. Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out on the streets of barcelona to protest against the decision of the Spanish Government to take control in the region. The spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, said thered be new elections to the catalan parliament. He said hed been left with no choice by an illegal independence referendum and leaders who had chosen confrontation. Earlier, catalonias president , Carles Puigdemont compared the actions of the Spanish Government to those of the countrys former dictator, general franco. Translation in my latest letter to the spanish president , i asked him for dialogue, and i reminded him that this is a necessity. Today, the Ministry Council has shut down this claim and this petition. They have announced a series of measures that directly represent the liquidation of our Self Government and the democratic will of the catala
South. This afternoon, this vigorous and deep area of low pressure is bringing a lot of rainfall across the country. This is the rainfall from earlier and you can see how much there is, barely making out the land apart from northern scotland where we have the place names to pinpoint where you are. In the last few hours it is very wet across scotla nd few hours it is very wet across scotland and Northern England and further showers will develop across the south. If some sunshine breaks through the cloud across wales and england we could see heavy and thundery showers across north wales, north england and into the midlands. Could be drier across the far south and south west by the end of the day but the wind will become a feature. Gusting at 30 and 40 mph across central, southern and western areas. This evening and overnight, the heaviest of the rain and strong wind becoming confined to the north east of scotland, the Northern Isles. It remains blustery across the board and we will see f