To declare independence from spain. The statement was due an hour ago but was delayed at the last minute. There is heavy security around the Regional Parliament and large crowd had gathered right across barcelona at dc if the president goes ahead with his promise. He says he has a mandate after last weeks unofficial referendum. Spain say this is a rebellion against the rule of law. The stakes could not be any higher. Lets look at the pictures around barcelona, huge crowd had gathered and are watching on big screens the events and are watching on big screens the eve nts fro m and are watching on big screens the events from inside the Catalan Parliament. An hour or so ago they we re parliament. An hour or so ago they were watching as suddenly all those mps left the chamber is there was a delay announced. Now we expect that statement any moment now. Lets go back to tim in barcelona, is it any clearer why we had that delay . There area clearer why we had that delay . There are a lot of rum
Present today. All of them suspended from office just because the organised a consultation in 2014 which was not even binding. They we re which was not even binding. They were fined, in a very abusive way. Very high quantity finds. Which affected them and their families. Many members of this parliament have been sued to express their defence of the right to decide. 0r been sued to express their defence of the right to decide. Or to allow for debate about the issue to take place. 16 Public People had to go to declare and they did not even know what they were therefore to begin with. Many politicians have also been accused of sedition. Which carries, can carry long prison sentences. This has been the response of the Spanish State against catalan demands. We have a lwa ys against catalan demands. We have always expressed are will any specific way and always based on our majority in the parliament, elected by people. We ask to have the freedom to decide. There is no institution in the Span
The constitution, a very competent process. But the Spanish Government said there is a route that could be followed if the catalans wished to do things legally. What they are not prepared to countenance is doing something illegally and using that to force a negotiation to happen. Thank you very much. So complicated emotions here in barcelona this evening as well. Those hundreds of thousands of people who ruled that they did not, they came out to demonstrate that they did not want to separate from spain. And the last hour the catalan president saying he believes he does have a mandate for independence. Tears in the Parliament Building behind me here when he announced that. But then a very quick change of mood as he said he wanted to suspend that for negotiation with other parties. So he has gone halfway there, will it be enough to stop spain invoking article 155, interestingly in the last are so the newspaper here, the cata la n last are so the newspaper here, the catalan paper says tha
Coming up in a few minutes. First, we have julie hyman 30 minutes into the trading day. Stocks climbing after smaller clients yesterday, with all three major averages reaching intraday milestones, in part because of consumer stocks and the news we got from individual consumer companies, and also, we have continued to see a rally week after week after week. We take a look at the bloomberg terminal, you look at the effect that dividends has had on the ongoing rally that we have seen for the s p 500. You are looking at the s p 500 in blue here. Is climbing and white. If you look at the total return index, including reinvested dividends can you see how much that magnifies the gains, particularly in recent years, and as Companies Continue to raise their dividends. Not only has the absolute price return worked out well for investors, but also, of course, the dividends have had a big effect. Getting to the consumer names from one of the biggest of the big reporting news today, that is walmart
Employment are the findings of an audit on Racial Disparity. And over the volcano a new Scientific Mission in iceland to try to forecast the next major eruption. Good evening. Welcome to bbc news. I assume the mandate of the people for catalonia to become an independent republic the words of catalan president Carles Puigdemont to the Regions Parliament as he announced his intention to declare independence from spain. But he went on to say said that the declaration would not take immediate effect instead it would be suspended for some weeks to try to negotiate a settlement with madrid. Lets go over live now to barcelona and my colleague tim willcox. You join me live outside of the cata la n you join me live outside of the Catalan Parliament. The speech was delayed by more than an hour. And in the end Carles Puigdemont, the cata la n the end Carles Puigdemont, the catalan president , marched his supporters almost up to the top of the hill but not quite. And then he marched them back a li