Zira. Hello there im telling the donald this is the news hour live from london coming up in the next sixty minutes. Of. Jubilation in barcelona as kaplan politicians vote overwhelmingly in favor of secession its a move thats raising more questions than answers. Kenyas repeats of president ial elections marred by more violence voting in four Opposition Strongholds is over fears the safety of election staff. Burned it becomes the first country to leave the International Criminal court calling it the great achievement. With all the days sports news this cuts a loony a votes to declare independence but we will leave. That and more coming up later this news hour. If theyre warm welcome to the news hour the Spanish Government held a special Cabinet Meeting in madrid to enforce direct rule over catalonia Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy called the meeting after kaplan politicians voted overwhelmingly to secede from spain. Well this was the same in catalonia as Regional Parliament just a few hours ago when the motion was passed with seventy votes in favor or against it and two ballot papers were left blank outside the Assembly BuildingPro Independence supporters erupted in jubilation on hearing the news after the vote Catalan Leader called hmong address the Parliament Chamber about the challenge ahead. In the coming hours we will have to montana our countrys polls. In the public spirit and our dignity as we have always done with no doubt it will continue to be that way. They were having that emergency Cabinet Meeting is it still going on. Just finished and actually in about fifteen minutes we should hear from Prime Minister himself who is going to be holding a press conference in this building right behind me this is actually the cabinet. Building here. We are expecting to hear from him what steps are going to be taken now that article one five five is triggered what will be the priorities. Of this conversation weve been hearing for example that one of the measures that could be Effective Immediately would be to. Embassies overseas about twelve or thirteen of them by that we havent heard that from the Prime Ministers we cannot confirm that but certainly what everybodys waiting. To hear now from the Prime Minister. Will happen in the next hour is in the next few days whats the mood more generally. Is there a feeling of apprehension about what might come next. Well certainly there is a bit of a feeling of apprehension in the sense that really this is the experience that this country has never been through before at least ever since one thousand nine hundred Seventy Eight this article was never triggered before it is no president to base yourself on it how to adopt the measures how to really have them develop on the ground. Thats causing a lot of apprehension there were people who were saying earlier in the day that it was a historic moment in the sense that its never happened before. Something quite difficult and quite scary if you look at. All of that happen now will. The. Government happen will. Be arrested all of that sort of questions hanging in the air and people are a bit worried about it and theyre also worried about the Ripple Effect happened in barcelona the liberation of independence on the rest of the country. There live from madrid well lets take a look now at pictures from barcelona what you watching is the scene right now so i was in the sea of independence supporters in the square rallying outside kaplan the Regional Parliament its been like that for some hours in fact earlier when we saw our correspondent we could see streams of people climbing into that area im joined now by popular martin and lecturer in spanish studies at Princeton University a warm welcome to the program so weve got scenes of celebration in barcelona and were going to hear from the spanish Prime Minister in ten or fifteen minutes time these two scenes seem to be good kind of juxtapose against one another weve got almost this slightly premature if i can put it that way celebration and then weve got a government on the other hand with no clear way forward or at least we dont know one yeah yeah i think both sides are playing the optics on a trying to influence opinion yes were seeing scenes of jubilation in barcelona but this is obviously we just dont know what percentage of barcelona wants in the pens that this is a real question. So that he might have a whole you expect for him to be you know quite serious. Tried to bring tranquility to the situation and try to get this is on there his control a little bit because the evidence is morning i think theyre really open it up and have gotten away from him a little bit so article one five five this morning it seemed quite simple didnt it was like well if this happens we invoke article one five five and then it was sort of a well hang on a minute nobody really knows what one five five means yeah that is true nobody really knows and i think its because it was designed to be an ambiguous article of the constitution itself is quite ambiguous but also i think its because it gives basically the sentence and he gives the Prime Minister to an extent the capacity to moral. Decide what is a grave threat to spain and despite his unity does not vary this sign in any way theres a very clearly set out it doesnt really set out what sort of the measures that can be taken and im not a constitutional professor constitutional law but im very sure the idea is that it was going to be decided as you go along and obviously opens itself up to many different their birthdays and so many different problems have we reached past the point of compromise i dont think so i think there really is no possible solution there has to be some sort of compromise the has to be some i mean this is so many things station of why there are problems and why the regions in spain theres no doubt about that but there has to be proper reform proper change this has been a situation has been simmering that the surface for many many years now i mean this to be resolved one way or another the only solution is in my view a proper legal referendum legal advice and then with proper campaigning and then just deal what this is whatever the result may be the rest of spain looking at catalonia right now and obviously i can ask you to speculate on the thoughts of you know an entire nation of people but i just wonder you know the makes feeling i mean weve had the situation here with banks it with Scottish Independence for a couple of years ago and for a lot of people i thought you know that these kind of photos are very divisive is is there that kind of feeling to it in parts of spain i think you know last time i was there was a couple of weeks ago and talking to people there i think the idea and the feeling is very divided as well between the people that say this is unacceptable this shouldnt happen you know they shouldnt be allowed any sort of the seizure of their spanish and thats it but i think the general mood is more about you know we should move on from this its away from this problem theres bigger issues of us the economy is just recovering unemployment is still high youth unemployment is still high and you know the lack of prospects for young people as well is of the real issues and i think somehow this is taken from that and. The people in the rest of spain they want to solution the obviously one thats going to remain with spain but they want to solution they dont want more conflict and the more you know they want more dialogue basically its interesting isnt it that you know declaring independence and becoming independent and all of the practicalities in the constitution stuff that you pointed to its such a complex picture isnt it its massive it would be a massive undertaking particular for for you know a proposed catalan state and would be so so difficult there are lacking so many of the institutions the infrastructure they would leave the European Union that would leave the euro i cant see spain accepting them back into the European Union there will have to be some sort of measures to an extent europe would want some sort of point of measures. I dont see beings economically successful weve already seen some some Economic Issues arising. Even superstar a military embassies representation all the different european states have come out into the United States as well say they dont recognize the cuts on states it would be such a huge undertaking and regardless of what our feelings may be about the actual issue there is no doubt of it would be a huge undertaking for cuts in public thank you very much well leave it there just watching those pictures we are going to be hearing from the spanish Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy we think in ten or fifteen minutes time and when we do well bring you. Now kenyan officials have called off forcing in four Opposition Strongholds as violence flares over thursdays president ial we one of the six people have been killed and witnesses say armed gangs are roaming the streets kenyas Election Commission has appealed for calm while the ballots are still being counted turnout its been low around six and a half million kenyans cast their ballots on thursday thats around thirty four and a half percent of registered voters by contrast turnout in the august election was eighty percent or nearly fifteen million voters came this Election Commission said more than one in ten polling stations failed to open due to what it described as security challenges mohamed the door reports now from nairobi. Kenyas second president ial elections and three months what designed to bring along as political season two and. They are now doubts they may provide any closure after all what we witnessed was a very low voter turnout into our climate of fear and intimidation and in that political environment is difficult for an election to be considered credible with nearly all followers of Opposition Leader raila odinga heeding his call for a boycott. Victory is not in question but some are already questioning whether the low tunneled will give president kenyatta a reasonable monday to. The total voter turnout is a little over thirty percent kenyatta may have won there is no way he can be the leader of a few and form a government for old people voting on thursday was mobbed by skirmishes between police and stone throwing Opposition Supporters Police used tear gas and fired live ammunition and blanks into the air to disperse them but the protest this big grouping quickly how about the situation was calm elsewhere for voting in kimbo outside nairobi and other strongholds of president kenyatta. The election comes after weeks of political twists and tongues in the Central Business district of my rule be this through almost empty the kenyan economy slowed sharply they see as businesses have held back on investments until after the elections many kenyans say they want these crisis. Some even say the continued uncertainty is threatening their livelihoods down when is the does the weve been stuck at home since wednesday the children want to they want to eight and who else will provide for them yes we want a president if you wins if he is sworn in and its fine as long as we can continue to work and our children kind of food and an education. For old election numerous cold bottles resulting in a controversial debate on which many stayed away from south is the story of this president ial race there is hope it will have a happy ending but the confidence is high mohammed at all just try it will become well catherine saw is in kisumu one of the four Opposition Strongholds where stacks of a shed chilcotin has now been cancelled. This comes as a huge relief for many people here who have been calling on the Electoral Commission to call off this election saying that the time is just not right its been very tense on thursday or all day we were covering running battles between police and processed us dozens of people were injured several had gunshot wounds several died as well and the biggest problem really has been Electoral Commission officials just getting ballot material safely to the various polling stations and also you know we saw groups of young men who had set up roadblocks in different parts of kisumu saying that they will not allow any ballot materials to get to their destination so back has been a problem another problem has just been the Electoral Commission getting the employees to come to work these are people who live here and theyve been citing security concerns people know them so that has been another problem the Electoral Commission itself has not set a new date for the election but i think its unlikely to happen between now and wednesday which is the final day to declare are we know who very clearly is going to be who are looking at oh theres much more to come here on the al jazeera news hour the son of africas longest serving leader a sentence for embezzling millions of public funds. Celebrations in south africa after two white then a sentence over an attack that exposed racial divisions it was felt as i was saying that some progress will be made that at least some football is played in the region and in sport fifa take no action against israeli football clubs an Illegal West Bank settlements peter has more later in the news hour. For indys become the first country to withdraw from the International Criminal court the pullout takes effect on friday a year after. Notified the United Nations of its intention to leave follows accusations that the court focuses too much on africa the i. C. C. Says the withdrawal doesnt affect Ongoing Court proceedings harmatz also has the latest from brindisi second largest city. The bahraini government is deliberating withdrawing. From. That because the court has been siding with activists and opposition parties and aside from the government and the courts. And thats why the country says it is now pulling out. When you talk to some of the. Not because they want to. Be held accountable they say that theyve been rights and they feel that the system is within the country may not be adequate enough to people who need justice actually get it to the government says they have a country that. Can deal with human rights abuses that may have been brought out into the public. Concerns about possible intimidation harassment happening in the country. More than four hundred thousand people have fled to bring your knowledge. Back to the country because it is not stable and peaceful were not seeing the protests. And the government is saying they are more than capable of running their own country every dot interference from the International Community on how to try the opposition rights and how to make decisions another country. Well earlier response a fundy ellabella whos the spokesman for the i. C. C. He said withdrawal will not affect an investigation thats already being carried out in the country. According to the ice your statute the withdrawal will not affect the jurisdiction of the i. C. C. Or crimes that they have been committed prior to the date where with all due respect its not that there is a print examination into the. Case that has been ongoing since april two thousand and sixteen and i see a prosecutor with as that is alt of this presently was a mission to whites have african men have been sentenced to talk of twenty five years in prison after they were found guilty of trying to force a black man into a coffin and then threatening to burn him alive the case triggered why youd swear i would trade in the country and tasha going to reports. There were tears on both sides of the court room in the socalled coffin case it was a case that laid bare the ongoing racial divide in post apartheid south africa on friday a judge sentenced tayo jackson to fourteen years and villa. To eleven years in prison the most appalling and what. Was to live in. Again. Video shot by the men on a mobile phone led to nationwide condemnation and eventually their arrests victor millo she was says he was taking a short cut on the mens farm when they kidnapped him drove him to another location forced him into a coffin and threaten to kill him in their defense the farmer say was trespassing they caught him stealing copper cables and said he threatened to kill their families and burn their crops but the judge pointed out this was not the first time the men had force someone into a coffin and their behavior had quote fueled racial tensions in los say this case spotlights the haves and the have nots in south africa which is largely split along racial lines well heaven to come to terms with exactly who we are as a country where a country that. On success. In sentencing the two men the judge said they showed no remorse their prison sentences should send a message to others that this kind of behavior will be punished and punished severely. The son of equitorial guineas president s been found guilty of investing money to buy property in luxury cars joe and obie ng who is also the countrys second Vice President was found guilty in absentia by a french court have a change to has more from paris. The Vice President of equitorial guinea embezzled