experienced outstanding shopping and dining offers and triallists services. biala guest food bought cd managed by for. this is d w news a live from berlin the polls have just closed in a crucial election in the spanish region of catalonia catalonia remains divided over independence the leaders of the main parties cast their ballot balance earlier today in a vote that is seen as

a test for the reach of the turnout has been high but will the result be clear enough to end spain's political crisis also coming up amid accusations of bullying and being political pop its more than one hundred countries vote in favor of a u.n. resolution calling for the u.s. to reverse its recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital and that despite trump's threats to cut off funding to countries that opposed to it will go to washington for reaction. i bring coffee it's good to have you with us the polls have closed in catalonia after an election seen as a gauge of support for independence from spain the vote comes two months after the region declared independence following a referendum. by madrid spanish authorities responded to that you may recall with

the crackdown arresting separatist leaders and calling today's snap of action a druid hopes that the result will put an end to the political crisis. lera son show is casting a ballot for the first time exercising her right to choose between spanish separatists and unionists in a tight contest but the eighteen year old isn't just casting her own vote. she's just voted on behalf of the former catamaran president callus pitch to mont who is in self-imposed exile in belgium where. he thanked me and he looked as though he was very proud that someone young like me would do this it was important to him in . the election could return the pro independence leader to power he was deposed by madrid following catalonia as for random on secession and a unilateral declaration of independence in october pushed him on has rallied

supporters from brussels but also noted the normal circumstances of the election there are candidates in prison candidates in exile there is fear the spanish institutions are intervening the governing people's party have taken over our institutions its economic war all of this shows that we are not in a normal situation what we have to hope for at the end of today instead will reestablish no malady. back in barcelona one of pushed him on spigots rivals ines our images says the pro union party also wants to see the region's normality restored the crisis over cuts non-independent has seen spain's economy damaged and also prompted a business exodus away from catalonia it's better going to last and i hope during these elections we can achieve historic participation we are probably facing an election that is essential to our coexistence essential to the reconciliation of all cutting lands. that passes that i don't think they're going to be honest about . but at this point cousins are divided. i think all that has

happened has given more strength to the independence movement and they are going to end up winning. but i hope that we get a coalition of pro spanish constitution parties that works and it's really democratic and not pro independence. it's a vote that could determine catalonia future direction but the division among the public suggests that the crisis over the region or not and at the drop of a hat or a ballot. and i'm joined here at the big table mail by our in-house kettle only expert pablo foley good to have you here this evening so what do we know in terms of voter turnout well we know that at six o'clock which was the last information that we have from at the statistics office in spain that voter turnout is open it was just under seventy percent which is five six percent

higher than it was in the last regional elections and twenty fifteen so we can expect that in those last two hours of voting it went even further we should have details in the next few minutes are you surprised that voter turnout is so high i mean we're right before christmas i'm not surprised at all to be honest because everybody's talking about this election of course and after the previous months of you know turmoil that we've had in catalonia a lot of people really were determined to vote and what's interesting in the figures that we've seen already from today is in that region that where there are more pro union supporters so for example the liberal party and those areas that the increase in the number of people voting is quite significant compared to two years ago showing that they have listened to leaders saying that they need to go out and have their voices heard which brings us to the next question that how is this election going to impact the independents issue well i don't think we're going to be seeing at this issue go away as quickly as for example the government of money out of the hole in madrid would like it to go away i think at the end of the day we're dealing with quite i don't preset at that situation and the union that

the division i was quite deep and these elections are still you know motions are running high emotions are quite roll and we're going to see now that we're going to enter into a very. a period of turmoil essentially in what's going to happen because old polls prior to this election and what he's going to have well i think it's going to be very different as a spine and i would say it's going to be very difficult to form a government because what we're seeing is essentially a fifty fifty divide between pro union parties and parties in favor of independence which like i said is on president and so we're encountering it in. it's situation where to form a government is going to be very very difficult having a permanent a hung jury in a way and eventually yeah you're also dealing with within each side a lot of those parties are not willing to actually talk to each other so or they don't really have any interest in entering the government so they're going to have to basically see if they can form a government if they don't cut i don't you will be going for regional elections once again in several months time what's this going to mean for the e.u.

because we know the e.u. has been watching this worrying about what's going to happen well the e.u. would like this problem to go away essentially so they have been back in madrid open very much in saying that you know this you know an internal problem and there is a long hasn't really received that the support that perhaps i'm saying the pro independence people would think i have not received that support that perhaps they were looking for so you know i'm for hey i'm just going to briefly say that catalyst pushed him on who is of course the former regional president is in belgium and the french government has said that if he enters their territory well these are sources are saying that he will be arrested ok so you have to get out of everest in order to get to spain exactly and i explained he will be arrested if there will be talking with you later in the evening gives the numbers come in public fully thank you brant now to new york the u.n. general assembly has overwhelmingly passed a resolution asking the united states to withdraw its decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital and an emergency session today one hundred twenty

eight of the one hundred ninety three member states voted in favor of the motion only eight countries voting with the u.s. now that's despite a threat by u.s. president donald trump to cut u.s. funding to countries that backed the measure palestinian president mahmoud abbas held the decision as a victory for his people there were strong words exchanged by several countries in the build up to the vote including for years reels you with ambassador take a listen. though the poll today the aleutian. you are property pulled by the three or you palestinian property musters you are like marionettes forced to death while the palestinian leadership looks on with glee you are blind to the life i know will be the money through rounding you just like

a puppet. the united states will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the general assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation we will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the united nations and we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us as they so often do to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit well you know me because my expectation my hope is that today america does not get the result of expects an adult point america is taught a good lesson for the whole world. are this go to washington our correspondent in phenomenon is on the story for us good evening to you carson so we heard some strong rhetoric today from all sides and explain to us why has this become such a heated debate when this was really only

a symbolic vote. well first of all the issue of jerusalem is of course an emotional issue for many countries many peoples but then the united states made it worse by making this into a question of whether countries respect or disrespect the united states i mean nikki haley the u.n. . ambassador to the the united states talked a lot about the contributions that the united states makes to the u.n. and that this investment should show some results this is not how international diplomacy works this is not a machine the u.n. where you put money into the slot and then you get the votes that you want on any issue that comes up you have very good point to make there chorused and so what is trump's agenda with this i mean not only has this been controversial but the u.s. government has even threatened its critics.

clearly donald trump has been playing to his domestic audience to his base on this issue many voters in the u.s. see the u.n. very critically and of course donald trump wants to present himself as a tough guy who make sure that americans are not ripped off and his few the u.s. pays so the u.s. should get some results in return once again this is not really how it works in actually many countries many governments i believe. were stopped from supporting the u.s. in this by these threats because in the eyes of their own domestic audiences they would have looked very weak and that explains maybe why so many countries simply abstained or didn't even show up for a vote and why this list of supporters of the u.s. is so short i mean this was israel of course and then what's amala do rus togo make

or nisha nauru and the marshall islands that's quite an alliance. there are corresponding washington costa phenomena carsten thank you. and we want to go back now to our top story and that is that crucial vote in the spanish region of catalonia our correspondent lisa louis is in barcelona on the story for us tonight good evening to you lisa i mean we know that we still don't have the final numbers yet in terms of voter turnout but we know it's high are you surprised considering i asked you earlier in the show were so close to christmas people have other things on their minds are you surprised that so many people decided to vote today. well i'm not really surprised given that emissions have been running very high in this campaign the people i've been talking to were speaking very much from the hot one they told me today you know we just don't feel that we

speak the same language we don't feel understood by madrid and we don't feel loved by them we shouldn't really be together and e-mails and even those who are against independence are very passionate about that so for many here it was very difficult for you important to get to the gate to the right and to give to give it a chance that they will be found and solution to this crisis here in catalonia and we're going to let you and our viewers know we're looking at live pictures. we were looking at live pictures there of the ballots actually being counted and deliver our viewers know that this is what happens in catalonia the ballots are counted by hand there are no exit polls so we really do have to wait until the actual ballot tallies are published so you know you have this wait and see time with elections in catalonia and what is it state here lisa in terms of independence catalonia appears

to be just as divided now as it was two months ago. well absolutely we won't be and we don't have any results whatsoever before a few hours down the road and even those results will be posher results the the definite results will be published next week on wednesday and that is a lot at stake here and people our way out of that as i said people obviating really and masses and everything that's because there has been a political crisis ongoing a lot of people i worry that if i cut out of the space up from spain that it will have huge economic consequences for them but the independent supporters of easy are saying well even if it does have consequences we will be stronger in the long run plainly says not a lot of stake for both sides really you know so for the e.u. because the e.u. is obviously hoping that catalonia will not separate from spain because that could trigger effects in other countries where they also regions that are hoping to

separate from the main country and the e.u. really want to prevent that from happening or correspondent lisa lewis in barcelona keeping us abreast on the counting of the ballots there in that vote it's incredible here lisa thank you very much. you're watching the news live from berlin we'll have more world news at the top of the hour followed by the day and we'll also have the latest on that voter turnout and on the ballot counting in that regional election in catalonia stay with you governor. crime fighter the new season of radio crime thrillers begins. for investigative cases that will keep you on your toes. right fighters terry's at the base idea ever so every young person needs new.