About this and this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up the u. S. President to lash out at a part of rican mayor after she begs for more help to recover from the devastation of how tick and maria. Thousands take to the streets in the u. S. Demanding racial equality. And the u. S. Reveals its trying to talk to north korea over its Nuclear Program but so far pyongyang is not answering. Tens of thousands of catalans are expected to defy spanish authorities in attempt to vote in a band independence referendum on sunday raising fears of unrest the government insists it will stop the secession vote in catalonia which its declared illegal madrid has described it as a mockery of democracy why does news agency is reporting that volunteers at polling stations could be fined up to three hundred fifty thousand Dollars Police have already been deployed ahead of the ballots closing more than half of the schools set aside to act as Polling Centers offices say they will remove voters in the spanish capital madrid thousands of people in favor of a united spain have held a rally neither side shows any signs of backing down pan hall reports from barcelona. Schools have become a decisive political battleground families and socalled defense committees are camping out to ensure school stay open and double as polling stations. Volunteers here are. To information through. The. State the spot where the ballot box will be placed its pretty exciting you know because its like. So many people here are united just. With one cause in common but police are under orders from the Spanish Government to evict it isnt and shut down schools around dawn on sunday if that happens the referendum could be in jeopardy in madrid spains foreign minister criticised the catalan all thora hes defiance we think the law guarantees the magazine. Pushing is not democracy its a mockery of democracy a travesty of democracy. Referendum. Do not. Democracy catalonia spains wealthiest region its a bit bigger than belgium its economy larger than greece or portugal has its own language and cultural identity but the issue of secession has deeply divided society. With few impartial surveys the street is the only if imperfect barometer of Voter Sentiment on saturday thousands turned out in madrid demanding spain remain united. We dont agree on what catalans are doing they have no right to do what they doing were all spaniards catalonia in spain. Police raided the cattle and governments Computer Technology center and shut down software due to be used for the final vote tally. Today we were informed that the organization of the illegal referendum suffered a blow when the facilities of the catalan governments telecommunications hold were blocked with the intention to prevent telematic voting and vote counting. Referendum for a new republic or mockery of democracy the outcome is unlikely to hang on technology all the law but on the ability of citizens to defend the ballot box in schools that have become a battleground. Zero barcelona spain twenty burglaries in madrid where thousands of people have held a pro unity rally outside the city hall. On saturday weve seen a hardening about issues weve seen a hardening of language but weve seen no softening of emotions this whole campaign is now being shrouded in acrimony and hostilities become a war of words the accusations are flying between both sides so its going to be very difficult whatever happens on sundays vote to see what will happen in the long term to heal the wounds thats been created and i should say further wounds because wounds have been existing for a long time people in madrid i think a realizing how serious the situation has become many didnt actually believe it would get to this stage on saturday we saw a big demonstration five thousand people turned out we were told by the organizers to show their support for cats only being part of spain they also are very angry about the position of the castle and government they want the castle and government to be held accountable and sent to jail and therefore they are very supportive of the measures that the Spanish Government is taking of course because signs all say that the Spanish Government is being or thought tarion as far as government is saying that the government is being undemocratic so whatever side youre on you will take whatever you can from what theyre saying but the question is what will happen after the referendum how will we get over the animosity and hostility created in this Campaign Many countries will be watching to see what happens in the referendum because the repercussions not only for spain but for them to countries like belgium france and italy so this holds very important issues for countries in europe not just spain but the Spanish Government is doing Everything Possible to stop that vote from going ahead it may be scare tactics it may be designed to make the people who are basically in the middle not go out and vote but we can only wait and see. The manner of protests because capital san juan has accused the u. S. Government of killing people through inefficiency manual includes says help to the u. S. Territory hit by how to in the area is not coming quickly enough the white house has appointed a general to oversee relief operations and aid is starting to arrive but the mio says puerto rico isnt getting the same support as other communities in the u. S. Donald trump has had back via twitter accusing his political rivals of telling the mayor of san juan to criticize him in another tweet he said such poor leadership ability but the mayor of san juan and others in puerto rico who are not able to get their workers to help speaking to aljazeera as to the sub zero on saturday some one shrugged off trumps commons. I think we havent been treated with the same sense of emergency that other to sas or sap and treated and again you know whom i am a mom of five hundred twenty pounds mayor of a city in the caribbean a three star general. Said yesterday we dont have enough we need to get more in order to be able to take care of the storage. Home are to say that a general isnt saying the right thing. Has more from san juan. This is a Convention Center thats been turned into an Emergency Coordination Center between federal authorities and local authorities to try to get this island out of the crisis disc people that you see behind me lining up there here to ask for help some of them are offering themselves as volunteers in order to go and help out around this island that has been devastated in many many areas that the mayor of san juan. Has been very vocal about what this island needs in order to recover she see that much more government help federal help is needed in order to come out of the Current Crisis but her cleats were answered by precedent donald trump saying that puerto rican speak to start working as a community theres over ten thousand federal agents on these island trying to help out so obviously those comments were not taken well among people who were still trying to recover from the shock that the hurricane left in many areas around the country there is no water there still no electricity all around the island it is completely relying on generators and thats why fuel is extremely needed at this point puerto rican seem general are saying that theyre being discriminated by the federal government theyre saying that theyre not receiving the same treatment that people in florida or texas that were also hit by hurricanes received and many of them here are demanding more help. Charles beneteau something i go is an associate professor of Political Science at the university of connecticut he says there may be several reasons the u. S. Is struggling with the situation in puerto rico i think part of the problems that president up doesnt have any experience and doesnt understand how to govern just a businessman and i think hes confronted with the dumb things situation that you just posted that i dont have i think at the mic once the military enters the picture and they have some pericles in place we might see some changes but right now its not clear that his advice or arent thinking about these problems theyre busy. Fending off charges of using taxpayer money to fly theyre not thinking about solutions to the problem especially the secretary there theres a Greater Public health we just resign and friday i mean these are sacred as it should be on top of the situation of the crisis in puerto rico a lot of folks in the United States dont understand it where does it was inhabited by u. S. Citizens so to that extent its almost as if theres a neglect of a place that nobodys center knows it exists within the United States part of the problem is that fixing puerto rico right now is going to be so expensive which i think is one of the other explanations of why President Trump was not trying to jump into this. That in some ways people are going to be more time down are tied to the United States because the amount of money thats going to be needed to fix the United States. Is in the billions and because part of it doesnt have access to International Markets its going to completely the u. S. Reconstruction efforts thousands of americans have joined up march for Racial Justice in washington d. C. Relatives of people shot dead by police have been among the protesters demanding justice and shelf life has more. It was. A march to the federal department of justice several thousand people saying thats exactly what theyre looking for justice you do it because you die on the watch and we refuse to die. And we refuse to be enslaved again. Valerie castiel came halfway across the country to participate her son fell lando was shot and killed by a Police Officer last year in the state of minnesota that latino officer geronimo yeah nez was recently acquitted of all charges. It happened these gas paid off no accountability no responsibility. This demonstration is actually to merge protests in march for Racial Justice and the march for black women drawing attention more specifically to issues facing minority women in a nation that has a majority white population where marching for our lives were marching for our health were marching for our for our sanity and were marching for liberation marches like they are and similar martyrs planted ten other cities around the country come as the u. S. Is struggling over aggressions of race and racism complex social issues being publicly debated here and this is very much social media all of it lame by tweets from the white house and controversial symbolic displays in the nations sports arena. It is a time of National Division american Football Players staging controversial pregame demonstrations tweeted condemnation from the president anger from some fans. White supremacist displaying nazi symbols this summer an opposing protester killed and a tepid response from the white house scrawled slurs found this week targeting africanamerican students at a military prep school and if you cant. Treat someone from another race or a different color skin with dignity and respect then you need to get out there is anger on the streets but diversity as well and hope says one march organizer on the street where we live we live with one another we love each other and this is an opportunity to express that. An opportunity does sound taken by thousands of americans allan job for aljazeera washington d. C. At least fifty people have been arrested at a far right rally in this way the city of gothenburg members of the Nordic Resistance Movement to being fighting with counter demonstrators who promotes antisemitic ideas and set of time to march to coincide with the jewish holiday of kapoor a Police Officer was among several people injured. Well its more still ahead on aljazeera and were going to tell you why the cut its independence vote has raised tensions in iraqs oil rich city of kirkuk and. An apparent. Path taken. From a fresh coast. To watching the sunset on the australian outback. How i was there was a very wet weather coming into central and eastern parts of china some really heavy rain coming through here further south its not a bad little bit of wet weather just making its way into the far south of the country though hopefully hong kong brightening up as we go on into monday central parts shanghai once again seeing more heavy and thundery downpours it was a wet weight last week it doesnt look a whole lot better this week probably a shower was two were crossed much of Southeast Asia the usual off the showers rolling all the way down through malaysia and indonesia and now there nothing further southwards malaysian grand prix yet theres a good chance of seeing some showers here and further further northeast still seeing some showers coming into a good part of thailand bangkok really struggling to shrug off that very or wet weather the wet weather extends across the i have been gold well see some more heavy showers there into that eastern side of india southern areas of india again seeing some very heavy thunder down poles bangladesh still seeing some live showers in the shower or where cross into me and my spot the difference is we go on through sunday very little change coming through western get still seeing some heavy rain east and gas all the way up into northern parts of the further heavy showers but for northern india it stays fine and dry. The weather sponsored by cattle and mace. The coca plant has long been a pillar of bolivias traditions but its use in Illegal Drugs today is threatening the nations culture by my opinion also dorothys are involved because they received it back so while some have made fortunes many others have suffered at the hands of this multibillion dollar industry me malady my mother was strangled with the cable and brought to me come with it it was a he described who are the winners and losers of this Illicit Trade snow of the andes this time. Youre watching all jazeera reminder of our top stories Spanish Police are on the streets of catalonia my head of the banned secession vote on sunday the droids describing the vote as a mockery of democracy. The mayor of puerto ricos capital is accusing the Us Government of killing people through inefficiency President Donald Trump has hit back via twitter saying his political rivals are behind the accusations. And thousands of americans have joined up march for Racial Justice in washington d. C. Relatives of people shot dead by police have been among the protesters. The u. S. State Department Says north korea has shown no signs of interest all right ines for talks about its Nuclear Program state secretary Rex Tillerson has revealed washington has been in direct communication with pyongyang hes in beijing for high level talks on the crisis the u. S. Has been looking for chinas help to toughen an economic squeeze on north korea like han is joining us live now from washington d. C. Mike what is the significance of rexx tell us in that making this statement now during this visit to china. Well its the first public confirmation that the Trump Administration has been in contact with north korea the secretary of state said that there were at least three avenues that the u. S. Was using to communicate with north korea you made clear as well though that it was not through china this clearly indicating that it is some unilateral channel that the u. S. Is utilizing the significance though is that diplomacy is still on the table despite the tough talks weve heard from both the president of the u. S. And the leader of north korea in recent weeks it would appear that the secretary of state still holds some kind of pope of a diplomatic resolution to this ongoing crisis mike im assuming that Rex Tillerson is however still going to be looking for china to do more in this despite the fact that china has already in its opinion been living up to the at least the spirit of the sanctions that were being put in place by the u. N. Security council recently. Well there has been a significant shift in chinas policy in recent months in the past that was accused by the us among others of not fully implementing the sanctions that had been passed in the u. N. Security council however in recent months its clearly has been playing its part in ensuring that these sanctions are implemented along with those that were recently unilaterally introduced by the United States for example the whole banks within china have been instructed not to carry out business with north korea weve heard about north korean businesses being shut down in china in coming months so clearly there has been a shift in the chinese position where it is willing to bring pressure to bear on the north korean regime now this is significant because it is something that it was accused of not doing in the past and in so doing what is happening is that there is a closer approach between the u. S. And china not only matters pertaining to north korea but also wider issues of trade and its general relationship thanks mike Iraqi Security forces have deployed thousands of troops to the city of karbala ahead of a religious event a shorter commemoration is particularly important for shia muslims marking the anniversary of the seventh century battle of karbala the main ritual is mourning the death of him on hussein the prophets grandson this events often been marred by attacks targeting the shia community. At least twenty eight people have been killed in airstrikes in the rebel held province of syria the u. K. Based group the syrian observatory for human rights says four children were among the dead but it hasnt been able to verify whether the strikes were carried out by the Syrian Government or its main ally russia the latest in an intensifying air campaign against rebels not a party to a deescalation zone deal brokered by russia turkey and iran. The leader of the Lebanese Armed group is warning that a controversial vote for kurdish independence in Northern Iraq will lead to division in the region. Says the referendum held on monday doesnt threaten iraq alone but also turkey syria and iran which all have large kurdish minorities. There is a new phase that the region is facing and it is a very dangerous one it is the phase of partition. This is issue not about the right to decide a fate or about rights or about a group that wants to separate it has a completely different aim which is to partition the region based on ethnic and religious grounds where the city of code in Northern Iraq has some of the biggest oil reserves in the country for decades there have been disagreements about who should control the city but units loyal to the Kurdish Regional government patrol the city but inclusion in mondays session vote has baghdad as charles hordes. The Kurdish Peshmerga to control the kirkuk after the iraqi army fled in islip pensive in two thousand and fourteen. But theres never been agreement between the Kurdish Regional government talk in the federal government in baghdad about who should be in control here and benefit most from the areas vast oil wealth. Eighty percent turnout in the referendum on kurdish the session the day after the vote the Iraqi ParliamentPrime Minister hydrilla body to send troops into kurdish controlled. Areas like cook and take back control of the oil fields the kurdish governor of kirkuk hopes he doesnt heed to parliaments demand Prime Minister has made it clear that force is not. Approach this thing. And i agree with him and we dont expect a force to be used but of course there are people may be not under his control who may try to do this Parliament Earlier this month voted to remove mr karim but he has refused to go and anything that comes against me for my patriotic position its its an honor for me many kurds call kirkuk their jerusalem but there are also turkomans arabs and christians here too there are also hundreds of thousands of arabs that have arrived here in recent years fleeing i saw and they feel very let down by the baghdad government theres also considerable opposition amongst the arabs and the turkmen about any idea with respect to kirkuk being part of a future independent kurdish state the vast majority of turkmen and arabs who have lived in kirkuk for generations boycotted the referendum this if you to the area and the borders of k r g is not a clear and this specially kirkuk will be. Spaced of this a try going between arab be owned by that and may be. A war about kirkuk the way to solve this a problem is not their independence and their friend on the way is. The two thousand and five constitution stipulates that the federal government send seventeen percent of the federal budget to the k r g every year. It stops sending the money in two thousand and fifteen. And baghdad has since accused the kayleigh ji of not sharing the oil wealth but only fighting here could jeopardize the battle against eisel in how we shot around fifty kilometers southwest of kirkuk. Who controls kirkuk. The referendum on kurdish independence. Because they will fight for you trying to take it from them. That aljazeera will bill at least twenty spectators have been injured after a barrier collapsed at a stadium in france the incident happened at the League Football match between live and i mean the home and the supporters were celebrating the opening goal when the fans collapsed under their weight three people were taken to hospital with serious injuries. The leader of colombias last rebel group has ordered his fighters to stand down ahead of a historic cease fire. Posted a video online committing the National Liberation army or e. L. End to honoring the deal the group began peace talks of the government in february after the disarmament of the much bigger far rebel group. A top Climate Change expert says a strenuous coal Energy Policies are leaving it stuck in a time warp the government believes the answer to soaring Energy Prices and power blackouts lies in extending the life of an aging coal fired power station but its operators claims new Greener Technology is the answer. Reports. The only disco find house station in australia says its showing its age millions of dollars are being spent to keep the forty five year old little plant running before every times in five years but the government is pressuring operator a. G. L. To continue producing power for another five years beyond then saying its key to securing electricity supplies a. G. L. Is considering the request but says it would be better off investing in new cleaner technologies such as wind and solar so its a natural progression of whatever anything comes to the end of its technical loss youd run the roller over whether you extend it or whether you. Do something new in this but certainly the economics delay due to wards and your balls being provided for energy and. You know very flexible efficient technologies providing that capacity the Hunter Valley north of sydney in New South Wales is at the center of the Energy Debate here because its a major coal mining and power provider the little power station is in muscle growth and the towns mayor says its time to look to the future not only is the Israeli Government pushing to expand a prolonged the life of coal fired power stations like this one in the Hunter Valley its also backing a new coal mine which is built one of the largest in the world. Despite Community Opposition these trading governments approved the multibillion dollar indian owned a car market coal mine but there are serious concerns about its financial viability the architect of the United Nations paris climate agreement which agreed to cut greenhouse. Gas emissions says developing calm winds now makes no sense so you know if that project had been proposed in the year nine hundred fifty it would probably have been a good project to propose that project in two thousand and seventeen frankly its like Science Fiction time war except that Science Fiction usually looks forward to this one is a Science Fiction that is looking back astray is expected to remain the Worlds Largest exporter of coal for at least the next twenty years despite that abundance some power station operators see a future in Renewable Energy and reduced carbon emissions. Aljazeera muscle group in the Hunter Valley tens of millions across india are marking the hindu festival of those in the Southern City of my sort of the local palace was lit up the ten day event marks the triumph of the hindu god the ram of the demon king vanna symbolizing the victory of good over evil it features an elephant processions for additional dances and the burning of mythological effigies. And a new records being set for chinese art at an auction in hong kong a painting by the chinese american artist it was sold for more than thirteen Million Dollars at sothebys and saturday is the first time its being sold its been owned by the artist family since it was painted eighty five years ago the book was originally commission for the opening of the museum of modern art in new york in one thousand nine hundred thirty two animal lovers in the philippines have had their pets blessed in manila three dozen dogs and a python were blessed by a priest and sprinkled with holy water the event was held to promote world day next wednesday its also the catholic feast of st francis of assisi the patron saint of animals. And you can find much more on the web site the address is al jazeera dot com. Some of the headlines on aljazeera Spanish Police are on the streets of catalonia ahead of the bands secession vote on sunday madrid is describing the vote as a mockery of Democracy Police in catalonia have already closed more than half of the schools set to act as Polling Centers officers say they will remove voters the mayor of puerto ricos capital of san juan is accusing the Us Government of killing people through inefficiency President Donald Trump has hit back via twitter saying his political rivals are behind the accusations in