Hello and welcome im peter w. Watching al jazeera live from my headquarters here in doha also coming up catalonia remains defiance against madrids insistence that sundays independence referendum will go ahead despite spain declaring the vote illegal. For lankas government to hunt down Buddhist Monks suspected of attacking a u. N. Shelter for revenge or refugees in the capital colombo. Dozens dead and missing in germany as Hurrican Maria devastates the caribbean island. We begin with the latest on the fallout from mondays secession referendum in the kurdish region of Northern Iraq initial results a ninety two percent. Voted yes to secede but pressure on kurdish leaders is increasing iraq is demanding the vote be an old the countrys parliament has called on the Prime Minister to deploy troops to disputed areas including the oil rich city of kirkuk that area is controlled by Kurdish Military units but officially its governed by baghdad the iraqi Prime Minister also says the kurdish leadership must relinquish control of border crossings and oil revenues several International Airlines have agreed to baghdads request to avoid flying into Regional Government controlled airports as of friday Charles Stratford now from bill. Celebrations on the streets of appeal up to ninety two percent of voters said yes to secession from the kurdish region of Northern Iraq. The referendum is very important it will for my future and i hope at least that baghdad will eventually to be independent. With the federal government in baghdad has called the referendum on constitutional and hes refusing to even recognize the result little known start negotiations with the kurdish Regional Government ok allergy over future independence for iraq. Events of the last few days here can only be described as some of the most momentous in these regions history but the political ramifications are massive the threats continue from the baghdad governments and neighboring countries and theres a sense here of great uncertainty as to what could happen next. The federal government has threatened to close the Regions International airspace if kurdish authorities dont hand over control of their two main airports by a friday deadline. Turkey is threatening to cut off the kayleigh g. s oil pipeline and close the land border turkey is the biggest supplier of goods and food to the k r g. We cant. Beat ourselves. We dont have that much power. And threats that a body is making of the same is the damn regime but the kurds dont have a life if we stay with baghdad. Maybe determination among the people who have wanted a country of their own for generations but the celebrations here may not last long John Stratford al jazeera has built. A top u. S. Democrat has come out in support of an independent kurdish state Chuck Schumer leads the democrats in the senate hes calling on the u. S. Government to recognize what he calls mondays historic vote he says it should back the creation of an independent kurdish state is in a bill joining us live this hour here on aljazeera so different people saying Different Things but the pressure is mounting across the board. How do we think this is going to play out. Well i think. People anyone. Happy they were saying in the same breath yes we are very happy and satisfied but we know that the problems are going to start now. We have a deadline looming which is friday fifteen g. M. T. For all International Flights to be suspended from two airports in the kurdish region threats the borders might be closed. Parliament in baghdad. Prime minister to send iraqi forces into the disputed many of those disputed territories actually took part in the referendum according to the commission about more than a Million People from those who voted in this referendum even though we dont have the breakdown and that would be very indicative really about the mood in the center of all that is obviously the oil rich city. The turnout there among kurds was more than sixty percent. Of the city that didnt vote. Moving the iraqi forces would actually be something that worries everybody here because there was a very serious back in two thousand and twelve. Face to face on the borders of threatened really the time to bring to choose sides a civil war and it had to take a lot of you as an International Intervention to stop that. Is part of the problem when you mention kirkuk there holder is part of the problem with kirkuk the way that its technically speaking some people say look its outside the region that would become an independent kurdistan and on top of that its got oil and on top of that as well i guess it is a blend of different people from different groupings. Absolutely i mean since the fall of Saddam Hussein in two thousand and three has been a bone of contention between the two sides and article one forty of the constitution which is the one that was supposed to deal with the issue of the disputed. Calling for Population Census and then a referendum basically asking the same question that this is more or less the same question i would say that was asked in this referendum people there were supposed to answer whether they wanted to be part of the kurdish region or remain. Part of the Central Government in baghdad that never happened in the meantime theres a lot of accusations that after the fall of Saddam Hussein hundreds of thousands of kurds have relocated to kirkuk they say that they had been pushed out of kirkuk on the former regime it is at the heart of all that also because turkey has something to do. Turkmen. Community there its the second largest after the kurds today at least that is according to what were told by officials there and it is a big pipeline that goes from there to goods have done that by plan goes from. All the way to turkey and you have a second. That is in the making in its final stages stages that is also going. All the way to europe through turkey and those pipelines have actually been a big problem because the kurds know that with those pipelines they actually have at least economically viable states here. And briefly harder if youre mr erdogan in ankara or indeed mr body in baghdad youve got to accept and theyve spoken about this publicly that the Kurdish Peshmerga have done a lot of the heavy lifting in the fight against eisel but they can never accept the idea that the Kurdish Peshmerga might start fighting for an independent quote kurdistan. Yes absolutely absolutely right and i think one of the issues is that when you speak to people here they bring up. All the time they say listen we did. This part of the country we kept it safe for the last fifteen years then we took a leave role in the fight against. The disputed and even if you remember at the beginning of the mosul offensive i had the leads and it was starting from the push was starting from the north into the city into the surroundings of the city. A lot of. The moment are not being recognized respected by the government in baghdad. All the time and the military forces. Forces they say well they have been integrated into Security Forces they come under the command of Prime Minister they get more financial and military support. Have ever gone now they say if there is a confrontation. Government. They will be able to protect this part of the country. You keep us posted im sure in the meantime thank you. Turkey has killed thirteen kurdish fighters in Northern Iraq a statement from the countrys armed forces. A group preparing an attack the p. K. K. Has been fighting for kurdish autonomy in the south east of turkey and Northern Iraq since the one nine hundred eighty s. He says it is a terrorist organization. In catalonia the leader there has criticized european institutions for ignoring the regions wish to hold an independence vote. Spains crackdown on the referendum is boosting support for the vote he will go ahead on sunday Spanish Police chiefs have meant to plan taking control of Polling Centers to prevent people voting. No european country has openly supported the referendum the Spanish Government and the courts have ruled it to be illegal but in all the major actually done most even people on sunday will go out and vote massively peacefully also for only one reason one of the most Important Reasons regardless of what their vote will be there is a Firm Conviction that the state today is an inheritor of francos spain that wasnt overcome in this transition stage but today more than ever it is a problem that we need to fight democratically. Ok lets get more on that one for you call pain of all reports now from barcelona. Last thing at night activists stay up late campaigning for catalonia to break away. The first thing in the morning there are get up early calling for spain to stay. In. The Spanish Government has declared the secession ballot illegal but catalan interior minister forn explained why regional authorities were pressing ahead. I mean the. Government is not just trying to stop a referendum to stop. The citing its political future things have gone beyond the simple call for selfdetermination and what were also debating here is the defense of democracy and of the most fundamental freedoms. The dritte is stepping up efforts to stop the referendum many schools are going to be potential crime scenes to stop them being used as centers and. Into the area. Madrid has also said it will take command of the Capitol Police force that is the source this. Capital an authority is a resisting that order. From the most of the Security Force of catalonia and theyre responsible for law and order their role should be to permit people to vote in peace we dont want a confrontation but we will defend our rights and responsibilities as. The referendum is planned for this sunday. C. Thing would have been like in the Scottish Referendum sides to debate the alternatives thats been impossible in spain. On the streets of barcelona this group is small loud and not in the mood for harsh measures they would like to see spain remain united and for the cattle and government to be completely shut down. Penned all aljazeera barcelona spain and. The Thai Government has confirmed that the former Prime MinisterYingluck Shinawatra has been living in dubai she was sentenced to five years in prison on weapons for negligence in a rice subsidy scheme which lost billions of dollars left thailand last month ahead of the verdicts unconfirmed reports are now claiming that she actually left by on september the eleventh and is as of today in london when he now from bangkok. Prior to the verdict being delivered on wednesday the Prime Minister of thailand general prior china china said that he knew where it was and would tell everyone after the verdict well we now know that the former Prime Minister yingluck was given a five year jail term for negligence and he now says that she is in dubai the Prime Minister saying the police will now have to proceed and coordinate with the Foreign Ministry and interpol in reality though if she is in dubai it seems there is very little that the Thai Government will be able to do to get her back because presumably she is in dubai with her brother taxon chin what another former thai Prime Minister who has been living in dubai for years after he too was ousted in a coup in two thousand and six and cynics in thailand would also suggest that the Prime Minister. Knows where young like is because she had help getting there theres been speculation that she may have made a deal with the military government to allow her to leave thailand remembering that she disappeared a couple of days before the original verdict dates which was on august the twenty fifth. Funerals been held outside moscow for a russian general killed in syria of ten in general valeri off with reportedly had by shelling for beisel fighters need a dinosaur hes the russian militarys thirty eight loss in syria russia began its operation to support the Syrian Army Offensive against iceland twenty fifteen mainly providing air cover to Government Forces on the ground. Ukraine is blaming russia for a fire at a military munitions depo which triggered multiple explosions the blast started on tuesday night the base is around two hundred kilometers southwest of kiev rescue services evacuated thousands of people from six nearby villages soldiers have now been sent to patrol abandoned residential areas. Still ahead here on aljazeera. A lavish ceremony marking fifty years of the Israeli Occupation of the west bank and the Golan Heights plus what do you mean you are with me. And i have it on. Riding a bike injuries rise dramatically in the u. S. Well tell you why. I think we should see some quiet weather into central parts of the matter over the next couple days still a few showers lurking around across southern italy over towards the ball this little more cloud still coming in here but im hopeful they will over the next few days the main weather action will be across the northwest British Isles looking rather disturbed wet and windy weather streaming in here not too bad as we go on through thursday as you can see for much of the u. K. At least al it will turn increasingly wet catherine will make its way east was still a few showers down towards greece and the balkans not a little further research. As we go through friday hopefully becoming fewer and further between seventeen. Fourteen. Just ten degrees for moscow but not bad temperature wise for paris for example twenty five but nineteen in the cloud in the right in the blustery conditions for london as we go towards the weekend we got some rather wet weather some damn weather a possibility of course the northwest of africa a few showers into Northern Iraq and northern areas. For much of north africa we will be fine and dry temperatures typically getting up to the mid twentys maybe still touching thirty four shows continue across Central Africa with more showers right across a good part of the west. You with al jazeera remind of the top stories this hour the Iraqi Parliament has voted to allow troops to be sent to areas controlled by Kurdish Military units now that follows mondays kurdish referendum in which ninety two percent voted in favor of secession. Thailands government has confirmed the former Prime MinisterYingluck Shinawatra is in dubai she was sentenced to five years in prison on weapons state over corrupt rice subsidy scheme. And the governments of the catalonia region in spain is insisting the independence referendum on sunday will go ahead the Central Government is warning the vote is in the. At least twenty seven people have been killed in dominique or off to the caribbean island nation was devastated by Hurricane Maria many more a missing aljazeera as Gabriel Elizondo is in the capital. Im here in a side street in the capitol of a road so you can get a sense of how bad this hurricane was there just destruction here everywhere now look at this vehicle that im about to show you again it shows you how strong the winds were and how ferocious this storm was you can see a helicopter about to land here this is near the stadium and we see a helicopter various countries. Thirty minutes when we flew into the country what we saw was absolutely devastating this is normally a very lush green island but it was all brown the worst of the hurricane winds just ripped all of the trees and vegetation completely out of the ground it was absolutely astonishing when we got to one of the main airports we saw aid convoys that were arriving from various Different Countries helicopters also large military planes as well aid is finally starting to get into the country and its needed desperately on the drive we saw more of the extreme devastation thats been hitting this country at one point there were people with gathering water from a precious water stream because thats the only access to water that they had very very bad way off to the right that he believes like i just dont know. The steroid the the whats. In the room and. We came here to speak to the countrys Prime MinisterRoosevelt Skerritt this is what he had to tell us complete devas