[music] >> >> will they or won't they? scotland heads to the polls to split with the u.k. it's an historic day, one watched by separatist movements around the world. i'm nick clark in doha, also ahead. australian police arrest 15 people in what's been called the biggest counterterrorism raid in history. tough questions for the u.s. secretary of state, as he tries

to sell president obama's plan to fight i.s.i.l. and the nurse with the first shot of an experimental ebola vaccine. so then we begin in scotland where polls opened for a referendum on independence. people are asked to decide whether the country should split from the u.k. or stay with it. let's look at the scene in edinburgh. quiet at the moment, but a huge turn out is expected. which way the poll will poll is too close to call. if the yes campaign wins, it will end a union which has lasted 300 years. so straight to edinburgh, julie mcdonald is live. tell us about the numbers that we are expecting. i think there's a mixture of feelings here this morning, and

i don't know if you can see behind me. edinburgh's capital city is shrouding in this. it's an interesting metaphor, we won't have a clear picture of scotland's future until later. let me tell you about turn out. 97% of the population has been register registered. 4.2 million people, the largest electorate ever. 200,000 have been added to the register in 2012. more interesting is that it 100,000 people have added their names, sometimes people who have never voted in an election before, just in the last month alone. we have seen queues around voter registration stations. today we are hoping that things go smoothly. we have heard various reports, one report from glasgow where people are singing, dressed in tar tan, holding hands. for some people they've been

waiting a long time for this day to come. for them it will be more muted. what about the voting process itself, how will that work, and when will we know results. >> we won't know until tomorrow morning, polls open at 7 o'clock this morning, at the polling station, until 10 o'clock tonight, a large window for people to vote. there are 2,600 polling stations across the nation, and we know from polling stations that they have put on extra people to make sure that there are plenty of observers, and all the people in the polling stations so that people can cast the ballot. when voting stops at 10 o'clock, the count starts in earnest. there's 32 areas, each counting their votes, and they'll report that back. a lady called mary pitt casely is the head of the count will announce the results some time between 6:30 and 7:30am. we'll

have a trickle of results in the early hours of the morning, which may give us an idea. but interesting the large counties, glasgow, edinburgh, aberdeen, they'll be the last figures we'll get. we'll know in the morning. >> you've been talking about it for a long time, but the day is here. thank you. let's broaden it out. we'll speak to christian from the freedom movement and joins us from italy. mr coleman, you are watching the scottish referendum. you are part of italy, but you want independence. tell us why? >> yes, that's true. well, we are german speaking, the majority, around 70% of the population, is german speaking. the region was annexed by italy after the first world war,

against the will of the population. that's the reason a lot do not feel italian. italy tries to assimilate and imposing on us for instance, artificial remains. a concept that denies any relation to the tyrell. and italy tries to make us happy with the fascist symbols such as the relief of the dictator, and what can be seen on the building... >> let me ask you this - to what doctoring has the pros in scotland given your ambitions for independence momentum? >> well, the referendum shows, independently of the result, the

se self-determination is possible. here the official policy has been claiming the opposite. that is the most important thing. it shows that self-determination will have a peaceful means for those that can't identify themselves with a state they are living in. this is the important thing for us. >> is it likely that the italian government will give you the opportunity that the u.k. government gives to people. >> we must have the rights to self-discrimination, they must fight for the right, negotiate with the italian government, with the italian parliament, and up to now, this, unfortunately, has not been the case, because the official party, the ruling

party in the south, they try to stick us to roam. and we are going another way. >> thank you. that's christian coleman speaking to us from bolzano, part of the freedom movement, one of many around the world, watching these events closely. the polling station not busy at the moment. they are expecting it to - the trade to build up as the day goes on. results expected tomorrow. australian police are carrying out the largest counter terror raids in the country's history. police arrested 15 people, searching a dozen homes. 800 officers took part informant operation. tony abbott said supporters of armed groups have been urged to carry out demonstrations in australian cities. >> a decision made a week ago to

raise the terror threat level was something that was many, many weeks, even months in the making. obviously the event this morning were based on specific intelligence that people were not just preparing an attack, but had the intention to mount one. >> this is not about people's religion, it's not about what people wear, it's about potential here in australia, and that's what we have to guard against. >> earlier we spoke the director for the disappear for islam and the modern world, about why some australians are drawn to groups like i.s.i.l. >> people radicalize because of peer association or pressure, malign mentors, people that take them under their wing and turn their heads. it's the social relation from past terror sells.

we know there's not much to complain about australia, but they are drawn by a pull factor, and that is unpress ented in iraq and syria. since the declaration of 9 caliphate on june 29th, from ibrahim, the leader of i.s.i.l., it made the group have tremendous appeal for young people to express anger and sense of wanting to speak out. it's not primarily problems in australia, it's young people drawn into a sub culture pulled into what is happening in syria and iraq. >> the u.s. house of representatives gave approval to president obama, his plan to defeat the group, calling it's the islamic state of iraq and levant. many want details, others warn the operation will backfire. we have this report. >> reporter: u.s. president obama giving a pep talk to u.s. troops responsible for the fight

against the islamic state of iraq and levant, promising again victory can be achieved without them going into combat in iraq. >> american forces do not and will not have a combat mission. they will support iraqi forces on the ground, as they fight for their own country against the terrorists. >> the president's plan calls for syrian fighters to take on i.s.i.l., and the house of representatives have agreed to plan their training with the senate expected to agree on thursday. many in congress are skeptical the plan will work. >> i hope you will lay out a plan to convince us you are serious about doing for the american people what you said you would do. >> one of the biggest concerns, the plan hinged on turning treebs in i.s.i.l. -- tribes in

i.s.i.l. to make it happen, they have tasked john alan for doing the same thing during the iraq war. admiral william fallon was his boss at the time and thinks lee can succeed again. >> he was the man that went to meet the leaders in the region. he nose thermal, and his experience -- he knows them all. and his experience, since he's been retired, back in the afghanistan, it makes him the ideal person, if you would, with yessedibility. the -- with credibility. >> the obama administration went to lengths to say that 32 other countries were helping. a lot say the arab nations have to contribute to the effort and it's up to general alan to make that happen.

>> do the arab states understand how fragile american people will be towards the destruction if they don't fully commit. >> the obama administration hearing reluctance from many in the region and congress. general alan was responsible for slowly winding down the war, being told he has less time to ramp a new one up. the secretary of state john kerry has told congress that objections from some arab states prevented iran from being invited to join the coalition, despite iran being involved in fighting i.s.i.l. iran's president says a u.s.-led coalition should not be taken seriously. >> translation: they have formed various coalitions in the region. what have they achieved? after some time they were forced to go out of the region without tangible results. we do not need, in fact, to be i'm vited into a coalition, we'll fulfil our responsibility against terrorist.

this is somehow ludicrous, the killings, and reidic u -- and it is ridiculous, and some that have financed the terror groups, and there are others that support them. and they are equipping them with weapons. >> we learn about the direction on the website. lots of articles, and opinion pieces on combatting. lots more to come on al jazeera, including no more room. lebanon plans to impose strict criteria to those seeking safety. plus... >> they are the cycling club. i'm in central african republic. i'll tell you how these men and women want to compete on the world stage. @

you're watching al jazeera, let's have a reminder of the top stories. polls have opened in scotland for a landmark referendum on independence. voters are asked whether the country should split from the u.k. or stay with it. australian police have carried out a large counterterrorism raid. 15 people were arrested across sydney and brisbane. u.s. secretary of state john kerry spoke before the senate foreign relations commit about a plan to fight the islamic state of iraq and levant. the house approved president obama's plan against i.s.i.l.,

including training moderate syrian rebels, and it meets the approval of the senate, expected to give the final green light to the 500 million that president obama requested. more than a million refugees lie in lebanon, making up a third of the population, and are putting a strain on the country. >> at a crossing with lebanon, thousand of refugees have been turned back in the past few weeks. officially the boarder has not been sealed. new rules on who is legible for entry are being implemented and strighter cite -- stricter criteria will be enforced. syrians are a third of the country. the lebanon minister of social work says there's no room for more. >> translation: we have asked the u.n. refugee agency to remove from the list syrian refugees that visit syria for any region.

>> some find they need to go between the two countries, and syria has cheap medical treatment. >> it's not about when they go. they lose elegibility to be refugees. >> lebanon is the only place left, and now it's effectively turning its back on them. but even for the refugees who are in lebanon. there's a new threat, an anti-syrian refugee sentiment that is rising and spreading, and adding difficulty to the daily struggle. syrians cueing up for assistance at this agency. this father says he may have to sleep with his six children on the street, after his landlord and employer threw him out. >> i can't go back to syria. how can anyone expect me to take the children to a place meaning

destruction and death. >> reporter: many have little sympathy, blaming the syrians for economic and security problems. this woman says state security raided her hem, arresting her husband and four sons. she wants the u.n. to find and release them. the search for the fighters intensified recently. people say hundreds of innocent syrians are being detained and questioned much. >> where do they want the syrians to go? to return to syria and return. will that make them happy. if you are not killed by bullets in syria, you'll die of hunger. desperate, they come to the u.n. as a last resort. there's little anyone is doing to pull them out of his misery. al jazeera continues to demand the release of three of its journalists imprisoned in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel

fahmy and baher mohamed have new been detained for 264 days, accused offed aiding the out -- of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood. people across sierra leone will be housebound because of a nationwide lock down. a radical step to curb the spread of ebola. 6 million people living in the country have been ordered to stay indoors for 72 hours, from thursday to monday. volunteers will go door to do to try to bring people that are ill to treatment clippings. >> in guinea the life of a second doctor had ban claimed, one of five that tested positive for ebola in the capital. while ebola can be treated, there's no cure. efforts are being stepped up to find a vaccine, and a volunteer in the u.k. is the first to be injected. the trials are happening at oxford university. >> preparing to try a potentially ebola vaccine, a

hopeful attempt for researchers and volunteer ruth atkins, one they hope will be able to stop the outbreak of the virus us. for the former nurse it was nothing short of a duty to help those in need. >> i heard it on the radio. what could i do. i can't go out there and work or anything. i thought "i can help", my little bit of helping is to participate in the vaccine. >> reporter: developed by the u.s. department of health, it does not contain inflexous material. it has a protein that sits on the virus it said, and is designed to target the ziar strain of ebola, causing the epidemic. the technology has been in the making for years. after undergoing testing, it

gave researchers of the confidence to go ahead and begin human trial testing. time was of the essence. >> this is a remarkable trial. about a month ago we had no idea that the fact seen existed or would be available for clinical testing. >> the trial will involve 60 people participating in it. it's part of a series of tests of vac soon aimed at preventing infection with the ebola virus. glaxosmithkline say if proven to be safe and effective, it will make available 10,000 doses of the vaccine, to protect those in need. 2,400 died in the outbreak. the infection is spreading at a rate which is too quick for the authorities to deal with. the world health organisation called on medical workers from all over the world to provide help in affected areas. in the meantime, ruth will be closely monitored for any

adverse effects. if this vaccine proves to be a remedy to the crisis, an emergency immunization programme could be in place by next year. the united nations stepped up its campaign to end a cholera outbreak in haiti. some are receiving a second dose of the vaccination. the disease has killed 8,000. u.n. peacekeepers have been blamed for starting the outbreak. the u.n. has not accepted responsibility. >> the pakistan government has ramped up efforts after flooding displaced 2 million people. 40,000 crews have been rescued, and 127 tonnes of rations have been distributed. medical camps are seeing a number of patients, many with water borne diseases. now to nicole johnson, live in pakistan's punjab province.

we on al jazeera have been following the floods as they move south. what is the significance of where you are now? >> welling right here is the barrage where five of pakistan's riff, and the flood -- rivers, and the floodwaters from the north head south. they merge, and 30km downstream it's pakistan's largest river, the mighty. >> ndis river. to give you an idea of the extent of the floods, the flow of water is 25 times greater than usual, and it goes to show how big the floods have been. there are floods in pakistan every year. it's the worst since 2010. >> where is the worst-hit area now? >> it's not far from where we are, it's the southern punjab

area, a center of problems at the moment, and it's an hour from here. it's a journey that would normally take 30 minutes from where we were this morning. because so many roads have been cut to divert the water, and so many of the dredges have been cut as well, so far it's taken four hours, and probably be another one hour. we are getting reports in from the national authorities, and they are getting into the areas to assess the damage. the waters start to recede. we'll expect the number to increase, as well as 2,000 schools. 7,000 square kilometres of agricultural land. this is the foodbasket of pakistan, rice, cotton, sugar, huge situatwathes of cropping l. >> how are they coping further south? >> well, in the province south

of here, there was a concern that would be the next area hit by the floodwaters. the floodwaters reached singh. but it's reduced. it's medium sized and it seems the river is able to cope with it. we are not expecting a catastrophe. the authorities moved some that live close to the banks of the river away. it seems to be coping with the floodwater. >> thank you very much, indeed. looting on the mexican peninsula in the aftermath of the hurricane odile. locals have broken into supermarkets searching for food and supply. large parts of the region are without water and electricity for days. residents struggled to protect the property of the shelters were set up in local schools. bank le desh's parliament has the power to impeach supreme

court judges, after parliament approved an amendment to the constitution, they can be impeached on the grounds of misbehaviour or incapacity. india's foreign minister said the prime minister has raised the issue of border incursions during the talks. the two countries dispute the areas in ladak. xi jinping is in india for a trip. they visited the home of mahatma gannedi. and maya will gift several million in two industrial parks, one in narendra modi's home state. tens of millions will be announced during a visit. >> the central african republic is a country wracked by violence and the last place you would imagine riding through on a bike. as reported, cycling is giving people a sense of freedom and

hope. >> reporter: meet the members of bangui's bicycle club. these days the sound of gun fire has been replaced by blaring car horns. [ goal horn ] >> reporter: but the cyclists have to manoeuvre around stalls, and dodge the hot holes. they ride out of the city and into the bush. this route to the town of demura is one of only two well-paved roads out of the capital. this person started the club in 2006. >> translation: when i cycle i feel fulfilled and stress free. when i have a lot of problems, cycling makes me feel like the world belongs to me. >> in the past year and a half rebel fighters have been speeding up and down the roads. now this route is patrolled by

international peacekeepers, and is safe again. >> in a country traurmentized by -- traumatized by conflicts, these men and women have a sense of freedom and hope. >> it is a country divided along ethnic and ellageous lines -- religious lines. this club does not put up with intolerance. >> this is the youngest member of the team. >> there's no divisions here. we don't talk about muslims and christians. we are one family. >> reporter: the training sessions are more compete ty, with six spots open for the next race outside of central african republic. we identify ourselves with great cyclists, my nickname is alberto contador. because i would love to be as talented as him, it's our dream to take part when you watch tour

de france. >> reporter: this is one of the poorest countries in the world. the club needs equipment and funny, these men and women continue to show the world that sport can make a difference in people's lives. a reminder you can keep up to date with all the news on the website. aljazeera.com is the address. aljazeera.com. among the partners the united states has rallied to the cause of degrading and destroying the so-called islamic state, there are country that don't see eye to eye on much of anything else, is that any way to run a counter terroris terrorist -- alliance? it's the "inside story." ♪