momentum builds at the u.n. on a political solution to end the war in syria. from al jazeera's headquarters - polls open in spain for a landmark vote that could put kat a lanes on a path for separation. pension tensions. fighting erupts during the security force, and desperate for help.

officials are overwhelmed. the united states and the european union reaching out to iran. the secret and e.u. foreign policy chief discussed the issue with their iranian counterparts in new york. talks are expected to take place in russia as the diplomatic editor james bays explains. >> all eyes will be on russian president vladimir putin, when he makes a whistle-stop trip to new york, spending less than a full day in the u.s. to attend the united nations general assembly. everyone wants to know what his intentions are recording syria. on the one hand a russian build up. vladimir putin sent marines, helicopters and tanks to a base in latakia on syria's coast.

on the other he says he wants a political solution. in an interview with "talk to al jazeera", i asked the e.u.'s high representative, federica mogherini, if she had been given any idea what russia was up to. >> i was talking about that with our russian friends, with lavrov, and last time i talked to him about this, his fear was that of a complete collapse of the state structures. this could be one of the reasons why russia is acting in this way. but it could also be a willingness to show the fact that russia is an important player in this crisis. >> syria was on the agenda too when the u.s. secretary of state john kerry met iranian foreign minister in new york, but

neither was prepared to discuss what was said away from the cameras. >> i view this week as a major opportunity for any number of countries. to play an important role in trying to resolve some difficult issues. in the middle east. >> president obama will address the general assembly on the same day as vladimir putin on monday. he'll be aware of recent setbacks with u.s. policy. the pentagon admitted that some of those they are training, so-called moderate rebels have handed over equipment, vehicles and ammunition to the al nusra front. another development involves iraq, a key member to i.s.i.l. according to russia, iraq will join it, iran, and controversially, the bashar al-assad regime in setting up a new military coordination centre to be based in baghdad.

an associate professor of associate professor of politics and international relations at the doha institute of public studies. . >> i think for the first times, european states and economies are feeling the syrian crisis on their shores with the refugees poring in. that is an issue. the idea that there's a russian increased presence escalates the syrian conflict. if there was, for example, a conflict that would break out between american forces, bombing forces and the russians, that's an escalation, of course. then bashar al-assad is weakened over the last months. all of those things, in addition to the united nations summit. and the idea that the leaders

will be there creates a kind of opportunity, a moiment of opportunity for increased efforts france launched its first air strikes against i.s.i.l. in syria. france carried out the strikes as part of a coalition in iraq. number now, it avoided syrian attacks because it didn't want to strengthen the position. >> francis hollande said the action was taken because civilian populations must bet protected from all forms of violence, that of i.s.i.l. and other terrorist groups, but also the murderous bombardment of bashar al-assad. catalans have started voting in an election one of the most important. pro independence parties say victory will be to separation from spain. jonah hull is live outside the regional parliament in

barcelona. does it look like the pro independence parties will pull this off. >> early indications are that turn out is high. that could favour the pro-independent side. those on the right and left of politics. this is, of course, a parliamentary election, it's not actually a referendum. but the sole election platform is to breakaway the rest of spain. the idea is that they'll win a majority of wins, if not necessarily a majority of votes. it could make the claim dubious. leaders say within 18 months of a win they'll have completed a process of independent nugs, a diplomatic service at the treasury, and change the constitution, and be in a

position to declare independence from spain. can what can the spanish government to to stop a referendum. >> the spanish government stood fiercely in opposition of the protest. it's been building up since the economic crisis, they said that the constitution precludes an effort to breakaway, using the court to block the efforts towards independence. there is a significant question mark over whether the self proclaimed independent catalonia, eurozone, or institutions that that will not be the case, it will be damaging. overall. there's uncertainty to what is happening next. an element that they are not candid with the people, with what is at stake, and there's grounds for a nasty

confrontation, between barcelona and madrid. >> thank you so much. >> israeli security forces fired stun grenades and rubber coated steal bullets at worshippers at the al-aqsa. hundreds of palestinians gathered outside the mosque to prevent israeli place from going further. >> the situation at the al-aqsa is now calm, but it remains tense. we have to keep in mind that there have been frequent confrontations between forces, worshippers in the mosque complex for the past few weeks, not least last week, in which there was a major confrontation in which the confrontations between worshippers and forces resulted in property damage to

the al-aqsa mosque building. there is concern that over the next few days we'll see more confrontations. there are calls for some jewish groups to access the al-aqsa compound. this is seen as provocative by many worshippers, and that's why we see what we see sunday, in the past. >> several refugees drowned after a boat sank off the coast. the overcrowded beat was on its way to the greek island of cost. 20 people were rescued. hungary is close to completing a second fence to close the borders to refugees, it's a continuation of the defense in serbia, running among the border with croatia.

lawrence lee reports. it's part of a wider militarized strategy to the refugee crisis. >> whatever else you a may think, it's nothing, if not conservative. at the crossing refugees are dumped on the other side. they are escorted through in small groups under the gaze of police and heavily armed soldiers, a helicopter claimed to be combat ready, those on buses are guarded by the police. those that need to use the bathroom regardless of age or sex are escorted there and back. they waited for hours, until hungary was ready for the next move. clearly there's nowhere to run, even if they wanted to, it's all open fields. military vehicles were busy laying more and more. >> the military component to the response has all sorts of other

european union countries worried about the signals that it might send out. from the point of view of the hungarian government. this is the most efficient way of handling the crisis or ensuring that no refugees get into hungary. >> hungary would argue it's a more organized way of dealing with large numbers passing through, than the chaos of the border where services are pitiful, but do the small children need to be confronted by big men with big guns when they have already run from war? >> translation: while they are waiting we try to cheer them up with fruit, water or suites. if we have to, we give them a toy to ease the tension. >> the buses are full, the convoys setting off at speed. accompanied by the humvees, at no point did they take their eye off the buses. the children wet themselves on

their mother's laps. there was no getting off. sting, some people didn't mind the soldiers, as long as they were heading to germany. >> it's like an army government country. not good. >> reporter: it's okay for you here. >> it's okay. it's okay. >> reporter: police all around, same on the platform and no doubt all the way to the austrian border. the soldiers are piling more rolls of fence on to the carrier. others see it as a humanitarian crisis, here, it's a siege well still to come on the show... ..demanding justice. thousands rally in mexico, exactly a year since 43 students went missing. [ singing ] and the concert with a global message, and a call to

action attached.

>> what do you want american's to understand? >> there's so much injustice. >> workers are being injured constantly. welcome back, let's recap the headlines - the u.s. and european union approached iran to help find a solution to the syrian conflict. secret and e.u. -- secretary of state john kerry and e.u. secretary discussed the situation in new york opinion polls say a pro-independence collision in

catalan could win, and it could give them a mandate to breakaway from spain israeli security fired stun grenades and bullets at the al-aqsa compound. hundreds gather said outside the mosque to prevent police going beyond the main gate. >> iran's supreme leader demanded saudi arabia apologise for the stampede. more than 750 people were killed. the victims should not be blamed, their families deserve an apology. saudi arabia opened an investigation into the tragedy and is reviewing safety gunmen killed at least 21 people in the capital of the central african republic capital. 100 more were wounded in the worst violence to hit bangui. gerald tan explains.

>> reporter: taking whatever they can carry, residents of this mainly christian neighbourhood tried to escape the attackers, saying muslims came at them with automatic weapons, grenades and knives. houses and cars were burnt. according to witnesses, the assault was in retaliation to the killing of a muslim man, whose body was dumped in the streets. >> what we are seeing right now at the moment, is a replay of what we were seeing last year in those tit for tat violence and attacks between communities, and that really highlights the fact that in car now, the situation really - at the death of the - the depth of the problem has not improved. >> reporter: violence divided the central african republic since seleka rebels overthrew the president was overruled. two years ago and installed a muslim president. this gave rise to christians anti-balica rebels who fought back. a conflict stepping from poverty

-- a conflict which the u.n. says stems from poverty is fought along religious lines. thousands have been killed, hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes. despite a peace deal signed in may, violence persists with u.n. peacekeepers and troops trying to keep them apart. >> the government is challenging. the country is meant to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next month and the head of the interim parliament says it's likely to be postponed again . >> yemenis fleeing war, crossing the gulf of aiden to reach camps, which are overcrowded. there are fears that somalia could struggle to cope. >> reporter: it's meal time for the yemeni refugees in the port city. this is all they will get today. those here are the latest to arriving. this person is one of them.

he was injured in fighting in the yemeni city of aden. the yemeni city of aden.c >> translation: i was driving an ambulance when i was hit by a mortar, i had three surgeries on my leg. i was forced to flee with my family as i feared for my safety and couldn't provide for them. >> there's no let up from those escaping somalia, hundreds have been moved to the town, 4 hours drive away. the town's only universities are home. >> officials from the yemeni embassy in somali comes to check on them. he is unwelcome. refugees are desperate. and tempers are lost here. >> translation: we want to be taken out of the country, somali is not safe. we can't live here when we don't feel secure. somalia has no capacity to care for us. >> reporter: among the refugees are unaccompanied children separated from their families in

a rush to escape. many don't know the whereabouts of their relatives. this 12-year-old is one of them. >> we eat sometimes, at other times we don't. we have nothing, no milk, juice. i'm ready to go home. if possible, but don't know where to find my family. >> the flood is overwhelming agencies and local communities. thousands have been living in yemen as refugees, returning home to escape the war. it's a situation made worse by more than a million people already displaced across somalia by conflict, drought and hunger. the u.n. says at least 3 million in somalia are in need of aid. despite their own problems, the local community gives to the give to the refugees. this tribal king has been leading efforts to feed them. he has brought them a fresh supply of food. >> what we give the refugees is not enough. they require urgent and adequate

help and importantly shelter. >> reporter: most people here are happy to have survived. they say life in somalia is hard, but it's better than being trapped in the violence in yemen as many as a million people are expected to attend pope francis's last mass in the united states. he's due to visit inmates at philadelphia's largest gaol. the pope landed in the city on saturday. it's the last stop in a 6-day tour of the u.s. he spoke at the site where the u.s. constitution was signed in philadelphia. the catholic leader endorsing religious freedom and called on americans to welcome immigrants. >> thousands of people marched in mexico city to demand justice for four students that went missing a year ago. inquiry blamed corrupt local

place. an independent report found inconsistencies with the investigation. our latin american editor lucia newman reports. it's been exactly 12 months since 43 students depicted in the photographs disappeared without a trace. and their families supported by thousands of other mexicans are here to say that they will not rest until they get satisfaction. >> translation: i am so sad, i want my son returned to me along with all the others. >> reporter: the students were attacked and abducted by police, illegal drug traffickers. in the country, shell-shocked by wide-spread violence, it's a crime that outraged mexicans. scandalous international opinion, and embarrassed the government. it's become a symbol of the

degree of impunity. corruption and brutality from which defenseless mexicans suffer. >> translation: this is systematic of what is happening throughout mexico, where 25,000 have disappeared in recent years. >> reporter: this was not just a march to remember the missing students. it was the latest opportunity to express anger at the government. accused of covering up the crime with an investigation that authorities acknowledge was flawed. >> translation: it's unacceptable that this is happening. we cannot remain silent. any of our children could be next. >> reporter: president pena nieto who met with the families agreed to reopen the investigation, and vows to keep it open as long as is necessary. the parents do not trust authorities and demand that independent investigators from the inter-american human rights commission remain in mexico for as long as it takes to find the students.

the commemoration of one year will continue over the weekend. underscoring the anger and the impetus felt by millions of mexicans, who cannot believe so much time has lapsed without the whereabouts, or, at the very least there remains china's been criticized for imprisoning women's rights activists by the u.s. and human rights organization, condemnation coming in advance of xi jinping chairing a session on gender inequality, rights groups say the chinese government is hypocritical, activist groups should be part of the debate 3% of women can read and right.

as gender issues take place, entire societies can be improved with projects aimed at supporting women and girls. al jazeera spoke to rosey air, leading a water activity in kenya. >> men do not feel the pinch of going to get water from the river. this is a village. odessa village. the only source of water is the river. it's very dirty, very contaminated. when we train and test the water, it was full of equal icoali -- ecoli. i had a problem of water. my mother was sick.

she came to be treated. if we get water in the facility, most of the subsidy we were unable to use because we don't have water. >> water for women, by the women. to me, what it was like, there was water in the house. other teams are sold. the time to get water is reduced. they reduced team, development and the development activities within the community, entirely changing the county, and the county figures, kenya changes the world. you can watch the programme "kenya's water women", repeats on monday, 3:30 g.m.t., and tuesday at 16:30 g.m.t. and there's more about the series on our website, aljazeera.com world leaders at the u.n. have agreed to end poverty

around the world within 15 years. top musicians unveiled a concert near the u.n. building to help fight poverty through music. gabriel elizonda reports from new york. [ ♪ ] >> reporter: a free concert like no other. they packed new york central park to listen to british rock band coldplay and other top acts. there was a catch. to secure a place in the lottery to get a ticket to et festival fans had to commit to take action to end poverty. they had to call or write government representatives, tweet. >> i wanted to be here with everyone else to support the cause and that were passionate and education for young women, that's something i'm passionate about. >> the target audience, the millennial generation, those

born between 2000 and younger. like this 14-year-old. here with her mum. >> the music - they share and beyond. people want to see that. and have other people. >> the event was strategically timed to make the biggest impact. it was going on at the same time on the other side of town, more than 100 world leaders are meeting at the united nations to adopt the sustainable development goals aimed at ellismating world poverty. as for the crowd. they say the best way to help that is mobilization from the ground up. >> the concert is in its fourth year. this year there was 60,000 people. organizers expecting social activists ready to spring into action. >> the overwhelming majority of

people are continuing to come back. what is is the idea, to bring apatience to end poverty, something everyone can cheer about holiday makers in australia had a nasty night time surprise. a sing hole the size of a football caused chaos at a campsite north of the brisbane around midnight. it swallowed a car, caravan, trailer and tents. police in the state of queensland say no one has been reported injured or missing. a few people with good escape stories to tell though. >> we were woken up and they told us to get out and have a look. we got out, got the car and boat out. slept on the road and came back in. >> we were going for a cruise, and all of a sudden we came over here, and there was an ses truck, coffers. >> heard a bit of commotion going on, when we woke up, we looked out.

there was police with the lights on. and people running around saying the sinkhole has taken everyone's van and what have you. >> if you want more on those stories and more, head to the website aljazeera.com. that's aljazeera.com. hello, i'm dominique gisin, and you are at the -- richard gizber