in the house era when news coverage consists of a punchy headline a five second sound bite and an easy solution. dellums deep and says challenge the status quo expose double standards and debate the contradictions and join me many hot sun for a new season of the show the frank. and up front. about this time i'll just hear of . protecting their votes supporters of catalonia secession vote occupy polling stations despite space declaring the process illegal.

well again i'm peter w. watching al-jazeera live from also coming up the u.s. health secretary resigns off for a scandal over his use of taxpayer money the private flights. a new reality for a community in nepal cut off by a powerful earthquake two years ago the people there are still trying to adjust. and the u.s. pulls out more than half of its embassy staff from cuba to what's being called mysterious attacks on its diplomats. top stories so far today the castle only a region of spain is twenty four hours away from a political confrontation bans the session referendum a shuttle to take place on sunday campaigners for a yes vote to occupy. schools expected to be used as polling stations but the

spanish government insisting there will be no vote it says the referendum is illegal and is deploying police to ensure no ballots accost opinion polls suggest forty percent of registered voters in catalonia want to break away whole reports not from barcelona. thank the fields and into the political fray. farmers are vowing to turn their tractors into barricades if police try to crack down on the referendum. we have come to the fence the country and we are fighting for democratic rights and the right to protest. as. you can see from the reaction of the people with. the will drive. like the. thank.

the night before in the hof light of a small square neighbors gather. this is one of many so-called defense committees grassroots groups not controlled by any political party on a mission to defend that they are strategizing to resist police were under orders to close down schools to stop them being used as polling stations. the children will sleep in the schools to stop the police closing them down we're afraid our neighborhood could be the first target of the police. marching to the same drum beat students have occupied university and set up their own defense committee they've been sharing practical advice on civil disobedience tactics. i even thing. almost. they have in us also

volunteered with different organisations to hold the us in the. two dollars getting a day or. yeah. and this is something you can raise. cattle hands a deeply divided in the centrist party is among those opposing secession regional war make a lot in our old dan is concerned about the emergence of citizen defense committees during the civil war days possible and was run by rival militia factions. like the catalan government and its head mr. driving a car with no brakes and a heading over the precipice and crashing into all cattle lands. as evening fell process session group put plans into action taking over schools to preempt police operations to close them. it's. something

nobody can like. and in a final rally process session supporters wave what they hope will become the standard of their breakaway republic. panel al-jazeera barcelona spain. well with its catalan referendum fast approaching people in madrid have been holding their own mock ballots the organizers say all of spain should have a say in the country's future not just catalans as tony burke discovered the spanish civil war does remain a major factor. spain's most familiar tune but the the espana has lost some of its meaning since catalonia started its drive for succession and its forthcoming referendum. on friday madrid held his own referendum purely symbolic but the people here are equally important the question people were asked was do you want catalonia to remain. part of spain because you

want to remember to remind everybody that you know spanish sovereignty it's you know should be the by all spaniards not just one part of spain which is catalonia you know this this is your would affect holy spain i want to make sure that everybody knows that you know. here you are so you know what that's you live in i came to vote because what they do in is an outrage against the constitution against spain and against history those people deserve the worst adjectives even a lot of fun oh yeah if franco was alive we would just shoot them against the wall live franco lives by him we don't want the communists welcome or nice that that's an extreme view but there are still many in spain who think former military leader francisco franco was a hero and not a villain through the tranquil countryside north of madrid is the valley of the fall and a monument created to remember those killed in the civil war it was built by political prisoners and is where franco is buried if there's anything that

symbolizes the divisions in spanish society it's this place is supposed to commemorate the dead on both sides of the civil war but for many it's a monument to the fascist victory and the defeat of the republicans many of whom were catalan. many on spain's left believe that frank his legacy lives on in every aspect of spanish life from the judiciary to politics and they support the catalans right for self-determination we have a lot of alto retiree i know frank and so the national question is being treated in a completely new way we believe that catalonia referendum can be a democratic key and an example for all the nations that lives in that are now on their deeds to to show off this kind of state. in madrid vote people overwhelmingly wanted catalonia to stay part of spain but on sunday the question is will it still be

a case of the the last spaniard or will it be farewell catalonia tony bertie how does era madrid. tension is increasing between the kurdish leadership in northern iraq and its neighbors after monday's succession vote there in iraq says it's coordinating with iran and turkey to take control of borders administered by the semi autonomous kurdish regional government kurdish leaders have refused to give up control the border posts to baghdad now it's all part of a campaign to pressure the kurds to cancel the results of the referendum in which ninety two percent of the people there voted in favor of a split from iraq the government in baghdad says the vote was unconstitutional the u.s. which is supporting kurdish led forces fighting eisel in neighboring syria says it doesn't recognize the vote as being legitimate the secretary of state rex tillerson said the u.s. supports a united federal iraq and international airlines have stopped landing at airports in the region after a request from the government in baghdad. reports now from erbil.

the last passengers to catch a plane before to close up the airspace to international flights over to kurdish region for. it's meant cutting short of a key chain that was two years into coming. it was the first time his two year old son born in new york visited the home and he says he didn't feel safe transiting through baghdad. kurds. he was going to. the measure was taken by the central government in baghdad after the kurds went ahead with their referendum against. iran was the first to close its airspace to flies from the kurdish region a few days ago. this airport. for a period of three months only will be allowed but with prior approval. anyone

else wanting to travel from here. will have to transit through one of the domestic airports outside of the kurdish region or they can travel by brant. is also linked to the rest of iraq by land but some drivers told us they have avoided going south because they felt unwelcome iraq's government says its. country to preserve its unity and kurdish authorities replied that they won't hand over any border controls to baghdad. doesn't mean handover. i mean people actually because we are still one country. people you have a lot of people you know traveling through this airport you have eight coming through this airport and you have a big number. right now. through this airport.

prime minister he said the closure of the airspace was not meant to starve. but people. don't agree he traveled from sweden to take part in the referendum. this decision is wrong. a body had no right to do this you can contest the referendum but through legal ways now i don't know when i'll be back again the future doesn't look good. the kurdish region is landlocked turkey iran have also closed their border crossings and many kurds are now bracing themselves for what their leader described as collective punishment but at that hammy. at least sixty three refugees are feared dead after the boat capsized off bangladesh on thursday survivors were trying to escape the violence in myanmar's rakhine state we're going to show you live pictures now of aid being handed out to ranger refugees a could cox's bazaar there tanvi a child very small. behind me this is where the boat

wreckage tragedy took place on thursday evening we spoke to some of the survivors in this boat racket they told us there were at least two hundred people in that boat. by the bangladesh the day before. something hard and capsized near the beach my mother sister brother in law. lost family members. this boat i meant for only barely twenty five to fifty people you can see the boat on my left side part of the wreckage there's other wreckage all spread across the bridge now most of this people are fleeing central iraq and they said the people in northern part came to their villages and told that you need to flee because the army is going to crack down in the central part of the villages at least within the last two days there's been thousands of people have crossed into bangladesh the exodus isn't over the pace is slower but hundreds of people are

crossing into bangladesh every day we spoke to the authorities there say that been received two thousand five hundred people on when i was there that i am said that there is a twenty five thousand people between when us then thousand crossed into bangor that the camps the temporary shelter just unable to cope with the sheer number of refugees coming into buying or that. still to come on al-jazeera tech giants could soon face new tax rules in europe we'll bring you the details when we come back. beneath pink skies by the time. or is the sun sets in the city of angels. how i will say some good autumnal weather pushing it across northwestern parts of europe over the next few days big area clad streaming in from the atlantic is going to be where it's going to be when they will even see the remnants of hurricane lee

and maria pushing across the northwest as we go on through the next big massive cloud here some heavy burst of rain on the card some heavy burst of rain still doubt into the southeast if you are just around greece through the balkans easing across into turkey and positive here seen some flooding recently got to clear skies in between vienna at around seventeen celsius twenty celsius there four but in the seventeen there for paris notice some very wet weather pushing in across the low country straddling a good pasta france down into the southeast of space there we go with more wet and windy weather gray skies across many western powers as we go through sunday blustery wind too as well so drop outs generally still father dry cool in berlin the sixteen celsius but wet weather still there for grace and twenty one celsius for athens and ankara fun and dry across much of north africa a little bit of a cloud across northern parts of algeria might see want to two showers just coming in here twenty five celsius but more hot sunshine carve. the weather

sponsored by cattle and race. and louise story breaks. the white blanket coverage follows experts and politicians often platitudes and soundbites strong and stable leadership trying to play the media and shape the message in an age of simplistic narratives the listening post critiques the mainstream response today and the two hundredth day of this administration exposing the influences that drive the headlines at this time on al-jazeera.

welcome back recapping our top story supporters of catalonia vote on secession from spain occupying schools that will act as polling stations the central government in madrid says the poll is illegal and it will deploy it says police to block the ballot the un has agreed to start an independent investigation into human rights abuses by all sides in the yemeni war it comes as another saudi led coalition air strike killed five and injured six others inside our province. iraq is coordinating with iran and turkey to take over control of borders currently managed by the kurdish regional government because its leaders have refused to hand over responsibility for border crossings following monday's secession referendum. government air strikes have killed more than forty five people and wounded dozens more in northern syria at least twenty five people died in that province fighter jets also targeted hama and aleppo provinces where syrian and russian forces are battling opposition fighters on thursday the leaders of russia and turkey both

agreed to secure so-called deescalation zones and it lived to help end the civil war. at least twenty two people were killed and thirty nine were injured after a stampede in india's commercial capital mumbai it happened during the morning rush hour on a pedestrian bridge connecting two railway stations bennett smith reports was crushed against the steps of this railway overpass or the bodies of commuters flattened as a stampede of passengers pushed them to the floor. by police a falling concrete hit part of the handrail and people panicked thinking the bridge was collapsing a monsoon downpour made things worse as there were also people sheltering from the rain. that is where the stampede happened because there were too many members of the public on the bridge and the people were in a hurry and wanted to get out because no one helping they were suffocating a felony child. a commuter film the crowded bridge minutes before the

stampede. it was the mum by friday morning rush hour in the world's second most densely populated city this scene is typical. as soon as the bodies have been moved the bridge was open again a few blood spots the only indication of what had happened. but the injured who had probably been on my way to work when our on their way to hospital. relatives of those who didn't survive waited outside to recover their bodies in the israel way minister says he's ordered a high level inquiry burnet smith al-jazeera. parts of nepal are still suffering from the destruction caused by a powerful earthquake that hit two years ago one area near the border with china was cut off by severe landslides trapping thousands of people subpoenas trustor reports now from the border town of reaping. a raging river and

a trembling mountainside weakened by the two thousand and fifty three when drug started falling on large average in june they cut a lifeline for people living on the other side of this with fish is the only way to market for people living in once thriving villages on the way to the chinese border the entire area was devastated by the quake. when the bridge was destroyed and his car both became stuck on the other side three months on the drive is still precarious and the scene heartbreaking the mountainside is scarred by landslides triggered by heavy rain last year many homes were buried here flooding also engulfed homes near the river but it doesn't look this is both because you had your power the dam can no longer hold water this forty five megawatt hydro power plant was destroyed. people have nothing to do since the bit where people had to carry everything a sack of rice with one thousand five hundred rupees it's now two thousand one

hundred our school had eight hundred children now there are three hundred everyone who has an option has left. this is living a town that used to collect three hundred thousand dollars a day just on customs and duties from trade with china now this is the reality at what was a major border crossing. after the quake the border closed and locals and locals on the chinese side relocated to say gutsy a city several hundred kilometers away this chinese town is now deserted on the path people stayed on when we were here in early two thousand and sixteen there were really of houses here and there was a bus stop over here many of these houses still had people living here with the hope that trade between the paul and china would start again the few who remain here now say they have lost all hope even houses built after the quake have slipped into the river the government has declared the area unlivable but locals haven't

been provided new homes we were told not to venture further rocks are still falling . and rocks are the only thing people have these women who used to earn fifty dollars a day selling chinese goods are now forced to break rocks in the hope they may one day and then living they say that at least the bridge got a man who will be build soon perhaps then they can sell the only thing they have to trade. out of their living on the nepal china border. while staying in this region the u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson is in china discuss the crisis with north korea the u.s. wants china to take tougher action in response to pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests on thursday beijing ordered all north korean companies and china to shut down by january china correspondent adrian brown has more. well rex tillerson was last in beijing just six months ago but during that time of course an awful lot has

happened tensions on the korean peninsula have now entered perhaps the most dangerous phase so rarely has the relationship between china and the united states mattered more than it does now north korea of course will be at the top of rex tillerson agenda but he's also here to lay the groundwork for the expected visit of president donald trump to china in early november the white house confirmed at the weekend the president from would also be visiting south korea japan the philippines and vietnam another vexed issue of course is trade the fact that china still exports far more to the united states than the united states sends to china and the united states says that trade relationship is a lot sided at the moment and he wants it to change this will also be an opportunity for the secretary of state to get guarantees from china that it continues to fully implement united nations sanctions against north korea on friday

the commerce ministry here in china confirmed that it was now are going to shut down north korean businesses here in china within the next three months that also goes for china north korea joint ventures and starting from october the first china is going to be limiting the amount of oil it pumps across the border into north korea so in a strange way the issue of north korea may actually have brought china and the united states closer together. now the u.s. health secretary has quit over a controversy involving his use of at least four hundred thousand dollars of taxpayers' money on private jets tom price had been president trump's choice to lead the movement to repeal obamacare the white house has promised to crackdown on other officials bypassing commercial flights for the far more expensive option i'll official now from washington. tom price may have gotten his annual flu jab but he couldn't protect himself from the president's anger donald trump give

a broad hint the health and human services secretary said time in charge would soon be over it's a very fine man but we're going to we're going to make a decision sometime and i know he's resigned even though twenty four hours before he thought he could still save his job we're going to work through this and. i think we still got to the confidence of the president price faced growing criticism for his use of private flights which sometimes makes government business with his own personal agenda the cost to the taxpayer more than four hundred thousand dollars. he also made trips to europe on military jets which could take the figure to more than a million that's enough to annoy the man who wanted to dream washington swarm so i was disappointed because i didn't like it because medically or otherwise price offered to write a personal check for the cost of a seat on the private jets and he promised to fly only commercial in future it wasn't enough the other senior trump officials are facing questions about their travel and must know be increasingly nervous interior secretary ryan zinke he took a private jet from las vegas to his home in montana at the taxpayer's expense the

cost twelve thousand dollars and environmental protection agency bosco uproot flights to various parts of the u.s. costing fifty eight thousand dollars questions are being asked about the treasury secretary steven lucian's travel and requesting a government plane for his european honeymoon i think they're doing it because the example is that from the top we see donald trump violating ethics norms on a daily basis and so i think other people think we don't really need to worry about the ethics rules and that appearances really don't matter prices resignation is another high profile friday departure from the white house is now lost more than a dozen senior staff in just nine months alan fischer washington. tech giants could soon face new tax rules within europe after the leaders held talks at a digital summit in stonier but it wasn't just tech on their agenda the future of the block was also up for discussion with the e.u. council president revealing he'll present a plan for reform within the next two weeks or

a challenge has more now from the capital telling there seems to be a fresh wind of decisiveness flowing through the european union and you could feel that here at the digital summit in tallinn we had an announcement of a new cyber security agency to be created next month and a hearing for a complaint that had been brought by france germany spain and italy that tech giants like google and amazon are not paying their fair share of tax in the countries where their services are being bought and consumed. we are of the opinion don't get into digital sex. texts has to be played where you do stupid mute online or beaut off like. this we don't have to be done to really. next year or the new unfair and effective tech solution that provides legal certainty and level playing field for all and as for the bigger picture

a reform vision for the european union well written speeches from both the manual macron the french president and john claude younker have lit a bit of a fire and the european council's president donald tusk certainly has a busy two weeks ahead of him talking to other leaders essentially trying to create a practical roadmap for making those reform plans happen and they during the next two weeks. all member states. and based on those consultations i will present a very concrete working plan with a number of decisions that need to be taken by their leaders in the next year or so aside from the headache of brics it which says will need a miracle for talks to be able to move to the second phase that does seem to be a feeling in the european union the perhaps a decade's worth of crisis management stagnation can be left in the past

in the u.s. wildfires are continuing to spread in southern california forcing hundreds of evacuations firefighters say up to one hundred homes of at risk in the city along on forty one thousand wildfires have scorched almost twenty five thousand square kilometers in the u.s. so far this year that's already ten thousand more than in an average year. the u.s. government has ordered sixty percent of its staff to leave its new embassy in the cuban capital vana it's said to be because of quote specific attacks on u.s. diplomats which included the use of so-called sonic weapons from practical hane. what happened here the beginning of an international mystery an american diplomat says while in bed in this hotel he heard a strong annoying hum only in that spot later he and twenty others would be diagnosed with a variety of symptoms from hearing loss to traumatic brain injuries some heard a noise others did not it's like something out of

a spy mystery the name's bone. james bond ok maybe not that sophisticated still hollywood has had its share of sonic weapons. invisible wave stuff the incredible hold. even put iron man on ice. so what hollywood thinks out of weapons can do they really do that find out we came here to the university of maryland to ask an expert they would have known if you have a sonic weapon that causes hearing loss you know you were exposed to it there is no missing doctor d.d.a. do pray says it's easy to cause hearing loss with sound if you turned on the speaker in his lab he says i would be completely deaf pretty quickly the kind of sound that i use for that. would be just a few minutes. yes from suck yes two minutes and i'm deaf or ever and want to know that but he says to make that kind of sound you would need something like this military project he worked on called the mother of all speakers the size of

a truck can't hide that in a hotel room because he would be next to impossible to have those kind of sounds be directed at only a few people right we're talking about in for cells they will shake the whole building if you're inside a building he says alter sound can cause that kind of damage but there is a reason it has to be pressed up against the body it doesn't travel well so that's probably not it the bottom line sound can be a weapon but he doesn't think it is the likely culprit in cuba meaning this international mystery continues but with real world consequences. al-jazeera college park maryland. more news background and analysis one of you want it on the websites al-jazeera dot com. the top stories of this hour supporters of catalonia is vote on secession from

spain occupying schools that will act as polling stations they say they want to protect their votes but the central government in madrid is insisting the vote is illegal and it will deploy police to block the ballot. the u.n. has agreed to start an independent investigation into human rights abuses by all sides in the war in yemen it comes another saudi led coalition air strike killed five and injured six others and sat up province yemen's u.n. envoy says his government will cooperate with the investigators. in the complex circumstances that yemen is going through requires from the council and the international community support so the government can fulfill its obligations with regards to human rights the yemeni government has always expressed its determination to cooperate with the u.n. in order to promote and protect human rights in iraq is coordinating with iran and turkey to take over control the borders managed by the kurdish regional government kurdish leaders have refused to hand over responsibility for border crossings after

monday's session poll bike that was the result of that vote an old. government air strikes have killed more than forty five people and wounded dozens more in northern syria at least twenty five people died in italy a province fighter jets also targeted hama and aleppo provinces were syrian and russian forces are battling opposition fighters. the american health secretary has quit after spending at least four hundred thousand dollars of taxpayers' money on private jets his name was tom price he was president from choice to lead the movement to repeal and replace obamacare. the u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson is in china's discuss the crisis with north korea and the u.s. wants china to take tough action in response to pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests on thursday beijing ordered all north korean companies and china to shut down by january. wildfires in southern california are continuing to spread forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated firefighters say up to one hundred homes are at

risk in the city of lombok forty one thousand wildfires have scorched almost twenty five thousand square kilometers in the u.s. so far this year that's already ten thousand more than in an average. those are your headlines more news in twenty five minutes up next it's the listening post. it is a very important information. around the world. have gone i'm still here . and that story to the forefront. like. the referendum warning.

hello i'm richard ginsberg and you're at the listening post here are some of the stories were called.