The Brief: Catalan vote, N Korea, Hong Kong protests

Tensions soar in Spain amid the Catalonia poll, it’s China’s National Day, and we meet a victim of Kashmir violence.

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People gather in the street waiting for the opening of a polling station in Barcelona, to vote on October 1 [Pierre-Philippe Marcou, AFP]

Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss, plus the ones you should keep an eye on for Sunday:

Don’t miss:

  • Next, the US has revealed it is trying to talk to North Korea over its nuclear programme. Tillerson says Washington has a few links to Pyongyang. In typical fashion, in comments early Sunday, North Korea vowed to become a “state nuclear force”. Read more about that here.
  • And in the Syria, four children were reported to have been killed in a town northwest of the opposition-held Idlib province. At least 28 people were killed in the overnight air raids, which flattened apartment blocks. It was not immediately clear whether the attack was carried out by Syrian government warplanes or those of its ally Russia.

Looking ahead:

  • We’ll be closely following the Catalan vote with all the latest updates and developments, including voices from the street and analysis.
  • It’s China’s National Day. Thousands are expected to join protests in Hong Kong against declining political freedoms and the jailing of pro-democracy activists on the anniversary of China’s founding.
  • In Canada, we look at the rise of Jagmeet Singh, a politician born to Indian immigrants, who hopes to lead the New Democratic Party, known as the “conscience of parliament”. Can he do it? The first ballot takes place today.

Stay with us on aljazeera.com for more…

Source: Al Jazeera