Puerto Rico votes again on statehood but US not ready to put 51st star on the flag

The US territory is voting once more on whether to become America's 51st state - but many islanders are questioning the timing of the referendum, and the cost

The hall is a sea of pink and white. About 350 Puerto Ricans, mostly women, have come to hear their First Lady speak in what they hope will be the final push towards a new relationship between their island and the United States.

When Beatriz Rossello, the 32-year-old wife of the governor of Puerto Rico, finally appears at the rally outside the capital San Juan, the room erupts into a frenzy of flag-waving. The American Stars and Stripes with its 50 stars, and the Puerto Rican emblem, with its single one, intertwine amid the flurry, giving the illusion that they have fused: 51 stars in a single banner of red, white and blue.

Related: Colony, state or independence: Puerto Rico's status anxiety adds to debt crisis

Related: Hedge funds tell Puerto Rico: lay off teachers and close schools to pay us back

Related: Puerto Rico's economic migrants escape to US mainland in search of stability