>> you are watching the aljazeera news hour, warm welcome. these are stories we're covering in detail in the course of the next 60 minutes. ukraine's president accuses russia of sending troops into ukraine and calls an urgent security meeting. >> video emerges of islamic state fighters killing soldiers in syria. >> a warning from a top u.s.

expert about ebola. >> foreign minister prime minister to president, turkey's first directly elected head of state. >> what started the news out with a crisis in ukraine where the country's president poroshenko canceled a trip to turkey and is calling what he's described as an urgent security meeting, saying that russian troops have moved into east ukraine. >> do to russian troops entering ukrainian territory, i decided to cancel a visit to turkey, despite the seven meetings that ukraine desperately needs, the place of ukraine's president is in kiev today. >> in another development, a

pro-russian separatists leader is confirming russian fighters are fighting along his forces. >> among volunteers prom russia, thereof always been military servicemen. they fight for us, understanding this is their duty. there are currently soldiers who prefer to spend their vacations among us, among brothers fighting for their freedom. >> on the ground, the situation in ukraine appears to be deteriorating, pro-russian separatists moving into a city where they could threaten a post city. tell us what you've been hearing on the ground. paul. >> we're on the road between the

two, about 20 kilometers along the road. we've seen ukrainian army and national guard units blocking the roads. we've been trying to find what's going on there. the town is in complete control of russian-led forces or separatists back by the russian led army. there is concern down here as to exactly what the russians are doing in this particular part of the world. russia itself appears to be persisting with a continual policy of outright denial, despite the mounting evidence that we are hearing from various sources all around europe, nato and brussels briefing reports of a military build up, saying the least of 1,000 russian fores are boots on ukrainian soil.

it is called an incursion. we are in a stage of long term conflict. what will happen next? is it going to be an outright war between russia and ukraine and what is ukraine going to do. what is the west going to do about what's happening down here in this particular area. >> paul brennan, thank you very much indeed. peter sharp live in moscow. when a brush separatist leader said russian troops are fighting alongside my men, it's going to be hard for moscow to deny what's happening, which it has done up until now. >> it continues to do exactly that, a blanket denial from the continual lynn this morning, saying that the recent reports from ukraine that an invasion is underway do not bear credibility with reality. it's just what they've been saying ever since this conflict is started, that they are not involved in supporting the

rebels and not involved in reinforcing them, so no change there. i feel there is a step change in european perception was what is going on. the evidence now is becoming so firm and so believable, that around europe, there are warning flags going up. members of nato have condemned the invasion and lithuanian foreign minister calling on the security council to mark this as an act of aggression by the russians. president in paris talking about the worst cries since the end of the cold war and the presence of the russian troops intolerable if they are in fact inside russia, and seenor american diplomat is kiev, the ambassador

was treating today that russian is continuing to provide weapons and involved in the fighting in ukraine. we'll watch the space, really, it doesn't look like it is going to get better in a hurry. >> thank you indeed, live from moscow. >> islamic state group fighters in syria are expected of the mass execution of syrian army soldiers. in a video claimed to be captured troops being led to their deaths, these soldiers were reportedly captured after islamic state group seized an air base on sunday. within lebanon, itself, take a look at this for us, if you

would, an incident close to the border, where i understand at least one lebanese soldier has died. >> yes, and these incidents that are referring to are still going on, heavy flashes taking place between the leep knees security forces and armed men, most who are affiliated with some of the rebel groups inside syria, including mosul front and some i.s. we don't know who was involved in today's confrontation. these are taking between syria and lebanon. it's a very high mountains area, close to the town. a few weeks ago, the town was taken over by these armed men and for five days, it was a major shock for the lebanese when they saw one of their own towns taken over by these groups. it was an awakening, alarm bell for the lebanese people and government and officials how

close the conflict in syria has been. what we know so far is that incident today started by an attack from these armed men on one of the lebanese positions, one soldier was killed, at least three injured. we think that one is missing. they don't know his fate. as you can see, it's more spilling over the border, that conflict that is still raging in syria. >> also uncertainty about u.n. workers. >> yes, what we are hearing so far, which is not confirmed by the united nations but by others, is some of the armed men belonging to the mosul front it seems, again, not much confirmation on that front, had taken over about 45-50 u.n. peacekeepers. we know the troops stationed in that area comes drop the philippines and fiji, the u.n. still not confirming this

officially behind the scenes, we're getting a lot of reports on this, but there's no explanation. what we know is that yesterday, the armed men, including a mosul front group were able to take over the only crossing point between syria and israel. there was more clashes this morning between the syrian army and these groups and that crossing border is still crowd by them. >> a ebola fatality, health ministers meet to go discuss the cries. the latest figures show 430 people have died in guinea where the outbreak began at the beginning of this year. liberia, 694 dead there, sierra leone, 422 deaths.

liberia has now seen six people die. the total death toll is 1,152 people. the real numbers are said to be as much as two to four times higher. we have more. now more than ever, doctors, disease experts, aids groups have said ebola is no longer just africa's problem. >>ed world health organization 9940 millions to combat the world's worst outbreak of the virus and it will be sometime before they can fully control its spread. >> at the moment, our leaders

say that they would estimate six to nine months before this outbreak can be conined. you want to really feel there would be no more cases of ebola. that's when you know it's contained. it's a long haul, still, a long distance to go still, unfortunately. >> the strain of ebola is killing more than half those infected. it's spread through contact with bodily fluids. although there are treatments now being trialed, there are no known curious. the battle is educating the public and fighting the fear inside the infected countries. >> the health care system has more or less broken down, hospitals closed, clinics closed. some have reopened, but the staff afraid to go back because they are afraid to get the disease. >> holt care workers trying to help trace and contain the outbroke are understaffed and underresourced. more than 40% of all those

infected contracted the virus in the past three weeks alone. they simply cannot keep up. >> the numbers is going up rapidly, faster than we thought, forcing us to adopt our plans and strategy on a daily base. it is really an extremely challenging situation for everyone. we can't do more than we're doing now. >> the w.h.o. is now helping 11 countries get ready for a possible spread of ebola inside their borders. mostly neighboring countries offer training and protective clothing. the response needs to come not just from africa, but the world over. >> erika woods, aljazeera. >> a journalist who's been to sierra leone said the containment effort is under resourced, but people are still very much in denial.

>> in the places most affected, clean water and soap, hunting for that isn't easy to get. things like washing hands, that depends on people not being ignorant about the fact that touching the body is, you know, if you touch the body, you come into contact with fluids, you are going to get it and most people don't know that and a lot of people in denial, i saw people with ebola and their family members touching them, they didn't believe they had ebola so weren't doing really simple things like washing their hands with soap which can easily kill the virus. it's not that easy to catch, but it's still being spread really quickly. this is something never seen in west africa. people are scared. the doctors are trying to tell people this is what you need to do. being seen as the enemy, people that trust them, doctors told me

they've got quite a lot of abuse in some villages they were trying to go to, because people think they're bringing the disease in. people won't report it, because they feel doctors will take their family away and they won't see them again. they don't realize getting early treatment can say lives. >> there's a great deal more on the ebola story on our website. there's a special interactive graphic looking at how deadly the virus can be. go to aljazeera.com for more on that. we have plenty more coming up. >> i'm at gas central jail. we've been given exclusive access to a ward where those suspected of collaborating with israel are held. >> the president are rwanda is accused of hiring hit men to murder a former ally. >> a hairy moment for a former

world number one at the u.s. open. turkey's outgoing prime minister is now being sworn in as president. the ceremony was in the parliament. he will appoint foreign minister minister as his successor to the role of foreign minister later on thursday. what does it mean to turkey and the wider world? let's go to our journalist who's been reporting out of turkey for more than 20 years, now in istanbul. what kind of president does he want to be? >> i think he wants to be a

powerful president. i think he intends to use that office to actually continue to run turkey as has he done for the last 12 years. years. he's using being directly elected, turkey an executive presidency. >> without a president who has been apolitical as in the past, will there be fewer checks and balances on the government in turkey? >> that's what everyone fears. we've seen foreign ministers become presidents, but it's always been for example the outgoing president, was himself a member of the party, one of the founding members of that party. i think he used that office in a

non-partisan way. he didn't really become directly involved in the day to day running of the government and he certainly didn't go against the government. he actually signed into law many controversial laws. i think this will be a very much different style of presidency. whether he can retain control of his party once he's left it, now that's the key question, which most are asking themselves. >> what about turkey's ambitions of becoming a member of the european union? will he be more forceful in pushing that or what? >> i think we can safely assume that that is not going to be at the top of his agenda. certainly the foreign minister who now becomes the prime minister, this was never something really important to him. i think turkey rewarded itself perhaps over optimistically

perhaps looking to the east to be a country which can exert influence. a lot of people disagree with the success of that policy, but that is certainly what is close to their mentality and their way of thinking. >> what about the team when it comes to the military in turkey, which has been an extremely powerful body, which has on many occasions rung afoul of politicians trying to limit its power? >> well, i think one of the main accomplishments of the prime ministry was keeping away

control of the military. the military can only intervene where there's already chaos and where they can be seen to be bringing some civil order. order. >> israel's prime minister threatening more attacks on gaza. benjamin netanyahu also defended the seven week operation which saw more than 2,000 palestinians killed and left much of goose in ruins. >> hamas was severely beaten and it didn't even get one of the conditions it demanded for a ceasefire. i take this opportunity to say that if it resumes fire, we will

not tolerate a sprinkle of shooting at any part of israel. what we did in response now, we will respond even more vigorously. >> we were reporting just a few days ago that at least 18 palestinians suspected of collaborating with israel were executed in gaza during the conflict and more suspects are held in solitaire confinement. we were given exclusive access to gaza's trail prison where they are. >> we were taken deep blow gas central prison to a special ward where men suspected of collaborate, israel is held. they are kept isolated for their own safety because if others knew of their alleged crimes, they could be killed. >> there are eight prisoners here.

we only let them out to use the bathroom and to pray. when they leave the cells, we cover their face with a hood. >> the inmates were instructed not to speak to us, but they all deny the charges against them. >> suspected collaborators can spend days, weeks and years in these cells before they face a revolutionary court who will decide their fate. >> on august 22, hamas executed 18 suspected israel informants, seven killed publicly in gaza city. it was the largest number of suspected collaborators killed by hamas in a single day since 2007. the executions followed an

israeli air strike that killed three of its most senior military commanders. the single biggest strike since fighting began, its leaders made it clear anyone suspected of working with israel would be punished. the family of one man executed buried him quickly and without the usual funeral rites. they didn't want to call attention to the fact he was killed on hamas orders. worried about being recognized, they wanted our camera crew to leave but insist he was wrongly accused. >> my brother is innocent. our lawyers say all the charges against him were false. this is all propaganda. >> israel has a long and successful history of recruiting collaborators and informers in the occupied west bank and in the gaza strip. they do so through a variety of different means. sometimes with money, other times it's through blackmail or by intimidating family members. while these men deny ties with israel forces, the mere suspicion of it is how most ended up here. aljazeera at the gaza central prison.

>> a trial of sixmen in south africa accused of trying to kill a general. the general in question used to be a close associate of the president, but they fell out, and the general fled to south africa. >> these men are accused of trying to kill the former chief of the rwandan apparently. the general accuses them of working for the government, sent to hunt down dissidents like him. he's under the protection of security forces, but that didn't stop two attempts on his life. his son was left holding his father's blood-stained clothing. a year later, police stopped another plot to kill him. six months later, his house was

attacked. the lawyer excuses him of wanting revenge. >> he was addressing the parliament before the shooting, what was he meaning? he is the one giving the orders. >> his past is controversial, but he's denied accusations he is responsible for war crime abuses. >> secures forces of several countries, including the u.k. and sweden warned rwandan exiles

of threats against them believed to be from the government. they don't know who ordered the attack, but that they were first approached bay rwandan. >> this is a criminal trial in south africa, but it has highlighted the violent past in rwanda. there may be enough evidence for a conviction here, but the big question of who ordered it all seems to go unanswered. >> we have the weather. >> we're going to have a look at the weather over europe and this time in the northwest we are seeing the worst of the weather. the satellite picture shows the latest area of clouds. here are some pictures showing what it's been like for tourists around london over the past few days. everybody there just about has an umbrella with them. you need determination in order to go around doing your sightseeing. over the next few days.

it is still quite unsettled, but not a complete washout, the system is edging eastward, so on friday, it will be working its way into parts of norway and down into germany and across towards the alps. heavy downpours out of this. still quite a large amount of clouds and showers around, as well. the system will gradual break up edges its way towards the east. there will be sunshine around for the weekend. i think sunday will be the brighter day. that area of rain works its way across other parts of europe, still across the alps, here, does look brisk over the next few days. also for moscow, notice the cloud and rain we've got there, 16 degrees on maximum. >> mexico could be facing its worst mining disaster in recent history, with sulfuric acid

leaking to the river affecting thousands of people. a copper mine is facing huge fines with accusations it tried to hide what happened. >> it's declared a major natural disaster, but the huge chemical spill into this area's water supply came from a copper mine in northern mexico. initially, engineers blamed heavy rains for the release of leaders of acid and heavy metals. officials say the claim is false and the accident caused by mismanagement and bad construction. >> no this incident is considered one of the worst environmental factors in the mining sector of the country in modern times. >> the mine owned by group-mexico, one of the worlds largest copper producers now faces heavy fines. many residents worry about the impact on their health. some have received burns from the water.

others say things have been changed forever. >> the river was a place kids used to play. now from one day to another, it is gone for them. they can no longer be there, because it has been contaminated. >> this local doctor was one of the first to notice the effects of a spill that has left thousands without fresh water. she says the potential long term damage is worrying. >> both the authorities in the mine need to monitor the situation for 10 or 15 years, because expose tour toxic materials can cause in curable diseases. >> years ago, miners went on strike over safety. >> and some now block the entrance in protest over the spill. it's thought the cleanup could cost millions of dollars and take years. an independent investigation is now opened by the congress. for local farmers, the damage is already too much.

aljazeera, mexico. >> we'll be back in a minute to tell you why passengers are staying away from malaysian airlines after the disaster which hit the two aircrafts in four months. >> an accidental shooting involving this 9-year-old girl. >> deciding against running for the head of fifa. we'll tell you why, if you stay with us. th us.

>> this is the aljazeera news to round up the global headlines so far. >> due to russian troops entering ukrainian territory, i decided to cancel the visit to turkey. >> president poroshenko saying russian troops have entered ukraine. easy called an urgent meeting of his military command. >> turkey's directly elected head of state sworn in. he was the former prime minister. his opponents fear he will introduce increasingly authoritarian rule. >> islamic state group fighter suspected of the mass execution of syrian soldiers. the video posted on the internet claims to be just that, can't be veerified, though, but it does appear they could be being led

to their deaths. >> it is estimated 7,000 foreign fighters have joined the battle. the u.s. president is expected to queen a meeting to address the threat. >> britain considering new laws after the killing of the u.s. journalist james foley by a man many think could well be british. the u.k. government says that at least 500 britains have traveled a syria or iraq. australia's tiedenned port security to stop would-be fighters from going to iraq. tony abbot announced increased funding to stop more australians

from joining them. >> in kosovo, more than 40 arrests have been made, as we report. a mother decided to go on t.v. to encourage her husband to return their son. the last time she saw them was seeing them off two months ago as they were heading for holidays in the mountains. a week later, she received this message, they are well, it said and in syria. >> he always said he didn't belong here. he never mentioned he would take our son with them. >> eggs not the only one who decided to fight in foreign wars. kosovo police recently arrested 43 people of helping islamic

state and fighters in iraq and syria. >> during the search, we confiscated four rifles, a few guns, hunting arrives, another radio communication devices, military equipment, explosives and electronic equipment. >> in court, the suspects denied they were members of any rebel group. >> i'm pleased to say these people don't have a terrorist mentality. they don't sympathize with terrorist acts and condemn every act of such character. >> also under police investigation are imams suspected of inciting believers to join the jihad.

>> she hopes her son will return. >> every morning i wake up hoping he'll come back. yes sleep at night, because i'm afraid i won't hear him if he comes back. i spend days thinking when and how i'll go to the airport to pick him up. i hope he'll come back. now, ahead of a new school year, it's even harder for me. all the other kids will start school and i don't even know what will happen with him. >> kosovo police say they are doing everything to bring the 8-year-old back to his mother. she hopes the support citizens are showing on social networks may influence her husband to return their son. >> two major airlines are in big financial trouble, australia's nothing airlines involved its biggest loss, qantas blaming

restructuring cost. the flying kangaroo's hoping for more foreign investment. >> malaysia airlines lost almost $100 million in the second financial quarter, passengers staying away after the loss of two aircraft in recent months. the two disasters, the one over ukraine, the one in the indian ocean, is it simply because of that that the airline is in trouble? >> it is mostly because of that. these figures very much reflect the devastating impact of these air tragedies on the on going fortunes of makes airlines, with a warn state that the loss of the two airline either will

impact financial results for the rest of this year. the malaysian airlines were trying to restoring confidence after the loss of mh370 when 17 happened. this all comes at a time of increased fuel costs, increased competition, long haul routes combined with malaysia airlines continuing profitability. for several years now, it has been losing money, all pointing as the ire lane recognized towards a major restructuring needed to turn around the airline. >> interns of how they are going to put this right, what are they saying they are going to do about it? >> it has been long awaited

here. they announced early they are month that they were going to buy out the remaining shares in the company, which would lead to this major restructuring. it is by all accounts going to be a major make over. it needs to be. we are expecting details to be announced friday. probably it will involve the loss of several thousand jobs from a workforce of 19,500, also the loss of unprofitable routes from the network aimed at trying to turn around this country. this is the latest restructuring. there have been a number through the years trying to reverse fortunes. this was considered to be one of the world's best airlines. now this latest restructuring seems to be very much aimed at its very survival. >> thank you, rob mcbride there.

>> in hong kong, the home of a radio tycoon who is an outspoken critic of the leadership had his home raided. >> hundreds of people have been detained by the army and police in thailand since martial law was imposed. all of the detainees are insisted to be being treated with respect. we have more. >> she is trying to see her son. this is thailand's crime suppression division headquarters. police told her a few days ago he is here and she can see him.

she's uneasy and contacted a group called thai lawyers for human rights providing legal rights for those detained by the leading council. they were turned away. i asked if they even knew where he was. >> she was informed by the police here that he was brought to the police station. >> but you are not sure. >> we're not sure. that's why we tried to check now and we will call, because last time, mother go to so many place to try to find him. she went to the central prison, to the police station and here to try to find him, but she couldn't find. >> without legal advice, police say he was involved in violence against anti-government demonstrators. they say prisoners are being treated well, upholding their

human rights. the thigh lawyers say hundred was people have been summoned, detained and arrested. they don't have exact numbers, because there are only a handful of lawyers monitoring the situation. the mother prays as temple for her son. they are not told when they will be released and not allowed to contact family and friends. >> i feel sorry and dismayed that i might not be able to help my son. i have no money to hire people to help us. i am not able to help him. >> she is a domestic helper around single mother. her son, she says, is all the family she has. >> aljazeera, bangkok. >> aljazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists jailed in egypt.

falsely excused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood, in june of this year, two were given seven year terms. the thirding got an extra three years because he hadness possession a spent bullet case, which he picked up at a protest. >> u.s. gun laws back in the spotlight after a 9-year-old girl shot and killed her gun instructor at an arizona shooting range. she was being shown how to fire the weapon but lost control when it switched to automatic. jennifer london reports from los angeles. >> this cell phone video showing a 9-year-old girl firing an uzi tells only part of the story. what the video doesn't show

moments later, the weapon's powerful kickback causes the gun to lunch up and to the left. her instructor is standing to her side. he's shot several times and killed. >> it made everybody more alert, certainly. >> it raises questions, why would a child not physically strong enough to control such a powerful weapon be allowed to fire one? >> bob irwin is owner of the gun shop and says the girl was within the requirement of eight years old. he feels what happened in the arizona desert is unusual. >> i have been at this now for 40 years. we've been having a machine gun rental range, and i've never heard of any of this happening. >> he is wrong. it has happened before. in 2008, at a gun expo in massachusetts, an 8-year-old boy accidentally killed himself while shooting an uzi.

federal law banned the sale of fully automatic weapons to the public since 1986, but collectors and others are still allowed to have machine guns made before then. california's gun laws even tougher, so you won't find an uzi at a gun language here. >> the gun simulators inside here. >> firearms instructor greg block is only a handful in california licensed to own and operate an uzi. >> this is the smaller version of the full size she first shooting. keep your index there, put four fingers under the trigger guard there and put your thumbs side by side. he gives me a lesson. >> i'm firing this quite a few times and this gun is really heavy. >> and it's light compared to the uzi. >> it has a large grip.

>> under any circumstances, can you see a reason why a child should be handle this kind of weapon? >> not really. full automatics are very hard to shoot, because they rise up and to the left. unless you have weight and body strength, it's impossible dew control it. >> as this young girl on vacation learned too late. jennifer london, los angeles. >> in another shooting in the u.s., a t.v. technician's been killed by a policeman while filming the reality show cops. he was recording an armed robbery when he was hit by a stray bullet which found a gap in his bulletproof vest. how do you change from that to the sport? well, we're going to have to. >> thank you very much, david. the head of european football's govern body announced that he won't challenge for the fifa

presidency. he said that he wants to continue his work, saying the decision is based on where his passion lies. >> i said that i can beat him, but in four years or six years or 10 years, if there will be a fight, i don't know for the moment, but it could be a good investment in myself and also well, but i didn't decide that. i decided to go to the u.s. >> that leaves just two continents for the presidential elections to be held in switzerland next year. the plan in charge of football's good morning body is standing for a fifth term which would take him through the age of 83

his rival is a former diplomat. he's worked as an advisor. he says it's time for a change. >> for more on this, i'm joined by french football journalist. we heard he will be running for presidency in future. why not now? >> i think the decision has been made solely because he thinks he can't win the elections at the moment. i think he feels that his opponent is in a strong position now and faced with a mountain that they won't be able to climb. i think not running for the presidency now, i think there's too many things that he has going for him now which you wait

for. you have the european championships in 2016 in his home country that i think he's keen to oversee. i think he knows because he's quite young, he's going to have the chance to run again for the presidency of fifa in the future. >> for now, do you think anyone can challenge that? >> the problem is he is a good candidate, but as some people have already said about the situation, platini was the most credible opponent and has a good history in the politics of football, however doesn't have the same weight that platini has. i think champagne is at a

disadvantage going into the race. he has enough with european issues to deal with. what are these issues? >> well, i mean, at the moment, he has the issues of criticism of the way he has organized the champions league draw and the issue of racism that has reared its head on a number of owe cases in european fastball at the moment. these are two main issues he is trying to stamp out at the moment. i think he feels confident he'll be able to do that by the time that the next fifa elections come around. if he is able to succeed in may going or keeping the champions league as the best club competition around, strengthening the position within the footballing world.

>> thank very much for that. >> the draw for the group stage of the champions league takes stage later in monaco. arsenal will be in the pot for a 17th consecutive season. sanchez scored his first goal for arsenal in their, i. the first leg in istanbul was scoreless. arsenal goes through 1-0 on aggregate. >> you must give credit when you look at the results. in preseason, you understand why they beat all the teams they met until now, closed unit, well organized, physically very strong and technically very

good. >> >> ahead of the draw 2013, winners have strengthened their squad. the german champions have signed new players. >> it is special club, the best club in the world and it was an important decision for me to take. i am very happy to be here and i can now work with such professional people. >> in 2006, tennis winner needed three sets to avoid a second upset in the u.s. open. we have the action from flushing

meadows. >> it was a hairy moment for former world number one at the u.s. open. her hair got caught in her racket and she was unable to return. >> the dane did manage to go through to the third ondine straight sets. >> the 2006 u.s. open champion eventually beat world 25. >> the conditions were tough, you start in the sun, finish under the lights. it's very long match. overall, i felt like in the end i was in better shape than she was and i could have played another few sets. mentally, that helped may lot. >> 40 seed is out.

>> i didn't play bad today, i think it was just her day. of course, i could do something different, maybe, or try something else, as well, but i really try my best and i was fine until the end. >> no such problems for second seed hallet. she only dropped three games in her straight set victory. 34-year-old venus williams is through to the third round for the first time since 2010. the two time champion beats her 6-1, 6-4. in the men's draw, australian champion needed four sets to get past 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6. >> the serve was really good

today. my focus also, i know what i did wrong, but i'm not worried at all. >> 2001 champion campaign ended, the 33-year-old lost in straight sets to the six seed. >> there's more on our website. that's all for sports. >> they are expecting severe flooding in venice. flooding of moviegoers and movie makers.

while there is no place like venice, there is no event like the film festival, the world's top movie makers are all there, all trying to get a top award and all their claims that come with it. we sent phil out on a gondola. >> sun's out, the stars are, too, especially those trying to revive struggling careers. case in point, michael keaton. his career may not be lifeless, but his character certainly is. bird man is the tale of an actor, now struggling to get past that part. this is the opening movie of the venice film festival. the winner maybe depends on what the jury thinks. >> anything can be the subject of a movie here, even the traffic. i'm not exaggerating or joking. that is what last year's winning film was about, a busy road. seemingly coming from nowhere,

it swooped under the critics noses and took that big prize, the golden lion on the last night. that's one of the things about the venice film festival. it's got the red carpet, celebrities, the tradition, but beneath is a fondness for edgy films, cinema that challenges the norms. supporters say it is that which makes this festival not 71 years old, but 71 years young. there are themes that come up again and again. war is one of them. we've got lee marshall. tell us why war is to popular. >> screen writers need conflict to make good dramas and where better to go? >> it's a big mix this year.

>> it really is a mixed bag this year. we've got an indian writer, french music composer. it could go anyway this year. >> i know critics don't like to be tied down, but just give us a hint. who do you think might take the golden lion this year? >> a documentary won last year. there's another in competition this year. a look at silence is a follow up to his documentary, the active killing about the genocide in the mid-60's. i put my money on that. >> that's what teal take home, the golden lion. it is going to be a very busy, a very exciting 10 days here. aljazeera, at the venice film festival. >> that's it. thanks for watching. watching.

>> the white house races to build an international coalition to fight off i.s. what's the west's role in fighting extremism? plus the key plo negotiator joins us to talk about the fragile mid east ceasefire. i'm ali velshi in for antonio mora. those and more stories straight ahead. >> the mother of a kidnapped american journalist making a direct plea. >> i ask for justice to be merciful. >> another american journalist spoke out.