al jazeera america presents, the system with joe burlinger labor day marathon >> the show is a watch dog about the system. to make sure justice is being served >> the system has failed me... >> no one is listening to us... only on al jazeera america this is al jazeera america. live from new york city i'm richelle carey. here are today's top stories. european leaders confront the crisis in ukraine and how to deal with vladimir putin. new warnings about the islamic state group and the threat of terrorism around the world. also as fighting rages in syria and iraq, humanitarianism becomes more vitals. and the venice film festival.

>> european union leaders are gathering in brussels today to confront two major issues: russian troops in ukraine and the threat of terrorism from the islamic state group. threatening not just europe but perhaps the entire world. in the next hour we'll give you comprehensive coverage. retreating from two towns outside luhansk in the southeast. effectively handing over control to the separatist forces. the u.n. humanitarian force he warn that the death toll is rising, torture and human rights abuses. paul brennan is there and sends this report. >> european leaders meet in brussels, the situation on the

ground in ukraine is becoming more dire. separatists fighting in this zone. the pro-separatist militia and the russian forces regular forces which are fighting alongside those militia are certainly insurgents in the whole wave of the areas. the area halfway between donetsk and luhansk, the authorities are giving up that city. the hundreds of ukrainian soldiers, priority is to try and get them out there along some hastily constructed corridor. we drove up to that border region saturday and what we saw was a column of armored personnel carriers carrying troops on the top of them, on their roofs. the troops looked dirty grimy exhausted in a hard battle.

we also saw a couple of legislatories which were -- lories and the lories were flying red flags on top of them. they took a wrong turn, they were lost, not exactly sure where they were supposed to be going to. i think that gives an indication of the degree of disarray in certain pockets of eastern ukraine. >> nearing the point of no return, that's what the european commission forces said, russia continues to deny it has troops on the ground. ukraine's president is asking eu letters for help. simon mcgregor wood reports. >> president petro poroshenko came to the group for help. he made it certain how close the crisis has become. >> point of no return is full scale war which already

almost -- which already happened on the territory controlled by separatists and regular russian troops. and any defensive action which would be undertake if it happen would be point of no return. and that's why we undertake the enormous efforts to stop that. >> reporter: he'd spoafn to all 28 -- spoken to all 28 heads of government. how best to respond to it. the rhetoric on the crisis is heating up. >> countries in europe shouldn't need to think long to consider how unacceptable that is. >> saying russia's attack on ukraine is effectively an attack on all of europe. >> we are clear there is no military solution to this crisis. we need a sustainable political solution but respect ukraine's

territorial integrity and sovereignty. i believe it is more necessary than ever. so we continue to urge russia to stop hostilities to stop the flow of arms, equipment, and personnel into the conflict region, and to withdraw its forces from ukraine. >> reporter: back in july, eu leaders imposed sanctions on sectors of the russian economy. the russians responded by banning agricultural imports. they would do more if the situation on the ground escalated and this week it certainly did that. the momentum towards tougher sanction he seems i irresistibl. some eu states with deep trades with russia and ones heavily

reliant on russian gas. sy plosimon mcgregor wood. that's why we need to work within the european union as well. the continued targeted air strikes against the fighters in iraq. the united kingdom raised its terror threat yesterday. we'll be learning more on the eu response in the coming hours. saudi arabia is warning their countries could be next if more is not done to stop the threat of the islamic state group. >> translator: if no action is taken against i.s. for sure in a month they will reach europe and in another month they will reach

u.s. i am telling you now and you have to keep this in mind. ircall upon you leaders to take this warning seriously. >> roz jordan is following this story, roz, the u.k. has raised their security threat level. american leaders have not. what have u.s. authorities saying about what we're hearing now? >> well, there hasn't been a specific reaction to the comments from king abdalla of saudi arabia. but the u.s. has been saying federate much for past couple of weeks that it does consider the islamic state group a very serious security threat. however, on friday, we heard from the secretary of homeland security, jay johnson, who said that there wasn't enough credible imminent intelligence that justifies changing the nation's terror threat level from where it currently sets. and -- sits. and without that evidence, it's not really worth terrifying the american people with a change in

the threat level. now that's not to say that the obama administration isn't taking a closer look at what can be done. we heard from the president barack obama on thursday who said that his advisors, particularly his military advisors are trying to work on military options that the u.s. can use in trying to confront i.s. fighters. but there's a larger strategic issue at work here richelle and the administration is trying very hard to get it right. >> okay so the u.k. is raising their terror alert. they are also concerned about british citizens fighting for i.s. returning to their home country. is there a similar concern here in the u.s? >> reporter: there are similar concerns but the numbers that we're talking about richelle are much smaller than those that the u.k. is facing. and there are also very different leg questions on how the u.s. could deal the people that it thinks that could act as

some sort of security threat. american officials don't want to say exactly how many people have gone from the u.s. to syria, for example, to fight alongside i.s. and jubat al nusra and other groups opposed to the government of bashar al-assad. the u.k. by contrast is very worried about hundreds if not thousands of people who go back and forth between the u.k. and countries across the middle east and south asia and they're very worried about the higher risk of radicalization that has been taking place inside their own country. so while the u.k. is now looking at ways of basically pulling the passports of those who might be suspected of having joined i.s, the u.s. has to be much more careful from a legal perspective. and that's why you see this difference in the way that both countries are trying to tackle what they consider a very serious security threat. >> okay roz jordan reporting

live from washington. thank you roz. continues in iraq iraqi helicopters have been bombing i.s. positions near baghdad and kirkuk. medium there are preparing for worst. >> reporter: for the town of amerlie it is not just the front line, it's the last stand. these are local people, farmers and civil servants not professional soldiers. they have now held out for more than 80 days against islamic state fighters just 500 meters away. the shia turkmen town is now completely surrounded. >> translator: they burned the farms. they looted. they have burned up our mosques. but we are going to face them and hunt them down because we know them because they were all from the nearby villages. >> reporter: iraqi army and shia militias backing these

armies might break the siege but they won't break the cycle of revenge. it could spark another civil war. the only way in and out is by helicopter. the iraqi air force is taking out 120 people a day but almost 20,000 are left. the town has run out of food and even the wells are running dry. iraq is breaking into pieces. not just regions but towns and tribes and families. they've been scattered by fighting and the fear of the islamic state group. the people of amerlie are taking shelter anywhere they can. heats up ocre stew. in amerlie they have only bread and onions left. almost everyone here were air lifted by helicopter. this woman and her children

arrived only four days ago. >> they hit us and the helicopter overturned. we ran carrying the children and when they fixed the helicopter we took off again. >> reporter: some of their female relatives have chose ton stay in amerlie. they would rather die, than be taken by islamic state fighters. >> my brother said if i.s. enters i will kill my children one by one and then my wife and then i'll kill myself. >> she says a lot of the graves have already been dug. fatima's sister killed herself a couple of weeks ago. she said her father was trying to force her to marry one of the islamic state fighters. it is a conservative society where honor is more important than death. jane arath, al jazeera baghdad.

in syria and golan heights, u.n. officials say israeli and syrian government forces pitched in to help get these men out of the danger zone. rebel fighters surrounded the area on thursday preventing them from leaving. another group of peace keepers remain trapped and 44 more retained by rebels are missing. joining us via skype by a ann arbor michigan. the most pressing question that our viewers probably have is the islamic state group a threat to the united states? >> it's not an immediate threat to the united states. because it has local ambitions. it's holding territory, it's trying to take more territory. it's developing a governing bureaucracy. so in these radical groups you know there are two theories that you get ahead by attacking the

far enemy first and that was al qaeda or that you attack the near enemy first and that is the so-called islamic state. but in the long term of course it is a vicious organization. very dangerous and very anti-american. so it is a threat. >> senator john mccain wrote an op ed that we were looking at earlier today. this is what he said when trying to decide what the u.s. strategy should be. he said it should look like this. this should be more like afghanistan in 2001 where limited number of advisors help local forces with air strikes and military aid to route an extremist army. no one is advocating unilateral invasion or nation building. when you put it that way, i.t. sounds so simple. -- it sounds so simple but obviously it is not juan. >> well, senator mccain is right. that the strategy on the iraq side at least will be to arm and

better train the peshmerga, the paramilitary of the kurdistan military government a super-province of iraq and give them close air support as was done by the northern alliance in 2001. the problem so far with that strategy has been that the peshmerga seem to be maybe not up to it, kind of out of training and out of breath. and the shiite, largely shiite troops of the iraqi army just can't see risking their lives to take sunni towns that don't want them on behalf of a very corrupt government. so whereas in afghanistan we had a very enthusiastic set after lies in the northern alliance who were very willing to fight the taliban if only we would level the playing field, doesn't seem to be the case in iraq. >> okay. let's hop over to syria right now. obviously the islamic state

group is putting it mildly a thorn in the side of bashar al-assad. but if they were neutralized in syria how would that change landscape there? >> well, obviously they would be losing substantial assets in syria, including control of oil smuggling routes. and they are making money off of syrian oil. so that would change the game if they lost in syria. the problem for the u.s. there is that it wants to overthrow, it wants to see yor overknown te syrian government in damascus. >> right. >> so it hasn't been on the opposite side from i.s.i.l. >> an extremely complicated situation. sure we'll be calling on you again. al jazeera international

contributor. thank you. >> demonstrators began doing this on august 13th, claiming chawn, hakhan, gathering again n ferguson, missouri to remember michael brown. the unarmed black teenager killed by officer wills. the shooting sparked demonstrations and civil unrest for more than a week. another demonstration is scheduled this afternoon in washington, d.c. still ahead the ceasefire in gaza holds. residents now face another deadly threat. and the almost overwhelming challenge of people driven from their homes by years of war and violence.

>> the ceasefire in gaza is now in its fourth day and there are signs that life is returning to some sense of normalcy for

people of gaza. the beach at gaza was pretty busy on this saturday. over 2,000 people were killed and 11,000 wounded during the conflict with israel. gaza is facing a serious new threat. al jazeera has that story. >> reporter: three-year-old anas isn't well. his father tries to soothe his skin after small blisters appeared after a week ago. since then anas has a high temperature and vomits after most meals. he says he is worried. >> we have been sheltering at this u.n. school for weeks. 80 members of my family live in one classroom and anas is only getting worse. >> he takes his son to a classroom where a team of dermatologists have set up a temporary clinic. they diagnose him with scaibee s

and ohigh fever. severe shortage of water caused by weeks of heavy fighting means that most people have not been able to bathe. >> about 30 to 40% of the children here and of the people here they are suffering from scaiscabies and many other skin diseases and other tenantant de-- tenantant des. did. >> many sphere that if this situation doesn't improve. people will be vulnerable to even more deadly diseases like disentry, alcoho cholera and

meningitis. with most plants badly damaged or completely destroyed by israeli strikes, doctors warn, the long term health implications could be in their words, catastrophic. al jazeera, gaza. >> return now to the fluid situation in ukraine we are joined vee skype from the spokesman for organization osce we always appreciate you joining us. michael, what are your colleagues seeing on the ground happening in eastern ukraine? >> good to be back with you. well, we've just received a spot report, what we call a spot report from our monitors from mariupul, the key city on the sea of azov. they observed that ukrainian

forces are working vigorously to build protection for themselves and the second thing in brief interviews with ukrainian soldiers one got the sense they feel far outgunned. they reported see tanks, armored personnel carriers, and missile launchers. there's a great imbalance. >> what is day-to-day life like for people living in this situation? >> well, you know, it's a very sad situation, and in fact something that is almost hidden from the headlines. but there is a kind of humanitarian catastrophe unfolding. the u.n. tells us there's as many as 300,000 people on the move from eastern ukraine to safer ground. about half of those are women and children and low on funds and even the agencies that are looking after them are running low on assets. in big cities like donetsk shelling going on in the last 48

hours, hospital hit school and other situations, very dire situation. >> can you put this dire situation, as you called it can you put it in some sort of context compared to other situations we've seen in history? >> well, of course, you know we, by now we expected peace to come to that part of ukraine. but what we've been seeing over the past four months is a kind of grinding escalation if you want to call it that. so for sure, there's a lot of weaponry there. there are a lot of people that have been killed. a lot of people injured. a lot of bloodshed. so our swiss office, as well as our head, have called for an immediate ceasefire and end to the bloodshed. because too many innocent civilians are getting caught up in that. mh 17 came down and that's a stiff activity crime scene. >> in the hours and days after that plane crash what is the

latest on that front, in investigation and getting answer he or recovering bodies? >> that is very heartbreaking. wee were the first international organization on the crash site. we had to evacuate quite some time ago due to the violence. so it is an open crime scene. we assume the records are still there. human remains probably still there. and lots and lots of personal belongings. so we're hoping again for deescalation that we can go back with those experts because they are waiting there in kiev to go back and carry on with their investigation as well as the recovery efforts. >> what are the most immediate needs of the people caught up in this, besides obviously peace? >> well you know, it's going to be fall in ukraine soon. the weather is going to change, it's going to become cooler and school should be starting. many displaced people have been

housed in schools. many haven't registered with government authorities, have been staying with friends and relatives for months. it's put a strain on the social fabric of ukraine. this is a disaster not only limited to eastern ukraine. >> the national fabric, quite a way to put it it will michael, thank you gettin for getting uso speed and for reporting on the conflict. thank you. >> pleasure. >> how some refugees from syria have found their way to south america. and missing in the midst of strikes and conflict. labor day weekend, we'll look back on the big stories of the year. >> reporter: i'm heidi zhou-castro. for a month we spent time in the height of the immigration

conflict. it's caught more than 63,000 children crossing into the u.s. alone. we found a border with holes. 10,000 unaccompanied children crossing the southwest border. the children mostly from guatemala, honduras and el salvador provoked a national outcry. while most called the situation a humanitarian crisis, people in a few communities protested against the children's' presence. the obama administration responded by deporting more migrants and texas governor rick perry announced he would send 1,000 national guard troops to the border. their bodies continue the appear 80 miles to the north in the texas desert. so far this summer the brooks county sheriff's department says

it has recovered 23 bodies, victims of the 100° heat and the ruthlessness of smugglers who leave the weak behind. congress adjourned its session withouting taking action on immigration. heidi zhou-castro, al jazeera, dallas.

real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can.

real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. al jazeera america presents, the system with joe burlinger labor day marathon >> the show is a watch dog about the system. to make sure justice is being served >> the system has failed me... >> no one is listening to us... only on al jazeera america >> welcome back to al jazeera america, here's a look at your top stories. ukrainian president petro poroshenko met with european leaders this morning. he says russian troops and tanks are inside ukraine helping separatist forces. the u.n. says it has rescued about 3 dozen peace keepers surrounded by rebel fighters. the u.n. peace keepers were captured and another fijian

peace keepers are still being held. conflicts in the middle east have created a humanitarian crisis. 3 million syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries. another 6.5 million people are displaced within the country. that's nearly half all syrians forced to abandon their homes. the situation in iraq is also forcing people to leave their homes, 1.5 million people are glaised in that country -- displaced in that country. mr. ibrahim, joining us by skype. iraq is facing a crisis as well. what are you observing? >> good afternoon, thank you for having me. as you saw the u.n. latest reports, staggers numbers.

3 million out of syria. in iraq itself, the latest estimate is about 1.6 million people have been displaced in the last year. about 850,000 of them just in the last month. so this is a lot of people on the move. a massive need for humanitarian assistance across a very wide area. and in very difficult circumstances. >> so you talk about the need for humanitarian assistance. is that assistance coming in? >> it is coming in but i don't think it's coming fast enough. one, because the humanitarian system globally is overstretched between all those different emergencies from south sudan to democratic republic of congo, hosting large number of refugees. second, the logistics is really difficult. everything has to be trucked hundreds of kilometers and sometimes thousands of kilometers and the last is population is constantly moving out, looking for better places

where they feel safer to stay. the humanitarian assistance has to keep catching up with them. it's quite a lot of logistics and cost to be able to deliver it at a time it is needed and in the place it is needed. >> families with babies, can you talk with the toll this takes particularly on children? >> absolutely. i mean one of the -- one of the difficult things when you talk about numbers is you forget those numbers represent people. just walking down today, we were distributing water santa at a center. first thing the heat is overwhelming for children. its temperatures are 50°. sitting in tents with are hardly any moving air. the children keep crying because of the difficulty of circumstances. these are for very young children. ones a little bit older not going to school having lost friends and family are

traumatized. a lot of work with psychosocial workers, who will be able to enjoy a world anyone else would enjoy. >> ose, he talked about the months of fighting and what's been happening there humanitarian crisis really starts to change the fabric of the nation. would you say that's what's happened in iraq as well? >> we have seen some worrying trends. one of the things that's bothering us most is we start categorizing their needs by not their ethnicity but by their needs, we think of the vulnerability should be what determine what idps we insist and the -- assist and not only a group or particular ethnic group it is going to affect that national building and national fabric and will have reflection is on the politics economics

reconciliation process. the news today for example in one of the particular ethnic groups had asked to start forming a militia in order to fight. these are worrying trends and understandable the circumstances but it is worrying trends. >> very difficult work that you do. we appreciate your time, from oxfam, thank you. >> thank you. >> thousands of syrian refugees are now living in argentina, one of the largest syrian communities in latin america. many are fearful for their loved ones back home. >> reporter: many of the immigrants of what was syria, now fleeing conflict in their home land. it was a long arduous journey to an unknown sometimes hostile country. there have been further waves of immigrants and refugees since then.

those syrian immigrants are now mostly fully integrated into the wider argentine community. others have had an impact in the business and the arts while some formed associations and clubs to keep alive their culture and traditions. ganal tells how to make these dishes brought to here from his home country. >> the. >> translator: we have members from all religious persuasions, christians, muslims, here in

argentina there is no difference. >> nabiil is the more recent arrival,. >> i took this decision for my children. i left behind my mother and the rest of my family. i couldn't stand it any more for my children. >> reporter: he had relatives in argentina and was given a job here at the syrian lebanese club. he's grateful for the welcome and the opportunities he's been given but his heart is still in syria p. syria. >> i will return. why? my life is in syria. i can't talk much about syria because i start to cry. syria for me is everything. >> nabil is one of the lucky ones. selling the family jewelry to catch the plane out of damascus. would like to see the argentine

government do more. >> yes, we have requested people to work on this. the reality is very few have come to argentina and those who have come have family here who have always found a way to help them. >> with the fighting continuing in syria, many in argentina are looking for increasing concern and sadness what lies ahead for what they and their ancestors left behind. daniel swendler, al jazeera, argentina. more than 115,000 have been rescued at sea, italian authorities are concerned over the growing number of african children traveling alone. hoda hamid has more from the island of sicily. >> it took him six months to travel from his native gambia by foot and bus before reaching

tripoli and crossing the mediterranean sea. he doesn't want to show his face. >> i just came to libya and i was captured there and kidnapped. so i asked them to give me (inaudible). everything that up to here. >> reporter: this was meant to be a first reception center but the sheer volume of minors means they have to wait for their paperwork to be processed. >> officials here say their numbers are increasing at a staggering rate and the issue is what to do with them. under italian law they cannot be returned home because they're underage. their first steps on italian soil are difficult. they don't know where they are exactary and don't speak the language. >> translator: we inform them of the risks they're facing.

the dangers are not only crossing the desert or the mediterranean, being exploited for labor or sex. italy is mainly a transit point. many of the children want to travel more into europe. >> reporter: many of the children want to travel more into europe. 13-year-old wants to go to rome where he says his brother lives. his parents paid about $3500 for the crossing and at the young age he feels the burden. >> translator: we were going to drown and die. the boat was full of holes. water was coming in. we were emptying it with buckets. i'm alive and my dream is to make my mother and father proud of me. i want to help them pay their debts, it's all i want. >> it is a dream for many of these boys, the road is complicated and often lonely. >> hundreds of orthodox jews

have been expelled from their homes. the town elders voted to kick them out arguing locals felt intimidated. one of the jewish leaders said the town even threatened to lynch them. today is the 31st day of the disappeared. recognizing people gone missing in political conflict. one example in guatemala. >> hoping to shed light on the pass, a team of forensic archaeologists mark an area. they were led to this cornfield by maria perez. she says this is the last place she saw her father and brother after soldiers tortured and killed them in 1982. >> translator: we're not sure we'll find the remains but we'll try our very best and we'll keep looking until we locate them or

until we're sure they're not here. >> reporter: 32 years after the bloodiest period of guatemala's civil war, clandestine graves are still being dug up. it only takes archaeologists a few hours to find human bones. maria's tears are a mixture of grief and relief of finding her family and putting them to rest. removing the bones is only the first step. but it is here in guatemala city far from the mountain villages where the massacres took place that the archaeologists are analyzing the bones and giving evidence for trials. victims from the country's 36-year civil war. bones are documented before being hammered into fragments and eventually ground into a fine powder.

from here the powder is put through a series of steps in order to extract the dna. it's a lengthy process but one that's yielding results. >> this work has become crucial. because it has -- what it has done is it has gotten a lot of families to come forward and tell stories that have never been told. it has allowed us to identify people that we would not have been able to identify by any other means. >> reporter: whether providing evidence to help bring former military men to trial or helping families find closure, forensic science has taken root in guatemala. digging up the past it seems might be the best way to help the country move into the future. david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. >> today iran's president called new western sanctions on the, more than 25 businesses banks and individuals suspected of working to expand iran's nuclear

program. president rouhani considers the actions illegal. the ebola virus has now claimed more than 1500 lives in west africa. more than half of those in effected, a drug seeming effective, both have been treated with zmapp, doctors are not clear that the drug saved them from ebola which is still spreading. >> ebola today in sierra leon is a crisis. they is time to avoid in sierra leone, there is time to avoid a catastrophe but only if immediate and urgent action is taken at every level.

>> yesterday senegal confirmed its first case of ebola, a man who traveled there from guinea three weeks ago. doesn't have a name yet but a new drug may prove to be one of the biggest advances in cardiac care in years. a medication made by novartis, lowered risk by 20%. the drug was the subject of a trial involving 8500 people. the drug was halted early because the benefits were so clear cut. the results being published in the new england journal of medicine. reality of this situation is quite different. a city's struggle in china, coming up next on al jazeera america. >> i'm libby casey in washington, d.c. this week president obama rolled out new executive actions designed to improve the health care and mental health care of america's veterans. this comes in the wake of a

scandal that vets waited for weeks and months to receive care at clinics like the one in phoenix, arizona. staff there cooked the books to hide long wait times and families alleged veterans waited so long for health care they died waiting for care. secretary of the va resigned because of the scandal. >> what i want you to know directly from me is that we're focused on this at the highest levels. >> reporter: the white house executive action he get veterans automatically enrolled in health care, an brain research and suicide prevention. >> we're going to fix what is wrong and do right by you and your families and that is a solemn pledge i'm making for you here. >> the independent inspector-general report found that the widespread mentio manin

of dates could not widespread patient deaths.

to, part of the a law saying its unconstitutional to are require clinics to meet hospital-like standards. it does not provide adequate medical advantage. texas abortion clinics would be forced to close as of september 1st. president obama might be putting off executive action until after mid term elections. in june the president said he

would announce what steps he would take by the end of september on immigration reform. but he began backing from that position. may help senate democrats up for reelection. the city of hong kong is in unique position. trying to restore some level of democracy to the city's administration. now it appears in 2017 they are in jeopardy. adrian brown reports on the looming slow down. >> the deal that made it possible is starting to be threatened. china promised hong kong a high degree of political autonomy. that pledge is now being tested. the political temperature has been rising, ever since this protest in early july. it was organized by pro-democracy groups who are demanding a vote for every adult in the election for hong kong's next leader. china says fine.

so long as candidates are patriotic and approved by beijing. but critics say that's not real democracy. and warn of more scenes like these. >> if the chinese try to give us fake democracy then other people or more will come out to sit down on the street. >> that threat to occupy hong kong's central business district led to a large pro-beijing protest two weeks ago. but it later emerged many of those taking part had been busted, paid and treated to lunch. the protest showed though that the mood is hardening on both sides. >> we expect very serious polarization in the society. although certainly law and order will not be an issue. but we expect a very difficult scenario for all parties

concerned. >> hong kong's current chief executive is c.y. yeung. election china wants in 2017 and appears in no mood for compromise. >> protesters need to really keep in their mind that when you use demonstrations or protests for the alleged goal of violating democracy, you cannot counter democracy to begin with. >> the time has come to remind everyone of who is ultimately in charge. adrian brown al jazeera beijing. the first openly gay player drafted by an nfl team will have to see where he will play. the st. louis rams said they let

go michael sam. sam was attempting to be the first openly gay player in the nfl season, he could be signed by one of the other 32 teams in the league. plate good chance he will. a quake shook iceland, 5.4. officials are concerned a full eruption is imminent. many of the world's top film americas are in italy, but the venice film festival is taking a dark turn. >> i'm john terret in new york. who would have thought the film festival aos ice bucket challenge has caught the imagination of people the world

over, willing to drench themselves for the lou gehrig's disease. i took the plunge and a small crowd gathered to cheer me on. raising cash this way is not new but according to the als website the charity's pulled in $94.3 million since the fun began in late july. compared to 2.7 million over the same period last year. >> i do this for als. >> like the rubble challenge in gaza to rebuild after the war. some complain it's a waste of water when so many people in the world go without. >> others say no need to make a spectacle of yourself. jut donate quietly. wherever you stand on this you can't deny: the als ice bucket challenge won't easily be forgotten. >> happy -- oh, okay.

>> well normally a glamorous event, the venice film festival is taking a darker turn. horror and war, phil lavell has more. >> was this genocide, some say yes, turkey hassalities said no. the deaths of armenians, brought to the screen almost 100 years later. this is film based on real events and it is strong. death, war, and displacement all big at the festival this year. mass killings in indonesia, bringing a stark reality to a festival steeped in glamorous escapism and smiles.

this place could be not further away from the war, but war is many dominan dominant. telling tales of conflict at some plate in some times. they are stories that simply must be told. >> here we are in a time when there's unspeakable atrocities taking place in the middle east, in gaza, in the ukraine. we're in a very frightening moment and i think that it is understandable that film makers are, as artists are trying to bring those -- bring that -- help us face those truths. >> the good kill brings us back to recent day. the tale of a drone operator dropping bombs on ukraine. time has passed but conflicts

remain. the feeling here is that cinema has a responsibility to make man learn from his mistakes. >> the purpose of art i think is to force us or seduce us or invite us to face our most fearful truths. we seem to heed the message of never again, not in a sense of never again to us but never again to anybody. >> reporter: the war in algeria is told through the eyes of a teacher in "far from men." these are movies with fighting running through them but told from the human side, the consequences of killing. how do you ask a man why he ordered your brother to be murdered? a question few of us would ever have to ask. a question cinema asks for us regardless of how painful the answer may be. tim lavell, al jazeera at the venice film festival. >> i'm richelle carey. "talk to al jazeera" is next.

for more go to aljazeera.com. om. >> they taught me to call it a good day. >> civil rights activist dick gregory has been calling attention to race relations in the u.s. for decades. but the shooting death of a young black man on the streets of ferguson, missouri, is evidence, he says, that a strong white-black divide still exists in america. >> this used to be a down that was mostly whi