turkey's president says he is committed to fighting the isil has a battle rages on turkey's border. ♪ hello, you are watching al jazeera live interest doha. also on the program. car bombs in the syrian city of homs leave at least 20 dead, half of them children. and rallies continue in hong kong.

and a new report ranks the best and worst countries for the older generations. ♪ turkish president has given his clearest warning yet that turkey will fight against isil in syria. the group that he branded terrorists have advanced within sight of the turkish army on the border. he also demanded that bashar al-assad leave power. he said turkey can't afford complacency while the crisis unfolds. >> translator: one of turkey's priorities is to have a strong and just government in damascus. we cannot be indecisive about the situation in the gulf and larger middle east. how can we remain uninterested given the crisis on two fronts on our borders. there are reports of gunfire

and shelling in the frontier town that lies a few kilometers from the turkish border. fighters have been advancing on the city forcing thousands of mostly kurds to flee to kobani. the kurdish fighters who remain say they booby trapped the town in case isil attacks. bernard smith has more on the turkey, syria border. >> reporter: all day long there has begun fire in kobani, you can see smoke rising just behind me. fighters in the town say they have managed to hold off isil forces so far. they also believe there have been a couple of u.s. air strikes to also try to hold back isil forces. isil say they are very close to one edge of the city, but in

another part of the city, the syrian kurdish fighters say they have pushed them about 7 kilometers further back. turkey's new president has told parliament that the fight against terrorism is a priority for his government, but another priority is to continue to further isolate syrian president bashar al-assad. turkey's parliament votes on thursday on actions in syria and iraq, and also in that motion is a clause that will allow foreign forces to use turkish bases. this could be about u.s. pressure to open up an air base from where the u.s. can launch fighter jets that have targeted isil positions in syria and iraq. meanwhile at least 20 people, half of them children have been killed in two car

bombings in the syrian city of homs. >> reporter: the apparent target of the bombings was a school. many of the casualties were children who were leaving their classes at the time of the explosion. officials say a car bomb was remotely the detonated outside of the gate before a suicide bomber blew himself up among the crowd. dozens were killed and injured. this neighborhood in homs is controlled by the government, and it is one of many directs where alawites live snlt they are members of the same sect of president bashar al-assad. it was not the first attack of its kind, but it was the deadliest in months. the government managed to regain control the city of homs in may. wednesday's bombings were undoubtedly a message to the government and its supporters, the opposition hasn't given up its fight. and neither has the go, it has

stepped up an aerial campaign targeting rebel-controlled territories and has been focusing on the city of aleppo. but instead dozens of civilians have been killed in recent weeks. helicopters are dropping barrel bombs which human rights groups have described as indiscriminate weapons. >> translator: look at this street. they are destroying homes. children and women are were in the car. we're not terrorists. >> reporter: this conflict continues to kill people on both sides of the divide. there is no prospect of a ceasefire. there are no negotiations on a political solution, and as u.s.-lead air strikes gain momentum, many opposition groups believe it is helping the government in damascus to win the war. meanwhile, seven people have been killed in a car bombing in the syrian provin. the attack happened near an

opposition fighter base. both civilians and rebels were killed. residential buildings in the area were severely damaged. in other word news nearly two dozen people have been detained across mainland china for supporting the growing protests in hong kong. these are live pictures from civic square, the main protest sight. they are demanding free elections in 2014, and threatening to occupy government buildings unless the chief executive steps down. rob it is late in hong kong, but the crowd is still very large there in civic square. >> that's right. still thousands of people are out on this night of the mass occupation. as you say it is in the middle of this national public holiday. there are two days -- people have two days off, so we have had big crowds today, and we're

expecting big crowds form, thursday, and thursday is very important because this is the deadline set by the organizers for their demands to be met. if they are not met, then they take things to the next level. this protest will be aimed at specific government buildings. the next stage is targeting government offices. with me to talk about that is a student. ivan, takes things to a different level of law breaking. does it involve greater risk for the action? >> of course they are having law-breaking actions, but i would rather describe them as civil disobedience. these people will probably get a more serious charge if we are going to occupy the central government offices, but i think the people who join me are coming -- will also be very

aware of a possible consequence, and that's why it could be described as a civil disobedience. >> reporter: it could also bring possibly violent confrontations, something we haven't seen for two or three days. do you want to see a return to that? >> well, i don't think so. i think having the process on the street is safer than having them in the government offices, because on the first day, actually we have seen the most dangerous scene that was ever possible in hong kong, like tear gas and pepper spray. and actually moving back to the government offices, it could mean a banner protest to the protesters because on the street they could be trying to confuse the crowd with the police or even with some people who intend

to mess up the situation may easily get in. but in government headquarters maybe the situation could be getter. >> reporter: is there a danger that if there is a return to violence, you will turn people away. many people are coming out because they saw tear gas being used on students in the streets. is there a danger that people will be turned away? >> well, everyone here have got their own choices to make like whether or not they should stay if there is pepper spray. so last time, on the first night of the occupy movement, actually when there were rumors that rubber bullets were used the students also tried to call the people to leave, because we think it is out of safety measure. personal safety is more important than any political agenda or political movement, so that's why we told people to

leave, but they chose to stay. but you can see the exercise of autonomy, and the students can only call the people to leave. >> thank you very much indeed for joining us this evening. as we move ahead, of course, there is this huge momentum now from the numbers of people turning out. the students obviously want to use -- the organizers want to exploit that. the authorities realize as long as this goes on without resolution, there is also the chance that support may drift away from this. that is what presumably they are hoping for at the moment. >> thank you very much, rob mcbride reporting live from hong kong. in yemen hundreds of people have been demonstrating against the presence of houthi militia in sana'a. the rebel base in the north took control of the capitol more than a week ago.

houthi speaksman said they will withdraw from the capitol once a new government is formed. >> reporter: ten days after the houthi takeover of the capitol, we see them expanding their presence, and tightening their grip on the city, setting up more check points and some of the higher officials in the government are still refusing to go to work. the houthis are giving statements talk about eventual pullout when a new government is appointed. but on the ground there are no indications this is going to happen any time soon, and they tell us the peace deal has not actually set a date yet. there are a number of steps that have to be taken, including a new prime minister and government. and a mechanism whereby this is going to be implemented, and the united nations must be a partner, and that means the

withdraw of the huhthies is going to take a long time. al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists imprisoned in egypt. they have now been detained for 277 days. they are falsely accused of aiding the out lawed muslim brotherhood. peter greste and mohammed fahmy were sentenced to seven years. baher mohamed got an additional three years. they are appealing against their convictions. still ahead, france deveals deep spending cuts in its budget. plus former bosnian serb leader on trial for the worst massacre since world war ii, insists he is innocent. ♪

>> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories.

♪ welcome back. you are watching al jazeera, a reminder of our top stories now. turkish president has given his clearest warning yet that turkey will fight against isil in syria. the group he calls terrorists has advanced within site of the turkish army on the border with syria. meanwhile at least 20 people, half children have been killed in two car bomb attacks in the syrian city of homs. the target was a school. and more protesters have joined the demonstrations in hong kong on china's national day. student leaders demanding free and fair elections have

threatened to occupy government buildings unless hong kong's chief executive steps down. in other news the former bosnian serb leader has said he is next at the trial at the hague. he is charged with 11 crimes, including genocide. he is accused of the massacre in which more than 8,000 muslim men and boys were killed. the trial at the hague has taken five years. >> translator: since the distinguished prosecution lawyer has no evidence, he has chose to tarnish my personality. he called me a liar and a mobster. i believe it was with a heavy heart that he decided to go with this kind of labeling. he probably wouldn't have done that if he had a single peace piece of hard evidence. in ukraine at least four people have been killed in shelling at a school in the city

of donetsk. no children appear to have been hurt. sonia reports. >> reporter: for school 57 it was a tragic start to the term, an unintended target in the ongoing fight between ukrainian forces and the separatists, as it came under attack on wednesday morning just as peoples were arriving. none of them were killed in the attack, but amongst the dead one of the school's biology teachers, and the parent of one of the children. at least ten people had been killed in the shelling. the largest toll since the ceasefire was declared last month. the students were forced to take cover. >> translator: we had enough time to bring children to the basement along with teachers. now fighters have already brought some back home. the rest are still in the basement. they are waiting, and the osce

are there. they are asking questions together with military police. what can i say? >> reporter: the school lies just four miles from the city's main airport. it is controlled by ukrainian forces and for months it has been the site of intense fighting. separatists said government forces were responsible for the latest shelling, but ukraine says rebels were to blame for the attack and denied targeting civilian areas. in a nearby town, the new school year started with optimism. despite the months of turbulence, many are determined to live as normal of life as possible. >> translator: we can hear the shelling, but what can we do about it? it will all be fine. >> reporter: a tough task for these students especially in the backdrop of the fragile ceasefire that could see the small semblance of normality

disappear all too quickly. in mexico, three soldiers are being charged with unlawfully killing suspected gang members. they were involved in a shootout in june, but investigations suggests the soldiers didn't follow rules and protocols. adam has more from mexico city. >> reporter: by charging these three solders with homicide, the attorney general is basically saying the government doesn't buy the army's story. the attorney general said that these three soldiers clearly did something wrong and something criminal. now we're waiting to see just how far this investigation will go. what we basically have on the line is the lidge massey of the government and this legitimacy of the army. you have people very skeptical

that the army is telling the truth. many believe these 22 people were killed in cold blood by soldiers. the attorney general is wanting to show he is doing a full and thorough investigation. but the main witness in the case has told reporters that she hasn't been contacted yet by the attorney's general office. the only people that have contacted her is the mexican's human rights organization. so that begs the question of how professional of an investigation this is. we have the legitimacy of the government on the line. and if both sides come out of this looking like there is some kind of coverup, the mexican people will have lost a lot of faith in their government. germany has accused france of damaging the euro. france says it needs an

additional two years to bring it's debt to the limit laid out by the european union. >> reporter: two years ago we met this man. hollande has just begun his presidency. >> translator: the big problem is taxes. in france they are too high. i need to employ one more baker and one more pastry maker. but i can't. so i limit my production to avoid any further charges. >> reporter: it's small and medium businesses that carry the heaviest tax burden in france, hopes of reducing these costs were dashed were the budget for 2015 was unveiled. on the one hand the government

is under intense pressure from the public to relax austerity pressures, but the european union says those measures are necessary to reduce the public debt. it is currently at about 95% of the country's gross national product. but france says it needs to adapt his budget to the slowed economic growth of the country, and only by 200019 will they be able to bring the budget deficit below the e.u. limits. >> we can expect some understanding from the e.u. because france is a big member. the main threat is borrowing money on financial markets and if the rate of france is lower in the future, this will be terrible for france. >> reporter: for small business owners like this man, public ratings and public debts are

far-away concerns. but it seems that he will have to wait a little bit longer. some breaking news from iraq now. we're getting reports that at least 20 people have been killed in two car bombs in the capitol bagdad. imran khan joins us via skype from bagdad. >> i can tell you this happened in the last 15 minutes in the south of the city. the first bomb was a roadside device. it went off in a very busy marketplace, and then a parked car bomb went off almost immediately afterwards. we're hearing at least 20 people were killed and 15 more injured. it is a very busy marketplace. and that accounts for the high levels of deaths and injuries. bagdad has been on lockdown for a number of months now, but these car bombs keep coming

through. on thursday night we had another series of car bombs and also mortar attacks. and the security are taking these very seriously. there have been a number of threats by isil to try to take bagdad, so they have put what they are calling a ring of steel around the city, yet we are still seeing these car bombs come through. at least 21 killed, and 59 people injured. >> thank you. imran khan live from bagdad there. nigeria's president says the army is winning the war against boko haram fighters. he made the comments during the country's independence day celebrations. more than 130 fighters have surrendered in recent days according to the military. >> we are turning the tides by prudence and determination. as commander in this chief, i commit to do whatever it takes to enable them to keep on

[ inaudible ] at the hands of terror. but boko haram still hasn't released more than 200 schoolgirls it kidnapped in april. there are reports the group has forced some of the girls into marriage and sold others slavery. a former guantanamo bay detainee has been acquitted of all charges against him. he was arrested in february on charges linking him to the conflict in syria. he is expected to be released from jail later on wednesday. britain's prime minister has vowed to wrestle powers back from the european union if he wins next year's general election. he made the marks in his speech to the conservative party's conference. >> britain, i know you want this sorted. so i will go to brussels. i will not take no for an answer, and when it comes to

free movement, i will get what britain needs. and anyone who thinkss -- [ applause ] >> -- anyone who thinks i can't or won't deliver this, i would say judge me on my record. i'm the first prime minister to cut the european budget. and yes, i pulled us out of those european schemes as well. around that table in europe, they know i say what i mean and i mean what i say. so we're going to go in as a country, get our powers back, fight for our national interests, and put it to a referendum, in or out, it will be our choice. and let the message go out from this hall it is only with the conservatives that you will get that choice. india's prime minister is on his way home after a five-day visit to the united states. while in the u.s. modi met

president obama and the pair agreed to extend cooperation on maritime security. at least 47 people have died in an on going volcanic eruption in japan. military search resumed a recovery operation on wednesday that was called off earlier because of poisonous gas and fears of another blast. this is japan's deadliest eruption since 1926. now a new report has ranked bangladesh among the worst countries in the world to be old. by 2050 nearly a quarter of the population will be over 60 years old. >> reporter: for this man, retirement should have come a long time ago. he is 70 years old, and still he sweats it out every day in the midday sun. his son can't support him, and

after a lifetime of manual labor he still doesn't have a roof over his head. >> translator: what can i do. i have to feed myself. otherwise who is going to do it for me. >> reporter: bangladesh is getting old. the number of people above 60 is rising faster than the number of children being born. income insecurity is a major problem for the elderly. this is one of several boatmen at this peer who are over 60 years old, earning a living through physical exertion. he carries dozens of passengers for ten to 12 hours aday, earning just a handful of dollars. by 2050 almost a quarter of its citizens will be over 60, the same as japan today. it will be one of the most dramatic population shifts in asia, and bring a host of new problems to a country accustomed

to focusing on childhood issues. >> very few, only a handful, so the older percent they are facing tremendously different type of physical and emotional problems. >> reporter: the government is only now starting to recognize the magnitude of the changes ahead. >> translator: one thing we can do is declare them as senior citizens, and give them senior citizen ids, that can help them get discounts on buses and things like that. >> reporter: it doesn't help that many of the problems facing the elderly like depression and dementia are stigmatized. >> translator: i explain over and over this is a place for people to live, but people always see it as a shameful

thing. >> reporter: this man says he didn't do enough to prepare for old age in time. the question now is whether this aging society will be able to do enough while it still can. a reminder that you can keep up to date with all of the news all of the time on our website, aljazeera.com. >> slavery in nepal has been abolished, by law. but behind the high walls of many city homes here, young girls continue to serve as slaves. known as kamlari, they are the daughters of indebted farmers, sold to landlords for little to