♪ the fight for northern syria, kurdish forces battle to keep control of a town near the turkish border, as isil forces advance. ♪ hello, you are with al jazeera, also to come on the program, student leaders in hong kong call off talks with the government after violent scuffles with supporters of chinese rule. a year on people on the island of lampedusa remember one of the worst shipwrecks off of the coast of italy.

and anger in london as people struggle toing find a place to live in one of the world's most expensive cities. syria has issued a warning to turkey, saying it would regard any intervention in its war as aggression. now this comes as heavy clashes are reported around the town of kobani, which lies close to the turkish border. kurdish fighters are involved in a desperate battle to prevent it from falling to isil. >> reporter: fighters from the islamic state of iraq and the levant intensified their fight on friday. the town is being defended by a few thousand syrian kurdish fighter. shoot the tanks one commander tells her fighters. these men and women are unlikely to be able to hold this town for

much longer without outside help. >> translator: we welcomed our brothers who came fromco bonnie. we'll do whatever we can to prevent this from happening. >> reporter: but there's no indication that turkish military is about to get involved. there is new domestic legislation that allows turkey to fight what is defined as terrorism in sir and iraq. for now turkey is just a refuge for kobani's residents. they say they need reinforcem t reinforcements. there has been a handful of u.s. air strikes around kobani in recent days just enough to keep isil at bay. but judging by the proximity of fighting, it is going to be very

difficult to keep kobani from falling to isil with air strikes alone. meanwhile in neighboring iraq government forces m&a i will sha continue to battle isil. eight frighters from shia militias were killed. another 37 were injured fighting east of tikrit. and iraqi government forces have recaptured several villages from isil just east of bagdad. on thursday the iraqi defense ministry said it took control of 30 villages? one province, and in another iraqi town, kurdish peshmerga forces have driven isil out. well the u.s. general john allen, who is leading the international fight against isil and is currently visiting the region. imran khan has more from bagdad. >> reporter: general john

allen's visit here has been seen by many as trying to reassure iraqis on a few different points they are very concerned about. he met with the highest levels of the security branch, but he is also met with religious figures hears. the cleric sought assurances from general allen that there wouldn't be american troops on the ground here. that the americans would be backing up the iraqi forces in the battle against isil, and that the security forces would be kept to a minimum. but generally in public it was welcome the americans and coalition forces where it says has helped turn the tide in many places. but isil has issued a statement

in two of the regions it controls, saying that teachers and doctors must return back to their homes within the towns that they control, most ul being the biggest they control, otherwise their property would be destroyed. this is being seen by many as isil flexing their muscles. saying that we are in control, and we are trying to run through as an islamic state. it is saying you have might be able to bomb us, and have us on the run in other areas, but in the areas that we do control, where the caliphate exists they say, is where we are in complete control, and this is a message to the international community saying that yes, you might be able to bomb us, but we are still here, and we are still in

control. canada has said it will join in u.s.-lead air strikes against ills for up to six months. the brooim said the country would contribute military assets but wouldn't commit ground troops. elsewhere in syria, 13 people have been killed and many more wounded by a government air strike in doma. this comes as syrian state tv reported that its forces recaptured three villages near the northern city of aleppo. >> reporter: a syrian air force jet bombards duma. this area has been fought over since the civil war began. many houses have been transformed into rubble, and injured or killed many of its people. friday's air taattack killed mo

than a dozen and wounded many more. contrast those chaotic scenes with these in the government-held area of the capitol. in this cafe, these students are using digital tools to stay safe from the fighting. they up load a daily diary of mortars effectively telling others which areas are safe, and which are not. >> translator: sometimes we're able to go directly to the site of the shelling, but sometimes it takes longer. we go and survey the damage, the victims and the wounded to record their names. >> reporter: in its first five months their page received more than 300,000 followers. >> translator: before going out, you have to find out where the mortars have fallen. there might be too many in certain areas, so you cancel your trip. >> reporter: but elsewhere in syria, people do not have that facility. on friday? aleppo, some people took to the

streets to protest the government of president bashar al-assad. at the same time, state tv was reporting that his army was recapturing three villages north of the city. the chief executive of hong kong has appealed for calm and for the streets to be cleared as demonstrators gear up for more protests. earlier student leaders called off talks with the government blaming the authorities for failing to protect them after being involved in scuffles with the group that supports chinese rule. >> reporter: we may have seen hinths of the backlash that many have feared. there were running scuffles here in one of the most densely populated parts of hong kong. these clashes were between rival

groups those who support democracy, and those regarded as being more in the pro-beijing camp. the police have been doing their best to keep the two sides pa part -- apart. around 130 people we're told have been admitted to hospital tonight with a variety of injuries. the chief executive of hong kong has made another plea tonight for both sides to show restraint and for the streets to be cleared. the police have also made a similar appeal, but as you can see, the streets will filling up literally by the hour, so that simply isn't happening. what happens next? well, there were due to be talks beginning on saturday between those various protest groups and also government officials. well, the protest groups have now pulled out of those talks, citing the violence here.

they say the police simply turned a blind eye on the attacks being carried out on them. they also accused pro beijing groups of organizing the trouble. you have certainly heard mandarin being spoken here. that's the language spoken on the mainland, and that may be a hint that dark forces are at play here. sweden has announced that his country will recognize a palestinian state. it underlines his support for a two-state solution to the israeli palestinian conflict. two brothers of the leading member of the taliban are set to be released from prison from pakistan. it is said to be a sign of the new level of cooperation. he raise -- rose to

international promise as he went to the talks with the u.s. his brothers were arrested six months ago. the british prime minister has made a visit to afghanistan. he met with the new government and met british troops stationed there. nine united nations peace keepers have been killed during an am beneficiary in mali, their convoy was attacked by gunmen on motorbikes between to towns. this is the deadliest attack on the u.n. mission in mali. james bayes has more from the u.n. in new york. >> reporter: this is the most serious attack on the united nations since the u.n. started his peace-keeping mission in mali in july last year. the u.n. currently has 9,000 soldiers and police in mali, but

the number of attacks has been increasing in recent months. this report by ban ki-moon said the attacks were a serious concern, since the time line of this report have now been 26 peace keepers killed. this latest incident, i'm told has raised fresh concerns. those have been relayed, i'm told to the 38th floor of the u.n. headquarters in new york that's where ban ki-moon has his office. one official said these peace keepers may not have died if they came from other countries, but they are from niger like most of the peace keepers patrolling the area. western soldiers would have had armored vehicles, these soldiers from west africa did not. still to come, april grams in saudi arabia are not just being screened for merses but ebola too. and the largest bank in the

united states reveals millions of customers were affected by a recent cyber attack. ♪

>> the president of estonia rising tensions with russia... >> one country has decided it no longer needs to follow the rules

>> european union under stress >> the framework that was set up is not holding anymore >> and building for the future >> i require tough reforms and political will... >> every saturday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera, only on al jazeera america ♪ hello again, you are with al jazeera, and these are our top stories. syria has issued a warning to turkey, saying it will regard any intervention as aggression. it comes as heavy clashes are reported around the town of kobani, close to the turkish border. turkish' parliament has renewed a motion which would allow for cross-border incursions into syria and iraq.

student leaders in hong kong have called off talks with the government, blaming police are failing to protect them. they were involved in violent scuffles with groups who support chinese rule. nine u.n. peace keepers have been killed in mali, attacked by gunmen on motorbikes. it is the deadly attack on the u.n. mission in the country. the three candidates have taken part in a debate in brazil. a runoff between the top two candidates will take place. gabriel has more from sao paulo. >> reporter: the economy is one of her week points, and her main appoints have both been pounding her on the campaign trail relent

-- relentlessly. but she has been fighting back saying unemployment is low. and many of her supporters whom you see behind me now, you can pan and get a sense of the support, she is hoping that these supporters will be looking at the fact that unemployment is low, and they will push her to a second term. they are waiting for her to arrive for her last big downtown rally here in sau p-- sao paulo. clearly the economy has been a key issue in this campaign, no doubt about it, and she is hoping the low unemployment numbers will help her, but we'll find out on sunday when the brazilian goes to the polls to cast their ballot.

this year police and government authorities are concerned about the possible spread of the ebola virus for the pilgrims in saudi arabia. >> reporter: at least 2.5 million pilgrims have desended here for a day of priors and meditation. this is the base on which everything else is built. a dress rehearsal for the day of judgment. >> translator: i have been here since 1:30 in the morning. i haven't slept at all. my dream has always been to pray here. >> reporter: authorities have deployed up to 56,000 security personnel to control crowds and ensure they are [ inaudible ] but that is not the only concern here. an outbreak of the deadly ebola also threatens pilgrims this year. that's why immigration

authorities have taken precautions. they include a visa ban on pill grams coming from countries hit be the hardest by ebola, sierra leone, liberia, and guinea. but they have issued visas to people from countries with smaller outbreaks such as nigeria. those pilgrims were screened at the airport when they arrived. but that is not the only concern mers hit saudi arabia earlier this year. since then there have been more than 750 cases of mers here with more than 300 deaths. >> translator: we have managed to control mers. we now have more protection for health workers, and this had a huge impact in the reduction of infection by 97%. we are also asking people to avoid contact with camels. >> reporter: for now, though,

most pilgrims have only one thing on their minds, worship. it's up to the saudi arabia authorities to keep everyone healthy and safe. now the largest bank in the united states jpmorgan chase is aturing people their information is safe after coming under a cyber attack. >> reporter: the customer information of 76 million households has been compromised, 7 million small businesses have also been affected. so what did they get? name, address, phone numbers, and emails, but there's no evidence that more sensitive information, date of birth, id numbers and pass words has been

jeopardized and no money was stolen, but some professionals say that is not the only concern here. >> it's very possible that whoever got into these accounts is looking at waiting a while, playing in stealth mode, maybe there will be wire-transfer fraud. maybe they were accessing other types of information that would be very useful to intelligence bureaus or national foreign governments. >> reporter: the security breach began in june and was detected in july, and it's just the latest in a series of data thefts at major u.s. firms. in may, intruders took 145 million personal records in a cyber attack against ebay, and last december, 110 million customers of retailer target were affected. but the protection at banks is usually thought to be like a fortre

fortress, the attack on jpmorgan chase thanks that. at least ten migrants have drowned many more are missing after their boat sank east of tripoli. up to 90 people have been rescued. these latest deaths highlight the dangerous journey taken by so many african migrants who are trying to reach europe. people on the italian island of lampedusa have been marking the boat tragedy that claimed the lives of over 300 men women and children. kim vinnell reports from lampedusa. >> reporter: an emotional return to the port where they were brought ashore a year ago. the last time they were here, they had just survived one of italy's worse-ever shipwrecks. but memories of that night are

inescapable. this man arrived from lampedusa from eritrea, and was one of two boys taken in by this local resident. he said he knew what he needed to do. >> translator: they needed support and protection after what they had suffered. i welcomed them for four months. they became sons, and i repeat, truly sons. >> reporter: survivors travelled with rescuers to the spot where the vessel went down. the sound of waves pierced only by the coast guard for one of the 368 lives that were lost. when the vessel sank it was just a kilometer and a half from the coast of lampedusa. after the tragedy, italian authorities launched a costly search and rescue operation. but still more migrants than ever are dying at sea. >> translator: we want to

remember them and give a message to the european union. what is the plan to save these people? we can no longer say that we know nothing. >> reporter: the e.u. says it's board will launch a new mission in the coming months. many would like to see migrants able to escape war and poverty without taking to the water. >> we need some sort of migrant processing centers in north africa, so that people can be processed there, because if they get to lampedusa, that will be processed here or in sicily, so why take the voyage if you can identified as someone who has a protection claim, do it on land. >> reporter: that idea is being welcomed by these survivors who have already lost so much. kim valuel, al jazeera, lampedusa. as the ebola prices continues, food prices have shot

up in liberia, and that means that some villages are relying on aid deliveries. fear of the disease has caused many farmers to leave their fields unattended. the two brothers of the leading member of the taliban are set to be released from prison in pakistan. it's said to be a sign of a new level of cooperation. this man rose to international prominence a few years ago when he became the main taliban representative in talks with the u.s. his brothers were arrested sick months ago in pakistan. al jazeera is continuing to demand the release of its three journalists detained in jail in egypt. they are wrongly accused of agd the outlawed muslim brotherhood.

mohammed and peter were sentenced to seven years in jail. baher mohamed got an extra three years for having a bullet casing on him which he picked up at a protest. in india, at least 32 people have been killed and 15 have been injured in a stampede at a religious festival. ing according to initial reports rumors that a live electricity cable had fallen to the ground lead to a scramble for the exit. the search for hikers in japan has been called off because of bad weather. wind and fog have been hampering the efforts for two days, and now they are expecting a typhoon. at least 47 meme were killed in the eruption. in london housing has become

so expensive that tens of thousands have had to move away from the city. but there is a standoff protest movement over the lack of affordable housing. >> reporter: you might think london, one of the world's most expensive cities would be able to provide the basics for its poorest. we found these people barricaded in to a small block of flats at a protest for its demolition. >> it's like keeping london for the rich, basically, and moving the poor to wherever else they can find. then they are going to want to expand. then it's like where do they have to go then? >> reporter: the housing estate is right next to london's olympic park, and it has become

a symbol of what all went wrong. a small flat in this new block cost $700,000. the people who's homes are under threat have come to the view that the olympics was a massive corporate wolf dressed in sheep's clothing. mumbi india this happened as well. where gradually the slum dwellers have been squeezed and squeezed by the money men. here as there, people demand that they have rights, but the great irony about this space, is this social cleansing have happened off of the back of the olympic games, which is supposed to be good for everybody. and where might people go in this 62-year-old had lived on the estate for 40 years before being evicted. now it's a corridor too narrow for her wheelchair. her belongings piled up against the walls, but it's so far from her former home that she barely

sees her family. >> alone. you feel alone. i have got to struggle my way to get my wheelchair out the cupboard, and then get it open. this is what i have to put up with. >> reporter: millions of young people born in london will now never be able to afford to stay here, and yet the politicians can't think of a solution. the protesters some very high profile indeed are of the view that the political class has been swallowed up by big corporations. >> ordinary people are losing their homes so people with more resources can garner more resources. >> reporter: local politicians insist it was the financial crash which made it impossible for them to pay for cheaper housing, but it's the banks who

came out on top. what remains is a community surrounded by places they could never afford. you can find we have a lot more about what is going on around the world as ever on the al jazeera website. this is tech know, a show about innovations that can save lives. we are going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity and we are doing it through unique ways. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hardcore nerds. i am phil torres, an entymologist. from base can camp, we are on the scene after raging wildfire. the scientists who go directly