a moray tv. a mass grave discovered in mexico close to where 43 students disappeared. hello there, you're watching al jazeera, live from doha. also coming up, brazilians prepare to go to the polls. can president dilma rousseff convince voters that she can turn the economy around. police stand off against protesters in hong kong before using pepper spray to disperse the crowd. it's a photo opportunity of a lift.

pilgrims are being criticized for taking selfies on their visit to the hajj. mexican police say they have discovered a mass grave, found in the southern state of gurr aero, close to an area where 43 students disappeared. the states attorney-general were told the location of the grave. adam raney sends this report. we are here in the state capital of gurr aero, a for state. the governor and the leading prosecutor held a press conference in which they say they are sending remains from the bodies from the mass graves to see if they can do d.n.a. and other studies to see if they are 43 students missing for han a week. we don't have confirmation that

these are the students, but it is a short distance from where the students were taken eight days ago. parents of the students have been pushing for more than a week for state officials and federal officers to get more involved and show more interest in the case. it took several days for the governor to speak to them. when he did, he blamed the mayor, who is under indictment and suspicion for taking part. at this time social media in mexico, other outlets are reporting that these are the students. we do not have confirmation, all we know is that the 43 students have not been seen in more than a week, and there's a mass grave a short distance from where they were taken. forensic studies are taken to see if they can identify the remains. >> a research professor of human

rights says incidents like these have been allowed to continue by the country's president. >> it's time for much of the media and analysts around the world to rethink that picture they had been pointing of the pinyeta administration, which took over in september 2012 as supposedly a turning towards a different page, a different stage in mexican history. these two incidents together, which involve the military, local and other security forces in this case in the region of ger aero point to the fact that little, in fact, has change the in mexico with pinnian yetto, that essentially it's more of the same, and unfortunately the scenario has begun to unravel. >> brazilians will vote in a

presidential election in a few hours time. the main candidate making a final push in the poll. >> reporter: in a last big campaign rally, president dilma rousseff was confident and happy, blowing kisses to supporters in a rally? sao paulo. given the upbeat move you'd never know that brazil went no recession, with negative growth. in the final days she leads polls with 40% of the vote, and supporters are confident that the economic woes are not all her fault. it's a big global crisis that affected her country. it brought proposals to strengthen the markets and get the economy growing again. >> the candidate maria silva begs to disagree and closed her campaign, trying to present

herself as a new face of brazilian politics, and an alternative to the status quo. the candidate is hammering dilma rousseff on stagnation and corruption allegations. a party in power 16 years if reelected. >> translation: the brazilian people are tired of many years of the workers party in power. we the people have suffered more. >> deep dissatisfaction and public services remains with many, after the historic anti-government street protest with all the candidates trying to translate that into votes. >> the entire political class in brazil is facing a mystery and challenge to engage part of the population that doesn't feel represented by anyone. that is the scenario faced, and

it's not clear whether the opposition could do a better job. supporters furn out, even if -- turn out, even if not at the same numbers. >> the vast majority of people are working class or union leaders or members. dilma rousseff hopes supporters turn out on election day to propel her to a second determine. >> that will be up to 130 million voters to cast a ballot in an election where most are calling for change, but disagreeing on who can deliver it. farmer haitian president jean-claude duvalier died of a heart attack at the age of 63. known as baby doc he ruled haiti from 1971 until he was overthrown in 1986. highs leadership was marked by core ups and human rights

abuses. >> jean claude -- francois duvalier was the father of jean-claude duvalier. >> i have been elected as president for life. this is a widely - the haitian people - this is an iron will. this is iron will for the haitian people. >> upon his death in 1971, jean-claude duvalier, or baby doc, took over, proving to be his father's son. human rights watch estimates that they ordered the deaths of between 20,000 and 30,000 haitians. political opponents, union leaders and journalists were targeted. much of the killing carried out by the tonton macoutes, part paramilitary, part secret police, reporting to the

president. >> because the crimes were widespread and systematic, that term is important. they constitute crimes against humanity. they are not simple murders or an isolated event. they were systematic and widespread year after year. >> many of baby doc's victims, like bobby duval, disappeared into the torture chambers of the prison. in 2011 he showed al jazeera the remains of the cell where he was held with 40 other men. >> they hood you and hit you over the back. >> holding elections in 1985 when they carried 99% of the vote, demonstrations took place across the country. they went into exile, taking much of the country's wealth with him. the organization transparency international estimates he stole $800 million. in 2011, with haiti recovering.

he made a surprise return, calling it a gesture of solidari solidarity. he was taken into custody of suspicion of embezzlement, but it took two years to be charged with corruption and human rights. he refused to appear in court. living in a villa overlooking port-au-prince. the victims had the chance to face them in court and tell the story. jean-claude duvalier died before he could be judged. >> it's sad because history will repeat itself unless there's accountability when crimes are committed by government. and the jean-claude duvalier government killed thousands of people, imprisoned thousands of people, carried out torture, all kinds of human rights violations. >> many are demanding a trial. an historian and author specialising in haitian history

says jean-claude duvalier is portly responsible for the country's staggering responsibility. >> his long-term legacy, i'm afraid, will be he was a president ruling over haiti during the time when the poverty that is so wrenching began. in the 19 '70s, for the first time, deforestation reached a pint in the country -- point in a countryside where a lot of farmers couldn't make a living, moving to port-au-prince, where they could not find jobs. many got in boats to get to florida and others. the boat people crisis begone under baby doc. a lot of resources would be squandered through corruption. he will be blamed for that. >> police and protesters clashed on the streets of hong kong. demonstrators shouted at officers, accusing them of tolerating attacks against them. it happened in mongkok, which

saw some of the worst violence. the standoff lasted until police used pepper spray to break up the crowds. >> protesters refused to leave the streets despite a government warning that all roads would be cleared by monday. a main protest group says it's willing to hold talks with officials if they investigate the violence on friday. >> reporter: put up your umbrella and stand together. a song written for the protesters, and sung to the thousands gathered in hong kong's admiralty district. >> translation: i came here to let the protestor know that many citizens support them, and they are not alone. we are very stable. to tender our emotion, make focus our objective of this movement. the scenes are reminiscent of when the mass protests started. things are calm, you get the sense that people settled in,

despite the warnings to clear the roads. the leaders of the protest groups told the crowds to keep the movement peaceful and be vigilant of incidents that may lead to violence. >> over the last few days focus on the hong kong protest movement shifted from the umbrella to the heated argument. this is mongkok, where the transition began. for the first time there was violence between citizens of hong kong on friday. the police were in the middle. one historian sees a similarity between riots in 1967 during which people were killed and what is going on. both caused by violence. the people of hong kong were on the same side. right now it's not clear. it seems you have interesting class divisions, divisions between students and non-students, but then among the non-students you have differences too. >> in the wake of the 1967

riots, the government worked to close the gap between the states and society. it led to reform. many feel that these protests can't go on for much longer, and will come to an end. unlike those of four decades ago, few expect concessions. just an expanding condition within the city's population. >> al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists imprisoned in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have been detained for 281 days. they are falsely accused of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood. >> still to come on al jazeera, heavy fighting in eastern ukraine, where rebels say they are closing in on donetsk. we'll have the latest.

>> it's gonna be on my terms, on how i want it to be >> boldly pursuing their dreams >> what did i do? >> the lives of american teenagers... on the edge of eighteen only on al jazeera america

welcome back, you are with al jazeera. let's have a reminder of the top stories. mexican police say they have discovered a mass grave in the southern state of gurr aero, near an area where 43 students went missing last week. brazilians are preparing to vote. the main candidates making a push in the polls. former haitian president jean-claude duvalier died of a heart attack at the age of 63. known as baby doc he ruled for

15 years. u.s.-led air strikes helped to push back islamic state of iraq and levant. it hasn't stopped the residents fleeing across the border into turkey. life as a refugee is one of boredom, frustration and uncertainties. the only thing the newly arrived families know for sure is they'll be here a long time. yes, in turkey they have food, water and health care. and these people are safe from the fighters of i.s.i.l. but they are not really free. >> translation: i'm 80 years old. i spent my life in aleppo and kobani. we fled because of the fighting, and now we flee from i.s.i.l. all we do is flee.

>> we have enough food. the problem is finding shelter. >> small camps sprouted up all along the border with syria. some are weeks old. others have been there more than three years. there are more than 1.5 million syrian refugees in turkey. among the kurds there's a feeling of helplessness. these men wanted to go into kobani to help defend it, but the turkish authorities closed the border, for the kurds i know safety, they say. >> the syrian kurdish fighters are optimistic about their chances of holding the town after a couple of u.s. air strikes on friday hit i.s.i.l. conditions. the i.s.i.l. offensive continues. there has been artillery and gun fire. the refugees are not going home soon. the family of a u.s. aid worker held hostage by i.s.i.l. is appealing for his release. the group threatened to kill

peter kassig, kidnapped in october last year in syria. >> there's so much beyond our control. we have asked our government to change its actions like our son, we have no more control over the u.s. government than you have over the breaking of dawn. we implore his captors to show mercy and use their power to let our son go. >> dear son, we hope that you will see this message from me and your father. we are so very proud of you and the work you have done to bring humanitarian aid to the syrian people. we were grateful and relieved to have received your messages this year. we know you were very worried about your friend who was taken with you. he was released. please know that we are all praying for you and your safe

return. most of all, know that we love you. in ukraine fighting has intensified around the airport in the area of donetsk. the government insists that it is in control. pro-russian separatists say they are close to taking over. >> reporter: this is what is left of donetsk airport. coming under heavy fire on saturday. for days it's been the focus of fighting. these pictures were taken on friday. they showed the pro-russian separatists attacking government forces, equipped with weapons that can take out armoured vehicles. >> they are almost gone. in fact, they hold a small, small part of the airport. their time is almost over. soon we will spoke them out of there. >> reporter: the airport is the

main tart for the separatists, which is why they are throwing in tanks. the ukranian government said it had the upper hand in the fighting. >> the rebels made several other fortunately unsuccessful attempts to storm the airport. after that they fired at it. our servicemen rebutted all attacks and killed all terrorists. a glance at the map demonstrates the back and forth fighting. this is a territory held by the pro-russian separatists when the ukranian government declared a unilateral ceasefire. the ukranian army pushed the separatists back, reclaiming the territory. now the separatist regained the territory, regaining much of the border with russia. >> faced with the situation, the president of ukraine visited the armed forces, promising recruits

that the army would learn from its losses. >> we will use the experience of our armed forces in modern conflicts. we'll learn from the mistakes made during the fighting. >> reporter: the separatists appear equally determined to learn from their mistakes, and they hold more territory. five people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in pakistan. dozens were injured in the blast that happened in a shia muslim district in cue wetta. the bomber was stopped at a checkpoint near a market when he detonated his explosives. pakistan detected a record number of polio cases, more than 200 from january to october. vaccination teams are oven targeted by armed groups, who accuse doctors of being spies.

pakistan, nigeria, are the only countries where polio has not been eradicated. >> the world's oldest monarch has been admitted no hospital. the king of thailand was admitted with a high fever. crowds are gathered outside the hospital waiting for news. >> in somalia, government forces supported by african union troops stepped up their fight against al-shabab. we travel with the force to the coastal town. >> this is a city that is 220km to the south. we are told that the african union forces and somalia government troops surrounded the town. it's a major economic hub for al-shabab. the group uses it to bring in supplies. this will be the first time decades that the town is under the control of government.

so we are taking to the streets to witness a significant moment history. the towns and villages are under government control. some movement is dangerous. possibilities of ambushes, snipers, i.e.d.s. we have to keep moving in armoured vehicles. we are hearing that most of the fighters have left. elders are reaching out trying to negotiate a peaceful handle. everything remains fluid. everyone is being careful about how this plays out. niger's president says he will not be intimidated into pulling peacekeepers out of mali. gunmen killed nine peacekeepers in niger on friday. they were part of a force in the north of mali. falling under control of

separatists and groups linked to al qaeda. peruvians are set to elect regional leaders. 12,000 candidates are taking part in the election. the build up has been marred by violence and allegations that some politicians have links to drug trafficking. we have this report. >> reporter: this person is running for provincial mayor, in this city to the north. last month more than 40 kilos of cocaine were found in one of the trucks driven by his brother-in-law. they deny any wrongdoing. >> the prosecutors office interrogated me, i told them i'm not involved, implicated, nor as a witness. >> the relative was imprisoned. he was under investigation for two weeks, and released without charge. security officials say there are

many candidates in the election, suspected of having links to drug trafficking. public posterior said they have crossed information with the electoral bodies, and found around 350 candidates with criminal records. >> translation: we were surprised to find out half have been processed, sentenced or investigated for drug trafficking among other crimes. >> the electoral bodies don't have the authority to ban the candidates from running. they are preventing illicit money to finance campaigns, or anyone linked to the drug trade from serving of the legislators will some meet next week, after the elections. >> this is an academic who has investigated drusk trafficking -- drug trafficking links to government.

>> we are facing a scandal in peru. the man running for mayor, his party tried to purge it from people linked to drug trafficking. they need help. >> we need the police and the elect toral agencies to identify people that can infiltrate and harm the order by having links to the illicit activities. >> the public prosecutor says congress is dragging its feet. because of that, it is likely on sunday some of the people it would like to ban from running will be mayors in a legal precedent around the country. now, the annual hajj pilgrimage is under way in saudi arabia. pilgrims from three west african countries have been banned because of the ebola outbreak. more than 2 million people are expected in mecca this year. if you are on social media,

you may have noticed a trend from the hajj pilgrimage. worshippers have been snapping photographs, selfies as mementos of their trips. >> reporter: according to muslim clerics, doing this is tourist and boastful. stopping to take pictures of yourself on hajj goes against the spirit. >> translation: did they come here for worship or tourism. if they came for tourism, they can take as many pictures as they can. if they are hear to worship, there's no need to take pictures. god is all sees. >> reporter: for some pilgrims they want to document a journey of a lift. it's too hard to resist. their view of a fixture of hajj is divided. >> maybe you should spend time do other things. >> translation: this is a new

technology, we should use it. it's a global trend. i don't think anyone can stop it. >> reporter: photo snapping can cause commotion, others say, especially with 2 million pilgrims trying to make their ways through the handling rights. mecca changed with introduction of new technology, security cameras and facial technology. now they try to help people wade through an experience that can be overwhelming. >> we are taking this to a counter-day situation, whereas the process itself doesn't change. you know, we want to apply the mobile technology to make it more informed, more connected, more accessible. >> and so the selfies is one more addition to this

pilgrimage, and it's unlikely to stop soon. and don't forget you can keep up to date with the news and the day's top stories on the website. aljazeera.com. been contentious election. let's hear from afghans about their hopes for the road ahead with allegation rav ghani and what the u.s. is banking on this time around. ♪