day he can. >> taking the fight to al-shabab - we are live with forces from the african union trying to cut the armed supply routes. hello. welcome to al jazeera, live from doha, i'm darren jordon. also going to a run off vote. dilma rousseff wins the first round of the vote, but fails to secure an outright majority. protesters still in hong kong despite a deadline to leave the streets.

jobs in the middle east - people have fled because of the conflicts. welcome to the program. african union and somalia government troops have taken over one of al-shabab's last strongholds. the operation in barawe has resulted in the capture of a radio satisfaction. the rebels controlled the town since 2008. the defensive was launched in march. the group was this control of several towns and cities, it's been on the retreat for recent years much the group was forced out in august 2011. the next major blow was the port of kiss mall in 2012. the rebel group used to get a portion of the charcoal train. they retreated from the town of

bye doa. the main road linking to mogadishu and parts of kenya. somalia, as well as transport routes connecting government-held towns. let's go to katherine soy on the phone, who has been travelling with the african union truth. what is the latest on the ground at barra which. >> the governor of, and some troop leaders had a meeting. they tried to build up confidence. it's been years since the people have seen government presence. so there's still a lot of fear. like you said before, special forces curing the city from a building. having people open the doors, so they are securing the city.

they are looking for al-shabab elements. there's a lot of concern. most of al-shabab fighters and commanders - there was a lot of movement with boats heading south towards a town, tikrit, one of al-shabab's strongholds. >> you have been travelling with the au. what is the moral like, do they think they can beat al-shabab. >> they are very confident. they say they have the numbers. they have been picking a major success, particularly by taking this port along the coast. it's a main aim to cut off the supplies from the ocean, and

they think they have done it well. it's not time to celebrate just yet. al-shabab still why the capacity to regroup and come back. because they have adapted this, it makes it more dangerous in barrawang, landing into the population, the fears that it could cause attacks. the brigadier general of the ugandan troops, he said that they have the technical capacity to separate the fighters from the civilian population. it's a big concern. let me tell you, we have been trying to talk with people here. they are so scared. every time we approach someone, al-shabab could be listening. they haven't left. they have landed. everyone is afraid to speak.

the troops are saying that they are confident that they are going to take - they are the remaining cities, which al-shabab takes charcoal at the port. they are very confident. >> katherine soy in barra which. thank you -- barawe. thank you. syrian kurds pushed back islamic state of iraq and levant from a hill overlooking the town of kobani on the border with turkey. this i.s.i.l. video shows the advance. thousands of kurds fled after weeks of fighting. turkey is closely monitoring developments. we are joined from turkey. what is the latest with the fighting to overtake the key hill overlooking kobani? > it says something about the desperation of the syrian kurdish fighters and the intensity of the fight, that it took a syrian kurdish female

suicide bomber to dislodge i.s.i.l. from the position on the hill, a position they had taken a day previously. this morning, shelling of the kobani town, and gunfire continues. that was unrelenting. it's been going on all morning. the battle for kobani will continue. syrian kurdish fighters managing to hold the line and keep control of the city, keeping those fighters in its suburbs and out of the city center. >> what is happening in the town itself. are they getting details of what is happening there? >> well, we know that that town is defend d by some 2,000-3,000 kurdish fighters with varying degrees of powerful weapons. we know the syrian kurdish fighters want more weapons. the leader of the dominant

syrian kurdish party was in ankara meeting with turkish security officials, and the turkish media this morning is reporting that out of that meeting he's asking for more weapons and permission for turkish territory to be used to transit the weapons, what he consistent ask for and what the syrian kurds don't want is turkish troops in kurdish territory. that's a reason why you are not likely to see the turks in syrian territory. what they do want is turkish facilitation of weapons to get into kobani to help defend the town. >> bernard smith there. still in syria, opposition fighters have made gains in a key area between the provinces of kin it ra. they have taken control of

oharda hill and where they could push north. >> reporter: opposition fighters are on the offensive, storming o'hara hill after hours of fighting overcoming effort to stop the war planes and missiles. >> translation: we are not terrorists, we are fighting the killers, we are defending ourselves. we are those represented by the regime, down with bashar al-assad. >> o'hara hill is important because it's situated between the syrian provinces of kin et ra. the opposition wants to build a corridor to the countryside, which is already under its control. >> god willing we'll march towards the presidential palace. the opposition is taking hold of the town of o'hara, home to a syrian army brigade. the town was a supply route for forces based in nearby hills.

the opposition says it killed more than 1500 soldiers and destroyed the tanks. it seized a large quantity of arms and ammunition. the forces say the next goal is to control the route leading to damascus. that proved difficult. the syrian air force controls the skies, a weapon that is fatal for the opposition. and on the ground potential fighters continue to fight government troops, and the armed group islamic state of iraq and levant. hezbollah forces repelled an attack by the al nusra front in the lebanese town of beat ril. hundred of fighters launched an attack near the town. 16 nusra fighters were reportedly killed. pictures were released showing the dead fighters, but al jazeera can't independently verify the video. a run-off vote will be held

in the brazil election as none of the candidate received the right amount of voting. more than 142 million took part. and dilma rousseff faces aecio neves. here is how the numbers stack up. dilma rousseff won around 41%. aecio neves got nearly 34%. in third place socialist party maria silva. she led the polls in august when she entered the race following the sud n death of eduardo campos. >> we, again, will have a battle with those that governed for a third of the population, abandoning those that need more. the brazilians don't want to return to the ghosts of the past. . >> translation: it's time to unite forces. my candidacy is that of a

political party or an alliance. it's more pure feeling than those feeling angry able to treatment. >> the country's sluggish economy could be at the center of the race. >> in the end the brazilian people decided they want more time to decide who is to be the next president, as it will be a run-off between dilma rousseff, and potential aecio neves. for dilma rousseff. she is really feeling comfortable at this point in the sense that she came in number one. she will face a challenge, especially on the economy. she is overseeing the economy. she is overseeing an economy with negative results. it was a business friendly candidate from the state. she will bring up economic issues over the next several weeks as they approach the

run-off election. it's been a big theme of the campaign. we'll have to see how it plays out. nearly 20 million people voted for maria silva, we'll have to see where her voters go. it could be a deciding factor in the election. brazilians will go to the polls in october 26th, to vote for who they think is best to be the president for the next four years. the run-off is a few weeks away. >> a professor of a political economy and public economy - he says results show how competitive the election was. >> people are excited. for a long time they don't see a young democracy with a degree of certainty. that's why we ask for a democracy. the degree, who will be the winner, is one of the elements of democracy.

and brazil is showing to the world that we do have a competitive election, and with a great degree of uncertainty. a week ago no one expect them to come up with 34% of the electorate. everybody was expecting the second run between maria silva, and the president. and maria lost ground and power. she was not able to respond to the negative ads for the president. she was not able to sell herself capable recollects and fighting and back, and exploited the opportunity and will grasp a lot of marina's voters, and become an incredible candidate in the second round. >> in hong kong a small number of demonstrators are on the

streets after a deadline passed. crowds have dwindled, allowing civil servants to return to work. protesters are angry at plans to vet candidate. they are demanding beijing should be allowed to hold free elections. drown rur is in hong kong. ordinarily the site of civil servants going to work would not cause interest. in hong kong it did. it was a significant moment, a turning point in the crisis. the chief executive cy leung who refuses to resign said unless civil servants were able to return to their desks, police may take unspecified action against the protesters. the numbers dwindle, but the blockades and barricades are in force, not just here, outside cy leung's office, but at the main government complex nearby. there was a sense that this movement is now beginning to

lose moment up. there's divisions within the ranks. leadership is in disarray. church leaders are appealing for the students to step back from the brink. they say that they have made their point, but it is not worth dying for. overnight the financial secretary for hong kong made the astonishing admission, that the hong kong government was psychologically unprepared, raising the possibility, the fear among people that the people's liberation army might have to be used to end turmoil which began 10 days ago. >> still to come - scarred by appearances and a debt to pay. fighting in iraq forces indian labourers to return home.

>> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> this trial was a sham... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array... >> if you want free press in the new democracy

welcome back, a reminder of the top stories. somalia, and african union troops have taken over one of the last strongholds in somalia. al-shabab controlled the area for the past six years. a run-off is to be held later this month to choose brazil's president. the current president dilma rousseff failed to win a majority. she'll face center right candidate in the second round. the syrian kurdish forces pushed back fighters from a hill in the town of kobani, thousands of

kurds fled kobani after weeks of fighting. now, in mexico, it's clear with the discovery of mass graves and the disappearance of dozens of students - it's unclear if they are related. the bodies of 28 people can't be identified because they are badly decomposed. tension is high. >> even the army can't get through. classmates and family members of 43 missing students took over a major highway in sworn guerrero state, blocking traffic for hours, saying the government ignored their pleas for the safe return of the students. rather than engage in a fight, the officer ordered the men back. a sign that theyon to escalate a tense situation. minutes later, a burst of action. protesters took over a toll booth and ran off workers. they have started collecting

funds for the families of the students. the family members say they'll keep taking over highways and toll boths, until the demand is met. the demand is to return the 43 students alive. they don't believe the bodies contain the remains of the student. they feel abandoned by the president, who avoided talking about the case. >> we call on peno nieto to demand the government of the state hand over the young people alive. >> reporter: most of the missing from aged between 18 and 22 and in their first year of a teacher's college. they were taken away from police. the mother of one of the missing wouldn't give her name, fearing violence. >> translation: nothing they told us is true. we don't believe it. we know the governor has them.

the governor didn't respond to a request for an interview. he has not confirmed the bodies from the mass grave are the missing students. a member of the national human rights commission told al jazeera he believed the remains would prove to be those of the missing youth. amidst all the rumours and speculation, federal experts are conducting tests, something that could take days. family members, accustomed to violence and corruption do not trust individual experts from abroad. >> victims of the former haitian president jean-claude duvalier are vowing to continue to seek justice for his crimes, despite his death. he died of a heart attack. he was known as baby doc after succeeding his father at the age of 19. he was blamed for a rein of terror. human rights watch says jean-claude duvalier ordered the death of 20,000-30,000 hatians.

our reporter is in port-au-prince, and says some are missing baby doc. >> it's a fascinating rehabilitation. largely muted. the news has not really made it into the newspapers or the radio satisfactions, it's almost been ignored. it is quiet or the weekend. when you come to the square where the palace is, many will tell you that life was better. the economy was healthier. they didn't have freedom. they were scared. they had roofs over their head. many are respectful. those that are not happy are the human rights activists that fought long and hard. that man known as baby doc was not seen in court. they came to a standstill, and many members are in power here in the government in michelle

martelly's government, including jean-claude duvalier's son. we don't know when the funeral will take place or whether it will be a state funeral. people not reacting with the ferfeor, and many missing the days of jean-claude duvalier. the first person diagnosed with ebola in the united states remains in critical condition. 10 people that came into contact with the man are also in quarantine. a u.s. cameraman that caught the virus in liberia has been taken to a hospital in nebraska. more than 3,000 have died from the virus, most in west africa. >> the bottom line is we are stopping ebola in dallas. we are working throughout the u.s. to increase the level of tracking for any possible cases so if other patients come in, they can be promptly isolated, and we are continuing to surge

the response to stop ebola at the source, so that we don't have to deal with it in the coming years. an il-egyptian activists has been moved. dooumar stopped his protest after his health deteriorated. he is serving a 3-year sentence for violating a law. >> al jazeera demands the release of three journalists imprisoned in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have now been detained for 282 days. they are falsely accused of aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood, and are appealing against their qubzs. >> a -- convictions. >> a former karate champion is in position to become bulgari's prime minister for a second time. boyko borisov was prime minister until last year. his center light g.e. rd -- center right g.e. rd have been

the party. fighting in iraq and instability elsewhere forced some to return home, deep in debt and scarred by their experiences. we have this report. >> reporter: these three friend grew up and went to basra and iraq. they lived in bad conditions, slept on the floor and were beaten by iraqi employers, and had a gun to the head if they complained. then the latest conflict in iraq began. we returned from work to have lunch and found a bomb that fell into the camp. someone called the owner. they called the police. they returned home after the fighting came closer. they owe employment agencies between $1,000 and $3,000.

problem is there's no work in the village. villages with limited employment opportunities are targeted by agents looking for skilled and unskilled labour. from this village, 500 of 4,000 residents have gone to the middle east for work. returnees are burdened with debt and scars of abuse. those that we spoke to say they had no idea where they were being sent. not imagining it would be to a conflict zone. those sending workers operate in the shadows, transporting people. >> they are getting a larger service. paying 2,000, $3,000. >> the head of the village assess the problem is ongoing. ads regularly appear in newspapers.

we spoke to an employment agent reporting people. the waiting period would be two or three months and travel via dubai for $3,000 each. back in the village, options are limited. he has a family and debt to repay. if things were better in iraq, he'd return. >> translation: it's a big problem in iraq and libya, if there wasn't. i'd go back to work. >> there are others like ramesh, struggling to make end meet, willing to risk their lives for the chance at a better life. israel's foreign minister is summoning sweden's foreign minister after saying it would recognise palestine as a state.

movie fans have lots to see in zimbabwe. the 16th international festival is showcasing films. they are seeing what is on offer in harari. >> the red carpet. the movie theatre, people making sure they have what they need to number the show. the zimbabwe international festival is a chance for artists to show off their work. this film is directed by the zimbabwe moscow commando. it's about mozambique's first black president. his widow came to see the film. for young film-makers, it's a chance to learn. >> you meet people from different countries, film-makers. they get to talk about film. they wait all year for this

moment. >> 67 films from 32 countries will be shown during the festival. films about love, hope, betrayal, revenge and politics. there are issues. they are reluctant to tackle. government officials - sometimes it's dangerous to do. some are trying to push the boundaries and dealt the story of ups and downs. we need to get the political environment to accept that my criticising you doesn't mean i don't like you, it means i love you. it's difficult to get people to understand. we want the best for the country. being best is self critical. >> film-makers get no funding. there's a sense of excitement in the industry. >> what is a festival without home-grown music, to celebrate

that. a quick reminder you can keep up to date with all the news on the website. the address, of course, aljazeera.com. that's aljazeera.com. ^ below psh psh i'm richard gisberg, and you are watching a special edition of the listening post. a late writer wrote that satire is something to use against the