this edition of inside story. make sure you join us next time. in washington, i'm ray suarez. >> this is coalition air attacks against isil. fighters yet on the border town of kobani. ♪ you're with us here on al jazeera, good to have your company. i'm david foster with the world's top news story. plus a liberia man diagnosed with ebola in the u.s. state of texas has died. the kenyan president appears before the international criminal court to face charges of crimes against humanity. eyes to the sky, stargazers

watch in awe as the moon turns red in asia and parts of the americas. ♪ the u.s.-lead international coalition has been mounting its most sustained air campaign against the islamic state of iraq and the levant near kobani on the turkey, syria border. the attacks have helped, it is hoped to contain the movement into the city. but the group has remained defiant and launched a new offensive from the east of kobani. on wednesday carrying out a suicide tack by a truck against a militia target. a crew few has been imposed in turkey after protests. the kurds are blaming the turkish government for not

helping more inside of kobani. they want more weapons allowed through and sometimes even more fighters through. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has said, that turkey's advance will become clearer after general john alan's visit on friday. mr. kerry said that turkey is committed to fighting isil but needed to tread carefully. >> these things have to be done in a thoughtful and careful way so everybody understands what is doing what, and what the implications are and where you go as a result, and i am absolutely confident that tomorrow the discussions will take place directly with ambassador and general allen, and general lloyd austin is very much involved in directing for

strikes now. but this is a structure that is evolving on a daily basis, and notwithstanding the crisis in kobani, the original targets of our efforts have been the command and control centers, the infrastructure, we're trying to deprive the isil of overall ability that weighs this not just in kobani, but throughout syria and iraq. >> now here is the latest on the fight for kobani. >> reporter: syrian kurdish fighters on wednesday telling al jazeera that they believe they have seized the initiative in protecting their town and pushed isil fighters back towards the town boundary, those defenses that isil fighters breached on monday night.

isil are realizing they are coming up against a very motivated and determined opposition, but the fighters in kobani say they need more help, and they want the turkish authorities to facilitate or allow the movement of fighters across the border between turkey and syria. >> the fight against isil is also taking place in iraq, and there the group has downed a helicopter belonging to the iraqi government. imran khan has the latest. >> reporter: iraqi security sources say that the helicopter was downed, killing two pilots. this is the second helicopter that has been downed in the last ten days. the first one was downed using to surface to air missiles, captured from the iraqi army. this was a shoulder-fired missile. it is a big blow to the iraq e eye

eyesy -- iraqis. let me just give you an idea of the geography that we're dealing with. this area is divided into two parts, there is an oil refinery, parts are in control by the iraqi army, parts are in control by isil forces also a few kilometers away you have the command and control center for isil forces. they have occupied that town since the offensive began in june. the ability to knock helicopters out of the sky is seen as a triumph for isil. they have been talking about it on social media, saying this will turn the side against iraqi forces. it is a real concern that the kinds of equipment that isil is using have been captured from the iraqi army, and that they are able to use that equipment against the iraqi army. a liberian man who had ebola

in the u.s. state of texas has died. he was the first person to be diagnosed with the virus in the u.s. he had been receiving experimental drugs. so far the virus has killed about 3400 people across west africa. let's go to our correspondent in dallas to talk about this. not only the man himself -- because i would be interested to hear some of his history, but also the fact that these experimental drugs in other cases have worked, but not in this one. >> reporter: that's right. he was admitted here just about ten days ago, and that was after he was turned away several days earlier. he had come to the er, and they prescribed antibiotics, and then ebola was confirmed a few days later. doctors have been trying to save his life.

there had been hope that possibly he was improving as they began using the experimental drug. they talked about his liver function improving. but this morning hospital officials saying he did sub -- succumb to the virus. >> we'll hear from the u.s. secretary of state and come back to you. here is john kerry. >> we need countries to contribute more ebola treatment centers, and we need other african countries with the capacity to send responders to join the effort, and we need to make sure that the healthcare workers who go are properly trained, properly equipped, and supported in order to prevent additional infections. and we need people to step up now. now is the time for action, not words. and frankly, there is not a

moment to waste in this effort. >> john kerry there is specific in his appeals to countries outside of the united states, but let's focus on the u.s. here, and do you think there are likely to be any changes in the message that goes out, considering as you tell me, this patient went to a hospital for treatment and they said don't worry, you haven't got ebola, and later they found out he had. are they going to tighten up checks? >> clearly that has already happened. hospitals around the country are taking fevers very seriously, and trying to get a history before they turn them away. they are learning a lot from this situation in dallas, and as you heard from john kerry, they are looking at ways to tighten up screening processes. the cdc said they would be announcing new screening measures at airports around the country. and that has been central to

this issue, not only how to treat, but also how to prevent spreading it in other countries, and training people to identify when there could be a potential infection, david. >> thank you very much. lawyers representing kenya's president have asked for the crimes against hout houthi -- humanity case against him to be dropped. the prosecutors admitting they don't have enough evidence, blaming kenya's government for obstruction. simon mcgregor-wood is outside the court in the hague. >> reporter: the two day status hearing here at the icc concluded on wednesday. the prosecution asked the three

judges on the panel for an indefinite adjournment in the case. it's an unusual move. perhaps rather controversial given the rules that govern the procedure in this court. why did it ask for that? because by its own admission, it doesn't have enough evidence to go to trial. but it accuses the president and the government of withholding crucial evidence that the prosecution feels would further implicate mr. kenyatta. namely his mobile phone records, bank records, and tax returns. the prosecution says the defense has not responded properly to repeated requests. the defense reejected that claim, saying the government has done what it can do, and there simply isn't evidence, and that's not any fault of mr. kenyatta or the fault of the

kenyan government and demanded that the case be dropped. it's a very difficult decision for the judges to make. in the meantime mr. kenyatta is free to go. the left the court surrounded by doesens of supporters at the same manner he arrived in the morning, he says as a private citizen, but today at the hague he was acting in a very presidential manner. >> people in kenya have been watching the hearing, but are scared to speak out. malcolm webb spoke to people in one of the flash points of the unrest. >> reporter: the action to the trial here in kenya has been mixed. among kenyatta's supporters, that's about half of the country, they believe he shouldn't be on trial. amongst the political elite there's very little support for the icc, critics say that's probably because it's not in any

of their interest to have this kind of accountability when it comes to electoral violence. but we have been speaking to people who say they survived killings right here. they say gangs hacked people to death with machetes. the icc says that kenyatta was behind that justice. and the people here say they want the trial to go ahead, but they are scared to talk about it. mexicos missing students turns to suspected links between politicians and drug cartel. also why u.k. voters are embracing a right-wing party that wants to keep many migrants away from its shores. ♪

♪ these are the top stories here on al jazeera this hour. more u.s.-lead coalition air strikes are underway against isil positions in the northern syrian town of kobani. the strikes aimed at helping kurdish fighters to stop an isil advance that have so far forced them to pull out of the western side of the town. a liberian who was diagnosed with ebola in texas has died. he was the first person to be diagnosed with the virus in the u.s. lawyers of kenya's president have asked for the crimes

against humanity case against him to be dropped. the icc has adjourned the hearing. prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence, and blame kenya's government for obstruction. palestinian worshippers have fought with israeli police outside of the mosque in occupied east jerusalem. israeli police were trying to stop them from reaching the mosque on the eve of a holy festival. >> reporter: palestinian worshippers had been making their way towards the third holiest site, the mosque, when israeli police forced them back. they escorted members of a right-wing jewish group into the compound. >> translator: every time they attack and beat us, our resilience increases. >> reporter: israeli police

blame palestinians for starting the fight. >> the israeli police and special patrol units responded to disturbances by arabs who threw stones, petrol bombs at our police officers. we have heightened security in and around the old city ahead of the festival. >> reporter: israeli soldiers also moved in to remove people seeking refuge in the mosque itself. abbas warned the israeli government that its actions could turn the conflict into a religious one, and he planned to raise the issue of the attacks at the mosque with the united nations. many pal -- palestinians marched in protest. the compound in occupied east jerusalem is one of the most

contested religious sites in the world. it is holy to muslims, jews, and christians, but it is under israeli control, and israeli forces are determined to keep it clear for the jewish faithful. al jazeera continues to demand the repiece of its three journalists still behind bars in egypt. mohammed fahmy, baher mohamed, and peter greste have now been locked up for 284 days, faultsly accused of aiding the out laws muslim brotherhood. they are launching appeals against their convictions. mohammed fahmy has written a letter to an egyptian media organization. here is a bit of what he had to say:

afghanistan has executed five men over a gang rape which outraged the country. the human rights groups have been critical. jennifer glasse reports from the afghan capitol, kaboul. >> reporter: the five men were hanged at the prison on the outskirts of kaboul. in very swift retribution after an attack in and it will august where the men were accused of robbing and gang raping a number of women. the trials were very, very quick, very, very swift, and human rights organizations accuse them of being ripe with irregulariti irregularities. the accused men were paraded in a public press conference before they even went to trial. the former president then called for the death penalty for the

crimes, and the death penalty was very, very quick to come. two very, very fast trials. the first one lasted only a few hours, the second not much longer than that, as the men appealed their fate. the five men being put to death, one of the last things that karzai did before he left office was to sign the death war rent. human rights groups called for him to stay the execution so the men might at least have the trial looked at again. in that has not happened. the five men being convicted and hanged at a prison on the outskirts of kaboul. many f afghans, though, are welcoming this swift justice. they say it will serve as a deterrent for any further kind of attacks of this kind. rape of course has a terrible ta bu here in afghanistan. a suicide bomber killed at

least five in afghanistan. it was in a southern province. a north korean official has given his country's first direct acknowledgment to the world that the secretive state uses labor camps. the issue was raised as a visitor was questioned by reporters at the u.n. he said they have reform through labor. detention centers where people can look at their wrongdoings. he rejects the signings of the human right presented this year, that prisoners are subject to torture, rape, and starvation. mexican protesters are filling the streets in iguala in the guerra state. 22 local police officers have

already been arrested, and as adam rainy reports, more questions are being raised about the town's fugitive mayor. >> reporter: a year and a half ago leftist activist, was shot and killed and dumped in a pit in iguala, the same town where 43 students went missing a week ago. his partner says she has evidence implicating the town's mayor in the killing. she filed a complaint to have him stripped of his immunity to he could be tried in the case. >> translator: the state government said it could control things, but as you can see now, the situation got out of hand. iguala was a dangerous hot spot that no one ever paid attention to. >> reporter: she filed the document over a year ago, but no

one ever responded. this former congressman also tried to convince the president's cabinet to investigate the mayor. >> translator: i personally told the attorney general that the mayor had been accused of killing a man, and they did nothing. >> reporter: the attorney general told al jazeera, it was the state and not federal authorities who had jurisdiction, but he would look into the case if he had more evidence. now the mayor is a fugitive. he fled before investigators could question him about the missing students. authorities have long suspected the mayor has connections with the leading drug cartel, but despite accusations of murder and alleged links to organized crime, state and federal officials never moved to have him stripped of his immunity so he could be investigated and

tried. his role in the missing students may never be known. but the people of iguala live in fear of a government that seems to work hand in hand with drug cartels. the federal forces are here to investigation the disappearance. with dozens of students missing and perhaps killed the government is now under pressure to at least show it is taking action. britain's parliament is on the verge of having its first elected politician from the uk independence party. the candidate is capitalizing on anger against immigration and the european union. lawrence lee reports. >> reporter: an hour east of

london, thought of being as dump. but it is a well kept sort of place, and deeply traditional. lots of old people. barely a brown face to be seen. yet a chinese takeout, and caribbean restaurant, they have parked their anti-immigration tanks on the lawn. >> i want to see something done about all of these human rights. it is terrible some of the things that go on. >> they have got to sort this immigrant problem out. >> reporter: there's too many immigrants? >> yes. we're a small island. we can't cope with what we have got. >> reporter: there's not many immigrants around here -- >> well, there is a few. >> reporter: there is a pole

shop over there. >> i'm talking about all immigrants. >> reporter: this much many people seem to know about ukip, but anything else -- >> reporter: what do you think about ukip's policies? >> very good. >> reporter: which ones in particular? >> well -- >> reporter: can you name three two you think? >> yes. >> reporter: go on then. >> um . . . my brain has gone at the moment. >> reporter: oh dear. >> reporter: i think labor and conservatives have had their run, give ukip a chance, you know? >> reporter: so it doesn't bother you that much that you don't know that much about their policies. >> oh, yeah. i'll look more into it. >> reporter: many others would portray the same ignorance about the party's policies.

it wasn't very long ago that everyone from the prime minister downwards was describing ukip as fruit cakes and lun loons, and yet now they are so far ahead in the polls that the other party is almost written off. and what does it say about british politics that so many people are going to vote for a party, even though they say they don't know anything about their policies. >> reporter: do you think people here or anywhere else know exactly what ukip's policies are? >> i think they -- they do. talk to some of them. i don't think how long you have been here. but stop and ask some people about change. >> reporter: change certainly is what many people up and down the u.k. are demanding, but if ukip does represent a growing body of opinion, it is not clear how well formed that opinion is. the second and last total lunar eclipse of the year has

created this spectacular and very rare blood moon. a lunar eclipse happens when the earth passes into the moon's shadow. but this blood moon is created as the earth's sunrise and sunsets is focused on the moon itself. this blood moon can be seen in clear skies in many different parts of the world, particularly the u.s. and around the pacific rim. and unlike a solar eclipse where you don't need glasses to see it. >> the degree of redness, if you will, varies from one to the next. it's because imagine standing on the moon, you are on the moon and you see the earth kind of

pass in front of the sun, because that's what this would have looked like if you are on the moon. now you are seeing around the edges, all of the sunsets and sunrises on earth, and if there's a lot of dust in the atmosphere, it will look a redder, just like you occasionally get a spectacular sunset where you live. the only light that reaches the moon's surface when it is right there in the shadow is this red light coming through the atmosphere. so sometimes it's a little redder than other times. stars critics, movie buffs all of them or descending on london for the british film festival. the british actress kyra knightly had this to say about the event. >> it's great. i mean it's -- it's a lovely

film festival. do you know i have never seen a film at the london film festival. and i was like can i get tickets because my film is opening? and they go no. [ laughter ] >> but it looks like a great program. it looks like lots of really interesting films coming over. >> no other sport can kick off mass emotion in indonesia like football, even if the national team languishes near the bottom of world rankings. >> indonesians, they're really crazy. we can see their ranking in fifa is going down, going down, going down. but every game in the stadium, 80,000 people, 90,000 people. >> even local compio