>> from aljazeera, this is the news hour. doha, coming up in the next 60 minutes. the battle for kobane. isil fighters trying to capture the syrian town are pounding from above. international calls grow for more action against ebola. liberia, the worst-hit country. and also ahead --

[ foreign dialogue ] 2014 nobel peace prize is awarded to two champions of children's education. and thousands of people back on the streets of hong kong as planned talks fall through. we begin this now's hour for the battle of kobane. from the islamic state and lavant. isil has captured more territory. and they have reportedly taken the territories of the political parties, and advanced to the east of the town. aircraft have pounded their positions from above. stephanie is live at the turkish/syrian border and it sounds like the town is on the verge of falling. what are you hearing and seeing? >> it's a very complicated

situation, and just in the last minute, it appears to have been another airstrike. there were two in the last two hours. and a massive explosion. a booby trap, not sure which side was affected by that. bit by bit in the kobane streets, it has turned into guerilla warfare between the two groups. as you say, they have made headway to the east. and isil has taken the security headquarters as well. but the kurdish fighters say that they're holding their ground. we get different reports according to who we speak to. but what we hear, certainly it's a very active battle ongoing through the day. we hear fire, small weapons, mortar shelling and explosions, it's a very active front line. >> also, the diplomatic front. and tell us about the increased pressure that turkey is coming under. >> that's right. we heard today from the u.n.

special envoy to syria. he had very strong words for turkey. turkey needs to open its borders, to allow kurds to go in with their supplies behind us to help them push back isil. and it's interesting. he said that turkey will be regretting deeply that we will be missing the opportunity to that cannot continue, and he said if they fall, the group will control 400 miles of border with turkey. and this gives you the idea of why they're so upset. turkey prefers to have isil on its borders, rather than kurds in kobane. it can become the symbol for kurds and the angry government for not doing enough. >> all right, stefanie dekker, thank you for that. now, inside of turkey, 31 people have been killed this week in violent protests linked to kobane.

the kurds are upset at the lack of action. and some of the demonstrators fought with them as they tried to get close to the french foreign ministry. let's take you to iraq, where the police say 52 fighters from isil have been killed in the province. and they were apparently killed in the strikes carried out by iraqi military. kurdish forces meanwhile have made some gains in iraq. but most of the people are arab and they are uncomfortable living under kurdish roll. reporting near the kurdish border >> reporter: this hospital was the last stronghold in the rabbia town. the kurdish forces fought their way in. isil wanted to use this region

as a stronghold between iraq and syria. but this is not just strategic territory. they have taken over and have a pled. fled. they atom residents left in this town. >> some people in rabia are with isil, and they welcome the kurdish advance into the town. he says that he doesn't support isil. but he was uneasy when he encountered the new authority. he said that he was an isil member or a potentialu side bomber because he was an arab. ed kurds are now holding their ground, and they deny that the push into the region is about taking over sunni-arab land. >> we gave them freedom from isil. with the arab tribes allow them to control the area, they will leave and take control.

>> the people have shown little sign of surning against isil. but here in rabbia the tribe said that it plans to do just that. it's leaders have promised to bring men to the front line, not just to defend their town. >> we will fight isil here and moving forward. we thank the kurds for the sacrifices they have made. and we will fight with them. >> this could be a turning point against isil, but this is just one corner of iraq, and for many people, like faris, it's just few late. families have been torn apart, he says, and for him, iraq as a nation has been destroyed. aljazeera, rabia. >> seven people have taken themselves to a hospital in spain to be monitored for ebola. they have been in contact with

teresa romero, a nurse, who has the virus. rameres' health is worse, but she remains in stable condition. but in mass donna, the british man who died on thursday likely has ebola. and the hotel he was? quarantined. members will be briefed by the head of the u.n. mission on ebola. to get more now on the situation in spain, paul brennan is in madrid. the spanish prime minister became the first senior figure to come here to the hospital where this confirmed case of ebola, this nurse was infected, the missioning treated. the building with many people, in excess of 14 people are

being quarantined, largely as a perspective measure. but they were not warmly we would. the medical staff are deeply critical of the way that the prime minister has handled this. and they jeered his cars as they left, whether or not the nurse should have been repat rated into the medical zone, and protective measures handed out to the staff, whether they were adequate in the circumstances. around the world, there's grave concern. in latin america, for example, peru is starting to beef up it's ebola preparations, and in brazil, there was a man who recently arrived from guinea and he's under suspicion for ebola type symptoms. and terminal controls at airports and things, both in britain and in the united

states, you can see the degree of nervousness and strain that's being put on not just the medical staff in this hospital. but medical facilities and authorities across a wide range of the globe now. >> let's take a closer look at the situation on the ground in west africa. more than 8,000 cases of ebola have been reported, mainly in liberia, guinea and sierra leone, nearly half, 3,800 have died. outside of west africa, the number of cases is very small. just 14 cases reported. and you can't see it here because of how disproportion at it is. let's zoom in. three of those cases have died, one in the u.s. and two in spain. but all of those cases originated in west africa. china's response to the ebola virus has come under scrutiny, urging the united nations to do far more to tackle the energy, but beijing is doing it's fair

share. >> china's state run television shows chinese medical teams that have been dispatched to west africa to help in the ebola outbreak. alongside of colleagues, providing mass testing for the disease and flying in aid. it is a view that contrasts sharply with a report on international donations that shows china near the bottom. pro government media here believe that the dollar figure doesn't tell the full story. >> china has sent over 200 medical personnel, sierra leone, and in other countries, and they're working really really hard. in sierra leone alone, they have virus samples collected. they're working in harsh conditions and working at the risk of their lives, and i don't believe their lives can

be evaluated in figures. >> china has become africa's biggest trading partner, with developing diplomatic ties to match. given those links, many analysts believe that china could be expected to do more, an expectation that will grow in the future. >> we talk a lot about china's military and economic rising, and i think that the next conversation we're going to start having is a rise in china's responsibility. the nations of west africa and asia will increasingly look to china in times of crisis to be a mediator in international conflicts, and it seems as though beijing hasn't quite caught up. >> but it seems to be doing so quickly. and it now has the medical statute to help the world. the demands of help that china is giving, but what everyone seems to agree on is the spread

of the disease, from three to last year's bird flu. it has developed effective defenses. a valuable asset for china now and also on the ebola front line in africa. aljazeera, beijing. >> much more to come here on the aljazeera news hour. speculations around kim jong un, not seen in a month. and the nobel peace prize. paying tribute to critically injured driver, comes to russia for the first time. thousands of people have gathered again in hong kong for democratic reform. returning to the streets after

planned negotiations fell through. the government canceled the negotiations on friday, saying that they last name be constructed. >> reporter: thousands of people have gathered here, in now what is being called umbrella square. 79 leaders called on people to come. and the crowd is large, but not at the height of the protest. there's a certain energy here, but it's far more relaxed. people sitting down and listening to volunteer speakers talking about continuing the protests. there's a sense that the crowd will be broken up by police or the government. the age range is interesting, and there are a lot more older people here than we have seen in recent days. now, the students and the government talks broke down with both sides saying that they can not reach a consensus, and it seems that they won't be happening any time soon. they were supposed to be

talking to the students and the chief executives are both heading to southern china for trade and development talks. >> north and south korea have traded fire across the heavily militarized border. attached to giant balloons. there were no reports of damage or injuries, and it wasn't clear immediately if north korea was firing at the balloons. growing speculation surrounding the health of north korea's leader. kim jong un skipped the celebrations for the north korea's party. he has not been seen in public for a month. he was seen limping. sources said that the 31-year-old hurt his leg and he's recuperating. >> . >> at least three people have been killed in an attack on a neighborhood in central africa. one of them was a united nations peace keeper.

the attack comes as the u.n. states flipped to contribute funds for peace-keeping operations. >> reporter: these are the men and women tasked with maintaining peace in the central african republic. and it's a risk assignment. at least one u.n. peace keeper from pakistan was killed and seven others wounded in the worst violence in the month. more than 5,000 have been killed in the conflict between muslim and christian rebels. 80% of the muslim population has been forced out of their homes, and many who live here are questioning the role of u.n. peace keepers as violence flairs again. >> it's early days of for the peace keepers, but they like to be aggressive and in you use the language, proactive, in holding the responsibility to protect civilians. >> reporter: but the international peace keepers face another challenge.

money. many states have failed to pay the 3 and a half billion dollars to the peace-keeping funds. the u.n. said that it's going to make more serious efforts to pay more attention to the countries paying manpower and peace keepers. >> the willingness to provide troops and equipment to get out these operations. so the u.n., troop costs. the outstanding payment at the end of 2012, meaning last year, was $520 million, arizona of now, 795. >> reporter: the international funds to keep it running is not just because of non-payment by states. but political issues are also at bay. but it's not much for those out there representing nags. more than 70 personnel have

died this year. these men were killed in mali for trying to maintain peace. they were laid to rest on tuesday, and thousands of their colleagues are still in conflict zones like these in the central african republic, equipment and support to protect themselves and civilians. aljazeera. >> more than 100,000 libyans have fled violence near the capital in tripoli in the last three weeks. the u.n. says that the fighting has forced people to leave. some o of the displaced are living with other families, and others are living in parks and schools and public buildings. syria government forces have bombarded a town, killing 13 people. a residential area was the target. >> reporter: there are no fighters from islamic state of

iraq and lavent in southern syria. but it's a dangerous reality for many syrian towns under rebel control. the syrian military hit this town with a rocket. the immediate aftermath is clear. captured on the streets. many were killed, including women. those who survived were taken to hospital. coalition airstrikes in iraq and syria, syrian jets continued to hit the targets in different areas. on thursday, heavy bombardment killed more than a dozen people north of damascus. fighters from a muslim front as well as other rebels say their forces have advanced on the capital.

>> we control the factory and the other buildings as well. >> reporter: in damascus, followed by heavy bombardment, among the targets why the headquarters of the rebels. they seized it because of heavy shelling. they are now shifting their focus on the strategic highway. >> we have the highway, and we can cut it off for the sake of the civilians. >> damascus isn't far from here, but it's as challenging as it was three years ago when the conflict began. aljazeera. >> jordan is one of the three dryest countries in the world.

the refugee camp is being built by one of the largest a aquaphos in the country. >> reporter: me are living on jordan's most important source of water. it supplies the south and the north with drinking water, but there are fears that the aquaphor will be contaminated. saying that it should not have been built here. >> applying the camp was a stupid idea. i don't know how they came up with it. they could have selected a better place, and the second thing is having selected that place, there's a responsibility of providing the water and providing sanitary facilities. >> but the government didn't expect the syrian refugee crisis to last this long. a recent study revealed that

the underground water hadn't been contaminated yet. but it could happen at any time. many refugees have set up their own toilets and showers inside of their homes, instead of using communal facilities. the result, filthy waste water that doesn't get trucked out of the camp. there are communal wash rooms everywhere in the camp. these are connected to kept tick thanks that are trucked out of the camp every day. she has had her own toilet for months. the waste goes straight into the ground, and isn't connected to a septic tank. >> communal wash rooms are not good. this is better for women and children who are worried about their safety going to the communal wash rooms. the costs of trucking 3,500 meters of clean water

into the camp every day. and new waste water plants will be operational in the coming months ago. but funding is still not available for an underground sewage system. >> generally, the syrian crisis is becoming more and more protracted, and the funding is getting less. >> this is what angers many jordanians, saying that they didn't cause the war in syria or the refugee influx. they expect the international community not only to improve the conditions for refugees, but also to protect their square underground water. >> students in italy are protesting reforms, saying that it makes it difficult to go to university. they are calling for an increase in funding and education. the government is hiring 150 teachers, and giving pay raises

only to those who show high productivity. thousands of students have protested in chile. they want an immediate over haul to a system that makes huge profits. >> this is how the mostly peaceful demonstration ended. demonstrating after a fire was lit in a downtown street. a water cannon dispersed the crowd and several arrests were made. the president has failed to consult the students about education legislation that she submitted to congress. but they want to end state subsidies to schools that make a profit, the first steps toward free university education. but the protesters say that the president should be focusing first on more financing for public education at all levels. under the dictatorship, the public school system was privatized. and critics say that it favored

students from higher income families. >> we're not only fighting for a better education, but to build a different society, a more democratic society. >> around 3,000 people turned up. a of smaller crowd that targeted the predecessor. organizers complained that several major student groups had failed to join the demonstration. tom achermann, aljazeera. >> we want to take you back to one of the top stories we're following here, the ebola outbreak, and we're talking now to david miliban, and he joins us via skype from the capital, monrovia. first of all, on the ground, are they getting the support that they need? >> good afternoon. i think that it's important that people understand that liberia and next door, sierra leone, are two countries at an absolute tipping point when it

comes to the ebola crisis. the number of deaths is in the thousands, and services are under enormous strain. [ audio difficulties ] the evidence that i've seen over the last two days is that when it comes to treatment centers for the disease, and the disposal of dead bodies, these systems are critical. and that's why in the next few weeks, it's absolutely essential to curbing the disease. >> what do you mean by creaking? are you saying that the disease is not contained as things stand right now in countries like liberia and sierra leone? >> i think that no one can claim that the disease is contained at the moment. you go onto the website for center for disease control, they talk about -- it's not

under control. and that's what they're talking about in the next days and week, whether or not enough people can protect, the exchange of bodily fluids, there's the protection part of it. and then there's the notification, and i'm sure that it's safe for them and their neighbors. and thirdly, much of the disease is spread from dead bodies, because days after the death, the disease is still alive. people paying their respects to dead people. and that's an important part of the culture, and that's the spread of the disease. all four parts have to be addressed. >> when you look at the problem, a lot of the health workers complain that there's a lack of beds, of infrastructure, and they need hospitals, and it will take a

lot of development over the long-term. what is it? is there something that can be done in the short-term so that they can say this is now under control? what can be done? >> some of them are -- however, many beds are built, or centers are created. that will never be enough if the disease is allowed to raise up. and race under control. first, they're taking the basic measures, people who are showing symptoms, and secondly, it getting people who have the disease out of harm's way very very fast. and that calls for a high-level of instra structure and organization. countries like liberia and monrovia, they only have health

systems say are just being developed. and that's one of the reasons why the disease is so virile. organizations are having to mobilize to get the necessary equipment, get the necessary people, and the necessary measures to protect health workers. because remember, the rate of death among health workers is higher than the general population. >> thank you so much, david miliban there. >> thank you. >> still on the news hour, we'll join recipients of this year's nobel peace prize, and preparing to play for uruguay for the first time in the world cup.

>> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy... >> this is another significant development...