♪ the army chief takes power in burkina faso after a wave of protests forces the long-time president to resign. ♪ hello, welcome to al jazeera. i'm martine dennis in doha. also coming up, turkey's president rejects claims that his country is supporting isil fighters. yemen's president is told form a new government within ten days or face the con consequences. and we hear from both

sideings in our special coverage ahead of the u.s. midterm elections. ♪ but we start in burkina faso where the army chief has taken power after president blaise compaore resigned. his decision came after violent demonstrations on thursday. the military has also dissolved parliament and declared a state of emergency. victoria has more. >> reporter: blaise compaore was president of burkina faso for 27 years. his sudden departure was announced by the military. >> translator: people of burkina faso, the national armed forces announce the resignation of the president. i will assume responsibility for the government and will start immediately in order to return to constitutional life. compaore's resignation will

welcomed by many, but it was attempts to further extend his time in office that prompted mass protests on the streets of the capitol. after days of violence, the president did agree not to seek another term in office, but said he would remain in power until next year. >> translator: i call on all parties to put the country first. for my part i remain open and available for transitional talks until i hand over power to a democratically elected president. >> reporter: but opposition leaders wanted the president to resign immediately. >> translator: mr. blaise compaore issued a statement which he still considers himself the head of state. the opposition has said repeatedly here that prior to any discussion of political transition, it is pure and simple and unconditionable that president blaise compaore must

leave. >> reporter: tuesday marked the start of a civil disoh beadance campaign. thousands of people took to the streets demonstrators set parliament on fire, they were trying to stop the vote that would allow the president to run for office again. after days of violence, people in burkina faso hoped the president's resignation will bring an end to the recent chaos and violence they have had to endure. all right. let's get the latest now by talking to a former editor and chief of burkina faso's state tv. he is on the line from the capitol. can you tell us what the very latest is? >> excuse me? >> can you tell us what the latest is? >> well, i can't hear you very

well. [ inaudible ]. >> can you tell us what the scene is on the streets? are people still on the streets? >> yes, people are still -- not on the streets, but people are gathered at the nation's square in front of the military barracks, and that's where -- they used to gather and wait for decisions, but until now, they do not agree with the designation of the army head as the head of burkina faso. so they are waiting for another president. >> so the general has said that he will take charge of the country, and restore the country to constitutional rule. that isn't satisfying the people of burkina faso?

>> no. that is quite right. they are not satisfied because the general was t the -- [ inaudible ] of compaore. he was his military chief, the chief of the military under compaore, so the people said they do not believe him because he would be acting in the interest of compaore, so that's why they don't want him. >> who would the people like to see take charge of burkina faso for this transitional period? >> well, the name of another general, general ruby, was the one who the people said they want to see in power, but

when -- when the military [ inaudible ] they came out with the name of the other general. ruby is a retired general. >> retired general. okay. so clearly this is a deal that is yet to be completely worked out. thank you very much indeed for now, for giving us the very latest from the capitol, and telling us that people are still outside on the streets, inside the national square, outside of the military barracks because they don't seem to be completely happy with the self appointment of the general, saying that he was the head of the military under the former president, blaise compaore, and they want somebody else to take charge of the country. we'll keep you up to date on the

latest here at al jazeera. turkey's president has rejected any indication that his country is supporting isil fighters. this is what he had to say while addressing a press conference in paris. >> it has been reported in the international media that turkey is supporting isil. this is absolutely false and untrue. turkey is being falsely accused here as we never provided any support to isil, nor do we plan on providing any in the future. >> well, the french president, was also at that press conference, and he used the opportunity to aledge that there is an alliance between isil and the syrian government. >> translator: in syria, we are conscious that we have two enemies. isil and bashar al-assad who continues to bomb his own people including women and children, and we know there is a strategic

alliance between isil and the syrian regime, that is what we should support and train the free syrian army. this was discussed in detail with the turkish president, as we are certain that no victory can be won without arming the opposition. he said a buffer zone needs to be created between turkey and syria. >> the international community shouldn't standing still. they should act as turkey is always acting first. that's why we should declare a buffer zone and no-fly zone, we should provide support, reinforcement and training to the syrian opposition. andrew is a writer on turkey, and he explains how this has affected turkey's relationship with its main ally. >> turkey has put itself in an odd position, because there is a

heroic resistance against isil taking place just on the other side of the turkish border in a kurdish canton called kobani. turkey is pretty much sitting on its hands during this conflict, saying that the two parties involved, unisil are islamic terrorists, the other are kurdish terrorists. it really doesn't care who wins and doesn't want to get involved in the outcome. this has been a terrible public relations defeat, i suppose for turkey. the united states has decided to support the resistance in kobani, the kurdish resistance in kobani, and pretty much ignored turkey's objectives. so turkey has fallen out with its principal ally over this issue. israeli police in jerusalem have fired shots at palestinians

who threw fire crackers during friday prayer. muslim worshippers held prayers in the street after israeli forces refused to allow them in to the al-aqsa mosque. houthi rebels have give the yemenny government ten days to form a new government or face alternatives. they have been meeting to find a way out of the political dead lock. a u.n. brokered peace agreement has failed and the houthis want to consolidate on the games they have made over the past few weeks. fighting has intensified in the libyan city of benghazi. forces loyal to the renegade general khalifa hifter.

more now from the libyan capitol tripoli. >> reporter: the case is getting catastrophic especially with a military convoy coming in, and this military convoy belonging to renegade general khalifa hifter in an attempt as military come menders say to attack a special forces headquarter that had been taken. now the situation is becoming more difficult, especially with humanitarian suffering escalating in the city with indiscriminate shelling, targeting a densely populated district inside the city of benghazi, and also civilian individuals joining the

battlefield, especially after renegade general has been calling on the people of benghazi to carry weapons and fight. now egypt's military chief has visited northern sinai to oversee the creation of a buffer zone. it has been two days since the military has started destroying homes along the border with gaza. it says it is necessary after an increase in violence there. as ali reports. [ explosion ] >> reporter: the egyptian military is showing its full strength in northern sinai. sources say the army chief is personally overseeing the destruction of homes in the area. the army says it's to create a buffer zone between sinai and the gaza strip. insisting a buffer is required

to cut off an intricate network of tunnels. at least 33 egyptian soldiers were killed last week. it has lead to the biggest military operation in sinai for many months, leading to the destruction of houses to create what the military calls a safe corridor. but safety has come at a cost to the people of northern sinai. some have left their homes voluntarily, others have been forced to leave. they have been come missed compensation, but activists say it is not enough. >> it is a catastrophe. they have been forced to leave for 42 usd a month. it's a disaster. >> reporter: the military says it is taking all necessary

measures to secure the area. the army says victory depends on the cooperation of a few honest men in sinai. but those affected say it's a heavy price to pay for security and stability. still to come here at al jazeera,i jazeera, find out about the deal that allows ukrainians to get much-needed russian gas this winter. and fears for thousands of migrants as italy scales down its search and rescue operations in the mediterranean. ♪

>> hundreds of days in detention. >> al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. >> thousands calling for their freedom. >> it's a clear violation of their human rights. >> we have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. >> journalism is not a crime. >> a deadly attack that shocked the nation. >> the front part of the ship was just red with blood. >> was there a cover-up? now an in-depth investigation reveals shocking new evidence. what really happened? the day israel attacked america. tonight, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. ♪

hello again, let's remind you then of the top stories here at al jazeera. the army chief has taken power in burkina faso after president blaise compaore resigned. 30 people have been killed in the protests that was sparked by the president's attempt to extend his 27-year rule. turkey's president is rejecting accusations that his country is supporting isil. he also called for a buffer zone. and in yemen the houthi rebels have given the president ten days to form a new government or face the alternative of a new administration. ♪ midterm elections will be held in the u.s. next tuesday. they are always held two years

after the presidential election. all 435 seats in the house of representatives, that's the lower house are being contested as a third of the upper half, the senate, they are also up for grabs. so how confident are the two sides? we are joined by president of a democratic think tank in washington, d.c., and a former advisor to president bill clinton. >> i think as of now we don't know what is going to happen in the senate. the way our system works we could end up having two runoffs that could extend the election all the way to december and maybe even january. the whole world may be waiting to see the outcome of the senate all the way until january. i think democrats generally feel it could have been a lot worse and we'll take where things are today. >> the chairman of the texas

republican party. >> the number one goal is to try to obtain a majority in the senate. it's a near certainty that we will increase our numbers, and there are seven seats that i feel very good about, which puts you at 52. there are two of ours in trouble, which might knock us down to 50, but there are three or four others. so i like our odds. but if we can get to 51 that lets us set the majority, and hopefully if we take the white house in 2016 we can put our agenda into place. russia and ukraine have signed a $4.6 billion to russian gas can resume for the winter. the european union managed to broker the deal. the russian energy giant gazprom turned off the taps last summer because it said ukraine owed

$4.5 billion. >> translator: this decision we have taken today will provide the energy security of ukraine, but it will also secure the supply of gas towards the european union. >> translator: russia has compromised on the price. this is our contribution to the compromise in order to stabilize the situation in ukraine. we are convinced that our future relationship will be constructive and our agreements will be fulfilled. >> oh more now from rory challands. >> it was an absolute marathon session that got to this deal, 30 hours of talks. you would hope given all of that effort that everyone came away at least partially satisfied. and i think with all hard-fought negotiations like this, every party has to make a compromise. kiev is going to settle its

already existing gas bill of some $3.1 billion, and it is also going to prepare $1.5 billion for gas through until march. russia has come down quite considerably on the price it was asking for that gas, so the e.u. commissioner on energy said that he thinks this is the first sign of a thaw between these two countries. however, this only takes us through until march. there is another round of negotiations that will be needed to settle a much more long-term gas settlement. now who is paying for this? russia has asked for the european union to provide guarantees. the european union didn't do that, but that doesn't mean they aren't paying. the prepaid money is going to come out of the kiev budget, and the money being settled for the already existing gas bill is going to come out of an imf fund

which the european union has contributed to. but a lot of this is reliant on the -- on ukraine reforming its very, very wasteful, very, very creaking energy system, and that of course means that subsidies will have to be cut, which means that ukrainians ultimately will end up paying more for the gsa. an italian rescue mission is beginning to wind down. the decision to do so has attracted wide-spread criticism. [ applause ] >> reporter: a round of applause for yet another successful rescue. on friday, 250 syrian and palestinian migrants were brought to safety. they are among 150,000 people saved by the italian navy since the operation started one year ago. but now help could come to an end. italy's interior minister announced that friday is the operation's last day, but for

the navy, it's still business as usual. >> well, at the moment, we haven't received any orders, so i can tell you that we still have ships down there saving lives, so nothing changes today. >> reporter: many among the migrants who were saved in the past year, knew that there were warships like this one out there looking for them. now the fear is that if this operation ends suddenly, others will attempt the life-threatening crossing of the mediterranean will be waiting for help that may never come. omar and his family were among those brought to safety on friday. he says news about the end of the rescue operation traveled fast. >> i know that, yes. yes. everyone knows that the italian ships go over the sea to catch refugees like us. yes. so we are -- we are lucky men

and woman to be here on the end day. >> reporter: the end of the operation coincides with the start of triton, a border security operation run by the e.u.'s border agency. but humanitarian organizations warn that one operation doesening replace the other. >> translator: from tomorrow migrants will continue to cross the mediterranean and nobody will be there to rescue them, because triton will patrol only a third of the area that the operation covered. >> reporter: italy's government said the fazing out of the operation will take at least two months. in the meantime thousands of migrants are expected to try to reach italy, hoping that someone comes to their help. al jazeera continues to demand the immediate release of its three journalists who have now been detained in egypt for 307 days. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed are wrongly

accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. al jazeera rejects the charges against them. now myanmar's president is holding talks with the opposition, military, and ethnic groups. these landmark talks will see opposition leader meet for the first time, the powerful armed forces chief. the meeting comes days after officials announced the next general election will be held late next year. president obama is going to visit myanmar in the coming weeks. the sri lanka military has brought in heavy machine to help search for people buried in a massive mud slide. residents and unis -- unofficia sites say there are still many people missing. >> reporter: the reality of the

landslide is still sinking in here at one of many welfare centers, there are around 700 people, a mix of those who got away in time from that wall of mud and sludge that buried over 80 plantation housing worker homes. now here as you can see, many people being housed in a local school. as you can seafood distribution going on. they are being given their morning meal. logistical issues in trying to house 700 people in what is a school. there are issues in terms of sanitation and water supply. and the attention is now shifting to what happens here on. many of these people have lost everything. over 80 houses being completely submerged. and what authorities will have

to address over the doing days and weeks is what happened to these people. what happened to the number of children who were away at school when their houses, families, were engulfed by the mud. these are things that will be the top of the agenda in the coming weeks. there has been flooding in norway. homes and businesses have been completely inundated. and people have been taken to evacuation centers. the drivers are being warned to stay off of the roads until waters subside. the economic crisis in greece has hit dairy farmers particularly hard. many were almost put out of business by big producers, but a group of farmers joined together in a rather unique plan as john reports from central greece. >> reporter: fresh greek milk is among europe's most expensive. even the crisis hasn't lowered

its price. so dairy farmers like this second-generation milk producer ought to be well paid. >> translator: the crisis made things much worse. the bulk rates for milk put out of business small producers. only medium and large producers survived. >> reporter: farmers say it's the dairy companies raking in all of the profits. so here in the agricultural capitol of greece a hundred formed a cooperative. they are doing something revolutionary for the greek market. it is selling directly through vending machines. the co-op offers farmers a few pennies more per liter than dairy producers. so why hasn't the dairy industry, or indeed the whole

greek economy responded to market forces during the crisis with efficient business models like this one? >> we do observe increase in productivity, and observe some becoming more export orientings. however, this force is too slow to turn around the entire economy as it was hoped it would. >> reporter: greece is so overregulated and underfinanced, even the go says it can't become competitive overnight. >> reporter: the greek economy is too rigid. even to open a news stand you need a license. it is the goal of this government that at the end of this year 60% of the licenses will cease to exist. >> reporter: despite these changes no one seems to expect miracles from the private sector. over the next two years, growth will come mainly from a

$15 billion cash stimulus from european institutions. there is a danger in being mill fed. greece seemed prosperous before the crisis, partly thanks to european countries, and unlike these creatures, greece's economy never grew up.