i think al jazeera america is a watershed moment for american journalism >> tonight they said we can have real change in washington - real change. [ cheering and applause ] republicans sweep to victory in the u.s. midterm elections, taking control of both houses in congress. from al jazeera's headquarters in doha. also ahead - chilling details emerge about the mexican mayor and his wife arrested over the disappearance of 43 students. also - i'm in the gaza strip, where the world health organisation says urgent help is needed to fix the health care system here after the recent

conflict with israel and the sirns side of social -- sinister side of social media. extremism is ripe online, and text giants are ignoring it, say the british we begin in the u.s. where president obama's party lost the senate. the republicans will take control of both houses of congress. this will limit what president obama can do in his final two years, at home and abroad. let's take a closer look at how the vote unfolded. republicans needed six victories across these 10 battle ground states to win control of the senate. so far, they have clinched a 7th. those states are iowa, north carolina, colorado, montreal, south dakota, arkansas, and west virginia. in kented republican -- bradley kennedy, republican senator

mitch mcconnell has won re-election and is likely to lead his party in the senate. the democrats lost new hampshire and a run-off is expected in louisiana, while the race was too close to call there. we can get more from patty culhane, who has been following the election from the white house. >> before the vote the barack obama administration was saying it's not really about the president, the contested races were in states the president didn't win. they can't say that now. even in states friendly to the president, like his home state illinois, republicans swept. what lesson does the president take. does he thing the american people are sending him a message, and change tact, no longer try to work around congress or work with congress, or he can say he tried to negotiate in the past, they will not again, and we'll see continued gridlock. what is means is with the republicans in charge. house and the senate, they have

the ability to make life more difficult for president obama. >> my colleague mike hanna spoke with jason johnson on capitol hill in washington. and he said high voter tonne out led to the republican's victory. >> georgia, a crunching win for the republicans. we thought it would be close. there was talk of a re-run. what is happening there? >> that was shocking. i live in the atlanta, georgia area, and most of the polling suggested it would be a three our four point race, it would be unlikely that the governor or the republican candidate could get the 50% to avoid a run-off. i think it's an indication of high turn out for the republicans, voter i.d., and laws that the republican and secretary of state has been passing. that's a huge accomplishment. they'll get seven, possibly eight seats in the senate.

>> what will republicans take from the size of their victory in the senate. we didn't things it would be so substantial. >> yes, they are pushing eight, possibly nine seats. depends what's in virginia and north carolina. it will be a buffet, if the republicans wake up and know they have a nine seat lead for three seat lead in the senate. it will turn into a bigger fight. if you have a small margin, it will blame the democrats. if you have a huge margin, you have to come up with your own policies. >> remember the run-off in louisiana, where you had to republican candidates, indications are they'll take it in the run-off. >> yes, there's not much of a chance that an incumbent will win a run off. she's not going to gain six points by december. it's looking like a good night

for the republicans. >> in the house of the representatives, a substantially increased major city. >> it can be anywhere from nine to 15. this has 2016 implications. the larger the margin the republicans get, the larger the margin in the house, the less likely that if a president wins a presidency, they will not retake both houses in one fell swoop. >> thousands of people are expected to demonstrate in mexico over the disappearance of 43 students. the families are organising a protest in the capital on wednesday, following the arrest of the former mayor of iguala state, and his wife, both linked to the student's disappearance >> reporter: captured, mexico's most wanted couple, a former mayor and his wife. both with links to a suspect drunk ring, and mastermind of an

attack that killed six people leaving 43 students missing. federal police arrested the couple in a small apartment in mexico city, during a predawn raid on tuesday. . it was a much-needed break for the federal government. police are looking for the students more than a month after disappearing from guerrero. >> translation: the investigations advance. i hope that in the next few days we can give you more substantial information. >> reporter: the mayor and his wife ruled the town of iguala with an iron fist. the government claims they were working hand in hand with the drug gang and turned the local police into their own private army. this resident who is afraid to show her face says people are scared to go outside, and many people left the town because gangs came. for this person, the news of the arrest gives that man hope. his grandson is one of 43

missing students. >> translation: we know the cops took our kids. the mayor has to know what happened. his arrest makes us feel confident that he'll find out the truth. >> dozens of mass graves have been we covered. the remains of 38 people have been discovered. not yet identified as the missing students. >> these arrests are a victory for the federal government. it doesn't mean that the pressure will end. on wednesday, tens of thousands of people thought the country plan to protest and demand justice and answers to where the 43 missing opportunity are. >> near the arabian peninsula, a person has been killed. along with four others in a suspected u.s. drone strike. he was a global terrorist by the united states. >> iraqi forces advance on the

northern oil refinery up to of baiji. these pictures show government troops exchanging fire with i.s.i.l. fighters. baiji is home to iraq's largest refinery. >> fighters from islamic state of iraq and levant are in control of mosul. the city, home to the biggest dam has been under i.s.i.l. control since june. the provincial governor told al jazeera's charles stratford that he is coordinating with the iraqi defence ministry to try to retake the city. >> after the change of maliki, the government in baghdad it - work hard with us. they facilitate everything to the province, and now we get also more steps with the coalition forces. with the u.s., especially. and other countries. so it's - i think it's the time to start work.

we work to do a lot of things in the previous period. we are starting to work in the exact plan to liberate mosul. we need some counties of the coalition to attend these forces, and also we need that they give them some weapons, we ask baghdad. baghdad sent to finance this. they have no - not enough weapons, and they have not - also, they cannot have them in the way we need. it's a miserable situation. in mosul. no electricity, no water, no health care inside the city. so it's a bad situation. >> amnesty international is accusing israel of committing war crimes by targetting civilians in the 50 day war with gaza. 2,000 palestinians and dozens of

israelis were killed. human rights says israel targeted homes full of families, and palestinians were not given warning and had no chance to flee. they described israel as using aerial bombs to destroy buildings. amnesty international says many deaths could have been avoided. the group accuses palestinian armed group of committing war crimes by firing thousands of indiscriminate rockets into israel. israel rejected the findings of the report world health organisation says israel's blockade of goods into gaza is taking a toll on the territories health care system. we have a report on the limit of essential medicines and supplies, pushing it to the brink of collapse. >> reporter: for months this person has been coming to the al aqsa hospital in center gaza hoping to get an appointment for his surgery.

he was injured in july after israeli tanks destroyed his home. pieces of shrapnel are embedded in his leg, making it difficult to walk. >> translation: when i was first hurt, i was told i would not be operated on until september, because so many had more serious injuries than i did. that was cancelled because the hospital didn't have the chance to treat me. >> reporter: his story is not uncommon. more than 11,000 were injured, many with long term or permanent health conditions requiring relying awe lar treatment. the -- regular treatment. the capacity to provide care is not there. >> the only way to repair gaza's damage said health care is for israel to lift the blockade and egypt to open blockings, and these meant medicines,

specialised equipment and construction materials have not been able to reach here. >> the building supplies are badly needed. more than half of gaza's hospitals and medical facilities were damaged in the fighting. the doctor shows me what is left of the al aqsa hospital's surgery ward, after it was fired on by israeli fighter jets. he doesn't know when or if it will be rebuilt, because israel hasn't lifted a 7-year blockade. >> our patients complain about the lack ofbout ce the lack of care we can offer them. we can't send them abroad for treatment. many patients died waiting to cross into egypt for surgery. this is what the blockade does. >> international medical experts say after decades of occupation, years of blockade and three major conflicts since 2008. gaza's health care system is on

the brink of collapse. donors promised millions, but it will be a long time before the serious needs of palestinians are fully met. >> we want to take you back to our top story. out of the u.s., and the midterm elections, where president obama's party lost the senate. the republicans have taken control of both houses of congress. let's bring in zackary corser, the director of the roundtable, a public forum collaboration with a college and the brookings institution. thank you very much. for being with us, how much do you think this was a vote against president obama, or was it a vote in support of the republican party? >> well, thank you for having me. good morning. that is an excellent question, it's the question. this was a referendum on the

leadership of president obama administration, midterm election. moving forward, will republicans interpret this has a mandate for their agenda going in to 2016. what will the congress look like for the next two years. what will the republican leadership do in its interpretation of this. i think it would be a mistake for them to interpret this has a vote of confidence in favour of republicans. looking at the race, looking at what is going on, americans are asking for change, but i don't think it's a strong endorsement of the republican party. it's strange given the results. if you look at the polling beforehand, americans are skeptical about both political parties. americans are shifting more and more towards declaring themselves to be independent. it's clear that once we move past this question of obama and his popularity, what he was voting for, it's change, but uncertain what it should be. >> we'll have to leave it there,

we are running out of satellite time. zachory corser, associate director of the roundtable. >> still ahead - hungry and frightened. they wandered for days br finding help. the latest victims from boko haram's land grab in nearby nigeria. [ nearby nigeria. in nearby nigeria.

welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. u.s. president obama democrat party lost control of the senate. republicans will take control of

both houses of congress after winning seven states in midterm elections. now this will limit what obama can achieve in his final two years in it was. thousands of people are expected to demonstrate in mexico on wednesday. about 43 missing students. it follows the arrest of the former mayor of iguala state and his wife. they have been linked to the students disappearance a lead of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. four others with killed in a drone strike in al-bay dead province those are pictures from the al aqsa compound where right wing stormed the site.

palestinians fought with police after being denied entry to pray at the wash. we know this is a sensitive area in jerusalem. give us a background on this. tell us why the right wing activists gathered there in the first place? >> that's right. very tense situation at the alaxa mosque compound. the reason for this is because a number of people who belong to far right jewish groups, if you will, wanted to access the al-aqsa mosque compound to pray. the reason it is seen as a problem is because of a bilateral agreement between jordan and israel. jordan care takes the islamic strikes. the al-aqsa mosque, the most holy site for muslims in

jerusalem, when the far right jewish groups tried to access to pray, it's seen as a provocation by palestinians, palestinian youths who go to the al-aqsa mosques to prevent that from happening. as a result we see the confrontations between the youth and security force, and understand the situation on the ground is tense. stun grenades have been used, tear gas. again, tense situation and unpredictable. we can say that they say far right activists who wanted to enter the compound were not allowed to at this stage. >> give us an idea of how the israeli government and binyamin netanyahu has reacted to the growing tensions in and around the al-aqsa mosque. >> well, rather than trying to find ways to diffuse the situation, rather than trying to

find ways to encourage the groups not to enter, mr binyamin netanyahu effectively ramped up security. the security in occupied east jerusalem is extremely high. police have been brought from all over the country to east jerusalem to occupy and to be added to the security forces there. that underscores how tense the situation in and around the al-aqsa mosque compound, but in many palestinian neighbourhoods. many have seen frequent confrontations between the security forces and many believe the prime minister is not doing much to calm things. >> thank you imtiaz tyab, wrapping up the tense situation in and around the al-aqsa mosque suspected boko haram fighters are gaping ground across in north-eastern nigeria, after launching a series of attacks. five government soldiers have been killed on an assault.

fighters set fire to the police station in nafada in gombe. the nigerian time is fighting to retake gombe. more than 10,000 were forced to leave. many were seeking refuge. this report has been sent. >> they flet their homes to seek better protection. what they found was less security than they hoped for. these are the latest victims on a land grab in north-eastern nigeria. >> a large town of 100,000 was invaded by the army. >> translation: at first we thought it was soldiers.

insurgents were firing at people near the market. then we realised we were in trouble. >> musa is reunited with one of his wives and a child. he is still searching for the rest. up to 10,000 people live in the camp. all around there's a sense of anxiety. people are not sure of what will happen next. it doesn't stop more people arriving in the capital, looking for a safe place. among the new arrivals are 13 hungry and frightened children, part of 300 declared missing when gombe was attacked. they wandered for days before being picked up by a bus driver. security is scanty, a dozen at the most, for a population of thousands. all lightly armed. musa says he feels nowhere else is safe from boko haram. security personal were

abandoning their posts as he left. >> a long the way he met six people who told us they were security personnel. they fled. you hear boko haram's fire power, you don't blame them for running away. we kept to the nigeria side of the border. >> the military says air and guns are the way to protect gombe from parts of the north-east. the state capital 200km from the battle front. many people feel left secure. some have left. those that have not or are unable to hope the assurance of protection from government are real security forces in the democratic republic of congo arrested several men in connection with the killing of more than 100 people. they are held in the town of

benny, in north kidal. as many as 120 people have been killed in night-time raids in recent weeks west africa leaders are due to arrive in burkina faso for talks with the military over a transitional government. presidents of ghana, nigeria and senegal are expected to pressure the army to hand over control to civilian rule. >> many are hoping new leadership will bring new opportunity. >> reporter: this person took part in protesting that took part in the ousting of blaise compaore. >> i broke my arm and leg. it was worth it. we got rid of blaise compaore. i'm in pain, but proud of what we did. >> this public hospital didn't have everything they needed. >> reporter: patients are asked

to bring their own supply. many families can't do that, they have to rely on donations. >> the country and the majority of its people are struggling. many take out their frustrations on the home of the former president. nothing is too small to take. many are here, because they are curious to see how the rich live. the copy minded sensitive documents and plan to sell them. many took part informant protests. they are divided on whether lieutenant colonel isaac zida should step down. >> since 1966, all we know is this country has been ruled by military powers, and would like, if possible, someone who has never taken a weapon, even one day. >> translation: i think he should stay. he should stay because it's for

the transition period. i think he should stay. >> whatever is decided, this country has a long road ahead. forming a transitional government, and holding elections. picking up the pieces is not going to be easy. >> a top spy boss is warning that internet companies are ignoring the way the web is being used by extremists. robert hannah gan has taken a gob at gchq. his warning comes as hundreds of technology experts arrive in dublin for a web summit. >> to much of the world they are the icon of search, socialising. keeping billions in touch every day. to a british spy agency, the big u.s. tech giant is a nightmare to navigate. impossible to keep across.

gchq's new boss describes them as command and control centers. robert hannah gan says the companies are in denial about how they got to be used, and there needs to be greater cooperation. >> the problem that the security services are facing, they are up against something they have never seen before. a group of fighters that have grown up in the digital age. i.s.i.l. gets its video online within minutes. in fact, up until a few months ago, i.s.i.s. had a smartphone app, taking control of devices and tweeting. it was removed, but not until it was downloaded thousands of time. for every account taken down, a dozen spring up almost immediately. >> it requires a bit of evolution on the security side of things. >> reporter: that's the warning from this security expert who believes it's a generational

issue and the youngsters are ahead. >> they are using innovation to their advantage, social media that they are more literate in, and they are taking their war, their jihad, crisis to the frontline online. >> reporter: some say privacy is paramount. would the arab spring have taken the same form if web giants handed over information to government. we are told the latest requests are in the interests of security any, but it's not enough of an argument to convince all. >> at what point do you go into violating privacy and people's civil liberties. it's a big question, i don't think we have come up with a good answer yet. >> we live in a post snowden age. this man leaked classified information showing security services take data when they need it. should those we entrust our

digital livers to help them -- lives to help them take more, even if it is to keep us safe. >> an answer to which few arg. >> and you can keep up to date with the latest news and analysis on the website. go to aljazeera.com. >> the polls will close in just a few hours, and a few ours later out west the mid terms are just about over. but for accounting which means it's the first unofficial day of the white house campaign. that's inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. we don't do exit polls. we don't call races, but we do ve