[ return to kobane. syrians return to their devastated town. you're watching al jazeera, i'm david foster. in the next 30 minutes - a tense moment. afghanistan's president waits for parliament. mexico's government - all 43 student who went missing last september have been killed. plus... >> in detroit, in the oldest hat

store, you may have thought hats were dying off, thanks to movie and music, they are making a come back syrian kurds have been returning to kobane and seeing what month of fighting house done to their homes and towns. kurdish forces announced they have pushed i.s.i.l. out. >> reporter: tentatively stepping outside. watched on by those who fought for their freedom. life is slowly returning to the streets of kobane. the v sign is for peace and victory. for tens of thousands that fled and are now returnable the road ahead is long. homes reduced to rubble and

buildings destroyed. after four months of battle half of the city is gone. for residents in turkey getting home is not straightforward. some hoped to across the boarder on tuesday. it is officially closed turkish security pushed the group back. those in the turkish town of sarook have reason to hope. >> translation: many in all the cities of turkey have come here. may it have a good outcome. kobane is liberated. we are extremely happy, and wish to go back to our country. >> reporter: they joint the u.s. air strikes, iraqi and syrian fighters and diplomatic manoeuvring which agreed to see them through. the fight against i.s.i.l. is far from over. i.s.i.l. has fighters in

hundreds of towns around kobane and saw the damage they are able to do the united states says the battle for complete control is not over. here is rosalind jordan in washington. >> u.s. officials say the battle for kobane is all but one, but it is not mission accomplished because i.s.i.l. fighters are holed up in some parts of the town which borders syria and turkey. they stress that this is a case where the u.s. needs to double efforts of support for those returning. this is the state department spokesperson. >> we will continue to support them as we move forward.

this is the first step in a war against i.s.i.l. >> allied air strike support for the fighters in kobane is what made it easy for them to reclaim all of that town from i.s.i.l. fighters. the officials went on to say, and the officials stress that there are other major cities in iraq that need as much support as kobane received so far the mother of a japanese hostage held by i.s.i.l. asked the prime minister to change his life. kenji goto jogo is being held in syria and they have threated to kill him if n demands are not the met.

he is held with a jordanian. >> translation: dear mr prime minister shinzo abe, please save the life of kenji goto jogo i call on you to work with all your strength until the very end. >> for i.s.i.l. getting from syria to iraq is a battle. from the north of iraq and close to sinjar city zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: this is the only way to approach sinjar city controlled by the islamic state of iraq and levant. sniper fire is almost constant. i.s.i.l.'s main supply line that links the strong holds in syria and north-west iraq runs through the outskirts of the city. the group kaned afford to lose it. >> the fight for sinjar is in its second month.

it is an area where 100,000 used to life. before the fight is over a battle has started. kurdish peshmerga troops are not facing i.s.i.l. alone. brethren came from across the border to fight a common enemy. the pyd is a syrian kurdish party that is linked to the p.k.k. the iraqi kurdish leadership which had a long history of rivalry with the parties accused them of wanting to impose their authority in sinjar. >> we welcome anyone's help. it seems the p.k.k. has a plan. they want to benefit politically. it is not acceptable. sinjar belongs to the iraqi government. >> for now, kurdish forces are cooperating on the battle feed. the fighting is street-by-street. we'll be said in the

contestifiedcon contestifiedcon contestified -- contested. fighting runs deep since the p.k.k. established an autonomous region. >> we never talking about creating our own, but sinjar will belong to kurdistan government or baghdad - whoever can control it. >> sinjar were camp on the mountains. they, too, are a force. some praise the peshmerga. others blame them for i.s.i.l. in august. most are demanding autonomy. >> we want any force, not the peshmerga, or the iraqi government here. >> i.s.i.l. has not pushed out of the yazidi villages in land long disputed by the government in baghdad. it is the case.

there are more players vying for control here. afghanistan's parliament is voting. there has been controversies about the president's choses. afghanistan has been without government since ashraf ghani agreed to share parliament. we are talking about a government sharing if the nominees get there, are we seeing the formation of a proper government or of a short in afghanistan? >> at least the voting is going on. afghans have been waiting for this for four months. that is how long it's taken to get cabinet nominees into parliament. seven of the cabinet nominees were not voted on.

they were rejected for having no citizenship, questions about educational credentials, and questions about her age. none of the three cabinet nominees made it to the vote. we'll see a vote. only a partial vote. as well ahead of the intelligence services. the parliament will then go on recess. we won't see them for at least a month. if it goes through and there's a semblance of movement. how different is that. how is it being governed right now? a. welling right now many are at a stand still. if you drive around kabul, there's lines outside every ministry. they start to go about their lives. a lot are paralyzed. even when you get the signatures

they need a lot are waiting for some to be in charge. if a few ministers get into place, it will be a step forward. the confidence in the economy is the lowest it's been. the economy also at a standstill. afghans want to see the government get going. it is a brand new experiment it's never been done before and if the cabinet nomination process is an indication africans are concerned about what that means moving forward. >> thank you. jennifer glasse there in kabul. mexico's attorney-general has for the first time declared that all 40 students who went missing in september are dead. the government says they were killed by a gang who mistook them for rifle criminals. rival criminals. many don't believe that.

adam raney reports. >> mexico's attorney-general says there's no doubt as to what happened to 43 students. >> evidence allows us to determine that the students were killed burnt and dumped in a river. >> he cited 37 confessions, including this man who gang bosses called on to dispose of the students. the conference was completed with slick produced videos and re-enactments to add weight to the attorney-general's argument. it's unlikely to convince a sceptical country. protests like this on monday call the government's argument into question. so far forensic experts identified students. fire experts say there's no way 43 students were burnt. we don't believe it because yesterday many were marking in

the street and they want to close the case. >> it came after the president peno nieto gave a speech saying mexico couldn't be held back by the crime. >> they need to be responsible for the unfortunate event. we need to take part in the direction of continuing to move forward to ensure that in mexico the best is still to come. >> the truth is many mexicans don't want to move forward. many believe that several police and the army participated in the attacks. mexicans want a fuller accounting of what happened that night. >> he didn't say it was closed but the attorney general made it clear he had the facts to prosecute the case. surely it will be called into question by a skeptical public. >> stay with us if you can, we

have foreign nationless - 11 killed on an attack in a hotel in the libyan capital we'll look at two close trading partners. why is sri lanka renewing or reviewing its relationship with china? stay with us here if you can. >> dancing gave me the opportunity to grow into the person... i don't think i could be without it >> now, this trailblazer is opening the door for others >> i wanna give back to ballet what it's done for me... >> every sunday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america time for global headlines - syrian kurds have been return to kobane and seeing for the first time what months of fighting has

done to their homes. kurdish forces have pushed i.s.i.l. forces out afghanistan's parliament is voting on whether to sent the president's nominees. it's four months since ashraf ghani tried to form a unity government mexico's attorney-general said all 43 students missing in september are dead. the government says they are killed by a gang which mistook them for rival drills. criminals. 11 have been killed including four foreign nationals at the corinthian. i.s.i.l. has claimed

responsibility. the gun battle seen from a water front hotel, popular with libyan dignitaries and foreigners. when masked gunmen forced themselves into the building guests were evacuated. among them the prime minister. >> translation: after attackers stormed the hotel, flashes erupted between them and the security forces. when more security forces arrived, the car bomb exploded. the siege last the several hours, coming to an end when they were surrounded when they blew themselves up. authorities say there was link between this attack and others. >> translation: security say the car exploded at the hotel was the same as houst in a security attack in the u.n.

it was used in on attack on the embassy. >> there has been fighting between the militias in the 2011 uprising, toppling former leader. many attempts by the government to get them to give up weapons fail. libya is under the control of two rival governments. each is supported by its own loyal militias. analysts say the latest attack could derail peace talks happening in geneva:. >> both governments came out trying to attempt to get a political point scoring amongst both. the g.n.c. said this is the work of the former regime and it's already coming out from members of the hor, that they say that this is a case of the muslim brotherhood, and the other islamists that are in charge. in july foreign airlines had the

rebels take control of the air force. flights resumed on saturday. the attack on the hotel is a reminder that the situation on the ground is still dangerous. a bomb attack near a police station in the egyptian city of alexandria killed one and injured two more. police discovered three other devices in the area. in a separate incident attackers threw molotov cocktails in the city setting that on fire. >> here at al jazeera, we demand the release of our three colleagues imprisoned in egypt for 396 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed were accused of colluding with the outlawed muslim brotherhood. earlier this month egypt's court ordered a retrial the new government in sri lanka is taking a close look at its relationship with china, a country that had become the

partner of choice for the former president raja pack stay and had developed many projects. critics accuse china and the old regime of widespread corruption. >> reporter: proof of close fis between sri lanka and china. here chinese porcelain and other antiques are have common site. former president took the relationship with china to a new level. it was pay back for china helping sri lanka to fight the tamil tigers. the new government has ditch plans. >> china has been our friends, and will continue to do so. the element of corruption will be eliminated. >> reporter: china won a large

share of projects. china stood by sri lanka during the war. it was a crucial time the time of support the last judgment was dreadful for. some analysts accused the government of taking financial short cuts and the lack of the transparency. >> loans offered at high interest secrecy surrounded the deals, raised important questions. >> were the chinese more willing and able to provide the commissions that the raja pack seas are alleged to have taken, you know. were they therefore, outbidding everyone else because, in effect they were underwriting or subsidizing the dynasty itself. >> they challenge history by unseeing the president. his win drew this response from

beijing. >> translation: the cooperation between china and sri lanka is based on important principles of future benefit. we hope and believe the relevant cooperation will press ahead with a healthy and stable development it's that healthy and stable development that sri lanka says it wants for all investments. >> if there's no problem or corruption - that's a serious note for the future. we have come here not to reduce corruption but to eliminate corruption the new government is reviewing all disease european union leaders - charles stratford travels from mariupol to separatist

stronghold of donetsk and sent us this report. >> ukranian troops are moving to rebel-held territory. ukranian government declared a state of emergency and a state of alert right the way across ukraine. >> as we headed north. the roads became deserted the closer we got to the front line. removing tanks and heavy positions. >> we are at a ukranian military checkpoint. soldiers are telling us they are coming under fire every day and night. villages say they can here the fighting. >> of course we are afraid. there's nothing to look forward to. the fighting means it is difficult for us to work for our

children. people are scared about what is going to happen on this side or the other. people are suffering. >> it's obvious that over the last couple of days there has been a worsening of the security in the area. we are not far from the front line donetsk is behind us. we have been stopped by ukranian military. we heard shelling and all the while the rebels are vowing to push forward. the rebels stopped us filming the checkpoints and we saw a number of tanks. rebel tanks carrying fighters through the streets. the russian government came up with a plan to address the economy.

migrant workers - russia's economy dependents on the works. >> reporter: they do the jobs that musko vits will not touch. it provides - each morning is a lottery, waiting and hoping for another day's works. home if you can call it that. always the threat of violence from russians angered by the foreign migrant workers, it's not an easy life. and for many the collapse in the value of the rouble means it's not worth it. this man left his wife and five oig in uzbekistan soon he'll return. >> uzbeks are leaving. they came up with new laws and the dollar is expensive.

>> migrant workers have their own trade union. they will process. it's 70% lower. the head of the center says it may come back. people will say it never come back. we should wait until march to realise how much russia lost and gained. >> hundreds of workers from an old russian republic gathered. these men are voting with their feet here to pick up exit papers and return them. the russian economy needs these people. a combination in the fall of the ruble. and the government plans to

introduce a migrant's tax, could see a flow of cheap labour turned off now to a business that survived wars the great depression and fashion trends. henry the hatter - a store in detroit - has been dressing presidents and musicians since 1893. in a city that has seen decades of boom and now is enduring bust how has a small hat shop managed to stay ahead? >> reporter: it's been a detroit fixture for more than 120 years. henry the hatter is the oldest hat store. this is the owner. >> having a business is almost like raising a child. you go from point a to b and you want to hand it off and hope that the next person can do the same thing. >> for the last century, men

wouldn't be seen in public without a hat. those that do don't do form at. the hist i have a social history itself. >> people started going from a heated home to a heated garage to a heated parking lot to a heated office. they didn't need to stand waiting for an office or a street car. >> the highlight is the inauguration of president eisenhower. he took the health with a henry hat. >> when kennedy was inaugurated he had a beautiful head of hair. america responded to that. and decided that they too, wanted a nice head of hair and it became easier do without a hat. >> it's music in the movies which can drive seals. >> this is the classic fodera

almost the ind yna jones look. people want to look like their idols. >> in the middle '60s, when mohammed ali was getting going. everyone war one pharrrkell williams is famous for that song and that hat. >> for a long time hats were out of favour. and then all of a sudden thanks to music, thanks to entertainment, hats became cool again, and we have gotten the 20-year-olds, the 30-year-olds and we are enjoying a researchens. >> there are different sometimes and stages. staff pride themselves on guessing a customer's side. a hat can cost from $80 to $200. something more substantial than a baseball hat. a bit like henry the hatter's

store. >> there is a lot of cotton sown. >> go to the website if you want more detail on some of the stories we are giving you - aljazeera.com. headlines and blogs. aljazeera.com. a level of delegation led by the president of the united states paid a condolence call. sympathy for the last of king abdullah, and the first contact with the new king salman. it's "inside story".