arkism. the news continues next live from london, web, keep up on aljazeera.com. ♪ chaos at the borer, thousands of refugees are pushed back as they try to cross from greece into macedonia. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, two years on from the chemical attacks that shocked the world. alexis tsipras forms a deepening division in his party. and the $4 million home of

leon trotsky will come with a few surprises. ♪ hello. there have been scenes of chaos than the border between greece and macedonia, as thousands of refugees try to make their way further north across europe. many are fleeing war in syria and iraq. some of them making journeys by sea to avoid european borders. many countries have responded with tighter security. macedonia a state of emergency is now in force. around a quarter of a million refugees are known to have crossed the mediterranean successfully this year. many more have died in the attempt. some then continue their journey deeper into europe. this is the scene that calais in northern france. around 3,000 are camped there,

trying to cross the channel into the u.k. emma hayward has more now on the situation in macedonia. >> reporter: they spent a cold night in no man's land waiting to cross the border. but their passage was blocked by riot police. rocks were thrown, then this. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: smoke filling the air, with police using stun grenades to try to keep people out. in the ensuing chaos, there was panic. most refugees here have escaped conflict, and few would have expected this. >> they shoot us today. i see it. >> reporter: later more frustration and fear as numbers built up at the border. it was opened for a short time, and then quickly closed again. leaving the crowd desperate to

be allowed through. but the heat and the crush was too much for some. tens of thousands of people have crossed through macedonia's borders heading north during the last month. too many say the authorities who have declared a state of emergency in two border regions. the local train station is a transit point for many. most want to try to reach serbia, hungary, and other parts of europe. many will have to stay and wait wherever they can on the greek side. >> there are hundreds of vulnerable persons, children, babies, other persons with extreme vulnerabilities. most of them, if not all of them stay in the open air. we do appeal to the greek authorities to take all necessary measures to address the humanitarian needs of the

persons gathered. >> reporter: macedonia says it will allow refugees to enter in numbers it can cope and care for. but by bolstering its borders, the country may create a backlog of desperate men, women, and children unsure where they can go next, knowing they can't go home. emma hayward, al jazeera. al jazeera's correspondent is live for us on the greek side. he joins us now. tell us how the situation is being managed now. >> reporter: well, latest is that nobody will be allowed to cross the macedonia border for today. they are going to open it again tomorrow at 5:00 am, macedonian police reopened border early afternoon, shortly, a couple of hundred people managed to cross the border and continued their journey to western europe.

after that, the border was closed again, and only every one or two hours, small groups of people were allowed to cross the borders. mostly women and children, because here there is more than 3,000 people, most of them are women and children. there are a lot of people who has chronicle diseases, and they have priority for crossing the border. as i said, they are going to open the border tomorrow at 5:00 am, and they will allow for smaller groups to cross the border every two hours. but people are coming -- are coming up here from minute to minute. for tomorrow is expected a ferry boat from an island to athens with more than 2,500 refugees, and eventually those people will come here at the border, so the number of refugees here at the border with macedonia, will not decrease. this area is secured by a large

number of policemens helped by macedonia army. they built wire fence in the length of about 500 meters maybe to one kilometer to prevent people crossing the border over the -- over the fields, and most of the people as i said will spending another night here at the border. >> okay. thank you very much indeed for that live update. syria's conflict is still no closer to resolution, and the international community is beings a cued of not doing enough to bring it to an end. two years ago there was outrage when 1500 were killed in an air sarin gas attack. a warning you may find some images in this report up setting. >> reporter: the dead and the dying. there was no blood or visible injuries. rockets carrying chemicals

landed in the damascus suberb on the morning of august 21, 2013. >> it took like seconds before i lost my ability to breathe. i wasn't able to breathe or even to scream to alert my friends, so i have to like pound my chest really hard just to try to take a single breath. i felt like somebody was tearing up my chest with a knife. >> reporter: the 29 year old survived. hundreds of others didn't. two years later, he has a new life in the united states, but remembers that day clearly. >> it was a scene from judgment day. dozens of people, men, women, children, running and falling on the ground, suffocating, the terror, the confusion, it was something unbearable. i just didn't know what to do. >> reporter: mohammed did. he was a photographer working in

syria. he wanted to document the evidence of a crime he believed the world should see. >> i asked the doctor about what i need to know. so he showed me. he showed me the dark. the dark blue of the color that had been changed the eyes, and the things that coming out from their mouth. >> reporter: but even though he has covered the war for many years he says he can't forget what he saw that day. >> i'm a war photographer, to see a dead body with the blood, it's normal. when you see them, you think they are -- at the first you think that they are sleeping, then you realize after like one or two seconds, your reality becomes facing what is really going on. >> reporter: reality faced him years before. he was an activist where he used to film the suffering of people who continued to live under siege. he has tried to raise awareness, but he says it has always been

in vain. >> honestly i feel like i did nothing. i feel like after all of this talking, all of the people that i met, not just me, like, thousands of syrians here, we feel like there is no hope. >> reporter: the u.n. did conclude that sarin gas was used in the attack, but didn't have the mandate to blame anyone. threw is now a mandate to investigate chemical attacks but not attacks before 2014. ♪ greece's main opposition party is trying to form a new government after the prime minister called for new elections. more than 20 members from the ruling party have announced they are forming a new party. john psaropoulos reports from

athens. >> reporter: the notion of a sec election in a year appeals to sir -- tsipras's supporters. most greeks, however, want more stability. >> translator: it's a bad idea. we're voting every six months. that suggests something deeply wrong with the political system, and it's specially effects those of us who are unemployed. we believed in tsipras. he did not stick to his promises, and if a politician can't do that, it's better if he doesn't stand. >> reporter: seven months of negotiations resulted in a third bailout loan, accompanied by strict austerity measures. the long period of uncertainty allowed the economy to slide back into recession despite an outlook for growth this year. this antiques dealer has felt

the brunt of the recession. he used to count the rich afamous among his clients. he has now given up his business and locked his valuables in cellars. >> translator: tsipras is trying to escape. they promised much and delivered nothing. did they bring one euro of the embezzled millions back? they said they would abolish the property tax and tear up the austerity deal. they did none of it. >> reporter: tsipras's resignation has sparked an open season on syriza. 20 members have formed a new party. the conservatives now want to break off those who lie nearer to the political center. proausterity parties not including syriza only control 106 seats, far short of what they need to govern. the conservatives plan to invite

moderate syriza mp's to join them in a coalition, which could possibly include a prime minister other than many tsipras. but the venture seems ambitious. syriza rose from single digits to rule greece in just a few years. those who want it to return to its leftist roots, and those who lost to it, both want it to unravel even faster. but greek politics are personality oriented, while the appeal of alexis tsipras lasts, they are unlikely to succeed. >> john, are we looking at new elections, then? >> reporter: i think most likely we are. i think that even though the conservatives are trying to make a very earnest effort to form a government out of this parliament, realistically speaking with their 76 seats, 13 more seats from other pro-austerity parties, taking

you to 106, as which were saying there, leaves him very, very far short of the 151 he needs. and i don't think he is going to get syriza mp's to break away and come over with him. that will go over extremely badly on the left. once the order passes from the conservatives to smaller marties, i think chances grow even smaller. so new elections most likely a syriza victory, possibly a broadened popular appeal, and broadened popular vote, maybe also a coalition between syriza and traditional allies like the independent greeks, but this is all conjecture and based on what we're hearing on the streets, and the opinion polls that we have seen so far. understand this campaign gets underway, we'll see where the alliances are made.

still ahead on al jazeera, the international weather forecast. plus the north korean leader orders a state of readiness. and the thieves that managed to steal this 19th century work of art. ♪ water in the river. >> where's the water going? >> i worry about the future generations - what are they going to have? >> faultlines investigates the shrinking colorado river. >> no group of people can have their american dream... we have to pay that price. ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ a reminder of the top stories. hundreds of refugees have clashed with border forces in an attempt to enter macedonia from

greece. and the leftist syriza party of tsipras has split. tensions are close to boiling point between north and south korea. kim ki-jong has ordered his front line troops to be on a war footing, as the south refused to stop propaganda broadcasts. it has until saturday afternoon to halt the messages or face military actions. harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: south korea's president visits a command post on friday. the message being conveyed her personal command of the situation as north and south korea engage in one of their sporadic military faceoffs. >> translator: the military should be alert for further

provocation. i want you to take action first and then report later. >> reporter: it followed a late night meeting in the north in which kim ki-jong ordered a quasi war state and commanders to be ready. >> translator: the general staff of the korean people's army sent an ultimate tum saying the korean people's army would launch a strong military action unless south korea stops broadcasting towards the north. >> reporter: south korea restarted broadcasts of propaganda two weeks ago in response to what happened earlier this month on the southern side of the demilitarized zone. they say northern forces planted land mines that a maimed two of its soldiers.

this is the closest civilian area to where south korea says the projectile was fired on thursday. here people are advised to leave their homes. >> translator: north korea's provocation is likely to continue. so we are advising residents to stay in shelters. we will advise them to come back to the shelter this evening. >> reporter: inside it's a mainly the elderly and the young who stayed behind. >> translator: living in this area, i have seen many drills and heard explosions, but this time the sound was louder, and there was an announcement asking us to evacuate. compared to the past, i'm more concerned. >> reporter: seeking shelter is starting to feel like a habit here. a shell fell right here last week. north korea had been firing at propaganda firing at balloons

launched by south korean activists. south korea says if a military strike follows, it will counterattack strongly. doctors without borders is reporting that at least 65 people, including 17 from the same family have been killed from saudi-lead air strikes in the yemeni city of ta'izz. the city of ta'izz has been under attack for weeks. this footage is from shelling on thursday. pro-government forces backed by the saudi-lead coalition are pushing houthi fighters from the region. australia is considering a request from the u.s. to carry out air strikes against isil in syria. it is already involved in an air campaign in iraq. tony abbott says there are legal issues around his country's involvement in syria, but says he will consider the request

carefully. iraq's top shia cleric has warned the country could split. he says government reforms must be introduced immediately to tackle corruption. the latest call is one of several made by the cleric this month. it's believed he has played a major role in the recent anti-corruption drive by the prime minister. the united nations calls it devastates and inexmriksable, the shut down of iraq's life-saving medical services. last month around 80% of health problems were shut down. among those effects half a million children who won't be immunized. mohammed jamjoom went to one hospital to see how the doctors are coping. >> reporter: at this hospital in baghdad, this doctor doles out medical care and dispenses hard

truths. >> living in a city with violence, daily violence, a city -- living in a city with low infrastructures, and trying your best to give the best to those patients, it's not easy. >> reporter: while this government-run facility is cleaner and better stocked than many hospitals and clings in iraq's capitol, it's not immune to the crisis spreading through the health care system. the shortage of supplies and well-trained staff is nothing new in iraq, but things are getting worse. even storing medicines at the right temperature is difficult. the medication stored inside here must stay constantly refrigerated, that's why these cooling units have to keep working. during this record heat wave at a time when there are so many power cuts this hospital and others are relying on backup

generators. back inside patients find that even on a relatively slow day, wait times are long. >> translator: if i had a critical condition and needed immediate surgery, i would have to wait a month to get my turn, and that's not practical at all. >> reporter: going to a private hospital would be far too expensive for this couple. the ministry of health isn't the only institution in the country struggling to deliver aid. the united nations recently announced a funding gap, forcing 80% of front line health services in iraq to shut down. one million people are affected. >> it means all of the kids who were going to be immune niced aren't going to be immunized. all of the pregnant next women who needed help, they are not going to receive assistance. it's painful. it hurts. and it's the people who need us the most right now, we're walking away from them. when you are in a clinic that

yesterday was providing antibiotics and today is closed, because we don't have the funding, you're ashamed. >> reporter: another blow to a country who's people need more help but are receiving less and less. ecuador's government has banned journalists from reporting on a volcano that has erupted for the first time in 70 years. it is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanos in the world. but journalists say the ban is just one of many restrictions on press freedom in ecuador. >> reporter: after 31 years in a news program this man says he now watches every word he says on air, afraid his radio station will be fined by the government says his son. >> translator: if the government disagrees with our contend we have to public a rectification

exactly as they send it to us, with their vision on the issues, and that includes saying we are liars. >> reporter: their station could even lose its operating license given by the government if they anger the president. >> translator: they are shameless, sick, clowns, psychopaths, manipulative, and dishonest. >> reporter: he doesn't trust the private media, and constantly lashes out against it. private tv station has eliminated investigative reports on corruption to avoid the president's criticism and to prevent punishment. >> translator: there is censorship applied through the law. it's not that you violate the law and you are punished, you are punished even if you don't violate the law. >> reporter: since its creation the law has gone after and fined 143 news organizations, only one

of them is public, the rest are private. any information aired or published is subject to scrutiny by a panel named by the government. this woman directs a government sponsored radio station. she says the private media responds to private interests, the end game now is to make journalism independent, rigorous, and responsible. >> translator: there isn't any persecution obviously the private media dislikes that type of control over content. the law doesn't prohibit publishing information. but if you want to publish, you have to do it well. >> reporter: critics say the law hasn't help improvement the quality of journalism, instead small newspapers are disappearing or are being used as propaganda tools by the government. journalists say the new regulations mean their outlets

can discredited or immediately punished even if they can prove they are telling the truth. police in denmark have released surveillance video to try to kick start a global manhunt for two art thieves. two men are suspected of stealing this bust in brood daylight a week after an earlier visit to disable the alarm. the bust is worth an estimated 300,000 dollars. the man hunt has gone word wide. the normer home of leon trotsky has gone on sale for a whopping $4.4 million. it's in istanbul. the catch is it can only be turned into a public cultural facility.

bernard smith has been for a viewing. >> reporter: surrounded by the mansions of capitalism's millionaires is the crumbling home of one of the great revolutionaries. newly exiled from the soviet union, leon strot ski arrived here in 1929. now his formal refuge is up for sale for $4.4 million. but in a twist that might make an old communist smile, whoever buys this prime real estate won't be able to use it as a private home. >> translator: the owners wanted to restore the house. but four years ago it was designated a public cultural facility. it's a very difficult restoration for whoever takes it on. >> reporter: it's estimated a restoration would cost around a million dollars. the chose this place dauz it gave him a sense of security from the assassins he knew

moscow was sending. he spent four years in turkey before traveling through europe and into mexico. it was there that he was murdered with an ice pick on stallen's orders. >> translator: trotsky wasn't the kind of person to get sad. we, however, should be upset at the state of this beautiful mansion. trot ski it seems did consider coming back. in a letter sent when he left, he writes upon my return. i'm sure if he did come back and saw it in this state, he would be saddened. >> reporter: the area has changed little since trotsky was here. cars are banned. but elsewhere in the world life has moved on. like the political philosophy he championed, his house could soon just disappear. bernard smith, al jazeera,

istanbul. more stories for you any time on our website. there's plenty of details on the ones we're covering, but also the sport and analysis. aljazeera.com is the address, and you can also watch us live by clicking on the watch live icon. the address again, aljazeera.com. [ gunfire ] [ screaming ] wow, a state of emergency in macedonia, as a migrant and refugee crisis pushes the tiny nation to the brink. wall street in the middle of another big selloff. and new evacuations in the northwest as fire spreads faster than crews can contain them. now international help is on the way. ♪