>> i'm in one of kenya's forests. i'll tell you how this card is helping people get clean water

cleanly. >> we go to colombia where one students initiative is turning her car-crazed hometown into a bike friendly environment. >> security forces in macedonia have given up trying to stop the thousands of refugees from crossing the border from greece. they are now letting groups of people through and supplying them with buses and trains to take them to serbia. that's the next step in their journey to e.u. member countries. al jazeera is in macedonia. >> two trains have left and now these are the people left behind, trying to get their papers. all it is is a starch, allowing them 72 hours in macedonia, for them to be moved on up to the serbian border. let's take a look around here. there are mainly men here. women and children were given

priority to get on the trains, but the system was quite disorganized, it was hit and miss. there was considerable tension with the police and people. the people were quite calm compared to the confront aljazeera america which has happened on the border. they now know there's a way out. they now know there is a route to the serbian border, then on to hungary, from there to france, germany, and there is a belief that their journey may have an ending. whether that's a happy one is extremely unclear. there is much uncertainty here, a lot of suffering. people from all groups, backgrounds, many from syria, this has been a long crisis, but it isn't getting any easier at all. the numbers are growing dramatically and the macedonians simply don't know what to do apart from moving people on.

people have already started gathering on the platform here. no one is told the exact time of when there will be a train. we think there may be another one on sunday, but the crowds most certainly will get bigger. take a look also at the conditions, there's very little in the way of humanitarian help here. down there, there are some stalls. there are some people getting food. you've got to have money. if you don't have money, you're stuck completely, and really, the situation here is desperate, but the numbers right now are getting fewer. >> from macedonia, we can go live to the greek border town where jonah hull is for us and has been for a couple of days now with that we saw those debt press scenes of people trying to get across into macedonia. they've now done that. what's the scene now? >> well really, martin, it's a

case of what a difference a day makes. at exactly this time, 24 hours ago, people were in the hundreds sprinting across a field. this is now a live train line again. it certainly wasn't this time yesterday. people were running across the fields, carrying their children, dropped their belongings where they stood. they had stun grenades around them and they were being chased and beaten about batons by police. now the macedonian police have relented, ordering this little border route. it's not an official border, people just walking on down the train line here into macedonia. they're being controlled at this point by the police. they're got letting them free flow, they're letting them go a few at a time, knowing they'll be picked up on the other side. they'd much rather the overflow be here, where this are now aid workers, there are supplies here

of food and water, medical kits, there are doctors if people needle medical help and the flow just keeps on coming. at the moment, there are perhaps 200 people waiting to get across and once this train crosses, they will. >> you are expecting more to come up to this border region, because people are still pouring into greece at other points. >> it's absolutely clear that that is going to happen. there's no way to avoid it, we know, because we've been on the islands in the recent past few days in the agee an, crossing in small plastic boats from turkey. one ferry is doing shuttles between athens and those islands, delivering 2,000 people at a time to the port from where they walk or take buses up through the country to the north

and then on to this point here. this flow is unrelenting. we know that for a fact, and there is absolutely no sign or sight that it's about to end. >> doan in a, thank you very much, from the greek side of the border with macedonia, thank you so much. now we can look at some pictures, live pictures of people who have been rescued by the italian coast guard. this is the italian island of sicily, where as you can see, people are disembarking, having been part of 22 separate rescue operations on saturday in which up to 4,400 refugees migrants were safely picked up from the mediterranean. many have died, making this the

most dangerous crossing in the world, the mediterranean sea. that's the latest from southern italy. meanwhile, in germany, right wing protestors fight, police are protesting in the town for a second night, because they are saying that too many asylum seekers are being let into germany. they are angry about this development. germany expects the number of people claiming asylum this year to quadruple to 800,000. >> leonard dahl is spokesman for the international organization for migration. i asked him whether enough measures were being taken to protect refugees. >> i fear there are not enough. we saw when 900 people died in the sinking of a both off libya in april of this year, 21 are april, that suddenly the heads

of state met in a panic and would reintroduce the life saving efforts that have been taking place across the mediterranean and they talked about sharing the responsibility for resettling people and accepting them. but nothing has happened in concrete terms. i think what's going to happen now is we are seeing so many people rushing across the border, we will see the european ministers meet and hopefully come to a conclusion this time. >> many refugees are escaping war in syria. at least 34 people have been killed there in government airstrikes. the rebel-held town of douma, east of damascus, a capital has been under heavy bombardment on saturday. activists say buildings were shelled, at least 200 people are thought to be under the rubble. rescuers are looking for survivors. douma is regularly targeted by government forces. more than 100 were killed by

airstrikes a week ago. >> southwest of douma, the town of al kal is under siege. relieve agencies are blocked from entering the town. we have the latest. >> with food supplies blocked, these chirp are doing what they can to find something to eat, scavenging through the rubbish on the street. he and his children came to escape a see siege in a nearby . >> we were sitting in our home and there were airstrikes happening over our heads. i have four children and they get scared. the fighting was right in front of my house. that's when we decided to flee. >> thousands came here, hoping to find security and food. they have found neither. al tal has been under various

levels of seige since the start of the war. the people supported the government early on in the uprising but that is when the town's buildings were still whole. they never managed what would followed be fours years of more hardship. they don't have access to electricity and water and now that the town is under siege, aid agencies like the red crescent have been unable to take in crucial supplies. >> all entrances are closed off. no medical supplies can enter the situation is now getting worse because of the growing shortage of basic materials. >> the clinics are having to shut down because they don't have the medicine to treat people. as the routes in and out continue to be blocked, the residents of al tal go hungry. >> to yemen, where the saudi-led coalition has carried out more

airstrikes. they targeted houthi rebels in the port city. the port is crucial to help with the delivery of aid to the northern parts of the country. in taiz, fighting continues between the houthis and forces loyal to the exiled president adou rabbo mansour hadi. on friday, 65 people were killed. aid groups are appealing for the attacks to stop so they can get supplies into the besieged city. >> houthi rebels and their allies have allegedly kidnapped nine professors and student leaders during a sit-in demonstration at anna university. the protestors were demanding the release of the former education minister when they were apparently taken. >> now lebanon's prime minister says all political forces are to blame for unprecedented protests in the capital beirut. the outcry can't be ignored and

thousands of people fought with riot police saturday. we have the details. >> these were by far the biggest protests since the crisis began and now it's about much more than just rubbish collection opinion many people have been pushed to their limits by unreliable power supplies, expensive water and what they say is a dysfunctional government. >> we are against the sectarianism of the government. our parliament are thieves stealing from the people's pockets, forcing our youth to immigrate. we protest the lack of jobs, poverty and hunger. we have no electricity and no water. >> it wasn't long before the protests became a standoff. riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. dozens of demonstrators and police were wounded. the crisis began a month ago with the closure of lebanon's

biggest landfill site. rubbish piled up across the city. the summer heat made the fumes and the smells even worse. it's the stench of political corruption and paralysis which is now driving this growing protest movement. there is still no lasting solution to the waste management crise but with unrest not seen in years, the government is facing much bigger problems. al jazeera. >> still to come here at al jazeera: >> the warming ties between the u.k. and tehran as both countries reopen their embassies. >> iran's prime minister facing protests but says he is facing powerful enemies.

>> could normalization change cuba forever? >> i'm afraid for cuba. >> we ask cubans about their

hopes and fears. >> i would love to see my business grow into a transnational company. >> hundreds of refugees boarded a train that will take them from macedonia to serbia. macedonia has seen a dramatic rise in the number of people trying to cross its territory on the way to northern europe. >> 34 have been killed in syrian government airstrikes in douma. activists say buildings in the town were struck with shells. 200 people are reported to be trapped under rubble. >> lebanon's prime minister said all political forces are to blame for unprecedented protest in the capital beirut.

the outcry can't be ignored. lebanon needs to elect a president as soon as possible. >> britain and iran reopened embassies. iran expelled britons ambassador four years ago and the embassy was stormed by protestors days later. paul brennan reports from the iranian embassy in london. >> it's remarkably low-key start to what is going to be a very significant development in diplomatic ties between britain and iran. it's sunday morning here. we're in the weekend outside of normal office hours. there has been a spread stream of officials going in and out of the building behind me. the actual ceremony will be behind closed doors if the iranian diplomatic residents, about 100 yards from here. you can see they are being hours, with the iranians and the

british about the amount of fanfare they give this. it is extremely significant. phillip hammond, the british foreign secretary, his visit to tehran the first by a british foreign secretary in two years. the two embassies have been closed for four years, so reopening them is significant. i think what is also significant is the reason behind this. this is far more than politics or diplomacy. the delegation to tehran include delegates from the foreign ministry and treasury and representatives from big wish industries, as well. there is billions of dollars of business likely to open up as relationships thaw and the british do not want to miss out on those dollars. >> hundreds of protestors have stormed the office of a mayor in southern iraq, forcing him to resign. it happened in the hole town of the former prime ministerial

maliki. the foreign ministeria al abadi announce the reforms but said some people are standing in the way of progress. >> it is a protest movement that has brought society together, but it also brought into the open the power struggle between iraq's shia politicians. every friday, iraqi's from different sects and walks of life, at first demanded better services. now they want change. >> people don't just want water and electricity, we want political reform and government institutions. >> prime minister al abadi promised to do just that. these protests have become a support for fighting corruption. even the prime minister said he is facing powerful enemies. >> there are people who want to

bring down the political process. they have money, they run television and radio stations, but we will stand in their way. >> abadi has the backing of the highest shia religious authority in iraq, the grand ayatollah, who has considerable influence over the shia population. through his spokesman, he urged reforms. it was a message of support to abadi and a message to his rivals not to stand in the way. >> abadi took office over a year ago after isil captured much of the sunni heartland. he replaced al-maliki. abadi's mission was to reconcile iraq's communities and reinstate the state authority. he has been challenged by political forces from within the shia leadership. >> shia militias, known as the popular mobilization forces, have replaced an army that collapsed in the face of isil. these groups gained support

among the public and their leaders have political ambitions. some have strong links with iran and are allies of maliki, who still has the largest single block in the iraqi parliament. >> there are serious divisions within the shia house. abadi tried to ask the groups to stop meddling in state affairs, but it didn't work. >> there are fears they might be highjacked by political forces who in many ways are stronger than the state. al abadi needs to meet people's expectations in order to retain credibility. >> senior officials from north and south korea resumed talks to try to ease cross border tensions. the two countries have been locked in a war of words since trading artillery fire thursday. while talks take place, south korea's military has detected

submarine movement movements. we have this report. >> the history of these periods of heightened tensions, it's not uncommon for the messages to be sent by both sides to be pretty mixed. sunday, we saw what's happening where talks have been taking place. south korea has been reported saying there is significant military maneuvers north of the border. most significantly, what's been happening with the submarine fleet, 50 of north korea's 70 submarines have been deployed from their bases on both coasts of north korea, so far un detected by south korean ships and planes, as well as artillery has been doubled while these talks have been going on. it's worth pausing and thinking

how we got to this point. august 4 there were land mine blasts on the south korean side of the demilitarized zone, which injured south korean soldiers. south korea said it was a north korea attack and started propaganda broadcasts across the border. a 48 hour dead lynn for them to end was issued, otherwise there would be a north korean military strike against them. that was before these talks took place. screen i can't said it will not end the broadcasts in my north korea apologizes for the land mine attacks. we have had talks over the last couple of days. >> guatemala's president faces intense pressure to step down over corruption allegations. protestors held anti-government rallies in the cannottal in front of the national palace,

calling for the penalty's resignation. >> thousands are gathering in stack home for world water week, focusing on making sure resources are used firstly. more than 40% of the world's water is consumed in china, india, the u.s. and brazil. around 750 million people, that's 11% of the world's population still don't have access to safe water. around 40% of them live in sub is a harrahen africa. we have this report on a new scheme developed for people who don't have clean, piped water. >> this simple prepaid card has never been more important for people in this township. it pays for water. at half a u.s. cent, they are able to get 20 liters of clean water.

an average family uses about 120-liters a day. in an area where water has for decades been scarce, expensive and unclean, this a.t.m. style dispenser is welcome news. >> it has helped me, because we used to go far to look for water. now even if there is no water at the city council, we can still get water here. >> this is a slum of half a million people. the nairobi water company which provides water to the city's residents has only installed four so far and faces competition from illegal vendors who have diverted the company's water to sell. >> these are water points. that's an illegal collection. it seems to be much easier, but also more expensive. there are many such water points here and they are said to be operated by landlords and vigilante groups, as well.

>> we are told those who live in this township are forced by the cartels to buy water from the illegal points at twice the cost and without the guarantee of safety. >> local community workers are being used to convince people, including many skeptics, to buy the cards. she has just bought one. she said even though the new water points may be cheaper, they are an inconvenience. >> the water points are very few. the water pressure is very low, so we have to que for long time. >> they hope to install more

water dispensers to reach all the people in the slum by the end of next year. until then, the company has no option than to continue operating along the cartels stealing from it. >> once known as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, medellin has been trying to transform that image through innovative infrastructure and social projects. we report now from how medellin is creating a bike-friendly community. >> after two years spent abroad in amsterdam, engineering student lena lopez he returned medellin with an idea, help turn this car crazed city into a bike friendly environment. she designed a pilot program for a public bike sharing system and sold it to the local administration. >> at the beginning, they'd say here come the crazies, the hippies, we would be attacked on social media. we insisted, and now the bicycle has become a serious means of transport in medellin. it still is an issue of

controversy, but many understand the benefits it brings. >> the system started with just a few bikes collecting universities to public transportation. now it has 50 stations across town, and more than 20,000 people have signed up for the program. >> as another well known bike sharing system in new york or in paris, you just sign up on line, pick up your card, and you're ready to borrow your bike for an hour before returning it to a station. this system is completely free. >> nobody knew what a public bike system was in colombia. it was perceived as dangerous. there was the idea that bicycles were only for poor people, but being a free service, people tried us and then started using us. >> in recent years, medellin gained attention for its urban transformation. it's the only city in the country with a metro and it has built innovative aerial tram ways and urban escalators in its

once notorious slums. despite a master plan of 400 kilometers of bike routes, only 40 have been built and few respect the cyclists on the road. >> there hasn't been the political will to really focus on bicycles as a sustainable alternative. more needs to be done to educate people, but we are seeing change. there is a new generation of citizens organizing, not waiting for the government to act. >> thousands of cyclists take to the streets every wednesday night to do just that. like lena's public share program, they show changing the way people navigate the streets is possible, even in increasingly crowded car-choked cities. >> winning gold if the 100 meters at the world championships, he struggled with injury this season and failed to impress in the heat in beijing. he beat the favorite justin

gatlin into second place, bolt winning his third world title. he is officially the fastest man in the world. you are with al jazeera. ♪ >> they work in the darkest depths of the earth, your honor seen and unheard by the world above.