up to 50 refugees are found dead in a lor lorry in austria. european and balkan leaders meet for a crisis summit in vena hello, i'm jane dutton, you're watching al jazeera, 500 days, and they still vant brought back our girls. nigeria marks a grim anniversary. china accuses 11 government and port officials of negligence over a blast that killed 129 people in tianjin.

>> i'm charles stratford reporting from northern yooethia, where conservationists are struggling to save 1500 years of christian heritage in the churches of lava belle. >> up to 50 refugees have been found dead in a lori in unfortunate -- lorry in austria. european and balkan leaders are at a crisis summit in vena. let's bring in barnaby phillips at the meeting in vienna. the latest news providing a backdrop to the meeting. do you have more details about what happened? >> we just have been hearing the same reports that you have. i understand that this incident took place in a town about 45 minutes away from vienna. and that the austrian police may give a press complrches very

soon, which we hope will shed more light on an apparent tragedy, but you are right. it brings today's summit very much into focus. this was meant to be a routine e.u.-western balkans annual summit. part of a process intended to draw the western balkan countries, countries of the gormer yugoslavia into the e.u. it has been hijacked before the latest reports coming through, by the pressing question of europe's miling ration crisis, and if that news is concerned. it will no doubt filter through to the likes of angela merkel who are in the palace behind me, and add gravity and urgency to their talks about migration in europe. >> what have you heard up to

date? >> well, we have heard from western ball can leaders, countries like serbia and macedonia, that they need more help from wealthier counties in the e.u. what we heard in austrian and german leaders is the european union as a whole has to step up to the challenge, it has though share the responsibility fairly equally among the block. european solidarity, if it means anything, it means, for example, some form of quota system across the e.u. relative to country's wealth and capacity to take in refugees, something that we know face stiff opposition from eastern countries and the u.k. the danger as the austrian foreign minister put it was if europe did not act as one, conventions like the dublin conventions lose all meaning, and what you get is a series of

ad hoc responses, and perhaps the most graphic is that being imposed by the hungarian government at the moment building a racer wire fence along the border with serbia to keep people occupant. >> i'll -- people occupant. >> i'll pick up on the point. hungarian place say 150,000 have been stopped crossing into it country. tensions are running high. andrew simmonds reports from there. >> un rest at the european border. "u.n. hep us" they chant. with record numbers crossing into hungary and a build-up of security forces. there are fears of violence. police are trying to play down the crisis. what happened was there was a small conflict that erupted. and several approached the fence and the police tried to stop them, using tear gas. there wasn't injuries.

>> a 3m high fence has been put up. now, thousands of people are getting through sections where there's only razor wire. police are failing to make arrests. hungry's right wing government is taking a tougher line. more than 2,000 police are being sent to the border to reinforce it. the government will vote on plans to deploy the army here. >> back in the serbian capital, belgrade, up to 3,000 a day have been boarding buses bound for the hungarian border. they are record numbers. refugees say they are treated better in serbia than grease and macedonia, but are worried about getting into hungry. some of the belgrade's parks are the last transit point before the border. this woman fled from violence in aleppo. she is holding off heading to hungary because she's scared.

>> we stay here, we are worried about hungary. not turkey, greece, hungary - why do that? i can't understand. >> politicians prepare for a west balkans summit to discuss the biggest refugee crisis, on the ground the situation is worsening still to come - two iraqi army commanders killed by suicide car bomb in anbar province, they will oversee units in a campaign ape gains i.s.i.l. brigadier saturn were killed north of ramadi. three soldiers also died. kurdish peshmerga fighters have taken 10 villages from i.s.i.l.

control. kurdish forces say 2,000 fighters advanced in kirkuk. they began the assaults in kirkuk, with the backing of u.n. air strikes. the kurds say u.n. 25 i.s.i.l. fighters were killed. police in china arrested men over massive explosions, 129 died when a warehouse storing massive chemicals exploded. 11 government officials have been prosecuted for negligence. adrian brown is in beijing with the details. >> in a sense, those you expect to be arrested have been arrested. they include the chairman, vice chairman and three deputy managers. where there's twin explosion happening, over two weeks ago. wednesday, it was announced that the man who headed the work safety regulator had himself been sacked.

he is a former deputy mayor, a post he held for 12 years. you sense that this investigation will be more open than previous similar inquiries in the past. they tended to be opaque. this time the authorities are more open with the information they are releasing. they don't know the answer to key questions. why is it that so many dangerous chemicals were stored 800m away from where people were living. chinese law states such chemicals have to be stored 1,000 metres away. >> 139 people have been confirmed dead. 34 are missing. most of the dead and injured are firearm. other questions, were the firearm detained to deal with the disaster, why did so many die. the government promised a thorough investigation, and

promised to tighten the regulations governing the storage of such chemicals one community, 276 schoolgirls, and 500 days, that's how long it's been since the girls were abducted in in north-eastern nigeria. 57 escaped, but nothing has been heard of those left behind. the girls were taken by boko haram from their school in the middle of the night. they were preparing for end of year exams, getting the education for which boko haram is opposed. this boko haram video was proof that they were alive. but not a single one has been rescued. outrage at the government's inability to clampdown on boko haram-fuelled mass protests in nigeria. >> we are here to appeal to the government to do bet erp, we want our girls now, and alive.

[ chanting ] the campaign hashtag "bring back our girls" began in nigeria, spreading around the world, drawing the attention of big names such as ellen degeneres here, and the u.s. first lady michelle obama. and became one of the biggest stories of the year. >> this unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education. grown men, attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls. i want you to know that barak directed our government to do everything possible to support the nigeria government's efforts to find the girls and bring them home but the girls are still not home. boko haram said most converted to islam, and been married off and the brutal campaign terrorized the north-east of nigeria, with abduction and murder, showing no sign of ending. let's go to our correspondent

ynonne ndedge in abuja. what is the government doing to bring back the girls. >> well the government says it is doing everything it can. earlier today we sat down with the presidential spokesperson, an interview we'll bring to the viewers later, and he said that the military are intensifying intelligence gathering in the hunt for the girls, reconnaissance missions in the areas they believe the girls, those still alive, might be held captive, and no stone is left unturned in the pursuit of those who are behind the kidnapping. obviously boko haram. and everything, as i say, is being done. the spokesperson appealed to nigerians to be patient. it is over a year since that video that we played, where you see the girls, was released.

almost nothing has been seen or heard since. he appealed for patience. he did remind us that it was only three months ago that muhammadu buhari took power, so only a few weeks. he's still trying to saern what has gone before, and looking at how to move the whole issue of their rescue, and return to their families forward. he pointed out the fact that it is an incredibly remote area, where they believe the girls are, which is the forest area in north-eastern nigeria, but i do believe that the girls are alive. there is a great amount of sadness, and disillusionment for many people here, who have had many promises, many fine words from the government. not just of muhammadu buhari, but the previous leadership under goodluck jonathan, that everything was being done, but still, unfortunately, the girls are missing. >> hard to be patient when it could be your own daughter.

the campaign, where is it now? >> well, the campaign involves pressurising the government to try and do something. the organizers of the bring back our girls campaign... ..today is it not only 500 days since the girls were taken, but it's the culmination of seven days of campaigns and activities by family members, campaigners. what they are intending to do is have a peaceful protest through the streets of the capital. mobilizing - trying to mobilize nigerians, to not forget, to remember what happened. to see the girls as children of their own relative, to put pressure, and further pressure who are charged with find ghts the girls to do something. this evening there'll be a

candle lit vigil in which there'll be prayers. >> thank you and apologies for the glitches fears in chile about the china downturn, what impact it has on the copper industry. >> there's a jealous guarding of rugby. >> it's not one down deliberately to oust black people the racial make-up of south africa's rugby team is under question in the rugby world

the top tories on al jazeera - austria's newspaper is reporting as many as 50 refugees have been found dead in a parked truck. it appears they suffocated. thousands are arriving in the e.u. each day. european and balkan leaders are at a crisis summit. campaignersers marking 500 days since a group of schoolgirls were abducted. more than 200 girls are missing. >> the army is fighting boko haram, and the government had been unable to rescue of the girls. >> police in china arrested 12 people over explosions in the city of tannin. 11 government officials have been prosecuted for negligence. 129 died when a warehouse stores hazardous chemicals explode.

>> u.s. president obama said he's heart broken over the killing of two journals. the shooter was using an illegally obtained gun when he filmed himself shooting tv reporter alison parker and cameraman adam ward. he turned gun on himself and in a faxed message he said the attack was in revenge for the recent shooting of nine black churchgoers in south carolina. >> it's obvious that there was - this gentleman was disturbed in some way, of the way things transpired at some point in his life. it would appear things were spiralling out of control. we are looking into that vigils have been held for the victims. the murders turned attention yet again to the problem of gun violence in the united states and reignited the debate over

firearms control. >> this is another example of gun violence that is becoming too common in communities large and small. while there's no peace of legislation ending all violence, there are commonsense things that only congress can do, they we no would have a tangible impact of reducing gun crime. >> that week said turmoil in chinese financial markets has chileans watching nervously across the pacific ocean. daniel schweimler reports.

>> chile, one of the most stable economies in south america was built on mining. particularly copper, a soft mettle used in electrical wiring. economists recognised that chile was overdependent on what it calls red gold. events this week in china might prove them right. >> we have failed in an export basket. copper is 50% of all which export every year, we are dependent on what happens with copper. and what happened to copper is that its global price slumped by 20%, and the biggest market china, wants less of it than expected. the fear here is if the chinese economy heads towards crisis, it will want less. with less income from copper, less dollars, the price of everything has gone up from electrical items to bread. and the government facing vociferous demands to reform, especially the education system,

when china sneezes. one way or another all members will be affected, but how and how much is not yet clear. >> what is clear is the counter crisis is forcing the chilean copper industry to look at how it operates. chile cannot reduce the reliance on copper overnight. and it's hoped they might extract something positive. there'll be survivors, the fittest, and those unlikely to be in the best position for the next boom. and the mining industry generally will be used to having booms and busts all the time. in the meantime, chile is watching and waiting to see what happens next in china. hundreds of people marched through mexico city. they are demanding justice for

43 missing students. they disappeared in the south-west of guerra a year ago. it has become a rallying point for mexicans frustrated by drugs and gang violence, and the slow pace of justice. foreign ministers of columbia and venezuela promised to increase cooperation. columbia closed two border crossings and deported hundreds of columbians, it raised tensions between the two countries violence broke out between police and anticorruption protesters in honduras. >> demonstrate junior are call for the resignation of hernandez. they have been gathering every week for three months, since the government was linkeded to a multi-million fraud at the welfare department.

many want a u.n. led investigation. >> now, the ancient churches in northern ethiopia have been places of pilgrimage for hundreds of years. conservesists are struggling to preserve. >> reporter: it's the spiritual home for million of ethiopian orthodox christians around the world. the 11 churches were carved out of the mountainside. in the 12th century, during the rain of peace king. the ancient places of worship, representing sites in jerusalem and places in the bible. the ancient places of worship represent holy sites in jerusalem, and stories in the bible. they were built so christians didn't have to risk the

pilgrimage from the holy land. the frescoe on the ceiling dates from the 15th century. the rocking churches are of immense archeological and historical comparisons. the places of pilgrimage around the world are literally crumbling away. the rock in this area is highly susceptibility to moisture. in this church men use a syringe to inject grout into cracks in a pillar. >> in terms of seismic activity, resilience, i mean, a slight earthquake would destroy the place. the fact is when you are dealing with natural strata in the terms of an historic building rather than a mine or a tunnel, there's little you can do. you can't line it with steel bars and concrete, you'll destroy the monument. it's historic surface. >> lose those, and you simply are back into rotted geology. >> and that process is not far off on the outside.

>> antony shows us what he means. >> and if we start losing material like this, right through here, i mean, the only future for that, without some sort of intervention is this: so the idea of the bandage is to hold it in place. until we can get there to repair it. because every time it rains a little more falls off. if we weren't to do this, it would be a catastrophe. >> i'm lucky because i come from this area. this heritage is a big thing for us. >> a number of churches have been covered by temporary shelters to protect them from the rain while the work is don. on a hilltop close by, people pray. >> the king did not just build the churches as a human being, he built them with the help of god. it was included on the first

ever u.n.e.s.c.o. world heritage site in 1978. preserving this extraordinary place of spiritual retreat for ethiopians for every generation, a challenge they hope they can meet. the african union urged both sides in south sudan's civil war to respect the peace deal signed on wednesday. african union commission chief described the agreement as a critical step in the efforts aimed at ending the conflict. the south african antiapartheid activist desmond tutu is expected to be discharged from hospital. this was his second administration to hospital in a month. >> host england will name their squad for the the rugby world cup.

the racial make-up of the squad would be heavily scrutinized as a longstanding point of controversy. officials was accused of not including another blacked players. >> south africa's biggest township, soweto, is officially football territory. slowly rugby is making inroads. interest is driven by the soweto rugby union. it wants to develop a sport in the township. >> i want to play rugby very much, i want to play for the springboks, and go to london and different splayses. i want to be famous. >> achieving his dream may not be easy. a local union says it's the only playable field here. >> you kill the support. by the time you develop the facilities, who will play, because there's no support for events to take place

the idols, the springboks, are one of the best teams in the world. the recent performances have been overshadowed by criticism that the team does not have enough black players. the springboks won the second world cup in 2007. with just two black players on the squad. now, as the boks prepare for the next month's championship in england, the race has resurfaced with the most recent squad including four black players. the coach says he selects players based on merit, not colour. >> there are concerns black players don't play enough. the south african rugby union claims 80% of united 18s are back. >> there's a glass ceiling this is post metric, because of attitudes of conservative white coaches who feel that may be

black players are not good enough as their white counterparts are, and for me that's a massive mind-set change that is needed. >> the union says it has a transformation plan in place, to have nonwhites making up half the national team by 2019. >> there's a feeling amongst white people that rugby is the last institution of society, where they can express themselves, where they can represent south africa. there is definitely a jealous guarding of rugby. but it's not one that is done deliberately to oust black people. >> while south africa makes final preparations for the world cup, the team's biggest challenge may not be defeating opponents on the field, buts, instead, the task of racial transformation.

adrenalin junkies gathered on greek islands in for the go fast games, the 200 meter high limestone cliffs above the beach provide a perfect and pictures esque location. high winds effect the competition, jumpers leapt more than 300 times. 300 times. >> friends and family mourn two journalists killed live on television. we're finding just what the gunman claims sparked his anger. >> i didn't have sex with her. >> a 19-year-old takes the stand in his own defense in the new hampshire prep school rape case. why he says he lied when he brogged to his friends. >> it's a political ad campaign causing outrage in detroit, the flyers many