family of refugees fighting to be able to continue their journey across europe and on to germany. ♪ good to have you with us. you're watching al jazeera with me, david foster. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. thousands of farmers converge on paris demanding the government does more to help them fight rising costs. the former congolese rebel leader testifies at his war crimes trial, saying he never attacked civilians.

♪ china says it will cut its army by 300,000, as it commemorates the end of the second world war. ♪ europe is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis as more and more refugees continue to move across the continent. in that is according to the european commission's vice president. in hungary there have been chaotic scenes. police tried to force refugees off of a train taking them from budapest towards the austrian border. >> reporter: it was a day that started with elation, refugees running through doors that suddenly opened. they thought they were going to be bound for austria and germany, most with international

tickets. they crammed into carriages, but this train traveled for no more than an hour. then this unscheduled stop at the station. where do you think you are going now? >> we don't know. we don't know. >> reporter: the refugees were convinced they had been duped and the police were going to take them to a nearby refugee camp. some jumped down on to the rail line. the police moved in. this father with his wife and toddler resisted with all of the force he could muster. attempts by the police to pull them away. what was happening engaged the overrefugees. eventually the family was taken away. gradually the situation turned from anger to subdued anxiety. what followed was a long standoff. refugees chanting no police, no camps. not for the first time in this crisis, there was confusion,

stress, and sheer exhaustion. then the police moved again. these people have been here for more than two hours in stand off. and now it appears to be ending, because we're being forcibly ejected from the platform. we have tried to stay here. we have tried to board the train. these people are calling for us to get on the train or at least stay here, but there's no way we can stay here, because we're being forcibly removed from the platform. but this standoff hasn't ended. the police ensured the media was away from the refugees, but still within the station. six busses are parked nearby. the refugees crammed into stuffy overheated carriages, remain defiant but powerless. hungary's prime minister has taken a tough stance saying that refugees just shouldn't be making the dangerous journey that they do in the first place.

>> please don't come. why you have to go from turkey to europe in turkey is a safe country. stay there. it's risky to come. we can't guarantee that you will be accepted here. morally we will defend the border and keep the regulations that represent a human moral point also. because we would not like to falsefy the dreams of the people. to make clear, please don't come. turkey's president has spoken publicly for the first time since pictures of a little boy were published. >> i don't consider the way some of the other nations classify refugees as humane. they are being classified one by one. how can you do that? they are human beings.

we should receive them all as human beings. the picture of the young boy being washed ahere is on the turkish beach has caused outrage. simon mcgregor-wood reports. >> reporter: it was on every front page of every newspaper. a single photo that could change the national debate, and put david cameron's tough stance under real pressure. on thursday he said he was deeply moved by the image and that the u.k. was aware of its moral responsibilities, but signalled no immediate change in policy. >> there isn't a solution to this problem that is simply about taking people. we need a comprehensive solution. i would say the people responsible for these terrible scenes are president assad, and the butchers of isil and the

criminal gangs that are running this terrible trade in people, and we have to be as tough on them at the same time. >> reporter: it's not clear yet whether the blanket media coverage will lead to a change in public opinion. but some feel a tipping point has come. >> slowly that human side of this tragedy is coming through to us, and i'm glad in a way, because it means, i hope, that we can begin to tackle this as -- as an existential human crisis now. >> reporter: britain has only taken 5,000 syrian refugees since 2011, although it claims it spends over a billion dollars a year in aid. >> great causes sometimes need iconic images. the image may really tell us nothing that we didn't know already, but if we are already beginning to feel worried, anxious, guilty, then a really

heart wrenching image like that can change something in the upper atmosphere of what i would call the national consciousness, and i think this picture has done that. >> reporter: the british parliament reconvenes next week, and it may be then that david cameron really begins to understand that the political temperature is rising on this issue. he'll have to listen very carefully to the increasing number of critical voices within his own party that are calling for change in the policy. david cameron has said he will keep the situation under review. what he does may depend on the level of political pressure, and the cynics will say that may depend on whether the politicians feel the british public attitude really has changed. in italy a norwegian ship has arrived at the port city. the refugees mostly from sub

saharan africa were picked up about 17 miles off of the coast of libya on tuesday. forensic teams boarded the vessel and a doctor removed the bodies of six people. ♪ at least 15 people have drowned off of the coast of malaysia. an overcrowded boat capsizing on the straits. officials believed those on board were indonesias who were working illegally in malaysia. >> reporter: police have recovered yet another body from this boat disaster. that brings the number of dead to at least 15, 20 or so people have survived. they are -- most are being held at the police headquarters about 150 kilometers north of the

capitol. authorities say they have launched an investigation into this. they are particularly interested in finding out who was operating this ferry service between malaysia and indonesia, whether it was being operated legally, whether there were enough safety precautions on this vessel. they are also looking into the nationalities of the passengers. authorities say they are confident that all of the passengers were indonesian, and that's after having spoken to the survivors. they say the people they rescued were not carrying documents or pass ports. however, they were all speaking in the indonesian language. if these passengers are found to be illegal migrants, illegal workers who had come to malaysia from indonesia to work temporarily, then they may face charges. however, authorities say the focus still is very much on search and rescue.

vessels are still out at sea looking for survivors as well as bodies. officials have told me that in the morning, the air surveillance of the affected area will also resume. however, the more time that goes on, the less chance there is of finding survivors. the former congolese rebel leader has testified he has never killed a civilian despite being accused of murders at least 800. barnaby phillips has been listening to the testimony at the hague. barnaby not only you listening to it, but this was broadcast, too across the congo, and people who were his victims were able to hear it. the first time he has ever given an account of himself, yeah? >> reporter: sorry, david i'm getting a different voice. could you repeat the question.

>> just tell me a little bit about the fact that was not only was this broadcast in the court, but it was broadcast on local radio stations in his own country, and this is the first time he has given an account of what he says he did. >> reporter: yes, that's right. and just to put it in this context, yesterday and this morning, the prosecution has been painting a very harrowing picture of what he and his militia had been doing. for example, this morning, we were hearing from lawyers for witnesses, and they were saying that some of those witnesses include girls in their teens who had been passed around from commanders to commander used for sexual favors. they included relatives who had been forced to watch family members dig their own graves and be buried live. so when he stood up this afternoon in the courtroom, he

said that is not the man i recognize. i am not a criminal. i am a disciplined professional soldier, and i hope to make that clear during the weeks and months to come as the trial proceeds. let's hear a little bit of what he had to say. >> translator: as an officer, i have always fought with people in uniform. i have never attacked civilians. on the other hand, your honors, i have always protected them. >> this is not going to be over quickly, barnaby. so what is the procedure now? what happens next? >> reporter: i'm afraid it is going to move very sloely. the court has been adjourned until september 15th. that's when we hope to hear from the first witness. but there are 88 in all.

legal experts saying each witness could be on the podium for as long as a week. so that automatically means we're looking at a trial that resumably will last woefrl a year, perhaps many years. the wheels of international justice turn extremely slowly. let's not forget we're already talking about events that happened 12, 13 years ago. still to come we're going to meet the young candidate hoping to win big in the elections. and the women driven into camps and accused of witchcraft. ghana launches a campaign to change age-old attitudes. ♪

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you are with us here on al jazeera, i'm david foster. the european commission's vice president says the continent is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis. as more refugees try to reach european shores. in hungary, there have been chaotic scenes as police try to get refugees off of a train heading towards the austrian border. in italy a norwegian ship carrying more than 700 refugees have arrived in the port. the refugees were picked up 15 nautical miles off of the coast of libya on wednesday. the congolese rebel leader

says he has never killed a civilian. let's take another look at the european refugee crisis and particularly the hard line stance taken by hungary's government. let's join our correspondent mohammed jamjoom live in budapest. okay. we have a problem with that. just give out a second to see if we can establish a contact with mohammed. he is where the refugees have traveled in hungary, where they were taken off of the train. no, we don't have a chance to join mohammed jamjoom. we'll try to do that a little bit later on. thousands of farmers driving

more than 1500 tractors have converged on paris. the french government has announced an increase in aid and a one-year moratorium on debt payments. >> reporter: it's milking time here. the owner has 150 cows and does most of the work himself with help from his family. but despite working from dawn until nightfall he finds it increasingly difficult to make a living. >> translator: it's unbearable. >> reporter: it's a familiar story for farmers all over france which is why they have rolled into paris on their tractors to protest.

many of the problems facing the farmers are global, but they say all of the taxes, rules, and regulations imposed by the french government are making it even more difficult for them to compete on the marketplace. and when farmers complain, the government listens. the agricultural lobby is powerful in france, and politicians ignore it at their peril. >> translator: we must urly respond to the problem of debt which is at the heart of the problem for many farmers. a moratorium for 2015 will be given to farmers. >> reporter: this man drove through the night to reach paris and he says the trip has been well worth the effort. >> translator: people are on the side of the road applauding us, taking photos. some people have come up to us to stay we support you, don't

give up. that fills me with joy. >> reporter: but the farmer's campaign doesn't stop here. they have other grievances this time aimed at the european union. they want changes to farming quotas and e.u. regulations and they will be take those demands to brussels next week. polls open in a few hour's time in morocco's regional elections. and as hashem ahelbarra discovered in tan jeer, it's always seen as a test for the ruling party. >> reporter: he is young and hoping to win the support of the poor and the disenfranchised. a win will increase his chances to run the region, morocco's

capitol. this is his biggest political battle. >> people should care about these elections, because it's first of all a matter of youth future. this city, for instance, is full of youth, unemployed, they face many difficulties, so if they want to change their daily lives, they need to vote. >> reporter: but winning the heart and minds of moroccans won't be easy. their main rival the ruling conservative justice and development party says it has for years championed the cause of those sidelined by the political elite. the party's leader is morocco's prime minister. his popularity has been on the rise over the last few years. >> translator: since we came to power four years ago, we have been leading a coalition that has made improvements in different sectors. >> reporter: the pgd faces liberal, leftist, and

nationalist parties, all campaigning to win regional council seats. but they need to convince the mostly unemployed youth to vote. poverty and unemployment remain high in morocco. >> translator: elections won't change anything. people like me will not benefit. even if you cast your vote, your voice won't make a change. >> reporter: no party is expected to win a majority. the party that comes first will need to form a coalition. but the ruling pgd believes the higher the turnout, the bigger itself chances to win. four years ago it was the arab spring. thousands of people took to the streets across the kingdom, asking for political reforms. the religiously conservative justice and development party emerged. now it's leader is campaigning nationwide with one message, his

party is confident it will keep its political gains and same power. and we will have extensive coverage of those elections in tan jeer and the rest of the country here on al jazeera. two journalists have been released from turkey. both were arrested last week. they had been filming fighting between security forces that is turkish security forces and youth members of the pro-kurdish pkk. an iraqi who was working with them tried to arrange interviews, et cetera, is still being held, while an appeal on behalf of all three men is considered by the court. wiess news says the detention is unjust, and said he should be

released immediately. colombia's president is visiting the border with venezuela after they closed two crossings and deported thousands of colombians. they say the president is using the route to draw attention away from the economic problems that his country is facing. >> translator: the entire world knows that the shortage of goods in venezuela is the result of a failed economic policy. those are problems made in venezuela. changing continents we head to west africa. hundreds of women in ghana have been forced out of their communities, excluded totally, moving into camps, because they have been accused of practicing witchcraft. the government wants to change that and it has teamed up with ngo's and community leaders

across the country to try to prevent these women from being labeled witches in the first place. our correspondent has been investigating this. >> reporter: this settlement is a safe haven for women who have been accused of being witches. this woman has been here for three years. today her daughter has come to visit. she says she left her home after she was blamed for her niece falling sick. >> translator: when the crowd attacked me, i was sad. they came with sticks and so many other things. and the intention was to kill me. the chief stepped in to say i should not be killed. >> reporter: this is one of the minority of women who have been accepted back into a regular come community. she is now living with her brother and family after 20 years of living in a camp. >> translator: being home is helped me a lot.

now that i am with my brother if i am sick, he is there to see it. i am happy here. >> reporter: the government is working to reintegrate more women back into their communities. it has managed to wind down one camp, but there are still five left. >> because it's cultural, it has been very difficult to do away with it. and so what we do is use them as a means, working with the community, working with civil society, and also particularly, working with the traditional leaders, to get them to appreciate and understand that it is totally wrong, it's human rights violation. >> reporter: some of these camps have been around for more than a tun years. any woman can be accused, but it is often those who can't have children, who are elderly or who are outspoken.

the government's plan is to transform the women into regular communities over the next five years. this woman is afraid of going home because of the trauma she went through. she says like all of the women here, she just wants to be accepted. china's president says he wants to cut the size of the army by 300,000. china is increasingly reliant on its navy, and growing regional tensi tensions with the use >> reporter: a nation's pride and military might on display. an historic opportunity for the chinese to remember the many millions who died during world war ii. they haven't seen this sort of parade since 2009. it is only the fourth since

1960. 12,000 military personnel representing all of the chinese armed services marched to precision timing. more than 80% of the military hardware on show was unveiled for the first time. tanks, armored vehicles, drones, and dozens of aircraft entertained large crowds. a huge security operation surrounds the event. and not everybody wants to watch the parade from home, so many people have come to vantage points like this to see the parade, not necessarily passing them on the road, but up in the sky. >> translator: i have watched past parades on tv. i feel this is the most spectacular. it is the biggest in terms of the size. this is an historic moment for china. >> reporter: many waited for a much-anticipated speech from the chinese president, including delegations from more than 100

countries. >> translator: people's liberation army of china is the people's army. it's duty is to protect the nation's security and people's well-being, and carry out the noble mission of upholding world peace. here i announce that china will cut the number of its troops by 300,000. despite the significant statement many leaders from western nations and the prime minister of japan did not attend. they see china flexing its muscle, sending a message that it can and will defend itself and any disputed territory it aims to claim. military personnel from ten nations including russia, and china's closest partner pakistan joined in the parade. a nationalistic display it might

have been, but 70 years on, china needed to remember its fallen heros, and pay tribute to its sacrifice, but there's a clear message of china's military might, a global superpower that never wants to see another world at war again. ♪ having her day in court. kentucky clerk kim davis goes before a federal judge for refusing to issue marriage licenses. hope turns to anguish. a train full of refugees leaves budapest, but they don't make it far. a military showcase, china commemorates 70 years since the engineer of world war ii, as the nation's leaders announce major troop cuts. ♪