>> what is needed for the time being. >> a plea from the top of the european union to take in thousands of refugees. hello. good to have you with us. also coming up, there will be no hard landing. china's premier tries to reassure the world about the health of his country's economy. and the rubbish crisis has brought thousands on to the streets. and we are in the pakistani city where gangsters control much of

the water supply and the police are trying to stop the flow of money. european countries are set for a battle. the european commission president has set out his plan for how many refugees he wants each nation to take. it's far from clear whether they will agree. he is calling on member states to provide homes for 16,000 refugees each. the figures pale in comparison with the number of refugees in the region. there are 4 million syrians living in turkey, lebanon, iraq. >> another group of weary people cross the border. as they continue their journey

north by foot or other means, the european parliament has been discussing how to cope with the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have already made the dangerous journey. the commission president, the task ahead is clear, but he needs to sell it to politicians and people across europe. >> 160,000. that's the number. europeans have to take in charge and have to take. and i really hope that this time everyone will be on board. no rhetorics. action is what is needed for the time being. >> germany would take in more than 30,000 refugees under the scheme. people like these families boarding a train. the german government is pushing hard for other countries to

accept their quotas. for its part, frances it will take 24,000 refugees. in a symbolic gesture, it's welcomed a small group who came across the border from germany. but there are other people in france who say the government is encouraging illegal immigration. >> translator: to propose that immigrants should have jobs in france, it's a spitted in the face for those unemployed. >> there is a lot of hostility in eastern europe to these quotas. and far right politicians are argue that an influx of people from the middle east and africa will change the character of europe forever. but not everyone arriving on the shores will be allowed to claim asylum. these new arrivals in spain may ultimately be classed as

economic migrants, not refugees. people searching for work and a better life will be sent home. the danish government has suspended all train services with germany. that was after more than 200 refugees refused to disembark because they didn't want to be registered in denmark. they were picked up by volunteers who drove them to their destination in their own cars. and some tried to reach sweden on foot. they later closed the highway. sweden has promised to issue residency papers to all syrian refugees. the u.s. secretary of state says a number of refugees will be offered homes in the united states. rosalynn is in washington d.c. she sent this update. >> the obama administration made much of the fact that it spent more than $4 billion in

humanitarian aid for syrians affected by their country's civil war. now the pressure is growing on the administration on bringing actual refugees to the united states. this is what the secretary of state john kerry had to say after a closed door meeting about the refugee problem earlier on capitol hill. >> i believe that the president has made it clear, he wants the united states, which has always taken a leadership role with respect to humanitarian issues and refugees to do what we can. i just met with members this morning. we are committed to increasing the number of refugees that we take. and we are looking hard at the number that we can specifically manage with respect to the crisis in syria and europe in their migration today. but that's being vetted fully right now. at the appropriate time we'll have a better sense of exactly what the number can be. >> however, there is growing

criticism of the handling of the crisis even though the united states sits more than 10,000 kilometers away from syria. the secretary of state also noted that no decisions had been made yet, but that there are active consultations under way on how the u.s. can best respond to the crisis. john kerry also expressed concern over reports of russian military activity in syria. in a phone conversation, the second within a few days, kerry warns it could lead to greater violence. pictures show russian fighters backing syrian forces. nato's secretary general says he's also worried. >> i'm concerned about the reports of increased russian military in syria.

that will not contribute to solve the conflict. it's important to support all efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in syria and we support the efforts by the u.n. syrian troops have been forced out of their last air base. a rebel group captured a military airport after a two year battle. the fall is expected to increase pressure on government held coastal areas north of the capital, damascus. the u.k.'s foreign secretary caused controversy by saying president assad could stay in power for a transitional period. keepingit could sure russian and iranian regime change. but the long term aim would be to get him out of office. >> certainly, they are a clear change from what the u.k. has said in the past.

the u.k.'s position has been firm. assad must go. now there is the talk that the u.k. might be prepared to let him stay during a transitional period. now, the reason i think this is going on is because they are trying to find a way to get some political movement in syria. the last time they agreed on anything was in 2012 where that was the geneva communiqu. that talked about a governing body that was going to run syria with full executive power. and that transitional body was going to be decided by mutual consent between the opposition and assad government. the problem is the key issue, president assad. would he be allowed to stay during the transition. the governmentings say yes, he has to stay, he has been the president of syria. the opposition says that wasn't a fair election and they say no

way should he be allowed to be part of this. what we know is going on at the moment is that the special envoy has been taking soundings and possibly he will change some of the detail of this transitional arrangement and see if both sides agree to it. it will be a transitional phase where president assad might be able to stay and a second part where president assad will be able to stay only in the ceremonial role. if they manage to finesse this, maybe they can get everyone on board, including all members of the u.n. security council where there's been so much division. that's what's going on behind the scenes and that explains this new language from the u.k. china's premier has been trying to reassure the world about the state of the country's economy. speaking at the world economic forum, he said china would hit its target of 7% growth but conceded it would be difficult.

we have more from beijing. >> reporter: the chinese premier appeared a nervous man as he addressed this economic forum. among those in the audience, c.e.o.s from around the world who are trying to understand the strange gyrations in china's economy. the speech was significant, it was the first time he addressed the problems in china's economy. they made the decision to devalue the currency and it's fallen by more than 4% against the u.s. dollar. the premier sent out a message of reassurance. he said china's economy was still a sound bet. there were going to be ups and downs, but that was to be expected. he gave a guarantee, a promise, a pledge, that china will achieve economic growth of 7% this year. but he also hinted that it was going to be difficult to do

that. so overall the premier was suggesting that china's government is in this for the long haul and said, you know, have faith in us. we are still a country that has an economic growth rate better than many other developing economies. on a day that the premier was speaking, new figures came out that showed that china's inflation rate is 2%. it's the same as the interest rate. that means there is a lot of cheap money sloshing around the system at the moment and there is a reason for that. the chinese government wants people to spend more, it wants to shift its economy away from one based on manufacturing to one based on consumption. in other words, he wants chinese to buy chinese-made stuff. it's one the rest of the world hopes will work. coming up, we'll have more on europe's refugee crisis.

hungary has become a place for humiliation. some claiming they are abused. in sweden athletes are taking endurance sports to new lengths. that's after the break.

>> welcome back. remind you of the top stories, one of the european unions top officials issued a plea to accept thousands of refugees. solving the crisis is a matter

of humanignity. he called on eu states to provide homes for 160,000 refugees next year. there are worries about russian activities in syria. china's premier has been trying to reassure the world about the health of his country's economy. speaking at the world health forum, lee chang said they would hit a target of 7% growth, but conceded it would be difficult. a slowdown could trigger a global recession. hungary's army is preparing to bolster its border with serbia. it's also building a fence to keep the refugees out. hungary has become a place of humiliation for serbian refugees. as we report, some are claiming they have been abused.

>> reporter: with hearts as heavy as their spirits are weary, they keep walking. for many, the borders hardly matter anymore. because it's their pain that can't be escaped. >> translator: when my husband and i got to greece, a policeman beat us. he hit my husband and me with a metal stick. i was three months pregnant, i lost my baby. >> reporter: for her every day is like torture. >> translator: i just can't forget what happened to me, why he would hit us, why he would beat us. we came here to europe to feel secure. i want a home for me and my husband. i want to be able to take a shower. i want to sleep.

>> reporter: on hungary's boardser with serbia, it's fear and fatigue you encounter more than anything else. >> translator: she always asks me why we sleep in the cold. i don't know what to say. but i'm trying to make a better future for her, make things better for us than they were in syria. >> reporter: the dozens of refugees here right now are lined up waiting to get on to buses. they have been told that they will be taken to a refugee camp a few miles down the road. but there is a lot of fear amongst the refugees i have been speaking w they are not sure what's going to happen, if they will be processed, if they will try to ask to try to apply for asylum. what they want is to be able to get to austria as quickly as

possible. he tries to make sense for his son. but he's too young to comprehend what's going on. >> translator: my son keeps asking me why we going to germany. i tell him so we can bring your mother and sister here from lebanon. he keeps saying i want my mother, i want my sister. it's very difficult. >> reporter: with few possessions and fewer answers, they can only wait and wonder. when the bus finally arrives, it's telling that spirits aren't lifted. and as it departs, it becomes clearer than ever that this influx seems nowhere near over. a german labor court has ordered lufthansa pilots to go back to work. they declared a two day strike. the airline called it illegal. employees were asking for better retirement arrangements.

europe's largest carrier said the walkout forced the cancellation of a thousand flights. people have taken part in a rally condemning the iranian deal. an attempt to block it in congress is faulterring. the deal will lift sanctions against iran in return for restrictions on its nuclear program. >> i have been doing deals for a long time i have been making lots of wonderful deals, great deals, that's what i do. never, ever, ever in my life have i seen any transaction so incompetently negotiated as our deal with iran. >> the single most important issue in 2016 will be stopping iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. and any commander-in-chief

worthy of defending this nation should be prepared to stand up on january 20, 2017, and rip to shreds this catastrophic deal. more border crossings between venezuela have been shut. it was closed on tuesday, a standoff between the nation best gone three weeks ago when there was a crackdown on smuggling and started deporting colombians without the correct legal status. >> reporter: this was the last major border crossing still open at venezuela. they ordered the closure of this crossing. behind me you can see many venezuelaens trying to go back to their country. they have been waiting for hours to do so.

for days there haven't been many deportations of colombians, but they continue to move back to their country of origin. essentially saying that they fear reprisal in venezuela because the government is blaming them for the chronic shortages in the country. the new closure seems to have closed the door on the possibility, at least for now, of a meeting between the presidents. on wednesday the colombian president had some of the hardest words against the venezuela government. >> the revolution is destroying because of its results, not because of colombian or colombian president. >> it will continue to be harsh for the people living here who are used to moving freely

through these borders. for years armed gangs have controlled part of the water supply. they have stolen millions of dollars worth of water and sold it on the black market. the police are finally cracking down. >> reporter: on the outskirts of the city is an illegal water station. the owners have tapped in underground pipeline owned by the state. all day trucks fill up with stolen water and sell it. >> translator: we sell containers of water for $4. they resell it to the people for $25. >> reporter: they thrive on the fringes of the city. armed gangs control this neighborhood. this is one of the illegal water

pumping stations. what's so shocking is the water comes from a sewage well. it's piped through here, powered by a couple motors and sold as drinking water to the people. they only have enough water to meet 50% of its needs. and the water board estimates 30% is wasted or stolen. this is as powerful business worth millions of dollars. water barrens with 30 to 40 tankers earn around $16,000 a day. but the water board is cracking down on them. over 200 pumping stations have been raided. >> this illegal money is also supporting other illegal and terrorist activities. if they arrive in an area, this area is infected with these

gangs. >> reporter: over 70% of the stolen water is sold to industrialists. five years ago the plant here was closed because there wasn't enough water. now the owner buys from the black market just to keep his clothing business open. >> they are holding us from our necks physically. this is all because a few people are involved in this. and who are the caretakers and who are the people who are making money, good money out of that from these people. of course, the mafia, we cannot operate such a big operation like this. >> reporter: despite the crackdown, the leaders of this underwater world are still operating. and the cost of illegal water has now doubled. somewhere someone is still making a lot of money.

scientists have found evidence that proteins linked to alzheimer's disease could be passed on during surgery. proteins which can develop into alzheimer's cans passed on through contaminated instruments, but it doesn't mean it's contagious and the risk is theoretical. they are calling for more studies. >> what the paper shows is that in a small number of people who were injected with essentially brain extracts that contained human growth hormone, this is for people of short stature, 4% of those people they developed a disease. in the u.k. we know it in beef

as mad cow disease. 4% of them have developed that disease. if you looked in a number of these people that came to autopsy, you look in their brain, they contain in 4 to 6 of the brains that they contained the deposits that are characteristic of alzheimer's disease. we also know that many people have deposits, but not all of them go on to develop alzheimer's disease. prince hussein of gordon has confirmed his intention to stand for the presidency for futbol. he was beaten in a vote in may. but the subject of two criminal investigations, he said he would be resigning next year. new elections are scheduled for february with european futbol boss the early favorite to win.

>> i ran because i believe fifa needs change. i have the courage to fight for change. i conceded that election not because i was not the best candidate, but because others were using me to make room for themselves. they didn't have the guts to run, but i did. ever since the president announced his resignation, they have been scrambling to secure the jobs for themselves. >> there is a new name in the world of endurance sport. sweden's swim, run race is gaining a reputation for being one of the toughest in the world. >> crossing this finish line could be one of the biggest prizes in endurance racing. this is the world champions for the new sport of swim run, teams of two swim and run over 26

islands, a total of 75 kilometers. the sport is becoming a craze. >> it's so amazing and so beautiful. it's also so tough. so long. >> that swimming today was just so brutal. the water got so cold. it just never ended. >> with ten kilometers of choppy water between the islands, they recon this to be much tougher than an iron man. just the running part is 65 kilometers, that's one and a half marathons in a wet suit. in terms of the swimming when, you look at the distance between two of these 26 islands, you can see why this is one of the most extreme races in the world. the first in 2006 had just nine teams. now there are 240 people competing with a weighting list of more than a thousand. final preparations are just

before dawn so that the athletes have a chance to reach the finish line even before night fall. even if they aren't used to the conditions. >> just to finish, we don't do any record breaking. >> people, when we are training back home, hopping from one lagoon to another island, the fishermen just say what are these guys doing, swimming in their shoes. >> it began as a dunkin' bet. >> we have seen a lot of change. it became the sport in the last three years. before that it was just a race. >> the new speedish canadians completed in eight and a half hours. but there is a price to pay in

pain. and all the day's news, sports and all the top developments, of course, over on our website. the web address, www.aljazeera.com. all the news, all the time. >> i'm ali velshi. "on target" tonight, the great wall of trump. fact checkin checking the billis plan for the border with mex. mexico. >> generation debt collectively, americans now owe as much as $1 trillion in student loans. for a growing number of americans that debt load is holding them down for years so