saudi arabia cracks down on the bin laden construction group, partly blaming the firm for friday's crane collapse in mecca. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up . . . no food, no water, refugees in serbia protest as hungary closes the border crossing into the e.u. dozens of palestinians injured and as really security forces storm a mosque in jerusalem. and chai that's artist exhibit

oversees a show of his work in london. ♪ hello. the owners of a crane which collapsed in the saudi holy city of mecca have been banned from doing further work. more than a hundred people were killed when the crane collapsed on friday. the saudis blame strong winds. they say the crane was always wrongly positioned. bin laden with one of the largest construction contracts or in the world. how significant is this crackdown on the bin laden group? >> reporter: well, it's a very significant one, because it is the biggest in saudi arabia. it is one of the biggest in the region and the entire world, and i think this is trying to settle

old scores. this is like my speculation, or my look into this whole incident, because the bin laden group has been operating big massive mega projects in the region throughout the years, and remember there was a -- a new king coming, a new administration taking the rise in saudi arabia, so this could be an indication on how things will provide -- proceed as we go further. the incident called 107 people as saudi arabia was preparing for the season that will start in a few day's time. it embarrassed the nation and put it under the spot light. however, the government is adamant to try to route out all of the causes, and the reasons why that crane happened. why the -- the -- the issue of safety wasn't really looking at very -- very seriously to begin

with, with this company. >> and you mentioned that this is a kind of worldwide corporation, and big particularly in the middle east. will this action by the saudi government have an impact on their business elsewhere regionally and globally? >> reporter: it's not clear. i think it won't probably it won't. but i think it will lead other nations to look into projects that the company has implemented, because in saudi arabia, the decree was very clear that an investigation should take place into previous projects that the company has carried out, so it's very interesting to see what they come up with, and -- and -- after the investigation ends. the full investigation for the whole thing. i don't know how long it will take. it's very interesting also that there is a travel ban imposed on the owners of the company.

so it's very, very hard time for the bin laden group as we move forward. >> thank you very much indeed for that live update there from saudi arabia. now austria has become the latest european country to bring in tougher border checks in an effort to control the refugee crisis. austria will introduce the new measures at 22 gmt on wednesday. the scale of the crisis continues to grow. european union border see, says 156,000 people crossed into europe last month. that brings to half a million the number of people who have come to the e.u. since the start of this year. andrew simmons has the latest from the hungary serbia border. >> reporter: a state of emergency of this border, hungary has taken the crisis into a new direction, and it makes life even harder for

refugees. many had found themselves stuck in no man's land with no way into hungary, and no way back to serbia. by shutting its main border crossing from serbia into the european union, hungary has provoked outrage from its southern neighbors, but the government here insists its new asylum laws are justified. >> those who haven't applied on their journey, to any kind of asylum, and there's no sign of that in the system, and they don't have proof of that, they will automatically be turned back. opposition parties attack the government for its action. >> the order of the life is stronger than the order of the law. it's outrageous what is happening. we will not believe this measures from hungarian government. >> reporter: the far-right party

said the government did too little too late. one of its leaders spoke at a news conference, heckled by protesters. [ [ inaudible ] ] >> iraqi refugees on the other side of the fence were appealing for water and food. the hungarian prime minister believes he is taking the lead at a time when e.u. members still can't reach an agreement on share quotas for settling refugees. and the rift between east and west in the european union has never been bigger. it is shaking the union to its very foundation. here the situation once again is deteriorating quickly. >> let's go live to the hungarian boarder town where andrew similar mon is live for us now. what is happening to the people who are stuck in no man's land

there? >> some distance away from here, we see them occasionally passing by. we can't shout out and get connect with them. but we're hearing that migration aid which is voluntary organization in hungary that has helped thousands and thousands of refugees with food, with clothing, with all sorts of facilities actually planning to get a delivery of food, water, clothing and tents to them in this no man's land. it is an extraordinary situation. nothing surprises you about this crisis anymore. these poor people are just headed across the border, they thought they were on their way into hungary with the right credentials, with the right sort of approach going through an official border as requested and suddenly it was shut and they were in between the two. and of course serbia doesn't want them to come back in,

because they have crossed into the european union now. serbia is attacking in every way possible, diplomatically, politically, at every level. hungary for its course of action. it isn't just about this fence. it's also about the asylum laws which make it impossible for these refugees to get into hungary with the new laws. human rights groups, indeed e.u. lawyers are all saying that these new laws just aren't complying with modern standards with legal standards for the whole makeup of asylum. they are basically just a legal excuse to stop refugees from getting into hungary, so we have a new situation here. it's been described as a new era by the hungarian government. they have got their way. they have actually now brought a stop to the flow of refugees,

but that in itself is causing a major crisis in serbia, which does not have the means to look after these refugees. the u.n. refugee agency is combining efforts with a number of other agencies to try to extend more help to these people, but as far as hungary goes, this is the way it stands right now, it doesn't intent to change the situation, and the state of emergency certainly here stays in place. >> thank you very much indeed. almost 300 migrants and refugees have been rescued off of the italian coast. those rescued say they set off from egypt and spent 12 days at sea, changing boats several times. most are syrian and egyptian. at least 22 people including four children have drowned after

their wooden boat sank off of the coast of turkey. bernard smith has more from istanbul. >> reporter: it was 20-meter long wooden boat that was sailing from the turkish coast to kos when it sank and 22 feem drowns amonged them 11 women and four children. the turkish coast guard rescued another 211 passengers. they must have been packed on to that vote. those vessels normally carry about 100 or so people, and it's rare that these large vessels have been used in summer to make the crossing from the turkish coast towards the greek islands. a protest, a sit-in today on turkey's land border with greece. there more than a thousand or so, mainly syrian refugees are protesting, saying that if a

safe corridor was opened, a land corridor was opened between turkey and greece and bulgaria, then people wouldn't need to make that perilous journey across the sea. 36 palestinians have been injured after israeli security forces stormed a mosque in occupied east jerusalem. it's the third straight day of violence at the compound. palestinians now fear israel wants to change the rules which allow jews to visit but not pray. >> reporter: the police wanted to arrest people that had stayed in the mosque overnight. rocks were thrown, stun grenades fired. those inside the mosque built a barricade at one of the doors. it later caught fire but was quickly put out. at least two dozen palestinians were injured. five israeli police were said to have beenlightly injured.

in what has become pattern, intense fighting, cleanup afterward, and then relative calm, but beneath the calm there is deep underlying tension. hard line jews want to be able to pray outside of the mosque itself. muslims say this would provoke further tension and violence, and jordan who is the custodian of the compound has a peace treaty with israel said that anymore provocations will affect the relationship between the two countries. there will be a meeting tuesday evening to discuss the situation. still to come on al jazeera, france rules out sending ground troops to syria after beginning reconnaissance missions last week. and the mission to cut off rebel supply routes in yemen goes on

for a second day. ♪

♪ hello again, a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera, the owners of a crane which collapsed in mecca have been banned from taking part in new building projects. more than a hundred people were killed when the structure collapsed a few days ago. austria has become the latest european country to introduce rougher border checks.

and 36 palestinians have been injured after israeli security forces stormed the mosque in occupied east jerusalem. the french prime minister says getting rids of the syrian president bashar al-assad is one way of easing the refugee crisis. he was speaking at a debate. he again ruled out spending group troops to syria, and said that if a regional coalition was formed to tackle isil, they would support it. jacky rowland joining us now. >> reporter: he was going into some detail. those reconnaissance flights have been going on for a while, but he started to talk about the potential for french air strikes against targets in syria. we have been here before in a way. it was almost exactly two years ago that france, the u.k., and

the u.s. were debating politically whether to take part in some kind of action air strikes against facilities of the regime of bashar al-assad after that footage emerged of the victims of a chemical weapons attack. in the event, of course, first the u.k. and the u.s. stepped down, leaving france alone and on that occupation france decided not to proceed with air strikes, and i think in many ways it's that lesson that prompted him to stress to the national assembly that it would be france alone, which would decide on the targets for these strikes. >> translator: since tuesday the 8th of september an aerial force has been plying over syria. it's first and foremost a reconnaissance mission. this campaign will last as long as it has to, at least for several weeks. we need to better identify and locate isil positions, so as to

be able to exercise a legitimate defense. these missions are being carried out in total autonomy as only france chooses the surveillance zones. as the president said yesterday, targets will be necessary, and we'll choose alone which targets will be hit. >> reporter: now he ruled out any possibility of ground troops. we know, of course, how much resistance there is in western countries and in public opinion to the idea of forces being sent overseas, because recent history has shown us that it's a lot easier to send troops into countries like afghanistan or iraq, and a lot more difficult and longer to bring them back out again. however, he did say if a coalition of countries from the region were to organize itself and go into syria to purge the

country of the menace posed by isil then france would support that action. >> okay. thank you very much indeed. the u.n. special envoy to yemen is in saudi arabia meeting members of the government in exile. in yemen saudi-lead coalition and pro-government forces have engaged in a ground offensive for a second day. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: it's a battle for control of these hills and mountains. for two days fighting has [ inaudible ] west of ma'rib. >> translator: we are in a battle of survival, and we will hunt the houthis until we push them back to their places. >> reporter: but the battle has been more back and forth than straight advancement. air strikes armored vehicles and rockets are in play. it paves the way for the troops

to advance. so far it has been slow and steady, the terrain is huge and rugged. >> translator: we are not slow. we move in coordination with our arab allies. it's not an easy task with all of the resistance get and the mines planted everywhere, but we are making progress. >> reporter: on monday coalition air strikes targeted houthi military camps in the capitol. other strikes targeted an air base in the city. in ta'izz intense fighting has continued on the streets. houthis have been trying to regain control of outlying neighbors. and once again there have been civilian casualties across the country. the u.n. envoy has called in for further consultations in yemen and other states in the region, but the fighting continues while they meet.

opposition activists in the democratic republic of congo are calling for the president to step down when his second term ends next year. they believe he is planning to stay in power in a violation of the constitution. haru matasa reports. >> reporter: opposition parties say they have one message to the president. they say when his term ends, he must leave and hand over to a new president. they say come december next year 2016, he must step down. they have been counting down the days until that deadline is reached. they are concerned because they say the president is trying to hang on to power. they are gathering here at the capitol at this open ground, saying they want him to leave office and uphold the constitution, because the constitution says he cannot have a third term in power. >> no one can touch

[ inaudible ]. his term is over. he has already done two terms. and he cannot go out of -- for a third term. so question are waiting on 20 -- 20 -- 27 november it over for him. and on 20 december we'll do -- hand over with another president will be elected. >> reporter: the signs are that there could be a delay of the local and presidential elections. the court has asked the electoral commission to come up with new dates. the government says it doesn't have money to hold these elections. that means the presidential elections will most likely be delayed. critics say that should be the president trying to hold on to power. students going back to school in northern cameroon have been greeted with metal detectors and bag searchs.

it follows twin suicide attacks last week. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: not your typical day at school, but these are dangerous times. boko haram's attacks have been concentrated in small towns in cameroon's far north so many children and parents in the largest city weren't expecting this. >> translator: they put us in a line and started searching us. we are scared because there could be a bomb. when we entered they separated us into different groups. >> this is just to protect our children. because we want everybody to be -- you know, relaxed and happy to be here. >> reporter: news of a twin bombing the day before the start of the new school year is worrying some. the army suspects the nigerian group is involved. one man in this northern town says he saw two children acting suspiciously. >> translator: there were two

kids on the other side. they had their hands in their pockets. a man who is now dead asked one child where are you from? but he didn't answer and kept his hands in his pockets, and there was an explosion. >> reporter: the use of children as suicide attackers is a known boko haram tactic in nigeria, and would be a worrying development here in cameroon. the lessons include briefings on the group. the government which has always banned the full face vail as a security measure says it isn't taking any chances. there has never been a more exciting time to be australian, the words of the new prime minister, mallcom turnbul. he is the fifth prime minister in just over five years. andrew thomas reports. >> reporter: in australia it's becoming a familiar sight, a few

prime minister being sworn in. >> i do swear that i will well and truly serve the people of australia. >> reporter: he said his government would put forward a positive future for australia. >> there has never been a more exciting time to be alive than today. and there has never been a more exciting time to be an australian. >> reporter: australia has had a turbulent recent political past. the outgoing prime minister this time said he had much to be proud of, but in his concession speech he said the instability and internal party division had to stop. for his successor, he had this promise. >> there will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping. i have never leaked or backgrounded against anyone. and i certainly won't start now. our country deserves better than

that. >> reporter: malcolm turnbull is a familiar figure to most australians. one minister for the environment, he takes more seriously issues like climate change. he is in favor of gay marriage. abbott was against. where the former prime minister was a monarchist, turnbull is a republican. he lead the campaign for an australian republic ahead of a referendum. but most policy differences will be small. the big change will be one of style. abbott has slogans about stopping boats of refugees, scrapping a carbon tax, and defeating what he called the isis death cult, he was seen as a politician prone to making embarrassing decisions. >> i don't think he did the best job. >> i think he was a bad prime minister. >> reporter: by contrast opinion polls suggest malcolm turnbull is popular and likely to win an election due in a year.

>> i think he is very capable. >> i'm really happy. >> i think he is articulate. i think he will present well. >> reporter: will be economic management on which turnbull is likely to be judged. australia's economy is going through a rough patch, he says he has a vision to steer it through. he has a year to prove it, assuming he is not toppled before the next election comes. an exhibition looking back at 30 years of a famous chinese artist has opened here in london. it was personally curerated by the artist himself after his pass port was unexpectedly returned by the chinese government. >> reporter: it's the u.k.'s most anticipated show of the year where activism and art

collide. the exhibition spans 30 years of his work, includes art installations, architecture, and something in between. in china he is known as the designer of bird's nest stadium, which he ended up dismissing as a propaganda event. internationally he is seen as witty, and bold. the soft-spoken artist has been able to personally oversee the show's installation. he had this message about the refugee crisis. >> western countries have to come up with some kind of decision to help each other to get a better, more sound way to dealing with the situation. >> reporter: he has long been ta -- a thorn in the side of the chinese government. this piece is made from the rubble of poorly constructed

government-build schools destroyed in an earthquake. thousands of bars have been painstakingly straightened. it's work like this that put him on the chinese government's watch list. surveillance is a recurring theme in his work, as too is his time in jail. this work is a sobering account of his 81 days held in a secret chinese prison. monitored by guards 24 hours a day. it casts a cold and critical eye back at the chinese government. >> he is probably the most celebrated contemporary artistin artist -- artist in the world. the stand he has taken is very important. but the art is underrated, and it needs to be able to speak for itself sometime which is what is happening here. >> reporter: the show is a reflection of his artistic achievements, casting a

spotlight on the power of art to challenge authority. plenty more stories for you any time on our website. the address is aljazeera.com. and don't forget you can watch us by clicking on the watch now icon. aljazeera.com. # at least 23,000 people forced from their homes in northern california as wild fires tear through. now they can only hope their home is still standing. migrants still stranded as hungary closes borders and declares a state of emergency plus, the message these women want to deliver to the pope, the leader of the roman catholic