we go to istanbul, bernard smith with the kurdish h.d.p. but first to jamal outside the headquarters offered's ak party in anningara, preliminary results suggesting that the party might lose the majority in the parliament. what is the mood like among officials and supporters. >> well let's start with the supporters. and what was a sombre mood half an hour ago, the last time i spoke to our viewers, turned into a more lively one. i'll stand out of the shot and allow the camera to pan across. we are not sure what they are booing at. maybe the h.d.p. leaders may be getting ready to speak. there are television screens hoisted out here. maybe that is why they are. however, it's - offer the past half hour there's a steady flow of supporters that are feeling the square here. inside the building the mood is defensive, but it seems a bit resilient. it is sombre. it's important to note that while all indications are that the ak party will use their majority there's double that of the second largest party, the chb. it looks like the ak party will have

bernard smith, al jazeera.n the turkey syria border. >> now bernard smith joins us now in southeast turkey. i understand since that report the ypg has made more progress. what else is going on? >> well, samuel, you can probably see right over my shoulder the customs house on the syrian side. that was in isil control until an hour ago. we've seen ypg fighters on the top of it, so we understand now that they've taken control of that custom's house which means they've got control of the border crossing. beyond that is the town that ypg has told us they've taken control. there are still isil fighters there. they believe some of them are wearing suicide vests possibly and there was an incident not too long ago on the border fence just behind me when it's thought a couple of isil fighters trying to escape the fighting, trying to cross but they were intercepted by the turkish military. so very fast-moving story here at the moment but it seems that the ypg kurdish fighters making significant advances here. >> we hear f

bernard smith. >> well jane it's been a busy day at this school where people have been voting there's about 3 hours left for people to come and vote. it's been busy across the country. tuckey is a country that has a strong turn out in elections, usually well over 80%, a lot of parties are patient in the democratic process, a lot of interests in politics. the ak party is the ruling party. they are the ones running the government that are incumbent facing a challenge. they've been in power for 13 years, they want to increase their share of the vote and increase representation in parliament to have enough seats to change the constitution in favour of a powerful executive presidency, which is what the counter-president recep tayyip erdogan hopes that the party he finds will secure the seats. >> the people that could stop him are the kurds. >> yes, it's mainly kurdish hdp. it is the one party na could upset the political balance in turkey. they need 10% or more of the vote to get representation in parlia

bernard smith is with the hdp. first of all with jamal. what does turnout look like so far?porter: it's gone in line withtie's tradition of having a very strong turnout. at least eighty %, more than 80% of voters are understood to have gone to the ballots80%, more than 80% of voters are understood to have gone to the ballots. it shows not only a peaceful and smooth process but a lot of strong feelings pushed to go and cast their ballots. this election is more than just about who sits in parliament. tell us a little bit more about what's at stake for the country as a whole. >> reporter: of course a lot are not just the parliament seats but the entire political system could be changed win by a large majority two-thirds or more than that it would mean they would technically have the power of the constitution which they say would change it from a parliamentary system here in turkey to a presidential one. even if they had the mandates through these elections, the economy is at stake. foreign policy has played a central role from syria and egypt to europe, itself. we expect the pr

bernard smith there, with fire works celebrating behind him. thanks for that. ♪ >>> now the saudi-led coalition airstrikes have head the army headquarters in sanaa the houthi-rebel controlled news agency says at least 100 pierce were wounded. thebasies used by soldiers loyal to former president and his houthi alleys, other airstrikes targeted military physicians petitions where troops were stationed. earlier, the u.n. special envoy to yemen, issue mayel told us why he is off the mystic about u.n. u.n.-brokered talks due to be held next week in geneva did he have issue. >> as we have said from day one there is only one solution a 350e6s solution. we believe the only way to get this war stopped is by coming around the table, agreeing on a cease-fire and then agreeing on discussion what you have been describing from day one as starting in the city and the national dialogue and the outcomes and the solution. i have been clear on this from day one. welcome together. it's what makes us very optimistic s when they come together they will be able to fi

bernard smith on the turkey turkey-syrian border. >> france will find accommodation for 10,000 asylum seekers as part of the program to help migrants crossing the mediterranean sea. france said it will take 4,000 people by next year and house another 5,500 refugees who have already been granted legal status. >> well, the u.n. refugee agency has rebuked hungary after it announced plans to build a four meter high wall to keep migrants out. the number entering hungary has risen markedly. they say the government is committed to defending hungarian people from immigration. >> it can be clearly seen that the countries of the e.u. are searching for the answer to this challenge and can also be seen that the road to a joint answer seems very time-consuming and long. so hungary cannot allow itself to wait any longer. we naturally hope that there is a joint european solution. >> the head of the catholic church has weighed in on the issue of migrants and asylum seekers, saying they're a collective responsibility. pope francis maiden appeal not to close the door on those seeking a safer life. >> i

bernard smith, al jazeera turkey border. >> simultaneously attacked two buildings in the capital many, one of the bombs went off as a police academy. there has been no immediate claim of responsibility. >>> nrnlgnigerian police say bombs unclear who's behind the astack. boko haram has been behind similar attacks in the area. u.n. sponsored talks saying that ending violence in yemen started in geneva on monday without members of the houthi delegation. they have been delayed in djibouti waiting for clearance to leave. hashem ahelbarra reports. >> the u.n. secretary-general was hoping to meet all factions in the yemen war. that didn't happen. supporters of ali abdullah saleh were delayed in djibouti. the gathering is a crucial opportunity to pull yemen from the brink of disaster. >> today yemen's very existence hangs in the balance. why parties are bik -- while parties are bickering yemen burns. the parties who have responsibility to end the fighting and begin a real process of peace and reconciliation. >> reporter: exphoobimeub called forcomeub called for aban ki-moon called for a be tw

bernard smith, al jazeera. >> eritrea play have committed crimes against humanity. says the government is responsible for extra-judicial killings torture sexual slavery and forced labor. it also accuses air traiz of shooting toeritrea ofshooting to keep people from leaving. >>> women and children who walked for weeks to get to a united nations protected camp, from bentui state our correspondent catherine soy reports. >> it's been a long journey. they avoided the main roads walked only at night when they felt safe and ate water lillies. they will spend the night beside the road at bentu. they are heading for the where shelter. the conditions are already tough. this woman had children and grandchildren. trying to cope. before her house was burned, she was raped by men the military uniforms. >> i can't compare my grandchildren's life to my own. life not knowing where they are is not a life. i am afraid but i need to go back to see if they are dead or alive and hiding somewhere. >> children here cope any way they can but it's not easy. most of those who are coming are w

bernard smith reports from akchakalay on the turkish side of the border. >> their flag now flies over this border crossing. the three week assault by the ychgypg on tal abyad u.s. air strikes have helped the ypg push through, the price they paid is homes turned to rubble. >> we lost our home ten days ago. before that life was okay. is. >> translator: we were terrorized by i.s.i.l. we left because of the heavy bombardment from all sides but i'll never go back. in there you die 100 times a day. >> reporter: the ypg has had tal abyad in its sights as a strategically important connection between the turkish border and i.s.i.l.'s effective capital in raqqa 80 clom away. i.s.i.l. have now lost control of the only main road to their city. this is the fourth time that be turkey has opened the border from tal abyad to akchakalay. for the most part they look relieved to make it through. they will be processed by the turkish authorities and allowed in to turkey. losing tal abyad is the most significant defeat for i.s.i.l. since it first swept through northern syria more than two years ago. and f

bernard smith, al jazeera. south-eastern turkey >>> the european union criticized plans by hungary to build a wall along serbia to shut out illegal migrants. tens of thousands crossed over the the planned 4 meter wall would stretch 175km along the frontier. it's not an effective way to control migration. hungry insists the war is necessary. >> hungry is a front-line country, and everything must be done to protect hungarian people and hungary from the uncontrolled and uncontrollable flow of illegal migrants. >> translation: what are which supposed to do build a wall towards macedonia. we will not build walls, serbia will not enclose itself. >>> denmark's right south party won elections, the block won enough seats to defeat the coalition government. prime minister says she will step down as leader of her party, an intense 3-week election campaign was dominated by immigration and the economy. >> thailand is the fourth country to register the deadly middle eastern respiratory syndrome, the first m.e.r.s. infection.

thousands of people have fled the violence there and headed to the turkish border town from where bernard smith from. now, bernard as we have seen her, the town of tal abyad has been retaken tell us about the significance of this success on the kurdish side. >> reporter: really for the syrian kurdish fight percent a significant victory over isil really. they manage to take this town in about 20 days, a fear some assault on this town it needed of course help there u.s. coalition air strikes and wouldn't have imagined without it. they have inflict odd isil their most significant defeat in the 40 months or so when they swept through northern syria. pushing them right back, pushing them back to their self declared their effective capital of raqqa. the border crossing here between the turkish side and the syrian side, much quieter this morning. most of the people who were in tal aybad have left. forced out because of the 20 days of the intense bombardment. for 14 months isil controlled this syrian town on the border of with turkey. not anymore. this is are fighter from the ear vinnie kurdish ypg. th

bernard smith, al jazerra, in turkey. >>> eight female students have been killed in a bomb attack inq, two more injured by the improvised explosive device. the attack was in baquoba northwest of baghdad. >>> there are allegations that that australian has been paying for years to keep migrants out. they are refuse to go say whether they paid people smugglers during their time in government. the currents prime minister won't confirm in the australian navy paid strugglers to take asylum seekers back to indonesia. let's get more from andrew thomas. any clearer if these payments were made and, of course, their lee gal at this? >> reporter: well, the murky story that would already was is just getting murkier and murkier, isn't it? as to whether these payments took place, tony abbott was again asked tuesday whether these payments by australians to people smugglers to turn their boats around and sends them back to indonesia whether they have taken place he didn't so much as not answer the questions o'donnelled it entirely and answered a different one. he said the only moral thing that answer

. >>> let's go to bernard smith he's live for us. ard, there is not what erdogan or his party wanted. what will happen now as far as trading is concerned? >> reporter: well, this is it, certainly for the a.k.p. party jane, we are in uncharted territorial, political territory think waters. the a.k.p. party has ruled unchallenged for 34 years and never had to con contemplate forming a coalition government according to all of the immediate in turkey that's what looks to be on the table it. can either try form a co linc or rule as a minority government but it's 18 seats short of even a simple majority. so that will be different. this is the prospect further down the line of fresh elections elections. it was such a divisive campaign, many in angry places. there doesn't seem to be an need natural coalition partner for them to work with. if there is a cabinet meeting later this morning where prime minister will go over the election results with his cabinet colleagues and then we should get more of an indication of whether they will seek to f

bernard smith, al jazerra. >>> the main political party have his reached an agreement on disputed issuesuld lead to the drafting of a constitution, nepal will have eight federal states under the deal. a special commission will decide on the region's exact borders. the constitution was supposed to be drafted in 2010, but the process has stalled because of political divisions. >>> european navies have rescued nearly 6,000 migrants from the mediterranean sea over the past two days. they have been taken for detention centers in italy where they face an uncertain future. we met some of them on the eye italian islands of lamb par deuce actual they arrived in the dark not knowing exactly where they were, hag erred tired and hungry. and very relieved they left war behind them. we came back a few days later check on them and see how they are settling and see whether they are still here or some have moved on. many of the women who were a few days ago have already been relocate today sicily to another center. she hope today join them soon. it's over, she says, thanking god. >> translator: in the se

bernard smith in istanbul there. >>> hundreds of syrian refugees have crossed the board never to turkey's the first time crossings between syria and its northern neighbor have been open since the ninth 9th of march. they said it was closed for security purposes. there was speculation the crossings would be reopened after the turkish election. >>> france's foreign minister says france won't sign off on a nuclear agreement with island until inspection -- iran until inning specses of the sites are included in the deal. the a target date is set of june 30th for the deal to be reached. if it is iran will restrain its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. >>> still to come here on the program. >> reporter: i an andrew thomas near bangkok on why thailand's irving industry face a crisis. a ban on its exports unless it can do more to tackle illegal fishing and stop slave labor at sea. with xfinity from comcast you can manage your account anytime, anywhere on any device. just sign into my account to pay bills manage service appointments and find answers to your q

partiy in ankara and bernard smith is with the kurdish h.d.p. let's start with jamal. the preliminary results are in, they are not final, but so far it doesn't seem to be going in the direction which the a.k. party were hoping. what are officials behind you saying about that? >> not at all in the direction that they are hoping for, and not in the direction that the polls have predicted. as you say, whilst the a.k. party is the largest party, it has fallen short of getting enough parliamentary sheets to form a majority let alone a two-thirds majority. i'll step out of the vision to show you a small but loud crowd of supporters coming outside the a.k. partiy headquarters. i covered elections, presidential and local elections from this place. we are outside the a.k. party headquarters where it was overflowing with thousands of supporters. tonight it is a sombre mood particularly inside when i went in a few minutes ago to see how officials monitoring the result come in. it's a sombre mood indeed. they have been taken by surprise. they have been in power for 14 years, and h

bernard smith on the turkey, syria border. >>> most refugees, even when they do reach safety, face a struggle to survival. kim vanel reports. >> the main street is lined with life. young gamers play inside next door older ones do the same. several barber shops means there's competition for closest shave. all sure signs of a with developing microeconomy. but not all who call this camp home are convinced things are looking up. heaven is 30 years old and has four children. her tent is a playground, her designing room and a family meeting plawrs. most people share one toilet. things are changing. these tents have been homes since this was set up august, 2013 pretty much as you can see here the u.n. and the kurdistan regional government another part of compound. there we met mohamed his three daughters and his wife. their home has a kitchen a modest backyard and a wall so they don't have to share requires more than cement. >> translator: in the past when we first got here i.t. was fine because i worked very hard and had a very good income, 800 to 900. but now i can't find a job. i can onl

let's get more from bernard smith who is on the turkish side of the border.er tell us more about refugees and how is turkey coping with the influx? >> well, turkey is hosting 1.7 million syrian refugees those extra 23,000 that have come in the last about within the last couple of weeks will be hosted in already existing some of the existing refugee camps but most of them actually go and join families who are already on the turkish side of the border and live in private accommodation of the 1.7 million refugees here in turkey only some 350,000 are actually in refugee camps. but what forced them across the border in the end from talapia was the intensity of the fighting particularly the bombardment that ended up yes removing i.s.i.l. from the town but also destroying people's homes homes. syrian town on the border with turkey not any more. these are fighters from the syrian kurdish ypg. their flag now flies over this border crossing. three-week assault by wpg forced thousands of people to cross to turkey and u.s. led coalition air strikes have helped the ypg pu

we have the same approach >>> to bernard smith, live in istanbul, and, bernard, what has he been saying about turkey's future after the elections. >> well this is the first time we have herd from president recep tayyip erdogan, who kept a low profile since the a.k. party lost the majority. he used the speech to remind the audience and the viewers not to allow the political situation to threaten gains made in the previous 12 years, referring to the previous 12 years in which he was prime minister and the gains he was referring to where improvements to infrastructure democracy, and international relations. he was calling on all the parties involved in the negotiations to remain calm. he didn't want a political party to cause a crisis. even to remind his audience of what the change in his leadership in the last 12 years saying he didn't want those jeopardised in any way. >> what is recep tayyip erdogan's role now that the a.k. party is seeking to form a coalition. >> well, the prime minister said that he wants a coalition. that is his ambition and erd wan can be a facilitator between the p

bernard smith reports.y will join the 20,000 that already escaped for control of the strategic border town. only last week, they are here in the same place trying to stop people from leaving. but a three week assault forced isil out. air strikes from the u.s. led coalition were an essential part of the battle plan. that is the turkish government, nervous. >> which is conducting aerial bombings against arabs is unfortunately positioning terrorist members be p, cank in their place. turkey sees the ypg as an offshoot of the turkish p.k.k., it is a separatist group of the bat with the turkish state. >> the curds have now added their list of self-declared independently administers regions in northern syria. but uniquely, that town is majority arab. however, the curds say it was once kurdish before they were forced out firstly by the syrian government, and more recently, by isil. they fight with us on the front line, we treat recall syrian cities equally regardless of being a majority curd. they like to come back

bernard smith reports. >> reporter: deciding it is better to go home than to squeak in to turkish-packedugee camps, these syrians went back on wednesday. two days before the kurds took control of a town. >> translator: we are at a loss wherever we go someone will kill us. >> translator: we are going back up to two years, our homes were blown up by isil who accused us of being ypg. >> translator: we have been in turkey for three days with no place to stay. >> reporter: most of the 20,000 syrians who crossed over are still in turkey. some are nervous about now being under kurdish control, others were indifferent, and some were glad to see the back of isil. u.s. lead air strikes are changing the political map of area replacing isil with think kurdish ypg. turkey has long been concerned about a strengthening ypgpresence along the border. now they control some land that runs along the border with turkey for 400 kilometers. in january after a four-month battle, ypg forces controlled the syrian town of kobani. with the support of air strikes, the ypg managed to hold on to kobani, but the fighti

. >> bernard smith joins us from near the turkey syria border. bernard, we appreciate it. put the numbers in some sort of context for us. >> this city i'm talking to you from is a capital of this province. this is the largest concentration of syrian refugees, and turkey is feeling the strain. the latest feeling is that it spent $5.2 billion with syrians in turkey. they were never to be here, the initial idea is the war in syria would take a few months and the syrians would not go back. 20,000 came across. syrian kurdish fighters regained control of the town. i.s.i.l. had control of it for the last 14 months. but most of the refugees in turkey are not actually in refugee camps. about 350,000 are in government sponsored camps. most living among the community. in the camps, i have seen the conditions in the camps. they are good. people are fed. there are schools provided, but the problem, the issue every refugee tells you, it's not home. another in a state of limbo, it's difficult to find work. they want to move on with their lives. yes, they are looked after, it's not a perm

crossing over to bernard smith, to tell us what you have been seeing and what is the latest. >> reporter: it's quietened town there were a few hundred allowed to cross back. some came to escape but escalation in violence as the battle intensified between the syrian kurdish y.p.g. and i.s.i.l. who were in control of talabia. a couple of people were going back after being here for two years. they were kurds, saw the kurds in charge they are going back others in the arab residence of tal abbia, there has been reports, climate from some syrian groups that the kurds had been clearing out arabs, the kurds denied that. from what we have seen kurds are going back to tal abbiad. >> the few people left tal abbiad are returning. they joined others in control of the border town. fighters from the kurdish y.p.g. are now in charge. >> our pleas are to take care of the poor people. we have no food or medicine. only last week black cloud fighters are in the same place to stop people leaving >>> a 3-person assault forced i.s.i.l. out. air strikes were an essential parts of the battle plan. now the kurdis

. >> bernard smith is on the turkish side of the border. >> this is the third time this frontier has been opened by the turkish within the last two weeks or so. we think about a couple of thousand syrian refugees left the town today and they're telling us that it is all but deserted. it remains under isil control but we're told that syrian kurdish forces have the town encircled. the refugees are waiting just on the other side of that border checkpoint. they may open it again later on today. once they come through the children are vaccinated, everybody's registered and they are allowed to go and live with relatives or in refugee camps here in turkey. >> that report from bernard smith in turkey. as we reported earlier in the news hour, it's not the only country coping with a large influx of refugees. lebanon is home to more than a quarter of the 4 million people who have fled syria. joining us from beirut, the head of lebanon's emergency response to the refugee crisis. it is a huge number of people coming into the country. what support has lebanon had to deal with it? >> thank for havi

bernard smith, al jazeera.outh-eastern turkey >>> the captain of a people smuggling vote who said he was paid by australian authorities to return migrants to indonesia scribed a terrifying ordeal on the voyage back. australia prime minister continues to dodge questions about the alleged payments. andrew thomas reports from sydney. >> reporter: did australia pay smugglers to take these asylum seekers to indonesia? from sri lanka, bangladesh and myanmar, they are languishing in an immigration host elt. they are bored and listless but on dry land. for most of may they were at sea, on boats similar to this. they unwittingly did a month-long loop around the timor sea, a passage to new zealand, where they hoped to seek asylum paying $$4,000. in international waters they were intercepted by an australian customs vessel and days later by a warship. the passengers were taken on that. the crew were taken almost to the australian mainland. there they were given, they say, money, and told to go back to where they'd come fr

in a moment we'll talk to bernard smith, and he is in a kurdish predominant area. first to jamal in ankara. turks are good when it comes to voting. i believe there has been an enthusiastic turn out. talk us through it. >> there's a strong position here in the democratic right. 80% is expected here. throughout the day there has been flows of people come engine in what is a smooth and peaceful process here on the minds of those voting. there are numerous issues from the economy, foreign policy to issues of democracy, despite turkey going a lot better than regional neighbours. here is a selection of some of those of what has been on their minds when casting ballot papers. >> for me what happens is the balance in turkish politics. i don't want any party to dom mated, but just the balance to be established in the short term, and the medium run. that's all. >> it is our duty to vote first of all. because we need better foreign policies better economical situations. i believe everything is getting worse, and we need to just get better. >> i'm hoping to democrats and peace

let's go live to bernard smith live in istanbul. bernard, things have not gone to plan for president recep tayyip erdogan. it will be interesting what he says in the speech. he had been hoping that the party he helped to establish, the ruling party, would give him a mandate to extend presidential powers. it looks like that will have to be solved. >> it does. that's on the backburner for the moment. the president was involved in the election campaign. technically the presidency is supposed to be above politics he was campaigning through the election speaking loudly in favour, in favour of the party that he helped found, the a.k. party. he kept is low profile since the election since the a.k. party failed to win a majority the first time that he failed to do that in the last 13 years. it remains the largest political party in turkey, but is 18 short of the majority. that's why turkey looks like it's heading for a coalition government. that's with the prime minister says, that he will try, that's his ambition do get a coalition together

bernard smith joins us from turkey. i've been watching the picture behind you for afew minutes it looks busy and people are taking the election seriously there. >> one of thousands of schools open across turkey for voting today. this is a country that boasts a particularly high participation rate normally more than 80% and there are plenty of choices. 20 political parties on the ballot. representing every color and political persuasion as you could imagine and political candidates as well. polls are open until 5:00 p.m. local time and two or three hours later we mite be able to get an early indication of the way the vote is going jane. >> why is the focus on the main kurdish party what is happening there? circulate with well, the hdp is the one party that is threatening to upset the political balance here in turkey p it's aiming to get 10% which means it gets automatic representation in parliament, if they get less than 10% it could deprecise the ak of a supermajority, in favor of a more executive presidency which is so

bernard smith joins us on the turkey-syria border. tell us what hams and some of their stories. >> jane, several hundred refugees have crossed back into turkey today. quite a few went earlier on this morning, then some in the middle of the day. it's quieted down a lot now. most of them, you mentioned about 20,000 crossed into turkey. most of them are still here, but several hundred have gone back, largely because they feel they would rather be at home, especially as ramadan is about to start than be here in turkey, squeezed into already overcrowded refugee camps. most of them say that they are reasonably resigned to having to go back. they don't fear being under kurdish control some do, but others feel they have no choice about it. the influx of those coming over only started a couple of days ago, after the intense battle for control. >> the few people left are heading to turkey. they'll join the 20,000 who already escaped a three week battle for control of the strategic border town. fighters from the syrian kurdish ypg are now in cha

the kurds now control the road to raqqa bernard smith al jazeera, on the turkey syrian border. >> the united nations peacekeeping forces often have too few resources to make a difference. that is the conclusion of a panel which was asked to review the effectiveness of u.n. peacekeeping missions. it says that too much bureaucracy and lack of leadership. finding released today after a separate report accused u.n. peace keepers of routinely carrying out sexual abuse and exploitation. well chairman of the independent panel which released the latest report on tuesday. he told us sexual violence by peace keepers would not be tolerated. >> immunity under international law, the convention that regulates the immuneity is applicable only as the functions of the individual. sexual violence, sexual exploitation it has no immunity whatsoever. so if a particular u.n. staff somewhere in the world is involved in sexual violence, and there is credible evidence to that effect, the authorities of that country have the right to immediately initiate legal domestic process against an individual regardless

bernard smith in south-eastern turkey >>> a british ship launched a mission to rescue another 500 migrants in the mediterranean sea. near 5,000 were detained and taken to southern italy over the weekend. we have more from lampedusa where men are taken. >> some of the migrants rescued travelled on wooden fishing boats, and you usually have people on dak and below. and more are found on ships, on rubber dinkies 10 meters long and there are 100, 120, 130 people up there. certainly in dire conditions. according to the coast guards, some of the boats use a satellite phone to call a coordination number and send a discretion call. others were found floating around aimlessly in quite a dire situation. now, about 109 of these migrants were brought here to lampedusa, which is a transit point. the others en route will arrive in the next few hours, and we know about the arrival in a port of palermo. for the italians they use logistical challenges and they have the information of where they are arriving usually later in the day. they have to figure out if there's enough space in the reception center in

al jazeera's bernard smith has been to a town with the highest concentration of syrians in turkey. >> reporter: this person's juice store is one of the latest syrian-owned business to open in a turkish town. most of the customers are syrians. this person is catching up with his family before going back to his new job designing stationary. this person is taking a break from a turkish language course. the turkish government defines the syrians as guests, rather than refugees, they are expected to eventually go home. but learning turkish is one example of how syrians put down roots here. >> translation: as long as there's no international way to remove i.s.i.l., despite the hundreds of thousands of people killed and barrel bombs, we can't go back. we have big hopes to go back. the facts show we caned. - we cannot >> there are half a million syrians in the province. all are escaping the war back home. >> translation: we are a 5-member family. i had a new baby, for any family, the situation was hard because of a lack of work. i don't think of leaving turkey to go to europe and waiting for

. >> reporter: bernard smith, al jazeera, istanbul. >>> south sudan's government has expelled a top u.ncial saying he expressed an extreme view in a television interview. he was the humanitarian coordinator and deputy envoy. the u.n. has condemned the expulsion. in a statement ban ki-moon's office said: catherine soi is in south sudan's capitol. >> reporter: he has been the u.n. humanitarian coordinate since 2012. he has been a very powerful voice especially in this conflict. his expulsion come as a survive, but he is not even in the country anyway. he was expelled because of his activities against the government. >> the expulsions came as a result of the actives he has been carrying out against the republic of south sudan. he has called the leadership as failure when he was talking to the cnn in geneva and [ inaudible ] south sudan is now on the verge of economic collapse and is now printing its money. these are the things that undermine sovereignty and no country can allow interference of mingling in the affairs of their country to continue. >> reporter: the u.n. and the government ha

they've headed to the turkish border from where bernard smith now reports. >>reporter: for 14 months, isil controlled this syrian town on the border with turkey. not anymore. these are fighters from the syrian kurdish ypg. their flag now flies at the border crossing. the assault by the ypg forced thousands of people to cross to turkey. u.s.-led coalition strikes have helped the ypg push through. the price these people have paid are homes turned to rubble. >> we lost our home ten days ago. fierce fighting forced us to leave to save our children. before that life was okay. >> we were terrorize by isil. we left because of the heavy bombardment from all sides. but i'll never go back. in there you die a hundred times a die. >>reporter: the ypg has had it in its sights as an important connection between the turkish border and isil's capital. isil have now lost control to the only main road to their city. this is the fourth time that turkey has open this border here. most of these people have been waiting at least 24 hours to get through. they're carrying everythin

bernard smith, al jazeera, southeastern turkey. >>> a german chancellor angela merkel are urging countrieso share the influx of asylum seeker and arriving through greece and at odds for a plan to be forced in to take in a certain number of migrants and all member countries should shelter an appropriate number. meanwhile serbia prime minister says wars and fences are not a solution to keep migrants out and was responding to hungry's plans to build a four meter high barrier along the border and tens of thousands are crossing balkins to reach europe and says he shouldn't be blamed. >> translator: what do yo do -- you do and serbia will not close itself and we do not want to live in an schwitz. >>> coming up, in the news hour pope francis has praise for decisive action to save the planet from climate change. georgia warns that a tiger, bear and hyena are loose ap floods destroyed the zoo. and in sport and baseball lovers are suddenly going football crazy and we have more later. ♪ 30 houthi rebels have been killed during fighters with local tribesmen in central yemen and happened in the provinc

bernard smith has more where there has been a steady flow of oflyies carrying their belongings across border. >> reporter: a few hundred residents came through here on wednesday morning, taking the opportunity for the return of peace to go back and see if they have homes to go to. this is slightly different than the situation in kobani which resulted inco -- in kobani where everything was destroyed. the level of destruction here is nothing like what we saw in kobani. so while the refugees are being well looked after here in the refugee camp it isn't home and these people want to go home. most of them are syria abrabs, but we have also spoken to a kurd irk -- kurdish family who fleld two years ago. >>> there was an assault west of beiji. >>> government ministers in australia are still refusing to come on allegations that officials paid people smuggers to turn back immigrants. andrew andrew thomas reports. >> reporter: these are the pictures. the money shots that have given fresh impetus to the allegations that australia paid people smugglers to turn a boat of asylum seekers away. it an

bernard smith, al jazeera, on the turkey syria border. >>> and battles have been taking place betweenia opposition forces and government troops here the goland heights. ♪ >>> france has defined accomodation for more than 10,000 asylum seekers as part of a plan to help deal with the flow of migrants. around 100,000 have entered europe from the mediterranean sea. france says it will take 4,000 by next year and house another 5.5 thousand refugees who have already been granted asylum. plans call for a fence more than a meter high to now be built along the border. >>> government officials are still refusing to comment on allegations that human smugglers were made to take migrants away from australia. >> reporter: australia's prime minister still isn't answering questions. these are those pictures, the money shots that have given fresh impetus to the allegations that australia paid people smugglers to turn a boat of asylum seekers away from the coast. despite the australian's government refusal to comment, it is alleged they did take place. >> translator: i said we needed money so we could

bernard smith reports. >> the few people left are headed to turkey. they will join the 20,000 who have already escaped three week battle for control of this strategic border town. they are now in charge. only last week, isil fighters were here in the same place trying to stop people from leaving. but a three week assault forced isil out. air strikes from the u.s. led coalition, were an essential part of the battle plan. now therd cannish flag flies above. that makes them nervous. the west which is conducting arian bombings is unfortunately positioning terrorists members and p cank it is a separatist group that has fought a bat with the state. in northern syria but uniquely, that town is a majority arab. however, they say it was once kurdish before they were forced out in the 1980's, and lo more recently by isil. the government and the group of 15 syrian antigovernment groups have accused the y. p.g. of displacing arabs from the area. base less, we don't fight isil alone, they fight with us on the front line, we didn't liberate because it is kurdish, w

bernard smith al jazeera, on the turkey-syrian border. >> refusing to comment on allegations that officials paid people smugglers to take their human cargo back to tunisia. they showed the money that they say was paid to them. we have reports from sydney. >> australia's prime minister still isn't answering questions. >> what are your reactions prime minister? >> these are those pictures. the money shots that have given free impetus to the allegations that australia paid people smugglers to turn a boat boat around back to sea. this interview with the captain suggests that despite the australian government refusal to comment on the alleged payments, that they did take place. >> i told the australian man we needed money so we could return to our wives and children. they said okay, we'll help. >> you this new exclusive footage is of all six crew members. the saga and legality of what australian officials may have done at sea is dominating news in australia. >> getting back to the question, is he paying money to people smugglers on water or on land lawful? >> you're asking a question based on an

that's something worrying the turkish government as bernard smith reports from southern turkey. >> the few people left are heading to turkey. they'll join the 20,000 who already escaped a three week battle for control of the strategic border town. fighters from the syrian-kurdish y.p.g. are now in charge. only last week, black clad isil fighters were here in the same place, trying to stop people leaving. a three week assault led by the y.p.g. forced isil out. airstrikes from the u.s. led coalition were a central part of the battle plan. now the kurdish black flies above the city. that makes the turkish government nervous. >> on or border to the west, conducting aerial bombings, is positions terrorist members in their place. >> turkey sees the y.p.g. in syria as an off shoot of the turkish p.k.k., a separatist group that's fault a 30 year battle with the turkish state. >> the syrian kurds have enough added the city to their list of self declared independently administered regions in northern syria, but uniquely, that town is majority arab. however, the kurds say it was once kurdish befo

. >> bernard smith is live for us. ard, any suggestions who is likely to join up with the a.k.p. party? >> reporter: no, there isn't jane. we are in uncharted political waters really particularly for the a.k.p. party this is the first time since about 13 years ago that they had to consider the prospect of ruling in a coalition government. but don't seem to be any natural partners this has been a better and times angry election campaign. many bridges have been burned between the political party. the a.k.p. party wants to work in coalition, it has to do some on thereaching out to particular parties, some of the parties that might have thought of them ruling themselves out. the conservative nationalist m.h.p. says they will not work in coalition the a fresh elections they could be called within 45 days. and the then after that period, a date has to be set for the elections. but these are now uncertain times, there is a cabinet meeting led by prime minister later this morning. and by the end of that we should have better id

. >> bernard smith near the turkey syria border, where there's been a massive influx of refugees. >>key has now overtaken pakistan. almost 1.7 million syrian refugees are now in turkey. most of them living amist the turkey. in that time the government says it spent $5.2 billion providing for and managing the syrian refugee situation. it is still not getting any help, from the international community, particularly from the european union it wants them to take more refugees and while the camps that turkey provides, provide good accommodation, people are fed, there is education for children, many of the refugees will fell you their lives are in limbo. they wont to settle, they realize lit be a long time before they can go back to syria, in these camps work is very difficult to find. they need a sense of permanence to move on activists in syria syrian leader had denied that any advances have been made. 30 rebels have been killed during fighting with local tribesman, it happened in the province, the houthis were met with resistence as they launch an offensive to take over the area. suppor

. >> bernard smith is near the turkey syrian boarder. >> reporter: turkey has now overtaken pakistano become the worldest largest refugee country, almost 1.7 million, now most of them living amongst the turkish communities. some around 350,000 are, though in turkish government-provided refugee camps. we're now in the fifth year of syria's civil war, and in that time the turkish government says it spent $5.2 billion providing for and managing the syrian refugee situation. it says it is still getting anything like enough help from the international community, particularly the european union, it wants them to take more refugees, and while the camps that turkey provides provide good accomodation, people are fed, there are education -- there is education for children many of the refugees will tell you their lives are in limbo. they want to be able to settle. they realize it is going to be a long time before they can go back to syria, but in these camps work is difficult to find they need a sense of permanence to move on with their lives. >>> activists in syria says that there is a push in

bernard smith has more from the town in turkey where there has been a steady flow of families carrying their belongings across the border >>> a few hundred residents from tal abyad crossed the border from turkey na their town taking the opportunity for return of peace to go back and see if they have homes to go to. now, the situation in tal abyad is different to that of kobane. that battle finished early in january, after four months fighting between the syrian kurdish y.p.g., kobane was all but destroyed. the town is in rubble. this town was a 20-day battle. while there has been destruction from the u.s. air strikes, it's nothing like the scale of kobane. while the refugees are being well looked at here in the - welled looked after in the refugee camps, it is not home and these people we have spoken to want to go home. most are syrian arabs turning to tal abyad, but we have spoken to a couple of kurdish families that fled two years ago when i.s.i.l. took control. they have decided they feel it's safe to go back home >>> after nearly three months of saudi-led air strikes and over 2500

. >> reporter: well bernard smith is near the turkey/syria border. >> reporter: so turkey has over takentan to be the world's largest refugee hosting country, almost 1.7 million syrian refugees are now in turkey. most of them living with the turkish community and along the border between syria and turkey some 350,000 are though in turkish government provided refugee camps. we are now in the 5th year of syria's civil war and in the time the government said it spent $5.2 billion providing for and managing these syrian refugee situations and says it's still not getting help from the international community particularly from the european union and wants them to take more refugees. while the camps that turkey provides provide good accommodation, people are fed and there is education for children, many of the refugees there will tell you their lives are in limbo and want to be able to settle and a long time before they can go back to syria but in the camps work is difficult to find and need a sense of permanent to move with their lives. >>> i.s.i.l. claimed responsibility for car bombings in y

as we mentioned earlier the pro kurdish people's democratic party has made a historical gains bernard smithat the h.d.p. headquarters. >> reporter: a huge political gamble by h.d.p. has paid off. they have heeded the 10% share of the vote needed to get 10% representation in the turkish parliament and this is very significant in this country. that means for the first time in the history of turkey a pro kurdish party has representation at a national level in a turkish. >> pat: lament and the h.d.p. managed to do it by trying to broaden its support base, that this is a matter that's ally today an outlawed turkish separatist organization the p.k. k a tar orist organization its considered in the united states and european union they have played down their organization to the p.k. k and played up its commitment to peace and its representations of working class and minority groups. now with that partner lament are you representation they say they will be able to push forward a peace process, one of the biggest problems facing the modern turkish state. >>> south korea has closed nearly 2,000 school

capitol of rakka and thousands escaping the violence heading to the border town and this is where bernard smithns us now and it's extraordinary to think how this has all changed hands and the fact these people have been trying to get away now in the hands of a pro-kurdish group so what does that mean for the people there and the bigger picture, the fight itself? >> we can't unfortunately make a direct link with bernard at the moment and we are working on this but he sent this a little bit earlier and try to get him back to talk about the bigger picture after we hear from bernard place on the turkey syria border. >> reporter: 14 months i.s.i.l. controlled the syrian town on the border with turkey. not anymore. these are fighters from the syrian kurdish ypg and their flag now flies over this border crossing. three-week assault by ypg forced thousands of people to cross to turkey. u.s. led coalition air strikes have helped the ypg push through. the price these people have paid are homes turned to rubble. >> translator: we lost our home ten days ago, fierce fighting forced us to leave to save our c

bernard smith reports from diar bakir. >> in turkey's largest kurdish city, it is hoped that the electionwill bring new momentum to a stalled three year peace process. 40 years of fighting between turkish state and turkish separatists have caused thousands of lives. >> i think things should be done to reestablish the peace process. we all live under the same flag, peace and prosperity is what turkey needs. >> they should keep their promises for freedom of thought and religion and establishment of trust in turkey. the akp disappointed us. >> though the image of hdp leaders solomon dematash is an indication of how much hope supporters have in this charismatic leader, he has led a pro-cushtdkurdish parliament into parliament for the first time in this century. >> we have economic problems now in turkey. and we have to solve that problem. because if you don't solve that problem people will go into the street again. >> reporter: minority groups and ethnic turks were also persuaded to throw their support behind the hdp. that's how it launched over the threshold to get 80 seats. if no government

bernard smith, al jazeera turkey. >> most refugees even when they reach turkey, have a struggle to survive. kim vanel reports. >> the main street of the refugee scamp lined with life. young gamers play inside. next door, older ones do the same. several beachseveral barber shops peens means there's be competition for a close shave. not all are convinced things are looking up. heaven is four years old has siblings, her playground is a tent. >> when i took her to the hospital they just gave us something to clean it with and sent us home. that's because they don't have enough medicine. >> there's just one health center for the 10,000 mostly kurdish syrians who live here and one personand most persons share one toilet between ten families. is this scamp was set up in august 2013, but there used to be many, many mors. the camp stretched for as far as you could see here. the government started moving them on building them permanent accommodation in another part of the compound. >> there we immediate mohamed his three daughters and their wife. their home has a kitchen a modest backyard and a walle

bernard smith, al jazeera, on the turkey syria border. >> france has defined accommodation for 10,000sylum seekers as part of a plan to help deal with the flow of migrants crossing the mediterranean. around 100,000 people have entered europe so far by sea but dozens still camp on the french-italian border. france said it will take 4,000 next year and house another 5,000 refugee who is have already been granted legal status. >>> the number of migrants entering hungary has risen markedly. the call is for a fence to be erected along the border. >>> government in australia still refusing to answer questions of paying human smuggler to take people back to indonesia. >> australia's prime minister still isn't answering questions. >> the pictures, the money shots that gave fresh i am pussytoes impressions that australia paid people smugglers to return back to sea. despite their refusal on-to-comment on the alleged payments it did take plates this exclusive footage of the saga and legality of what australian officials have done at sea is dominating news in australia is it paying money to peopl