we should mention an important point that a few hundred people are besieged. 800,000 civilians under government siege were left without food or medicine. >> there has been reports that multiple brigades want to join the fight. >> this woman in aleppo is asking why is no one protecting us. we'll have to take up arms ourselves. the battle is intensifying in aleppo and the damascus countryside. >> it is good news for bashar al-assad. now he's taken advantage from this time to gain on the land when they will arrive to say sit down on the table. he can. around the time, it's running out and he's interested to gown on the field -- gain on the field, on the land before sitting in starting to discussion any political solution. >> the syrian opposition is subdivided split -- divided politically. there may be an international coalition, but there is no agreement on how to end the war. a war according to the u.n. which killed over 200,000 syrians and displaced millions. >> ukrainians head to the polls for the first parliamentary elections since viktor yanukovych was overthrown as president. wit

military supplies meant for kurdish forces in the besieged found of kobane. the u.s. confirmed that one of the 27 bundles of weapons and ammunition it dropped has gone missing. >>> one of libya's rival prime minister's has been holding tacks with the envoy. the militias that back him took over the capital in august. the prime minister and cabinet he pushed out are in the east of the country, in tub ruck -- tobruk. >> reporter: well armed and fighting street-level battles. there are two governments pushing for supremacy in libya, and a town south-west of tripoli. they have chosen side. libya is a tribal nation, loyalties strong and demonstrated with passion. what is happening here is a confined example of what afflicted the country since the fall of muammar gaddafi. during the war leading to his death tribal militias were equipped with powerful weapons, and plenty of them. government that ruled since failed to convenience them to give up arms and develop a loyal military. in august armed groups who opposed the leadership took over tripoli. their own parliament was put

the town has been besieged for weeks, forcing tens of thousands of kurds to flee the area. while these are the pictures live from the turkish-syrian border, there is some movement of turkish tanks lined up. let's speak to the bbc persian service. just tell us what is the latest picture first of all with control of kobane and where the i.s. militants are. >> we can see kobane, looking to kobane right now. in my left, there is pounding. they are pushing back. just a few minutes ago, i talked to one of the soldiers in tanks, ask whether there is any reas reason -- to kobane for attacks. he said that right now -- [ inaudible ] some houses there. no action right now. >> okay, thanks very much indeed. sorry about the quality on that line, it is quite difficult to make out that, but hopefully you got some sort of gist there. mark lowen, our correspondent, is in instan bustanbul for us. can you tell us about why it is so strategically important? >> well, it is very important because it stands very close to the turkish border. it is just on the other side of the border fence, so if

iraqi kurdish forces through turkey to help reinforce the besieged city of kobani. a very interesting development. could turn the tide there. ivan watson, thank you. >>> the day of reckoning for oscar pistorius. sentenced minutes ago. five years in prison for culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. the steenkamp family is expected to hold a news conference within an hour. the prosecutor's office has not decided whether to appeal the judge's sentence. again, five years in prison. cnn's robin kurnow joining us live. good morning, robin. >> reporter: good morning. i was inside that courtroom. i have been inside that courtroom for the past eight minutes just about every day. it has been so dramatic at times. today in the final reckoning, utter anti-climax. there was zero emotion. in fact, all of us sitting in the court, including pistorius and pistorius family and reeva steenkamp friends and family, journalists were silent where we could not digest what we are hearing. there was certainly no outgoing he motion, shock, relief, nothing.

. >> for a month now, the soldiers of islamic state have been besieging this key kurdish city, and defeat continual american air strikes, which so far have cost nearly half a billion dollars in total, they have pushed deep into the heart of the city. >> reporter: the propaganda message seems clear. the defiant denial that american bombardments of kobane have succeeded in pushing the militants back. but it's what this video seems to tell us about john cantlie himself that's most significant. compare how he looked in previous videos. very much a prisoner, pale-faced, dressed in orange prison garb with little to suggest when and where the filming was done. it's not clear if he knows that his father, who made an appeal to his son's captors from his hospital bed, has recently died. four other western captives, as well as numerous other prisoners, have been brutally beheaded. but this time, not only is john cantlie apparently in kobane, he also mentions two news reports from the 16th and 17th of october, suggesting that this video was filmed within the last ten days. bridget kendall, bbc news.

first group of kurdish peshmerga forces from iraq have entered the syrian town of kobane, which is besieged by islamic state militants. they're among 150 fighters arriving to help syrian kurdish fighters who have been holding back islamic state with the help of american-led air strikes. we're joined now on the turkey-syria border. what sort of numbers have been allowed across and how much difference is it making on the ground? >> reporter: well, the troops arrived last night. i think they haven't entered the city yet. seems to me there is a lot of issues. they have to inspect the situation. what we are hearing, the kurdish peshmerga, they arrived last night around 3:00 a.m. in the morning. a team of them this morning have gone to the border to inspect the situation, and possibly we are hearing from some sources that they might cross the border today or sometimes tomorrow. we don't know yet exactly when they are entering the city. but obviously, there is a lot of hopes in kurdish community, and those people who are watching the city under fire. so they are hoping this peshmerga, who are equi

the battle for the besieged syrian town of kobane.you can see, fierce fighting is taking place between kurdish fighters and islamic state militants. we are now hearing that islamic state militants control the strategic hill above the city, and in theory, gives those fighters a huge strategic advantage. more coming up here on "bbc world news." do stay with us. we love... love... love... chocolaty, creamy... with a little something extra. mmm deliciousness. cookies or almonds. yumminess. hershey's is mine, yours, our chocolate. revolutionary by every standard. and that became our passion. to always build something better, airplanes that fly cleaner and farther on less fuel. that redefine comfort and connect the world like never before. after all, you can't turn dreams into airplanes unless your passion for innovation is nonstop. ♪ u(receptionist)sion fgunderman group is growing. getting in a groove. growth is gratifying. goal is to grow. gotta get greater growth. i just talked to ups. they got expert advise, special discounts, new techn

it is not enough to deter them and their ability to attack cities and besiege towns if they need to. i guess that's a point of concern for the u.s. military planners who will be watching and saying if this air force disrupted them how and why are they capable of carrying out attacks on town. >> we are watching the u.s. hostage. peterer kasig. his parents are coming out, pleading for his release. the concern is we saw the video released of the british hostage being killed. what do you know about his condition is. >> it's difficult to know anything about his condition. from those of us who are with him i don't think any of us since then had a good account of what he may have been going through, enduring. over the course of the past several months, some of the hostages have been able to give us a count of what the captivity of oh these guys went through. unfortunately not all of them have been good. we know isis in some instances abused and tortured and according to one waterboarded the foreign hostages. >> as that's been happening there is a discussion here in the united states. that's

. >>> coming up here on cnn, isis forces battle for control of the besieged city of kobani.ng the turkish border and tell you how turkey may respond with force. >>> also ahead the head of north korea's military and other high-level officials make a sudden visit to south korea. we'll tell what you that's about. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] with five perfectly sweetened whole grains... you can't help but see the good. that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp... and pro

it does seen to match the topography of the area around this besieged town of kobani. it's very clearly a parachute with a bundle of boxes next to it and then crates that appear to contain hand grenades and mortar rounds. so this does look like, one of these bundles, at least for a time got into the hands of isis militants, precisely the people the u.s. military is trying to kill. we watched at least three suspected air strikes on that town of kobani throughout the day today. we also got, wolf, exclusive video coming out of some of that aid reaching the right people. a doctor who tells us that he received precious medicine, antibiotics, anesthetics. and he was thanking the people who delivered them. but clearly it is a difficult mission to try to get aid to the defenders of kobani. you see what could have gone wrong there, and what makes it all the more strange is kobani is so close to where we were standing. it's less than a mile and right next to turkish tanks and troops who are nato allies and still the u.s. had to resort to parachutes to try to get weapons, ammunit

and coalition airstrikes there have targeted isil's position in the besieged town of kobane. kurd curb forces say the airstrikes have helped them with their counterattack. kobane's residents have fled across the border into turkey. they began their assault the of the town more than three weeks ago. while the world's attention is being focused on the battle for kobane. fierce fighting continues elsewhere in syria. it's the government of the bashar al assad. a report. >> reporter: syria's parliament's in normal session. in attendance, prime minister and his cabinet have an upbeat assessment of the future. >> translator: as we enter the fourth year of the crisis, and the terrorists led by the western powers the challenges that we face on the security, political and economic levels are increasing. but our government is confident in our people that will lead to develop and build the future of syria and bypass this period. an optimism backed by military gains on the various battle fronts at least according to syrian state television. syrian army advances in the province of aleppo f

the student group said leaders will meet with officials but warned the protesters will completely besiege government buildings unless their demands are met. >> really trying to open up room for this. >> the demonstrators are protesting beijing's limit on voter choices in a newly observers say they want to resolve the situation because it will affect parts of china. >>> turkey's parliament approved a motion that could help join the campaign against islamic state. also allow foreign troops to use the own tri's territory for the operation. the resolution passed with a strong majority. the legal framework will allow the turkish military to send ground troops across the border if necessary. the united states and other nations can also station troops at military bases in the country. officials expressed concerns about the safety of turkish hostages held by the militant group, but the hostages were released last month. islamic state group is occupying villages in northern syria and moving closer to the turkish border. the militants have continued to increase their activities despite air strikes

the first peshmerga fighters head to the besieged syrian town of kobani. ♪ >>> hello, i'm martine dennisdoha. also to come on the program, enforced migration, egypt displaces thousands to create a large buffer zone along the border with gaza. >>> bangladesh war crime charges, the leader of the largest party is sentenced to

they'll cross turkish territory en route to the besieged town of kobani, just inside syria. a large convoy with heavy weapons was seen driving through irbil today. kurdish officials in syria said the force also includes about 150 fighters. >> woodruff: yard by yard, a slow-moving stream of lava closed in on homes today on hawaii's "big island." the molten rock began oozing from kilauea volcano in june. the flow has consumed roads and burned vegetation along its way, and today, it crossed onto residential property in the village of pahoa. evacuation orders have gone out, and officials plan to close several schools. >> ifill: on wall street, stocks racked up new gains on the strength of improved corporate earnings and consumer confidence. the dow jones industrial average was up nearly 188 points to close at 1,705. the nasdaq rose 78 points to close at 4,564. and the s-and-p 500 added 23, to finish at 1,985. >> woodruff: still to come on the newshour: north carolina's closely fought senate race; the influence of third party candidates on the midterm elections; iraq's displaced

they have been besieged by misfortune. >> the ms. was devastating.is her husband noticed something was missing. >> i didn't have my keys. he ran here to the hospital parking lot, but he was too late. his car was gone. >> this is a picture of his black 2013 chevy cruz. he uses his job for the ride sharing company lyft. the keys to jennifers car was on his key ring. that car has been recovered. his wallet was missing. his bank account trained -- drained and they have four children. you want to try be optimistic that things can turnaround. >> the stuarts have gotten a lot of support from friends and strangers on the go fund me site. they have gone through so much. >> we want our car back. over anything else. we want our car back. multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease and characterized by the progressive loss of sensory and motor skills like sight and the ability to walk. this is a more rare form. and it can be more complicated to identify because the lesions on the brain used to diagnosis a patient mimic tumors or abscesses. >>> you may recognize them

this had is a besieged town. a city you have a few thousand defenders.t that it's besieged, the fact is that turkey and neighboring countries are not providing the am fig, tmission e help. no one is asking turkey to intervene militarily. no one is asking the americans to send basically ground troops. we're talking about providing the defenders, the citizens who are defending their city with the means to defend themselves and here is another piece of the american strategy. american-led strategy is based on the idea you need local forces. what better local force you have here? the kurdish citizens defending their areas against this particular organization. this is the problem. the problem is the coalition itself and the nature of the coalition and the lack of really basically a one particular strategic vision. vis-a-vis, the so-called islamic state. >> half in and half out. thank you both very much. i want to tell our viewers here. after the break, we'll look at those new protests in st. louis happening today after an off-duty cop fatally shot an off-duty

whoever wins this fight will be hugely significant, also the ypg who will keep the town, avenue being besiegedor a long time, give them some legitimacy in the sense of their fight. they do complain they haven't received any help from anyone else, that's the anger of the curds that say turkey isn't allowed anyone in, any curds in to help boost the fighters this is also a request from the u.n., but at the moment, the situation on the ground hasn't changed when it comes to the inside of the town, but the fighters telling us that they are positive for now they are managing to push isil back. the military leader evers from the more than 20 countries that are part of the led coalition, are going to be talking about in washington quite shortly, now, this is the first time such a meeting is takes place since the coalition was formed last month. let's go life now to andrews air force base, and patty, as all of these military chiefs assemble there, just outside of washington, d.c. there's a certain confidence that at least they are slowing the progress of isil. >> they are basically saying that this is

. >> yeah, because afghanistan is a country besieged with challenges right now.t has fended off invaders for centuries. er >> and we hope that's not the case with afghanistan. >> now we're going to get our community into this a lot today. >> absolutely. >> this week afghanistan marked its first democratic legelectio. he appointed his rival to a position similar to prime minister. the war-weary country remains plagued with a list that goes on and on. but security did seem to be at the top of ghani's priority list when he authorized a deal to keep thousands of american troops beyond 2019. the move eased tensions between the government and washington. so what will it take to change the tragic narrative to one of success. and what roll will afghans play in their country's future. joining us out of afghanistan is a senior advisor to the afghan president. he serves as director of executive programs. from washington, d.c., a senior fellow at the brookings institute where he serves as director of research for its foreign policy program. and from pakistan, a journalist an

kurdish forces are struggling to defend the besieged town from i.s.i.l., which is pushing in from two sides. >>> the u.s. defense secretary has given assurance that iraqi security forces are in full control of bag dad. 50 killed, 100 have been injured in a wave of attacks across the capital. >> the u.n. secretary-general called for armed groups in libya to withdraw from their positions and stop fighting. ban ki-moon is in tripoli to broker a deal between the two rive at parties amid fear the two countries are sliding into still war. >> protesters marched against police brutality in st louis, following the shooting of a black teenager in the city of st louis in august. [ chanting ] >> reporter: it's called the weekend of resistance in and around st louis, and may seem like an outpouring of rage for a local police force accused of brutality. it's highly organised and carefully conceived looking for justice in st louis, and the country. yes, there are the demonstrations. but there are seminars examining race, class, gender, the economy and the law. the union has moved to look at what is

and then it did, and now the military is now attacked from the united states, a besieged syrian it city, 135 times. we'll catch you up on the fight with syria, isil and i wish ac on inside the reef. inside th inside story.

activists say the strikes targeted positions around a besieged kurdish town near the border with turkeyactivists also say the strikes combined with heavy ground fighting overnight have killed 16 militants and 11 kurdish militiamen. thousands of people have fled across the border to turkey as isis fighters continue their advance. >>> right now, a teenager fights for his life after falling off a moving car that he was holding onto. this happened at a restaurant parking lot along richie highway. they tell us the 17-year-old chick-fil-a employee jumped on the side of his coworker's jeep. he fell and hit his head on the ground. the driver hasn't been charged. police say he did know the young coworker was there and the car was not moving although a fast speed. >>> going off the radar, we'll tell you about the big announcement from maryland swimming sensation michael phelps just days after another run-in with the law. >>> plus -- >> it suddenly occurred to me, i could be dead like most of my buddies or my friends. >> honoring our nation's heroes. we will show you the new washington landmark th

turkey has been standing on the sidelines while coping -- kobane has been besieged. let's make a distinction here. from turkey's perspective, not all kurds are created equal. what i mean by that is kurdish groups have very different divisions. there are kurdish groups that turkey considers terrorists,. the iraqi kurds are a different territory. turkey has had relatively decent relations with them in recent years. they've bought oil from the kurds in iraqi kurdistan. these are the kurds they can have at least a relationship with. the fact that they are helping the peshmerga fighters does not mean turkey is about to turn around and let the kurdistan workers party, the so-called pkk also cross the border, but they've also been wanting to do so, and that is not about to happen. turkeys made it very clear that is a different group of kurds in its mind, terrorists, as opposed to the iraqi kurds, with whom turkey can do business and have relations. >> pertaining to the situation in kobane, they just received these weapons drops provided by the united states. the move by tur

and then it did, and now the military is now attacked from the united states, a besieged syrian it city, 135 times. we'll catch you up on the fight with syria, isil and i wish ac on inside the reef. inside thinside story.hello, i'. the fight for kobane is going on right on turkey's border. turkey opposes iraq and isil. and it opposes the syrian government. and it opposes the syrian city. with a big ref see problem and isil on its border, surcky is frustrated with the obama administration because it meant aiding an enemy, the syrian kurds. the dam broke in recent days with iraq agreeing for iraqi kurds to join syria as they dropped weapons to the syrian kurds. it's complicated and a sign of how vital the american government and the rest of the world thinks it is for kobane >> clashes flair between the kurdish fighters and the islamic state group, dropping supplies from planes. >> last night, the planes dropped weaponry and food and medicine los to the city of kobane. and this is the first time that they have dropped help inside of kobane and also to the fighters. >> on monday, turkey's g

resisting strongly for 24 days, even kobani is a small town, you know, and surrounded by isis and besiegedisis for more than a year. so the resistance is very strong, just by fighters of ypg and the international -- >> what do you believe it will take for turkey to come in and get involved in the fight, given the antipathy that there often is between the kurds in that area and also in turkey and the turkish authorities? >> we don't need fighters on the ground. we don't need any foreign forces on the ground because we have enough fighters. we have expert fighters who fight for a long time against isis, and they, you know, assure for the international community that they are able to defeat these terrorists groups but just what they need ammunition and heavy weaponry. this is what we need. this is what we called for the international community to give us. we don't need fighters on the ground. we have enough fighters. >> okay. thanks very much indeed. talking on behalf of the kurdish forces involved in that battle. we're going to get the turkish view on this. we're joined now live from washing

the first peshmerga fighters head to the besieged syrian town of kobani. ♪ >>> hello, i'm martine dennisdoha. also to come on the program, enforced migration, egypt displaces thousands to create a large buffer zone along the border with gaza. >>> bangladesh war crime charges, the leader of the largest party is sentenced to death for murders committed more than 40 years ago. >>> it is now thought more than 5,000 people have died in the west africa ebola outbreak, according to the w.h.o. ♪ >>> but first kurdish forces battling isil in the syria town of kobani are being boosted by more fighters. dozens of iraqi kurdish peshmerga are now on their way to the town. and a contingent of syrian rebel fighters have also arrived to join the fight. >> reporter: for turks it's an unprecedented sight. a armed kurdish fighters being escorted through turkey. the turkish government is allowing around 150 fighters to transit its territory after pressure from the u.s. to do more to stop kobani from falling to isil. turkey is been in conflict with kurdish separatists for more than 30 years, but they don't s

. >> reporter: an official in that besieged syrian town says there could be a large-scale massacre if the isis terrorists make it inside that town. tonight that is looking closer. take a look at what we saw near the border earlier today. this is the closest that we have seen and heard to a sustained battle here in the town just across the border from where we are in syria. you can see smoke coming up from impacts on the tower hill there and over to the left, this is the eastern side of the city, and we've seen a lot of firing there. isis tanks, isis mortars shooting in, and we're hearing small arms fire coming from the kurdish defenders of the city. again, all across the city we are seeing impacts. there's a lot more mention in the air. the shells were landing hard and fast. a few landed not far from us inside of turkey. one struck a house injuring five people. after that turkish authorities evacuated three villages near the border. we spotted isis weapons firing repeatedly on one location. defending the town may be 1,000 ill equipped fighters and their supporters. they have launched

. >> iraq's kurdish parliament voted to send its fighters, the peshawar, to the besieged syrian town of kobane. fighters from the islamic state of iraq and levant have tried to capture the town on the border for weeks. let's speak to charles stratford, live in erbil in northern iraq. is there any indication as to when the peshawar fighters might set off for kobane, and how many of them? >> we still have no indication yet, no confirmation as to when the fighters will leave, or, indeed, how many are going. we have yet as well to have confirmation that the president has signed off on whether to send the fighters. there seems to be a greater sense for a push for unity between the kurdish fighters, particularly the kurd in syria, with links to the p.k.k. by turkey, and have not got on with the krg kurds in iraq because of the krg's links with turkey. there has been an ongoing negotiations, if you like, for the last three or four days, we hear, to try to bring the factions together. the president was saying the agreement to send the peshawar is a greater indication of greater cooperation,

there were clashes early this morning in a besieged syrian town near turkey. a fighter tells cnn that tourngs kobani, is now strangely quiet. that is sparking fears isis is preparing something. >> to the south there have been deadly explosions in parts of iraq. it's not clear whether isis is responsible, but the terror group is tightening its grip on anbar province we know. the province's leaders are pleading for u.s. ground troops to defend it against isis. a u.s. official, however, says it's not going to happen. >> anbar is just west of baghdad. the obama administration insists iraqi forces can defend the iraqi capital. joining me now, cnn's senior international correspondent ben wedeman in baghdad and erin mcpike at the white house. ben, i want to start with you. detail for us these attacks that we've seen in baghdad most recently. >> reporter: victor, what we saw last night were two very large car bombs in baghdad itself leaving more than 40 people dead, many more wounded. now earlier today there were three bombs outside of baqouba, one was a suicide bombe

. >> freshwater is in short supply for the few that remain in kobani, besieged by islamic state militants for more than a month. these images filmed exclusively for deutsche welle are some of the first to exclusively show the damage inside the city. >> we have neither food nor water. whatever we get we pick up at the turkish border because of the heavy shelling. for the past week, we have heard peshmurga fighters are on their way. we do not know what is happening. kobani needs heavy weapons against these mercenaries. >> the call for reinforcements now appears to have been answered. on tuesday, a convoy carrying around 150 kurdish fighters set off for the battle torrent syrian town. so far, kurdish forces have withstood islamic state's attacks, despite aging weaponry and a shortage of ammunition. they say they will fight to the death. >> we are here to protect the civilians in the city and this country. we will not allow the terrorists to march into this city. we will defend it to the last person. we will not be forced out, and we will not be swayed from our mission to defend the courage i

the held of the turkish forces defending kobane, he said we're operating from a small besieged area, and my expectation is for general killing, massacres and destruction if isil make it into the town. so there's an enormous amount of pressure on the syrian/kurdish fighters today, trying to defend kobane. >> meanwhile, the warnings are coming from damascus to anchor itself. the turkish capital warning them about anything that they might be doing. given that the turkish capital has just passed legislation that could pave the way for more robust help on the part of the turkish authority. >> the syrian foreign minute it industry on television said turkish intervention in syrian territories is deemed an aggression. and i think this is because one of the things that the president has been calling for is a safe zone within syrian territory. and that's what he believes this fight is not just about isil. but it's also against syria, the regime of bashar al-assad. and he hasn't fallen but syria and turkey would like to see him go. so the safe zone that turkey is calling for would-be on syrian

. >> and next on cnn, pressure supplies reach those in need, exclusive video from inside the besieged syrian kobani where a grateful doctor displays the medical supplies dropped from u.s. planes. we're back in a moment. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] great rates for great rides. geico motorcycle, see how much you could save. [ male announcer ] great rates for great rides. anncvideoconferences it's youof the day.rtant hi! hi, buddy! anncr: that's why the wifi and free hot breakfast are something to smile about. and good reasons to book now. feel the hamptonality >> welcome back. a giant in american journalism ben bradley has died at the age of 93. he's known as editor of "the washington post," a position he left more than 20 years ago. >> bradley oversaw the "post's" historic coverage of the wat watergate scandal which led to the resignation of u.s. president richard nixon. >> his first battle against the nixon administration was publishing the pentagon papers in 1971, documents that show how poorly the vietnam war was handled. >> "the post" was still searching for a seat at the big table.

oss the turkish border as they prepared to join the battle against the islamic state group in the besieged syrian town of kobani. unity to fight the ebola epidemic, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations of bows to help west african -- vows to help west african countries with the outbreak and trace the care workers in the countries. and an unmanned rocket explodes just after takeoff, it was loaded with supplies to the international space station. those of the headlines on france 44. thank you for joining us. first to the fighting with some 800 people killed and some 2000 others forced to flee, the fight for kobani rages on. iraqi peshmerga fighters arrived at the border. the admission by the 150 fighters came as ankara allowed them to pass into syria from turkey. it underscores the serious political tensions in the region. alex trumbull is near the border and reports. >> for the moment, none of the peshmerga units have actually crossed the border into syria. those who landed yesterday evening about half a mile or -- half an hour north of the border are in the buffer zone, which is in a

the message we heard from them was that they weren't happy with the army besieging, as they called it, this neighborhood because of the civilian presence. they say that they stand behind the army trying to root out what they call terrorist elements or sleeper cells that may have to do with the spillover from syria but certainly an incredibly intense situation remaining here people concerned, people angry and it's heightening the sectarian tensions here, lebanon sectarian divided between those 2 support the syrian revolution and those who support president bashar al assad. >> that's what's happening on the ground. let's bring in charif joining us via skype from tripoli. thank you for being with us. what can you tell us about reports of talks of a possible cease-fire that could be in the works? we know mps in tripoli are meeting to discuss the situation there. >> it's not about the cease-fire. first of all, i would like to presents my condolences to my citizen in triply and to the lebanese army because of casualties that are taking place in the north. and i believe that the army should

statement saying its leaders will meet the officials but it warned the protesters will completely besiege government buildings unless their demands are met. i talked to some protesters -- >> all right, well so that's exactly what i wanted to ask you. what are protesters on the streets saying about the government's response? >> i talked to some protesters earlier. most of them have been here for five days. some are sleeping on the streets looking really tired. they say the talks are likely to take place within two days. they're not too optimistic that any major change will happen, but at least it's a small step forward. the talks are sure to be the center of attention. there is still a strong police presence near the chief executive's office. it is not yet known when and how the talks will take place. >> estella mak in hong kong. >>> turkish leaders have made a decision that will shift the dynamic in the war against islamic state. lawmakers voted to give the government power to take military action against the militants in syria and iraq. turkey's allies are welcoming the move. nhk world's

. >>> in northern syria the struggle continues for control of the besieged city of kobani near it turkey. the pentagon announced two more military strikes on isis targets near the town and a dozen more carried out by fighter planes and bombers against isis targets elsewhere in syria. >>> in this country, a memorial today in new hampshire for james foley, the american journalist who was murdered by isis in august. today would have been foley's 41st birthday. >>> and more than 600 people attended a memorial service in scotland today for david haines, the british aid worker murdered by isis last month. he was 44 years old. >>> when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday, friendly fire. a former u.s. army ranger speaks out about an awful day in afghanistan when he believes he may have shot a fellow soldier. >>> and later hit the road with a remarkable young couple who decided to give something back in all 50 states. >>> the 9/11 attacks inspired a generation of americans to join the military and fight for their country. tonight, the story of two such young men, strangers to each other

the president is besieged in the palace. he has no say.the military that calls the final shots in the north. and i guess we have to refer to the fact that the saudi foreign minister 24 hours ago made direct reference to outside interference f. he named iran constantly. the side bar of outside interference recurs. now saudi has weighed in naming iran. that is certainly not going to help the region is it? this >> it is definitely going to create more instability. saudi arabia labeled the houthis as a terrorist organization, and has accused iran of providing cash and weapons. sunnis at the same time are very skeptical. thousands of sunnis are gathering to denounce the houthis and at the same time to call from the south to break away from the north. >> we're going to be talking a lot more about this in the days to come. thank you very much indeed. >>> let's change subjects now to ebola which is spreading and becoming more lethal. the death rate from the current outbreak that is ravaging west africa has risen to 70%. until now 50% died. more he

military aid which was meant for kurdish forces in the besieged town of cobane.s videos shows them with military ammunition, kurdish forces have been struggle to go fight co ban foy several weeks. if kobane falls to isil it fighters would take control of up to 400-kilometers of land of syria's border with dirk i bernard smith is there with this report. >> reporter: isil fighters launched a new assault on kobane town on monday night but kurds defending kobane say they were able to hold their lines with the help of the new ammunition and new weapons they received in that u.s. air drop. however, there remains still something of a stalemate. the kurds haven't gained territory and isil fighters haven't gained territory either. positions the same as they have been in the last few days really. we understand from the presidency of the kurdistan regional government that they are ready to send iraqi fresh herring a fighters to aid the kurds in kobane despite the peshmerga's only challenges. they remain in negotiations with the turkish government about how much aid huma hum

a few thousand fighters are trying to besiege the border town. there's concern that it will fall to i.s.i.l. leading to a genocide of its resident. to the north the kurds are demanding that they'll do more. dozens came to the border. government forces used tear gas to disappears the protesters of the canada planned to join the fight. where the prime minister said fighter jets will take part in air streaks in iraq. party will take part. harper said he'll consider air strikes. i.s.i.l. said it beheaded another hostage. a group releasing a video, showing that the executioner killed alan henning. he'll be the fourth western hostage beheaded by i.s.i.l., as paul brennan explains, henning's death is a saage act. >> we'll do everything we can to opportunity down and find people responsible. >> alan henning had no ties to syria, just a desire to help those in need. >> the married father of two travelled there last december. he had aid for syria tattooed on his arm. after the convoy crossed the border, he was seized. his wife made a plea for his release,

the message we heard from them was that they weren't happy with the army besieging, as they called it, this neighborhood because of the civilian presence, they say they stand behind the army trying to root out what they call terrorist elements that may have to do with the spillover from syria. an incredibly intense situation remaining here people concerned, people angry and it's heightening the sectarian tensions here lebanon of course, sectarian, divided between those who support the syrian revolution and those who support president al assad. >> 23 activists sentenced under an anti-protest law. many have started hunger strike including the parliament activists are not safe. she is described as a prisoner of conscience. al jazeera continues to demand the release of three journalists who have been detained in egypt for 302 days. they were convicted of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. britain's war in afghanistan is over after 13 years and 453 deaths, the united kingdom has formally ended combat operations. the british army has hande

across the turkish border as they prepared to join the battle against the islamic state group in the besiegedian town of kobani. unity to fight the ebola epidemic, the u.s. ambassador to the united nations of bows to help west african -- vows to help west african countries with the outbreak and trace the care workers in the countries. and an unmanned rocket explodes just after takeoff, it was loaded with supplies to the international space station. those of the headlines on

responding to calls on the travel ban between our country and the african nations besieged with that outbreak. the outbreak killed more than 3,000 people. molly henneberg has an update. >> reporter: tom friedencontends a travel ban to countries with ebola outbreaks could make it worse for a couple reasons. first, it would create more fear and anxiety, and secondly, could prevent medical workers and equipment get to go places that need it to get this outbreak under control. as for the situation in the u.s., frieden expects more reports of possible cases, but believes the american health system can handle it. >> here in the u.s. i remain quite confident we will not have a widespread outbreak. we will stop it in its tracks because we have infection control in hospitals and public health that tracks and isolates people if they get symptoms. >> reporter: some republican members of congress want the obama administration, pressure is under way. let's go to that live. >> our first speaker today is cdc director dr. tom frieden. dr. frieden? >> hello, everyone. it is exactly one week since the

-led coalition once again struck isis targets in the besieged border city of kobani. despite repeated bombing, isis forces are attacking the city from three sides and have captured portions of it. we'll have more in a moment. elsewhere in the middle east today: at an international conference in cairo, secretary of state john kerry announced that the united states will send more than $200 million to help rebuild the gaza strip following hamas's war with israel. >> this money will, we hope, help promote security and stability and economic development. >> sreenivasan: the president of the palestinian authority, mahmoud abbas, has said $4 billion is needed for the reconstruction project. qatar today pledged $1 billion. back in this country, a michigan toddler has died of enterovirus 68, the disease that has infected more than 500 children in 46 states and the district of columbia. the victim was identified as a 21-month-old girl. last week, a four-year-old new jersey boy died of the disease. four others infected with enterovirus have also died, but the cdc says it is uncl

>> a rough road ahead because afghanistan is besieged with challenges.t that fended off invades but the eternal struggles that seem to be overwhelming. we ask this: how far are wie from a truly independent afghanistan. you are asking heavy and loaded questions for people to respond to in just 140 characters but mohammed ashraf takes a staff against corruption. when power and more are more coveted, nations and empires fall from the weight of hubris. >> after six months of disputed election results, this week, afghanistan marks its first democratic transfer of power. in a lavish ceremony, ashra ashrav ghani took office on monday. he appointed his rival, abdullah abdullah as chief executive. >> position similar to prime minister. in this bumpy road to a unity government made just the beginning of ghani's challenges according to experts. it is plagued by budget shortfalls, national security offices issues. the list goes on and on. security did seem to be at the top of ghani's prior ity list t keep thousands of american troops in the country beyond 2014. the

the message we heard from them was that they weren't happy with the army besieging, as they called itthis neighborhood because of the civilian presence, they say that they stand behind the army trying to root out what they call terrorist elements or sleeper cells that may have to do with the spillover from syria but an incredibly intention situation remaining here people concerned, people angry and it's heightening the sectarian tensions here lebanon incredibly sectarian, divided between those who support the syrian revolution and those who support president bashar al assad. >> inside syria, 16 people believed to have been from the same family have been killed in an airstrike. activists say the syrian government has carried out more than 530 aerial attacks in two days. central homs prove incident is taking the brunt ex asker biting the fligplight for those forced flee. some of our viewers may find the images in this report disturbing. >> reporter: another child caught up in the continuing war in syria. this is a temporary hospital in the neighborhood of homs. activists say president a

we should mention an important point in kobane a few hundred people are besieged while in eastern countrycivilians under government siege left without food or medicine. >> reporter: multiple b brigades of the free syrian army want to joint the fight against isil in kobane. this woman is asking why is no one protecting us, we will have to take up arms ourselves. the battle is intensifying in the see of aleppo and the country side. >> very good news for president assad, now he is taking advantage from this time to gain on the land when they will arrive to say sit down at the table, he can have strong cast. time is running out and he is very interested to gain on the field on the land before sitting and starting to discuss any political solution. >> reporter: but the syrian opposition is divided, politically and when it comes to the many different groups fighting on the ground. there may be an international coalition that is fighting isil, but there is no such agreement on how to end this almost four-year war. a war that according to the u.n., has killed over 200,000 syrians and displaced mi

. >>> three isil fighters have carried out a suicide attack in besieged kobane on the syria-turkey borderes as the u.s. continues to hit isil positions in the town. activists are warning that kurdish forces defending kobane are facing defeat and there are fears for the safety of hundreds of civilians who are trapped there. the ball of kobane would give isil control of 500-kilometers off the turkey-syria border. >>> 200,000 people meanwhile are said to have fled dough ban i and the surrounding villages, but as stefanie dekker reports, not all of those who have crossed in to turkey are being given re refer ref luge. >> reporter: they fled to seek safety in turkey but are now detain ed by the authorities. outside relatives have been waiting for days. >> translator: the turkish police arrested my husband from the border think they put them in a bus and dropped them here. it's been 11 days. i have been waiting for him with my children. i lost everything. i have no money to feed them. i am sleeping in a park just waiting for him to come out. >> reporter: the police chief here tells us that 260