reporting. >> france says the world should respond with force, if claims are a chemical attack in syria are true. hello, welcome to the program live from doha. i'm shehab retansi. he denies one of the prescribary charges. in cairo, hosne mne mubarak.

>> and tackling drug violence, hue one town in mexico is trying to turn things around. france has called for a forceful response if it is confirmed that the syrian government used chemical weapons. the u.n. condemned the alleged attack that reports say killed more than a thousand people. we are very concerned about the reports that chemical weapons are alleged to have been deployed near damascus. these reports are serious and should it be true, it would be a monstrosity. >> jackie roland is live in paris for us. what exactly did the french foreign minister say?

>> well, the french foreign minister said if these allegations were proven to be true, it would be an absolute carnage and there needs to be an international condemnation. he went on to clarify. he said there was no question of sernding force -- sending forces onto the ground in sierra yar. -- syria. he said then decisions would be taken in another way. he said it was possible that the french could react with, for example, the british and the americans, he said. at any rate he said if these allegations were proven to be true they needed to be what he described as a forceful reaction. now we've been trying to get further clarification from the french foreign ministry about what exactly he meant by forceful reaction. was he talking about a strong verbal reaction? is he possibly talking about a

use of military force? we've learned he's ruled out force on the ground but that wouldn't rule out other possible courses of action, air strikes for example. we are trying to learn what the foreign minister meant. >> he was appealing to legality. he said those who believed in legality would need to react but if the u.n. wasn't forth coming with any sort of decision then he suggested acting extra legally, with another reaction. >> that wasn't what he said at all. we have seen various international coalitions formed not necessarily through using the u.n. security council. we've seen for example the action that took place in libya which some felt went beyond the mandate of exactly what the u.n. security council actually mandated. but you must remember there are

other foreign now, there's nato and the european union. i think what is saying is this structure which exists in the security council which many nations have claimed is outdated and a hangover from another situation, the aftermath of the second world war, the fact that these five powers can wield an absolutely veto, many developing nations feel something is wrong. so what he is saying here is he will seek in partnership with other international players and he mentioned the americans and the british another way of reacting. he didn't at any stage say that france would be acting in an extra-judicial manner. >> does nato have the authority to work without the u.n. security council. thank you. brought to court flanked by

two policemen to face charges of corruption. the first day of his trial which is considered as politically significant in decades. harry force reports. >> bochelai's supporters say this is about politics not about justice. telling the judge he hoped for a fair and just trial and in the surprise move denied some of the charges against him. the son of a leading revolutionary, he served as china's commerce minister but the scandal that would bring him down came years later when he was party secretary of the southwestern city of chong chi ching. an associate of bo and his wife gu kailaive his death would eventually be considered murder. fled to a u.s. consulate.

at her trial last year gu kailai admitpoisonning him and given a suspended sentence. you really don't have to look too hard to find ways that bo's legacy is quietly being expunged from the city. red songs part of his signature drive to rekindle a maoist spirit. now, such singing is considered too noisy. a widespread police presence is now more relaxed. social housing won him support among the poor. he was a good leader, i hope he doesn't get punished too severely. >> support extends to many still in the upper reaches of the party. still some believe he will get a relatively light sentence.

>> the communist party is a huge organization and this bickering amongst the factions will always be there. it's just that for the sake of party unity, i think si jin ping has the he ised for lenient treatment for his major political rival. >> there are some determined not to let this one time star of chinese politics, slip away. harry forcett, chun ching, china. deposed former president will leave prison and be placed under arrest. plmubarak's lawyers say he has served the maximum amount of time, prior to trial. a retrial is under way puz

mubarak's sons are still in jail awaiting trial. is there any sort of time frame for a potential release of mubarak, mike? >> the lawyers are at the tora prison they are going influence what is called the necessary paperwork. it is likely they are also discussing the terms of the house arrest that has been imposed on hosne mubarak. no clear time frame as to how long this procedure is going otake place. >> we should point out mubarak has not been acquitted of any crime? >> that's correct. he still faces charges on a number of allegations, in particular the corruption charges are ongoing and of course the charge that he was complicit in the matters in

2011. so hosne mubarak will be back before the court to hear that ongoing trial. now his house arrest incidentally was ordered by the country's prime minister acting as the deputy military commander. this makes clear that the house arrest has been ordered in terms of the state of emergency regulations. it is not clear whether the place of his house arrest is being determined at the same stage. we understand that this is something that the lawyers are discussing in the course of the morning at the tora prison. >> so perhaps the suggestion that how this all looks, what is the reaction in egypt at least? >> the public reaction has been to a degree muted. interestingly enough, the so-called youth movement that has spearheaded the demonstrations that ultimately led to the military takeover of the democratically elected government they have released a statement saying it is the morsi

government that has to accept responsibility for the fact that mubarak is now facing release. they say the morsi government didn't pursue the case enough, and calling for the courts to pursue with utmost vigor morsi and mubarak. the fact that he will be going into house arrest and not going out a free man, the fact that he will continue to face charges oron a number of issues has muted public response to a very large extent. >> mike hannah, thank you, mike. the owners of japan's fukushima nuclear plants says it needs outside assistance to deal with a leak of radio cuff water. anita mcnarr has more.

>> what we understand is tepco the japanese power generating company and indeed the japanese government have not got on top of the fukushima daichi reactor problem at all. this particular leak we are talking about is from water that ha was supposed to be safely contained after being used to cool one of the three nuclear reactors essentially in the stage of ongoing melt down. if that water isn't used to do this job the consequences for japan, the consequences for the region and the wider country will be very, very grave, indeed. they can't afford to let these plants get any more critical again. but this then highly radioactive water was supposed to be stored safely in tanks and now the japanese public and the wider world are discovering it hasn't been stored safely as well and at least one of the tanks is

leaking. the fukushima plant has not been secured and stabilized and slowly as the months go by the company that is supposed to be doing the job has admitted it can't and the japanese government has failed to enforce a situation where it or another organization is taking control. >> you are watching al jazeera. coming up. over 30,000 kurds have crossed the border since the situation on thursday. plus: time to tango. heading to latin america looking for a more prosperous life. uncovers unheard, fascinating news stories? it drives discussion across america. share your story on tv and online.

>> welcome back. a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. france has called for a forceful response if it's confirmed that the syrian government used chemical weapons. the u.n. condemned the attack that activists said killed more than a thousand people in egypt's southern provinces. on wednesday a court said mubarak could be granted, release in cases against him. a communist chief has denied charges against him. bo chenai was released from his

post, murder of a british businessman. robert mogabe is set to be swornd in, has just made an entrance, thursday has been made a public holiday. mugabe's rulings busing people to the event. there at the national sports stadium, harry, robert mogabe make a triumphant entrance. >> yes is. he is making his rounds around the stadium so he might be coming around in a few minutes. when he does i'll move out of the way and show you. but on the podium behind me it is a festive occasion. from the democratic republic of kongo, a lot of people very excited, opposition, morgan

changerai, says, the july elections so he is not here but many people are here waiting for mogabe to come and be sworn in and give his acceptance speech. >> zimbabwe's former colonial minister is not happy of this but are there leaders from other parts of africa at least? >> yes, there is, they will keep working with mogabe, the u.s. say they won't sanction, the eu say they are willing to review the relationship with zimbabwe after the elections, the thing in the eu the countries are divided. some of the new countries don't, see how people accept mogabe, how they see zimbabwe going

further from today and on wards. i'll move slightly. he is in a red vehicle, making the bend around the corner. he's been flanked by all sorts of body guards, supporters, this table here, that's where he'll come and be sworn in. he's coming very, very slowly. making an entrance of course. he has been through a lot in the past few years. he's had ups and downs. 2008 was the lowest in his surge for power. now he is in charge. his operator is two-thirds in parliament. he is a very, very happy man. he is showing off, is what he's doing and no one can be released for the next five years. >> he is 89 and a half. do we expect him to complete that term? >> well, there are lots of theories about that. he is 89 years old.

there is a theory he may serve one or two years, step down and turn it to the vice president. that's just theory. he says he is more than capable of serving a five year term. there he is with his wife next to him standing in that car. he will come off the car go to the podium, sing the national anthem, there will be a 21-gun salute, he will give his acceptance speech zimbabwens will go home and we'll move on from here. >> what's on the outlook as far as he is concerned? >> i think zimbabwens, the economy was on its knees, the economy wasn't functioning. people want the economy to improve. black empowerment telling black

zimbabwens that i'm here for you, giving more lands to they can improve their lot in life. just so his officials can line their pockets. we'll wait and see he's under pressure. government paid workers say they will go on strike if they don't get a pay increase. people want peace on the ground. >> thank you very much hare. back to our stop story, syria and the increase in violence is prompting syrian kurds to cross 52 iraq, being housed in camps accreditation iraqi kurdistan. >> for a home she may never see again. mohammed arrived into this camp on saturday. she said she escaped after her husband was killed. she is the sole bread wirnler b.

>> our house was destroyed by shelling. my husband stayed behind and in may he was killed by armed men. i don't know who they were, terrorists, free syrian army, i don't know but they put my husband in a barrel and shot him like an animal. >> the turkish government opened the border, the sheer numbers of refugees crossing the border means stretched provisions. registering between 25 and 50 tents a day but it is a slow process and there are some that haven't been given tents yet. so they sleep outdoors.

the yeunt united nations refugee agency. >> it's extraordinary to think that this vast camp didn't exist. the spillover into the region is clear to see, imran khan, al jazeera. prime minister kevin rugs and opposition leader tony abbott answered questions from hundreds of undecided voters. both promised to tackle head on. >> if you are coming to boat by australia provided by a people smuggler then you'll not be allowed to settle in australia and you will be resettled in

other countries who are part and parcel of the regional resettlement agreement specifically papoa new guinea. it is complex, it's difficult, it's hard getting the balance right between doing the right thing by the world and at the same time, making sure that you are maintaining an orderly system of migration. >> i will put back in place the policies that we know work. that's temporary protection visas so the people-smugglers haven't got a product to sell. it's ri rigorously and diligenty applied, in place like manu, it's ready to turn boats around when it's safe to do so and it's building much better relations in countries like indonesia and sri lanka. sergeant robert bales

admitted killing 16 civilians last year. he came face oface with his victims. highest murder rate in the world, fueled by the longest running drug war, now signs are starting to imroch. in a part in a two part report. >> if you want to understand the fighting spirit of the people of juarez, look no further than the jaguars. most of these have been scared by violence, a mother, brother or cousin killed in the drug war and the worst massacre the city worked through, among them, lupita davila's son rodrigo. >> i know he's here you can feel his spirit.

>> never missing a game is important for mama lupita as she's known among the players. getting kids off the street and onto the field, she says, is crucial to juarez's recovery. 17 other people died that night in the massacre and it became a turning point for this country. forcing the government to act it spent hundreds of millions of dollars on social programs but that money's now dried up and many are worried that the progress that was made may be lost. but some say they never felt that investment like irma, a factory worker. her children and grandchildren rely on her alone. her daughter like many in this city went missing and now she's lost a son, murdered during one of the most violent weeks in the city this year. >> it's worse. it didn't used to be this bad. now they kill you for littlest

thing. >> watching her grandchildren finish a tribute to her son, she says she has no doubt their lives will be hard. at the grave of their son lupita and her husband are determined to stay positive. their demand that the government turn tragedy into sustained action against voims. back on -- violence. on the sidelines lupita is still watching, still supporting the boys. >> my son always said, mom, you can't stop running and that is what we're trying to do as a family, trying to move forward. it's difficult but not impossible. >> a lesson for her family and she says for a city still struggling to recover. rachel levin, al jazeera.

secret tapes by nixon, recorded 40 years ago, helped force nixon's resignation in the watergate scandal. here he talks to henry kissinger. i know but at least -- >> i repeated it and i said we can do it in one or two ways. either go to the u.n. or come to us. >> what he should do is come to the u.n. and then drop down here and we'll give him a nice dinner you know without the heads of state thing but it will be you know everything except the girl. >> we thought we would return to hirari's national stadium here because we have quite a nice viewpoint of robert mogabe as he prepares to be inaugurated.

hari what do we see? >> all things from presidents to former presidents. in a few minutes he will get up be sworn in he will then sign in the book and address the nation. people are really keen to see what he plans to say. is he going to get zimbabwe is not a colony speech that zimbabwens are not colonial, will he say to morgan sangurai, let's move on as one zimbabwe and to make this country great. people wonder what he will say. >> let's move from the political to the personal. what do we know about his health? >> we don't know much. i think his health is being kept a secret. we have a few things leaked.

some wikileaks cables say he has some kind of cancer. i went through most of his elections rallies that led up to the elections. he would talk for two, three hours standing on the podium. he would keep on going, remember things from the '60s, the '70s, people were glued to pretty much everything he said, not always in the car sometimes on foot, he seems when you see him a strong man but then you see certain signs for example like if he's been talking for too long you might see him slow down a bit, he might start rambling here and there he might slur here and there but on the whole he seems to be in good shape. people are impressby his age, he is 89, will turn 90 next year. >> the one thing we know from history is after such a long reign if you don't have succession plans there can be chaos.

mr. mogabe must know that. >> exactly. that is the concern. if for whatever reason he can't leave the party there are effects, those two factions how will they play out? as far as he's concerned he says he's going to be running for five more years. hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you're in the stream. kathy griffin is with us to talk about what it means to be a woman in comedy.