>> back in court, the retrial begins for ousted egyptian president kno. >> hello, you're watching al jazeera. the u.s. reviews its military options in syria after a suspected chemical weapons attacks on civilians. uncertain return home, we follow the journey of an afghan refugee to a land none of his children have ever known. plus, zimbab wr. e hosts a tourism summit hoping to convince weary travelers to return.

we begin in egypt where the country's deposed president mubarak is in court for retrial on charges to stop the deaths of protesters during his 2011 u uprising against his rule. he has appeared in cairo's police academy with his codefendants which includes his two sons. a separate trial for the muslim brotherhood lead aaron two deputies are at the end of october. our correspondent joins us from outside of the police academy with mubarak is appearinappearing. wayne, what's going on there? >> outside it has been very quiet, low key all morning. there was a strong security presence, police, as you would imagine and the very small number of spo supporters of mubarak shown up, maybe 20,

even a smaller group of family members representing some of the victims that were killed in that 2011 revolution. inside the courtroom, the police academy, the retrial has begun, at the moment it seems to be a fairly procedural situation. you have heard from the judge whose stressed he wants to see a very open and fair trial, not just for mubarak obviously, but those other people that you have already mentioned. also, he said that they want to see the many documents and pieces of evidence, to make them fully available to the members of the public. obviously an effort by the judge to stress that this will be a very transparent trial, a very transparent process so that's what we have heard at the moment from coming inside of the court as the prosecution speaking at the moment. so, all indications are that this will simply be a procedural day and this could

be a very long retrial. >> wayne, remind us, why is mubarak being retried here? >> well, he was convicted of being co mplicit in the killing of protesters in 2011 during that revolution. he appealed, he was sentenced to life in prison. he could have faced the death penalty. that's the maximum penalty he could face. he was given life in prison. he appealed successfully and a retrial was ordered. that was to start in may. there was a delay and is a now we're seeing the start of that retrial for the former egyptian president. >> he's, of course, he's 85 years old, isn't he, wayne? his health has been ailing. are we surprised at all to see mubarak in court today? >> well, that certainly was a question in the days leading up to the start of this retrial. some people were speculating

that perhaps he would not make an appearance, remembering, as you said, that he's been hospitalized, he's currently under house arrest after being released from prison. he's under house arrest in a military hospital facility. we are seeing him now in court as we have seen him in the past and on his hospital stretcher, he was transported here via a helicopter from the military facility as he was when he was released from prison and taken to house arrest. i think that some people are surprised to see him in court today. but, as i say, there are many differing views on the political scene in egypt, there are just as many people welcoming the sight of him in court, hearing these charges again. >> thank you very much, that's wayne hey joining us from outside of the police academy in cairo where former president mubarak is being retried. we'll, of course, go back to

wayne for any developments that come out of this retrial. a separate trial of the muslim brotherhood spiritual leader and two deputies were adjourned until the end of october. the one is accused of insight insight.to kill protesters in anti coup protests this month and the interim government in egypt shortened the nighttime curfew in some areas t will now start two hours later at 9:00 p.m. every day but for friday in 14 provinces. the curfew was imposed ten days ago after a crac crackdownn anti coup protesters. some defied that ban. this march was held in a port city overnight. it was one of several small scale demonstrations. meanwhile, these protesters blocked a road in cairo and demonstrators were also out south of the capital.

let's move onto some other news now. at least one person is dead and dozens more injured in a bomb attack on a yemeni air force base. they were carrying personnel to the base in the capital. the yes meyemen based al qaeda d others have been attacking the country's security forces. now the united states say they're ready to carry out military strikes against syria if it needs to. it is in respops to a suspected chemical weapon attack on wednesday. the syrian military denies it was behind the attacks on the ououtskirts of damascus that killed hundreds. barack obama met his national security visors to look at a range of options. the defense secretary says that the military is ready to act on barack obama's orders. during a phone call with british prime minister david cameron both leaders agreed that the significant use of chemical weapons would merit a

"serious response." john kerry called his i don'ter parts in saudi arabia, jordon and turkey rallying support to put pressure on the syrian government. state department officials confirmed john kerry had called syria's foreign minister the day after the suspected attack asking for u.n. inspectors to have access to the site. for more on all of this, here is jane from washington. >> national security officials met president barack obama at the white house to discuss what to do about this. the sounds of grief. the pictures of tragedy. bodies of children and some adults, victims of what appears to be a chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of damascus. doctors without borders says three hospitals in the area reported receiving 3600 patients, 355 died. >> pinpoint pupils, access

saliva, respiratory distress, convulsions, all point towards the use of a knew row toxic agent. >> in istanbul the syria coalition say it is time for action, not words. translator:>> the role of the international community must go beyond symphony, we must put an end to the killing of the syrian people and help those being forced to flee the country. >> the international community wants proof that the saad syed regime is responsible for the alleged attack. the syrian government is so far refusing to give u.n. inspectors access to the area. it denies using chemical weapons but claims syrian rebels are. syrian state media aired footage of gas masks, protective suits, jugs and vials it says were seized from a rebel hide out in a suburb of damascus. it is the images of the dead that are putting pressure on the white house. preparations are underway for possible military options including the movement of a

fourth warship armed with ballistic missiles in the eastern meditarian. >> i don't anticipate a major use of force, what you may see what was commonly practiced under the clinton administration, long range tomahawk missile strikes from far off the coast which are very accurate. >> after barack obama's meeting the white house released a statement saying that the u.s. continues to gather intelligence, coordinate with international partners and consider options. there is no indication decisions have been made about syria and the tragedy that continues to unfold there. jean mezer, al jazeera, washington. >> and mike has more from washington d.c. >> in the three days sips the chemical weapon attack on the outskirts of damascus the national security council here at the white house met two times a renewed agency here. it seems to be a game changer not only because of the deployment of chemical weapons

that crosses the redline that barack obama set forward but the ghastly horrific images are having such an impact around the world that american credibility appears to be at stake at this point.three hours the meeting met, america's top defense intelligence and cabinet officials meeting with the president in the west wing of the white house. a statement from the white house says they reviewed a range of potential options for the united states and international community and they note that the gathered group is mindful of the symptoms exhibited in many of the images we have seen in the wake of that attack. >> the redline has been crossed, the president's rhetoric has toughened, he's talked about a core national intr tr in keeping the weapons from being deployed from the saad syed regime. it is important to remember, the goal, should the u.s. and allies pursue an military action, the goal is not to enter the war on one side or the other but to prevent chemical weapons from being

deployed. >> now, it was in tunizia that the arab spring began in 2011. protesters are back on the streets demand ing that the government step down entering in negotiations with the seculars. >> they came for what they call the week of departure. they want the tunisian parliament dissolved. since the assassination of the opposition politician the country has been in the political dead lock. this is a mp that's refused to sit in for the assembly for a month. he says he'll not continue toyota process of writing the constitution until the government accepts the demands of the -- >> he asked to dissolve the government and form a national salvation government made of people that will not run in the next election and headed by an independent prime minister. >> the current government led by the most powerful party in

the country says they're open to negotiation but that it won't resign, a substance a stat will not apease the protester snrs they're not independent, they want to be in power to control the results of the next election. >> unlike in egypt, the army is observing the political crisis silently and the only sign of change was in a shuffle in the military high command. every day tunisians are more anxious about their future. the political crisis has led to the downgrading of their silver and bonds and the government has to pay more to fund the economy. unless political parties come to an agreement, the economic situation will get worse. >> the opposing sides say they'll attempt to sit down again this week to find a way out of the crisis. one of their main priorities is to finish the constitution. the other, is to hold an election by the end of the year. >> just ahead, we report from

russia's far east where people say they have lost everything in the worst flooding in a century. plus... >> i'm in cambodia, a new bird species has been discovered. fantastic news in a region that has so many endangered species. coming up, we'll tell you the surprising location of where it was found.

>> it is good to have you with us. these are the main stories on al jazeera. egypt's deposed president mubarak appeared at the start

of his retrial. he's charged with failing to protect demonstrators during the 2011 revolution that over through him. meanwhile, a separate trial of the muslim brotherhood's spiritual leader and two deputies has been adjourned until the end of october. he's accused of incitement to kill protesters during recent protests. in other news, the u.s. says they're ready to carry out military action against syria if it needs to that's in response to increasing signs of the use of chemical weapons on civilians. let's go to mike for more on both of these high profile trials that are taking place in egypt. mike, let's begin with mubarak if we can. what's been happening at the police academy this morning? >> well, deposed mubarak and his two sons and former interior minister appeared in court, in person. the judge began proceeding was

a reminder that he's an inspected arbitrator and he can act on the items presented to him. he said that at his age he has one foot in the grave so he doesn't hope it takes too long. those proceedings underway. this is the 6th session of the retrial of mubarak and others on the charges of complicity of the killing of civilians in 2011. this is an ongoing process of which a number of trials that mubarak is a part. >> is it surprising at all to see an 85-year-old mubarak whose health has been ailing turn up to court and sit behind these metal bars in court? >> well, it is images that the egyptians have gotten used to. mubarak has spent a long period of time in court on all of these various charges. remembering, too, that on his

release that was ordered by a judge last week he was placed under house arrest and put into a military hospital, the military hospital. whether this was because of his health or whether it was, as the interim government says, for security reasons, and to protect mubarak himself, not quite clear. but certainly it would appear that the judge insisted that mubarak should appear in court along with the other accused regardless of what was his current state of health. >> all right. mike, let's move on, talk about the other trial that has nearly been there and gone this morning, that of the muslim brotherhood's spiritual leader. what happened in high court? >> i was down there, it was chaotic scenes within the criminal courtroom as the judge entered and the lawyer entered, a great argument among the jostling journalists and legal teams. ate could yo could youteamsthe d not appear in this particular

case for security reasons. six people standing trial in that case, including the general guide of the muslim brotherhood and two of his deputies along with three other senior members within the organization. significant about this trial was the lack of dadded security around the cairo high court. there was no added security that i could see, no sign of any demonstration or protest whatsoever which may be an indication of exactly how successful in a way the security crackdown on the members of the muslim brotherhood has been and how it has impacted on the organization, the ability of the organization. >> thank you, mike. that's mike hanna joining from our cairo but row on both cases taking place in cairo today. moving on, dyscrased chinese politician bo xilai accused his former aid of lying. it is the fourth day of his

trial where he's accused of bribery and abuse of trial. bo xilai admitted he made mistakes but denied embezzling state funds. harry forcet has the latest from outside of court. >> well, for a second day the two long-time friends and allies appeared in the courtroom together as adversaries. he says that he told bo xilai that his wife was responsible for the killing of the british businessman neil heyward the day after that he says bo xilai pumped him on the side of the head causing fluid to leak from his air ear, blood from his mouth and after that he was dismissed from his post. the prosecution says that evidence should be believed and that it demonstrates that bo xilai did abuse his power in trying to cover up the police investigation into his wife's involvement in the killing. she was sentenced to a suspended death sentence for that murder lost year. bo xilai responded trying to undermine the veracity of what

was being said. he said for instance he didn't have martial arts training and couldn't have punched him in that manner and he lacked the strength to cause those injuries. he did admit to slapping him. he says that he had been convicted for his flight to the u.s. consulate in the wake of the events and therefore that shows he's a man of bad character, he's a liar and that his testimony cannot be trusted. of course, a lot of this does serve both the interest of bo xilai and allowing him to put on a strong defense potentially serving the interest of the communist party and giving greater weight to his eventual conviction. there is no more proceedings expected today. tomorrow, monday, we expect the final summing up of the case to begin. >> the columbia government announced that peace talks with rebels will resume on monday. this as rebel fighters killed 13 soldiers in an ambush near the border with venezuela. they're unhappy with the

president for proposing that any agreement should be put to a national referendum. staying in columbia, farmers have been blocking roads in rural areas. they're demanding subsidies for products to help them compete against imports. truckers calling for cheaper fuel have also joined the protests. now, when the former soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979 afghan refugees began to pour in to neighboring pakistan. three deck indicated later the pakistani government is encouraging the refugees to return home that. journey can be very dangerous. as part of our afghan challenge series we have been following a family that took the difficult road through pakistan's lawless tribal areas entering afghanistan through the border there. they have reached the city of jalalabad where our reporter tyab picks up their story. >> these are the first few

moments of him and his families new life after living as refugees in pakistan for many years they have just crossed the border into afghanistan. afghan forces are clearly in charge here and flying high above the crossing is the flag of the country's central government. his a village where he plans to setting is still a few hours away. the first stop won't be there, instead they come to a united nations processing center for returnees. all 11, most born in pakistan, are registered and the children are given polio drops and receive measle vaccinations. welcome videos are shown to the adults and other lessons are given on how to live in a country that for many in his family is mostly foreign. in a stark reminder of how precarious the security situation is in afghanistan,

upon arriving in the country returnees are taught how to detect mines and improvised explosive devices. both are among the biggest killers in afghanistan and are a threat everyone here is taking seriously. after filling out a final round of paperwork, he receives a $15150 allowance and another $30 for each member of his family. money he will use to rebuild their lives in a country that he's not called home for nearly three decades. translator:>> i'm very happy to be back. i'm proud to be an afghan. living here will be good for my family and praise to god we made it back safely to our homeland. my plan now is to open a shop. i will workday and night to make our life better. >> to help with the long-term success is the u.n.'s refugee agency whose workers promise to stay in close contact with the family. >> we're not targeting the

return why is, we're visiting them, checking on them. >> for now, before him and his family are content so settle in the village he was born in, start their new lives in a very different, often unpredictable afghanistan. >> the russian government promises to build new barriers to protect the far eastern region from floods. the area has been hit by waters reaching the highest lervels in 120 years. thousands have been forced to leave their homes. up with of the region's largest cities is under threat. staying in russia, president putin signed a decree banning all protests during next winter's olympic games. >> gay right activists planned demonstrations on the opening day of the sue chi game the gamy propaganda has been made illegal. >> zambabwe wants to attract more tourists after weeks of

bad headlines over their election of the new president. we have more from the zimbabwe side of victoria false. >> elephants drinking water in zimbabwe and tourists sight a hippo in the water. some are her for the world tourism general assembly cohosted by the government. a few days ago the president was voted in for a 7th consecutive term in office. many say that the election was flawed. most african leaders say that the polls were credibility. the people hope to civility. >> what we need to do is very predictable, as a people, to have political stability. to manage our public perception well and to encourage foreign visitors to come in to the tourism industry. >> this group is visiting for the first time. they come from spain,

australia. >> we have had a fantastic few hours walking around victoria fall, amazing, stunning. >> now that the elections are over, local holiday makers want to see a gain in international acceptance. >> we have a lot to show out to the people and we have a lot that we can give out. so, we are -- i encourage everybody to come. >> government officials here feels that they're still portrayed unfairly. >> when you bring it into consideration and put us side by side by what's happening in north africa today, we pai palen significance, that's why all of these people are here, they're here because they're endorsing us. they wouldn't come to a war zone. >> when the land invasion started in 2000 governments warned citizens from traveling here. the number of tourists coming here dropped. now the tourism industry and u.n. summit hopes the legislations will help rebuild the battered international

image. al jazeera, victoria falls. >> now onto a flutter of hope in a place where many species are struggling for survival a new bird was discovered in cambodia. >> he's very small, very quick and has a distinctive orange cap. immediate the cambodian taylor bird, a new species discovered through a collaboration of three wildlife scienctists. it started when one was testing out a new camera. >> how we found the bird back in january, 2012 at this site, and didn't know what it was, then he went, saw the same bird in early june. again, he didn't know what it was. he got good photographs. then, that really peaked my interest. >> simon then determined that the bird was not an anomaly of an existing taylor bird species. they visited several other nearby scrub areas finding a population proving it was indeed a new species. >> we're a half hour drive

from the largest city in the country and this is where the bird was spotted, by no means is this a remet area and that's part of the reason why this is such an interesting discovery. the undiscovered bird hiding in plain sight can be draundor drawn out by a recording of its song on a smartphone. why hadn't it been discovered before? the main reason is because the places it lives are not very interesting. it lives in dense scrub and most of the birds that live in dense scrub are very common birds that nobody would pay attention to. >> thanks to scientists who did pay attention the new cambodia taylor bird will draw in more tourists. >> already we get hundreds of birdwatchers every year coming through cambodia. >> this is a new thing. nobody has ever seen this before. >> so many more people can see it, the scientists ask that the bird be classified as near threatened so the building boom of the city does not

swallow its habitat. >> that story and the rest of the day's news can be found on our website aljazeera.com. that's all the day's and indepth analysis