♪ a powerful cyclone causes widespread destruction in eastern india. zbrmplebut massey mass evacuatie death toll low. hello you are watching al jazeera live from doha. the us secretary of state left afghanistan with no idea of how to prosecute american soldiers accused of crimes. the crisis in the mediterranean as a boat capsized. and a threat of a fatal virus

hangs over mecca as millions gathering for the hajj. millions of people have been taking shelter from one of the most powerful cyclones to hit india in more than a decade. homes have been damaged and crops have been destroyed. but so far, the number of people killed by cyclone phailin is remarkably low. >> cyclone phailin with wind speeds at one point in excess of 300 kilometres-per-hour. smashed into india's eastern coast in the early hours of saturday evening. but authorities had already sick assess -- sugges successfully ed 800,000 people. as the powerful storm hit land it slotte slowed considerably.

>> at this time the wind speed is 40 to 50 kilometres-per-hour. this will decrease to 30 kilometres-per-hour and then you'rourchoppers will be calledo carry out operations? >> early report suggest that there won't be too many to rescue. with the death toll in single figures. communications have been cut in some areas and trees uprooted. officals rye mai remain felt tht advanced pre preparations and evacuations have saved hundreds of lives. the cyclone died down with the pass aing an of -- passage of t. normalcy will return soon. our primary responsible was to protect the valuable lives of our citizens. i think we have been successful in minimizing the loss of precious lives. >> damage to agriculture was also down played and workers were quickly on the scene in some affected areas clearing and

cutting fallen trees and opening roads. owofficals said they have learnd a lot of lessons since 1 1999. when the cyclone killed thousands of people. the lessons paid off. >> what is the latest there? do we know the full extent of the damage faiz? >> no we don't. even government ministers are saying it's going to be system system -- sometime. electricity has not been restored to the area. as we heard in the piece the government has learned the lessons from 19 1999 one thing s to keep the electricity off unti.many people died in 1999 wh trees falling on the lines. it's going to take a couple of

days to get to the communities. there are hundreds of them stretching from here all the way up the coast which suffered the main brunt of the cyclone. it will take a couple of days until we know the extent. >> right. and the forecasters faiz say the worst may not be over. there is concern about rising waters. what are the authorities doing to address that issue and the issue of sanitation? >> well the weather pattern itself where we are is we are completely spared. it's passed here. what is happening now the storm has reportedly moved inward to states in the inland part of the country. and they are worried now that will be causing flooding in many inland states and many state thorts are bein --authorities a. the government has deployed several divisions of the natural

disaster response force. and they have been deployed to deal with sanitation. with the number of communities out there and the remoteness of them it will take a couple of days until we know the full extent of the damage here. >> thanks very much for the update faiz. and the chairman and founder of the independent think-tank he says india's government has been planning on how to deal with the massive cyclone for years. >> what is impressive about the way the storm was handled was the preparation. i think we were confronted with a great cyclone and the three governments and they had the teams up in place. and to to evacuate a million pee in 24 hours is quite an achieve. it will have an affects on the region because people depend on

agriculture. cyclones happen every day ear d- decade and they will have to learn to adjustment. >> they have the new national highway grid running across there and better road communications to smaller villages and outlying towns. and all of that has helped. and communications have improved. every village has a cell phone now. people are able to communicate and move. the government warnings were heeded and the government warnings came in time. they had personnel deployed on the ground and they had relief camps somewhat ready and everything worked well. >> secretary of state john kerry is back his way to the u.s. at a press conference held before kerry left from karzai said he would defer the issue to a council of elders.

>> the issue of jurisdiction is one such issue that is beyond the authority of the afghan government. and it is only and entirely up to the afghan people to decide upon through two mechanisms. one is, the traditional lawyers of afghanistan, the second is the constitutional mechanism which is the afghan parliament. >> but the question of jurisdiction is an appropriate one for the president to submit. and we have high fen confidencet the people of afghanistan will see the benefits that exist in this agreement. but we need to say that if the issue of jurisdiction cannot be resolved, then, unfortunately, there cannot be a bilateral security agreement? well here are some of the

issues that have been discussing. the afghan government says foreign troops have not respected the sovereignty in the last decade. >> there is also the issue of the role in afghanistan after 2014. kabul wants them to be strictly to the role of violence. jane ferguson has more from baghdad province in northern afghanistan. joojohn kerry pushed the point t the u.s. has military bases across the word from germany to a japan. he could not make an exception from this point of immunity from prosecution for u.s. soldiers. they have not come up with a grand agreement. both side have managed to edge slightly closer on certain issues and not on others. the only real way that can be

solved is in the coming weeks and months. talks to raise the us debt ceiling appeared to have collapsed days before a deadline that could cause washington to default on the money they owe. the bail has been rejected by the senate which has the majority of democrats. if the solution is not reached the us will default on loans for the first time in history. millions of muslims are in making the pilgrimage to the hajj. what has been done to prevent an out break of a virus that kills half of the people it affects. >> this is one of the biggest

gathering of people in the world. millions of muslim fateful converge here i here in mecca fe hajj. this year is different. health authorities are on alert for anyone suffering from mirs. >> it's affected 191 people in the kingdom and 51 of whom have died. some people wear masks for protection. but many have no idea whatsoever about the disease? i was more interested in learning how to perform hajj. i didn't care about diseases. it's been 8 days since i arrived and i'm fine. >> in the coming days millions of pilgrims will live and perform righ right righ ritual areas. >> the problem with mirs world health organization has very limited information on how it spread.

spread -- spreads. still the saudi minister sayings his confidence. i. >> i would like to reassure everybody that the status of hajj is excellent. the health of pi fill pilgrims s excellent. we have no indication of any epidemic disease or infectious disease including the mirs variatiovirus. >> in this hospital the doctor shows me where people with mirs will be treated. hajj authorities are asking pilgrimses to wear masks. people with chronic diseases were told to defer the hajj. >> there is little known about the exact way the virus transmits. we know it transmits from human to human. but the mechanism and the speed of transmission is unclear.

>> pilgrims with respiratory problems are treated in hospitals like this one in mecca. samples are taken and analyzed. but as serious as mirs it's not the only health concern during hajj. sun stroke and people's underlying health issues have in the past proved to be the biggest problem to pil pilgrims. the doctors don't believe that the middle east respiratory syndrome doesn't do anything to deal with that. four laborers and 16 others have been injured when a building collapsed in china. the witnesses say the workers were spreading coo concrete on e roof when the building came down. rescuers are searching for another worker who is thought to be buried in the rubble. in vietnam the mourners have paid their last respects to

general gap he died last week aged 102. he is being buried in a mountain temple overlooking his hometown. still ahead on the program. a building boom in mexico was supposed to end a housing crisis but new developments have become ghost towns. we'll tell you why. and a dying profession. why the writing is on the wall for rawanda street typists.

[[voiceover]] every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours.

welcome back. a wrea a reminder of our top st.

people in eastern india are cleaning up after the worse storm hit land. advanced planning and evacuation of 800,000 people helped keep the death toll low. u.s. secon secretary of stan kerry has least afghanistan without reaching a full agreement whether troops should be tried in afghanistan or america. the issue came to a head after a soldier killed 18 in of afghan villages. and the government could be defaulting on their loans. the bill was rejected by the senate which has a democrat majority. malta's prime minister is appealing to the european union to help solve the growing migrant problem in the

mediterranean. another boat carrying migrants capsized on saturday. several people drowned and many were syrians fleeing the civil war. >> huddled on deck the survivors of this latest tragedy. helped on to dry land and to perhaps a new life. among them were many children shocked and cold but alive. it's thought that many of those on board were syrian. the maltese prime minister appealed for help from the eu. he said the mediterranean was becoming a cemetery. >> we feel totally abandoned. there is no mixed word, abandoned. this is a european problem. malta and lampedusa and i had ie are not our own fron frontiers e europe's frontiers and these desperate people are looking for a future in europe and europe our colleagues could not turned

a blind faith to this. maltese and italian rescue ships worked quickly on the scene. these images were filmed by the italian navy. dozens were floating in the water waiting to be picked up. here a toddler was handed on the ship. once aboard they sit wrapped in full blankets recovering from their ordeal. on the island of lampedusa this child was brought in with his mother and father but his three-year-old brother didn't make it. >> when we knew about this we knew a helicopter with ten injured people was on the way. eactivated our group and we are here ready to take action. it's barely a week since the last migrant boat disit is aer a. the worst claiming 350 lives. >> on saturday the coffins began

their journey back to the homes they hoped to escape. there appears to be no end to this desperate human traffic. despite the obvious dangers thousands are still illegal to risk everything including their lives. >> the youth leader expelled from the anc last year is launching his own party. it's called the economic freedom fighters party. they were shot dead by police last year. he is expected to run in next years' presidential election. the african union says none of the leaders will be prosecuted by the international criminal court while they are in oafltion. th office. the organization is pushing to delay the case against kenya's president. he is too face crimes at hague

next month. >> african leaders arrive at the headquarters of the african union. they came to discuss the relationship with the international criminal court. which has now taken a turn for the worst. kenyan president was here. he is due to stand trial at the court next month. but now african leaders say he doesn't have to. >> what happened is no serving heads of state or government or anybody acting in such a capacity should be required to appear before any international acourt or tribunal during his terrorism iterm in office. >> this is where it started. violence in kenya's disputed election. more than a thousands people were killed and half a million were displaced. the court says president from

kenya is among those spopsible.- responsible. he and his deputy are facing trials in the hague. so far they have cooperated and attended hearings. they are legally obliged to because kenya is still a member of the icc. >> the statement made by the african union doesn't change that any bay. anyway. it's a defiant statement to the court and the countries that support it. in prior years the international court was popular by the african government. many of the cases were qutd by - requested by the african countries. now that the african politicians are in the docket things have changed. many have argued that africa can deal with their own problems but human rights activates say they are trying to seek immunity.

the rights organizations have not been allowed to attend the last two african union meetings. zblerchlt we havwe have to spea. >> the leaders here are trying to protect themselves. they feel they should be protected and victims should suffer. no victim should be given the right to justice which is absolutely unfair. >> sudanese president has also been charged by the icc he is wanted for genocide. he refused to attend trial and so the court issued an international arrest warrant. while the statement doesn't get him off the hook it's a big political victory for him to have africa's support and a big test for the international criminal court. malcolm webb al jazeera at the african union. a truck that' has plunged oe road in peru killing 50 people. the vehicle was driving through the andes when it slipped falling 300 meters into a

ravine. the victims were all indigenous people. the rescue workers say it was impossible for anyone to have survived the crash. iin chile fighting has brokn out in a land rights protest. thousands marched to the capital of santiago demappeddinmapped dn of their a an an ancestorial la. in mexico where people are struggling to find a house they can afford to buy. they will have to put up a million and a half homes in the coming years. but many that are being built are already standing empty. >> these homes were supposed to be a dream come true for millions of mexicans. hardworking men and women who struggled for years to find affordable housing. like silvia martinez and her husband who moved there several

years ago. after they bought their home thanks to low interest mortgages financed by the government, their dream of home ownership turned into a nightmare. there is no public transportation. there is crime and we can't find jobs. there are few schools and places for children to play. only 30 square meters, it's barely enough room for them and their two sons. silvia had to turn her kitchen into a store so she could help buy a car for her husband's two hour daily commute to his job. >> many people like us came here but they only lasted two or three months because they couldn't afford transportation or work. >> more than 40% of these homes are empty. some are abandoned and others never sold. this house has been abandoned like thousands of others in the neighborhood. what this illustrates is the

mexican government's policy over the last decade to provide affordable housing to low income families. since 2000 hundreds of low income homes have been built. what is the problem the developer has focused on profit rather than a viable community. >> this is a do is a doesn't a g project by the government. >> it's been very costly too society. >> in january the president announced a new policy saying his government would only offer financing to h housing projects closer to cities and built as highigh-rises rather than urban sprawl. welcome news to this woman who has been living in a makeshift camp for the last 20 years. she can't afford the home prices in the city.

>> i hope the government will help us with a house. >> like many mexicans she wants to finally be able to be a homee owner without leaving her community. now they have been writing documents and even love letters for people with no access to printers or computers. the relentless march to technology is forcing typists in rwanda toe adjust. >> the typewriter is her life line. she doesn't know when it was built. all sh she knows is it's older n she is and she is 35. she bought it second hand back in is th 1995 and she has been e with her two friends in an alley

near the bus terminal ever since. they are the last of the street typists. it used to be a clattering rank of a dozen lined up here. internet cafes have taken most of the business. there are still knife peopl enoe willing to spend 50 cents a page for business course ponc corresd love letters and job applications. i have a friend who was looking for a job and these typists write it quickly. if i had to do it myself i wouldn't do it well. >> the three old friends know their days are numbered. they only need to look at their neighbors to see that. which is why the government is sending them on a course on technology. >> i'm looking forward to it. i'm lucky to be given those skills. because once i graduate i can give up this machine.

>> still there will be people that will be sad to see them go. the age of the internet and the smart phone this is a dying art. there are plenty of people to bring their documents here. they believe some how the old fashioned look makes their letters a little more persuasive. across town the keyboard is the only thing that is familiar. none of the typists have worked with computers until a month and a half ago. now they are developing skills in the government run program to drag rwanda into the digital age. the software is english and the jargon unfamiliar. this is not just about career development though this is about survival. now, how long does it take a car t to race across australia powered only by the sun? just over 33 hours is the answer. the dutch team has won the world solar challenge for the fifth

time. andrew thomas spoke to one of the winning drivers. >> leslie, you are one of the drives -- drivers. >> congratulations an amazing achievement this car is powered only by the sun. >> what is the toughest problem. >> we had wind gusts of 60 kilometres-per-hour and you swerve around the road and you have really big trucks cruising past you and i had a grasshopper in my car hopping around all the time while i had to focus. so it was an exciting race. >> it was not sunny the whole time, was it? what do you do when the sun is not shining? >> we calculate the whole race how fast we have to go every 15 minutes. we knew the rain was coming and we saved some energy in the battery and so we could continue cruising. >> and what was it about this car that proved it's victorious spirit.

>> we had three advantages about the rest of the competition. we had concentrators that are lenses that focus sun light on small but efficient solar cells. and we have the best arrow aiaro dynamic design.