united in their ager. u.s. spying claims overshadowed european union talks in brussels. ♪ ♪ hello, i am jonah hull in doha, the other top stories here in al jazerra. appeal rejected. a court in china upholds a life sentence against disgraced politician bo. plus. >> reporter: i an report on the ground how they are coping with a political and economic crisis that could be resolved with friday's presidential election. and motorcycles, mansions

and the art of pablo escobar. columbia hosts a one of a kind auction. ♪ ♪ new leaks reveal that the united states have routinely monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders. the latest document was reported in the guardian newspaper after germany and france called for talks with the u.s. to limit spying. al jazerra has this report. >> reporter: when angela merkel arrived at the summit she hinted at the long-term damage to u.s. relations, not just in germany, but across europe. >> with regards to the national security agency, i have made it clear to the american president that spying between friends is unacceptable. i said it in june when he was in berlin, in july, and also yesterday in a phone call. it's not about me, it's about the privacy of all german

people. between allies, there must be trust and this trust must now be rebuilt. >> reporter: inside, the german chancellor turned to french president francois whose country is another nsa target. u.s. ambassadors in berlin and paris have already been summoned. but by day's end the two leaders appear to have coordinated an action plan. merkel says she wants a pact that would put limits on spying between the u.s. and its european allies. >> france and germany submit aid proposal to the other member states, we'll see to it that by the end of the year we come to an understanding of the cooperation of the services between the united states, germany and france. so that we have a framework for how our intelligence services work together. germany and france worked close low this and other member states will join in on this at a later stage. >> reporter: a lot is at stake here. the u.s. and the european union are meant to start negotiations to create the biggest free trade

zone in the world. the president of the european parliament from germany's opposition party is calling forr a suspension of the talks. the gravity of the situation is not lost on washington. >> the revelation that his have appeared of late have obviously caused tensions in our relationships with some cups reus. countries and we are also engaging a review of our intelligence gathering operations with an eye to the need to find a balance between our security needs and the security needs of or allies. >> reporter: western governments always knew the u.s. was watching its citizens, butt extent of the operation reveals by whistle blower edward snowden has shocked and angered politicians. washington will have to move swiftly to regain trust in europe. >> the second day of that summit in brussels gets underway in the next hour or so, tim friend is there for us.

tim, goods to see you. from what was said on thursday and from your sense of being there, just how annoyed are these european leaders with the united states? >> reporter: well, i think what we are seeing, jonah, is genuine anger. it's been suggested as this row crew, some of it was somewhat sin at thsynthetic and for domec consumption. but i the extent of the surveillance program the national security agency program it's been revealed by snowden's whistle blowing, his leaks has surprised many of the leaders here. not least, of course, angela merkel whose own phone was apparently being listens in to. neither are the leaders assured or reassured by what the white house has said so far. hence early friday, this early morning press conference when we heard that franz and germany want bilateral talks with the states to sort this out before the end of the year. so this argument is growing

rather than diminishing. and i think the u.s. and europe will very many vlasic to come up with some sort of new convention on what's considered permissible in terms of looking in to each other's citizens' phone calls and text messages. a lot of this appears to be nothing more than a fishing expeditious. you were mentioning the revelations from the guardian paper, heads of states being listened in to and what they gleaned and whether it was worth the subsequent diplomatic fallout remains to be seen. it's an argument that is very much the focus here. >> it's all somewhat overshadowed what was to have been the folk news brussels, the issue of migration, jean refugee, seven syrianrefugees, e process of are they going to get to thattish on you friday, do you think? >> reporter: they will get to that. otherwise it looks as though

they have been distracted and not done the work that they came here to do. they will do it. but it's not what many people are writing about. and as you have implied by your comments there, it is a subject that is perhaps many would argue, europe's shame. the french foreign minister has described the mid train vinnie as an open-air cemetery. it's rather graphic and brutal language, but recent events, perhaps backup that point of view. the terrible loss of life. quite what europe can do, beyond increasing monitoring, perhaps getting better at preventing the disastrous casualties that sweep in the mediterranean i don't understand that it's not because we all know the disparity

between europe and poverty stricken africa is what is driving these may gregs and the attempts to get to europe. they have to look at it and come up with some answers and i think a lot of people are starting to say they need to do more than they have done so far. >> tim, thanks very much. tim friend live for us there in brussels. a court in china has rejected an appeal from former politician bo. he was found difficulty of embezzlement, bribery and a usee of power last month and sentence today life in prison being, bo was a rising star in the communist matter before the messiest scandal in decades. here is an update from beijing. >> reporter: it's over for bo the appeals court has rejected his plea to lesson or overturn the light sentence that he was earlier given for corruption-related crimes. now, this means that he will be spending the rest of his life in prison. now, the outcome of this trial

was pretty much controlled by the central government. irregardless of the process. this is something that the public here is very much aware of. even though it has been made to feel that the whole process has been transparent. bo being a very high-profile example of just how serious the government is about cleaning up its ranks of corrupt politicians. now, bo, of course, not going quietly. he has insisted to the very end that he's being treated unfairly and is the victim of political power play. all in all, the chinese public is feeling that until a more reliable system of checks and balances is put in place, or in to some sort of structure, no amount of government drama or high jinx can convince them that the anti-corruption campaign is working. in tunisia pressure is mounting on the prime minister to resign. mass protests were held in the capital and three other cities on thursday. more from al jazerra's nicole

johnston. >> reporter: streets in tunisia are being taken over by rival protests. in in tunis there were rallies to support the prime minister. these are members of the ruling party. >> we are here today to say that the true near en people with all of its institutions, political could you are at this and military we stand in a united front to say no to all of those who want the transition to fail. >> reporter: the opposition wants the government to resign. for failing to fix the economy and stop armed groups from carrying out attacks. however, the prime minister says he won't do that. until a new constitution is finished and an election date set. tunisia's latest round of problems started when an opposition politician was assassinateed in july. division between the government and opposition has paralyzed the parliament. both sides are meeting on friday to try and sort out their differences. but it may be too late to calm

things down. in the town here, thousands of people demonstrated against wednesday's killing of seven policemen. they died during a gun fight with supporters of a group. these protesters blame the government for not cracking down hard enough on the group. >> these people can no longer bear the situation, what more can we do than demonstrate like this. if the government stays, this movement will get stronger. >> reporter: the boyds of two oo policemen have been sent home to their families. this week there has also been protests against the government. the plan now is that after three weeks of talks between the government and opposition, and the interim cabinet will be set up to run the country until new elections are held. and that could mean many more months of this. nicole johnston, al jazerra. french, u.n. and forces have

launched a joint operation against rebels. they have deployed to an area alongside the river. on wednesday two u.n. peacekeepers were killed there. the government says al qaeda-linked fighters are to blame. voters in madagascar are choosing a new president. it's the first national vote since a military-backed coup in 2009. the election has already been postponed three times in year. tana paige reports now from the capital. >> reporter: these sisterses used to earn $30 a week sellingg baskets but that was before the political crisis now they struggle to earn half that. yet with 11 children between them their need has never been grater. they supplement their diet with vine leafs because food prices are so side. the family has one wish from

friday's election. >> we are hoping for a president who can managed country, someone who will help poor people and craft people like us. >> reporter: madagascar has been gripped by eye political crisis since 2009. in a military backed coup and con decembecondemnation. slashing spepg spending pushinge in to poverty it. 92% of them live on less than $2 a day, may going it one of the poorest countries in the world. right across the spectrum from education, access to health character roads and facilities and el momenand employment leve. it has reversed the people's demands are the same they want real progress and to see improvement in their lives. it's a condition of the international mediators that

neither the current nor former president can run for office. but many of the 33 candidates are aligned to one or the other. >> i don't know a good feeling about this. the election was prepared in difficult conditions in a hurry. the main candidates don't get along. it's all being dictated by outsiders. without taking in to consideration all of the personalities. all that makes me uncomfortable. >> reporter: but no matter how big or small, a step towards democracy will be welcomed here. tanya paige, al jazerra, ma madagascar. still to come. we'll tell why u.s. consumers could hold the key to sewing change in bangladesh. plus. >> reporter: i look at the future of timber elephants.

on inside story, we bring together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you. [[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. al jazeera america... >>introduces... "america tonight". >>a fresh take on the stories that connect to you. >>grounded. >>real. >>unconventional.

>>an escape from the expected.

these are the top stories on al jazerra. european leaders are arriving for the second day of a summit overshadowed by revelations of u.s. surveillance. germany and france are calling for talks after it emerged the u.s. monitored the phones of 35 world leaders. a court in chinas rejected a afternoon appeal for a former politician and upheld a sentence of life impressment. he was found guilty of embezzlement, bribery and abuse of power last month. voting is underway in mad gamadagascar's first president election since 2009. the first vote since a

military-backed coup four years ago. canadian company says it will competent families and victims of a deadly building collapse in bangladesh. when the plaza factory fell down in april, it killed more than 1,000 people. the incident turned the spotlight on working conditions in bangladesh, the factory in the plaza produced clothes for the joe fresh clothing line. they haven't said how much it will give the victims. many of the cloths made in bangladesh's factories are sold in the united states. those companies say that they have also been working to improve safety standards for workers. christian reports now. >> reporter: in this brooklyn boutique, where and how the clothes are made are just as important as how they look and fit. >> one of the things that we do here is we try to hit all of these categories in some way. >> reporter: it's the latest trend ethically produced fashion.

>> i don't know that this store would have been -- would have been able to survive 10 years ago or even five years ago, but we have a lot of people that want to have conversations about what is happening in bangladesh. >> reporter: a series of factory disasters in bangladesh, including the collapse of the plaza, have helped call attention to the substandard working conditions there. more than 1200 workers died. it's also put the spotlight on american clothing companies who rely heavily on bangladesh factories like gap and wal-mart. a group of 23 u.s. retailers sponsored the bangladesh worker safety initiative in response to the collapse. they promise to provide more factory inspections, higher safety standards and $110 million in loans for building improvements. but critics say european efforts have gone much farther. the american initiative allows brands and retailers to retain control of factory inspections. paying nothing towards the

renovation and repair of factories. and walkway from the agreement with only minor penalties. al jazerra reached out to all 23 retailers and the management of the alliance itself. not one would answer our questions on camera. >> that the bangladesh government and local factory owners cannot improve the situation unless the brands producer are willing to support that process by accepting modestly higher prices for their products. >> reporter: it is that demand for lower prices that helped drive apparel manufacturing out of new york's famous garment district. at its peak, 105,000 workers made cloths here. now it's just over 7,000. these american garment workers make more in one day than bangladesh-y workers currently make in an entire month. the safety standards here are also much more stringent, not to mention more costly. and while awareness of

bangladesh's factory problems may be growing, it's jet to reach most consumers. do you think about where your clothes come from and how they are made? >> we know about it. but close our eyes i guess. >> reporter: but the more popular ethical fashion becomes, the more big retailers are likely to change to stay fashionable. kristen, al jazerra, new york. new york is experiencing a construction boom. but as the new buildings go up, so to the number of fatalities among people working on them. and as roxana reports, it's migrant laborers who appear to be suffering the most. >> reporter: the building boom in mor new york city has come aa high human cost i'm new review of federal figures has found the main cause of death is from falls. armed 75% of the victims are los angelelatinos, immigrants at

they make up just one-third of the construction workers, five years ago pedestrian was was a construction worker supporting his mom. then a fall left him with neck and back injuries so severe hasn't been able to work since. >> there were safety issues. i mean, inadequate lighting. no place to tie off ladders. spite. safety issues he said he stayed base he needed the mon. >> i you have to get the job done. i mean, if you work for a company that doesn't have a union, the boss is always you gotta do it. he doesn't want to hear nothing at all. just wants the job done. >> reporter: in january, construction worker ricardo gonzales fell to his death while working at this site. labor rights advocates say 88% of workers who died from falls here in queens were latino or immigrants or both. activists say day lak laborers r undocumented works are reluctant to speak out.

>> if they speak out they risk being fired. >> reporter: he says the problem lies with the small, unregulated contractors. >> construction in new york city is a very tough and competitive business and you are always looking to get the best price. one of the ways those contractors who employ the latinolatinos and minorities tht hurt on the job is they cut safety training. >> reporter: the building boom has created a district attorney ma understandemands for workande desperate to work. al jazerra, new york. twitter has set a share price for its immaterial meant public offering due to start tradeing in early november, shares are prized more conservatively than facebook, which had a disastrous debut on the new york stock he can changes. cath turner has more from new york. >> reporter: there has been a lot of speculation and anticipation about twitter being on the stock market now we have some numbers twitter will

release 17 million shares around 17 to $20 a share slight lower than an estimated cost about a month ago. that puts the company valuation at about $11 billion what happens next is the company's executives and financial advisors will go around the country and make presentation to his mutual funnels, hedge funds and other financial institutions and encourage them to invest in the company. a public video online presentation will be put on the internet shortly. the only thing we have to compare it to is of course facebook which debuted its stock in may 2012 at around $38 a share and basically went in to free fall it was a very tumultuous experience, humiliating experience for the company as well. only recently has it manage today crawl back and get its stock price to turning a profit. facebook is valued at $127 billion. the good news for twitter. moment people think it hasn't reached its peak and are hoping that a good debut will restore

con if i thens consumer internet companies. one person has been killed in an explores at a sweet factory in mexico. it happened in the northern city of suarez. dozens of others were injured when a boiler exploded causing the factory roof to collapse. dozens of people have been injured after university students clashed with riot police in peru's capital. the students were demanding the resignation of the head of a colleague over alleged mismanagement. police used tear gas to disburse the crowds. columbia's national narcotics agency is running an auction of property that once belonged to drug lords, the items are worth more than $40 million. here is more from bogota. >> reporter: celling what's left. as the national drug office biggest auction yet.

on sale some 80,00 80,000 as sed from drug traffickers. jewelry, real estate and art valued at more than $40 million. >> we have all sorts of objects and art pieces starting at 10 u.s. dollars. there are valuable pieces, but also some that are false. the dug trafficker wanted to gain status buying art but they were easily fooled. >> reporter: the agency turned the first floor of its building in to what they are calling a narc owe museum. there are a few valuable portraits like this. and fancy motorcycles. but also a painting of pablo escobar playing pool with his friends and images of the virgin mary to whom all bosses were devout. what is missing, though, is a truly valuable stuff. in 1996, the government passed allow that allowed them to confiscate any assets whose owner could not prove that they were acquired legally like this

huge mansion behinds in the richest neighborhood in bogota. it came a anti-narcotic tool most feared by the may have yaz, but administrator such a portfolio made it instantly a target for corruption. billions of dollars in drug assets disappeared and at least 14 congressmen are under investigation for naming friends or relatives as administrators of seized properties. maria has been appointed to dissolve the agency. she says corruption was so rap participant that the president juan manuel santos decided to scrap it altogether. >> the drug office has gone through very worrying times which are being investigated by the justice system and taken actions against the people responsible for the crimes working here. >> reporter: still not all that is been lost. thousands of pieces are slowly being sold. and the government says this time the proceeds will help pay for compensation to the victims of columbia's drug wars.

al jazerra, bogota. after decades of military rule mayan mar is quickly opening up to the world and changing fast. and part that have reform is trying to balance existing traditions with outside influences. now an explanation why environmentalists are concerned about the future of the country's elephants. >> reporter: he was originally caught from the wild and trained. now us handlers or others h sayg and obedient. ideal qualities for the timber elephant. >> some are nice, others are wild. >> reporter: myanmar has more captive elephants than any other country. more than half belong to the timber enterprise. the government's official logging agency. others are in private hands. but times are changing fast.

from april 2014, log exports will be banned. but while that may be good for the forests, the elephants and their handlers face an uncertain future. >> the handlers might be worried. even the government servants in office are worried when logging extraction is reduced whatever is not economical will be eliminated. >> reporter: private owners like him who has 20 elephants are in a dilemma. >> we are in a situation where we have to sale our elephants. physical we don't get any help, we have no choice. we will just release them in to the jungle. >> reporter: like in other countries, the elephants could be trafficked, sold, exploited and abused. or if release million dollars to threlease nod in the wildcould , elephants are left with a shrinking habitat. wildlife con cons fashionists ae

concerned about their fate. >> the government, those associated with the elephants, those close in the elephants in the jungle, they are all responsible. >> reporter: the big question is whether elephants will remain relevant orel gate today for tourist spectacles like these white elephants. white elephants are considered incredibly auspicious in buddhism because the buddha's mother dreamt of a white elephant the night before he was born. ironically, nations have gone to war over white elephants. and also like here in myanmar, they have been reduce today curiosities. the elephants face a turning point. they have survived wars and dictatorships, now they must survive democracy and the free market. al jazerra. personal belongings of the late u.s. president john f. kennedy will be auctioned in november, his rocking chair and two flags that stood in his oval

offers are among items being sold by a private dearly. the chair is expected to fetch at least $50,000. and the two flags are expected to sale for at least $100,000. a reminder that you can get updates on all of our stories on the website aljazerra.com.