song-tha song-thaek the uncle of north korea's leader is executed for attempting to overthrow the state. >> this is al jazeera america, live from doha. also ahead in this half hour - opposition groups in bangladesh call for a strike on sunday after the execution of a senior leader. >> chemical weapons in the war in syria. u.n. inspectors believe they've been used at least five times. >> kiev says it will sign a

trade deal with the e.u., but protesters are not convinced. >> south korea expressed concern over the execution of the uncle of north korea's leader kim jong un. jang song-thaek was the second-most powerful figure. north korea's official newsagency said he was put on trial for treason, and found guilty of trying to overthrow the state and take power for himself. our correspondent joins me live. what has been the reaction to this in the region? >> north korea's neighbours are reeling from the shock of the announcement, trying to figure out what it means to them and their relationship with north korea. and trying to discern about what it says about a wider struggle. the striking thing for everybody watching north korea is the

openness and the speed with which all of this unfolded - the ousting of this man, and his dispatch, if you like. a man who was, until recently, considered the second-most important person in north korea. >> his fall from grace absolute and for all the world to see. photographs of jang song-thaek appearing before a tribunal were released with a speed and openness rarely seen before. on the streets of the north korean capital pyongyang, residents were digesting the news that the man, the mentor of theirs leaders, and seen at his side was vilified as the enemy of his people. >> translation: he's an enemy that dares to be trying to take over power from our leader. look where it got him >> translation: for a group of

traitors who were going to deter our community, execution is unity. they should be torn up. >> the downfall of jang song-thaek began with his removal from a party meeting after which he was branded a traitor. confirmation was accompanied by the statement from the north korean newsagency. he was a traitor to the nation, who perp traited anti-party, counterrevolutionary acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership of the party, the state and the socialist system. he's referred to as despecificable human scum, worse than a doing. given the fallout of instability beyond north korea's borders, there has been concern from east asian neighbours. south korea says it is following events and is prepared for any

developments. >> translation: the south korean government has deep concerns about a recent series of developments in north korea and is watching the situation closely. we will make sure we are prepared for all future possibilities in a calm manner. in addition the government will cooperate with its allies. >> once regarded as indispensable and the one who transitioned power from father to son, something, somehow wept wrong. >> how telling is this, rob, of any instability of a core, but when he's accused of trying to execute a coup, how likely is it that he could have done that on his own? >> people are waiting to see how far this goes, is it all over. is that it, or is it part of some wider purge and old

communist still. the south koreans thing it is a purge that is going on. they talked about a rein of terror by the north korean leadership. we know that two allies of jang were executed at the time he was ousted and arrested from the party. we have reports about who other associates seeking refuge in china. it remains to be seen how far this goes, whether others will be prosecuted or persecuted. as far as the official reaction goes, it has been muted in the last hour or so. we had the ministry of foreign affairs at their briefing, giving an official announcement to news of the execution, saying it's the internal matter of a neighbouring country, not wanting to get involved, not feeling it can get involved as an ally of north korea. it is said that there'll be

stability on the korean pennsylvania and economic and political stability, and wishing the people of north korea a happy life. >> thank you for that. rob mcbride joining us br beijing. >> opposition groups in bangladesh called for a strike on sunday after the execution of a senior leader. violent protests have broken out in dakar. abdul quader mollah was the first person executed for crimes dating back to the 1971 war of independence. >> united nations inspectors say it appears chemical weapons have been used five times during the syria war. the final report has been handed to u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon and will be send to the members of the security council. james bays has more on the report from the united nations

in new york. some of the images in this report may be disturbing. >> it is a detailed report, some 82 payments here of scientific evidence gathered by the team on the ground in syria, gathering forensic evidence, samples taken from the sites where it was claimed that chemical weapons were used. there were seven different instances of a possible use of chemical weapons that this team examined. they went through all the details, and they have confirmed that they believe that there is clear and convincing evidence in one case that chemical weapons were used. in another case there is credible information. in another case there was a problemible use, but they can't confirm it. there was evidence in two other cases that chemical weapons were used, but on a small scale. there are two remaining case, in it those two cases they cannot

confirm that chemical weapons were used. they say the evidence doesn't tack up in those two cases. >> what is important in all this is that this team were given clear terms of reference. they had to decide whether chemical weapons were used, but not who used them. i don't think we get fresh evidence from this latest report that points the finger of blame to one side or the other. we already have an interim report and some experts looked at that and said one instance that was dealt with, there was from the direction that missiles were filed a suggestion that the assad government was behind the attack. no new fresh evidence that has the finger transcripts of one side or the other. >> tens of thousands fled their homes in the central african republic after weeks of joinls. they tried to escape fighting between christian and muslim

militias. conditions in makeshift camps are getting worse. >> african union soldiers fire into the air. crowds of people throw stones. these soldiers are rescuing members of seleka. this is now a complex sectarian conflict. the muslim men, among them a general, are hiding in a church. the angry people outside are christians. with this kind of insecurity, people can't stay at home. five days ago this was the scene at bangui's airport. look at it now. tens of thousands of people living close to the runway.

some people living inside rusting airplanes, using the wings as shelter. >> what is clear is that people don't just need protection, they need assistance quickly. people are cooking next to human waste, you can sell it. this will be another humanitarian crisis. this woman lost her son and son-in-law in the fighting. she is looking after the grandchildren. she exchanged her clothes for food and has nothing left to sell. >> i want the president to go so we can have peace. what can i do as an orphan. the muslims won't leave us alone. look how much i am suffering with the orphans. >> this man shows us how he would kill the muslim president,

michel djotobia. agencies are overwhelmed by what is happening. the most urgent is assistance with health care. there are injured people, peel in need of basic health services, and preg incident women to deliver, and there's urgent need to get to them with basic medicine, basic health care. >> there are humanitarian planes landing and there's a plan to move the people into a proper camp. this is a country on the brink of collapse. there's no work. children are not going to school. all people can do is just try to stay alive. >> just ahead - cotton has been described as white gold in the fashion industry. we'll tell you with african farmers say they are not seeing the reword.

find out why indonesians have a special place in their heart for nelson mandela.

these are the top stories on al jazeera. south korea has expressed deep concern over the execution of the uncle of north korea's leader kim jong un. jang song-thaek was the second-most senior figure in the country. north korea's official newsagency said he was found guilty of trying to overthrow the state. >> opposition groups in

bangladesh called for a strike after the execution of a senior opposition leader. abdul quader mollah was hanged for crimes dating back to the 1971 war of independence. >> and the united nations inspectors say it appears that chemical weapons have been used five times during the korean war. the final report has been handed over to secretary-general ban ki-moon. >> a deal with the e.u. will be reached soon and declined to say when. he made the comments in brussels where he's meeting european union officials. he refused to sign a trade pack triggering mass protests. thousands of protesters remain in the square, even after police tore down the barriers. >> there's an air of performance

about the protest village in the middle of kiev. reports that the leadership is perhaps wanting still to sign a deal with the european union. although it's vague at the moment. europe would be keen to get ukraine on board. at the same time president viktor yanukovych is due tuesday to have another meeting with vladimir putin of russia. we don't think he'll sign the deal he needs on gas, cheap gas. he may be able to get aid from the russian leadership. ukraine needs help, whichever side it goes to. it's in talks with the international monetary fund and it's finding it harder to have a viable economy. so, the protesters here remain. they are in it for the long haul, but if president viktor yanukovych signs up with moscow,

that will increase their anger here. >> the interpretations in ukraine were barely mentioned by the russian president in his annual sit of the nation address. peter sharp reports. >> the russian kremlin was said to be working on his state of the nation speech up to half an hour before delivery at the great hall. >> never shy to court international attention, vladimir putin would have been gratified by the forbes magazine voting him the most power of the person in the world. this was a speech addressed to the people of russia and those that exercised power across this great nation. >> no one should have illusions about the possibility of gaining military superiority over russia. >> defense spending is vital in protecting the borders. $700 billion will be spend on

defense over the next 10 years. he acknowledged russia's success in avoiding military intervention in syria. >> we acted with confidence and prudence. not once have we put in danger our own interests or security. >> on domestic issues vladimir putin said the education system needed to be upgraded. he spoke of concern over illegal immigration and impact on local jobs. he said little about the crisis across the border in ukraine. >> translation: i hope political forces in ukraine can reach a deal and solve all political cbs. >> a political analyst monitored the address. >> i expected vladimir putin to speak more about ukraine. i spend him to sound tougher than he did. he barely mentioned ukraine at

all, and referred to the mass uprising in the ukraine as those events. and that was - he sounded dismissive. >> on the streets it was ukraine that grabbed the people's attentions. the main problem for me is ukraine, that it can split from us. someone is trying to break us apart and it is succeeding. >> there was a veiled swipe at the united states. russia says they do not desire to be a superpower, "we have no aspirations in that direction. russia is a multiethnic, tolerant country" the the pentagon, no doubt, will take note. >> people in the u.s. are marking the first anniversary of the sandy hook shooting. saturday will mark the day 20

gunmen. the attack reignited the debate. no new restrictions have been passed so far. patty culhane reports. >> this is how the nation remembers the tragedy at sandy hook elementary school. these are the faces of newtown. the faces of 20 children murdered in their classroom. six and seven-year-olds killed in a stream of gun fire at the hands of a mentally ill man. a crime across the country one that brought the country and the leader to tears. they claimed they would change gun laws. the newtown families lobbied, so did the powerful national shooting association. they won. a universal check for gunowners,

ban some weapons. this was a shameful day for washington. he promised he would keep fighting. >> since that day there's not been a push for federal legislation. at this memorial, that is what they are focussing on. what did not change because of children of newtown and tens of thousands of others. >> the murderer who had been in mental institutions was legally act get the gun that killed my son. both say the next election will determine what happened next. >> when you a mums that make up the voters and care more about the safety of their children than a loan tick fringe holding your country hostage, things will change. >> thankfully they've taken

their time and we won't get anything foolish coming through. we are cop certained about what may happen. we are doublery concerned about something as sensitive as a civil rights. the fight turned to the states. 10 states adopted tougher gun laws. 14 states will ease restrictions. newtown had an impact. no one keeps track of how many guns are sold. the government ran 19 million background checks. there could be as many as 19 million guns on the street. in the year that passed after the tears have been shed, promises made and not kept, politicians and lobbyists look to the future. the nation will stop for one day to remember their futures. stolen forever, with a pledge

from here. >> we will remember. >> we will remember. >> a snow storm swept through the middle east, the church of nativity bethlehem was covered in snow. more is to cox. parts of the occupied west bank, the streets of jord jordan's city was blanketed with snow. >> kotan is a staple but there's hardly any money to be made for those who grow it. >> fashion starts here. in two months the cotton in these fields will be picked,

processed and shipped to asia. it will be used to make the clothes on the catwalk. cotton is candy. this frop is no treat. >> he has no irrigation system. and no machinery to help them. the cotton is handpicked. it is a better quality, but it's hard work for little money. we don't decide the price of our own production. these men in new york decide the price. the world's trading floor is up i gains a big farm in the united states. >> the barack obama administration subsidises the production. they can tell cotton for cheap prices. >> this is unfair say the farmers, along with other producers, they launched a complaint with the world trade organization. they are still waiting.

the farmers are investing to ensure they get the price they deserve. the problem is no one is buying it. >> translation: when there's an economy problem, people buy. >> half a million senegalees depend on the plantations to survive. many say cotton is not words growing. >> cultivating anything is a challenge. more sunshine, less rain, the climate was changing. it's not just cotton, farmers face severe food shortages. 1200 farmers went hungry. >> if you don't have cotton, it

will expose more and more where we are today. >> the family is struggling. this year he may not get the price, but he's optimistic. he believes no matter what the season african cotton will be in fashion. >> the congolese government signed a peace deal with m23 rebels concerning the dislugs of the group. if it holds it will end a serious rebellion of a decade. the m23 agreed to stop fighting government troops and will form a political party. the deal does not include an amnesty for rebels involved in war crime. >> the peace deal has been overseen and it's been said there is a big commitment in the region for lasting peace. >> today the chairs of those

regional organizations signed the documents which has annexed to it the documentation of the government which the minister signed, and the statement of m23, which was signed on behalf of m23. at the highest level in the greater region of the south african community, the two chairs cosigned in the presence of kenya. it was taking place for the independence of kenya, and some of my envoys and advisor. i'm happy. the photograph is a moment of piece for development in the region. hundreds of people came out to pay last respects. his body has returned to the union building in pretoria for a third day so people can see him

one last time. he'll be buried in the eastern cape on sunday. nelson mandela's legacy will be remembered. many indonesians remember him as a man taught to make peace. there's one other thing indonesians remember, and that's a love of traditional shirts known as butoc. >> this they could not have wished for. nelson mandela wearing the trademark shirt during a visit to george bush at the whis , with michael jackson and other celebrities. this man designed many shirts. >> we love mcdonald's, not because he's one of the biggest heart. also because he loved indonesia.

it was believed that nelson mandela liked to made shirts made because they were easier to share. others say it was his way to show love for other cultures. nelson mandela wore the batik shirts. many feel that only nelson mandela could get away appearing in this colourful shirt. efforts to persuade other africans to wear batik failed when the south african minister went on a rampage. we can't wear if, it's madeba's shirt. it was great that nelson mandela wore batik but business

wise it didn't bridge us anything. >> now that nelson mandela passed away many hope that among the fond memories of him will be the memory of his love for batik. >> a reminder that that story and the news can be found on the website.