>> he says the only way he is going to sit down and negotiate is people who have been arrested will be released. the government say that is not going to happen. it doesn't seem a solution is anywhere near to be found. >> okay. thank you very much. we're bringing you some breaking news coming into us right now at al jazeera, the british government has agreed to destroy part of syria's chemical weapons stockpile. the british government agreeing to destroy a part of the syria's chemical weapons stockpile. [ inaudible ] just arrived in germany after being released from a russian prison. let's join julie in our london

broadcasting center for more. >> he was freed after spending more than ten years in jail, he was pardoned by putin on friday. peter sharp has more from moscow. >> reporter: it was a thunder bolt that stunned the country. putin granting a pardon to his enemy. seen by many as a political prisoner rather than a criminal. the view on the street was shared by many here. it was at this penal colony where he was serving the last seven months of a 10-year sentence for tax evasion. >> translator: i'm not able to

even speak anymore. i feel ill. i have been talking all day. and the most important thing is that there is nothing to say. i don't know anything. >> reporter: the 50-year-old was once the richest man in russia, he was one of the oil barrens who became powerful during the chaotic years of yeltsin's presidency. his supporters say it was part of a kremlin campaign to punish him. he was once considered a serious contender to oppose putin for the presidency was named as prisoner of conscious by amnesty international. his imprisonment became a symbol for what critics here and overseas say is the kremlin's abuse. his release is the latest move

in president putin's carefully orchestrated charm offensive. >> it is a time when he is referred to as bad, as an evil leader. he suddenly attracts the whole world to himself as a merciful leader who can pardon. >> reporter: on thursday in a four-hour news conference, the russian president announced an amnesty that would free 25,000 people. including the green peace activist arrested at sea after trying to board an oil rig. the surprise release is seen as an attempt by the president to brush up his image ahead of the up coming winter olympics in sochi. >> can you hear me peter?

>> unfortunately it looks like he cannot hear me in moscow. we'll try to repair that link and come back to it later in the program with. now back to doreen in doha. >> we're going to cross over to egypt, because it looks to be another friday of demonstrations in the country. protests organized by supporters of the ousted president mohammed morsi began on friday. morsi's protesters have called for protests on friday against the charges of espionage. security forces also used tear gas to try to disburse the demonstrators. peter joins us live to give us an update on the situation, not only in cairo but also from

giza. >> yes, as you say the protests have been taking place across the country. and this is really a part of a hard-core of demonstrators who have been out on the streets -- >> all right. i do apologize for that. we have lost the connection with our correspondent in egypt. technical issues, but i do apologize. let's move to on rwanda, and the government says it is sending soldiers to the central african republic. there has been a surge of attacks on muslim neighborhoods, a christian coalition is reportedly behind the violence. andrew simmons has more. >> reporter: a picture is now emerging of what happened on thursday night. the christian militia attacked a peace-keeping vehicle, and one

soldier was seriously injured and subsequently died. what happened after the incident isn't entirely clear, because it is thought that the now peace-keeping force responded quite heavily to this attack. and subsequently the christian militia attacked two muslim areas. reports suggest that they were firing indiscriminately at one point. and the whole thing escalated and it appears there are still a number of attacks going on, and the whole city, really is in an even deeper state of fear. any semblance of commercial life has some to a halt, and the situation is very tense indeed. gunmen in the philippines have killed four people including a municipality mayor.

>> reporter: philippine police describe it as one of the most brazen attacks on a government official this year. the mayor was shot dead friday afternoon, also killed was his wife, an 18-month-old baby and a relative. five others were also wounded. airport officials admit there are no security cameras in the area. >> translator: we're scared. we were scared to go on my vacation. if my flight wasn't scheduled today, i wouldn't have traveled here. i would have canceled my flight. because i'm scared. until now i seem to be shaking. >> translator: it's worrisome because this could mean that security is weak in the airport. so they should do something about this. >> reporter: police believe this could be politically motivated. when the president took office in 2010 he vowed to solve the

long-standing problem of injustice in the country. this is what is left of the crime scene. his death along with many others is just part of a long list of killings that have long been committed in this country. much more ahead on the al jazeera news hour, and we'll be in madagascar where people are choosing a new president in a runoff vote. and secret videos of shoeboxes stashed with cash and a government in crisis. we'll have the latest on turkey's investigation. and the premier leagues top goal scorer commits his future to liverpool. ♪ so the people of madagascar have been voting for a new president and remembers of

parliament. the landmark vote should end the political crisis that started in 2009. >> reporter: presidential hopeful, he won the first round in october. he has been endorsed by the former president who was deposed in this 2009. >> translator: this is a turning point for our country and for the development of our nation. i want to remind madagascar people that this election must unite us. >> reporter: madagascar was already poor before the coup, but the economy was growing when the outgoing president ceased power the economic stopped growing. >> translator: people are really, really, really fed up with the crisis, we want a change and more jobs.

>> translator: whoever wins the election, the priority must be the economy. we have to get back to normal. >> translator: we expect change, but if they don't respect the law, it will be difficult and what goodwill come of it? >> reporter: the outgoing president backs the other candidate for the country's top job. a return to democracy, stability, and economic growth will depend on whether the military stays in its barracks and the loser accepts the results. >> this is shortly after the death of mandela, this country can emulate that spirit now. >> reporter: every person who votes has the thumb marked with ink. madagascar is mostly rural and

remote. even if the election isn't perfect, it has to satisfy the international community, and millions of madagascarians who just want to start rebuilding their country. the leader of one of the most powerful rebel groups in syria has spoken exclusively to al jazeera. they say world powers are attempting to derail the revolution by holding peace conferences. it is well armed and well financed. it is a group which wants to implement islamic law in the country. many opposition groups say they receive financial support from saudi arabia. in an interview, we were told that they will not be attending the geneva 2 conference.

>> translator: we see geneva as an attempt derail the revolution. the regime is not going to hand over power, so why would we go? >> if they agree on anything during those talks would you abide by that? >> translator: anything that comes out of geneva is binding only on the three national coalitions, we're continuing our revolution to achieve our rights god willing. >> world leaders are in switzerland and trying to hammer out the program. james bayes is joining us live to tell us what the update is before the conference on the 22nd of january. >> well, that's when the conference is supposed to take place, and this is supposed to be the last preparatory meeting before that conference. but it is worth remembering this idea of bringing both sides around the table in geneva first

came up in may. it is an idea from the russians and americans. john kerry and the russian foreign minister agreed on the date, but they have never managed to agree on the agenda or who was going to be in the delegations. what happened about a month ago was they set a date to force this to happen. now is a make or break for that date of the 22nd. are they actually going to get the participates around the table. we think we know the assad government will send some delegation. but the op -- or certain members of the opposition have said yes, they will come to geneva although they say they have

certain conditions. there are other opposition groups, as you heard a short time ago in that clip from our talk to al jazeera program who don't want anything to do with this process. so i think it's all still very rocky, and we'll be watching very, very closely, when the press is briefed in about an hour's time to find out whether january 22nd is definitely on. >> yeah, we will be watching that very closely james. and there always has been the question of whether iran will be attending the geneva 2 peace conference. >> absolutely. who are going to be the international participates in the all of this? the initial meetings here today have the americans and russians talking about how it would all work. and then in the afternoon, they brought in a wider grouping, a representative of the european union and the other permanent five members of the un security

council, and they brought in neighboring arab nations. but of course the big debate is about some of the other arab nations. as you say particularly saudi arabia, which has close ties with elements of the opposition, and also iran, which is the closest ally of the syrian government, and still no final decision on whether they will be involved. i know the special representative wants as many people as possible who have influence. but the americans for example, are wary about iran being here if iran is not prepared to sign up to the whole principle of all of this, which is having talks and then coming up with a transitional government that both sides agree with. >> james, i'm looking at a press release i have right here. saying that the uk is contributing to the destruction of syria's chemical weapons stockpile. what can you tell us about the

british experience of doing such a thing? >> well, this is news, because we had in the past believed that most of the syrian chemical weapons if not all of them were going to be destroyed by the us, and the plan is to take the syrian weapons across syria, and then take them to transfer them to another port in the mediterranean where a specially designed u.s. ship would take those weapons and turn them into much less harmful waste. it's interesting the british are now offering their help as well. the british have quite sophisticat sophisticated facilities for dealing with chemical weapons. there is a place where they have studied this for so many years, so it is something that the uk has particular expertise in. >> james thank you very much.

james bayes reporting for us from geneva. well that interview that we showed you a clip of just a few moments ago with the leader of an opposition group will air on saturday, so you can catch it all at 0430 gnt on saturday. eight more people have been arrested in turkey. the government has suspended another 14 police officers. >> reporter: people remain detained for questions in turkey's high-level corruption investigation. evidence is being drip fed to the public by turkish police. this video was taken in the bedroom of a major contributor.

it shows $4.5 million hidden in shoeboxes. hours after the video was released, turkish pinksteres left a pile of empty shoeboxes outside of a bank. turkey's prime minister is not amused and his deputy claims the inquiry is an attempt to discredit the government. the government moved fast, suspending more than 40 senior police officers across the country who had been involved in the corruption probe. the most senior, istanbul's police chief. he said he served his state and its people faithfully. some they are being influenced

by this man who commands an international following and great respect in turkey and overseas. he has denied any role in the investigation. columnist who writes for the newspaper says the case should be assessed on its merits not on rumor. >> we should look at the evidence, and if the evidence is not conclusive enough, then we can stop asking questions about the ulterior motives of these investigations. >> reporter: the rivalry between the two most influential rival blocks in the country. >> basically what we're wanting is a soccer game of some sort. don't forget this is a power struggle at the engined of the . it has been in the work for quite sometimes. >> reporter: these are stills of

what police say they found at the house of the son of the interior minister. after 11 years in power, the government's reputation is being tested like never before. still ahead on the al jazeera news hour, how the muslim community in britain was able to avert a major backlash following the killing of a soldier. and the bill that would criminalize homosexuality in uganda and just knowing that someone is gay mighting land people behind bars. and europe's golfers avoid an opening day whitewash to asia in the royal trophy. ♪

here with the al jazeera news hour, here are the top stories. the un has launch an operation to secure the state. this man has now landed in germany after being released

from jail. he was freed after spending 10 years behind bars in a russian prison. gunmen in the philippines have killed four people including a municipality mayor. his wife and baby were also gunned down at the airport. when the british soldier lee rigby was murdered on a london street by two muslim converts, his death caused a fear there would be a backlash across the country. julie? >> thank you. the killing raised the specter of tit for tat reaction across the country. however, the muslim community averted that danger.

>> reporter: there had been nothing like it ever before. as if from nowhere people asked, was this the start of religious war on the streets of london? the police genuinely thought what happened here could tip things over. on one side hard core muslims, and the other side, equally hard core disenfranchised men. but there was no second attack. instead the muslim community itself came under sustained assaults with mosques targeted and people abused on the streets, but as acts of provocation they failed. >> there have been dozens of plots since 9/11 actually.

but it wasn't a tactical measure only. it was genuine outrage. >> reporter: this widespread dignity by the muslim community stopped a cycle of violence. >> they responded by saying, yes, there is a grip. we know what has happened. we appreciate that these two men are really off the wall. they represent no up surge of feeling or legitimacy in our country, and we're not going to allow them to destroy that really important social cohesion that holds us together. >> reporter: the english defense league came under pressure, then the surprise announcement that the edl's leader had defected. he believes the attackers

completely failed to understand the national food around british imperialism. >> i had this conversation the other day in town, they said you support your troops. i said i do support my troops wholeheartedly. the queen's elected government send them to war for their own benefits, for oil, for money. and we as a public are as disgusted at what is happening out there, yeah? >> reporter: al jazeera attained this meeting in which the talk is of the need of sharia law in the uk. no doubt those influences are still there, but the immediate term is so far they failed to stick. investigators are trying to establish the cause of a ceiling collapse at a london theater during a packed performance.

76 people were injured in the incident. companies have been busy reassuring audiences that london's aging venues are indeed safe. >> reporter: the emergency services arrived at the famous old theater within minutes of the accident. the ceiling had collapsed in the middle of a sellout show. there were hundreds of people in the audience. >> we have taken 51 low priority patients to hospital with the help of london buses and staff. >> reporter: some said that water started falling, and then bits of plaster. they were evacuated through clouds of choking dust. >> there is certainly nothing suspicious at this time. it was appear -- there was no warning, just a sudden collapse of plaster and some beams from the roof of the auditorium which was at some considerable height. >> reporter: the next morning the apollo closed and

investigation went underway inside. like many buildings in london, the building is more than 100 years old. it is a theater which attracts so many visitors to this city. so perhaps not surprisingly the authorities are saying this was very much a one off and that theaters in this city are perfectly safe by and large. the west end is proud of its history, but after this very unexpected accident, theaters need to reassure people that the buildings are not only full of character, but also well maintained. a german company says that the freed prison from russia has arrived in germany. he was release after a surprise

amnesty from president putin. in italy authorities say farmland throughout the city of naples has been contaminated by toxic waste dumped there. the prisoning triggered widespread anger with tens of thousands marching through the streets of naples. they were demanding to know for how long they had been eating tainted produce in the area. spain's government has approved an abortion law which would allow abortions only in certain circumstances. opposition parties and women's groups have called for demonstrations against the move. that is it for the team in london for the moment back to

doreen in doha. an historic decision has been made in canada. the government has struck down all current restrictions on prostitution. that includes a ban of brothels and solicitation. the sweeping decision will take effect in a year's time. ♪ now to our special coverage of how economies around the world are becoming increasingly interconnected. in this first part of a series, we look at how china has helped chile become the wealthiest country in north america. and the key is copper. china needs huge quantities of copper for electric contribution. that's where chilly comes in . it's the world's largest copper

producer, expected to produce almost 6 million tons this year. last year 80% of chilly's copper was exported to china, and that was worth $14 billion. lucia is live for us from the biggest copper-producing mine in the world. we'll bely with in -- her in a moment but first this report. >> reporter: with high quality meeting high demand, it is a natural trade. >> translator: chile is the world's top exporter of high quality copper, and china has a rapid growing demand. >> reporter: founded in 1990, far east cable has grown up as china opened up, and is now

facilitating its further growth. one of the company's most recent investments this automated plant uses some of the world's latest technology, able to produce around 20 kilometers of high-voltage cable every day. it's copper's superducktive qualities that make it the metal of choice for power distribution. nearly half of the copper imported goes into the country's power industry, with china using about a fifth as much electricity per capita as the u.s. >> translator: our annual growth rate has been 22%. and our demand for copper has been growing by the same amount. >> reporter: there may be price fluctuations along the way, but chinese demand combined with

limitations, looks set to keep copper prices high for the long term. robert mcbride, al jazeera, china. chile's economy is expanding by 6% every year thanks to china's need for copper. lucia reports from central chill lee. is a mine like no other. a mine that prodouses more copper than any in the world. here it's strictly high text. most of the machinery is controlled remotely by these operators. >> translator: this is mainly to guarantee the safety and quality of life of the workers. >> reporter: and when it comes to quality of life, employees of

chile's copper industry are among the highest paid in the country. over the last decade the price of this metal has more than quadrupled thanks to china's insatiable appetite for copper. down the mountain, the once dusty city is now unrecognizable. imports from sportsware to jewelry sell quickly thanks to the increased buying power of the employees of the mine. these two have just gotten off work. they are both electricians of the mine, and are planning to soon buy their first home. >> any other job it would have taken us 20 years to save for a house, instead we'll be able to pay up front in cash.

>> reporter: but the cash from copper has overvalued chile's economy, making other exports less competitive. and chile's president says there are other challenges. >> translator: we have to invest more and dig deeper to keep finding copper. >> reporter: still as long as china's appetite for copper remains reasonably high, chile will keep digging and producing, crossing its fingers that the bubble doesn't burst. >> there is lucia right there. lucia? >> reporter: yes, this is the mine, you are seeing it from the outside from the entrance. this is the largest underground copper mine in the world, run by the world's largest copper company which is owned by the

chilean state. joining me to talk a little bit more about this company and about chile's copper industry is this man. the director of sustainable development for the mine. thank you for joining us. i would like to start by asking you this. how much does chile's newfound prosperity depend on china in >> china by far our biggest consumer in copper. more than 30% of our exports are going directly to china. and of course your economy depends as other countries in the world, depend on china's progress. >> reporter: what happens if this appetite begins to diminish or the price of copper begins to drop. does that mean you go back to being a developing nation? >> i would say the country has improved.

you know, the way we found our -- our prosperity. now 15% of our gdp is based on copper and exports are 60% based on copper. we are having good, you know, expectations for the future in terms of copper consumption. it is best to prove the level of their people there, so we are expecting to still continue working with them, and of course providing copper for them. >> you played a key role in the rescue of 33 chilean minors who were trapped years ago. >> you have bigger scale mining

working here in chile. we have little scale mining as well. so in this particular case in 2010, yes, we did have an accident, but that mine was not a big-scale mine. and that's why we came at that time and we helped. but after that accident, the whole industry has improved significantly. mining is for far the safest industry in the country now. >> thank you for joining us. >> you are welcome. >> reporter: we understand the biggest accidents here are traffic accidents more than mining accidents. and that's good news for chile. and copper we're finding more and more ways to be used, and

certainly china's appetite will continue to grow and so will the chilean economy. >> thank you very much. the uganda parliament has passed a bill that makes it illegal to be homosexual, and that includes knowing someone who is a homosexual. joining us via skype is one of the most prominent gay rights activists in uganda. so when they say they will try to block this in court, frank, let me ask you have, what are you going to do? because we understand the bill has been passed by parliament and the president has 30 days to sign it, if he does. >> we're going to go to the court and look at our

constitution, and how this bill [ inaudible ] constitution, and [ inaudible ] avenue. >> and do you think that the president will sign it into law? how much support does this bill have in the country? it passed in parliament, but what about the rest of the country. >> the bill has a lot of support from ugandans. right now, because it was very quick for the bill to be passed through parliament, so it is very unclear what the president is likely to do with this legislation, but we are going to work as hard as possible to make sure the president and parliament looks into it very quickly before it signs anything. >> and you yourself are saying that this is a truly terrifying day for human rights in uganda.

you are calling it the world's worst anti-gay law. clarify for us. >> this sentences adults to life in prison, and so many clauses that criminalize same-sex act, and also abuse human rights, and violate the human rights of minority people, and also stops work on hiv aids, including any support coming into uganda for [ inaudible ] that is aimed at supporting any kind of minorities of lgbt rights. so for me i see this as the worst-ever legislation to be passed. >> why is it that you think that the parliament has passed this now, when according to groups such as amnesty international, they are saying that uganda in the recent history has made progress when it comes to issues

of human rights. >> the speaker of uganda has acted in aer very fast way. and because of pressure from anti-rights groups, without looking at this legislation, and i think the [ inaudible ] in my opinion in a very ignorant way. >> okay. thank you very much. that's frank from uganda. thank you. now wrapping for relief . . . ♪ >> how one fedoring teen uses range to find his voice. and bad news for laker's star kobe bryant. jo will tell you why after the break.

(vo) al jazeera america

time for all of the sports news. here is jo. >> thank you. liverpool have con fimmed that lewis suarez has signed a new long-term contract with the club. suarez was banned for the first six games of the season after biting an opponent. but he is now the league's top scorer with 17 goals. in a statement released on the clubs website, suarez says i believe i can achieve the ambitions of winning trophies. my aim is to help get us there as quickly as possible. without doubt the backing i have received from the liverpool fans has influenced by decision.

i am so proud to represent them. one football fan was so desperate to make sure that suarez stay in liverpool, that he tricked him into signing a fake contract. spain beat third division [ inaudible ] in an unconvincing win, 1-0 at home. valencia will now meet madrid. kobe bryant fractured his left knee during tuesday's game. it is the latest setback after returning to the court only in december. that leaves the lakers with only

one starting point guard. >> i told him, he better be careful. we're running out of point guards. that's for sure. that's too bad. you hate it for kobe has he worked so hard to get back, but we'll be back. the thunder lead the bulls out there their matchup. and kevin durant scored 32 points. the thunder made it eight wins in a row as they lead the league. asia's golfers have taken a 3-1 lead over europe in china. while japanese player produced a brilliant recovery, when his

partner put a tee shot in the bush. they earned a point from their match. europe did claw a point back. as the visitors avoided a whitewash. india's cricketers are building a hefty lead over south africa in johannesberg. india quickly recovered to announce 275-2. nor -- norwegian skier has claimed his third victory on this course. he is now 125 points ahead of

austrian marshell. former indy driver has given his first interview since his crash in houston. he decided to retire from the sport when doctors told him his head injury made it too dangerous to return to the track. >> i have done it before, you know, in 2003 i drove with a broken back in one race. i have driven with quite a few broken body parts over the years. but i thought there has not to be a way, there has not to be some kind of negotiation here, and there wasn't. >> there is plenty more sport on our website, check us out at

aljazeera.com/sport. >> jo thanks very much. the canadian teenager who struggles with a severe stutter has turned into an unlikely hip-hop star. daniel lack reports from toronto on how little jacks can spit out rap rhymes without missing a beat. ♪ >> reporter: laying down the beat, recording the rhymes. it's the latest strong by 14-year-old little jakes. he has been rapping since he was 10, and the likes of toronto's own dre' love his work. but simply talking is a huge challenge for him. >> it's

my -- my -- second -- second way to communicate -- and -- and express myself to -- to be who i am. >> ever since he was a toddler, jake had a severe stutter. once bullied for his speech problem, now people stop him on the street to take his photograph. >> i can't wait until people actually get to see what i see on the first day i met him that he is actually really talented. and i think that's going to blow people away. jake's parents share his ambitions and those of his 16-year-old brother who wants to play major league baseball one day. taking the boys to the recording

studio, and the baseball diamond takes all of their free time. >> he has the support of us, and his extended family of his grandparents and uncles and aunts, you know, and that's huge too. i mean he has a huge support network that comes out to his concerts and shows. at one point somebody said he has got a really big entourage for a 14 year old child. >> reporter: a first big label recording deal, and a hit single are the next items of little jake's goals for this year. there is no denying this young man has courage determination and talent. ♪ thanks very much for watching the al jazeera news hour. for our viewers in this the united states. it's back to your regular programming on al jazeera america. for the international viewers

i'm back in just a moment with all of today's top stories. ♪ hearing this i'm sure from patients. does big pharma impact the doctors in their decision to not offer alternatives to the pill here? >> i think that there is evidence that if you have interactions with pharmaceutical companies, it does impact -- and there's actually pretty good studies based -- that have looked at physician prescribing patterns and interactions with big pharma. i think one of the luxuries i have is i'm in academic medicine, and we have a policy that we don't interact with pharmaceutical companies. so i hope that gives me a better perspective. and i think a lot of these doctors aren't having these conversations with their patients because i have countless patients who come to

me and said they have never heard of iud's. so i think there is some impact of that. we know there's an impact of that. and it makes it challenging, you know, to -- to have a completely unbiased view even though we as doctors like to think we have an unbiased view, there has been evidence that shows that they do impact us in some ways. so i think it's important for us to go out and educate our providers too. there is no one size fits all birth control, and there are a lot of options that work for women. >> we want to take a closer look, are there unique challenges facing women in minority communities when

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. the president is holding his end of the year news conference. fear in south sudan as hundreds try to flee the violence. and a robot faceoff in florida. teams trying to create robots that can help out in a disaster. ♪ for the president it has been a long year