>> announcer: this is al jazeera. >> hello there, welcome to the news hour from our news center here in doha and in london, here are our top stories. rebels in south sudan take control of a the strategic town of bor. the death toll from the nearly three-year long syrian war rises to more than 130,000. >> hello there i'm julie mcdonald in london.

as the injured are flown to moscow, president putin vows to annihilate terrorists. and michael schumaker has shown signs of improvement. ♪ ♪ >> and ringing in the new year in style, fireworks and fanfare around the world. ♪ the town or bor in south sudan has been recaptured by rebel forces. it is the capitol as seen as important by both sides. the town was captured just before christmas, and the rebels are now back in control. the latest comes hours before the deadline on possible new ceasefire. close to 200,000 people have had to leave their homes because of

the violence. we'll go live to our correspondent in a moment, but first his record from the town where there has been days of fighting. >> reporter: recent fighting has turned this into a ghost town this is the man in charge for now. he is the commander of the government forces who control it. >> the fighting was a continuation of violence that began in juba. we recaptured the town from them. >> reporter: bodies still lie in the streets. in a town square dozens of body are being buried in a mass grave. it's hard to tell how many people have died here. certainly hundreds have lost their lives. some of the towns residents said

that the rebels set up a base just outside of the town. a claim the military commander denies. >> translator: have you heard gunfire? we're in full control. >> reporter: the town center was the worst hit. this is the main market or what remains of it. it is here that some of the worst fighting happened. we were told the market was looted both during the fighting and after it ended. most of the shops at the market were bombed. days later some are still smoldering. it will be a while before vital supplies such as food and medicine arrive in this town. >> translator: we are hungry. there is no food in town. even though with money have no way to buy food. >> reporter: most of the residents have sought shelter in the un peace keepers base. it is unlikely they will return

to their homes soon. >> mohammed joins us now from the capitol. we have been hearing about a possible ceasefire for days now. are talks going on? what is actually happening? >> well, there's no ceasefire to talk about at the moment. there has been no agreement on stopping fighting as of now, however, the two parties have decided to hold talks in the ethiopian capitol, both sides are sending delegations there to begin talks. this is now how the president wanted things to be. he has offered unilateral ceasefire from his end, which he said would should also be respected by the former vice president. the former vice president says he cannot discuss a ceasefire

until there are proper negotiations with the government, and there must also be a mechanism for monitoring this ceasefire to be created before he signs an agreement for the ceasefire. that means the first thing they have to tackle is how to stop the current conflict which has engulfed much of south sudan and making humanitarian efforts very difficult. >> as you said the fighting goes on in many parts including in bor which has been recaptured by rebels. what is the latest on that? and why do both sides see it as so important? >> reporter: well, bor is very important. it is the capitol of the largest region in south sudan. it's also rich in oil resources as well as other minerals.

bor is very close to jabar, about 200 kilometers. this is a vast country. 200 kilometers away from the capitol is quite near the capitol juba, so that's one of the reasons bor is being seen as very strategic. and both sides have been engaged in in frantic efforts to capture as much land as possible before the talks began, so each side has got negotiate from a very strong position. >> all right. mohammed thank you. the democratic republican of congo now says 103 people were killed in an attack in the capitol on monday. the government says it crushed an attempted coup by gunmen. the stormed the airport, state tv, and a military base.

the attack was supposedly carried out by a religious leader who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2006. to the latest on the four al jazeera journalists being held in egypt. the producer has been moved to a prison outside of cairo. another producer is also in prison. the correspondent on the right remains at a police station. both of them will be questioned separately. the cameraman meanwhile has been released without charge. al jazeera demands that all of its staff be released immediately. iraqi prime minister has ordered some to leave the government. more than 40 have submitted their resignations over the

dismantling of a protest camp. >> reporter: this is what is left of a sunni muslim protest camp after it was dismantled by police in iraq's western province. and this is what happened when security forces entered the camp on monday. several people were killed, and in response hours later more than 40 members of the iraqi parliament resigned. the mp's demanded the withdraw of the army and the release of a sunni politician arrested on sunday. in a statement read on national television, maliki called on the armed force to . . .

>> this is a war between the prime minister and the people of iraq. the members of his government -- there are still sunnis in his government. so it is not a sectarian, it's a cross sectarian. it is mallyky who is the new dictator of iraq. >> reporter: shoe -- sunnis have been staging protests for months for what they say are treatment like second-class citizens. with national elections expected in many april, security is a growing concern as sectarian tensions continue to rise. russian president vladimir putin has vowed to annihilate

terrorists after a second blast. let's get more from julie. >> reporter: putin has ordered security to be set up there and else there in the run up to the winter olympic in sochi in february and used his message to pay tribute. >> translator: dear friends we bow our heads before the victims of cruel terrorist attacks. i'm certain we will continue the fight against terrorists until their complete annihilation. >> the attacks targeted a train station and trolly car. >> reporter: there wasn't much when the ambulances arrived. survivors were hanging on, and the hospital was less than ten

minutes away. this was one of more than 20 badly injured brought here >> translator: i didn't see anyone with a bomb. i was looking out the window, and i can't remember anything after that. >> reporter: for the second time in less than 24 hours the wards of hospital 25 were filled with victims. this doctor said his team were carrying out ten depreciations at the same time, but thankfully he said the trolly bomb wasn't as powerful as sunday's blast at the train station. the relatives of the injured scarcely able to believe this was all happening again. trauma specialists had been flown in from moscow to help family and friends cope. out of the airport, those too badly injured to be treated

here, were loaded aboard special flights headed to moscow. taken to specialists burns unit in the capitol two hours away. this stuzed to be known as stol list -- stalingrad. the defeat of the german army in 1943 changed the whole course of the world war ii conflict. today people have a far more elusive enemy on their hands. a feeling among the people that they have been let down by those who should have protected them. dennis is a local businessman. >> people afraid -- people afraid to use public transport. i'm frightened. i'm afraid for my family, for my friends. >> reporter: they are stepping up security not just here, but across southern russia. over the next five weeks more

than 30,000 troops will be deployed across the region. this is not the first time that president putin has talked about such a crackdown on f terror. >> we heard similar statements at the end of '90s, particularly when the apartment blocks in moscow were blown up, and after that, it was in 1999, and similar statements were made and usually this is the precondition when an anti terrorist depreciation starts or something wider, military intervention is usually being prepared. i think something similar to that will happen this time because the north in

particular -- the eastern part of the north caucus is slightly getting out of control of the russian government's hands. doctors treating the former formula one champion, michael schumaker said there has been a light improvement in his conditions. he suffered critical injuries when he fell and hit his head on a rock when skiing in the french alps. >> reporter: within minutes he received first aid. two days after being air lifted off of the mountain, he is still in a critical condition. overnight doctors performed a second operation to alleviate pressure on the brain. >> translator: the situation is better controlled than yesterday. we can't say he is out of danger, but we bought a bit of time in his progress. the hours to come will be crucial. >> reporter: michael schumaker

with critically injured while skis in the french alps on sunday. he fell and hit his head on a rock. he was saved by wearing a helmet. when he was first taken to hospital, he was conscious, but his condition deteriorated rapidly. he is now in a medically induced coma. his doctors say there is extensive bruising on his brain, and a two-hour operation has been carried out. >> translator: one hematoma situated on the left was larger and accessible. we judged we could remove it without taking risks. >> reporter: family and former team boss have been at the hospital. doctors say the former champion is still not out of danger, and that they can't predict his

future. i'll be back with europe later. now back to doha. >> there's lots more toment come on the al jazeera news hour. we'll tell you why eastern european migrants in britain say they are being typecast. and raphael opened his tennis season. find out how he did later in sport with robin. to syria now, and it has been over three years since the start of the war there. in that time more than 130,000 people have been killed according to the latest tally by the syrian observatory. it says that civilians account for more than 46,000 of the dead. the fighting has of course continued inside the country. activists say at least ten

people have been killed in an attack onnen a bus in aleapto. >> reporter: forces have stepped up they efforts in recent weeks. this bus was reported by here to buy government tank shell. activists said that barrels filled with tnt has killed at least 500 since last week. there has been heavy fighting between rebel groups and the military in other areas of syria in recent days. this video appears to show rebels targeting government forces around an airport in the eastern province. al jazeera cannot a verify which armed groups these men belong to. this man describes how fighters

are sending reinforcement to the area around the airport. in the west of the country, activists say rebels took control of two villages after days of heavy fighting. >> translator: this was a hiding place for government forces. >> reporter: the syrian observatory for human rights says that more than 46,000 civilians have been killed since the conflict began in 2011. for more on what is happening in in syria, let's speak to the executive detector of the washington-based syrian senator for political and strategic studies. welcome once again. the official death toll going up

once again, and no signs that things will get better any time soon. >> yes, exactly. things is not getting much better. assad continues his campaign in other areas. the tnt barrels continue to bombard the civilian areas, which makes it more difficult for the syrian opposition to understand the heavy bombarding especially in the civilian areas, and make it more difficult for the international community to convince the syrians that assad is interested or that assad is willing to go in peace conference in geneva. i think what is going on shows exactly the brutality of the assad regime, and shows exactly that the assad regime has no

interest at all to have peace in syria, unless there is a change in the calculation on the ground within the armed syrian opposition. >> so you are not optimistic about any kind of progress being made at those geneva talks that are being held in january. and still so many questions of who will attend these talks? vital opposition still are not expected to attend. >> if assad continues to be crazy as in the last ten days, make it very difficult for the opposition to go to geneva and negotiate, i think -- and the negotiation among the opposition will became much more wider and wider. the question now is not in this the hand of the syrian opposition, in the hand of the international communities to take action at least to show the

syrians that the peace conference in geneva will be the milestone to turn the page and go exactly about -- talking in politics about forming the transitional go body. forming the new transitional order, but things is not going in this direction, assad continue all of this bombarding, and all of this killing mechanism, which never been stopped for almost three years. >> okay. thank you once again for speaking to us. three soldiers have been killed in a car bomb explosion in yemen's southern city of aiden. no one has claimed responsibility. and this comes a day after clashes between the military and tribesmen in the south killed eight people. more palestinian prisoners have been welcomed back home

after being freed from israeli jails. it's the third batch being released bringing the total number released to 104. it's part of a u.s.'s brokered deal to renew peace talks between palestinians and israeli. victims families in israel are protesting the release. myanmar has released political prisoners. more are expected to be freed next week. south korean leaders have joined china in the japanese prime minister's visit to a war memorial. it has been condemned as a

provocative act. they see the shrine as a assemble of aggression during any second world war. a doctor accused of child trafficking has gone on trial. she admitted that she stole seven babies. she told the parents their babies were very sick, and then sold the children. an estimated 100,000 people were killed curing uganda's long civil war. many human remains are only now being laid to rest. malcolm webb reports. >> reporter: patrick's mother was shot dead by rebels nearly ten years ago, now he is going

to dig up her grave and their her body to their ancestral home. friends and family with her to help. she was killed when rebels attacked a camp for the displaced, and massacred people living there. >> they were [ inaudible ] and revenge was brought on the civilians. >> reporter: the survivors fled. those that can collect the bodies have to bury them elsewhere. the rebels attacked from this direction, running into the camp and shooting up people. in total about 50 people were killed and there is a memorial here that lists their names. after that the area was deemed unsafe, everyone moves to another camp up the road, and they had to take the dead with

them. people here believe the spirits of the dead can affect the living. the goat's blood is thought to cleanse any curses. the ritual gives the family peace of mind. the war left northern uganda extremely poor, but the charity paid the cost of transporting the victims to their rightful resting places. now with some outside support they get a bit more dignity, and lucy's remains are laid to rest in the proper location. nobody here cries, but emotions still run strong. >> i'm saddened, but i am happy that i have done my best to

appease my mom. she is now at home. >> reporter: and home now becomes a place for celebrating lucy's life. the goat is cooked and eaten. neighbors and passers buy are welcomed. we're invited too. the killings and abductions left communities shattered. malcolm webb, al jazeera, northern uganda. coming up, a new hope takes office, a legend passes into history, and people ash the world continue to protest to some of the major events we'll be looking back at. >> i'm kim in the capitol of rega where people are preparing for a new year and a knew currency. and later in sport, the world's top female tennis player

back in in action just weeks out from the first grand slam of 2014. at fukushima daiich >> three years after the nucular disaster, the hidden truth about the ongoing cleanup efforts and how the fallout could effect the safety of americans >> are dangerous amounts of radioactive water, leaking into the pacific eververyday? >> join america tonight's michael okwu for an exclusive four part series, as we return to fukushima only on al jazeera america

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welcome back, a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. rebel forces in south sudan have recaptured the town of bor. bor is seen as strategically important by both sides. three al jazeera journalists are still being detained in egypt. the producer seen on the left, and another producer have both been moved outside to cairo. all are due to be questioned in the coming days. al jazeera is demanding their release. the syrian observatory for human rights say at least ten people have been killed. more than 130,000 people have been killed in the syrian war since it began almost three

years ago. let's go back to our top story, the fighting in south sudan. hilldy johnson is head of the united nations mission in south sudan. we asked her about the situation. >> there seems to be movement today from both sides. the regional organization of africa, which has been taking on the mediating role has been in active contact with both sides together with other international partners and seems out of today has come two important messages. one both sides have agreed to put fort delegations for the talks from both the president as well as the foamer vice president, and has been leading the opposition forces in this the current violence.

number two, there seems to be, messages today that they also seem to be moving towards an agreement of professional hostilities, that the heads of state set for this to be decided and to be implemented. first and foremost it is a political struggle. it is a struggle that only can be resolved through political means at the negotiation table. however, it is very clear that this has to be accompanied by a process of reconciliation between the different ethnic groups and a national reconciliation process that can stop the violence and prevent any of the very serious human rights violations and atrocities leading to further revenge attacks and the cycle of

violence that can get out of control. that is what has to be stopped. this needs to be accommodated by a comprehensive process that including reconciliation. >> now back to julie in london. months of talks in northern ireland have failed to reach an agreement. they can't include of many issues including parades, flags, and the investigation of past killings. >> reporter: in the early hours of tuesday morning, six months of pain staking negotiations finally came to an end without agreement by the five political parties involved, the democratic unionists could not agree to the draft of the deal, while the republicans could. >> i think a lot of good work

has been done. it has been difficult and hard, and i'm sure everybody would say they have done their best, but at some time you have to call it. you can't just continue forever. you have to call it. so we have called it. >> reporter: it was a disappointing end, although the mediators sought to focus on the positive and the need to move forward. >> yes, i would be nice to come out here and say we have all five parties completely signed on. we are not there, but i believe there is a real prospect that we will get several of the parties to sign on to the text in full. several of the other parties will endorse significant parts of it, and together this will provide a basis for a serious ongoing political process. >> reporter: much has been achieved in the peace process,

but there are still deep-seated problems to fix. they include almost tribal issues like which flags can fly and where. and the talks tried to suggest new bodies to deal with these problems, one to deal with flags could be given months to look at issues of identity, culture, and tradition. two more were to deal with parades and marches, and several new bodies would address the violent past and how to come to terms with it, and a whole range of sensitive areas of northern ireland's troubled past. digging up that past will be difficult for all sides the failure to reach unanimous agreement shows how complex and divisive these issues remain.

this was not the result the optimists were hoping for. it will now be left to the parties themselves to try to close the gaps and narrow the differences, but there is the sense of an important opportunity having been missed. >> restrictions of free movement from migrants to the uk will be lifted soon. >> reporter: a small part of bulgaria from north london. it serves as something of a community center. and they don't expect an influence of more bulgarians in 2014.

this woman's first job in britain was in a fish factory. now she was a psychologist. offended by the notion that bulgarians come here just for the social system. >> we're not so used to -- of gaining so much from social system. so i wouldn't say they come here just for benefits. >> reporter: london has underbeen dramatic social change in recent years, and opinion polls show most british people feel there has been too much immigration, so the debate and bulgarians and romanians needs to be seen in this context. and yet it is quite apparent, that british government officials have no real idea how many intend to move here after january 1st. the british government

department published an estimate of 13,000 per year, although ministers say they are not sure. but a group that worries and the impact of migration says some 50,000 could come every year for the next five years. >> we have a christmas where 1 million youngsters are out of work. and that's a disgrace. we already have the pressure on hospitals and school places, and enough is enough. the government has a responsibility to the british people first. >> reporter: in in the bulgarian capitol, people will have more travel options under the new rules. but it's not clear how many will choose to go to britain, instead of germany or france or other wealthy countries in the eu.

>> reporter: latvia will soon start using the euro. but not everyone is convinced it's a good decision. >> reporter: in this supermarket, shoppers are on a mission. spending the last of their lats before the stroke of midnight, and the official switch to the euro, but latvians are divided. >> translator: i'm really against it, because we're losing our identity. >> i think it was the only reasonable step we could take to avoid inflation or even worse. >> reporter: the government says it will lower interest rates and boost tourism, but local critics say the euro is unstable. >> we can see where all of the countries where the gdp is less than 70% of the euro average,

and they have ended up in an economic crisis. >> reporter: the country's gdp fell by almost 18% in a single year. the government responded by slashing public spending and raising taxes, and its economy is now one of the fastest growing in the european union. latvia gained independence a little more than 40 years ago. >> basically we have implemented everything. it's not anymore they and us, it's not anymore old and new. it's basically we are all europeans. >> reporter: but for latvia's businesses, it's all about the bottom line. >> i think it makes things

easier for customer. it's easier to understand the pricing. it's easier to understand the financial indicators. >> reporter: the exchange rate of the lat has been fixed against the euro since 2005, but the change is still an anxious one for some, as what was a symbol of independence now becomes a collective item. the pentagon has announced the release of three guantanamo bay chinese prisoners. a catholic priest kidnapped lath month has been released. the radical arm group operates in the area. the priest was on a mission to help refugees in the area.

that's all the news from newspaper for the moment. >> thanks, julie. no bangladesh now where getting a university degree doesn't guarantee a job. here is more from tacloban. >> reporter: almost everyone here has a master's degree, but they are back in the classroom listening to lectures. this time they are studying on how to land a job. this man runs a training center for people who found that education hasn't been enough. >> translator: our education system has huge shortcomings. it doesn't prepare students for the skills they actually need to find work and be successful. more and more parents are sending their children to school. but the data shows all of the

studying won't necessarily help them find better jobs, in fact it might hurt their chances of finding one at all. there's plenty of work for unskilled or low-skilled labor like in the booming garment industry. but office jobs are another story. the unemployment rate is 14% among those with a secondary education, for those with a post secondary degree it rises to 25%. >> yes, i find they are somewhat depressed about getting a job, because still they are unable to find a good job. >> reporter: this man has spent years sitting around with a master's degree and no job. finally he decided he needed to invest further by going to a training center to give himself a better chance. >> translator: i could have worked in all sorts of

low-levels, but then i would have wasted all of my study. >> reporter: white collar industries haven't grown at the same pace as other industries. coming up, football, cycling, tennis. robin will take a look at some of the biggest moments in in sports that helped shape 2013. consider this: the news of the day plus s

welcome back. passengers on board a ship that has been trapped in an arctic ice for a week are going to be rescued by helicopters. weather conditions have to improve before the helicopter cans a temp a rescue. 2013 has certainly been an eventful year-round the world. here is a reminder of some of the key events of the past 12 months. ♪ [ gunfire ] >> the might of the war machine is relentless. >> these people are the victims of attacks using chemical weapons. [ explosion ] >> as we were interviewing the leader, we could hear migsflying

overhead and everybody scrambled. >> 11-year-old you can see is the survivor of an air strike. these children are traumatized and scared to go back home. >> the screams demanding that president mohammed morsi leave office are getting louder. >> this election more than any other represents a turning point for kenya. >> it's a transition almost unheard of in the modern arab world. >> i barack hussein obama do solemnly swear -- >> people very pleased that sharif is declaring himself the winner. >> with a fairwell bow from the

outgoing president, the power transer transer in china is complete. >> let me stop now, peter, because we are seeing smoke coming out of the chimney. white smoke, the conclave announcing that they have chosen a pope. white smoke. [ cheers ] >> the attack on the boston marathon shocked all of america. >> we are at the airport and we just witnessed a plane crash. >> spanish media reports that the train was traveling at more than twice the speed limit. >> by daughter is in there, she has been working in the garment

factory for three years. >> 17 days beneath thousands of tons of rewreckage. lampedusa is now the island which people risk everything to reach. >> typhoon haiyan swept through the central philippines early friday morning. >> the water started going up, and before we knew it we were by the ceiling clings for our lives. >> it's a journey into the tapestry of personal tragedy of millions of filipinos. >> all right. let's get all of the latest

sports news, now. >> thank you very much. michael schumaker is not out of dapger, but french doctors say his condition has improved slightly after a surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. his situation remains critical and doctors aren't giving a prognosis. >> translator: we cannot say we are winning. we have to say there are highs and lows, and that it is a bit better than yesterday. on the whole after 24 hours the situation is a bit better, but we have to remain realistic. >> sa bastian vittel sent his best wishes to michael schumaker

on his website. schumaker's fans have been gathering outside the hospital. several hoisted the flag. the german won five consecutive world titles. >> he was a very unique person, you know. and i think he'll get better soon. he'll win his last victory as a second victor, i'm sure. the new, a tp tennis season is open. the tiebreaker was needed in the second set, but then dultry per veiled. the next opponent will be from germany. already through is world number 4. the number 3 progressed as well. he was put to the test, but the

ukrainian fought back to win the match. serena williams first international match of the season. williams is now into quarter finals and looking to defend her title. joining her is yankovich. and there was a poor start to the tournament, when they were ousted by canada on saturday. then pulled australia back into their tie, beating them 7-1 to level the matchup.

in the next few hour the football transfer hour opens. manchester city are just abpoint off of the lead. chelsea are also on the road with a match at london. hampton and sixth place manchester united. >> toteham are difficult no matter who the manager is. they are always trying to wad their manager there with the plans that are required, so i think toteham will be a strong team. >> let's take a look at some of the major sporting moments that helped shape the year. in january lance armstrong came clean to oprah winfrey admitting

he doped through his career. he was then stripped of his world titles. adam scott became the first australian ever to win a master's tournament. it was always his first major title. in may alex ferguson stepped down as manager of manchester united. and the same month, his former protege david beckham retired from football. and the last game of the fine was this epic points from this man. >> ied has to watch it a few times because when i came off of the court, i had no recollection of that game, none of the points

at all. it was just a crazy way to finish the game. and for everyone watching, you know, it needed to be like that to make it more special. september was the big money month, the transfer fee from togetherham to real madrid, the feed $152 million. and then team usa claimed the cup. october the boston red sox claimed the world series with a 4-2 victory. a very special moment for the city just months after the boston marathon. and in november, in india, the it was the last for the man known as the little master who walked away as the sport's

leading grand scorer. >> knowing the fact i will never have a cricket bat back in my hand, nor play for indy, it was really, really emotional, but they have become wonderful moments and i could sort of the of all of those things. >> just too many moments to count in 2013. new zealand's rubby players won as well. if you would like to tell us your favorite sport moments go to aljazeera.com/sport. now back to you. >> thank you very much, robin. people around the world have begun celebrating the arrival of 2014, in the industrialian city of sydney over a million people flocked to the harbor to enjoy the display there.

around 7 tons of fireworks were used in the extravaganza. one of the world's most secretive nations pulled out all of the stops to put on a big show in south korean. thousands braved sub zero temperatures to watch a firework's display there. ♪ >> and this was the scene in honk kong where thousands entired the show. and people in shanghai celebrated the arrive of 2014 with another fireworks display. and in beijing a section of great wall of china was lit up. hundreds gathered to party

there. ♪ ♪ ♪

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. the people of south sudan hoping for peace as word comes for talks against the go and rebels. federal investigators are trying to determine what just caused this. ringing in the new year-round the world. new zealanders celebrating just a few hours ago. rebels in south sudan now capturing the city of bor, the center of fierce