>> welcome to the news hour, coming up on the program one of the controversial prime ministers in the middle east. >> he took difficult decisions and implemented them courageously. >> the head of egypt gives the clearest signal yet he could run for president.

the central african republic security issues increase. >> the latest from europe, including an uneasy peace. controversial virgil is held in london for the bet death of a mn who sparked riots two and a half years ago. >> well, he was one of the most divisive figures in the middle east. areil sharon has died. his death was announced at a military hospital on the outskirts of tel aviv.

throughout mr. sharon's hotelization. >> praising sharon's services to israel stating: >> he knew no fear. he took difficult decisions and implemented them courageously. he was admired at home and respected abroad.

ariel was a great family man. from the early years and throughout we kept our friendship in a moving way. i shall miss him dearly. >> before entering politics israeli's defense minister, ariel sharon was a military commander. he was nicknamed the bulldozer because of his larger than life stature. for palestinians he was known as the butcher. >> a walk across the sacred grounds ariel sharon believed they had all of jerusalem. he was named prime minister in a matter of months. his ability to take risks,

regarded as a maverick, sharon produced results that deified criticism and his military career was marked by campaigns and victories. he was appointed defense minister, and in 1982 he sent israeli force noose lebanon, forces tha, it should have beene end of the sharon's political career, and they found him indirectly responsible and recommended that he never hold public office again. it was a recommendation that sharon typically ignored when he hit the contest, and storming to a general election theory. >> he promised the country security and took a long-term view on the wave of suicide-bomb

attacks, he ordered the construction of the separation barrier from the security point of view was disputed but physically redefined what israel regarded as it's quarters. he determined that the s.s of gaza was not in israel's best interest and ordered the settlements be removed. he had no qualms removing settlers from the sinai decades before and a remark that no claim should be made on land that was not regarded as israel. and apart from zionism, his views that his lifetime enemy yasser arafat did not threaten

his religion but his country. sharon had fought against yasser arafat's forces in lebanon, eventually driving the palestinianen leader out that have country. and as prime minister with the backing of the u.s. president he sought to remove yasser arafat, and knocking down the walls from the compound he would not allow arafat to lead. he once agaiarafat had once leno exile and sharon had won again. but the victory was short-lived. he suffered a massive stroke and never regained considerations. after years of lying in a coma, this proud general who had been on the front line of so many battles suffered his final defeat. >> you heard how it was kerrs of

palestinianhow the massacre oft. >> the in 1982 the streets there were bodies. today they're celebrating the death of ariel sharon. at the time that the israeli army laid siege to this camp, and he was blamed for killing hundreds of palestinians. for three days palestinians were killed. the israeli army at the time said that they were rooting out liberation movement, but it was the women, children, and he wouldeelderlywho were killed.

survivors are saying we didn't get justice. what they wanted was to see sharon taken to an international tribunal, and pay for what they call his crimes. israeli commission found him indirectly responsible. but at the same time people hearsay sharon's death is not going change much he has to accept the palestinian's right to return. thousand live as refugees, and all they want is to go back home. >> for those reflecting on sharon's legacy, we have the member of the palestinian council. >> sharon has left a very painful path of death and mayhem, but he'll always go down

in palestinian collective memory as the one person responsible for so many strategies in palestinian lives. his death is not going to make much difference now because he has been away from the scene for so long, but the bulldozer, the devaluation of palestinian lives. >> palestinian gaza has been celebrating the death of ariel sharon. they distributed sweets. others burned posters with imagers of the late israeli leader. slogans of the butcher reference to the late israeli leader. >> the death of sharon after eight years in a coma is a sign from god and a lesson for tyrants. this criminal killed our people and our leaders. >> the international reaction

now. ban ki-moon's office issued this statement: you. >> british prime minister david cameron made this statement: and the white house issued this statement:

>> an assistant professor at the school of international service at the american university in washington, d.c. joins us live now from there, good to have you with us. internationally he has been a controversial figure. how fixed is the sentiment of american-jews of him. >> it's a mixed one. he engaged in acts that resulted in unnecessary loss of life. on the other hand he was a bold decision maker who realized that israel could not continue with the status quo of the israeli occupation and took a courageous move in 2005 when he decided to withdraw unilaterally from the

gaza strips and settlements in the north bank. >> human rights watch said his pass something a reminder, quote, impunity nor rights abuses have done nothing to bring israeli-palestinian peace any closer. do the killings committed by the 101 unity commander in 1953 which killed 69 civilians, do incidents like that tarnish his image at all in the u.s. and amongst american jews in particular? >> absolutely. just as arafat's record of terrorism and successors have blood on their hands, the important thing to realize is that sharon displayed notorious actions. that the status quo is harmful

not just to the palestinians but israel's future as a democratic state, and took a very important decision to recognize the importance of of a two-state, and by endorsing george bush's road map in 2003 was the first israeli government to officially, formerly recognize the palestinian state. >> he reshaped the political landscape. did he have much impact? >> i think it's a little too soon to see the impact of his death, and keep in mind that he has been in a coma for eight years. this was, you know, this doesn't change anything dramatically overnight. the stark contract between his

style of leadership and current--the style current prime minister of benjamin netanyahu. where sharon was able to make courageous decisions, even when that meant abandoning his right-wing party that he helped found in the early 70's, and forming his party, with netanyahu. you see him beholden to the far right, to the stealther lobby, and it makes it very difficult if impossible to make the bold, decisive decision he needs to make in order for kerry's mission to be successful. >> thank you for your thoughts. >> thank you. >> still to come on the news hour, a sixth day of talks when the fighting in south sudan after the army recaptures an

important town from rebels. south africa's ruling party marks 20 years in power, launches it's campaign for up coming elections. and in sport the biggest name in baseball is hit by the biggest doping ban in the history of the sport. coming up in the show. >> egypt's army chief general al sisi may run for the presidential seat. many say he is the obvious choice and an extremely popular leader. he said he would consider it if the people demand it and the military supports it. joined by the professor of middle east politics at the university of oklahoma, good to

have you with us. do you think today's statements, do they increase and strengthen the likelihood that he actually may want to run for president rather than be in the position that many say is quite a favorable one of pulling the strings behind the scenes and not taking responsibility for the problems that may emerge? >> he is in a dilemma of sorts. there is no question that he is the most powerful individual in egypt right now. i think most egyptians realize there is an prime minister, he is not only the popular figure but powerful. i think it is an indication of his desires because we knew he was considering this. we don't know yet what his desire is. i'm sure he's looking at this, how strong the turn out will be in the referendum, as well as how much the referendum passes

by. there is no question that the referendum is going to pass. but if there are millions and millions of people who participate in overwhelming participation rate, and is approved by an overwhelming margin he'll see that as an indication as run for a presidency. >> what would the run of the germ's for president mean for democracy? >> well, as you imply it would not body well for democracy even though he is popular among those who supported the popularly backed coup against mr. morsi. military in egypt as in many other developing countries has not been an institution for democracy, an institution for human rights, and institution willing to accept control of the military. so it would not body well, and

you need not only a ballot box in egypt that is free and fair, but we need a civilian as president. i don't think it would be moving forward towards democracy. >> again, assuming that he does run for president, what would that mean for foreign relations? how much would with that change the dynamic of relationships with some of the countries that have been strained? >> well, i think it would further strengthen the relations between the gulf counter revolutionary wa war areas, butt would make it difficult because many have been concern about the direction egypt is going. i think they would rather see a

civilian as president rather than general al sisi, even though he would have the popular vote. >> mohamed fahmy and bader mohammed, and peter greste are charged with with joining a terroristic group, but al jazeera says these charges have been fabricated. >> the new intern presiden inter

the c.a.r. arrival came as tens of thousands of foreigners wait to be evacuated from the country. >> up to a thousand people have been living in a makeshift champ near bangui's airport. we're in bangui with this report. >> reporter: on the edge of bangui airport are those who want to get out of this country. hundreds of muslims are here, sheltering now with with what remains of the international airport. this imam tells me that his mosque was burned down, all by the christian militia the anti-baleka. >> they killed us, hunted the

muslims. so i came to the airport. my family, i don't know where they are. >> they're being registered for emergency flights to neighboring chad. that's when they'll feel safe even though many were born here in the c.a.r. >> we start with around nine, ten flights, and we need more money. we have people everywhere. some in bangui, and every in the country. >> reporter: even though the state has almost collapsed, the c.a.r. leaders, back from the regional summit where the president stood down, but getting rid of him was one thing. building another government was quite another. the returning politicians have an incredibly difficult task.

they have to choose from within their ranks someone who can unite this divided country where law and order has broken down. it's not obvious that any of them has that capability. until then, this man is in charge. he will steer the transition at a dangerous time. the muslim neighborhoods of bangui we found desserted streets. when we stopped, gunfire. in the christian areas they are still triumphant of the gown fall of president djotadia.

>> coming a day after the army gained control, many have been forced from their homes. in a moment we'll hear in south sudan's, but first let's go to the ethiopian capitol. >> the peace talks here after the rebel negotiators refused to sign an agreement that had been drafted by the mediators. this was a cease-fire agreement. the mediators say that they agree for the fighting to stop so the people who are leaving their houses and seek shelter, also crossing the border have had to stop. offer, the rebel revolution said they will not sign an agreement that does not clue the release of 11 political leaders who are

currently in detention. the mediators are in south sudan in an undisclosed location trying to convince them to sign the cease-fire agreement. they say they will not release the political detainees. they will be dealt with in south sudan. they would not listen to the pressure that is coming, and now this perhaps in response to the security council, which was one of the last to speak and say that the political detainees must be released. >> there are diplomatic

solutions to the crisis here in south sudan. the u.n. secretary ban ki-moon has requested south sudan to release those who were planning the coup. what is the government's position? >> in fact, when they talked to the president, his advisers about the prospect of those who attempted the coup should be released or not, the government having listed to the sleigh explanation given by the minister of justice, it was found that it was not easy to release the suspects because the

transition constitution of the republic of south sudan if the president come in and release those who are perpetrators of the crime, the president would be violating the constitution. so the government will not touch them to be released without trial. but they agreed that the process will be expedited so that these people are taken and allowed to defend them. >> briefly, if you can. there is so much national pressure to have these detainees released. >> the government, it is unfortunate, does not want to

cooperate with south do yo suda. this is unfortunate. we are a sovereign country, and this is the position of the government. the government knows that the attempted coup happened on the 16th of december, and if something had happened, i don't know why the international community would not understand our position. >> there is still fighting going on, and the army is sending reinforcements. people here are hoping that this will come to a speedy conclusion. >> unseasonal weather brings beeoutof hibernation dangerously

early. >> plus we look at how attitudes have changed in the 50 years since first warnings of the dangers of smoking. we'll have all the details later in sports. i'm phil tores. coming up this week on techknow. techknow's shini somara goes straight into the storm. winds of 150 miles per hour. but this twister is created in the lab. >> i'm at the national wind institute where they can actually recreate a tornado. >> now science and technology take on mother nature. >> who wins? >> it's completely fine. >> techknow. sunday 7:30 eastern on al jazeera america. crisis?

>> i think it's going to

>> every sunday night al jazeera america presents the best documentaries. a historic election >> we have 47% of our people who pay no income taxes... >> we take you behind the scenes >> i'm rick santorum, i'm running for president... >> no barriers... >> i intend to be the nominee that defeats barack obama >> no restrictions... >> i think we're catching on... >> no filters... >> my guess is they won't be voting for me... >> al jazeera america presents caucus al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital.

>> we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you. al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> watching the al jazeera news hour. let's recap the headlines. ariel sharon has died at the age of 85. the terror leader has been in a coma since 2006 since he suffered a stroke. egypt's general al assisi said halal sisi said hemay consider r president. anand an interim president

will take charge in bnagui. they say military has made gains in the libya region. activists show the the attack of five rebels. it came as they prepared for the assault. it is the isil's last stronghold in northwestern syrian. protesters held signs in front of the red cross office blaming the refugee crisis.

>> yes needs it to be clear from the beginning. we don't interfere with their internal affair. we keep our distance. we try to get aid in and help the sick in the camp. >> turkish politicians have thrown punches and water bottles at each other. one member of parliament got up on a table and threw a kick at colleagues and even an ipad went through the air. it comes while they were discussing a draft bill. the bill would allow them to have more control of judicial appointments. south africa's ruling party

has launched its campaign season ahead of general election this is year. anc leader and president dress supporters highlighting the opportunity. >> reporter: young and old, supporters of the africa national congress descend on a stadium. so packed is the venue that many can't get in. the star attraction, jacob zuma. party leader and president of the country, kicking off camping season with the afc manifesto. >> part of the anc's contribution will take place through our government's on going programs of consolidated, state led infrastructure development. [♪ music ] >> in power since 1994, the anc is credited with helping

generating economic growth. but with millions of black south africans still living in poverty, education and employment and housing top the national agenda. >> i'm here today because i love the anc, because it has made life better for us. we now have water and houses. >> the anc has give us social grants a job, and now i have an ii.d. and i just feel in my lif. >> this reception is a far cry from the hackling zuma received at the service for nelson mandela last month. some question the anc's relevance in a post apartheid world, and now that the spiritual leader mandela has paspassed on. >> madiba, the anc has always

been the organization best place to unite the broadest cross sections of south africans. >> the anc has ruled since south africa's first fully democratic elections 20 years ago. as it heads to polls this year. these people need little convincing. >> well, there's huge police presence in london where a controversial and highly emotive vigil is taking place. we go to our european news center for more and why it has many nervous. >> reporter: it concerns a man called mark duggen who was shot dead by police two and a half years ago. his death sparked riots. now wednesday an inquest ruled that he was killed lawfully despite not being armed when he was shot.

his furious family cal called fr this vigil on saturday. >> reporter: dubbed a peaceful vigil, the death of mark duggen who was shot dead not far from a police station in 2011, protesters continue to reject an inquest verdict that he was lawfully killed. >> we're in it for the long haul, and we're learning-- >> duggen was shot getting out of a taxi that was stopped by police. the jury agreed that he was not armed at the time, but he had been earlier and that the police believed he was carrying a gun. that's something that the people in to th tottenham doesn't unde.

>> he was unarmed. that is the end of it in despite police allegations that mark duggen had been involved in a shooting, his family strongly reject reports that he was a gang members. but complaint commission is continuing, but some are skeptical of impartiality. >> police do have a lot to do, and i'm waiting to hear what is happening. there is a lot of unhappiness about this situation. >> reporter: so far mark duggen's family has rejected meeting with the police chief for talks. >> thousands of kurds have been protesting in paris demanding justice. the three activists shot dead there a year ago. demonstrators are calling for turkish short authorities to coe with authorities.

turkey denied involvement in activists deaths. 200 supporters of the golden dawn party gather outside of the high court in athens saturday. three will be determined if they will be charged for membership in a critical argues. they're charge investigated fore murder of a rap singer last september. on friday coast guards rescued 23 syrian nationals as they tried to reach italy's shores. fighting between riot polie and protesters, the violence broke out after three men were convicted of trying to blow up a

statue. anger and violence on the streets of kiev. hundreds of anticipate government protesters were gathering for show support of three men convicted of trying to blow up a statute of vladimir lenin. the men from sentenced to six years in prison. >> we were standing here trying to support our patriots, but as usual the riot police used clubs and tear gas against us. >> many say the trial was a sham. >> authorities don't stop in their acts of oppression. they want to put people in jail for six years injures because they were talking about their rights. >> reporter: ukraine opposition

leader was also caught up in the violence. he suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital. this latest violence is likely to feel anger against viktor yanukovych. there were mass demonstrations in kiev last month and the police cracked down on protesters. a crackdown that these opposition activists say is still ongoing. >> going to spain now where a protest rally is taking place in bibao calling for human rights and peace in the b asqe region. live now to sonya gallegos. i gather it's been fairly noisy, but everything looks quite calm

right now. >> reporter: indeed. in fact, the protesters coming out in that show of support of peace of human rights requested by the basqe patriots an partiee showed up for the demonstration. this was a demonstration that was supposed to be support. but that was banned after the party called for a different show of demonstration they didn't count on as many people turning out, in fact, they lined the area of bilbao and inundated people there. this is a reflection of the strong feelings building up here in the past week. the government has launched an operation to do what it calls crackdown on the remaining tentacles of the support netwo network. various lawyers were arrested.

lawyers representing prisoners and their offices were raided. the spanish government is determined to try to get eta to disban, and this type of tactic had a negative reaction in the region. eta has renounced violent tactics in the past , and perhas the spanish government needs to take a reconciliatory direction. >> do you think things are moving in the right direction between the government and eta. >> there is a marked difference between what the rest of spain think and what the people of basqe country think. all along this protest we were hearing "bring them home" in

reference to the prisoners who were scattered all over the country. one of the main points of arguments between the government and eta and eta supporters is that prisoners have been given special treatment, if you will. the prisoners were not placed in prisoners in the basque country. they feel it was to break up and humiliation further the prisoners. they're asking that the prisoners be brought home so the families could visit those prisoners here. regardless of the disapproval of eta tactics in the past, a they feel this is now enough, the government needs to take a more reconciliatory tone here.

they've even dropped their call for amnesty for prisoners, and they want to call for legal means to release those prisoners instead. >> staying istaying spain. princess christina has been linked to her husband's business afierce. he has been linked to embezzlement. both deny any wrongdoing. the bee population has come out of hibernation early because the unseason weather has messed with their body clocks. there have been bad news all around. >> reporter: first thing every morning this beekeeper checks

the temperature. there should be snow on the ground. >> 10 degrees in january. that's too war. >> reporter: his bees think its spring so they're leaving the hives. >> they shouldn't be outside. it's too cold. i try to warm them up. i care for every one of my bees. >> reporter: the bees are going out in search of food, and they're laying eggs as if spring had sprung. if it turns cold now they will be in real trouble. >> if winter comes back again, which it probably will, the weaker bees will not be able to warm up the colony and they'll die, which means many will never lay their eggs at all. >> the situation has officials worried. >> right now we don't know what is going on. we know some bee keepers have lost a lot. big keepers, small keepers, we

need to keep a watch on it. >> reporter: it's a european problem. a third of the bee population has been lost, almost 7 billion bees. in croatia, there are 9,000 bee keepers with a bee population of nearly 500,000. any significant loss in the bee population could have serious consequences to humans. they play a crucial role in pollinating plant life. if the bee goes, our food supply will be under serious threat. >> it's like removing a brick from the bottom of a wall. the wall might still stand but it won't be as stable as before. >> the instability of the local climate is having an affect. in april when the real spring arrives they should know just how serious the problem is. al jazeera. >> that brings you up-to-date with the latest from here in europe.

now back to doha. >> still to come in the news hour, all the sports including chealsea move to the top of the premier league coming next.

>> welcome back. 50 years ago a doctor's report shocked americans and the world. it revealed that smoking kills. social attitudes have changed a great deal since then but millions of people continue to die from tobacco related

diseases. >> reporter: it was 1964 when the u.s. surgeon general released his landmark report. it concluded that smoking causes illness and death. the news was not well received, especially by the big u.s. tobacco companies. in the 1960s tobacco was one of the most profitable industry in the cold hiring celebrities and doctors even approving cigarettes. eventually it imposed tighter restrictions on advertising. the legislation was part of the most successful health campaigns in the united states. smoking rates are now down 59%. back in 1964, 42% of u.s. adults were smoking compared to just 18% in 2012.

in government tobacco control efforts which include bans on smoke in public spaces has saved 8 million lives. >> in the past half century nothing else has come close to this contribution to the health of americans. nothing. >> reporter: but antismoking advocates argue there is still much more work to be done. they say the number of americans smoking may have dropped over the decades, but globally that's not the case. this antismoking campaigner said in the last century 100 million people have died from tobacco use across the globe. and he says until big tobacco companies are restrained that number is expected to rise to 1 billion smoking deaths this century particularly in low- and middle-income countries. >> the tobacco industry is carefully an meticulously

targeting those countries. everywhere we go we see marketing in low- and mil middle-income countries that have not been allowed in the united states. >> more than 3,000 children firsstill try their first cigare every day. and public health campaigns like the one started in 1964. kimberlkimberly halkett, al jaza washington. >> alex rodriguez has been suspended for the 38-year-old was originally suspended for 211 games last august. rodriguez then filed an appeal result, but the 162 games suspension means he will miss the entire 2014 season.

the yankee slugger was one of 13 players to be suspended over the biogeneticist scandal. they have indicated they will fight it in a federal court. the number of games sadly comes as no surprise. as the deck has been stacked against me from day one. this is one man's decision that was not put before a fair and impartial jury. does not involve me having failed a single drug test and is at odds with the facts and inconsistent with the terms of the joint drug agreement and the basic agreement. >> football saturday could be a very significant day. in a few minutes time the two top play each other. having won their five last league games madrid hope to win their last la liga titles since

1996. >> it was a great effort from the club and players who wanted to improve. there was rebellions against certain situations. with tiago, it's the same. all the players have grown at an extraordinary level. >> the visitors of barcelona could be boosted by the league return of messi. the argentinian scored twice on his return to action midweek. he came in as a sub. and the barca coach may not start with his star man.

>> i'm always concerned about how they feel. then comes our next rival. the rivals make us coaches make hasty decisions. this is a mid-january game, there is a lot of to do before the end of the season. >> the win season consolidate their fourth race and go fourth clear. ly goals up after just 30 minutes despite pulling a goal back just before the halftime break. and another three in the second half. >> well struggling hosting valencia at the moment. just a few minutes to go.

at hull they opened the scoring with a stunning score from the edge of the box. >> we controlled the game well. i think the second was more likely to happen for them. when we scored the second goal, the game is over. >> well, the champions match currently in action in the late kick off. they're taking on swansea and 2-0 up with just a few minutes to go. and a huge win for west ham. west ham had conceded is 1 goals in their previous two games. >> the number five won the sydney international just two days before the australian open began in melbourne.

winning in straight six. the australian open starts on monday and he'll go up against the world number one, rafael nadal. >> cricket pakistan has given themselves some hope of can yo g the second test in dubai. 330-7 in their second innings and they lead by 107 runs with three wickets remaining. rain brought an early end today in dubai. lots more sports on our website. check out www.aljazeera.com/sports. the latest on the alex rodriguez story. and it will show you how to get in touch with with our teams using twitter and facebook. >> thanks so much. stay with us here at al jazeera. it's the end of this news hour but with you have more news coming up. so don't go too far.

>> good afternoon, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. here are your top stories from around the world. leaders are expressing condolences over the death of ariel sharon. a-rod said he'll fight the suspension. plus 50 years after the knock down of cigarettes on the big string and it changed america forever.