check check >> talking to the taliban - live in islamabad for the latest on a peace plan in pakistan. >> in is al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - a landmark case for the rwandan genocide. a former security chief to go on trial in france. >> opposition in thailand go court to try to have the elizabeth declared invalid. >> cars that communicate. a pilot program in the u.s. trying to improve road safety.

>> first we start in pakistan, and the first meetings between representatives of the taliban and the government. so just who is meant to be taking part in these talks. representatives for the government include two veteran journalists, a diplomat and a retired major from the pakistani intelligence services. the taliban group consists of religious leaders, including the man known as the father of taliban. imran khan was invited to represent the taliban. he declined. there's a suggestion that maybe both sides are not ready to stit and talk just yet. >> indeed the two are meeting in islamabad, separately, of course. it will be decided in an hour whether there'll be a formal meeting between the two

committees, the committee from the government and the committee formed by the delicate pakistan taliban. we were told by a member of the government committee that there were question marks to the mandate of the committee appointed bit the taliban pakistan and an informal meeting. that will become clear when the next hour or so. >> meetings about meetings about meetings by the sound of it. about this getting together - will they set out preconditions for the proper peace talks. will they knuckle down on the process? >> one of the members of the committee from the taliban said there's no preconditions as far as the talks are concerned. there'll be unconditional talks. there are many n question marks because there is in no

government official per se as far as the government committee is concerned, and no taliban representative per se as far as their committee is concerned. people are taking this with a pinch of salt. there has to be face to face meetings that haven't been decided. there are question marks as to whether the formal meetings will take place. it's too early as to whether there'll be formal meetings or not. >> there's all sorts of talk as to whether this doesn't work out. >> absolutely. there is talk, even though the government is denying it. they say that that particular option of the military strike is not on the table, that the government wants to talk, the prime minister has been saying it is very confident that the talks will be successful. there are many question marks. we have been told that the

military has its contingency plans. yesterday the chief of the military met the prime minister, discussed the military situation, and in the event that talks fail, there'll be no other option for the military, but to go into north waziristan. >> thank you. that is the latest from islamabad on the peace talks. >> afghanistan and n.a.t.o. secretary says they expect a security pact will be agreed upon. he was speaking before meeting british prime minister david cameron. kabul and washington have been trying to work out a framework for some u.s. troops to stay on. that's when n.a.t.o.-led troops are supposed to end combat operations. >> now for the war in tieria. russia's deputy foreign minister said chemical weapons will be removed. a large shipment is expect to leave this month. the syrian government will

complete the project by march the 1st. an armed group in syria has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in beirut. the bomber detonated explosives. six were wounded, including the bus driver. the target was the hezbollah checkpoint. syrian activists say the government killed 18 in air raids, happening in the northern city of aleppo. helicopters dropped barrel bombs, containers that are packed with explosives, fuel and scraps of metal. >> the syrian observatory for human rights confirmed it hit some towns. >> newsagency asap spoke to a jesuit priest in homs. he says the 3,000 people that are left there are desperate for change. >> translation: they talk, talk,

talk, eat in good restaurants and up-skipped hotels. what we are living through here is far removed from how they live. if there is trust, negotiations will be productive. if there isn't they won't succeed. whether held in geneva, paris, honolulu. if there's no trust negotiations will not achieve nothing. >> faces in the streets are weak and yellow. the strength left their bodies. we want to eat and we want aid to come in. we want a way out. food doesn't solve the problem. >> thailand's party challenged the election in the courts. anti-government protesters are on the treats vowing to stage rallies. election commissions say results will not be announced until all errors vote. >> political uncertainty. the numbers on the streets

fluctuate. there's no end no sight. for the past three months they've been trying to remove the administration led by prime minister yingluck shinawatra. on sunday their goal was to disrupt on election called to ease the tension. they succeeded in some places to stop the vote. the election was boycotted by the opposition party. >> there was an opportunity throughout the past two months for the government to see the light and see that a solution was not going to be provided for the country. the impasse has been carried on for years. resulting in disruption on the eve of the election. the government needs to set up a council, subject it a referendum implementing wide ranging political reforms. they say it's refused to hold

discussions. not true. the ruling party insists. the people protesting who mainly support the democrats are not interested in negotiating. >> they are in the street. they want an overthrow of the system. they want to overthrow the government through every means. because of the election disruptions and a possible court case, the results can't be announced. thailand will be run by a caretaker government. adding to the uncertainty is the issue of royal succession. it has been unwell in recent years. it's regarded as being a steadying influence in a time of crisis. the gap between the two sides is so wide they are talking about the prospect of civil war. the man who led the last two in

twim said any military intervention would be fought by government supporters. >> if the army steps in to help the protesters, they'll be the enpie from the other side, the north and the north-east. the army will not intervene. every soldier is aware of that, they stay neutral to let the public solve the problem themselves. >> that is something they can't do. >> a landmark trial focussing on genocide will get under way. the former chief will face a paris court, charged with complicity. 800,000 people were killed in the genocide. france has been criticised for helping the rwandan rulers at the time. >> the life's work is to identify suspects allegedly removed in the rwandan genocide. helping to bring the first case

of its kind to court in france. this woman lost her family. >> it's historic. it's a first trial, involving someone this a high position. >> it's almost 20 years since rwanda descended into chaos. 800,000 killed in 100 days. rwandans genocide was sparked after the president was killed when his plane was shut down. who followed was unimaginable. ethnic tensions between the two main groups, the tutesies and houthis existed. most of the victims were tute sis and mott raid hewitt use. the leader has been accused of

complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. allegations he denies. >> the case is being heard in paris, that's pause pascal simbikangwa was apprehended on french territory. he can be tried tonne french sail. the rwandans tried to extra diet suspects from france. none of them returned home. >> france had been one of rwanda's main backer before the war and was accused of providing the hewitt u-dominated government with military training. paris denied it was complicit in the genocide. it has been under pressure to identify suspects living in france. >> there was a total lack of political will from the french authorities to prosecute suspects because of position of friends towards the regime, before the genocide and after,

and during and after the genocide, and reluctance from the french judicial and political authorities to prosecute these suspects. >> almost 20 years after the atrocity questions remain how any of it could have been allowed to happen. the trial is expected to last up to two months. >> still ahead - unearthing the past. the u.n. calls on spain to face up to its history and former leader general franco. inflation rising in argentina, bias much as 50%.

>> welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. representatives for the pakistani deposit and the taliban are meeting separately at this hour. they are beginning preliminary peace talks. there's suggestions that the meeting may be postponed. >> thailand's opposition is challenging the weekend's election in a constitutional court. the opposition democrat party is calling for the vote to be declared invalid. a former rwandan intelligence chief is to go on trial in france. he is accused of complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. >> humanitarian workers are concerned about the fate of people in the central african republic. many are trapped in towns, and some travelling in unprotected

convoys. battles between rival militia conditions, including in the capital bangui. >> innocent civilians run for cover as the fighting rages on in the central african republic. french troops are trying to bring peace to the capital. >> christian fighters from anti-balaka have been targeted muslims for days. they loot what they can, and burn who is left. >> translation: it is terrible. we are suffering, there's no peace. we are losing houses and people. we need to bring back peace. >> muslim fighters retaliated trying to push the christians back out of this area. french troops found themselves in the middle. the soldiers are part of 1600 strong french force, working alongside 6,000 african soldiers

in the central african republic. they were called in after almost a year of unrest. a muslim coalition known as seleka, the locality word for union seized power over the christian country in march. militias were formed, calling themselves anti-balaka or against the machete. both sides have been accused of violent atrocities. as the fighting conditions, so, too, do the number of people fighting to get out of the danger zones. almost a million people out of a fopulation of 4 million have been displaced. many have escaped to camps like this. >> four of my brothers were here when the anti-balaka attacked the town. the seleka launched attacks. in bangui some retaliated, killing one of my brothers.

this way my brother was stabbed to death. in the end i lost six brothers. >> they have called for international support. they have lost 2,000 lives. the fighting still has not stopped. >> it's been 38 days since egyptian authorities detained 3,000 journalists. mohamed fadel fahmy, mohammed badr, and peter greste have been held without charge since december 29th. they are accused of spreading news and having lengths to the brotherhood, which egypt classifies as a terrorist organization. the the cases have been referred to the criminal courts. the al jazeera network has not been notified of formal charges. >> to europe, and the ukraine opposition demands gaoled protesters be released. anti-government protesters have

been on the street in the capital kiev for over two months. they demand cuts to the president's powers. the e.u.'s policy chief will attempt to soothe political tension, and opposition leaders later on tuesday. >> 160 billion - that's how much corruption is costing countries in the european union. the first official report into the issue found corruption is happening in every one of its country, and not enough is being done to stop it. >> the european commission report into corruption is critical, saying there's no corruption free zone, but a scale rather. more than three-quarters of people across european states says corruption was widespread. it was higher in spain, italy and greece, with a number of people that believe the same ranged from 95 to a staggering

95%. of the european commission says every unitary can do more. national governments, rather than e.u. institutions are chiefly responsible for fighting corrosion in the e.u. the 2008 financial crisis pushed governments to put ant anti-legislation in place. >> corruption erodes trust in public institutions and democracy, undermining the market. hampering coren investment. in many cases it's a tool for crime networks to wash their money. >> some groups are vulnerable. the financing of split wall countries should be better

regulated. >> why are some countries worse. there are traditional arguments. one is the state development, and another is countries with strong state united nations perform better on surveys. those with week united nations do worse. >> it's an example where corruption is lower, 20% of the population believing it's widespread in geneva. sweden's laws are cited as a model with others lagging behind. as for proposed solution, they vary, but include frameworks around account eighty, conflict of the interest and whistle blowers. the key is making sure the political will to do so is there. >> the u.n. wants spain to face human rights abuses committed during the 1930s civil war.

it's been 38 years since the death of general franco and the end of his dictatorship. the general, for 36 years, from 1939 to 1975. 100,000 of his opponents have disappeared or have been killed. >> spain's valley of the fallen. a monument dedicated to those who died in the civil war. only the memory of those that fought on the winning side, built by the sweat of thousands of prisoners, many of whom who died during the construction. it's testament to the man that led a dictatorship. under the tight grip of his torture, execution. they were used to smuggle into the opposition. it's urging spain to face up to

his history before an issue which has never been dealt with by many governments. many because of the amnesty law. >> there should be a state policy, a comprehensive policy that doesn't depend on the politics of the ruling party. >> this man, whose relatives were killed - this is a welcome step. >> the state is looking the other way when it comes to the mittsing and the stolen babies. for me, it's important that i feel like a citizen with no rights. my own government refuses to help me. >> a major tourist area, like new york's time square hides a grumer history. here the local government building, where those who dare to oppose the dictatorship were brought here and systematically

tortured. only recently have they tried to locate the bodies of the dead, buried in mass unmarked graves then it was begun by private dopers. the government has had minimal involvement. time may be running out for those that waited so long for justice. whether there is a political will to acknowledge the u.n.'s advice is another matter. >> argentina's government is accusing shell of conspiracy to hurt the country shell raised fuel prices by 12%, the second increase this year. it went up by 7% in joint enterprise. the company says the cost of crude in the local currency is forcing it to raise prices. >> the devaluation of argentina's currency increed inflation. the business sector is to blame for the hikes. working people are struggling the most.

>> in a walking class neighbourhood outside of argentina's capital they are repairing a blackberry. fixing mobiles and smartphones is how he makes his living, or tries to. >> four months ago i paid 12 pesos. four or five months ago we are not talking that long. now it's 20. >> before the currency was devalued, annual inflation rates were 30%. now tolls are 20%, medicine 50%, petrol 12% and rising. then there's meat, the staple of the argentine diet. from last week to this week the price has gone up 20%. the government is pressuring producers and they say they are doing everything this their power to bring down prices. clearly they'll have to try harder. >> it's facing a toxic cocktail of uncertainty and speculation,

which is driving prices flow the roof. people like cynthia, a mother of six, have no financial safety net. >> we are in bad shape with what my husband makes loading trucks at the market, we can't survive. i have to ask the grocer to give credit. we live day to day. the government is thrashing out at what it calls entrepreneurs. >> we told them with frankness and sternness that they must lower their prices. >> it's unclear how the government intends to enforce that. as we leave the house we notice there's nothing for lunch for the children. here we either eat at midday or night. i can't afford two meals. clearly whatever the government's plan, it can't come

fast enough. the obama administration said it could default on the government's payments after it runs out of room to borrow money. they agreed to reinstate a debt limit. jack lew says the administration can use accounting measures to stay under the new cap until the end of february, but it will be difficult. >> without borrowing authority, it would not be possible to meet the obliges of the federal government. given the realities, it's imperative that congress increases borrowing authority. the truth is the longer it's waited, the greater the risk to come. whether it's economic recovery, financial markets or dependability of payments or military salaries, these are not things to but at risk. >> the first woman to head the central bank has taken her oath

of office. janet yellen replaces ben bernanke as the chair of the federal u.s. reserve. she will oversee the winding down of a package, and keep an eye on unemployment and inflation. >> the state of california asked google to move a mysterious 4-storey barge under construction in the san francisco bay. it says goog le does not have the appropriate paperwork. plans to build an interactive space for people to learn about technology is what it was. >> as part of a 2-year pilot program to increase roadside safety, government officials say this initiative could reduce traffic accidents. >> u.s. transportation officials are calling it their moon shot. >> the prospect of being able to cut, according to research, perhaps 70 to 80% of the

collisions and accidents that are happening around the country, that is a huge advance in safety, one that i don't think can be overstated. >> it's a moon shot where we are halfway there in terms of a development of technology. a u.s. government study will take talking cars from the realm of fiction to reality. to date transportation safety has been focussed on helping drivers survive accidents. a nation-wide program aims to prevent accident by equipping cars with precash warning technology by 2017. >> the potential of this technology is enormous. >> 3,000 drivers in michigan had wireless devices installed, communicating with cars and roadside devices. warning of upexpected most. u.s. transportation agencies are

writing a rule requiring all cars to talk to each other using wireless technology by 2017. >> don't forget. you can see news on the website. there's video, blogs, oped. all sorts on aljazeera.com. >> that long-awaited report on the keystone xl pipeline is public. it's not the bombshell supporters or opponents needed to end the argument. canada, u.s. and oil are the "inside story."