and i will see you online.

before they meet up for another time in geneva,

we understand from the governor that the evacuation process will begin on friday. we understand that first there will be a cease fire at 6:00 a.m. for gmt, three hours later. at 9:00 a.m., the evacuation will begin. and they will first start by evacuating up to 200 people. as well as over the age of 55. they will be evacuated to a safe part according to the governor, and that would be a wide neighborhood. they are also welcome to go to other safe areas to the governor. the hope, of course, is this cease fire can be extended. but when you know that a previous cease fires have been short lived in syria, is that realistic? is there really hope this could be expended to other parts of the region? >> well, the hope plan

now is to go ahead of plan. for around 200 people to be evacuated first, and then start receiving medical aid, and much needed food supplies. and we understand this from the governor that this process will continue, they will continue to evacuate several batches of people, and delivering aid. if this happens that will be a break through. because homes mainly the old city have been under a very heavy siege. only around 2,000 people are left, they have not been able to leave. there's all that fear of snipers in the area as well as the rebel whose are positions there. so it's been a very long since they actually received proper aid, basic necessities such as bread, and food, and medical supplies. >> now, the u.n. is also urging the syrian

government to speed up the removal of chemical weapons. for more on that, do they think that the syrian government is deliberately stalling here? >> they are concernnd about the slow progress of getting these out of syria. nowky tell you about the security table, the blame is edition patted. the russians have told the he is from, i was at the us embassy for a press briefing, that they believe it's a very difficult task, there's a war zone, you can't blame the syrians. that they have been given by the community wasn't good enough. six on the other side,

you have the u.s., and the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, who is putting all of the blame on the syrian government. describing it as foot dragging. i think it is interesting as we look at the humanitarian situation, using the same language. it is accusing the syrians of coming up with deals whether lit be for access, or the humanitarian convoys or the deal on chemical weapons. and not abiding by those agreements it makes. >> okay, thank you very much. that's our diplomatic editor at the united nations, ands in rene in the lebanese cubital. thank you, both. >> capital. >> a ukrainian protest leader has been reliving his days in captivity where he says he was beatenned and tortured. more from our european news center in london. >> thank you. to many, desmitry has become a symbol of the

antigovernment protests. speaking in lithuania where he has been treated for his injured he had been forced to declare himself an american spy. nadine barber was at his news conference. arriving to tell his story and answer the doubters. he flew on sunday after turning up in kiev saying he had been abducted questions and tortured for eight days. may cut my ear off. then they placed the cut ear on my forehead. he told the captivators but only because he couldn't bear the pain. >> they pinned me to the wood for something like nails, i was kneeling down, and they took sticks and starting to beat me on the back of my legs. it was very painful and i couldn't move, at that time i was in so much pain, that i was asking them to kill me because i

couldn't stand it any more. >> when asked who they with, he hinted at foreign involvement. these people were speaking only russian with an accept. they were speaking about us in the third person, i had an impression they were from the russian special service. also, by the way they were beating and torturing me, i knew they were profession 23458ed that were skilled in doing such things. >> doctors here backed him up, and the foreign minister is calling for an investigation. >> we can make some assumptions i am not a doctor or expert, but we listen to the story, i listened to himself myself for two hours. we can see how he looks. i request not prove who did that, but there are symptoms. there's severity -- information that cannot be neglected. that's my point. >> now four days since he

astrived here. for all their help, he is still recovering and it could be awhile before he is allowed to leave. >> already support both inside ukraine and further appealed. thousands carrying shields and wearing helmets took part in the peaceful demonstration before returning to the camp. to end the political crisis which is now in its third month. u.s. assistance secretary has held talks a day after the e.u.'s foreign policy chief was in town.

barkser live in kiev, for us, what can you tell us about this explosion? firstly considering what the opposition now know about the treatment, understandably there's already quite a high level of concern, and fear among the opposition agreement. and now this bomb blast on the fifth floor of the trade union building which is over the left shoulder. that building has been under the com of opposition demonstrators several weeks now. according to eye witnesses a suspicious package arrived. it was marked as medicine, a device exploded seriously injured him, and another demonstrator. one is said to be in

quite a serious condition. at that building also houses one of the command centers of the farther land part that has direct links to the jailed former prime minister. all though nobody so far has come forward to take claim for planting that device in this building. there is a real feel that may set a dangerous precedent, another way so give up government buildings and leave independent scare completely. >> live for us, thank you. >> the italian navy has rescued more than 1100 migrants from nine overcrowded rafts in the water south of silly. sea arrivals in italy, more nan tripled in 2013, over the previous year. fumed by syria's civil war and conflict in africa.

some 2,000 landed on italy's shores last month alone, nearly ten times the month of january 2013. tim friend has more now. the sea is calm, and the weather has been good. perfect conditions to try to escape poverty and seek a new live. the latest impact with desperate migrants is spotted by the coast guard, 200-kilometers off land. the island midway between the coast and italy. there all, there were eight boats and a barge, containing a total of 1,123 people. those onboard, including 47 women, four of them pregnant, and 50 children. they were taken onboard for medical treatment on the way to the sicilian port. a humanitarian operation has been taking place for more than three months. and to avoided a repeat of the tragedy, that

happened last october, when more than 300 migrants drowned. the chance of being rescued may be encouraging more migrants to attempt the crossing, ten times as many as last january. despite the fact that hundreds die each year, and three out of four asylum applications are rejected. tim friend, al jazeera. >> well, the safety of migrants is worldwide. yes, new footage has emerged which appears to show the australian coast guard towing a boat full of seekers back towards indonesia. despite criticism from the government, australia continues to -- we have the details. >> these images are said to have been filmed by asylum speakers aboard an orange boat.

from the footage it is clear that it is being towed by a vessel, although it is impossible to tell which waters the vessels are in. the 35 say they hope to reach christmas island, but were intercepted before they could make land fall. the refugees from iran, pakistan, been he dash and that pal say the navy then put them on the tow, and send them back the way they have come. now they are on the south coast of jafa. >> and close the door, lock the door. after they collapsed, the force is contention, not least because the australian navy stand as

truce of towing boats which is against international law. this is the second lifeboat found in indonesia since australia announced it's new policy of turning back asylum speakers. this has seriously strained ties between the two countries. >> it is clear that australia is ignoring indonesia's demand to stop sending back boats with asylum speakers. but indonesia insists that it should take responsibility, the asylum speakers themselves remain in the middle. >> still ahead, an egyptian court order add retrial of 62 people blamed for a deadly riot. plus, india is working to improve it's sanitation systems and that may mean an end to manual collection of human waste. and a new sport kicks off the action at the sochi winter olympics, news coming up a little bit later.

fission egypt 62 people blamed for deaths during the football disaster two years ago, 72 people died after a riot at the end of a football match between two rival teams. omar reports on what has happened after the infamous march. >> two years have passed since egypt's worst football disaster, and the case is far from over. now, the court has ordered the reprime of 62 people, some of them were giving death sentences others life in prison, and some were acquitted. the tragedy happened during the match between the club clubs in the in february 2012, and mostly fans stormed the pitch, some of them armed with fives and bottles. scenes left 72 fans dead.

the football club organized big protests demanding justice for their fallen fans, the demonstrations sometimes turning violent. in january, 2013, a court sentenced 22 people to death, 24 others received lengthy sentences at the same time, a number of security officials were acquitted. >> the select led to riot and clashes. many people died. families and fans called the verdicts harsh, and unjust. >> that the whole process has to start from crash, with memories still fresh of what happened two years ago. and al jazeera.

that's according to human rights watch, in a scathing report on the criminal justice system. the report also says many women are detained for months or even years at a time without charge, before seeing a judge. women interviewed for the report described being beaten, hung upside down, given electric shocks and being raped by security forces. also the sectarian nature of the arrests. the vast majority of the 2,400 women detained in facilities are sunni, but women from all sex and classes appear to be effected. here is what former detainee has to say. >> all and all, i was tortured for seven days. they tied my hands, covered my legs with ice, this was during the month of february, so it was very cold. i felt like my fingers were broken from the cold. the beatings, the cursing and the insults. a man handcuffed both my

hands and feet, and made me lay on my stomach, he took my clothes off. he started to hit my face and eyes, he pulled me by the hair. i couldn't scream or move, because if i moved the handcuffs would hurt my hands and legs then he raped me. >> tentative talks between the pakistani government and taliban representatives are finally gotten underway, but as osama binjabi reports those are skeptical about what have been achieved. >> they have been asked to take the taliban to the government as the peace negotiations finally begin. the members of the government appointed plan met the committee for the first time thursday. talks were due to begin tuesday, but were delayed after the government side sought assurances from the representatives of the taliban, that they had amandate to negotiate. today the taliban is banned in pakistan, and it is unclear how members will communicate proceeds

of their meetings to fighters wanted by the law. but for the displaced people, the talks don't mean much. he has had to leave his home, due to threats both by the military and the taliban. i don't think these peace talks will last who are the main stake holders in the peace protest. the people nominated don't have anyone in tribal areas so how do they know what problems we are facing from the military and the taliban? >> the pakistani taliban has carried out dozens of attacks. there have been civilian casualties and the military has carried out accusations against the taliban in tribal areas. not everyone is happy talks are taking place, but many are hoping for peace. >> we are praying that the peace process is successful. that will end on going law lessness in the country, without peace, nothing is going to prosper, everyone is

feeling insecure. peace should prevail at any cost. >> businesses and livelihoods have also been lott in the years of congress flick, and residents say more fighting won't resolve anything. >> i will be very happy if talks succeed. how will i feed my family. >> the seven men tasked with mapping out the strategy towards bidding peace have now finally met. but even before the serious talk gets underway, there remains deep suspensions on both sides. some believe that the government is using talks as a smoke screen exercise ahead of a military offensive. either way, the road towards long and lasting peace will be a long one, fought with many challenges. al jazeera, islamabad. >> india is working to clean up it's sanitation systems. local governments are expected to demolish any remaining dry toilets. these are facilities that

run without water, and with that abolish the illegal practice of manual cav advantages. those effected are wondering how much change will really come their way. every day he sets out to do a job that few would want to do. ten homes in this area, use her services, but the government wants her to quit. >> how can i stop doing this would recollect. i don't have land, i don't have a husband. i don't have any other skill. i have to feed my children. >> these women go door to door, scraping soil or human fees cease from toilets and collecting garbage, from chutes that empty into alleyways. which sits at the bottom of india's traditional cast system. in 1993, this kind of work was outlawed in india, the government criminalized manual cav

advantages by prescribing feigns as well as jail time. while they say they have little choice but to do this ding route kind of work, thousands of others have been helped to learn new skills and improve their lives. one of them is ronnie, she and hundreds of others have been taught new skims. something as simple as learning how to make snacks. i feel good about themselves. >> rehabilitation programs like this one, run by s objectionlo international have given some a new lease on life, and retraining the people at the heart of the practice forces communities to upgrade

their outdated out houses. >> flu a recent survey we were able to confirm that there are manual scavenges here, but there are around 6,000 families that don't have access to toilets. we are working on a plan to help them. >> those plans don't mean much. despite attempts to stop the practice, at least 750,000 families across india still do it. it's a miserable existence, and one that few here believe they will ever escape. al jazeera. india will now offer visas on arrival from 180 countries. the government is helping the move will boost tourism. the country already boasts 700 a year. this report from new delhi. >> welcome to india. that's the call to visitors blobly. and india with is cutting the red tape for millions that would normally apply

for a visa. now many can get a viz a on arrival. travel agents welcome the move, most of his customers are from the u.s.a. and the u.k. service announcement is a lucked boost for his long term business strategy, however, he also sees the bigger picture. their plans are mostly last minute. people have a perception that there's a lot of work going on here. >> understood yeah's -- some western capitals have issued travel warnings to india. new delhi wants to send out a message that india is safe. >> we want people t -- and

another glitch, they have adopted this policy, tocher -- or to levellize more. >> 90% of visitors arrive by air. officials up to 7 million visitors arrived in 2012. so opening up the point of entry to visas will hopefully encourage more people to travel to india. nationals from pakistan, iraq, afghanistan, and a few other will not be given visa on arrival, they will have to apply for one, from an indian embassy seriously in their own respective country. promoting a safe environment is paramount, as a must visit location. 23 rivers are running dry in california, forcing

farmers to take drastic action. and a shocker for one keeper in spain, raul will have more in sports coming up. stay with us.

hello, this is al jazeera, and these are the stories making headlines. has been agreed by all sides to get aid into syria. the u.n. says it will allow the evacuation of civilians and aid to be delivered once safety can be ensured. ukrainian opposition leader has held a news conference where he described how he was abducted and tortured. during his ordeal he says he was beaten and had part of his ear cut off. he is receiving medical treatment in lithuania. and an egyptian court has ordered a retrial in the cases of 62 people involved in the riot, 72 people were killed.

now with with just a day to go before the official opening of the winter olympics the u.s. has warned airline flying to russia of a tooth paste bomb plot. back to london for more. is first events got underway, and russian leaders were taking pains to reassure the world that sochi and safe. reports now. some of the preparations here have come down to the wire, with armies of helpers and volunteers putting the finishes touches to the olympic dream. but on the've of the games an unlucked development, a warning from the government that bomb making equipment could be smuggled on to planes on tooth paste tubes. this information is being

checked, if confirmed this means our security services are on alert. this information allowed us to city the security in the city of sochi will be provided appropriately. >> it's been 6 1/2 years since the host city was announced. >> the city of sochi. and russia celebrated. but since is then, there's been more bad news than good, with tails of construction delays, corruption, overspending, human rights abuses, and security concerns. despite this, there are russians that remain skeptical about the games. said that just over half of the russians they are -- says that holding the games was a good

yade, where 47% that the ovarian was due to corruption, but once the sport begins the games to have a tendency to win over those. >> in the beginning i wasn't excited as i am now, now you can see the changes. the infrastructure has improved the town is prettier. >> these events don't happen every day, i want my children to be proud of our country, and to have something to remember. >> russia is well aware it's time to shine has come, and that these games have to be note perfect. am al jazeera, sochi. the games may have had their first political protests during the slope style event, an image on a snowboard, belonging to russian team member raised some eyebrows. the design after figure with a ski mas.sing and a

knife is said to resemble the punk group pussy riot. two members were jailed after protesting against vladimir putin, he has refused to comment for now. >> it's the international day of zero tolerance against female genital mutilation. a practice that has ruins the lives of tens of millions of women around the world. the u.k. government has announced a major campaign to help victims. emma hayward reports. >> when she was about seven, and live -- she was held down by four adults and cut. after 35, the memories are still raw. >> i remember it now, as i felt it then, if that makes any sense. the flashbacks come back now. i remember the actual cutting of it, what it felt like, everybody though it was supposed to

be numb, it was still seeing blood, and -- it was something out of a horror movie. >> sgm can leave women with more physical, psychological problems at a clinic in central london, doctors are trying to help survivors oversome of those issues. and it is now possible for some patient to have their sgm reversed. >> certainly for many of the women, the physical symptoms are relieved so they can have sex without pain, they have lesser chance of having repeated infections. but i think it goes far beyond that, and i think there is certainly many women report that they are -- they feel much better about healths as a result of having the procedure. >> female mutilation has been illegal since 1985, but so far there have been no prosecutions. the home office told us that at least 20,000 girls living in the u.k. under the age of 15 are at high risk of fgm.

66,000 women are thought to be living with the consequences although the truex tent is unknown. the u.k. government is investing money to try to raise awareness about fgm here, and in countries are it is prevalent. but the taboo surrounding fgm often makes it difficult to detect and deal with. >> they don't talk about it. they don't among themselves and certainly don't talk to the police about it. what we really need to do is engaming with communities and finding a way to change that mind set about how fgm is perceived in the u.k. it is a crime here, it is child abuse, and we will investigate it. >> she has moved on with her life, and gone on to be a mother. by speaking out she hopes others will listen, and also try to put a stop to fgm. >> the irish woman who inspired the oscar nominated film about a

mother forced to give up her son for adoption says she doesn't blame the vatican. that's despiting a damming u.n. report blaming the church for such practicing. she was speaking a day after she briefly met pope francis. reports now from rome. >> this is the moment she thought would never happen. on wednesday, pope francis met the woman whose story became an award winning movie that shocked catholics worldwide. she tells a search for her son, given up for adoption by irish nuns in 19 point five, when she was an unmarried teenager mother. on thursday, she was in rome to promote the project, a campaign which calls on the irish government and the vatican to open up records on forced adoptions. >> i couldn't believe -- and meeting him, after all the years of feeling

such unforgiveness with himself, that happened all the years ago, just a sense of relief that all the guilty had vanished from me, and meeting the pope what an honor it has been for me. i know he is going to do something about the situation. and which is such relief for me as well, and for lots of other people and other mothers that are like me, in the past. >> her son is one of thousands of childrenned believed to have been given up for adoption by irish nuns. british actor says that after the meeting he showed the film to a vatican delegation including the pope's private secretary. >> they loved the film. they were moved by it, visibly moved and they laughed a plot of the humor, and congratulated me after it and said this is a very good film, this is a good message, in this film. and there was kind of a hearty kind of a warm feeling after it, a

positive feeling, because i think there was perhaps a nervousness, that when the film is over they were delighted. >> the film was not so well received in other services where it was seen as an attack on the church. kicking offs i spook with the grand budapest hotel. >> you know what, it looks pretty quiet, at the moment it was chaotic, the big star is walking along that red

carpet into where the start of the berlin festival and the unofficial start of the season. i dell you what it will be very busy around here. they give us the big movies but it is the festivals that give many movie makers their exposure. everybody it seems wants in. the national festivals that number is near tore 100 nearly half of those are held here. in europe, the question is, what has this part of the world got to offer the international movie making industry? >> . anybody knows lit be mr. bell himself. runs the show here, he has done for years and he

says that's the point. europe is hosting film festivals for so long, it's automatically now a movie makers top destination. >> i don't think it is a new attraction, it is a very old attraction, and people like to go to film festival to celebrate the films. so -- the good thing is in berlin, we have the young people coming here. >> two of europe's other big film festivals 30 held in the summer, so they have the draw of the hotter weather to match, kemp though berlin is cold right now, it is winter, remember. >> movies like this are set so have a very warm reception. there was no choice, he had to say yes. >> they put your movie in theaters to a much larger degree than america does. so you get more exposure,

then we will in theaters in poll land, and france, so it is all that comes out of being in a festival like berlin. this movie opens the show and is one of the favorites to win the top price. the critics will all be back. maybe not to germany. >> so that movie, despite the name, was filmed here in germany. and germany is one of the themes of this. not the germany of today, but germany of many years ago, nazi germany, the years of world war ii and the holocaust. so you have movies the likes of george clooney, matt murray, looking at a tail of arc that was stolen by the nazis and the subsequent hunt. and that's alongside some really poignant strong movies. for example, a film called the memory oz if

camps. this is made from footage of one of the concentration camps that was liberated. it was film misdemeanor years ago, and it disappeared and just been recompiled for this festival. the other big thing here is egypt. something that is is very topical at the moment. a lot of issues regarding freedom of speech. there's a movie called the square. using footage shot at the time, and also people effected by the revolution. the tail of a woman with a serious -- and that is set against the back drop. a lot of different generas, some 400 productions some half a million people set to watch them, before we find out who has won the golden bear. that will happen on feoff 15th. >> that's the news from

europe for now, back to you in doha. >> let's return now to our top story on the agreement of humanitarian pause or cease fire for the syrian city. highway important a break through is this and when do you expect to begin operations to holmes? >> this agreement, or cease fire, for the syrian city of holmes which has been of course a key battleground, in this war. if you can hear me, i was asking how important a break through is this, and when do you expect to begin operations. >> two have been able to

provide medical support for almost 1 million people until now. we will of course be there to provide assistance to old holmes. especially vaccines because there's novak sin nation in old holmes for two years.

houses have been destroyed. so they have been trying to do this since the beginning of the conflict, and this is definitely an opportunity to reach those who have not received any assistance since june last year. >> the plan, of course, is to also allow for the safe passage of civilians to get out of holmes. as far as you're concerned, what do you know of the situation of those who are inside right now? what will be your priorities once you reach holmes. >> what we are focusing

on, that they have access to medical and healthcare. to make sure that the. hows have enough supplies to cover the needs of these people. for that reason, we are trying to have our medical medicines and other equipment on stand by for that. >> thank you very much indeed for taking the time to talk to us. that's the who on the line there, from damarcus. the syrian capitol. coming up next in sports, the sochi winter olympics gets underway, and it is game on for the bobsled team, the details coming up shortly, stay with us.

delegation, the political rangeling down in the russian resource ahead of friday. today after they went missing following their flight. teammates were unable to train on wednesday, as their luggage arrived late. so they were able to get them there on thursday. the first event since 2002.

>> we are in spain, and his son have been subjected to racist abuse by athletic fans. the match itself while barcelona also took a step closer to the final. richard nickelson reports. ever they shot getting a deflection in their own goal. the match between these two -- and this was no different. completed the score, of 3-nil, the final result of the cup holders with a

uphill struck toll defend their title. the second semifinal saw a 2012 winners barcelona taking on sochi looking for only their 7th in the final, but it was the giant whose took the lead just before the break. sergio getting the goal. and to make matters worse, end go was sent off protesting the goal. the second goal was a mixture of the sub lime and the ridiculous. alexis sanchez was put through on goal by a superb pass. sanchez came off the post only for the defender to blast the ball at the hapless goalie who could only turn it into his own net. so barcelona still on course for their 27 cup title taking a 2-nil lead after next wednesday. nickel sen, al jazeera. >> that goal gets better every time i see it. heat forward has seen he is keeped to be involved

with david beckham's new franchise, as well as investing in his long term future. he has been making sure the nba championships get to the post season, he hopes the heat take a 17-point lead ahead of the clippers, but the clippers came back. a 43-point game, helped them to close the gap to five in the fourth quarter, but ray allen sung again, colleging 3 points and the heat winning it 116-112. on someday one of the first test, after being set in, new zealand was 30-3 at 1 stage, before they came together, they both hit century, as new zealand closes for 4, game two gets underway in a few hours. >> they had us in trouble

early on, so it was nice to see through that a little bit. like i said, it is very good, and we know -- so we are very focused going into tomorrow, to keep the runs copping hopefully. >> so i think in this game -- keep going in the good areas. >> golfing is a four way tie at the top of the leader board after the first round. and craig lee, and italy eseduardo and hope player, all shot a seven under oven thursday. they leave another group by one shot. at the tournament in johannesburg. >> a lot more sport on our website, check otalgies.com/sports.

>> thank you very much. >> now, known as the japanese beethoven has admitted that he had not written many of the words. by the man actually responsible for writing the music. >> for 18 years behind the scenes it was finally type for him to stand in the limelight, on his own. the part time university professor admitted that he was the author of classic music that has been credited to the man known as japan's beethoven. >> i am aware that he had been publishing the pieces by deceiving the world, yet, i ended up composing the music as instructed. in this way, i am his accomplice. >> according to him, he wrote everything, including the powerful symphony. but it was the winter

olympics that made him spill the beans. >> a new figure skater will be using the music i composed for his skating program during the sochi olympics. i thought if i let the situation be, he will become part of my lie. >> the story has become front page in japan, also because he is believed to have lost his hearing before composing some of his greatest works but even that is in doubt, and his ghost writer says no evidence that his alter ego was unable to hear. he has apologized for his music betrayal, but his lawyer saying he was too unstable motional state to appear in public. he hopes to continue performing but this time in his own right. al jazeera. thank you for watching, do stay with us.

welcome to al jazeera america. these are the stories we are following for you. the united states senate debating extending long term unemployment benefit as vote could come soon. >> eaten from the things we can cook on the stove. >> waiting for relief, hundreds of thousands of people still don't have electricity after a winter storm knocked out their power. and stepping up security in sochi, after new warnings are issued by the united states.