you online. sclz >> a glimmer of hope for a city in ruins. the humanitarian ceasefire comes into effect in the syrian city of homs. >> you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, the u.s. apologises after a top diplomat criticises a ukrainian opposition leader and the e.u. >> a waiting opportunity and peace. we have a special report if southern thailand, a stronghold of the anti-government protest. >> sochi is ready to open the

most expensive winter olympics in history. >> it has been a quiet calm in the besieged syrian city of homs where a ceasefire came in effect early on friday. while the truce is holding, there are delays in getting hundreds of women, children and older civilians out of the city. a correspondent joins us live from beirut in naiburing lebanon. how will the ceasefire work? >> well, according to the governor of homs, whom we have been speaking to this morning, and since last night when the announcement was made, the ceasefire until now holds. it started a few hours ago at dawn and technically, according to the agreement at 6am local time, that's 4g mt, about

four hours ago. 9 evacuation has not started. they expect delays, and these are due to logistical reasons. the united nations team with the humanitarian aids are in homs. the delays may be due to the fact that for the first time they are trying to find the best way and route to evacuate up to 200 women, children and elderly men over the age of 55. we understand they will be evacuated through this area. most of the evacuees will go to another district in homs, a distribute considered a safe area, under government control. however, they are welcome, he says, to go other parts of homs, other safe areas in homs as well. >> for the people that aren't fortunate enough to be

evacuated. what are the conditions like for them? >> well, the conditions have been very difficult for a long time, especially in the old town of homs neighbourhood. there has been a very little aid reaching these people. about 2,000 of them have been stuck there in that area for a long time. unable even to leave their houses because of the danger of sniper fire. and shelling as well. they don't receive basic necessities, such as food, basic as flower to make bread, medical supplies and fuel to stay warm in the winter. it's been difficult for these people who have not been able to flee. they have been forced to stay, maybe to look after their homes in the old city. if this ceasefire holds, and if the evacuation happens, it will be a breakthrough. for the first time people in the old city of homs who have been

stuck will be able to leave and receive aid. we understand from the governor of homs that this process will take some time. they are evacuating a couple of hundred people on friday. that's if it begins. they'll evacuate more batches of civilians throughout the coming days and delivering humanitarian aid. >> thank you very much. that report from beirut. >> to other news now - a senior u.s. diplomat apologised for a leaked phone call in which she's heard trying to manipulate the political situation in ukraine. u.s. isn't secretary of state victoria nuland says opposition and boxing champion vitaly klitschko should not be in government. her language about the european union is more colourful. >> about 2,000 protesters

marched to the ukrainian parliament. unassistant secretary of state victoria nuland arrived. she is holding talks with president viktor yanukovych and the opposition leaders. the official u.s. line is washington is helping the ukrainian people decide on their political future. but a recording posted on youtube suggests that the u.s. is attempting to play an active role in the outcome. >> i don't think vitaly klitschko should go into the government. yats has the economic and governing experience. he needs vitaly klitschko and tony on the outside and talk to them four times a week. >> the voice is that of victoria nuland, in conversation with the u.s. ambassador to ukraine last week. >> views expressed was that vitaly klitschko needs to do

more political homework. the favoured leader. and suspicions that the ukrainian president is counting on the third opposition leader to tear the opposition coalition apart. while woeming a u.n. role in mediating the crisis, there's this: >> the obama administration did not confirm the authenticity of the tape. >> let me convey that she has been in contact with the u.n. counterparts. >> exactly to whom a spokesperson would not say. as they refuse to confirm the tapes of authenticity, they know where to blame. >> this is a new low in russian tradecraft. >> that is a term for

espionnage. russia was amongst the first to tweet about the recording. after weeks of accusing russia of meddling in ukrainian politics, the obama administration is sticking to its line that it is doing no such thing. this recording was being welcomed by some supporters of the administrators in washington as showing the obama administration was not as passive as some suggest. certainly when pressed about the assistant secretary of state's use of language towards the e.u., the state department spokesperson did not seem concerned. >> are you suggesting she has the mouth of a sailor? >> i wouldn't want to say that in kiss her mother reads the transcript, but those of us who knows her... >> riot police in brazil dispersed protesters complaining about higher bus and train fares. demonstrators took over the central train station before the

10% rise. several were injured including a cameraman. the unrest is some of the worst since nation-wide protests against corruption and public services last june. >> australian prime minister tony abbottates his government's efforts to stop asylum seekers arriving by boat are working. the navy found 34 asylum seekers on route to australia. it's reported that they were put into a life boat and returned to the indonesian island of java. abbott credited such measures for deterring asylum seekers. >> the important thing here, for both our countries, is to stop the boats. i'm pleased to note that today is the 50th day without an illegal boat arriving in australia. i think you have to go back to 2008 before you have a period like that. the 50th day without an illegal

boat. these policies are working. yes, they are tough, but they are working. >> south korea's president asked its northern neighbour not to cancel reunions of families decided by the war. north korea threatened to do so in protest at u.s. exercises. u.s. troops and their equipment have been coming ashore. >> the u.s. has more boots on the ground in the korean peninsula. >> in numbers it is small. but it is a front line combat unit. so increasing a unit like mine of transporters would not add the same type of capabilities, adding this unit adds a lot of

fire power and manoeuvre ability. >> the bolstering of u.s. forces acts an a demonstration that south korea is getting value for the $850 million a year it pays the american military. the deployment comes at a sensitive type, days before the schedule combined with the united states, and a talk between pyongyang and seoul over families separated by the korean war. >> a motorcade crossed the border to check the area where reunions were to be hem. >> the purpose was to conduct operations so elderly people would not face discomfort. >> north korea has put the meeting in doubt. it warned that the south korean exercises must be capsedly,

adding dialogue and acts of war. last year the exercises coincided with the north-south relations with north korea making threats of nuclear more. they plan to rehearse the strategy. >> the news ahead in the half hour. india opens up to welcome tourists from more than 180 countries. we'll tell you why. >> i'm andrew thomas. why the dairy industry here in australia refers to their products as wide -- white gold.

>> good to have you with us. these are the top stories on-al jazeera. there has been delays in efforts to get hundreds of civilians out of homs. the evacuation is part of a ceasefire agreement which came in effect on friday. senior u.s. documents, victoria nuland apologised over a leaked phone call. and in a recording of the call she is heard making disparaging remarks about the e.u., whilst discussing ukraine's future. tony abbott says government efforts to stop asylum seekers are working. it's been 50 days since any have reached australia by boat. that's the longest period since

2008. [ ♪ music ] >> now the most expensive winter olympics games in history will begin in russia. security is tight in sochi for the opening ceremony after threats from rebel fighters and russia's southern states. russia is reassuring the world that the event will be safe. let's cross to our correspondent rory challands, who is standing by in sochi. what can we expect from the opening ceremony later? >> well, i think the biggest question the people have been asking is who is going to turn up because there has been quite a few high-profile snubs from various western leaders who say they'll not be here. we don't think that barack obama will be here, or david cameron. we don't think that angela merkel will be here either.

all choosing to stay away. there'll be a number of leaders who do show up. the chinese leader, the embattled leader of ukraine will be here. the opening ceremony will give russia a chance to retake the narrative of the olympic games , and give it a chance to put the negative publicity behind it. what we'll she -- see is something along the lines of the danny boy ceremony where russia highlights all the things it will be proud much. it starts 20:14 local time, 1614 in gmt. considering how many money has been spent on the project, it could be quite a show. >> a big concern with the

olympics is security. has that kept people away at all? >> well, walking around the various facilities here and spending time in sochi, what you feel is that most of the visitors who are here are russians. people from sochi or they are russians that come from further afield, all enthusiastic about supporting the games. apart from the press pack and the journalists who were here, there aren't too many that i have met anyway, foreign visitors. many have been scared off by the security concerns, or by the cost of coming here, deciding to stay home and watch the games on tv, rather than taking the time to travel all the way to russia, and attend it in person. i mean, there may be more tourists that come in over the course of the games as the sport gets underway.

at the moment it seems the crowds are russians. >> that's rory challands joining us from sochi. >> anti-government demonstrations over unemployment spreadin bosnia. 45 people were injured, 30 police officers also treated in hospital for injuries. several arrests were made and tear gas fired into the crowd. the protesters were workers made off when state-owned companies were privatized and collapsed. it is the highest unemployment rate in the ball cans. >> protesters in yemen demonstrated against a gas deal with a french company. it was in the capital. protesters accuse the government of selling liquid gas below market price. the economy lost billions as a

result. >> some voters in thailand will go back to the polls. sunday's general election was disrupted by protesters, forcing them to close. and the south. wayne hay reports. in many aspects it's the deep south. a lack of investment fuels resentment even on low tech rubber farms. farmers have joined protests, angry about a support, and would rather have the opposition in power. they'll have the ability to make deals in foreign markets and push the price higher. the farmers will have a better life. >> a state of emergency economists in the three southern most provinces, leaving the arm, i in charge. putting down armed muslim groups that want to break away from

thailand. >> almost 6,000 people have been killed. >> most people in southern thailand supported the democrats, which is why they were able to disrupt the election easily and vow to do it again. >> there is some support because it's paid compensation for incidents like that. 80 were killed 10 years ago when police and muslims put protesters in trucks, suffocating them. for some, his son was killed. actions are enough to win support. >> this government gives us a lot of support. it gives us examination and help in other areas as well. assisting with student application fees. many parts of the south are bracing for by-elections.

this mediator works with separatist. he didn't want to be identified. he says they are fighting for ipp depends. any further complications could cause violence. >> in my opinion it might cause problems, because we had been living in a democracy and we wanted to see the system go ahead. >> a lot of people from the south travelled north to join a protest movement. it's trying to remove the government. many left behind want change too. as long as it brings opportunities and peace. >> we'll go to breaking news out of egypt now. we are getting reports from local media in egypt that there have been two explosions in the cal tall cairo -- capital cairo. two explosions. no reports of casualties so far.

we will, of course, bring you more on this as we get it. >> the global economy is becoming increasingly interconnected. take the dairy industry for example. milk used to come from cows, it may have been shipped thousands of kilometres before reaching cornflakes tore cup of tea. it's likely to come from one of these places. new zealand is one of the biggest exporters of dairy products accounting for 37% of global trade. the e.u. comes next with a 31% share, followed by the united states and australia. australia is an interesting player because it exports nearly half of its annual yield of 900 litres. most ending up in asian countries with japan and china the largest markets. we find out what is driving demand in china, but we begin

with andrew thomas in australia. >> tankers role in every few minutes. inside each are 20,000 litres of milk. it's put in huge tanks, bacteria is added and left for is it hours to ferment. one of the product made is cream cheese. what is inside the industrial sized boxes is used in other foods like ice-cream. the smaller packs go to caterers. individual tubs head for the supermarket shelves. >> this is the main production facility. it's up around the 20,000 metric tonnes per year. we are forecasting a 3-5 year plan to get around the 30,000 metric tonne per year. >> this company expects four-fold growth. >> this machine operates 19 hours a day. in a year almost 3 million packs are passing along this line,

virtually all of them heading for north and south-east asia. chinese demand in particular drove the company's growth, and two years ago made it an attractive target for a bigger dairy company. the take over was part of a trend. economies of scale and production, and the growing asian market means the biggest industry players are in an inviable position. >> white gold is a good name for it. it can deliver protein in any shape or form. as the influence grows, so does the demand for different food types and products. at the forefront of that demand are dairy products. >> the australian dairy industry exports about 40% of what it produces, giving it a 70% share of the world dairy trade. it's significant, but dwarfed by new zealand. >> brand is key. that explains why a safety scare

this year involving new zealand's biggest producer of infant baby milk was a threat to its country's industry. dairy products can only be considered white gold if they are as pure as their colour suggests. >> to state the obvious, it's lots of these, cows, meaning australia and new zealand are so well placed for the dairy industry. king island has more cows than people. the same is true for the whole of new zealand. the possibility of white gold, as it was described in the report, are huge for these two countries. i heard the same message on king island. brand, the ability to produce efficiently and volume and the ease of export - the third is crucial. in 2008 new zealand signed a free trade agreement with china. since then exports of new zealand dairy products to

china increased six fold. growth from australia to china is modest. australia is pushing for a similar free trade agreement. as craig liaison reports, it is china where most of the future growth of the dairy industry is expected to come from. >> milk, butter and yoghurt, staples of breakfast in the west and increasingly in the east. chinese tastes are changing. so is its tolerance for lactose. the demand for dairy products are soaring. >> more people are starting to pay attention to eating healthily. >> milk and cheese are considered luxury products the elderly and baby. >> china spends a million annually. it's set to rise as consumers

are willing to pay more, where countries like australia are stepping in, with an abundance will fill china's needs. >> translation: dairies is going up. when it comes to buying milk. australian products are the first choice. new zealand still has the jump on diary exports to china, helped by its free trade agreement. the recent bottualism scare at nontera tarnished its imim. it declared the tourist campaign a sore. the comment played into the hands of producers, who are hoping to grab a share of the market. that is if australia is successful signing a trade

agreement in china in coming months. >> now, india is making it easier for visitors to enter the country in a bid to boost tourism. we have the details. >> welcome to india. that's the call to visitors. india is cutting the red tape for millions of tourists. now many visitors can get a vsa on arrival. travel agents welcomes the move. most of his customers are from the usa and u.k. this announcement is a boost for his lopping-term business -- long-term boost for his business strategy. >> it benefits the business people. their plans are last appoint. and in the long term it will help india because people will have a green economy. people have a perception that there's a lot of war going on here. >> india's image have been

tarnished by attacks on female tourists. western capitals issued warnings to india. delhi wants to send a message that india is safe. >> we wanted to provide a push to the tourism sector. we want more and more people to visit india, and another to achieve the goal. we have adopted the policy to open or to move nor of the energy. >> 90% of visitors arrive by air. official figures show that foreign visitors arrive in 2012. >> open up the point of entry. it will hopefully encourage travel to india. >> security is an issue. some nations will not be given visa on arrival. they'll have to apply for one.

>> for india, promoting a safe environment. it's paramount for future success as a must-visit location. >> and more news on the website aljazeera.com. >> a guilty verdict in the biggest insider trading scam ever. all of the stories behind the bust that will help faked stock market safer for you, and also, how they're threatening our financial recovery and middle class families along with it. and pass the salt. a shortage, trying to keep the roads safe. i'll ali velshi. and this is "real money."