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tv   News  Al Jazeera  September 7, 2014 1:00am-1:31am EDT

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ceasefire in eastern ukraine - a government checkpoint comes under fire. hello, welcome. you're watching al jazeera, live from doha. good to have your company. also ahead - kurdish forces retake a strategic hill top from the islamic state group near the iraqi city of mosul. u.s. president obama delays his immigration reform. >> the pigeon sat on a branch, reflecting on existence. and a surreal movie from
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sweden wins the golden lion from the venice film festival. so the ceasefire between the ukraine government force and pro-russian separatists has been breached. a government checkpoint in the port city of mariupol came under fire saturday night. it was the first violation of the truce on friday. the events have been monitored in the eastern city of mariupol. >> it took little more than a day for the ceasefire to go up in flames. this was the result of a heavy assault on mariupol, closer to the center than anything that had come in previous days when pro-russian forces came in from the east. what is clear is that the ceasefire is over. what we saw beyond the fringes
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of mariupol is a great deal of damage inflicted on ukrainian forces. it could be the russian-backed forces are trying to make the most of it, moving in towards the city. early on saturday the ceasefire appeared to be holding, allowing a view of a battlefield. brought to the doorstep of a kindergarten, this one of three ukranian tanks that took up position here. >> translation: how can the ukranian army, our defenders, hide in a kindergarten. there was no warning, what if children had been inside. the hero come and hide in the kindergarten. where are they new. they have left us to our own destiny. >> a message for the children, children who feel sick upon seeing a soldier in a street.
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>> reporter: a few weeks away a tank was split in more. the nearby area no man's land. many families decided to get out. the rumours were that more shelling was coming. given the power of the onslaught a day earlier, the fear was understandable. this was one target, a ukranian artillery position. they salvaged a field gun, and started to take it back to town. this was a sensitive operation. seconds after we filmed the images, the soldiers fired shots to warn us away. now it's clear they had every reason to be jumpy. the enemy apparently making the most of their losses, an onslaught leaving mariupol under threat of falling out of ukranian hands. >> pictures have emerged appearing to show the beheading
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of a second lebanese soldier held by the islamic state group. abbas had been murdered because he tried to escape. he was one of 19 soldiers captured in a lebanese border town. the video set to show the hostages pleading with the government to negotiate with the islamic state group. lebanese officials say they will not give in to the group's demands. >> kurdish peshmerga fors in iraq have retaken control of a strategic hill top near mosul. the islamic state group fell to them in jooup when fighters -- june, when fighters pushed inside kurdish territory. >> much of kirkuk has fallen. oil drives to a city. as reported from kirkuk, it is being threatened by the islamic state. >> reporter: this flame has been
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burning for longer than recorded history. it was written about in fifth century b.c. a sea of gas and oil defined kirkuk. today kirkuk is wedged between a rock and a semiautonomous area. the kurds longed for independence, but the area is a mix of arabs. turkmen and kurds, and baghdad is not keen to let kirkuk become part of kurdistan. >> independence of kurdistan is unthinkable. if you look at it - the land is kurdistan. the land is kurdistan, there's no deputy about it. >> what is dispute is what is beneath the land. that is oil. kirkuk is home to one of the oldest and richest oil fields and there is enough to tip the balance of power in the region.
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when the islamic state swept across northern iraq, the kurdish army outgunned and overwhelmed retreated. in kirkuk the peshmerga found the resolve to surge forward, each as the iraqi army which had been guarding the field fled, bringing kirkuk under the influence of the kurdish government. while they have the fields in their possession, kurdistan is yet to benefit. >> protection and an export of oil has basically stopped in kirkuk. production has come down, when i started it was around 450,000 barrels, to 230, 250 barrels. we are now down to nothing, basically. >> kirkuk is the richest oil field in northern iraq. it's not the only one. in the last few years the kurds developed other fields, built a pipeline through turkey, and
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they had begun exporting oil, filling tankerships with crude and selling it on the open market. the kurds are fighting for economic independence on another front, the u.s. courts of law. a ship full of $100 million of oil were seized off the coast. the iraq oil military filed a lawsuit to stop it entering refineries. baghdad also withheld government payments, leaving the regional government short, increasing a need for the oil revenues. once it begins to flow again, it will course through kurdistan, the got complete ght the infrastructure, linking kirkuk through a pipeline, perhaps solving what baghdad and erbil failed to solve politically, taking a step towards an
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independent kurdish nation. a french journalist held hostage by fighters in syria last year said a capital was a man suspected of a deadly attack at a jewish museum in brussels. nadeem barber has the story. >> reporter: he kept it secret but after revelations in the french press, he spoke out. french journal says one of his gaolers was namouche, accused of shooting dead four people in a bruce else museum in -- brussels museum in may, capitaled on security cameras. >> after his rest in brussels, i was shown a number of audio video documents allowing me to identify him. the former officers, police and legal authorities decided to keep this secret. >> a reason for this was that when he and three others were
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freed in april, they left a number of hostages behind, and wanted to protect them. namouche was one of a few fighters from the islamic state, supervising dozens of prisoners. >> translation: he mistreated me. i don't know if he mistreated other western officers, but i heard him torturing other syrian prisoners. >> namouche was arrested in france, extradited to belgium. the lawyer that represented him says he's surprised by the latest allegations, saying the question of him travelling to syria was never raised. >> it surprises me because if this turn out to be the case, why didn't someone ask him the
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question. >> namouche is facing trial. a belgium judge will rule on his detention at a hearing next friday. activists are accusing president obama of reversing a promise to reform the u.s. immigration system. it's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the united states. in july of last year, republicans blocked a bill to ease a log jam. president obama said he'd legislate any, before the summer, and now it is unlikely and will be delayed until after the november elections. [ chanting ] >> reporter: for months immigration activists marched in protest at a lack of political will by the white house to make a decision on what to do with more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the united states. it's a problem that gets worse
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as thousands of children from central america have been showing us at the u.s. southern border. most arrived without parents, saying they were fleeing drug-related violence. the white house asked congress for 3.7 billion. they got a fraction of that. president obama vowed to force reform on their own, and directed officials to begun framing an overhaul. >> i expect recommendations before the end of summer, i intend to adopt them without delay. >> it was a pledge reiterated last week. friday, the president spoke at the close of n.a.t.o., saying a decision was coming. >> i'll make an announcement soon. >> on the flight back to washington president obama changed his mind, saying he will not act until after the u.s. congressional elections in nef, encourting -- in november, ensuring that republicans won't
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interfere. >> i'll act because it's the right thing for the country. it will be sustainable if the public understands what the facts are, what we have done n unaccompanied children of. >> fear of loses votes is a more likely reason for delay. members of the president's party are at risk and could lose control of the senate. you have democratic candidates for the senate. they are worried about losing their seats. >> they have been getting through to the white house saying don't do anything, wait a few months. if you act, we could be doomed. >> reporter: activists are disappointed, saying it's not about politics, but people. >> more than 60% of latino voters know someone who is undocumented. we are experiencing the effects of making this a political
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football, which has been done so by both parties. >> that ipp action will -- inaction will continue. immigration reform is not likely to happen until the end of the year. >> and there's more still ahead. >> infrastructure in ruins, food and water shortages in gaza are reaching crisis proportions. >> during the siege of discontent, formers vow to protect native plants from multinational giants. i'm gonna do what god asks me to do before what they ask me to do... >> can a family come together? >> do you think that you can try and accept me for me? >> life changing moments... >> my future is in my hands right now...
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>> from oscar winning director alex gibney, a ground breaking look at the real issues facing american teens on, the edge of eighteen only on aljazeera america @j
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hello again. let me take you through the main stories. the ceasefire between the ukranian government and pro-russian separatists has been breached. heavy shelling hit the city of mariupol. kurdish pesh forces in iraq have retaken control of the strategic town near mosul.
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it fell to islamic state group in june when the fighters pushed inside the kurdish territory. an activist accusing president obama of reversing a promise to organise the migration system. president obama decided to delay the reform. now, the plight of palestinians and gaza features on a meeting. they were in need of relief. gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed after the israeli offensive, and what precious little remains is not limited to supplies. andrew simmonds has this report. delivery runs like this are as crucial now as they were in the war. aid agencies are providing a life line for tens of thousands of people. this is free drinking water that is filtered and safe. those returning to the home,
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when the water supply is working, there's no electricity to pump it from tanks and wells. gaza's only power stations have been hit by israeli shells. its fuel store and treatment plant was destroyed along with generator and turbine damage. it's estimated full repairs will take a year, and a temporary fix will offer a fraction needed. before the war, they had the capacity to give gaza 60% of its power. some of the shortfall made up of supplies by israel and egypt. >> it was a kat as trophic situation before the war -- catastrophic situation before the war, now it will be severe. >> without a power supply gaza's sewage is untreated. outlets pumping out raw sewerage
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into the ocean 24 hours a day. there's a problem from bomb damage to suers. this area was filled with raw sewage. nothing could be done to repair the pipe or treat the sewerage for a month. there are fears that underground water supplies may have been contaminated for a highly populated area. >> we are talking about raw sewerage into the aquifer. it needs someone to come today to take samples from our resources. and get a solution for contamination of our resources. >> that is one urgent need of many. the fighting may have stopped. little else has changed. people have to option but to cope with the hardship. >> prosecutors charged deposed president mohamed mursi with endangering national security. he an accused of leaking state
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secrets and sensitive documents to qatar, according to the state newsagency. qatar offered egypt financial support during mohamed mursi's tenure as president. he was toppled in a coup led by abdul fatah al-sisi, who has become egypt's president. mohamed mursi was gaoled and faces other charges. >> while egypt's president called for patients, a crisis has led to blackouts, disrupting banking, transportation and led to protests in several cities. >> reporter: it's one of egypt's worse power crisis, and has struck a nerve in cairo's metropolitan life. it carries more than 3 million. thousands jumped from the windows when doors failed to open. it came after authorities
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described glitches in the main power station. it has been going on for some time. several cities across egypt. people live in the dark. bakeries can't supply bread. services are disrupted and egyptian said are outraged. thousands took to the streets across the country to demand on explanation. enough trouble to warrant an address by the president who tries not to speak much. >> translation: this problem will not be solved soon. we are facing many challenges, and no government or president will be able to overcome them alone. >> egyptian assist say they have heard words like this before, especially from the new leaders. the problem is not just a power shortage, but a raping of problems -- range of problems. prices rise and unemployment is soaring.
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>> translation: abdul fatah al-sisi promised us a great life of happiness. look how miserable the situation is. there's no electricity, no jobs. >> reporter: the president spoke about economic difficulties and appealed for billions, which he said are needed to fix the problems. he blamed those who in his words tried to undermine the welfare of egypt. >> translation: many want to cripple efforts aimed at improving our dialy lives. it was to acknowledge date and cause egyptian people to rise in anger. anger at the former field marshall ran for president after top lipping egypt's lected government before the growing price sis. it's the prospect of a fresh uprising. because of this that seems to cause concern for the president.
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al jazeera is demanding the release of its three journalists who have been detained in egypt for 260 days, peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed received long sentences after a trial seep as politically motivated. convictions are being appealed and cases raised by the u.n. secretary-general in a conversation with the egyptian president. a conservative prime minister tony abbott finished a year in office. andrew thomas reports from sydney. >> tony abbott calls this the best beach in the world. he would. since 1994 he has been the parliamentary representative. he was elected australia prime minister. the assessment from voters that know him best. >> these current issues happened well. >> a score out of 10, i would
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give a four. >> reporter: on election note abbott's commitment was to keep promises. it has taken deportation of asylum seekers, the government has stopped votes. thanks to mining the economy is strong. his attempt to cut spending and raise taxes worked their way through parliament. >> he was successful in getting a large swing towards the party. he did not manage to get control of the upper house, the senate. they had been significant and frustrating. >> reporter: abbott managed to scrap an environmental carbon tax. it's improving a port, and an attempt to remove protection from forests, so they could be logged, with many saying abbott is an environmental wrecker. >> when bushfires struck near
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sydney, it was suggested that they were connected with global warming. abbot said she was talking through her hat. >> i happen to love hats, i don't take offense. what is astonishing, you do see a trend that is against what everyone else is doing. >> the disappearance of mh17 flushed abbott on to the statement, throwing full resources on to the coast. later when mh17 was shot down killing 38, abbott led calls for sanctions or russia. abbott's government marked a shift to the right. a leaner, many are government. the next two years will reveal if it mellows or argues with age. >> in guatemala, some farmers fear that multinational
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companies would reveal their plans. it's laws in relation to pat epted species. david mercer reports on a controversy from guatemala. [ chanting ] >> reporter: chanting seeds are for life, not business. protesters take to the streets. the groups demand the government detract a law they believe will open the door to privatisation of seeds of the the mon sapto law threatens the food supply and could make the poor even poorer they say. >> reporter: we farmers choose the best corn to replant. this is how we worked. this law will allow monsanto to patent his seeds. the guatemalan state will use the traditional way of planting. >> in june it passed the law for
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protection of new plant varieties. the decree is meant to collect the intellectual property of plant breeders who paraded and discovered varieties. >> it could be punishable. analysts say some are in favour of the law. >> it's seen as a positive thing. over research and development they do, it will be projected by big companies that come in and take the innovations and patent them themselves. those people look at the law. inno vags has been going on -- innovation has been going on. scientists at the government institute of science and technology created more than 140 improved seeds. many are given to farmers free of charge and to be reused. none are patented. the head of the institute said
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legislators should reflect another warning. this law puts the genetic diversity in this country at risk. anyone person or company can protect the materials, without recognising the rights of the indigenous community who discovered. >> the monsanto law is due to take effect. with 70% of guatemalans growing their own crops, it will be hard to influence people that what is best for plant people is good for the country. don't go away. there's plenty more ahead on al jazeera, including a report on a disease which blinds nigeria. doctors beat the curse of young and old. stay with us.
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minimum wage protests are going on across the country. there's a federal law that allows employers to pay some workers with disabilities paced on their lev o