israel lifts age restriction on his worshipers on al-aqsa mosque after weeks of tensions at jerusalem's holeyest site. the would news at al jazerra. also coming up an agreement reached over burkina faso's inter resume government. but no word on who will actually lead. along way to go. barack obama and myanmar's pro-democracy champion say they want more progress towards reform. and europe's most important economics germany, narrowly avoids recession. ♪

♪ it's a decision aimed at easing the tension around jerusalem's holeyest site. the israeli government has lifted age restriction on his muslims praying at alex is mosqual-aqsa mask.mediated by t. increasing tension between the palestinianpalestinians and isrd neighboring jordan which oversees the site. we'll be live. ito talk about it, but first ths report. >> reporter: a rare meeting between the u.s. secretary of skate john kerry and the last-minute addition is benjamin netanyahu. the aim of this rigorous diplomacy was to put an end to recent fighting between israelis and palestinians over israel's actions at the al-aqsa mosque in

jerusalem. >> i thought it was clear from this evening's conversations and prior conversations which is why the prime minister traveled over here. that he has deep concerns, as everybody does. about the -- about what has been going on in the rise of violence. >> reporter: last week jordan recalmed its ambassador to israel angrily and the jordanian foreign minister said that was the right thing to do. >> as you know there are several diplomatic options available to any country troy protest something that they feel very strongly about. one of those is to recall the ambassador for consultation. this was a very clear signal to israel that what has been happening in the al-aqsa mosque compounds. particularly over the last few weeks is not acceptable to jordan as custodian. not acceptable to 1.5 billion muslims. >> reporter: the first concrete step kerry referred to came from israel it announced it's lifting age ar are you instruction on hs

worshipers at the al-aqsa mosque, restrictions it has imposed on and of on for years. kerry also met with mahmoud abbas on thursday in an effort to diffuse tensions in jerusalem and the west back. but abbas was not with the meeting with kerry and king abdullah and netanyahu. israel recognizes jordan's special role in looking after shrines in jerusalem. but jordan says it's an undermined by israel. jordan is actively fighting isil in iraq and syria alongside the u.s. it's also one of only two countries in the region that have peace treaties with israel. washington cannot afford to have two of its closest allies in the middle east in disagreement. it took u.s. mediation this time to sort out jordan and israel's differences. netanyahu promised in the status go jerusalem will not be touched and made these assurance to his

cheek abdullaking abdullah in q. the question is whether this meeting will mark the beginning of the end of this later conflict. >> stefanie decker is live from east jerusalem. age restriction have his been lifted and friday prayers are due to start. what are we expected? >> reporter: well, at the moment, i have to tell you, it's extremely quiet here. there is very little police presence. there are no barricades which usually you would have during tense times. we are just outside damascus gate the entrance to the old city here in occupied east jerusalem. people have been coming, trickleing in freely as i said to you, it's the least i have seen certainly in covering this area over a couple of years in terms of police presence. so i think it is a message that the israelis are trying to give that they are trying to calm the tensions here. we know that access to the mosque has been restricted over the past two months. they closed the mask for the first time since 1967, a huge deal. and of course that pressure from the israeli right wing groups

trying to get access to pray. this is a red line for palestinians and indeed for muslims around the world. we have heard those words at that ti-lateral moving saying that they are giving guarantees the status quo will not change that this will not happen. but it's a very complicated situation on the ground. it's about the mosque but also about people that are frustrated. people telling you that they are living under occupied. everybody here they don't get the same services, education, settlement construction that is expanding. so the palestinians don't see a real goodwill gesture which it comes to israelis. this has been causing the tensions that i think what's significant about today, certainly this friday, friday prayers due to start in about an hour and a half from now, very calm, very quiet. for the first time certainly in weeks here. >> good to hear that it's quiet at the moment. stefanie. we will be getting updates throughout the day from you. thank you very much indeed for

for that. stefanie deck never east jerusalem there. bikini faso's country has reached an agreement over the transitional government. the army has been in charge since the resignation of the president last month. but there is still no word on who will lead the interim government or whether the self proclaimed leader leader zita is standing down. president obama has urged myanmar's leaders to continues with the democratic reform process. he was speaking after talks with the opposition leader. he said myanmar's transition to democracy has hit a bumpy match and warns against come place sense i. >> obama says more reforms are needed. >> it clears how much work remains to be done and many difficult choices still lie ahead. the process for reform is by no means complete. or irrelevan irreversible.

for many progress is not come fast enough or spread far enough. people need to feel safe in their homes. and not be subject to arbitrary harassment by authorities. >> our reform process is going through, let us say a bumpy patch. but this bumpy patch is something that we can negotiate with commitment and with the health and understanding of our friends from all over the world. so let us not exaggerate the differences, the difficulties, but at the same time, let us not exaggerate the rosy picture either. >> marga ortiga joins us. how has obama less 's visit been perceived there. is it seen as talk successful given the two leaders are in agreement that more needs to be done? >> reporter: yes, definitely. he has just come as well from

the summit that was hosted by the current president of myanmar. he was, of course, slightly chastised by president obama for not having pushed enough reform forward and many are saying here it was it was quit by big diplomatic signal that president obama did not hold a press conference with the currents president but instead the opposition leader the follow day after that summit here. he is clearly saying here that democracy has to move forward in myanmar. they were also calling it burma. now the original name of the country. and he said very clearly that the future for democracy if burma is to have her and her party in the top spot here. at the moment, though, she is not sure of a win in the 2015 elections which the government has promised will be held and will be fair and free. because constitutional reform still needs to be pushed forward so that she can even be allowed to run. at the moment, she is slightly disqualified because of provisions put in the constitution by the military

rulers that were in charge of the country are i for some 25 years. >> marga, what's your assessment of, well, first of all, whether those constitutional changes will be implemented? and secondly, how popular her and her party would be in the 2015 elections if they were allowed to run? >> reporter: well, publicist opinion here seems in favor of her. there have been polls conducted by ngos and groups of international organizes. saying her party is so popular saying if the elections were indeed fair and free there is no way her party would not win. as far as the current sitting government is concerned, they have made it also very clear that the friendship of the united states is one they want to deepen. it is very important for them to have the support of the government of barack obama. and they say that even though the current position they are in does not feel as if political reform has been pushed through as fast as the west might want, they say they are going at a

pace that is good for the country, that they will get there by 2015. and they even said that at least 80% of the promises they made to barack obama two years ago have been fulfilled. they say they should be given the benefit of the doubt and they will get there the way they need to. >> marga, thanks very much indeed for that. marga ortigas. the u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel has announced $5.6 billion is needed to continue the fight against the islamic state of iraq and the levants. republicans are demanding barack obama explain the strategy for fighting the group. isil released an audiotape it says was recorded by its leader days after reports that he had been killed or injured. think from capital hill roslyn jordan reports. >> reporter: possible proof of life. the man speaking in this club on youtube is said to be the leader of isil. in it, the speaker calls on

followers to quote, erupt volcanos on jihad on the enemies of islam. and he claims the obama administration's plans to sends in 1500 more u.s. troops is a sign the ongoing air war against isil has failed. if he indeed is the man on the tape, it could prove he survived the recent u.s. air strike mere mows ill, something the pentagon says it still can't verify. while the cia says it knows about the audio, it's prefuse to go discuss it. the audio was released just as u.s. officials went to capitol hill to look for support for their expanding military mission. while some in the audience objected to the plan, republicans and democrats wanted to know why more troops and money were needed. and whether u.s. ground troops eventually would be sent in. >> help us understand the circumstances where you would envision the need to introduce u.s. military troops in to combat situations? >> i am not predicting at this

point that i would recommend that those forces in mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by u.s. forces but we are certainly considering it. >> reporter: the defense secretary was also asked whether the u.s. is changing its strategy to fight isil? >> the national security council has addressed it, the state department has, we have, so -- >> let me ask -- >> that's all i can tell you. there is no change. and there is no different direction. >> reporter: but the hearing ended as it began with skepticism, very few definitive answers and no date set for a debate on the spending request. just one delay in a campaign that is supposed to take years. roslyn jordan, al jazerra, capitol hill. a new group has been formed to protect christians in northern iraq from attacks by isil, the armed men pa pedroia troll churches and shrine to his protect them from attacks. kurdish peshmerga forces grabbed control of the region from isil

about a month ago. the regional government in ira iraq's curr dish north says it reached an agreement. according to the deal baghdad will release $500 million in exchange for 550,000-barrels of oil a day the kurds say they need it to pay for their military campaign against isil. still to come here on the program. dividing families and disare yog lives, a look at the new borden stretch between afghanistan and fashion. plus a look at a 90-year-old man facing fines and jail for feeding the homeless. stay with us.

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♪nly on al jazera america ♪ welcome back. she's take a look at the stop stories on al jazerra. israel has lifted age restriction on his muslims who can play at alex a at that is mosque following u.s. mediated talks. it's meant to did srao*s views the tensions between israel and neighboring jordan which oversees the site. the president was speaking after talks with opposition liter in myanmar. she says the reform process had hit a bumpy patch and warned against complacency. the u.s. republicans are demanding the obama administration explain its strategy againstizal. the u.s. is asking congress for the next $5.6 billion for the next face against the fight

against the radical group in iraq and syria. accused of killing out air strikes that killed 15 people in damascus. the military has attacked rebel-held areas for months now. government forces cut off a supply route trapping hundreds of thousands of people. syrian activists in aleppo are accusing rebels of losing sight of their goals. they say fighters link today the free syrian army often referred to as the moderate opposition are acting like criminals and bang leaders. zeina report. >> reporter: people are angry in rebel-held neighborhoods in the city of aleppo. they are also worried because government forces or close to surrounding them and they blame rebel commanders. we want a unified command for the free syrian army they chant. pima cues the commanders of being traitors because they are fighting for their own interests

instead of the revolution. >> translator: we support this demonstration because it's trying to revive the revolution all over again. let our revolution return to its origin which was a popular up rising, not what it is today. now it's a revolution for war lords. >> reporter: activists are now trying to save what is left of their struggle. we need to agree on a plan before we lose aleppo this person says. another suggests talking to the rebel commanders directly. but they all agree that they have limited influence over those who carry guns. free syrian army rebels are on the verge of being defeated by other opposition forces. they have been pushed out of their strong holds by the islamic state of iraq and los angeles sands and al-nusra. the so called moderate opposition is blaming the international community for not providing them with weapons. but many people in rebel held territories see it differently. protests like this one are

becoming more common. their up rising was about ending corruption while fighting for democracy and freedom. they are now accusing their new rulers of acting like criminals. rebels themselves know the importance of a unified command of but they blame outside powers for interfering in the conflict. >> it's a matter of someone soar ship. you know, the people that is giving uade and support and weapons, equipment, you know, it's mandatory sometimes to follow the rules and orders. >> reporter: syrians who support the opposition are growing increasingly frustrated. there is a reason why so many carry the flag of the revolution, they want to reminds the world that this is not just a war on what the u.s. and its international partners call terrorism, it's first and foremost a struggle for freedom in syria. seen, a al jazerra, ba beirut. there are con threublgting g reports on wednesday's attack on

the egyptian navy. a group of terrorists were fired off. but locals say fish american were on three boats in question and the navy attacked them first, eight naval officers are missing and knitter two people have been arrested. al jazerra continues to demands the release of our three journal assists that have now been detained for 321 days, they are falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing their sentences. the afghan president is on his first official visit to pakistan since taking office. he is scheduled to meet the prime minister in islambad. pakistani officials have expressed op is a pitch about a vet in relations. they say their military offensive against armed groupings in the north on the border with afghanistan

demonstrates their commitment to afghan security. meanwhile, pan stack has built a trench along nearly 500-kilometers of its border with pakistan, pakistan it's to stop fighting and smuggling between the two countries. but afghanistan says it hasn't given its approval for the project. >> reporter: the new trench at the border crossing. here after begans offense don't show visas or passports to travel between the two countries. and for centuries they have ices dozens of informal crossings the new trench fulls people through the main gate here. small-time smuggleers have been hurt. >> translator: it affects business. for normal people brought cooking oil and they could make money. now it comes across just one road and just a few people benefit. the poor people cannot make money anymore. >> reporter: the trench spans 480-kilometers of the border. west of the iranian border about

a fifth of the len. durant line, afghanistan disputes this boundary drawn by the british in 1893. >> translator: they have taken our lands. pakistan has taken it. the benefit at least is there is a line built between afghanistan and pakistan. >> reporter: officials here in kandahar didn't want too commend on the border trench they say it's an issue fought national government and kabul. the people in the city say they haven't felt the impact on trade or security yet. afghanistan's new president won't comment on the trench until he meets with the pakistani leadership. one local afghan leader thinks the trench is trouble. >> translator: it shouldn't be the decision of one country. both countries should sit together and discuss how to control the border. maybe this ditch would bring temporary security benefits, but it also has negative points. >> reporter: he says the biggest downside is that the trench divides families and tribes and disruptses their every day lives and gives the people a reason to dislike it. jennifer glasse, al jazerra,

can't there are. do europe now. germany has narrowly avoided a recession. it's just released its quarterly figures with a minimal growth of not .1 person in the third quarter. the statistics said german consumers had increased their spending and exports had also risen. nick spicer has the latest for us from berwyn. >> reporter: germany has avoid a recession but just by the skin of its teeth. economic growth of a period covering july to september. calculated at .1%. the previous quarter it was at negative .2%, this is important because if it were a recession. in a country that is called europe's locomotive, that would have big knock on effects in other european countries, essentially destroying hope i've turn around in a continent wide economy of 28 countries which is in the economic doldrums. however a lot the pressure germany to spends, particularly on infrastructure to hint the entire european economy get

going again. however, the federal government here berlin in the early hours of friday morning presented its first balanced budget since 1969. show it's not willing to get involved in the kind of deficit spends that go would be spent on infrastructure and that could have the knock-on effect of getting the european economy going again. students across france have been protesting against what they call police prue at that time. at least 150 demonstrators barricaded schools in pair ace. and foughparis, and fought with police. they were protesting police tacticals last month where an environmentals died. tests show he was closed by an explosive used by the police to disperse crowds? the an who investigationed allegations of football corruptions says his findings have been misrepresented. mikmike the garcia insists thate 2018 and 2022 to host the world

cup was tainted by bribes and voting packs. a fifa judge cleared russia and qatar of corruption in their winning bids. protesters in chile have joined protests in mexico over the disappearance of 43 students. thousands of demonstrators rallyed in front of the mexican embassy in front of chili's capital in santiago, many carried banners of the pictures of the students from the guerrero state. they were last seen six weeks ago. the local government says mechanics of a drug gang admitted to killing them and burning their bodies. the cuban government announced last year it will withdraw one of its two official currencies. what's known as the convertible peso or cuc but it's still widely used despite the government's effort to get rid of it. daniel reports. >> reporter: it will go says the cuban government. it wants just the one currency,

like every other country. but it's proving to be easier said than done. it was created in 1994, some response to the economy being flooded by dollars sent by cube an exile families in the united states. >> translator: the dollar entered the country not through the banks, but directly to the people. the state had no control over the amount circulating in the economy. so they created the cook. most. >> reporter: most cub ans work for the state and are paid if peso. the corist trade deals exclusionist with cooks which can't be traded outside of cuba. but it's create 82-tie created a two-tier economy. this is the cook or convertible dollar which is worth a little more than one u.s. dollar. we will go in the market and see how they work. the traders marking their prices in cuban pesos will take both

currency. they agree that just one would be simpler. but that's not their main concern. >> i don't care what currently we have, but we should only have one. but also the wages need to go up because when what we earn is not enough. people resort to stealing, there is no alternative. rich or park it's the same. >> i don't have the luxury of families sending me money from abroads. i just have to buy at the prices sets by the state. >> translator: whatever change they make it will be the same if people still have to buy at the market of th. >> reporter: the cuban economy is a has long been a square peg in a rounds hole. then there is the u.s. trade embargo to contends with. but one way or another, it's adapted and survived. with one currency or two. daniel, al jazerra, havana. a 19-year-old war veteran in the u.s. state of florida is fighting to help the homeless. -- 90-year-old.

arnold an you want has been feeding people on the beach in fort lauderdale for years a change has led him to being threatened with 60 days in jail and a 500 there are fine. >> reporter: in florida he's known simply as chef arnold. this 90 year olds war veteran is now making international headlines. >> ladies first. >> reporter: for decades he's been feeding the homeless through his organization love thai neighbor. and for arnold, it's an act of charity. >> we have fruit salt, cook is, cakes drinks. >> reporter: now he's face ago rest and fines under a new law against feeding the homeless in public places. his operation has been closed down twice since the new law was brought n despite the warnings or followed said it won't stop. >> i spent two and a half years in combat in world war ii. i knew what i was fighting for then, i know what i am fighting for now. >> reporter: so-called quality of life laws are now commonplace across the u.s.

hundreds of cities have introduced laws that ban things like laying down in public spaces or sleeping in cars. rules that critics claim criminalize the homeless. >> during the depression, what did we do? we fed the homeless, we fed the hungry. why not put god in your heart and feed these people. these people are hungry. >> reporter: city officials here say the new laws aren't design today criminalize the homeless. they claim they simply want to feed people in safe and sanitary conditions and have even offered mr. abbott an alternative location, but he's been feeding people on this beach for 20 years. and doesn't want to compromise. ron book, who has campaigned end homelessness for decades says feeding people on the street isn't helpful. he's worked hard to get people off the streets for good and think mr. abbott's actions make it harder. >> it's not humane, it's not clean, it's not healthy. it's a health and safety welfare issue. not only for the homeless folks, but for the rest of the citizenry. >> reporter: if he keeps feeding the holmes here, arnold abbott

could face a 60 day jail term. but that's not likely to frighten a man determined to stands his ground. andy gal guess, al jazerra, fort lauderdale, florida. and don't forget you can keep up-to-date with all of our stories today on our website aljazerra.com. with 'enrollment beginning obama-care is scarily in the spotlight, the plans to repeal and it the challenges to the law are the inside story. the republican cries