>> columbia's government puts peace talks with f.a.r.c. rebels on hold after the kidnapping of a top army general. i'm trudy goesh with the world news. also japan's biggest economy sinks back na recession. president obama says i.s.i.l. said killing of an american hostage was an act of pure evil gulf nations ends their diplomatic dispute with qatar after eight months of sour

relations columbian president has suspended peace talks with f.a.r.c. rebels after an army general was kidnapped. the peace talks have been going on to end a decades long civil war. on sunday, the general and two civilians were taken hostage. >> reporter: the war between the columbian government and the f.a.r.c. rebels is one of the longest in the world. peace negotiations announced by columbian president in 2012 promised the chance of peace. two years later, there's no agreement, and now the kidnapping of an army general led to the government suspending talks always. >> peace has alluded columbia in 1964 when some from inspired by

mar. >>, the rebel forces of columbia or f.a.r.c. they said they needed to defend themselves from attacks of rich landowners. there has been numerous unsuccessful attempts at peace. previous negotiations failed after an agreement to demilitarize areas, allowing the f.a.r.c. to grow stronger and grow drug traffic that fuels its operations. in recent years many of the top rebel leaders were captured or killed, and the f.a.r.c. ranks were depleted by half. negotiations began in oslo norway two years ago. from there they moved to cuba where talks focussed on land ownership, rights of victims and drug trafficking and reind grayings into society. a main challenge has been negotiations taking place whi

the conflict continued. after years of failed attempts at peace, the war in columbia shows no sign of ending. >> let's speak to john lindsay poland, the co-director of the san francisco fellowship of reconciliation columbia, he joins us via skype. i know peace talks have been struggling for a while, but the kidnapping is a serious setback. >> yes, indeed. this is, outed, the first suspension in the two years of negotiations. one of the things that i think is particularly curious about this event is that this general apparently voluntarily walked into f.a.r.c. controlled territory, breaking protocols of security for the columbian armed forces, which would appear to be a kind of voluntary, in some

ways, kidnapping by the columbian guerillas. >> not only that, for some reason he was said to be dressed in civilian gear, in civilian clothing in an area where f.a.r.c. rebels were occupying. it seems slightly odd. >> there's a large sector of the columbian armed forces, particularly the army, that has not been happy with the negotiations as they have gone so far, and the existence of the negotiations. one of the things that is difficult for the armed forces is that their identity has been built on the war, which has been going on for their professional careers and lives. their identity, their budget, their missions and in some cases their judicial future, their - whether they are going to be prosecuted for crimes committed

are at stake in these negotiations, and so some of them have been attempting to sabotage the negotiations in different ways. it's conceivable, although there's no direct evidence to show it, that this particular incident was an attempt to sabotage negotiations because once the guerillas kidnap a general it's likely that the president would suspend negotiations, as done. >> it's also a break in strategy for f.a.r.c. rebels, innocent it, because this will be, or columbian media are reporting it's the first time in 50 years that they kidnapped a high-ranking police officer. >> well, i think in previous years they would have done so if they had the opportunity. two years ago they made a commitment that they would no longer commit kidnappings, this comes as a brake with that. also it puts the negotiations in crisis. this is coming about a week

after the f.a.r.c. guerillas have killed two indigenous leaders who were trying to take down a billboard that the f.a.r.c. guerillas were putting up. >> what will it mean for the government of juan manuel santos, who is under pressure to get a peace dole, and campaigned on the back of the promise of peace? >> well, they'll have to decide how far they take a military attempt to rescue the general and the two other people who have been taken by the guerillas, and how far they are willing to make a concession to the guerillas to release those people. i think that's going to be a difficult line for them to walk. hopefully that the military strategy will not lead to an armed confrontation putting the negotiations at greater risk.

>> good to speak with you, thank you for your thoughts. john lindsay poland live from san francisco now, japan, the world's third-largest economy is back in recession for the third time in four years. its economy shrank by 2%, surprising most experts who had thought it would expand. many are blaming a sales tax increase, a key element of the economic plan. another tax had been scheduled - that's expected to be delayed. >> translation: when making a decision on the tax hike, we need to be careful not to slow down the economic recovery. what is most important is not to let it go back to deflation. >> the fact that japan is in recession will put pressure on shinzo abe. stating his reputation on a high profile attempt to get the economy growing. the chief economist at japan

mack ra advisors in tokyo, and says things may not be as bad as they think. >> prime minister abbe is about to announce that eel simulate the economy. i would say g.d.p. was a blessing for the japanese economy, as long as the outlook is consistentent. i would say the cancellation of sales tax hikes scheduled for next year should boost the confidence of household and the corporations. they should be more willing to invest in japanese economy, now that the dark cloud in 2015 is gone. i think the stimulus should work well for japan. >> the results of an election on the japanese island added more pressure. the winner wants a u.s. airbase moved off the island. >> okinawa, a southern-most

prefecture is home to 26,000 u.s. troops and several bases. >> australia and china signed a trade deal which australian officials hope will free up the markets and boost slowing commodity experts. chinese premier has addressed parliament much the deal will be worth 18 million. one australian politician says up to 95% of exports to china could be exempt from tariffs. >> china is ready to pursue common development and pros pert i. it will follow a win, win strategy of opening up justice and promote corporation, and develop northern economy and strengthen and expand the mutual efficient benefits for other countries. it will never expand itself at the expense of others. >> china is due to double the investment in iran's

infrastructure project. the deputy minister for energy was quoted at saying china raised its quota for investment from $52 billion to $25 billion. iran is turning towards china, russia and turkey for financing because of western sanctions over the nuclear programme. u.s. president obama described the beheading of an american aid worker in syria as pure evil. peter kassig was killed by fighters from the islamic state of iraq and levant. they have released a video showing his murder, and that of 12 syrian soldiers. a separate group of hostages have been killed by i.s.i.l. in the self-declared capital in syria. they were accused of collaborating with the syrian government. >> peter kassig converted to islam. his friends and colleagues

appealed for his friends. he helped to save the lives of syrians wounded in the war. that's what he was doing in lebanon for a year, before deciding to help those living in syria. he left in 2013, only to be captured by the islamic state of iraq and levant. a week ago his friends in tripoli added their voice to an international campaign to persuade i.s.i.l. to release him. they were hoping the fact that peter converted to islam in captivity would have helped spare his life. his close friend, a syrian from homs had hope. he is lost for words. >> what i should say to his family? that we are sorry, because your son die in my country, and to help my people, and people say who killed him.

i don't know. >> this was one of the many clinics where peter kassig treated patients. >> while in lebanon peter volunteered with humanitarian workers. they used the media to tell peter's captives about how he helped the syrian people. the video didn't refer to peter as an aid worker. he identified him as a u.s. soldier. this didn't shock syrian opposition activists, some of the people new peter kassig well. those that didn't know of what he did for the revolution, believing it made no difference for i.s.i.l. if a person is a charity worker or not. >> they are doing this to muslims, they kill anyone against them, not just americans. likely they would kill me as well. they are giving a bad image of islam. >> peter kassig was a former soldier. that is not how he would be remembered by family and friend.

>> at an early age our son was inspired by his grandfather to do humanitarian work. when he saw the suffering of the people he went to turkey and founded an organization to provide aid and assistance. >> reporter: he was not the first to be murdered. there were four others. unlike in their videos, peter kassig didn't speak. i.s.i.l. showed what appeared to be a mass beheading of a dozen syrian soldiers. this is a group the united nations accused of committing war crimes in areas under their control. peter kassig and the soldiers are unlikely to be the last victims. still to come on al jazeera. we'll tell you all about kangaroo care. how it can increase the chaps of survival for premature babies. plus, french history sold at auction. napoleon's trademark hat has been bought by a south korean.

real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. you hello, welcome bark. i'm shoouly goesh. the headlines - columbian government has put talks with rebels after the kidnapping of a general. a massive search and rescue mission has been launched the third-larged economy, japan, is back in recession for the first time in four years, putting pressure on shinzo abe who staked his reputation on an

attempt to get the economy growing and u.s. president obama has described the beheading of an american aid worker in syria as pure evil. peter kassig was killed by fighters from the islamic state of iraq and levant let's go back to the top story, columbia's president called off peace talks following the kidnap of a top army general. our latin american editor lucia newman is with us. tell us who we know about the kidnapping, and where it took place. >> it took place in an is rated area. the general and his group were kidnapped by, apparently, by f.a.r.c. this has not been confirmed, but it seems to be assumed that the f.a.r.c. rebels took him when he

was in a boat in a river. he was dressed in civilian clothes and raises the question as to whether the rebels knew that they were kidnapping someone of that rank. it's the first time in more than 50 years of that civil conflict that a germ of this rank has -- general of this rank has been taken by the spark. it's an important development and blow to the piece process. president santos, as you say, suspending the peace talks. there's a massive search and rescue operation under way, meaning that this is a volatile situation. if there were to be a confrontation between the army and group, it's unclear whether the general may be able to survive that confrontation. in the past the rescue operations have been botched and the hostages killed. a delegate situation under way at the moment in columbia. >> a big setback for president santos and his government. he campaigned on the back of a

promise of peace for people, and the talks have been going on for two years, and there's no deal to show for it. >> there isn't a deal, but they made a great deal of head way. that's deniable. at the same time there's a lot of people who are against the peace protest. both political forces within columbia, there's a central right wing groups led by the former president. and the f.a.r.c., themselves, who are more drug traffickers than people fighting a political fight. for the president, it will be an uphill battle to put the talks on track. if he can, indeed, after what is happening. >> thank you very much indeed for that. lucia newman in santiago three of qatar's neighbours agreed to send their ambassadors

back to doha. saudi arabia, bahrain and the united arab emirates withdrew their invoice claiming that qatar interfered in their internal affairs, and were critical of the support of the muslim brotherhood movement. christopher davison is author, and said changes in the nature of the complex may be driving qatar and its neighbours closer. >> we have had several of these over there, and every month there has been an announcement. it seems more serious than the recent ones. i'm not holding my breath. now we are at a stage where saudi arabia and ab bu dashi is on hand, versing qatar. notably egypt sporting different sides and libya supporting different militias. in syria and iraq, which are becoming a serious thorn in the

side of saudi arabia's security and stability, they are on the same side and whether we like it or not, qatar controversially seems to have a channel of access with the islamic state and other groups. that cooperation could become pivotal. >> fighting in libya between militias and pro government forces killed four in the capital tripoli. the gun battle near the airport forced it to close. airlines moved flights after the main airport was damaged during fighting in july. the political upheaval in yemen damaged a week economy. the u.n. warned the company could collapse if the government is not operational soon. services such as health, electricity and water may come to a halt by the end of the

year. >> we have more from the capital. >> the father of nine children - he lives in a single room where there is no electricity most of time. it's winter here, and heating is a luxury this family cannot afford. there are no job opportunities for people like me, i sell teeth-cleaning twigs. i can't buy basic things for my family. what am i supposed to do. yemen is the poorest country in the region, the government has been weakened by instability and marred by widespread corruption. international aid agencies like the world food program has launched a project to feed 6 million yemenis for years.

>> what we are trying to do with the operation is getting away from pure relief, handing out food for people who need it. we want to build livelihood and build sustainability to people can help themselves. >> sustainability is elusive in a country known for violence and instability. in this refugee camp thousands live on donations. most lost hope in starting their lives again. >> i left my village seven years ago. it was war. my house was destroyed. the government gave me nothing. life is tough. >> half of yemen's population endures a life of hardship. this man is worried about the future of his family. his only hope is a new yemen

that offers his children chances for a decent life. >> yemen continues to rely on international aid to feed his population. the hope is a government that restores stability and improves the living conditions of million of people who feel betrayed and abandoned by their political leaders. al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three journalists who have been gaoled in egypt for 324 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed are falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste were sentenced to 7 years, and baher mohamed an additional three for having a spent bullet in his position, picked up at a protest. >> e.u. foreign minorses are meeting in brussels, and are expected to hit russia with new sanctions over ukraine after a

tense g20 summit with vladimir putin. western leaders want to get a battered peace plan on track. a new video has been released showing the moment from malaysia airlines. these pictures were taken on a mobile phone. most of the plane's wreckage is located. all 298 passengers and crew died when mh17 crashed. they blame each other for shooting the plane down. >> in nigeria, a female suicide bomber blew herself up, killing a dozen, injuring 60. a bomber attacked a market. no one claimed responsibility for the attack. the rebel group has carried out a number of attacks this week. in burkina faso, the happened

over agreement has been signed and former finance minister has been selected as interim president. she was appointed by a panel of military and civilian leaders. the new president will lead the county into next year's elections. he will name a prime minister appointing government officials. the united states is to screen passengers travelling from mali for the ebola virus. starting monday, screenings about start for the 15-20 passengers who arrive every day. the world health organisation warned of a far aggressive -- far more aggressive outbreak in the we were african country. mali is trying to trace more than 400 who may have come into contact with a confirmed ebola patient in liberia, 160 chinese health workers arrived to assist with the crisis.

china contributed 122 million to liberia's efforts so far now, every near 15 million babies are born premature. in senegal a method inspired by kangaroos is saving many from dying. we have this report from the capital dhaka. >> reporter: two days old, barely a kilo each. these twin girls were born too early. . >> we haven't given them names. i love them so much, i hope they make it through. >> reporter: because the bodies are not fully developed, they have trouble breathing and drinking. preterm birth is a leading cause of death. those that suffer often have lift disabilities. the odds of a healthy life is against them. look at this. the kangaroo method. carrying preterm babies like

that can increase survival. >> it's a natural incurator required by nature. kangaroos yair the newborns in the front pocket, to ensure healthy growth. >> it was invented inadvertently. he wanted to free up incubators, and encouraged mothers to hold the baby and give them breast milk exclusively. sin to skin contact is not -- skin to sign contact is not knew to africa, placing a baby on its frond is. >> it wasn't easy, we had to convince people adapting to the methods. mother and family had question. we explained how underweight babies need body weight to grow. the method was introduced in senegal 16 years ago. premature babies or 3-times more

likely to survive. >> look at this figure. over a million babies in sub-saharan africa die within the first four weeks of life. the u.n. says most preterm deaths happen at home and are unaccounted for. >> the u.n. and aid agencies admit progress is slow. in senegal they are introducing the method out of hospital, in village, where people need it the most now, with napoleon bonaparte's hat sold for over $2 million at an auction near par paris. the french emperor's hat was bought by a south korean collect jor. it was owned by the appearance of monaco. the royal family is selling off some memorabilia to fund a

palace restoration. napoleon bonaparte wore it sidewa sideways, making him easy to spot in the battle feel. >> translation: we know there's 20 left, we scan document 19, 17 are in museums. this is unique keep up to date with the news on the website aljazeera.com. % do you want bankers to go to gaol over selling toxic mortgages that led to the financial crazies. i spoke to a woman about criminal fraud at jpmorgan. she tried to warn the bank that mortgages bundled into securities were toxic. no one listened. wait till you hear her tale. plus, why hitting the road in an r.v. could be the new normal in america. i introduce you to older americans still lacking for twork survive. i'm ali velshi,