tv News Al Jazeera December 22, 2014 6:00am-6:31am EST
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it's the current one... >> every monday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera, only on al jazeera america so i would be surprised if the beji caid essebsi claims victory in tunisia's landmark presidential run-off, but his opponents say it's too early to say he's won. hello, welcome to al jazeera, live from doha, i'm jane dutton also ahead - human rights watch says hundreds of muslims are trapped and living in fear a city divided - new york's police department says it's in a state of war after the killing of two officers. plus... >> i'm paul brennan in bucharest
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to meet the king of the sewers - the homeless people who live under ground. first to tunisia where the candidate for the secular tunis party is claiming victory in the historic presidential election. beji caid essebsi's claim has been dismissed by his rival moncef marzouki, who says it's too early to call a winner. jamal is in tunis. what is going on? >> people are waiting to find out official results. the early indications is that beji caid essebsi is the victor in this historic election. however, the electoral commission as well as his opponent are yet to concede defeat or announce or confirm that result. despite that, there is ramifications to the elections,
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and to discuss those further i'm going to bring in political analyst youcef sharif. historical elections. the first time millions of tunisians vote. if beji caid essebsi wins, will it be the last free and fair elections for tunisia. >> there is that risk, yes. for the moment we can't say that. for the moment everything is peaceful. democracy for the last four years. we didn't see a gap in the democratic process. this is it historical, because it's the first time in the arab world that a president, a ruling president, runs for elections, lose, and will concede defeat for another run for the elections. it's been a transition until now. the risk is there. we know that beji caid essebsi worked with the regime. there are a lot of people who are related to the police state, the previous police state in
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each party, so the risk is there, and that's why many people are careful. >> it is the first time if this goes smoothly as it has been in the arab world that, it will witness a peaceful democratic transition to power. tunisia has been at the forefront of change. those that are the forces behind arab spring, they were supporting him. why has beji caid essebsi come out or like willing to come out the victor if the early exit polls are true? >> by the end of the day the discourse adopted by each side appeals to different people. beji caid essebsi is the discourse, and that's why many supporters are in the ranks of the revolution. they use the discourse of consolidating the state, security in the country. many supporters are from the
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camp that is not pro revolution. there are nuances in between. what we a seen is a lot of people that didn't vote or who voted blank. among those that voted blank are mostly people who are pro revolution in 2010 and 2011 and did not feel represented by either candidate. >> reporter: the role of media is polarizing. people say it plays a huge role, has that affected not only the turn out, but the results and the way people have been voting? >> no, i think the media was perhaps the biggest player in the elections. from - and most of the main stream media in tunisia were in the camp, so they portrayed him as a saviour, as the one and
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only alternative, moncef marzouki, against his opponent, portrayed as evil from the other side. the media threw moncef marzouki in other islamist movement, portrayed by beji caid essebsi as the evil and moncef marzouki as the saviour. there has been a big polarization between both sides, and that was the image manipulated by the media. >> thank you for your thoughts. if, indeed, supporters turn out to be the happier side, beji caid essebsi becoming the president, that would mean the save our, an 88-year-old man, he's to compete his five year turn, would be 93 by the end of it. it is a lot of anticipation here, as i say in tunisia. people waiting to find out the final results. >> jamal, we'll speak to you then human rights watch says hundreds of muslims in central african republic are trapped in
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enclaves and living in deplorable conditions. in a new report the rights group says people in those areas face a grim choice - risk being attacked by christian militias if they leave or stay and face hunger. u.n. peacekeeper are said to be blocking them from fleeing abroad >> translation: the terrible thing is the anti-balaka killed my husband. they took my 12-year-old son. they struck his head with a machete. shot him and stabbed his foot with a spear. he survived, thanks got. >> we ways three problems, food, shelter and health. they have taken 42 lives in the community. many children, mostly girls. >> the u.n. special representative in central african republic and denies that people are stopped from leaving the country. >> i would like to remind that
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alleged generally one occasions convoy leaving areas to bangui, everyone from the neighbouring countries say it is in the interests of the country. today what we are doing is to protect the community. this community is still alive. in this community they go there. it is a life line provided to them. i agree with you, that the government is looking at this issue. they intend to avoid things in the country. if people want to live somewhere, they will
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fighters suspected to belong to boko haram attacked an up to in the north-east. a number are said to have killed and wounded in yobe state. many left for safer areas after neighbouring towns were attacked pakistan plans to execute 55 people in the coming days after lifting a freeze on the death penalty, four men were executed on sunday, accused of being involved in an attack on the former president. the moratorium was lift the in the wake of a taliban attack in a school in peshawar on tuesday. north korea is refusing to take part in a discussion on their human right record. it follows threats from pyongyang that it could attack the united states. north korea is angry at the fbi for accusing it of being behind a cyber attack on sony picture. president obama will review on
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whether to put north korea back on a list of countries that sponsors terrorism mourners gather at a makeshift memorial in new york city for police officers killed on saturday. people laid flower near the site in brooklyn where the two were fatally shot while on patrol. police say the gunman fled to a subway station and took his life. it disclosed a risk between some in the police force and the new york major. bill de blasio has been accused of not doing enough following nationwide protests against police. >> he did a 2-year term in august 2011 to july 2013 - that's for criminalisation of a weapon, from what we certain. he does stints in local stations. >> reporter: the criminal record
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of a man that shot two police officers in their car. ismaaiyl brinsley had a history of depression. cell phone footage captures a scene of the railway station where the gunman fled. he shot himself. the chain of event began at the hope of his ex-girlfriend in baltimore. he shot and wounded here. he posted his intention to kill two police officers on social media. authoriti authorities in baltimore alerted new york police half an hour before the shooting. condemnation has been expressed by civil rights leaders and the parents of men killed. their deaths spurred nationwide protests. ismaaiyl brinsley mentioned their names on social media. >> we depend on the police to protect against criminality and evilful they are a foundation of our society, and when they are attacked, it is an attack on the
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concept of decency a new york police leader blamed the major and demonstrators for the murder of his colleagues. >> there's blood on many hand tonight. those that incited violence on the street under the guise of protest, that tried to tear down what new york city police officers did every day. we tried to warn, it must not go on. it cannot be tolerated. that is blood on the hands, it starts on the steps of city hall in the office of the mayor. >> since the police killing of michael brown, marches across the country demanded a change to the system at which young black me are killed at 21 times the rate of police. mayor bill de blasio expressed concerns for his own bi-racial son. >> we have had to talk to dante
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for years about dangers he may face. >> reporter: police officers turned their backs on the mayor as he arrived at the hospital where the bodies of the men were tape. the n.y.p.d. is a war time police department. the when by some is with whom is it at war more to come on al jazeera. >> this is a gift which i received from my friend saddam hussein the accused serbian war criminal who is back home rebuilding his political career. >> i'm in the southern indian state. i'll take a look at a unique movement that started as a result of the 2004 tsunami.
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the top stories on al jazeera. the presidential candidate for tunisia's secular party is claiming victory in the run-off vote, but beji caid essebsi's claim has been dismissed by his rival moncef marzouki, who says it's too early to call a winner. official results are expected on monday human rites watch says muslims in central -- human rights watch says muslims in central african republic are facing hunger and disease, and that u.n. peacekeepers are not providing them with security somebodies. -- assistance. pakistan plans to executed 55 me. four men were executed on
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sunday, convicted of being involved in an attack on the former president pervez musharraf police officers and tribes many in central iraq have retaken a town of west africa, west of the ramadi city. it had been under the control of the islamic state of iraq and levant for the past week. 22 i.s.i.l. fighters were killed in the operation. the president of iraq's kurdish reason is promising to crush i.s.i.l., make the the comments as he met the troops on mt sinjar. kurdish forces are facing resistance from the town of sinjar, and it was for from clear the united nations released new figures on the numbers killed. 7,000 people have died since the outbreak in march. the total number of people infected reached 19,000. the vast majority of infections
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happened in three west african countries - liberia, sierra leone, and guinea. senegal closed its borders, but is allowing the united nations to use its country as a base for supply to the affected states. a specially made airport is being built for planes carrying relief. >> going to the front line of the ebola crisis much doctors, nurses and engineers getting ready to board a special u.n. flight. it will take it to where the virus kills the most. it works in logistics. it will spend the next month without contact, checking its health. >> we under how the situation has to be implemented to protect ourselves and others. >> more than 7,000 people died of ebola, and the virus
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continues to spread. travelling to treat the sick is dangerous and difficult. commercial flights are difficult. >> we have not transported passengers with symptoms. >> it took months of negotiations before they allowed passengers and cargo to fly in and out to ebola-affected countries. there were conditions to the humanitarian corridor. >> one of the requests was to build a new airport terminal made for the response. this is something the united nations had never done before, until now. >> it's called a terminal h for humanitarian. this is where passengers, goods for building hospitals. there's be a medical clinic and isolation unit. construction will end in january.
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>> translation: thanks to these humanitarian corridor, we'll multiply the eighty to respond to the crisis. we have military support from the french, germans and americans. >> hundreds of soldiers set up camp next to the terminal. the response is unprecedented. the u.n. says they suffer a shortage of sound. more than 19,000 had been inflected. many medical and aid workers. confronting ebola is a dangerous job. not enough is ready to risk their lives to save others serbian war time suspect vojislav seselj says he will not return to the hague to hear the verdict on his case. he was released to receive treatment for cancer. he is using the chance to stage a return to politics. we met with him in belgrade. >> it is a gift i received from my friend saddam hussein.
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>> reporter: he is one of the last political strong men of yugoslavia's civil wars. after being text rarely released by the hague tribunals to receive cancer treatment vojislav seselj is back at work. >> translation: in the last 12 years the hague tribunal failed to prove any link between me and any atrocities. this is the siege that ended in the massacre of hundreds of crow at. he's accused by the hague of the persecution of serbs, murder, imprisonment and torture. this comes at a tentative time for serbia as it eases towards e.u. membership. there are those that are concern itted will lead to a lose of sovereignty and be damaging to its ties with russia. vojislav seselj made no secret of his desire to unit serbia and
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russia. >> interrupting the interview, vojislav seselj's mobile phone. the russian national anthem - his ring tone of choice. >> translation: all of our traditional members are e.u. members. russia is a friend and ally. e.u. countries bombed us in 1999. they bombed kosovo. russia, throughout history never attacked us. obstacles and delays be set the trial. the biggest upset was caused by the hague itself. infighting between the officials forced the replacement of one of the judges. serbian prosecutors accused the hague of being irresponsible. after all the court proceedings were finished and as they were reaching on agreement on the verdict the entire process was returned to square one. this is unacceptable.
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>> a new verdict is expected next year. vojislav seselj says he will not return. >> no. never. if they arrest me what i could do. >> reporter: while vojislav seselj remains in serbia, his influence grows. this is vojislav seselj at a recent rally. as the balkan struggles to come to terms with his violent history, the return of one of the most unrepentant nationalist threatens to enrage old tensions in france, airbus is handing over its first a 350 passenger jet to qatar airways, carries 350 passengers and cutting fuel construction by a quarter. airbus invested $15 million.
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>> reporter: it's an historic day in toulouse, with the last brand new generation plane, the airbus 8350 to be taken from qatar airways and delivered to doha. why do we care? it's taking airbus into the realms of carbon composite. it's 53% carbon, lighter, more fuel efficient, making savings of 25%, which is more important when oil is up around $100 a barrel. any savings will be appreciated. it's been delayed by a week. qatar airways not happy with the state it was last week, said that the interior fitout was not ready and up to their standards, which they and airbus admitted. before christmas, this plane will make its journey to doha on tuesday. >> romania made significant
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progress in housing its homeless. in the tunnels in syria below buickar rest, there's people that stay -- bucca rest there's people that stay below the reach of society. some viewers may find some images in this report disturbing. >> reporter: from afar it hooks like a mann hole cover. this is a door to a parallel society, a world beyond the reach of the police or the authorities. and it is right beneath the feet of commuters in a european capital. the first sense is a claustrophobic heat, and a pungent smell. then you see the sirrings and the needles everywhere. syringes and needles everywhere. presiding over all of this is bruce lee, the so-called king of the sewers. >> i want to stay here. if don't like it outside. i feel as fixiated between four
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walls. here it's different. here is my life. for me, all is life. i don't have dreams or hopes. they do. for them i have everything. i work for them to have a different life. >> bruce lee connected life. he hands out drugs and cigarettes in return for scrap metal or other its. everywhere here is h.i.v. positive. many have tb, and hepatitis. there are lights and flees. you kind of get used to the heat and smell down here. what you don't get used to is the continuous injecting the drugs along the sewers. there's sharp needles on the floor. frankly, what is surprising of all is that these people choose to stay here. orlando has lived in the suers for two or three years. he shows me the leg and the raw open sore where the drugs ravaged his skin.
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he tells me he'd like to go home, but can't tear himself away from the sewers. bucharest insists the numbers of street sleepers are exaggerated. the head of social services insist there's barely 40 people in the tunnel and are supported by outreach workers, needle exchange programs, and are not abandoned by the state. >> i'm happy i'm living in a country that is a member of the european union valuing the human rights perspective. we cannot force a perp to come into a social service if the person doesn't want to. >> there are decent homeless shelters like this north of the city center. they have beds available and rules - no alcohol, no drugs, no violence. there in the tunnels they don't have rules, they are allowed to do everything they want. that is why they don't want to come here, ou teams ask them to
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come here, they refuse. they won't get the same degree of freedom. >> reporter: in bruce lee's jungle it's drug addiction and a dependency. he wants to see some make new lives above ground. for many, the service world will never be more attractive than the oblivian of the drugs. >> in 2004 the indian ocean tsunami ravaged the south-eastern region. in the southern state of tamil. thousands were killed and large swathes of the coastline destroyed. in one community the tragedy inspired women to raise their voices and fight for their rights. >> reporter: sitting where her home stood she remembers the moment the sea swallowed her beachside village. as the scale of the destruction became clear, help began to arrive. some said not everyone was taken
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care of. >> translation: men were given preferential treatment by the government and aid agencies. women struggled with everything from relief, medical support to counselling. in my community women shouldered the responsibilities of the home. no one helped them. >> reporter: she decided to take control, helping women to get the support needed to rebuild their lives. what started as a call for unity during a disaster turned into the national coastal women's union with 10,000 memories. >> in 2004, some helped women into the village. 10 years on, they are calling communities across the post line. she said they have long been escorteded. >> once women recovered from the tsunami, they were emboldened to
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tackle problems. this 33-year-old mother of three turned to some for support. i told her i can't handle my husband torturing me. it protected me, helping me to find a new home. i live with my children, free from violence. >> some of these worked with thousands of women. while many people in this conservative male society admits, domestic violence is a problem. most say it's not surprising. >> everyone here is poor and uneducated. men are frustrated and drink a lot. that's why there's family problems. if children don't get a good education, the problems will continue. >> the waters have been a blessing and a curse. they have taken away so much, but given her the chance to make a lasting difference
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that is the end of this bulletin. headlines coming up. you can log on to our website, the address is aljazeera.com. find out more about the stories that we have been talking about. thanks for watching. last question, i guess. open for business with america - cuba. we are breaking down dramatic change between the two nations in over half a century. we look at what it does and does not do for american businesses. quitting america - why some are giving up their citizenship to save on their taxes. the institutional investors buying up forelarges after the housing collapse could look to close in soon. i look at what it could do to your home. i'm jen rogers in for ali ls
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