. >> and a very warm welcome from me david foster to this al jazeera news hour. these are some of the stories that we're looking at in detail in the next 60 minutes. troops in the streets for the first time in decades after a number of raids. we have the latest from bruce he brussels. >> protesters in niger target churches and the police. >> did israel commit war crimes

in gaza. the icc agree to look at evidence presented by palestinians. >> we're in the netherlands where the researchers have created a potato that they say could feed millions around the world. >> it has not happened in 30 years, but belgium has deployed hundreds of troops to back up police in its cities. they're guarding several sites. earlier on belgium security forces took people into custody. much of europe is on high alert after gunmen have killed 13 people. >> it has been announced a level

of security, and it has been announced for a week. and we will evaluate after the first week. that's one thing. second thing is that it has to be about support of police. it's not getting in place of the police. the idea is that the police will do police work by driving around and making checks and things like that. >> let's hear now from our correspondent who is in brussels. >> belgium is in a heightened state of alert. they have taken the unusual step of calling in the army. we're seeing them here on the streets of bruce he wills. they're expected to be on the streets in the north of the country that has a very large jewish population and eastern industrial town. on thursday the authorities

staged a major raid against a suspected extremist cell. there are two suspects were killed. a third was arrested. oneone of a dozen raids that took place across the country. they have dismantled a network destroyed it's joe his technical capability. they say those people were planning attacks on key targets key installations. they have more of its population in iraq and syria than any other e.u. country. the fear here is that people could bring back the fight to the streets of belgium. >> one of the suspects in last week's paris attacks have been reportedly given a secret burial. thehe traveled to yemen where he met a prominent figure in al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula.

the group had claimed responsibility for those attacks in paris. and two french nationals have been arrested in yemen. security officials say that the two men are suspected to have links to al-qaeda and are being held for questioning. let's go to our correspondent in the south of the country. now they're saying whether there is any link to the arrest of these french people and the brothers and others involved in the attacks in and around paris. >> no, david, they are not. and they've held them, we believe, since the attack took place on charlie hebdo in paris the head of the yemeni intelligence say that there were two french nationals being detained for suspected links with extremist groups. they also said that tens of foreigners, as well as hundreds of yemeni nationals are also in detention and being questioned.

i think they're being questioned with suspected links and with perhaps a direct influence of what happened in paris. >> more information coming out as i understand it, omar, about one of the kouachi brothers and the time he spent in yemen. >> yes that's right. the head of the intelligence services said that cherif kouachi stayed only ten days in yemen. he met with another french national who apparently has links to al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula. there was confusion with regards to the leaders in yemen. but now it's only cherif kouachi who was in yemen. so this is the link that the

yemeni authorities are giving us. i have to say david that the head of the intelligence, as reiterating the words of the president they're not saying that yemen is an exporter of terrorism but rather a victory of terror. this is not a failure on behalf of the yemen but the french intelligence services because cherif kouachi only remained for ten days. >> thousands of worldwide are protesting the latest charlie hebdo magazine, which again has a cartoon of islam's prophet muhammad on the cover. here we see niger's capitol where police fire tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators. on friday four people, including a soldier, died when the protest there turned violent.

>> they offended our prophet muhammad. that's why we didn't like this. this is why we muslims are trying to protest. but the state is not letting us. that is why we're angry today. >> demonstrations of a different place are taking place. they're supporting the government's decision to deploy troops to cameroon. they'll help to combat boko haram, which attack admit baseed a cameroon base earlier this month. and in mali the united nations says that two car bombs exploded in the northern town of kibau. the second vehicle managed to be driven in the camp. one soldier was killed and five of the countrymen were hurt.

international criminal court has opened what it called a preliminary inquiry into whether or not war crimes were committed in palestine last year. israel and the u.s. have criticized the icc decision as, quote scandalous. and it's been called an irony. james bays explains. >> reporter: over 2,100 dead almost 500 of them children. the war in gaza made 2014 the deadliest year for palestinians since 1967. now, the very first stage of a legal process that could see war crimes charges launched. when the palestinian president mahmood abbas signed the statute on the last day of last year, he also signed a declaration giving the court jurisdiction from the 13th of june 2014.

the chief prosecutor of the court has now launched a preliminary examination into events from that date. in effect initial inquiry if to see if she should launch an investigation. she said: >> from jerusalem the reaction was swift and angry. prime minister benjamin netanyahu said:

>> experts say that the prosecutor's move is not politically motivated. >> i think israel authorities should understand that this is a judicial process and inherent in that is impartiality and application of facts. they also need to understand that the prosecutor will be looking at serious crimes committed by israelis as well as by serious crimes committed by palestinians. >> it's almost three weeks since the palestinians signed up to their own statute. the aim there was partly legal but also political. they knew that the legal process now in it's very earliest stage was going to be extremely drawn out. politically, though, in this highly charge period of israeli campaign they're already making waves. james base, al jazeera, the united nations.

>> let's examine this in a little more detail. let's bring in the deputy prosecutor good to have you with us. i'm going to read out what the icc has said about a preliminary examination. it said what is available to reach a fully and formed determination whether there is reason to proceed in an investigation. it's similar to a grand jury in the united states. let's see if we have some kind of case. how does it work? >> technically, i was never deputy prosecutor. that apart what happens now she conducts a preliminary investigation. in that investigation she looks at available material, including the issue of somebody else, for example, if israel is investigating the matter properly.

if these big players america russia are involved there is a great reluctance on the part of the prosecutor in the icc or there has been in the days of her predecessor to take on the big battalions, and delay becomes the order of the day. there are many ways she could delay making a decision even to move beyond a preliminary investigation into a former investigation. she could say yes israel said it's investigating. she should say it's not enough evidence but frankly this is a case where she should respect the rule of law. she should accept that the public generally have had enough of politicians using the courts for their own purposes and say this is a case where there is a great deal of evidence, a great deal of commentary from important people, including the secretary general of the united nations to the effect that this needs to be investigated. she should get on and she should investigate it. she should investigate both sides. >> simply i was going to athe

fact is no matter how much pressure she is put under this takes a long time any way. when a ship went into israeli waters there was nine months before anybody-- >> it was longer than that. it was 18 months between the first referral and the decision not to investigate. then she decided that she wasn't going to investigate on the basis that the war crimes might have been committed simply did not kill nine people on the oceans was not grave enough for her to go into a full investigation. i have to declare an interest by representing the victim on that particular boat. you have other examples of longer delay than the 18 months of this case. you have years in the case of columbia, and years in the case of georgia and rush. russia. the time has come when people are seeing through the delays that are built into this process. the delays aren't actually

necessary. it didn't happen in the case of libya, where it was in the international community's interest or it was thought to move to a rapid conclusion. given the amount of material there is, lots of people have been investigating this. there is going to be a report out in march i think presided over on behalf of the united nations human rights council. there is going to be a lot of material. frankly, if this is an occasion when she again yields--well, not she because she's successor to a man who did yield to political pressure the public will lose faith in the rule of law. >> i want to ask you about one last thing and we could talk about it for a great deal of time but the decision to pick a particular start date from when things would be investigated, the day after three israeli teenagers were killed, which some people said was the precursor to the eventual

israeli bombardment of gaza, why would that date have been picked? >> it seems to be a bit unfortunate, really. it saves hamas authority or fattah from being considered in respect to that particular part of the conflict. it might have been rather better of them to have put the start date back before that so not only would the court be in a position to investigate both sides, because it would be in a position to investigate that incident. if it found as man people say that it wasn't part of official hamas or anyone palestinian official or quasi official body, this would have left israel without any excuse at all starting operation protective edge is concerned. on the other hand if it was found by a court that this particular incident had been caused by one of the palestinian bodies then things would be very different. israel could, of course, bring

that issue in itself by making its oat declaration. many suspect they won't do that. >> we appreciate your time, and my apologies for demoting you. >> never mind that. >> good to have your thoughts. >> thanks. >> bye. >> still ahead in the al jazeera news hour, the u.n. said that thousands of refugee are caught inside of a camp who are desperate. there is hope with people with spine injuries. how chinese surgeons are using stem cells in a new way. africa's biggest tournament ready for quick off. we have the latest. >> it is mentioned that the u.n.

is getting increasingly worried about those palestinian refugee who is are trapped inside yarmouk camp in syria. the relief agencies have not been able to give out aid for six weeks because of fighting there. the camp is besieged, the syrian camp is cut off from pretty much everything. al jazeera was able to get a rare access inside. we've been studying more on the living conditions there. >> reporter: there is no way for them to get in or out. the palestinian refugee who is once sought shelter here because of trouble back home are now once again desperate to escape. for more than a year there has been little to no electricity and fuel is a luxury they simply cannot forward. >> the generator operates but not regularly. the electric generator operates only every other day depending on the circumstances.

>> and when it's reinstated, the power is cut off again. >> they have offered supplies from other cities, but the regime has cut these lines. >> locals rely on rechargeable batteries, but it's not a dependable source, and it's expensive. >> we need $1.30 every day to recharge the battery. and every similar day we need $1 for the laptop and the mobile phone, but we don't have jobs. the situation is very bad. >> the u.n. said there are around 18,000 palestinians refugees living in the yarmouk camp in an area just over two square kilometers. 400 food parcels are needed each day to help those in the camp but it has not been able to deliver those needs. so far the calls have been

ignored. [ baby crying ] >> in january of last year these pictures show the level of starvation and malnutrition in yarmouk. since then little has improved, and much needed medical supplies still cannot be delivered. >> they are just some of the millions who have suffered from a war that is now almost four years old. erica woods al jazeera. >> the situation is no better for those refugee who is fled the fighting in syria. jordan home now to more than 800,000, many liveing in squalor conditions. and in turkey, 1 million syrians. iraq 200,000 there.

and in lebanon 1.3 million syrian there is. we went to a lebanese town and heard the horrifying stories of some of them here. >> i'm in a syrian refugee camp in arsal. the number has grown between 70 to 100,000. it shows what a tremendous strain on the resources of the town. over the last couple of weeks a big problem has been the weather. overnight sometimes its dropped to minus 10 degrees across the valley. reports that ten syrian refugees have died from the cold. we met one family who had suffered that in the valley. >> a harsh winter has come to the valley. covering the hills and homes with snow. this house has no heating. it's a bitterly cold cement shell. the family escaped the fighting in syria and moved to lebanon

in 2011. they've lived in this house for the last five months. a week ago the overnight temperature dropped to minus 10 degrees celsius. >> when my mother passed away there was nothing wrong with her. i wake up early in the morning and i saw her shivering. we rushed to warm her up but couldn't. we took her next door to get her warm but it was not enough. she passed away. >> the youngest daughter is 14 years old. we see where the family slept together in one room. there are holes in the wall and ceiling. and the night their mother died there was no gas to heat the place up. their father is away in syria waiting for permission to enter lebanon. the children say they won't live in this house again. it's too painful. the children have moved in with

a lebanese family next door. here it's warm and safe. they're waiting to get help from the united nations. and they're waiting for their father to return. and until he does they'll stay here. >> the kids are staying in my home. what should i do, leave them in the streets. >> the body could not be buried for four days. the grouped was frozen hard. she has been laid to rest in the valley. her children say for that reason they will now never return to syria. they will stay here in lebanon close to their mother's grave. >> across lebanon syrian rafaels are able to move freely and look for work. it's a different situation here in arsal. this town has been put under a security lockdown. the syrian refugees here are not allowed to move in and out.

now the lebanese army has done this because in august of last year fighters from isil and the al nusra front moved in to the town of arsal, took control of it had a battle with the lebanese army and they moved to the outskirts of town. the situation here is still precarious. people say it's a frustrating situation. they want to try to get work, but they're stuck in the town, in the camps and they're not allowed to leave. >> nicole johnston, one side of the syrian border in lebanon and to the other border to iraq.

>> on the move against isil kurdish peshmerga troops on the front lines against the armed group. these men are engaged in daily battles to keep isil away from erbil. so far their lines have held. a short drive away is the city of erbil. here people calmly go about their business almost oblivious to the fighting outside of their city. >> they're fighting very professionally. with more than 6,000 years of history erbil is one of the oldest cities in the world.

er bill is experiencing a construction boom. today the city boasts world class hotels and state of the art buildings. it's malls are full of designer stores. >> things have not always been like this. our parents and grandparents faced hardship living under dictatorship and conflict. we hope that erbil will remain safe from isil. >> eager to show off their new-found wealth. >> this is where people come to buy luxury vehicles. the point they're hoping to make is that erbil is a far cry from its past.

>> it's good. the cars are expensive and also they're luxury cars. >> authorities say they continue to build what they hope to be the capitol of their own country. al jazeera erbil. >> just over a week until greeks go to the polls. people there are skeptical about the anti-austerity promises made by the opposition. there is anger in china after a boat capsizes killing 22 people. and the host australia handed over a major set back.

we have details coming up in 20 minutes.

>> timing to through the global headlines. the international criminal court has opened what it calls the preliminary up wirery into whether or not war crimes were committed against palestinians last year. israel and the u.s. have criticized the icc decision saying its scandalous and calling it a tragic irony. belgium has put troops on the treats to protect targets of terrorist attacks. this is after a series of anti-terror raids across belgium. refugees are trapped inside the yarmouk camp, aid has not

been delivered for six weeks because of fighting. details are emerging from one of the two procedures who attacked the french satirical magazine charlie hebdo earlier this month. they were french citizens born in france to algerian parents. we've been looking at cherif kouachi life. >> when the french think of the suburbs, many think of bleak highrise housing on the edge of paris like here. where cherif kouachi lived. when i came to his apartment i found a well-maintained building full of ordinary people leading ordinary lives and neighbors who noticed nothing unusual about him. >> he was unremarkable. he seemed transparent. he would say hello good evening. he was always alone. and he wrote his bicycle. he kept it in the back, just

like me. >> the orphan, who had become a rapper and small-town criminal was slowly falling under the influence of radical islam. said and cherif kouachi visited this mosque. >> this mosque welcomes a huge number of people. there were hundreds praying here last friday. >> it was here that cherif kouachi spent several months a few years ago in connection with a plot to send militants to iraq. and we think it was here that he medicine amedi coulibaly who was also serving time. now prisons have played an usual

role in the spread of radical islam in france. we think both men were hardened by their experience here. these pictures were secretly taken in a place where anger fessterred. he said that france must do more to stop radical ideas spreading in prisons. >> young prisoners took refuge in prison because prison is so terrible. many young people look for something to hold on to. they have questions and seek answers, and where they can find them. >> how much more are out them. the authorities are looking for more like them. but france needs to build a society where people feel they belong and are not tempted to

lash out in rage. >> now university teachers could be expelled now for protesting, participating in campus politics or if found possessing any kind of weapon. the president al sisi signed an order to that effect. one of al jazeera's journalists who have been imprisoned for years now ask the canadian prime minister stephen harper to directly intervene in the test. while he played his plea canada's foreign minister discussed with officials. an appeals court in cairo

declared a rae trial. they've been in jail for 385 days. truck was caught fire in a tunnel. french authorities say that the channel tunnel is closed until further notice. >> well, 300 asylum seekers have been rescued from the coast of italy. most of them arrived from the middle east and north africa. people of greece will have a chance to vote again next weekend. many believe that the left wing will beat the conservative ruling government. it's promising people that it will end ther of a austerity. greece lost a third of its economy through spending cuts.

>> this is a man most people see as grease's prime minister in waiting. the key proposal is to free individuals and the state from debt they cannot pay. >> now greece is rising on its feet. >> greeks owe an unprecedented $200 billion to banks social security and the tax man. they say it will freeze much of their private debt, freak up resources and it wants euro zone to write off half of the national debt. in the short term the peter would spend $12 billion a year providing food and electricity and healthcare for those who lost their livelihoods. they promise to cast off the

shackles of austerity and restore greece's sovereignty. yet greeks are approaching the party with caution. there is anger mixed with fear. >> swing voters are worried about unsettling their fragile achievement. >> i don't trust them. are we going to wake up the day after the election and find out all our problems have been solved. i don't think so. >> in the last election there was consequences for the euro. it has now tempered its message. >> we have never considered a default. we have always said that the debt serving cannot deprive the country of the value of the resources, which are needed for their social cohesion and growth.

now there are many voices in europe who agree with us. recession and high unemployment is not only great problems. what makes this a winner now is that the ruling conservatives have tumbleed. >> terrible weather in the java sea has has halted efforts to bring up the plane. 162 people died in the crash last month. in china they're trying to recover bodies from a tugboat

that crashed in yangtze river. >> as soon as hey heard the news that the tugboat had sunk, many relatives came to where it happened to wait for news. many turned to anger in what had been done. >> what are you doing here? my family is inside there. >> some wanted to bring their loved one's bodies home immediately. anger at being kept away, they took it out on the police. [ sobbing ] >> we're here to bring you back. come back home to us. >> state media reported as many as 30 vessels were involved in the search and recovery efforts. swift currents hampered the rescue. it wasn't until saturday, two days after the boat sank that they were able to pull the boat

to shallow waters to conduct a thorough search inside. out of the 25 people on board only three were rescued. one of them was a man who was working as an interpreter. he was called to safety 14 hours after the body capsized when rescue teams managed to cut through the hull. >> we knocked on the boat. there was a response. >> the boat started to lift. the water rushed in. he survived by clinging to a pump but the majority on board were not so lucky. there is no indication of what caused the newly built boat to capsize. the local government has accused the shape owners of failing to report its route or testing plans. al jazeera beijing. >> pope francis has been to meet some of the survivors of last year's typhoon haiyan in the philippines.

ironically bad weather forced him to cut short that trip to tackle tacleban. >> the crowd welcomed the pope to taclban. this was a visit of significance. pope france's visit here francis' visit here was to push important climate change talks next year. the vatican will issue a new doctrine on climate change. >> delivering a message of compassion to typhoon victims here in the philippines and delivering a message to the world about the devastating

effects of climate change. >> changing weather parents is part of why life continues to be difficult in seaside communities here. these women survive typhoon haiyan and formed an organization to help themselves. >> they hope that the pope will put some sense into how people understand poverty and the effects of climb change on poverty, and how it really promoted poverty in the lives of people like these women. >> here with the help of a priest they try to overcome their fear of the sea since the typhoon hit. and remember their relatives and friends who were killed. pope francis managed to meet survivors and visit a mass grave, but the pontiff apologized for having to cut short his visit. another typhoon was moving in.

al jazeera, the philippines. >> stay with us if you can on the news hour. chinese doctors say they performed the world first surgery using stem cells to treat a paralyzed patient. we have the sport and off to buenos aires. live there with this year's dakar rally has wrapped up.

>> the united nations is saying every minute the world loses a small but valuable portion of

land because of sallennization too much salt seeping in. it is ruining crops such as potatoes. it's the world's most important food crop after wheat and rice. the world produces 300 tons around around the world every year and is part of the diet for one billion people. there are 250 million farm efforts worldwide who live in salt-affected land. and sea levels are going up because of climate change. for them potatoes have been thought to impossible to grow until now. our science editor went to the dutch island where a team of researchers have developed a spud that they say could change

the world. >> they get packed and ready for sell. but these are not ordinary potato mis. their properties could change the lives of millions of farmers worldwide. >> it has ait can be grown in half seawater with dutch conditions. the specialty about this potato is that it tastes much nicer than an ordinary potato because of the aromas in it. >> it is sweeter. >> until researchers started looking into iter it was widely believed that you could not grow potatoes in a soil with a salt reading over eight. if you choose the right variety the amount of potatoes you may grow may drop but it's still a decent quantity. these were irrigated with a 50/50 mix of fresh and seawater. it's estimated 250 million

farmers around the world live on salt-affected soils like these in the netherlands. their choice of crops and yields have been limited by the salt levels in the soil. >> everybody thinks that saltwater and agriculture is not a good combination but we're proving that you can do a lot with the brackish water resources of the world and you can use saline soils to produce lots of food. >> it's not just potatoes. they're exploring salt resistence in karats and cabbages tomatoes and strawberries and whether these could be grown on floating mats in salt i couldn't waters. >> everybody using the data as an international standard, but we found varieties of many different crops that grow much

better under saline conditions than anybody thought possible. >> a test crop growing in pakistan where a few million hectares are affected by salt. >> this potato, hopefully will produce next year 12 to 20 tons per hectare, and then it's an enormous jump ahead. >> results are expected next month. a positive outcome could well see this new potato assume a role in helping to feed the world. al jazeera on the island in the netherlands. >> there go. we have sport. >> thank you so much, david. this year's edition of the african cup of nations will kick off in a few minutes. they'll open the tournament of

bata against congo. we can go live now to correspondent and equatorial guinea only had two months to prepare as hosts. how ready is it. >> when you consider what this country has had to do in a short period of time is a miracle. thethey have asked fans, players, to be as patient as possible. they were virtually mono sill syllabic.

just as he stopped talking the pa blasted music. he was not very impressed. but the fact that it's taking place at all is pretty impressive. >> what are the chances for equatorial guinea. >> you have to say pretty implement: they're the lowest ranked side in africa. they've made the decision to change their coach at the last minute. they were looking at the winningest team a few weeks ago has given 11 days to repair the team for this opening match.

so a huge test ahead for them. >> who are the tournament favorites? >> some of the favorites are algeria. the only side to make it through to the last 16. just beaten by champions germany they gave them a real fright. often the teams that win have a lot of players based in their home country. nigeria, zambia, egypt that has been the case. if you're looking for a trend it's tunisia. they came from a tough qualifying group and they are a team to look out for. >> reporting live from bata. in australia top spot in the asian cup beaten by south korea in brisbane. think failed to convert a number of chances at the match.

the campaign for the 1-0 defeat in kuwait chelsea are look to extend their league in the english premier league. they're taking on swansea. liverpool are a goal up away from aston villa holding them 0-1 draw. and in bike, pollen has won his fifth wins.

andrew simmons is live for us from buenos aires. what a great story. tell us a bit about him. >> they're all waiting for him here. something of a hero's figure. the master of the desert, not only that, he's also a shooter. he shoots clay pigeons and he's prayed good at that. he actually has a bronze medal and the atmosphere is really building. it was an extraordinary rally. >> okay, we'll have to leave it there for now andrew. we'll talk to you later.

andrew simmons reporting live for us from buenos aires. martin kymer has a lead in the abu dhabi championship. he shot 7-under 65 to extend his lead from one stroke to six. the irishman shot a 71 to go eight shots behind kymer. in the second round of the sony open in ohio, number 11 matt kutcher bogeyed a 63 to take his share of the lead at 12 under. simpson had three birdies over the last five finishing with 66.

>> djokovic and federer had good opening weeks while in a dal had a poor start to the season. women's top seats serena williams will kick off against the top ranked belgium. she'll be going for a record sick open title. that's all your sport for now. >> thank you. thank you very much. chinese doctors say they have a world first in surgery. they've been experimenting on animals for more than ten years. the surgery will come under proper scrutiny where reputation is key. >> while all operations are delicate there is an added

level of pressure when the surgery is a world first. on the table is a patient known only as mr. wang. paralyzed in a car accident two months ago it is hoped that this experimental procedure will allow him to walk again. neurosurgeries are placing stents in mr. wang's spine. but what comes next is new in medicine. >> we replaced the area with a stent and put in stem cells for if to grow it. >> it is hoped that it will regenerate and help the spine. they've been using it on animals with some success. >> we've signed fibers like a bridge or rail that cells can

climb over. it will improve the regeneration capacity. >> the stem cell market is a multi billion dollar industry, and this surgery still has yet to be scrutinized. in asia where it is legal are eager to promote their procedures which watchdogs say are often expensive and often ineffective. in poland, a man paralyzed by a knife attack was able to walk again after cells from his nose was implanted into his spine. mr. wang if recovery happens it will be slow. every development watched closely by those hoping for the same kind of cure. >> now that's it from the news hour team. we have more news in just a couple of minutes. stay with us if you can.

>> call amy smith at work >> when we're behind the wheel >> basically we just don't multi-task as well as we think... >> are we focused on what's ahead? >> what could those misses mean? >> distracted driving... the new road hazard >> i'm driving like a maniac >> you're distracted... >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie... what can you tell me about my future? >> can effect and surprise us... >> don't try this at home >> techknow... where technology meets humanity... only on al jazeera america

the second discussion they had at the white house in as many days, the topics among other things included cyber security eu sanctions . >> we have the latest from bless else. --we have the latest from brussels. coming up in the next 03 minutes offended by charlie hebdo's latest magazine attack. >> did israel commit war crimes in gaza? the