our collision is on the offensive, i.s.i.l. is on the defensive and will loss. the u.s. president calls on congress to sign up to his plan to degrade and destroy i.s.i.l. hello, i'm mikhail gorbachev. also coming up. world leaders gather in links for talks on the crisis as the fighting substance. captain of did guilty of manslaughter.

>> we ask the authorities investigate the senseless murders as a hate crime. >> the family of three muslims killed in the u.s. state of north carolina look for answers. >> president obama asked authorisation of military actions against the islamic state of iraq and levant. he left the door open for sending combat troops in the future. for six months for than 2,000 bombing raids have been carried out. those attacks will continue. >> we are disrupting command and control and supply lines, making it harder for them to move. we are destroying their fighting positions, their tanks, vehicles. their barracks.

their training camps. and the oil and gas facilities and infrastructure. >> what this will do is set parameters giving fresh legal approval. obama has been working under legislation in 2002. ahead of the invasion in iraq. some say that was a stretch legally. there's no geographic restrictions in permission sought. america will strike i.s.i.l. will it appears. in three years, it will lapse or be renewed. there's a window to allow ground troops to be deployed. president obama says it gives america flexibility. we have accessible elintense -- intelligence about leaders. i would be prepared to order special forces to take action because i will not allow the terrorists to have a safe haven. >> that interpretation of the law may be different at another time and under another

president. >> president obama wants congress to act. some committees are wanting to hold hearings holding members of the administration to give evidence. it could be weeks before some version is passed. >> the voices of dissent from president obama's own party. republicans welcomed the president trying to do something, but say there's work to be done. >> i'm not sure it's a strategy outlined president obama will almost definitely get the authorisation he requires but the situation is changing. the longer the debate, the wording could be significantly changed and therefore the mission. hundreds of christians are picking up arms. they are training to claim their down from fighters. >> this man is training to fight

i.s.i.l. forces. he is one of several thousands recruits hoping to defend their towns and villages. the assault last year forced the kurdish forces to succeed. >> i decided to volunteer after seeing security forces protect the christians. including the syrians and the minorities. >> peshmerga fighters are training recruits. they are using former u.s. military facility to create a force they hope will keep the home safe after i.s.i.l. has been pushed out. tens of thousands of crist yabs and yazidi -- christians and yazidis fled their homes, after being asked to renounce their fate and pay taxes. 50,000 christians wept. volunteers hope to protect the few remaining towns and villages from falling into the wrong hand. >> 500 recruits, mostly syrians,

will be trained. many are divided about having their own militia. >> it's important to train the young men properly. who are they what do they teach them. we don't know the thoughts they are feeding them. it's not right. >> some say the religious task force is fuelling divisions. a move which could see the country's demographing shift. >> in yemen, u.k. and france announced they are closing embassies. the houthi rebel group together growl of the government. u.s. is brokering talks between the houthis and factions. palestinian president met e.u. leaders in brussels to try to

get western european countries to recognise palestine as a state. the e.u. foreign policy chief, the palestinian leaders' visit coming a day after he stopped in stock home. >> now the leaders of the france germany, ukraine and russia held talks on the crisis in eastern ukraine. they are trying to reach a peace deal. sense the start of the year hundreds have been killed in fighting between troops and pro-russian separatists. rory challands reports from minsk. the leaders arrived self hours ago. we have heard through sources

that they are prepareing a joint declaration, but it seems there's a lot more issues to be discussed. they have to talk about the lines of demarcation between the separatists, and ukranian army they have to talk about things like federalization. decentralization. petro porashenko said that he will flutely not count federalization. that would be some sort of break-up of the ukranian nation and he wants ukraine to remain sovereign, and remain whole. they have to talk about the border, what happens between russia and ukraine, how, according to the ukrainians how could they stop the flow of russian weaponry and men across the border. is it going to be monitored by the o.s.c.e. these are difficult issues

there's difference between the various parties, and the talks can go on. >> an italian court convicted the captain of the did ship of manslaughter. fran shes coe schettino has been convicted. we have this report from where the trial was held. >> it's a verdict more than 2,000 crew line passengers and crew have been waiting for since 2012. wednesday night. the captain was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the ship rec of the did. the -- shipwreck of the costa concordia. the worst maritime disaster. schettino was given a five year sentence for causing a disaster after sailing the cruise ship

into rocks off the coast of giglio and 10 years for multiple counts of manslaughter after 32 passengers and crew died in the aftermath. he was sentenced to a year for abandoning passengers and banned for five years from the helm of the vessels. concordia survivor says she's been waiting this. >> 6 months for each death. and the family it's not 6 months or 17 years, it's forever. >> schettino was not in court to here the verdict. >> translation: in the end i'm forced to share painful moments that i shared with survivors in my home. that should not be allowed.

that's all, that's enough. the judges were not moved by schettino's tears. the lawyers said the sentence was not all negative. >> the sentence was too harshed for an unintentional felony. at least they didn't arrest him, as the prosecution asked. >> while the passengers affected may feel that justice was done they may have been did not in learning that captain schettino will not spend a day in prison until an appeals court upholds the sentence. for that, they'll have to wait more months. >> hundreds in north carolina gathered to remember three muslims shot dead. deah shakedy barakat yusor mohammad and rassan was killed in chapel hill.

police say an argument over parking may have led to the killing. but the family say it may have been a hate crime. >> we appreciate love and support from the community at large. we ask that the authorities investigate the senseless and heinous murders as a hate crime. we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time. andy gallagher has more. >> we have been talking to the family of the victims, they are clearly in mourning. deah's sister spoke about her brother, sister-in-law, spoke about how they helped the local community, and helped syrian refugees with charitable work.

the family disputes claims that this was over a parking matter. they claim hicks singled them out because of their faith, and call for this to be an investigation of a hate crime. that would take the investigation out of local police's hands, making it federal. this case, as the police say, is in the early stages craig stooep hicks has been -- steven hacks had been charged with first degree murder. >> stay with us. more to come. two al jazeera journalists face a cairo court as the retrial begins in a few hours time. details on that after the break.

>> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

hello, welcome back. let's remind you of the top stories on al jazeera. the u.s. president said the request for approval would not involve ground troops but the use of them in limited circumstances. >> the leaders of france germany, ukraine and russia held all-night talks in belarus. they are trying to reach a peace deal after a ceasefire collapsed. >> and an italian court convicted the captain of costa concordia. he was sentenced to imprisonment a man found guilty of

recruiting young people has been sentenced to prison. part of the mass trial of 46 young muslims, the biggest of its kind in belgium. simon mcgregor-wood reports. >> there was high security outside the courtroom. of 46 accused, fine were in court. >> in a close hearing. the judge declared that sharia4-belgium was a terrorist organization. all found guilty for recruiting dozens of muslims to fight in syria. around 350 belgians have done so. the greatest number in europe. >> the verdict is designed to send a signal to those thinking of going to syria. regardless of what they do when they are there are, they face progress if they return to belgium. >> if you want to be a member of

a terrorist organization and if you go for the same activities cooking, cleaning other events substantial things to people who are going to fight. that is enough in belgium for getting a severe sentence. it's the signal that the court was getting today. >> across europe there's a debate on how to stop young muslims from being radicalized. >> we are not focussing on the response because we think, indeed bending on the movement it promoting society values is important. we want the balance right. >> police and soldiers are a fixture on the belgium streets. the police station in brussels is surrounded by barbed wire. tensions between the muslim community and the authorities are high.

wednesday's verdict may set a harsh example, discourage some but will not do anything towards rebuilding trust. >> in an attempt to pd a long-running political deadlock - there has been a struggle between an internationally recognised government and a rival government after they took over tripoli in a few hours time two al jazeera journalists face a cairo court as a retrial begins. mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed spend 411 address in gaol. accused of colluding with the muslim brotherhood. al jazeera rejects those charges. >> baher mohamed and mohamed fadel fahmy were arrested on december 29, 2013 alongside correspondent peter greste. initially the detention was believed to be temporary, based

on bureaucratic problems with media accreditation. within days the top prosecutor announced they were being held on terror-related charges, alleging they were aiding the outlawed muslim brotherhood. the journalists and al jazeera network rejected the charges. >> so did the global media community, protesters around the world demonstrated in solidarity with the three men. when the trial began in february the three fleeted not guilty. the proceedings were ridiculed by legal experts around the world. evidence presented by the prosecution included footage from a different channel. music on the journalist's laptops and some work in africa. on june 23rd the verdict guilty. mohammed and peter sentenced to seven years. six other colleagues from al jazeera were sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison.

criticism came from the corridors of power around the world. >> the issue of al jazeera - we have been clear publicly and privately that they should be released. they had to wait several months before the case was reviewed. the court of cessation failed to find that there was a link to the muslim brotherhood. the court ordered a retrial. the three men had been in gaol for more than a year. >> a new decree by the president offered hope tore two men. peter greste an australian and a canadian egyptian were eligible to apply for deportation. a path for freedom not available to baher mohamed. diplomatic issues continued along side of the slow-moving process. on february the 1st, peter greste was freed on his 400th day in detention. met by his family in brisbane his unconditional release was

tinged with sadness and frustration. >> amidst the relief i feel a sense of concern, a sense of worry, if it is appropriate for me if it's right for me to be free, then it's right for all of them to be free. >> peter's release raised inspection that fahd's freedom was imminent. as the days wore on it became clear that he too, would stand alongside baher mohamed in court. their future in the hands of egyptian judiciary. >> month-long demonstrations left 43 dead. despite seeing many beaten and held in custody february 12th was always a day for students in venezuela to commemorate and a day of united 68 rebellion.

last year an occasion that served to demand change became a tragedy when three men were killed marking the beginning of the country's worst political violence in a decade. some students were defiant, planning on hitting the streets. a student leader is inviting classmates to a march, and histone might seem conciliatory but he is calling for political change. >> students will persevere and remain in the streets protesting. we believe change is eminent and are convinced we'll achieve it too. >> last year's clash left a bitter taste and many feel the need for a different approach one calling for nonviolence. not everyone will be joining the protests. a once unified front is showing

cracks. >> i'm afraid of being killed during a march or being underaged and thrown into a sell. the brutality of police and students is still there. we saw that the marching got us nowhere. i'm not saying that we remain quiet. we need to wake up and fined an alternative to street protests. >> also fuelling some of the students fear is a decree that allows for police to use lethal force at their own discretion during protests. opposition students organised different event across venezuela, hoping to rekindle the last protest movement. if they succeed in getting people out into the streets, despite internal divisions and government intimidation the meaning of february 12th might be changed forever. >> the republican led u.s.

congress has passed a controversial bill approving the construction of the keystone oil pipeline president obama said he's opposed to the pipe line transporting oil from canada to the gulf of mexico. the senate approved the bill. neither the house nor senate have votes to overcome a veto. barack obama has 10 address to sign or veto the legs leaks. >> leading marine scientists warn that 2015 could see coral reefs the world over destroyed. they blame the weather where an important coral reef is facing destruction. for decades this underwater land cape has been the focus of study for a marine scientist and conservationist. he's working to protect the region. it's home to 75% of the world's coral species, 3,000 different

kinds of fish and a host of unique marine life. >> it is the home for fish. grown for fish. coral reef is like shelter. >> climate change is warming the ocean causing cases of bleaching it die-off. el nino will warm the waters and take it a step closer to extinction. >> if this disappear, fish will disappear. >> there are other threats to the coral. angelique, a resort operator has been battling. protests by villagers turned violence with rocks thrown. the mine is protected by officials. >> authorities have been aggressive in keeping diversar way from operations. we are going to dive in here.

swim was close as we can get to the jetty, underwater. >> visibility is to poor it's all we can do to stay together. when we find the reef it's covered in thick silt. >> each the visible patches are choking. after only a few minutes. we surface. >> how was the coral before? >> it was beautiful, healthy. top colours, lots of fish. nothing. >> not all is lost. while researchers found climate change is not having as big an impact on coral here because the triangle reefs are going deeper to the water. to protect them from human destruction, they formed teams to guard the reefs. >> i have confidence that if they do something. it will still be access the. resources of the people still

accessed. people still can eat for tomorrow and in the future. >> with the way currents carry coral, it's believed preserving this underwater paradise could save reefs worldwide. >> the private u.s. company space x successfully launched a satellite for n.a.s.a. designed to give warning of solar storm, bringing back live images. planet. it blasted off from cape cannes avarral. it will take 3.5 months to get there meanwhile, earlier won'ts the european space agency conducted a test flight for a craft that could pave the way for a reusable space plane. it has proven launch and orbiting systems, and is focussing on technology.

technology expert explains. >> reporter: the successful launch from a rocket in france. on board the european space agencies $169 million experimental vehicle. packed with censors and about the size of a car. >> we are going to gather a lot of data. we have more than 300 sensors, cam cease, we are going to -- cameras. we are going to muster the re-entry phenomena. >> the 2- tonne vehicle climbed to a height of 400 kilometres. unlike the space shuttle which was pile oted. the cone shape began an automated re-entry. reaching speeds of 7,500km a second, 27,000 an hour. the surface heated up. a test of strength and master

ability. >> it's a fundamental step. we are mastering the technology for the next step being able to look at this application of bringing it back to people from infrastructure. not only that but the capability of bringing back the stages. reusable launch vehicles as well as to open the way to the possibility to bring back samples from asteroids or other planets. just over an hour and a half, the craft splashed down in the pacific ocean, where it was recovered. information that is invaluable as the european space agency works to develop a reusable space plane. >> now, what would you do with half a billion dollars? that's the current jackpot of america's power ball lottery. the third-largest history.

chances of a win in the draw are pretty slim. one in 175 million. that has not stopped people snapping up a record number of tickets. don't worry if you don't win, keep up to date with stuff on the website. aljazeera.com. >> on "america tonight": >> like so many children with autism, 13-year-old gus snowdon has trouble communicationing withcommunicating withothers. except for one. >> for the first time he asked for a play d