a major set back for ukraine. separatists have routed the ukrainian army and secured the strategic railway junction at debaltseve. in the streets of carmingt argentina thousands of protesters are demanding to know. and the practice affecting millions of girls around the world. and ringing in the lunar new

year and celebrating the year of the sheep. good evening and welcome to the international hours of al jazeera, i'm antonio mora. >> i'm stephanie sy. all but conceding an important railway town to pro-russian forces. about 2500 forces withdrew from debaltseve coming under fire as they departed and six soldiers died. this happens three days after a ceasefire went into effect. >> 80% of the troops are out. the separatist takeover is being widely condemned internationally. >> the u.s. joining critics vice president joe biden saying,

if the procedures continue to violate the ceasefire. >> military vehicles taking over residential areas. most forces have been right retreated. >> pushed out by relentless bombardment from separatist artillery and ground assault from separatist fighters. all this happened four days after a ceasefire supposedly began. the ukrainian wounded were taken to arteminsk. >> there are no words to describe it. along the entire way we were blanketed with shots. they fired at us with machine guns and grenade lampers they used everything. we left debaltseve at 5:00 a.m.

and until now we were under constant fire. >> we found fighters here confident and bull bullish. there was no shortage of tanks and armor. many of the fighters believe the ukrainians should be forced to withdraw from the whole donetsk region. >> translator: in my opinion our first task is to push the enemy back to the border of the donetsk and luhansk regions after that we will see. >> reporter: and there was aa thinnary veiled threat aimed at ukrainian stragglers. >> i can't imagine what will happen after that, time will tell. >> the loss of the town of debaltseve for ukrainians is a bitter blow. they had invested much capital both human and military in trying to defend it. but the smoke that hangs over the town now appears to be nothing more than a cleaning up operation by the pro-russian

forces the ukrainian forces it appears have withdrawn. the separatists are adamant that debaltseve was encircled well before the minsk ceasefire was agreed and therefore was part of separatist territory. but ukraine has insisted that they flouted the ceasefire agreement. last disputed town has been settled and that gives some small hope that the two sides can now begin to disengage across the whole length of the front line. paul brennan, al jazeera near debaltseve. >> the budget analyst of debaltseve left much of the small town in ruins. video shows extensive damage from months of fighting. the ukrainian troops left behind weapons and ammunition and littered throughout, bodies can

be seen lying in the streets. >> the fighting in eastern ukraine continues to affect millions living in the region. we have a new number of dead, 5600 killed, 14,000 wounded. 5.2 million ukrainians are still living in the middle of the conflict zone but 925,000 have been displaced within the country since the conflict started, many of them children and elderly. as many as 400,000 heading for russia. joining me now from washington d.c. is ambassador william taylor he served as u.s. ambassador for ukraine. always good to see you. the separatists argue that debaltseve does not count because they had it surrounded. >> it's a clear violation antonio, exactly what you say there was no mention of debaltseve, there was no special deal for debaltseve. there was a ceasefire that actually was delayed president

poroshenko wanted a ceasefire at the time of the agreement but the russians wanted to wait 60 hours in order for russian units who are in eastern ukraine supporting the separatists but let's be clear they're russian units in eastern ukraine could actually try to take debaltseve. well, they didn't. the ukrainian forces held out. it's a clear violation. >> is it clear the ceasefire holds out? we heard in paul brennan's piece, the separatists don't want to stop until they are in control. >> was there an agreement in minsk? the the answer was yes. president putin agreed, president poroshenko agreed and

frau merkel agreed. and president hollande agreed. this means the russians continue the aggression and what that means as people have said over and over, if the russians don't abide by this agreement then the sanctions get increased and weapons could be provided. >> i want to talk about the sanctions in a moment but putin in fact taunted the ukrainians. he said it had to hurt when you lose to yesterday's miners and tractor drivers he still does not acknowledge that russia is providing the separatists with weapons and personnel. the new russia, what happens here? >> what happens here is mr. putin again is identified by the entire world as telling lies. he knows everybody knows that there are russian troops, russian equipment russian forces in eastern ukraine that are supporting and fighting

against the ukrainians. so this is a cynical statement by mr. putin. >> but -- and there is a certain amount of bluster coming out of unioneurope and russia as well about the cost that is to be paid if the ceasefire doesn't hold. even if there is follow through will it make a difference because putin certainly doesn't seem concerned. >> he doesn't seem concerned yet although aol we know that there are great concerns in the kremlin. there are great kings about two things two domestic political things that the people in the kremlin probably even mr. putin are concerned about. the increasing bite by the sanctions, the ruble falling through the floor the russian economy is in terrible shape the economic problem. the political problem is that

russian soldiers continue to die in ukraine in a war that mr. putin tells his people is not happening. the russian mothers know that it's happening because their sons have died. those two problems continue to mount for mr. putin. >> quick final question ambassador. is the ukrainian government of petro poroshenko threatened by all these set backs? >> this can't be good for petro poroshenko. but they know it's a tough fight. the international community must support mr. poroshenko and the ukrainians against the russians. >> ambassador william taylor in washington, thank you very much. a counteroffensive by nigerian forces have apparently killed hundreds of boko haram fighters. more than 300 rebels died during an effort to take back 11 towns this week.

two nigerian soldiers also died during the offensive. cameroon and chad also carried out offenses against the group along the nigerian border. meanwhile, the u.s. launched annual training exercises with african forces in chad. including three countries where boko haram has launched ordinance, niger nigeria and cameroon. the united states is providing military equipment to the officers in their fight. demanding answers in the mysterious debt of prosecutor alberto nisman. the following day he was scheduled to go before congress to accuse argentina's president of conspiring with iran to cover up a deadly attack on a jewish center in 1994 in exchange for iranian oil. >> al jazeera's lucia newman reports on the calls for an

independent judiciary. >> the march lasted for two hours under the relentless pouring rain but this did not deter thousands and thousands of people who came out here to pay homage to the dead prosecutor alberto nisman who died exactly a month ago under suspicious circumstances. although this was not supposed to be a political march they suspected that the argentine president had something to do with the prosecutor's death. the march was attended by nearly every opposition leader, a month before presidential elections. there was clearly a political tone to all of this. the government had condemned the march saying that it was being called by, quote people who were trying to carry out a judicial coup against the government and destabilize it. but at the very end the

president sees this as very much an antigovernment demonstration. the presidential chief of staff said they were trying to stage a coup against the president and destabilize the president's hold on power. they say no, what they want is to get answers who killed or at least who they believe killed alberto nisman. >> kirchner's administration denied anything to do with his death. for more on this, we are joined by sol ada miguel cabrera rah. soledaz miguel cabrera rah. >> thank you antonio, thank you for reaching out.

gls. >> claiming for justice and a call against impunity. and that will be true for the whole political class. however, if we stay a broader perspective and we think about the crisis triggered by nisman's death and his accusations against mrs. fernandez, i think this have a political nuclear andinstitutional and international effect. >> for nisman's death first they said he had committed suicide then they accused nisman's opponents, do we know what happened? will there be a serious investigation that is not politicized? >> i hope so, i must be optimistic but i doubt it. i think it's very difficult that

this process goes through its ordinary process if a conspiring way and i think that's why we had all these people demonstrating in the street and all the political leaders as well together with the family of the victim. so i wish i could say yes. but i really doubt it. >> now one criticism of the march was that it was politicized as well and you don't usually see judges organizing a protest march and the opposition to the government made sure it was front and center. was this hijacked by the politicians? >> i wouldn't say this. i think the prosecutors have called this march because a colleague while met his death. this is this was a turning point in the way we do politics in argentina.

so i think that was a huge call, and that's why everybody felt they had a say in this cause. and the other thing i would like to highlight sorry is that during the march there were no political flags and the people who were leading the march were just asking for one minute of silence and after of everybody was in silence they just call it out and the people were about to leave. this was it. we were commemorating this person's death and that was actually it. >> what was the political hit to kirshkirchner and her party? will this diminish their chance he of staying in power in the upcoming elections? >> well, i think that in an electoral year and after 12 years of these people in government this adds to the -- this current crisis, consume

adds to the different issues that they were already having and that were shrinking their approval rates. and this includes corruption, insecurity inflation the negotiation with the holdouts, and all sort of things that they have been mismanaging. but i don't think that this fact isolated would mean a game-changer. >> soledad, thank you. opposition leader leopoldo lopez was placed under arrest, hundreds of protesters chanting liberdad. lopez has spent time in prison and faces 13 years. >> peter greste, baher mohamed

and mohamed fahmy were given the judge's award by britain's royal television society. greste was in london to accept the award on behalf of the group. mohamed and fahmy's trials resumes next month. >> one african nation bans the practice of forcing little girls to become brides. up next we'll look at how widespread the problem is around the world. the world.

>> in context tonight we're taking an in depth look at the serious problem of young girls being forced to marry.

worldwide, approximately 700 million women were forced to marry some as young as eight years old. >> thomas drayton takes a look at this global issue and how one african nation is taking the lead in banning the practice. >> reporter: though too young to realize it, these children will get to enjoy their childhood longer. the government of malawi, has taken the effort to ban marriage of children. the minimum age is 18. arguing it deprives girls of afternoon education often the only way out of poverty. >> child marriage is gender based discrimination, violence against women it largely affects girls and if you look at the consequences of child marriage on the rights of women

and girls it's devastating. >> often young brides suffer from domestic abuse and often get pregnant and give birth in poverty. economically or socially. studies show most girls wind up dropping out of school after marriage and with little education comes little chance for employment. women's groups argue one of the best ways to keep girls from getting married is to educate them. according to unicef, two-thirds of malawi girls become child brides. when girls sever education at the secondary level offer or above the age of 11, they only have 5%

chance of becoming a child bride. one in three girls across the world were married before the age of 15. the actions by the malawi government belie the trend. human rights groups project that doubling the rate of decline would bring the number of women married as children down from 700 million to 570 million in just over a decade. activists say the next step in milawi prosecute crimes against women and provide shelter for victims of abuse. thomas drayton, al jazeera. as we reported 700 million women were married as children. that's one in three girls in the developing world. and if nothing changes by the end of this decade estimates are that another 142 million girls will be married. the highest rates of child marriage are seen in africa and south asia.

niger is at the top of the list. 76% of women aged 20 to 24 were married before they were 18. chad and the central african republic were next. 2011 survey conducted by tahrir justice center indicated 3,000 instance he of forced marriage for girls under 18. the executive director of let girls lead, she says enforcing the new law will pose a big challenge. >> i think that's why the community based advocacy with village chiefs and engaging community leaders religious leaders in how important this question is, has really been key. essentially what the girls did they passed the village chiefs to pass by laws, if a man

marries a girl under age 21, he has his land taken away and has to pay seven goats. if a girl gets married at the age of nine, ten 11 years old this is changing they're perception about the value of girls and their value in communities. that brought up community based implementation is going to be really critical to ensuring that the national law is now implementas well. >> would you expect that this legislation opens the flood gates for other countries? >> absolutely. i think this legislation and the campaign that these civil society advocates have led really, many organizations have worked on for years and to have a win of this magnitude is truly phenomenal. and it's -- sets a landmark and sets a precedent so that other countries have that inclination and that will to follow. >> you know when we think about

child marriage, the u.n. has actually said it qualifies as a human rights violation. other people would say it is child abuse. but i understand it also has economic impact for these young girls and for economies at large. >> the research is very clear. a girl who goes to school for seven years will get married four years later and have 2.2 fewer children. girls staying in school and are not forced into marriage are healthier, have children that are healthier have a chance to escape poverty and contributing to their country's economic growth as well. >> but isn't it poverty and economic issues that drives families to sell their young daughters? >> absolutely. it is a vicious cycle where either parents who are doing the best that they can most times and have many many children that they can't afford to take care of or food. and so being able to keep a girl

in school is often an economic reality that families can't afford. so that's why one of the key pieces of the let girs girls lead, to become leaders in their community so those girls can truly become agents of change. i think people think think of girls, as victims on the one hand that is certainly true, in many cases we see that girls are incredible leaders and inspiring agents of change. and they have the will to transform not only their own lives their communities and their countries. >> so the parliamentary vote on this legislation was i understand unanimous the vote to ban child marriage. is it divided on that issue? >> it's a great issue. it's been a long time coming so there's been a strong and

growing grass roots movement led by the girls empowerment network and the adolescent girls advocacy network what they have been really, really strategic in doing is engaging local leaders local communities village chiefs both from the muslim and christian communities in a dialogue about the importance of investing in girls rights. and i think what really made the difference in this case was the ability to engage girls to advocate for their own rights. >> that was denise dunning. executive director of let girls lead. to being attacks on what used to be the country's financial sector, aleppo. >> but there's skepticism whether the deal will hold. we'll hear from the person who helped broker the proposed deal. >> and we'll look at -- we'll take an in depth look at what's driving the new wave of fighting in myanmar.

myanmar.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm antonio mora. >> and i'm stephanie sy. coming up in this hour of international news, i.s.i.l. may be getting funds human organs. >> also fallout fans blocking a plaque man from boarding a train in paris. pause to the fighting in syria's major city, aleppo has been a major battle ground since fighting began there back in 2012. according to a u.n. representative, bashar al-assad has indicated a willingness to halt all aerial and ar artillery

shelling for six weeks the aim is to spare civilians further suffering. assad will be judged by his action he not his words. united nations special envoy stefan de masur sat down with our james bays and said, the devil's in the detail. >> you know you have not yet got all the opposition groups to sign up, only the syrian government. you don't know if the syrian government will keep its words. what do you think is the chance of success? >> i've had a terrible chronic disease which i've been trying to fight for 40 years frankly and i'm not succeed yet chronic optimism. i will always try to see even in the dim of hope the chance to push forward. >> if either of the sides, in fact there's more than two sides in this as you well know, don't

stick by the deal you do, already you say you have a deal with the syrian government. what will you be asking the security council to do at that stage? for example if president assad reneges on the commitment he has made to you? >> you see the first judgment will not come from me or the security council or from the secretary-general, it will come from the people of syria. the people of syria will be judging. those who have been given the chance to actually stop the most egregious action, which is the bombing mortar shelling and not doing so and not giving the chance to the u.n. to bring finally some more aid to the people who have been a two and a half year siege of aleppo or four years all over the country then it will be up to the council to make its own analysis but the first judgment is the people of syria. and trust me they are just saying please, ceasefire we

have suffered enough. we are unlucky enough to be in the wrong place and we are being bombed. >> this is no substitute for an overall agreement. >> what is important is remember there is no military solution to this conflict. the tragedy or the paradox is that while we all agree and everyone i talk to feel the same, there is like an automatic machine going on, in reality they all continue, most of them i will say all continue to pretend that no political solution no military solution, but meanwhile the machine goes on. >> the end game, the geneva call it was agreed by the whole international community for transitional government, with full executive powers, the

intelligence apparatus over syria and it had to be established by mutual consent. no future role for president assad in the long term in syria. >> you see the final format of what would be the future of syria has to be decided by the syrian people. >> it's already the communique, do you agree with the communique? >> let me get to the point. the geneva communique which was unanimous is the only paper that has been agreed upon by everyone at least in that context. is the framework which we continuously maintain as a framework. but at the same time, at the time of that did we have i.s.i.s. in the area? are we going to be pragmatic in it? are we respecting the reality that syrians have to discuss it? i think we have to leave that up to them. >> would you agree special envoy

the terms of the agreement are pretty clear there's no future for president assad. you're never going to get consent from any of the opposition groups whichever one you talk to, of him having a role. >> i would leave it to the syrians to discuss that, i hope there will be a debate among them, that is why we need the opposition to come up with a common line. that's why moscow meeting was so useful that's why cairo meeting was so useful, so they can come up with a realistic pragmatic approach where we stand today. do we want to continue this conflict? do we want to have a discussion with the political process? in line with the geneva communique but also pragmatic. leave it to them. i'm not going to import it to them. i'm not going to tell them what to do but certainly we'll do everything we can to facilitate that process. >> my final question to you.

one colleague told me thought your chances were super-slim. what about the syrian people? >> my chances not super-slim, hopefully the syrian people will see the end to this. but what i will tell them is the u.n. will never give up on the syrians. >> also at the u.n. an emergency session to deal with libya. and i.s.i.l. affiliate. the u.n. is asking for egypt is calling for an international coalition to help it fight i.s.i.l. in libya with air strikes. italy has issued its strongest warning yet about the unrest in libya. it's concerned i.s.i.l. could set up a stronghold in its

former colony and stage attacks in europe. italy's prime minister said it's ready, aside from having two rival governments libya's economy is a mess because of two oil production. hoda abdelham abdel hamed is in libya. >> doctors could not save the lives of five other people. >> they say the suffocation took place in albeda. the children were here and the man who appeared on the video with them is from the anesthesiology department. >> some dispute whether the

children were killed during the bombing, claiming they died of other causes in other cities in libya. after the beheading of 21 coptic christian nationals who were living and working in sirte the home town of moammar gadhafi. the egyptian government say the air strikes were aimed at former strongholds of the i.s.i.l. >> the family, mother and children were all killed. there was a gentleman who was also killed. there were about eight killed in the neighborhood. in addition to four seriously injured. >> egypt is just trying to divert public opinion from its own problems at home. >> we call upon the u.n the european union and the african union to launch an investigation regarding a video of the alleged

beheading and to condemn the blatant air strikes of the egyptian army because it is a clear violation of libyan sovereignty. >> it's still unclear how strong a presence that i.s.i.l. or other groups have in libya but the current political and security vacuum offer the perfect breeding breeding ground for such groups to expand. hoda abdel hamed al jazeera near libyan border. about 20 others attacked police in casareen. officials say rebels killed four police officers stole their weapons, hundreds attended funerals for the victims. tunisians blame the raid on a small group.

i.s.i.l. is harvesting organs to finance its operations, he says that over the past few weeks there have been bodies found in mass graves with surgical incisions and missing organs. he also says dozens of doctors have been killed for refusing to participate. >> jeb bush delivered the first major foreign policy speech of his potential presidential campaign today. speaking in chicago bush bashed the obama administration as being inconsistent and indecisive. he says now more than ever the country needs a strong president to force asymmetrical non nonspecific threats. >> we must be prepared for a long term commitment to fight this battle. these attacks require response on many levels but most of all we should focus on preventing them.

>> bush says he is his own man and should not be judged by the policies of his father and brother. >> state of myanmar just called a state of emergency. >> eastern province of cocang. myanmar national democratic alliance group used to be part of a communeist guerilla group. >> more on the conflict and the innocent people who are caught in the middle. >> a barrage of bullets brings this red cross vehicle to an brawbt halt. it was part of the convoy attacked on tuesday in the eastern district of kotan. between rebels and government forces. >> unless there is a ceasefire

called there will be more attacks in the resistance experience, red cross trucks have been used by the the army to attack the resistance. >> two red cross workers were injured in the attacks. one suffered head wound you the other to the abdomen. carried out a strictly humanitarian function to help the victims of fighting. they should be respected and not made the object of attack. the humanitarian situation that is emerging from the violence in kokang is similar to that of five years ago when thousands of ethnic chinese residents fled the province. many taking refuge in southeast province. chinese is calling for dialogue. >> we want to use this opportunity to once again call

on all sides involved in the clashes in myanmar to exercise restraint and avoid the situation escalating any further to ensure peace and stability of the border and especially to avoid affecting security on the chinese side. >> reporter: but now three months of martial law is being imposed by myanmar's government. a sign that the fighting isn't expected to end any time soon. randolph noble, al jazeera. ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian staff. >> an effort in france to make sure muslims are fully integrated into their communities. >> coming up on al jazeera america, why they are not sure that can be accomplished. >> the assault of a black man on a subway, all caught on tape. tape.

>> president obama today laid out steps to stop what he called the violent extremism of groups

such as i.s.i.l. he called on local leaders to fight the twisted ideology used to force people to violence. those that have, quote perverted islam. his remarks came the second day of an anti-extremism conference. >> many french muslims feel they are integrated, feel part of society, but as al jazeera's neave barker reports they are still treated like outsiders. >> once an inmate at guantanamo bay. now he's a peace activist. many people are asking how free young men born and raised in france could turn to violence. journey from france to al qaeda training camp in afghanistan happened too quickly.

>> translator: there are several reasons people become radicalized. it could be low self esteem, if they can't imagine a future here in france. >> it's here in the country's unforgiving city suburbs where the government wants to make a difference. this is where the seeds of violence are frequently sewn. frequently sown. 23-year-old mohamed mira planned an attack on french citizens. some people here feel like they are living on the fringes of french society. it is a crossroads where race and religion come head to head with high levels of crime and poverty. >> after the paris attacks locals feel under increased scrutiny. >> i live here, i feel integrated, but people look at me as if i'm not. we are scared of how people look

at us. >> translator: how are muslims have to integrate do they have to be like everyone else, drink red wine, cut their beards, remove the veil? we are a secular society. >> people want to put us all in the same basket as if we were all to blame for the attacks. >> reporter: at the nearby mosque the imam is aware of the feelings. >> we have been victims for a long time. here we don't know of anyone who wants to go abroad to fight but if they're thinking about it they're going to be discrete. >> a sense of unity is going to come from a sense of equality. neave barker, al jazeera

toulouse. >> police in paris and london are looking into a video showing soccer fans harassing a black man in paris. a clip shows a group which appear to be british chanting. nadim baba reports from paris on the growing controversy. >> a black man tries to board a paris metro train and is repeatedly pushed off by fans of the english football club, chelsea. the british man who filmed the scene at the station says people around him couldn't believe what they were seeing. what happened next was perhaps even more shock. shocking. and the morning after chelsea's

championship match we managed to get the reaction from some fans heading home. >> we're disappointed two reasons, first what happened, second now we're all labeled racist not just the individuals that dit. all of us. it set the whole club back 30 years. >> i'm horrified. absolutely horrified. really really uncomfortable. >> it is unacceptable, i'm sure true chelsea fans would abhor that. >> reporter: european football's governing body, uefa is he it's appalled by the incident. chelsea football club has put out a statement saying such behavior is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. we will evidence point to the direction of chelsea season holders, they will take the strongest action against them including banning.

but bolder action. >> i want the chelsea football club i urge them to make a call for those who know the supporters, so they can be prosecuted. i urge john terry didier drogba, to please make a call. i urge the chelsea football club to take this opportunity to launch a massive anti-racism campaign. >> the paris police force is already investigating the incident. nadim baba, al jazeera paris. >> chelsea's first black player says he's angry at how they reacted in that photo. he says he was heckled by fans for years and continues to help eradicate racism. >> you have to wonder how many of those incidents occur when there is not a cell phone video. now, tomorrow morning we start in manila where president benino

aquino former military and police officers that are now members of congress they want answers into that botched raid on a rebel leader last month. it ended in the deaths of 44 councilman doughs. one law make are brushed off suggestions of a coup. they just want hard answers what was going on. the man they were hunting known as marwan is one of the fbi's most wanted terrorists. >> for our second story the paper zuma should use a question-and-answer session to reassure the nation that work is being done to address problems. last week during his state of the nation address zuma giggled during a tense moment and dismissed opposition members as being weak and lack substance.

>> finally we go to ryad, assessing the strategy against i.s.i.l. the meeting of course coincides with president obama's summit on countering violence extremism and the main talks in ryad will be held tomorrow. the lunar new year, billions will be celebrating. >> but there's an important question to be answered. will it be the year of the goat or the year of the sheep? the story behind that debate coming up next on al jazeera america. >> and a treasure hunter's dream come true. ancient gold coins discovered by chance off the coast of israel. israel.

>> i think we're into something that's bigger than us... >> that's the pain that your mother feels when you disrespect her son... >> me being here is defying all odds... >> they were patriots they wanted there country back >> al jazeera america presents the passion... >> onward.. >> pain... >> it's too much... >> ..and triumph... inspirational real life stories >> all these labels the world throws at you, that's what drives me 's what drives me >> recreational scuba divers have discovered the largesttrophy of gold coins ever

found off the coast of israel. they were diving in a mediterranean port, at first they thought they had found a child's toy but it was actually 2,000 gold coins. from a dynasty that ruled the 10th to 12th century. this will give them more information about the history. >> the beauty of it is the whole thing was found in one so. spot which suggests it might have come from a ship with a treasure. >> coins are considered priceless. unfortunately from the divers they are now in the hands of the government. >> must be incredibly exciting anyway. in asia, the lunar new year has begun, millions are celebrating. >> people finding creative way

to mark the traditional chinese festivities. >> people have gathered for street parades and traditional dragon dances. officials have asked not to set off fireworks because of the air pollution. >> the lunar new year is considered the world's largest travel holiday but as 8th ran brownadrianbrown reports. >> this country in motion, part of the world's largest annual pieg ration. 25 million migrant workers back home off to see their children for only the first time in a year. for many the coming year of the sheep is tinged with uncertainty. factory workers especially worry that the slow down in the

economy is far from over. so some are not returning. >> translator: i will never come back to the city to work in my life. it's meaningless. we come far away trying to earn a higher salary but everything is too expensive nothing left. >> reporter: the chinese place great importance on the zodiac calendar. but there's a debate about whether it's the year of the sheep at all. since the chinese use the word for both sheep and goat. of all the zodiac signs this one is regarded as the least desirable because the goat and sheep are seen as meek creatures, followers not leaders. so not a good year in which to be born which is why hospitals are expecting fewer births this year. >> definitely has dropped probably about 20% drop. among the women talking to them they say they are going to skip the year of sheep and have the baby the year after.

>> reporter: whether you're superstitious or not there's no doubt of the improvement in air quality. for factories shutting down for the next week, the skies are blue and new. that's the best gift of all. adrian brown, al jazeera beijing. >> and filled with celebrations here in the united states. new yorkers treated to a pyrotechnic display. 4,000 fireworks lighting up the chinese consulate. the 20 minute light show put on by chinese american cultural groups, along can the new york harmonic. dubbed harmonious china. what anders says about the concerns of the international community. >> that's it for this edition of

al jazeera's international hour. >> i'll see you in an hour. "america tonight" is up next. >> on "america tonight": >> a rare and cruel condition robbed gail walls of the man her husband once was. >> i miss his voice i miss our conversation. >> but little did she know what lay ahead was not just a battle for his health. >> massive explosions rock the scene of monday's trail derailment in fayette county west virginia, from here,