only on al jazeera america. [ explosion ] >> four years of untold horror in syria with no end in site. aid agencies accuse the u.n. of failing to protect civilians. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up two u.s. police officers are shot as racial tensions explode again in ferguson. the race to find people trapped beneath the rubble of a russian shopping center that collapsed in flames. i'm catherine soi in juba and i'll tell you how south

sudan's crisis and a fall in global oil prices is affecting the economy here. ♪ hello. the world is failing syria. that's the damming assessment by a coalition of aid organizations as the conflict enters its fifth year. they say the undersecurity council has proven its of being incapable of ending a crisis. at least 76,000 people were killed in 2013. over 230,000 have died since the conflict began in 2011. the number of children in need of raid those to 8.6 million. 7.6 million are displaced in syria, and almost 4 million more have fled the country. zana hoda reports on aleppo a city that has been torn part.

♪ >> reporter: it is one of the oldest cities in the world. it's historic center is now in ruins. aleppo has been an urban battleground since the summer of 2012. syria's largest city has been divided by many front lines, and on many of them sheets and drapes are used as cover from snipers. the government controls territory in the west and the opposition controls the east. and the only crossing point that allowed people to move between the two areas is now a waste land. this was closed by the government last year. it was a dangerous journey. dozens were killed because of sniper fire but it was a lifeline especially for state employees who were relying on salaries to survive. >> translator: the crossing was vital for civilians. now when they need to go to the

regime areas, it is a 12-hour journey. >> reporter: society has been torn apart. in many areas there is little sign of life. last year tens of thousands left when populated areas were continuously hit by barrel bombs. many were wounded. those who have lost their livelihoods have been left to help themselves. >> translator: we need able to be able to go to turkey to get treatment. we have been forgotten. we want someone to feel for us. >> reporter: also in the rebel-held east, health facilities were bombed at the start of the conflict. the people of the area managed to set up makeshift hospitals, but they are not up to the standards needed. >> translator: we don't have surgeons. most of the doctors were either killed or fled.

we don't have medicine for diabetic patients. >> reporter: the health system has all but collapsed. the syrian war is entering its fifth year. an initiative by the united nations to freeze the fighting in aleppo didn't achieve much and the people on both sides of the divide remain trapped in what many describe as a deadly stalemate. it's a daily struggle. it doesn't just take hours to buy bread. government planes have targeted crowds standing in bakery lines. the battle for aleppo is strategic, but it has destroyed the lives of those living in what was once syria's commercial capitol. james bayes reports now on how the u.n. security council has tried but mostly failed to agree on a way to end the conflict. >> reporter: four years ago no one could have imagined the scale of this tragedy. the figures are staggering.

there's been no actual body count, but it's a estimated as many as 300,000 syrians are dead. many have fled. 3.8 million are refugees. that figure the main contributor to the fact that there are now more displaced people in the world than at anytime since the second word war when the u.n. was created almost 70 years ago. there has been little unity on the global stage. there have been rare moments of agreement in the u.n. security council on chemical weapons, and the growing threat from isil but nothing on a political solution to the dismay of the u.n.'s humanitarian agencies one of those agencies the world food program is lead by this woman. you must get frustrated when you look at the security council and the lack of agreement on syria. >> i get frustrated not only when i look at the security

council, when i go into syria, and you see there is no solution in sight, and i talk to the government and the opposition, and they are nirm in their positions, and then i look at the people. and i say don't they see what i see? can't they see the impact that their failure to compromise is creating in this situation? >> reporter: over the past four years, the security council has left the main effort to find a political solution to a series of special envoys. former secretary general, veteran diplomat and now another seasoned u.n. official. four months ago he told the security council he had an ambitious plan for a series of what he called freezes across syria. the first one was supposed to be in aleppo. he later revealed he had an agreement from president assad to stop all aerial bombardment

in aleppo for a six-week period. since then the plan has stalled. diplomats are now very skeptical of the chances of success, and for now there is no plan b. syrians will continue to suffer and many more are bound to die. james bayes al jazeera, united nations. iraqi government forces say they are making significant gains in their battle to push isil out of tikrit. the defense minister expects troops to reach the center of the city in the next few days. iraqi soldiers now control several suburbs. u.s. police in ferguson missouri say two officers have been lucky to escape with their lives after being shot at a protest. protests followed the resignation of police chief jackson who quit after a scathing report on the police

department. the st. louis police chief is calling for calm. >> i have a lot of confidence in the community. i understand exercising people's first amendment rights but this is beginning to at times be very difficult for any law enforce agency to wrap their arms around. >> let's go live to washington, d.c. so what else do the police have to say? >> well we're getting a couple of more updates now. we're getting lots of reports the two officers who were hit have now been released from hospital. several reports saying that. we're also hearing about what the police call a tactical situation on a house in ferguson not too far away from the police department. we're seeing pictures of police on the roof and attempting perhaps to apprehend two to three men. but that's still developing

right now. or these were pictures from earlier. we'll keep you updated on that. beyond that very little information. the police saying that they think it was a handgun. they think they have some leads. perhaps this tactical situation has something to do with that. so what we saw in the press conference was interesting. what we're seeing in lieu of an investigation or any tangible facts, positioning. and it's very interesting. we saw bellmar talk about how these protests seem to be getting out of hand and that's very much the picture he was giving this morning. however, a few hours earlier, he said the evening had been uneventful. so he is shifting his narrative as well. he is also increasingly suggesting somehow that the shots emanated from somewhere within the group of protesters who were basically stragglers after the protests were over around midnight. he is now saying it's an unfortunate association with

that. the eyewitnesses at the scene say the shots came some distance behind them. here is what happened. >> reporter: as the protests were dwindling after midnight the shots were heard. >> we hear what we thought we fireworks up the street. it turns out it happened three more times. it was gunfire, because we saw the muzzle fire from the gun at the top of the street so we all ducked down and then we saw the cop was shot right next too us. >> reporter: one police officer was shot in the face another in the shoulder. it happened at a protest outside of ferguson's police department in the hours following the announcement that the police chief will resign. following a damming report on his police department he came the sixth official to resign in this small city.

his departure has long been called for after the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager michael brown last august. the belief that the police force disproportionately targeted african americans was vindicated by a department of justice report. millions of dollars were raised by targeting, ticketing, jailing, and keeping members of the black community in what have been called modern debtor's prisons. but a nationwide movement is about far more than nergson. it's become a nation-wide rallying point. the belief that racism is engrained in american society. 600 kilometers north, there have been daily protests since the killing of unarmed 19 year old teddy robinson last friday. >> this highlights a universal problem with law enforcement and how its procedures have been

carried out. >> reporter: protesters across the country are demonstrating against an entire system that say is racist and unfair. the resignations have been welcomed by many. but ferguson is a tiny city and a change in its personnel is unlikely to be enough to satisfy those who want greater equality and change. >> has there been anything progress nationally? >> we do have this doj report now on the ferguson police department, and there are several recommendations which now the ferguson police department is supposed to follow. however, many protesters in ferguson say the whole police department should be disbanded entirely. something eric holder hasn't ruled out. as far assen -- endemic racism

in the u.s. that is a whole other story. but they say the shooting was inexcusable and repugnant. already on cable news we're seeing those who feel that frankly this is all much adu about nothing. and that the doj is inciting the violence. i'm saying look this is what happens when you meddle in our affairs. some of the officials haven't even admitted racism. so the question is how they use what happened. we don't know what happened in the early hours of thursday morning, but the question is whether they manage to shift the narrative away of from what the doj found to an narrative of well we're under attack it's time to move on. >> okay. thank you very much indeed.

the european union has described the killing of russian opposition active boris nemtsov as the most significant political murder in recent history. he was shot outside of the kremlin just days before he was due to hold an opposition rally. up to 30 people are reported to have died after a fire swept through a shopping center in russia. the building collapsed in the fire. forcing hundreds of people to flee. rescuers are searching for survivors in the rubble. still to come another inquiry into sri lanka's civil war, but there are already questions about how impartial it will be. and as the number of illegal migrants in greece grows, the government pushes for them to go elsewhere. ♪

♪ hello again, a reminder of the stop stories here on al jazeera. the u.n. has been accused of utterly failing the people of syria. police in ferguson in the u.s. state of missouri have described the shootings of two officers as an ambush. and 25 people are missing, feared dead after a shopping center caught fire in russia. five others have been confirmed dead. isil-linked fighters who attacked a police station in the libyan capitol tripoli. a bomb was placed under a police car and detonated close to the

foreign ministry. talks between libya's rival governments appear to have stalled. the tobruk based delegation has not yet arrived. previously saying they wanted more time to reveal finer details of a deal. the fighting is mainly between two rival militia units. that parliament wasn't elected but legally installed by libya's constitutional court. the other government was forced to move to tobruk in the east by libyan dawn fighters. and now groups which claim allegiance to isil are also emerging. they oppose both of the main coalitions. we're joined now from the moroccan capitol rabat.

any progress there at all? >> reporter: no progress. in fact we're getting more doubt and concerns about the future of the political progress in libya. the tobruk delegation has not arrived yet, and as we speak the tripoli-based delegation is now making a press statement basically saying that they are concerned about the outcome of the talks and that they are waiting for the united nations special envoy to arrive to rabat today to talk to him, but they will only go ahead as long as there is a comprehensive political settlement about the government security arrangement, and the transitional government. as part of the tobruk internationally recognized government, it is of the view that it still needs more time to

be able to work out the details of the agreement with its highest authorities in tobruk before it comes up with a decision. this is why now they are asking the united nations for some delay before they can come back next week to rabat for further talks. >> okay. thanks very much indeed. hashem ahelbarra reporting on the talks in rabat. the sri lanka president has announce adam mesic inquiry into atrocities that took place during the civil war. it will not involve though united nations, but the president says their views will be taken into account. both the government forces and the rebel group are alleged to have committed war crimes. it is estimated that at least 80,000 people had been killed in the war. >> reporter: what the president is promising is a domestic

process, a committee which he said would be starting within the next month. he said initial work has begun, and that this process would start soon. now that committee would seek the views of the united nations. the president has gone on record as saying that the views of the united nations and the international community would go to strengthen this domestic process. however, pushed on whether international investigators would be allowed into the country, he drew the line. he said there has been a process, but confidence and trust has been built from the international community. and therefore, no outside investigators would be necessary. he did say incorporating these views of the international community which has been in touch with the government in the last two months since it came to power, and there seems to be some sort of goodwill by both sides, and this is very much in

mark contrast to the previous government which didn't want to hear anything from the international community, and didn't want to go into the process of seeking or building in its views. however, the president has talked about the importance of taking on board the international community and its views, and promised that any domestic process would be fruitful and strengthened by all of these views, and be used to take it forward. a hundred people are feared trapped under a factory that collapsed in bangladesh. it is run by a subsidiary of the bangladesh army. recovery teams are continuing to search for survivors. thousands of employees at a shoe factory in china are back to work. the factory supplies several

international fashion houses. new containment measures are being rolled out in sierra leone after a spike in ebola cases in four separate districts. the ebola response chief says complacent behavior has lead to the surge in the past week. in south susan oil production has been slashed by a third since 2003 when fighting broke out. and many oil wells have been damaged or are under government control. the government relies almost exclusively on oil for funding. >> reporter: this is how you find most university lecture halls in south sudan. almost empty. many of the lecturers are on strike. they had a pay cut last year and now they want that money back. but the government says it cannot afford it and here is why. since the ethnic conflict started in 2013, oil production

has been reduced by more than half. oil accounts for over 90% of the government's income. >> must try my best to increase the production. i -- and then even if i increase production i will even be selling at a give away prices. which in a way is loss of the revenue itself. >> reporter: the fall in global oil prices has made it worse for south sudan, the country is said to be selling crude mainly to china, at one of the lowest prices in the world because of its lower quality. a barrel is now selling at roughly $45. more than half of that is paid to sudan's government for transport and a development compensation agreed upon when the two countries [ inaudible ] took most of the oil.

and as they pay the oil companies here the government's remains is less than $10. some analysts are worried the economic situation will get much worse before it gets better. >> it is becoming reel the economic collapse is real. and unless we take some drastic measures and that very soon -- it should have been yesterday not tomorrow. >> reporter: industries including this water bottling company are having a hard time dealing with the overhead. south sudan imports almost everything including refined fuel. the losses from its oil revenue, foreign currency crucial for import is scarce. >> [ inaudible ] from the market [ inaudible ] and even, you know [ inaudible ] five months [ inaudible ] unable to get the raw materials. >> reporter: many people here

are afraid that south sudan's economy will continue to get worse unless there's peace among the warring parties. catherine soi, al jazeera, juba south sudan. thousands of opposition supporters have been marching through the streets of albania's capitol to demand the resignation of the speaker. it follows allegations that he was involved in a plot to murder an mp. an accusation he denies. britain's spy agency intercepts thousands of emails and has access to a large database. the inquiry found that not everyone's emails are being looked at and no u.k. law is being broken. but it calls for the process to be overhauled.

the inquiry was brought up after revelations by edward snowden. across many parts of southern europe, governments are trying to deal with large numbers of migrants who arrive seeking a better life. greece is now looking to europe to change the rules dictating where migrants can be resettled. john psaropoulos reports. >> reporter: this comfort food for this man. sample bread made from flour and water dipped in broccoli stew. it shares it with his flat mates. he is trying to wash away the taste of the detention where he has just spent nine months and what happened there to another pakistani detainee. >> translator: he had been locked for 20 months. he was released and given a month. but was arrested again. he told police he needed to work and send money home to his mother and brother and sister but they didn't listen. three hours after they brought him in he hanged himself.

>> reporter: the second suicide in as many months here. testament to the failure of a policy of indefinite detention for people who aren't criminals. it even applies to minors and asylum applicants. flaunting europe's pretrial detention effort of 18 months was greece's most recent effort. the change in government has brought a change in policy. this camp is being wound down. it's inmates are being released at a rate of around 30 a day. they enjoy a six month deportation waiver because they have no travel documents. the new left-wing government is thinking of turning detention sterns into open camps allowing economic migrants to work in the fields, but greece faces an estimated 50,000 arrivals each year. it wants europe to change the rules and allow people who need political protection to apply for ally sum anywhere in europe

got just greece. >> we are 10 million indigenous people plus a million migrants. this ten to one ratio doesn't apply in other countries. don't say see the problem? it's not a question of racism? hchl we just can't take it anymore. >> reporter: these camps were meant to act as a deterrent that plan failed because people fleeing war and poverty are ultimately willing to face detention. legal residence like this man and his friends is unlikely. he just hopes his luck will turn. the british author terry prachard has died. he was 66. his fantasy books were translated into 37 languages, and sold 85 million copies around the world. he had been a supporter in research into alzheimer's

disease, as well as a vocal campaigner for assisted dying. his publisher said he died at home surrounded by his family. plenty more stories for you any time on our website, the address is aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com, and you can watch us by clicking on the watch live icon. ♪ in india, a woman's fate can take a cruel twist when her husband dies. >> they would beat me, both my daughter in law and my son would beat me. my brother in law tried to rape me but i fought back.