replicate them artificially. andrew thomas al jazeera, brisbane. apologies if you suffer from arrack that phobia. you can catch up with all of our news and sport on our website. that's aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. >> a damming report on the war in gaza. israelis speak out against their own military command. ♪ ♪

this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i am randall pinkston. president obama formerly nominated marine general to head the joints chief of staff. the announcement made h the rose guarden just a short time ago. if confirmed the marine corps commandant wouldbrook the highest ranking officer in the armed forces. of course he overseas the withdraw from afghanistan why was he picked. >> well, he is a widely respected u.s. marine corps three star general and his nomination here by president obama in the rose garden randall just moments ago is being greeted with cheer throughout washington on both sides of the aisle. here is an individual that led nato and u.s. forces oevery the course of 2013, and into 2014. he has combat experience, in both iraq and afghanistan, he is known to be a confidant of

the president, yes, sir, he is replaying an individual that is also widely respected. an army general general martin dempsey. but general dunford now stepped into this role, if confirmed he would be only the second marine to be chairman of the joint chiefs of staff here is more from president obama in the nomination just moments ago. >> under his steady hand, we have achieved key milestones including transition to afghan responsibility for security. his storyic afghan elections and the draw down of u.s. forces. same is staged for our combat mission there. >> joe is a proven leader including our troops in afghanistan, who receive served christmas dinner to. it was also noted that he was running the show mr. a very dicey time. also the t pble election there, which dragged on, in supervisorring the stages of the american withdrawal from

a combat. >> certainly will help that he knows all of the players and not only? afghanistan and the iraq, but probably throughout the mideast. what kind of challenges do you think will lie ahead for him? assuming he is appointed. >> well, he will have bureaucrat zych military challenges. the pentagon is under a great deal of stress, trying to keep with the sequestration cuts. the budget process now playing out on capitol hill, he will be stepping right into that. obviously the coalition led by the united states against isil another top concern and you are right all throughout the middle east, no shortage of challenges there and as the u.s. continues it's withdrawal from afghanistan that timetable, of course, slowed down by president obama but will be on course to be out of a combat role, by the end of the year. he has to manage that as well. so absolutely right, no shortage of challenges we haven't even talked about azia and an emerging military power in china.

and trying to counter balance that development. >> do you think will object to his appointment. >> you see some go through and they sail through their confirmation hearings. and then they run into political problems oen the floor. it doesn't appear at this point although you are never sure now whether he will run into problems. people very influential jonathon cane, the senator of the armed serves center, applauding lindsay graham, also a member doing the same, and jack reed the top democrat on that committee. all approving of the president's nomination, the president's pick here, so it appears at this point he would sail through the confirmation process. >> thank you mike, at the white house. isil is reportedly claiming it was behind sunday's shooting at a controversy art show near dallas. it would be the first

attempted isil attack on u.s. soil, but there's no evidence yet to confirm isil's involvement. elton simpson were killed after opening fire on security guards one of these men has been on the watch list for years p he becomes the first secretary of state to visit that country. historic trips comes as the u.s. tries to help the nation rebuild. from two decades of war. more now. >> it was the first visit ever by a u.s. secretary of state to somalia. john kerry's mission was too communicate the obama administration support for this democracy just three years old. as somalia gets ready for parliamentary elections in 2016, the secretary of state wanted to not only show the administration support but also to encouraging somalia

to do more to try to improve it's military capacity, particularly as it is trying to get rid of al-shabaab. even though somalia is working with members of other countries that have tried to use military force they also have to deal with the fact that there is no long term military. they wanted to help develop the military capacity. finally, kerry wanted to deliver the message that the rule of law and that free expression both are important in any democracy, and to that end, he made it a point of meeting with people, who were very much instrumental in trying to make sure that somalia has a healthy cultural environment not just one that is a state security environment. >> israeli war veterans say their forces caused massive

and ink precedented harm to civilians during last year's war testimony from dozens of anonymous officers saying there was indiscriminate weapons fire, and lax rules of engangment, israel's military blames hamas for fighting in areaing and in a statement to al jazeera says it will investigate all claims. in alarming report transcribing what the operation calls systemic violations of human rights. the report accuses the government of targeting civilians and called on the international community for action. morgan radford has more. >> a frantic search for wounded children. after the. booing monday, of one of the last remaining schools. more than four years into is civil war, scenes like this remain part of life. for residents big and small. conditions here are the focus of a report just released by

amnesty international. the title alone telling the story. death everywhere. >> the organization says war crimes are a daily occurrence in this city, committed both by government forces and by armed opposition groups it accuses the government of a callous policy of collective punishment of civilians with violations so widespread, they constitute crime against humanity. a weapon of choice, the barrel bomb. a fuel tank stuffed with explosives and metal fragments dropped from a helicopter on targets below. just last month, 85 such attacks striking sites like hospitals, markets and mosques. the biologies have killed 11,000 syrians since 2012, since that report. amnesty also points to arrest and torture being used systematically to target civilians leaving many dead, in detention or simply vanished.

often estimated 85,000 individuals were victims of what they call enforced disappearances. a u.n. council last year condemned human rights violations in syria but in aleppo residents are still waiting for the international community to respond. the world has turned it's back says amnesty international, in a coldhearted display of indifference. more gang radford, al jazeera. >> in geneva, talks are underway where the u.n. envoy is trying to negotiate an end to the war. 40 syrian groups have announced to take part in parks over the coming weeks including iran. but two of the biggest groups, are not there. paul brennen has more on the meetings goals. >> given the fanfare that greeted at the news conference here, in geneva, on tuesday morning and the media presence that was there, he was actually rather modest in setting out the aims for the next four or

five weeks the work he had ahead of him he described this as consultations. he said they would be closed one to one he described it as not a one off meeting but low key consultations. and his same, essentially is to try to find out what the situation currently is in syria. he described the talks as a situation report, as a stress tester, a reality check was another phrase that he used. what he wants to try to find out is whether there's any room at all for compromise and negotiation in a meaningful sense. he will speak to at least 40 different groups. he is also going to speak to 20 regional and international stakeholders and that includes the syrian government itself. so you can see he is casting his net as wide as possible in the hope of finding some grown to base some meaningful peace negotiations on but the indications are not positive. he is not optimistic, nor

pessimistic, but he did say he had a duty to find. given the situation there currently is, there is no luxury not to try. >> that is paul brennen reporting from geneva. teachers in southern brazil are on strike today. schools and five states have enclosed for six week while teacher pros test the governments plan, the cuts come amido a struggling economy and a national corruption scandal. demonstrators there not happy with the way that the country is holding it's elections carolyn malone has more. pro test tors threw stones and set fire to tires to try to keep security forces away. some have appeals to the president for an end to the fighting.

she tries to bring peace to the country. people are being killed every day, and some others are wounded. the police sent in reinforcements. they say some of the demonstrations were organized without official approval. gunfire was heard and some people were hit. the government said it is not clear who is to blame. we regret to say there are victims of targeted shooting among the population, but no one can say that those bullets have comment from security officers. that's why we demand that the opposition comes to it's senses and returns to the table, so we request all find a solution. there have been a number of protests since march since the election was announced it

would be in october, and local elections next year. the opposition says that goes against a promise to hold long delayed local elections first. we continue because we have claimed that have to be satisfied. our claims are legitimate. our aim is to make the authorities honor their commitment and respect the laws of the republic. >> a number of people were killed in april after similar violence in the main cities and towns. opposition growns announced that plans for peaceful demonstrations will be widened into a nationwide show of defiance. carolyn malone, al jazeera. >> now to nepal, where rescues continue to dig through tons of rubble trying to uncover an entire village buries by mudslide. that was the scene in the trekking village last week,

when the earthquake triggered the mudslide. police and local villagers have so far recovered 60 bodies. villagers believe as many as 200 people could be buried. meanwhile, climbers hoping to make it to the top are packing up and leaving. she werer guides refuse to rebuild a climbing rout that was destroyed in an avalanche triggers by the earthquake, the government has not yet formally canceled the climbing season. well another day another presidential candidate coming up on al jazeera a former arkansas governor announced his run for the white house. plus. the business of campaigns hire in the u.s., the huge money, presidential hopefuls can earn even if they lose the vote.

program

>> the u.s. department of justice is investigating bay's death. he was in police custody when he suffered a spine injury. six police officers have been charged in connection with the case. mike huck cabee, running for president, former arkansas governor announced his candidacy some time ago. he surprised many when he won the iowa caucus, but ultimately lost to g.o.p. nominee john mccain. at today's announcement, he said he will bring change, to washington. we were promised hope, but it was just talk, and now we need the clang that could get america from hope to higher ground. he is from hope arkansas. his speech was full of references to god.

he is banking on support from social conservatives conservatives to back his ticket. presidential hopeful hillary clinton is announcing a new plan for immigration reform. she will announce it at a high school just south of las vegas where the student body is about 70% hispanic. both huck bee and clinton have thrown their names into the race and many others have too. so why do it? well as mary snow tells us it is about power and a big payoff even if you lose. >> do benjamin carson. >> there's a good chance you have never heard of ben carson. he is a retired neurosurgeon now making a bid for the oval offer. >> i am ben carson, and i am a candidate for president of the united states. but if history is any indication, new doors will

open for him even if he doesn't wind up in the white house. >> i have not been in politics all my life. along with the title of presidential candidate, she is timed the release of her new book with a kick off of her candidacy. both are entering a crowded field of republican candidates and hopefuls. on the democrat side, while hillary clinton is far ahead in earlile pros it hasn't stopped vermont senator from throwing his hat into the race. and at least two other challengers are also sizing up their options. while lesser noncandidates have long odds of winning political science professor says just being in the race brings credibility and potentially a financially lucrative career. >> if you look at some recent

examples of what certain presidential candidates have been able to parlay that experience into, in terms of revenue, it would be potential in the millions of dollars. >> life before politics was that of a pastor, and then i got into politics. so you know what that means. you will be here a while. >> mick for one has seen his porches rise after his 2008 white house bid. when he won the republican caucuses in iowa and contests in seven other states. in 2007, his as zested were living under $700,000 and while it is not clear how much he is worth now his beach houses reported to be worth $3 million. bill alison is with sun life foundation which following money in politics. >> his governor of arkansas as if he didn't have a prominent position, but by running to president he got introduced to a lot of the country, and that gave him a brand. >> that brand translated into a job as a talk show host on fox news. his most recent book debuted at number three on the new

york times best seller list. al sharpton who ran for president in 2004 also landed his own show. his on msnbc. >> on the right newt gingrich. >> and newt gingrich sign add deal with c.n.n. after his white house run in 2012. >> he went on to become the head of the democratic national committee his speaking fees top $20,000. observers say even when it is clear to the outside world that a candidate doesn't stand a chance of becoming president, from the inside, candidates see a different picture and hang on to hope there's gus tours people coming out to see you and yo have ideas and telling people how you want to make their lives better and for a lot of people that can be it's own reward. >> keep their campaigns going

on someone else's dime. >> these candidates have ideas, they have policy positions and voters want to fight for those causes. so it's not necessarily only about winning sometimes it is about keeping an issue in the national spotlight. >> and with the issues come the candidates who stand to gain financially or politically mary snow, al jazeera. greets and taxes. why the country is in desperate financial straits because residents won't pay up.

>> greece's government is about to run out of money. and is asking his creditors for the rest of it's bail out funding. greece has about $8 billion left be uh the european union and international monetary fund will not release it until they are happy with the plans for economic reform. without the money greece may go bankrupt within the next few weeks. one reason that greece is facing bankruptcy is the fact that people are simply not paying their taxes.

amly valshi took a trip to athens and found out that tax evasion is more common than you may think. >> the ancient greek ruins also a magnet for tourists but today also a bargain. because after decades of terribly mismanaged public funds, corruption scandals, and rampant bribery the greek economy is itself a catastrophic ruin. must of the catastrophe comes from a long standing culture of purveysive tax evasion. i spoke to many greeks about it for obvious reasons some don't want to be identified. >> this is not just now. this is 30 years old. it is a legacy. left from our parents. we don't have the mentality. the most important thing is if you pay taxes you expect to having something back. but here what you take back, you are paying your taxes for

your healthcare, and so far from our wangs yet to get anything done, you have to go to the private system. our taxes aren't being put to good use. >> last year the government announced that greece is owed $72 billion, $82 billion in unpaid taxes. but with an economy still reeling from the global financial crisis of 2008, greece only expects to collect about 10% of what it is owed. while tax evasion occurs across all income levels, it is most rampant across middle and lower income. that said, we heard plenty of stories about wealthy greeks systematically, and often illegally, hiding their wet to evade taxes. greece's new government has vowed to crack down on some 80,000 rich greek tax evaders to help bring in more revenue

to pay it's lenders. he also named a former supreme court prosecutor, as minister of state for combating corruption. an anticorruption czar if you will. he says he hopes to recover at least 2.000000000 euros of the 7 billion in unpaid taxes since 2012. a few years ago, he was president of an independent organization formed to identify greeks who were money lawnerring through swiss banks. i want to state we already know how much money was picked up from greece, and transferred to switzerland from 2010 and after we have all the dates we have the information, we know how much money was held out of greece and went to switzer land, therefore we have no problem with taxing it. like elsewhere in the word, wealthy greeks have the resources to underreport

their earnings and conceal money in offshore accounts. >> like many here, john gianna who owns a small fish market, blames the tax crisis on the will think. and since the economic crisis began, his business has lost about $18,000 a year. >> the richer people can hide money. and avoided paying taxes. i would say that the middle class pays the fairest part of taxation in greece. >> this man is an associate after a law firm, he is unmarried and has no kids but he does have a large extended family and like many other working greeks he hopes authorities won't bother chasing down the smaller. as they owe. >> the 400 euros is just snuff for me to pay my utilities my rent and expenses like that. >> the rest of how i supplement my income comes from friends and family, so you do the math.

i don't have enough to pay taxes. >> but increasingly, greek's acknowledged that to truly dig themselves out from the country's financial ruin, the culture of tax evasion must end. for everyone. at every income level. >> he has been a shop owner for 27 years. he is married and has a five-year-old child. he owes more than $9,000 in personal taxes. and another $5.5000s in social security taxes. >> he hopes that the new government follows through on it's promise to forgive as much as half of what an individual owes in unpaid taxes. it is an amnesty that requires admitting how much you owe, and that's something that many greeks are loathe to do. >> i was not approached by the tax office. i took advantage of the recent law that passed in parliament. what about payment so i took advantage of that. and i am trying to pay back my taxes little by little. >> that's ali velshi, the

news continues next, live from london. a sawyer yeah arabia closes cools and canceled flights because of the fighting. hello there, this is al jazeera live, from london. also coming up. syrian government forces and rebel fighters were accused of committing war crimes in aleppo. scrambles to survive thrown from a vessel. and we meet the south africans who are determined to