gearing up for battle. >> the popular mobilization forces are getting ready to take back anbar shia militias prepare to take the fight to i.s.i.l. after the rebels take ramadi a flood of refugees. >> they are drinking out of the lake and it's a recipe for disaster a humanitarian nightmare horizon as tens of thousands of refugees escape the violence in

burundi. >> an historic handshake. >> there's a magic about ireland that is irresistible. >> the heir to the british throne and the leader to sinn fein do what was considered unthinkable a chinese crackdown. >> our assignment was brought to a halt by police commandos. with assault rifles and shotguns, they threatened to shoot our al jazeera correspondent becomes part of the story as protesters in china fight with the government over a railway line good evening, welcome to al jazeera america i'm antonio mora. >> i'm barbara serra. we begin with a killing rampage in iraq by iraq. there's reports they are going

door to door killing government sympathizers. the u.n. is warning to a humanitarian crisis. president obama met with his national security team and the administration is reportingly considering a change in the fight against i.s.i.l. they plan to step up training and equipping efforts. this comes as i.s.i.l. defeated iraqi forces this weekend in taking ramadi. it was called a blow to its strategy. >> and there has been important progress that's been made as has been discussed for her military operation, and there have been periods of set back and certainly the i.s.i.l. effort to take over ramadi is a setback officials say that at the moment they are sending in more u.s. troops to battle i.s.i.l. is off the table. zeina khodr is in iraq with more on the fighting.

>> they are preparing for a war that could deepen the sunni shia divide. forces are 30km east of i.s.i.l.'s stronghold ramadi. they plan to push deep into the heartland to recapture territory from the islamic state of iraq and levant. >> we are announcing that the popular mobilization forces are getting ready to take back anbar. people asked about our help a month ago. politicians were reluctant. >> the anbar council requested assistance when ramadi's city fell. the council is not representative of all sunni tribes. many did not want shia forces on their land. officials in baghdad are insisting that these fighters backed by iran are no longer militias, and are trying to calm sunni fears.

the u.s. expressed concern about deploying them but now it says it backed the government's decision. >> there are those ta don't agree. they say that the paramilitary troops are stronger than the state. for the time being they are the only force capable of fighting i.s.i.l. despite months of training forces were week they were not able to hold ground in the face of i.s.i.l.'s offensive in anbar. >> the u.s. which leads the coalition against i.s.i.l. is stepping up air strikes and is promising to help the iraqi government recapture lost ground. i.s.i.l. is on the offensive. people are on the move. the armed group targeted security forces in the town east of ramadi. the fighting over recent days displaced thousands. makeshift camps are being set up in pockets of territory under the control of the government and local allies not all sunni tribes support the government.

dissent is going. >> we are here to help our people who have been abandoned by officials. council members and the government are not doing anything. >> reaching out to people of anbar is needed to win the war. the government has done little. >> what have our children down to deserve this. we have not eaten for two days. the battle for anbar has not begun in ernst. there are fears of consequences. sunni leader demanded they defeat their province. shia forces fill the vacuum it could mean a war mark kimmitt is a retired u.s. army brigadier general and joins us from washington d.c. always good to have you with us general. >> yes. >> the u.s. is promising to help the iraqi government recapture the lost ground. why did they fall should more have been done to stop this. it's a major shift on the part

of the i.s.i.l. islamic state forces. they are beat up bad in the river valley. it appears that they shifted in the tikrit area. and rather than attacking from the north, they are attacking from the west. i don't think the iraqis fully prepared for that nor did they prepare for the onslaught that i.s.i.l. put into the defensive. >> where do you stand in the significance of ramadi falling. >> josh said we can't setour hair on fire. the u.s. military said it's not a serious set back. they argue that this is a game changer, destroying what is left of the confidence of the iraqi army. who is right? >> i think somewhere in between. i don't think it's a hair on fire moment more is it

something that should be ignored ignored. we have to stick to the strategy. do everything by with and through the iraqis, they have to want it. our combination of providing coalition support from the air, training on the ground and letting the iraqis do the fighting is, in my view, the right way to go. everyone has to understand that war is not a series of victories. there'll be setbacks defeats. in 1942 the united states in north africa lost virtually every battle. if you look at the size of the iraqi military what they can bring to the fight, what the coalition can support through air and other enablers such as intelligence, i think in the long run the strategy is sound, and eventually that the iraqi security forces will be able to push d.a.e.s.h. outside of iraq. in the zeina khodr report we just saw we heard a high-ranking shia militia official say shia officials are

ready to liberate anbar. that is what the iraqi prime minister promised two months ago. now we see the capital of anbar going back to i.s.i.l. what should the strategy be in anbar itself. >> it brings up a key point. whether it's in the long-term interests of iraq to use shia militia, and those aligned with the government. in a sunni area of anbar. you introduce a level of sectarianism into the fight that is not helpful in either way, and it will be in my mind up to the shia militia, those that will be employed under the control of baghdad, to demonstrate that they could go into the area and not be seen as sectarian fighters. >> are they under iraqi control or operating under instructions from the iranian military to train them. >> it's the shia militia that the prime minister has control over, that the united states has supported being put into this

fight. my personal view this is the wrong way to go. i believe that the prime minister is under such pressure to show progress that he doesn't lotz ramadi -- lose ramadi, that he's willing to introduce any risk, and we'll have to see if it turns out to be a greater mistake than simply allowing ramadi to stay until security forces gain control. >> on the positive side of things coalition bombing two weeks ago, killing a man that may have had daily operational control of forces. a u.s. raid in syria killing a man believed to be a major i.s.i.l. financier. are these successes enough to degrade and destroy i.s.i.l.? >> they are significant, but they are not enough to degrade and destroy i.s.i.l. they have shown an ability as we have seen with al qaeda in iraq. and able to constitute leadership. they have a quick succession

plan. the leaders that followed may not be as skilled as the leaders they washed. this is not a cut off the head of the snake strategy that if you take off the leader the organization falls away. >> general mark kimmitt, good to have your perspective, especially with the developments. thank you. >> thank you for more on this we bring in a retired brigadier general with the iraqi army joining us from washington d.c. thank you for joining us. in the past hour we had reports from "the wall street journal" that president obama is thinking about intensifying training and equipping sunni trips. what is interesting is that this comes in contrast to last week the head of anbar provinces sunni tribe. they go back on a promise. and turned to shia militias. basically they are not trusting the sunni tribes.

who is right. should the assault occasioning actual bodily harm sunni tribes-- should the sunni tribes be beyond blames or is it the government for not trusting them. >> the problem is the trust issue. who is trusting who. this is the question in iraq. if you support the sunni against the shia the shia will blame the united states, that they are biased in supporting sunnis against shi'a. if the shi'a will be supported by iran the sunni will be accusing the government that it is bias to the shia against the sunni. so there is no compromise in between. we should work in the middle of the road. we should bring sunni and shia to work together. although they are popular forces. this is the right direction. >> forgive me for interrupting,

the shia militias are on the outskirts ready to retake the city. the government effectively asked them. could the government trust the militia, is it wrong to trust them if you can't control them. >> it's dire situation, a dangerous situation jeopardizing all iraq security and all iraqi cities with grave consequences. what should the government go with, if there's no other options in front of them. i think relating to the shia militia, it's like - it's a medicine for a snake bite. you treat it like a point. it's something that you feel is a poison but it's remedy at the end of the day. this is the situation now.

i think the iraqi government does not have an option. by the way no partners is offering iraqi government options equivalent to the militia. i.s.i.l. benefitted from the government getting the iraqis against the fight against i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. showed remarkable military skill. why do you think it's been so successful, particularly in iraq, is it local support, ideology what do you think it is. first of all ideology and sonnedly the hierarchy of command and control. almost from the military that has been disbanded during the c.t. i era.

i said also the other issue that they have reliable scourses of intelligence, which ricky security forces -- iraqi security forces don't have. these are elements that provide logistics for them. and these are making them more successful in the area responsible. >> retired brigadier general with the iraqi army thank you for sharing your views with us. >> the brother of an american kidnapped in syria is asking for help. austin was taken hostage in 2012. today his mother pleaded with anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward. >> we know austin is not held by any part of the opposition. still, after all these 1,009 days we do not know where he is nor who is holding him.

>> incredible sources told her that her son is alive. and asked her son's captors to allow him to call her while she's in lebanon to the war in lebanon where we have seen the heaviest day of the fighting. a saudi arabia led coalition bombarded depots in mountains surrounding the capital sanaa. efforts to extend the truce past the sunday deadline failed. fighting resumed after midnight on monday. >> anti-government protests in burundi grew violent with police beating demonstrators and firing tear gas at them in the capitol city bujumbura. the protests began three weeks ago, aimed at stopping president pierre nkurunziza from running for a third term. then military leaders attempted to overthrow the government.

and the government says it will treat protesters as accomplices to the failed coup. >> people were in the streets. those people were the achieved. they were working closely with those persons who can see that now there's a coup. >> protesters insist they oppose the president and an attempt at the government. >> severe diarrhoea and cholera broke out in a village where thousands of refugees that scoped the violence in burundi have found shelter. we have a report on a fast-coming humanitarian crisis. >> this village was not prepared for its population to double in a matter of weeks. there's more refugees here than locals. >> most of us of coughing.

our toilets are full. i had to rebuild my toilet because it was blocked. >> there's too many refugees and diseases. water is scarce. >> further along the banks of one of the largest stank, the problem is the same. too many new arrivals not enough clean water. >> they are drinking out of the lakes and unclean water sources. it's a recipe for disaster when it comes to disease. diseases like cholera from contaminated water and food. it can kill within hours. there has been several deaths in poorly equipped camps. family members are dying in front of our eyes. some are bringing in medication. if they do it will not be enough, because there's so many people here.

>> more are on their way. tanzania soldiers check the youngs and old as they wait for buses to a camp. the adults know that piece is fragile back home. anyone over 20 lived through civil war in burundi. unresolved ethnic rivalries from the war are a factor. 300,000 people died when tutsi and houthi ethnic groups turned against each other. >> i have left burundi because there's somehow no piece. university students boniface and a friend said he and others ran away because he's scared it could happen again potential chinese spies on american soil. >> why officials are concerned sensitive information could have been traded for an economic advantage later, shutting down sweat shops accused of exploiting

immigrant workers in argentina.

they oing that they produced and -- allege they produced and sold the technology to chinese businesses. one of them was a professor, arrested at los angeles international airport when he tried to enter the united states on saturday. while the department of justice led the investigation and released the indictment today

tsks welcome news across the u.s. government. >> i think the case demonstrates that the united states is committed to protecting u.s. company's trade secrets and propriety business information from theft. so this is an important issue for the united states. i'm not going to comment on the role in the investigation. the indictment comes amid a crackdown on alleged chinese espionage. last year 5 employees were arrested after allegedly hacking into a company. and convictions against two individuals who committed espionage against the dupont company and sold the information to a chinese firm. china provided a financial life line to brazil. the chinese premier met with the brazilian president dilma rousseff on tuesday. they signing deals calling for

chinese loans and investments, brazil endured five years of low growth. 7 billion to go to the state-owned oil firm petrogas. tens of thousands of protesters in china - they are outraged that a high-speed rail link would pass them by. adrian brown with more. >> reporter: lynn sway has the feel of a town waiting for better economic times. a proposed high-speed link was supposed to deliver that. when the government changed its mind many in the remote community rose up. protests against governments in china is not unusual, but demonstrations in support of developments are. protesters carried banners saying we want prosperity and dent abandon lynn sway. it's not clear how a protest

that began peacefully turned into a violence and prolonged conversation. here tear gas is fired as protesters block a main road. in a local hospital some of the injured accuse the police of using excessive force. this man needed 10 stitches. >> i am more than 60 years old, i'm rational. not like those young people. i was beaten by the police. it was chaos. the situation was out of control. >> translation: i can remember when the p.l.a. liberated our town. i was passing by. they hit me for no reason. those [ bleep ] were crazy. you can see they hit me here at the town's entrance a giant poster of china's former

leader whose economic reforms helped to pull millions out of poverty. he was born in a nearby town which is competing for the rail link. >> our assignment was brought to a halt. police commandos with assault rifles and shotguns - they threatened to shoot, all in the presence of local government minders and gave us permission to work here. >> the camera was returned. the memory cards were wiped. unconfirmed reports say three died and hundreds of others were injured at the weekend. around 30 of them police officers if that is true then this was one of the most violence protests in china to dates gloria stein 'em landed in north korea. she plans to lead a group of female peace activists in a

march across the demilitarized zone on sunday. it's one of the most heavily fortified areas between north and south korea. the women hope to raise awareness in the region. the two countries are at war because the korean war ended in an armour cities -- armistice instead of a treaty. >> it's the last remaining symbol of world war ii and the cold car. i mean ronald reagan stood outside the wall and said take down this wall. we are saying take down this isolation. two nobel laureates are there with stein 'em, 81 years old. the rare crossing has been approved by the government of both koreas. today we'll look at the most militarized border in the world and how fortifies itself. the prime minister of ukraine calls his country's

conflict with russia war it came after russian soldiers were caught fighting in ukraine in afghanistan, police sentences to some officers accused of not doing enough to stop the brutal murder of a young woman.

welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm barbara serra. and i'm antonio mora a woman killed by a mob. >> plus prince charles chacks the hand of a man who dedicated his life to removing british authority from northern ireland first, a look at stories making headlines across the u.s. in our american minute. >> 34 millionaire backs are being recalled. the faulty air backs are blamed

for six deaths and hundreds of injuries. official do not know why they malfunctioned. >> america's second largest city voted to raise the minimum wage. los angeles vowed to lower the rate. the city council approved the measure. according to some estimates, 40% of the population earns less than $15 an hour. los angeles joins oakland seattle and others. >> hillary clinton addressed the media for the first time in a month while campaigning in iowa telling reporters she wants the state departments to release her emails as soon as possible. the state department says it will take until january, and acknowledged her support of the iraq war in 2002. and stressed her senate vote was a mistake ukraine's president said the country is at war with russia.

>> petro porashenko said he's afraid russia's army will try to advance on the eastern territory. he said the only way to stop is negotiation. n.a.t.o. called on them to stop military exercises along the border. and moscow needs to be more transparent. the kremlin denied involvement with ukraine. >> rebel fighters who attacked forces in luhansk. four soldiers died, two wounded. forces captured two soldiers over the weekend. simon mcgregor-wood reports. >> reporter: the ukranian authorities wasted no time in showing the men off. both were wounded in fighting. both give their names and admit they are members of russian special forces. the ukranian say both were wearing uniforms and carrying weapons, proving their point

that russia is supporting the separatists with equipment and soldiers on the ground. on tuesday, the russian ministry demanded a right to see the men, but denied they were from the russian army. >> translation: on may 16th, around 1500 local time two russian army officers were captured. they are from the third unit of a special mission of general intelligence. russian-backed separatists have been fighting ukranian troops in eastern ukraine for over a year of 6 100 have been killed. ukranian and western officials claimed regular troops have been fighting in ukraine. moscow says any russians that may be there are vol deers. the two sides signed a peace deal in minsk, meant to see a separation of forces but neither side fulfilled obligations and the frontline is

volatile. >> in the european capital and n.a.t.o. headquarters, they claim the involvement is under mining the fragile peace much >> translation: we speak the same language respect the minsk agreement. we say this with the same firmness to both sides. this is the condition for peace. >> the capture of what appears to be two regular soldiers on the front line engaged in fighting strengthened kiev's hand and gives a hollow ring to moscow's continued denials. iran and syria say they are strengthening their alliance. earlier syria's president met with iran's foreign affairs scrizor -- advisor in damascus. an iranian official says a strategic relationship constitutes a pillar of confronting the west and other countries in the middle east a "the washington post" journalist held in iran for

10 months is to go on trial next week. jason, and his wife a journalist and photographer were summoned to appear in court. he is charged with espionage. the post and the u.s. government say the charges are false and called for his release. 11 officers will spend a year in prison for failing to do their duty when a mob beat and burnt a woman in march. she was facely accused of burning the koran. as jennifer glasse reports, the trial has been closely watched. >> reporter: the judge said police failed to help a woman as a mob beat her. that and failure to carry out police duties meant 11 were sent to gaol. nine others were sent free. >> after investigating the documents in this case the official announced that in

keeping the constitution and police law the officers know their rights. >> reporter: this was the second round of verdicts. in the first, four got the death penalty, eight others six each in prison for taking part in the killing. 18 others freed for lack of evidence. the court case was unique in afghanistan. it was televised live and the first time police were prosecuted. there were some irregularities. not all the accused had defense lawyers. each was given a chance to speak for themselves. some of the most prominent murderers, identifiable from the slaying have not been caught. those in court to watch the case say they are disappointed with the trial and verdicts. >> it was a political gate. it was designed how to con people's mind to say she was killed. and the court in afghanistan is

going to give death penalty, that would be perfect politically for them. the murder shocked afghanistan. many hoped it would spark a change in the justice system. it was said that offenses were too light and not all the killers have been brought to justice. >> this street has been named in her memory. after a public trial, there's no certainty that her murder will change afghan attitudes about justice or violence to women now, to south-east asia and a humanitarian crisis at sea. the foreign ministers of thailand indonesia and malaysia are meeting to discuss a flood of refugees thousands arrived by boat and raft. thousands at sea with little food and water. rob mcbride joins us from the capital. tell us about the meeting and what they hope to accomplish? >> that's right.

the meeting is underway now, and began in the past hour. we expect a press conference and everyone eager to see what will come out of this this is the first international sign of cooperation in south-east asia to what is everyone accepts, an international problem. the only thing that all the countries share in common is a controversial push-back policy a strategy of pushing back the boats out of water into the neighbour's territorial waters saying "that's it we dealt with the problem" it's a humanitarian low point in the history of these countries in the past couple of weeks. they are conscious of that and that they'll have to come up with a concrete measure and not just a bland statement. the needs of the migrants people on the boats, is in the here and now. this morning we heard of another arrival in the province of aceh of hundreds of migrants that have been at sea, and reported that there are just off the part

of the coast, a further 400 people on boats, wanting to come ashore, trying to get ashore. >> some of the stories terrible suffering. myanmar, which is where most are coming from is not at the table there. the u.n. called on governments throughout the region to help the refugees. what are the chances. what are people expecting to come out of the meeting to help them? >> international aid organizations, rights groups saying this is the time for action. the u.n.h.c.r. said countries should do more than pushing boats away they should go out having search and rescue missions. rights groups go further saying out of humanitarian dignity the country should take them ashore

rather than send them or a their way. the government of myanmar said this is the source of the problem. they are not responsible for rohingya that have taken to the boats to escape persecution and poverty. it would help if myanmar was at the table. >> it's terrible to look at the pictures. bribe in kuala lumpur an historic handshake between once sworn enemies. prince charles meets with sinn fein leader gerry adams and the fight for oil production in the antarctica intensifies.

the dangers of argentina illegal textile industries - it's been the subject of growing concern after a deadly fire last month at a sweat shop in venezuela. two young boys were killed. daniel schweimler reports that people are calling for an end to the exploitation of child labour and urging the factor industry to stop buying from illegal shops. and sent this report. >> reporter: this is shopping in downtune fashion conscious venezuela. brand names at affordable prices. some pay a high price. these boys 10 and 7 died in a fire at a sweat shop making clothes. >> i can show you houses that look rich. behind the walls are 50 people working. we have denounced six sweat shops just on the block.

>> since the fire at the end of april, the foundation that campaigns for better working continues identified hundreds more illegal sweat shops in residential neighbourhoods. >> ordinarily looking doors. hiding numerous nightmares. they employ hundreds of immigrants cramped. olga arrived in 2000 with two small children and spent years working 16-17 hours a day. >> i was working with nine other people in a tiny space where there was no room to move. we were hard by allowed to go to the toilet. we ate breakfast and lunch by our machines. >> reporter: this woman works eight hours a day with lunch breaks. >> this is one of many. they are called secret workshops. everybody nose where they are.

the nab -- knows where they are. the neighbours authorities and companies that buy the clothes. this was exposed because two young children died here. there are growing calls to the boys' deaths not to have been in vain. >> translation: we are talking about 68% of the argentine clothing conducted in sweat shops, informal work forced labour, people working without right. retail clothing company was accused of buying from the sweat shops, but that's been no response. the protesters marched from here to the site of another sweatshop fire nine years ago. then six bolivian workers, five children, died. the owners were never prosecuted. two managers are appealing their three year sentences.

what is the ultimate cost? federal drug agents say that they have taken $50 million. mexican heroin off the streets of new york. the drug enforcement agency said it turned up £150 in the bronx during an investigation of two suspected drug traffickers. the men were arrested and $2 million confiscated. officials say they supplied heroin for new york city connecticut, pennsylvania, and rhode island. >> a report says cuba established a banking relationship in the u.s. clearing a hurdle to re-establishing diplomatic relations between the country. the associated press sites a state department official refusing to identify the bank involved. cuba's government will make an announcement soon. securing banking operations in the u.s. has been among the main demands. >> history has been made in ireland. the heir to the british thrown

prince charles met the head of sin feign gerry ad -- shin fayne, gerry adams. >> their handshake would have been unthinkable decades ago. >> reporter: to say this moment would have been unthinkable a handful of years ago fails to do justice to the word unthinkable. a handshake and meeting between the future king of england and gerry adams, a man who devoted his life at times advocating violence to remove traces of british violence. the u.s. expected adams of between an ira officer when lord mount baton, charles uncle, was murdered in an ir a-bombing that destroyed his yacht. >> thankfully all the conflict is behind us. the heart is not behind us. i'd like to think today's

engagement would be symbolic and practical way to face up to the future. >> returning to the past is not an option. >> in the '70s, '80s, and '90s it was a struggle between those that wanted the british out of northern ireland, and those that wanted to remain part of the u.k. hundreds died in bombings and shootings in the south and north of ireland and mainland britain, such as the harr odd's bomb and oxford street bomb. in the '90s, two things happened that would steer northern ireland away. john major won a victory in the 1992 election and put northern ireland at the top of the to-do list. midway through the decade in the u.s. president bill clinton appointed senators george mitchell to broker peace. a peace deal the 1998 good

friday agreement led to a northern ireland assembly. there are skirmishes in northern ireland, but nothing like the "07s, and " -- in the '70s, and '80s. prince charles rarely comments on politics, but his speech stood the time. >> there's a unique magic about ireland that is totally irresistible classes came to a halt in france when teachers walked off the job. >> proposed reforms aimed at giving all an equal education is a race to the bottom. >> and they are calling it shoe-gate. what happened at the cannes film festival sparking a discussion over gender inequality in the field industry.

protesters in seattle say they will not back down after days of demonstrations against arctic drilling. a flotilla of kayaks swarmed a

shell oil rig last week. >> protesters gathered at the hague where board members met at the headquarters and faced tough questions. dominic kane reports. it was the moment for shell's shareholders to meet the board and put forward concerns. before they could, environmental campaigners gathered outside the venue, determined to highlight the dangers they believe shell's plans posed to the arctic. >> shell is going back this year to the arctic despite the concerns, risks and protests. and what you see is that they are still pursuing a strategy that is basically going 4 degrees celsius of global warming and is not in line with international commitment. >> seemingly a world away from the hague, hundreds staged a water born protest against shell's plans, calling themselves the ky activists of seattle. they have used the presence of the oil company's polar pioneer

drilling rig in harbour as a means to highlight concerns. one alaskan campaigner travelled to the netherlands to explain the dangers she believes her people will face. >> and i hope that the board might be able to realise, you know, how high the risk is for them to attempt to go out there and do these. it's a dangerous place to try and drill right now. they don't have a proven technology that will - that will be safe enough to drill out there in the ocean. >> reporter: but shell says it has developed many safety procedures to neble it to drill -- enable it to drill in the arctic and it is committed to reducing climate change.

within a few months of the meeting shell will start exploratory drilling in the arctic. some estimates suggest around 20% of oil and gas resources lay there. shell says the area represents a huge opportunity, but says it presents it with a huge responsibility now, our global view segment, a look at how news outlets are reacting to various events. we begin with a head line in the "telegraph", talking about i.s.i.l., raising the possibility that the world could have to deal with "a fully autonomous radical islamic entity with the dire security that will raise." the paper says it's unlikely they'll be defeated unless more resolve is shown by the rest

"the daily star" writes iran and united states is supporting militias, instead of the iraqi government of the the lebanese paper says it results in human rights violations and fragmentation of the iraqi people, and if u.s. policy in iraq is to prevent rebuilding and a force capable of defending the country, it's working. "the australian" wages this on those that fought for i.s.i.s., and now wish to return. they say they should come home to gaol and be treated like any australian guilty of a crime and each should face a decade in prison if convicted of fighting with a proposed terror group. >> what to do with returning fighters. cavl a controversy in europe

well smaller class sizes, and better funding is what teachers and support staff want, and they participated in a walk out teachers unions in europe organised a strike. they were upset about reforms they say will drag down standards. we have this report from paris. >> reporter: education reforms raise their heads in paris. the aims are usually the same namely to restore a perceived golden age of the republican school system, and, secondly to arrest the decline of french schools when compared with international standards. this time it's the french president and his young 37-year-old education minister. what they have done with the proposals, perhaps uniquely is unite everyone against them.

>> with foreign languages - english is worse. we are not good. we are going to be worse. >> we don't know if it works. we don't have an idea on how it will work. it's all very messy, and we don't like the messes. >> we are a reason of the decision is 1,200 will be affected. >> reporter: the former center right education minister described the proposals as noxious, empty headed and scandalous. >> there was a retort that opponents were pseudointellectuals. you can see the bitterness with which the issue has been taken by all sides. traditionalists are critical of phasing out of latin and greek, and the teaching of history is under question the the reform makes it an option not a

compulsory part of the curriculum. it has political implications. there was a breaching presentation by the german embassy last month, giving their concerns about the proposed reforms, saying the downgrading of the german language in schools would have business implication, trade between france and germany, affecting airbus bosch, b a.f.s. to see a president pitched against left-leaning french teachers is curious. the reality is both sides agree on the problem, and that is to try to remove the elite, dominating industry like the media, law and politics. what they disagree on is how best to achieve that. >> paul brennan in paris. it was supposed to be a big year for women at the film festival they are facing criticism after guards refused women because they weren't

wearing high heels. it sparked debate after a handful of over 50s were turned away. it fuelled discussion about zenneder ineyalt in the film industry. >> yes, that is very did noting. you think that there's new waves of equality and, you know waves of people realising that women are fascinating and interesting to watch, and bankable. it was interesting with this film. you were asked if you'd rewrite my part for a guy. the truth that the screenwriter several times - the screen play was written years ago. it was a screen play that people were afraid of in part because the lead was a female character. i know the screenwriter was asked to rewrite the part. >> a spokesman said there's no

specific height requirement for heels and men are subject to a dress code and are required to wear black shoes and bow ties. that's it for this edition of al jazeera america. >> thank you for watching. "america tonight" is next. see you again in an hour. on "america tonight" - policing change. correspondent adam may on the streets of america's toughest city, with what makes a difference. >> you know who lives here who doesn't. we see the same people all the time, inside here playing with the kids. that's what it was designed for. >> tonight, dealing in death. his final gift and his widow's shocking discovery. >> reporter: what specifically did you think would