the message is this is one, one hateful person. one hateful person. a search is underway for a gunman who opened fire at a church in the u.s. city of charleston. ♪ ♪ hill owe and welcome. you are watching al jazerra. i am richelle carey live from our headquarters in doha. also coming enough the program. hong kong lawmakers rejected beijing-backed plans for electoral reform. yemen's capital is hit by a series of bombings as peace talks in geneva make little

progress. plus venezuela has a passion for football at south america's biggest tournament. ♪ ♪ at least nine people have been killed in a shooting at a historic black church in the u.s. state of south carolina. police say they are treat this is as a hate crime. they are searching for a white male gunman, erica wood has more. >> reporter: people were holding a nighttime prayer meeting at the emanuel a.m.e. church when police say a lone gunman entered the building and opened fire. >> we are looking for a white male. approximately 21 years old sandy blond hair and he obviously is extremely dangerous. >> reporter: it's a hospital tour i can black church in downtown charleston and police, the mayor and church elders were

in no doubt about the motive behind the attack. >> i do believe this is a hate crime. >> the only reason someone could walk in to church and shoot people praying is out of hate. the only reason. >> gun violence has to stop. >> reporter: on the street people have voiced their anger about what appears to be yet another attack on the united states' black community. there have been a string of cases of violence against them in recent months, including a video which emerge the last week show police brutality at a pool party. but community lead nurse charleston has stressed this must be all time to unite. >> we stand in solidarity but also solicit your prayers for the family members who have lost loved ones here tonight. >> reporter: jeb bush who started his republican presidential campaign this week was true to appear in charleston on thursday but canceled because of the shooting. on twitter he says our thoughts and prayers over the individuals and families affected by the

tragic vents in charleston. and democratic presidential hopeful hillary clinton tweeted hard breakinghard all right breaking news there charleton he stop my thoughts and praise are with you all. >> reporter: to voice their anger at the crime the police are warning locals of the danger of a the tacker as they continue their manhunt. erica wood, al jazerra. politicians in hong kong have rejected a beijing-backed election reform bill. the proposal would have given voters in hong kong the opportunity to elect their leader in 2017. but it would have only been able to choose from candidates approved by beijing. and that is a move pro-democracy legislators and active viforts activists call undemocratic. >> reporter: the clean up is beginning here outside the legislative assembly. the number of frosters is beginning to thin out. it's been a good day for the pro-democracy groups. they have insured that a

government proposal to broaden democratic reform here in hong kong would not pass and has not passed. in a sense of, of course, there is an irony to how democrats who spent their lives their careers calling for more democracy in hong kong voting down a a proposal toll do just that. but they say they had to because what was being offered was in a sense a fake democracy. it all ended very quickly and chaotically. i think the pro-government parties realize the the vote would be just a formality. they knew they didn't have the numbers. they knew they were going to lose. and so they simply walked out of the chamber before the vote insuring that the democrats got their way. security forces in central somalia have foiled an attempted suicide attack on a political conference killing three gunmen as they attempt towed to enter the hall in where the meeting was being held. driver of a car packed with explosives was killed in this

attack. the militant al-shabab group has claimed responsibility? a group affiliated with isil has claimed respond he responsibility for a series of car bombings in yemen's capital. dozens reported to have been killed in the attack that hit mosques near houthi head quarters in sanaa. the bombing comes as they meet in geneva where they are struggling to meet any progress on a peace deal. >> reporter: car bombs hit a houthi strong hold in the yemeni capital. an area on the outskirts of sanaa. one of the houthis' headquarters is located there. this isn't the only attack targeting the houthis. since they took over sanaa last year. in march the islamic state claimed responsibility for a string of attacks targeting houthi mosques. more than 100 people were killed killed. the attacks come at a time when

crucial talks to solve yemen's crisis are underway in geneva. the united nation has been urging the warring faction to his agree on a humanitarian truce. but each party has preconditions and there has been little or no progress. the houthis and forces loyal to former president saleh say the saudi-lead air strikes must stop first. the government blames the houthis for the ongoing violence. insisting they must stop shelling the cities. the saudi-led coalition say they will stop bombing the houthis and their allies once they pull out for the industries they control. in the meantime, the united nations envoy is on the offensive. he has only a few days left to salvage a deal.

if yemen's rivals fail to make progress, fighting will continue and the humanitarian crisis will get worse with every passing day. the sanaa bombings might put more pressure on the parties gathering here in geneva to solve yemen's crisis or face more instability that might play in the hand of groups like al qaeda or the islamic state who might take advantage of the political vacuum and expand. al jazerra geneva. new evidence has emerged of chlorine gaza tacks in syria. it comes from doctors who have worked there and have been testifying before the u.s. congress. they say bashar al-assad's government is carrying out the attacks with devastating consequences, kimberly hal cut reports from washington d.c. six we came to share what has

happened. >> since march 16th of this we are documented 31 attacks using poisonous gas in idlib province. where more than 380 syrian civilians were injured by it. 10 of them were -- died of suffocation. >> reporter: providing additional video evidence, the doctors told lawmakers the attacks intensified 10 days after a u.n. security council resolution condemned the weaponization of chlorine. and threatened military action if the resolution was breached. >> i am a doctor and i am very familiar with death. but i have never seen a more obscene way to kill children. i have never watched so many suffer in such an obscene manner. >> reporter: the doctors say only the syrian government has access to the helicopters responsible for dropping the chlorine-filled barrel on his to civilian areas it believes are supportive of the syrian

opposition. still bashar al-assad has always maintained his government is not behind the chlorine gaza tacks. last month in a u.s. tv network interview he argued that chlorine is woodley available and has been weapon unized in the past by other groupings. >> reporter: including ice it's. but u.s. secretary of state john kerry says that's united states believes assad is behind the attacks. and is working to hold him accountable. >> that's why doctor and activists are pressuring law make ires to push president obama in to targeted military action to pressure dialogue that leads to the creation of a no fly zone to stop the bombs from droppings . >> these weapons which eject nails,. [ inaudible ] and other random cheap and harmful shrapnel take dozens of innocent lives every day.

>> reporter: they say without international effort there is little hope to civilians safety. thousands of syrians who fled to turkey over the past two weeks are now returning home. some 23,000 people were forced out of their attorney when it was seized by isil fighters but on tuesday that town was retaken. the number of people displaced by war last year has hit a record high. the war in syrian is being seen as major factor behind these record numbers. the u nhc respects saying nearly 60 million people have fled war conflict or persecution that's 8.3 million more than 2013. is is what the u.n. high commissioner said a short time ago. >> one clearly gets the impression that the world is at war. and indeed many areas of the world are today in a completely could i chaotic situation. and the result is the staggering

escalation of displace think. the staggering escalation of human suffering. because each displaced person is a tragic story. and not only are people suffering when they are forced today flee, but many are suffering trapped by conflict in their own villages or in their own communities. a catholic church has been badly damage ed in a suspected arson attack in northern israel. fire broke out in the church of the multiply indication on the sea of gally overnight. the sight marks the traditional spot of jesus miracle. graffiti was found inside the church calling for the expulsion of the quote heathens from israel. mosques and churches have been targeted in similar attacks in the past. still ahead the vatican is expected to call for urgent action on the issue of climate change, we'll speak to an environmentalist. and a rare admission north

korea's government as they face their worst drought in a century. >> ya. >> we've done it and that is why we are there. >> my life is in danger. >> anyone who talks about the islamic religion is killed. >> don't miss the exclusive al jazeera investigation. >> i can't allow you not to go

♪ ♪ welcome back. let's take a look at the top stories here on al jazerra. police in the u.s. state of south carolina are searching for a man behind a church shooting. the suspect a young white man opened fire inside the church in charleston killing nine people. police believe the shooting at the historic emanuel address ame church is indeed a hate crime. politicians in hong kong have rejected a beijing-backed lex reform bill.

the proposal was to see voters in hong kong elect their leader in 2017. but from candidates approved by beijing. dozens are right handed to have been killed in a series of car bombings in yemen's capital sanaa. it targeted mosques. a group affiliated with isil has claimed respond. the vatican is about to pub a warning from pope francis on on global warming saying time is running out for humanity to address climate change i am joined by the manager of climate change, thank you so so much for joining us, appreciate it very much. let's talk about the what pope has written, he says that climate, he believes, climate change is mostly man-made. and he rejects the idea of carbon credits, saying specifically, this is what the

draft says that could give rise to a new form of speculation, it would not help to reduce the overall emission pollution gases, polluting gases. do you agree with that? >> yes. but let's firstly note that this is a leaked document and so we have to recognize that. we are speculate on the ground what the hope might eventually say. but considering the statement that would is available for us to review, i think the pope has made some very valid points like he mentioned recognizing that climate change, he has singled out human influence as a very, very critical part of the overall influence on climate change and global warming. and secondly, also pointing out that that kind of energy usage patterns and lifestyle changes are required if we are to deal with climate change.

and that -- and thirdly some solutions such as market-based solutions and carbon credits are just relying on technological solutions might not be the -- might not solve the problem completely because historically this has been tried building that protocol and has had limited success and what we are looking for i thought was not just incremental changes but some substantial changes if we are to deal with the problem of climate change. >> and you make a good point that this is just a leaked document, a draft. but it's much to be released much clothes to the summit that is happening in paris. do you think that what we are hearing, what we think we are hearing from the pope will really have any impact? >> i think so. and in the document what seems to come out is that the pope is addressing the world at large and not just certain sections of

society. and especially when he's talking to making lifestyle changes. about changing our energy consumption patterns, this will have an effect because, for example, the climate negotiations that is going to be happening in paris is going to address climate change post 2020. but kind of things that the pope seems to be referring to in this document addressing lifestyle changes. we could do this now. just to give you an idea. when we are talking about global warmingwarming and climate change we are talking about a carbon budget of will you roughly a thousand tons of co2 and the cowed is consuming 40 giga tonights a year. before the 2020 agreement becomes effective it is critical and if you don't make changes right now, we could be losing out about a quarter of the

carbon budget that remains for the world if we are to lower global warming. >> thank you so much for your time and insight. appreciate it. north korea says that it is suffering its worst drought in a sen tire i. at least a third of the country's rice paddies are thought to have dried up due to record low rainfall. >> reporter: on north korean state run television a rare announcement that all is not well. this government official says their establishing and carrying out things to limit damage. despite the pictures of lakes fields full of crops hillsides covered with trees north korea says it's facing its worst drought in a century. for people working on cooperative farms like this one where the rice farms are almost barrettesbare it's a worrying situation. >> this is my first drought in 20 years of farming experience

as you can see the seedling is too small to do rice planting. >> reporter: in all a third of the country's rice ahead paddies have dried up but maze and barley production is also threatened by the hot weather. >> translator: at the start of spring the temperature rose quickly in may way strong hot and dry airflow with high pressure temperatures reached more than 30 degrees celsius in parts of east and west coasts this is five to seven degrees higher than in an average year. >> reporter: in the capital pyongyang the level of the river is alarmingly low. such images bring back memories of 1990s drought here which is thought to have killed hundreds of thousands of people. on wednesday the south korean government held a media conference. pointing out that rainfall has been unusually low on both side of border. and saying north career's food production could fall sharply unless it rains soon. the united nations says almost a third of children you understand five in north korea are mall nor i should and international aid has fallen sharply in rerecent

year old partly because of the reluctant to allowed food to be monitored a prolonged drought could claim many more lives. three more people have died from mers in south korea bringing the total number of deaths to 23. almost 7,000 people have been warn typed at home and medical september ears cross the country. doctors say they are doing all they can to halt the mediciner outbreak which began last month. but the discovery of new cases has raised questions about the government's ability to control the spreads of virus. >> trans finance minister said it was be a catastrophe in they lead the even i. from athens we have a report. >> reporter: they want to send europe a message. this woman boiled it down to one word. no. >> i say no to those who are blackmailing us. i say no to my country being

sold piecemeal. i want to as it is. clean, whole and with its history. even if it means leaving the euro. >> translator: i want to tell my prime minister what we fear is a possible retreat. we are prepared even for a break up. not one step back. >> reporter: the two sides are entrenched creditors demand $4 billion additional spending cuts and taxes this year, greece is offering about half that and says that's final. these people represent the majority view here. after six years of all stair city greeks wants their sovereignty back to plan their own way out of this crisis but the credibility of the european union is now at stake. just as it's politically difficult for this government to deliver deep cuts it's virtual impossible for its european partner to his let go its own way. in the post crisis approximated even u some members are more than equal than others greece says. >> greece is a sovereign state. it has a government that

received a mandate recently. and it is this government possible for deciding how it will distribute taxes where, it will get money. the innocence tense that this money must come from new cuts in pensions for us is an incomprehensible system. now we must not with the tech contracts, but with the political leadership in europe come it a political edition. >> reporter: that charge that our is up pill i believing greece has made officials in brussels furious they say they have offered the greeks a big discount on what proportion of their economy to send repaying debt. >> it is truly false to present the commission as trying to oppose austerity in grease it's totally false. the posalser making a perfectly reasonable. >> reporter: earlier on we understand the greek central bank warned a default would lead to an uncontrollable crisis with the country leaving the euro and possibly even the entire european union. most greeks don't want that kind of a divorce but austerity is now a foul word to them and won't accept more of it.

john, al jazerra agent ends. voting has bunegun. immigration is a key issue. they want to give unemployed immaterial garageimmigrants access. a pal guying after a tiger mauled someone. it was shot to death on we understand. >> the government previously said all animal that his escaped from a flooded zoo on sunday had been captured and there was no threat to the population. it is blaming the zoo for giving them wrong information. >> translator: it is confirmed that one man was killed by the wild animal. special force inside the building and we can say that a man is definitely been killed by the tiger. he was taken to hospital unconscious and we know he's now died. we wanted to tranquilize the

animal, but it was very aggressive and attacking. so unfortunately, we had to kill it. according to the information we had there should not be anymore animal on his the loose. negotiators from the colombian government and fork rebels have begun a new round of peace talks in cuba. tension has been mounting since may when fork ended aid unilateral ceasefire our latin american editor lucia new man aren't from huh van a in the latest round of peace talks in huh van a negotiators are discussing setting up a protocol to reincorporate rebel combat ant under the age of first teen in to civil city the fork says it's a gesture of goodwill at a time when armed classes between the army and rebels are escalating were the negotiators will be continuing to talk about setting up a truce commission and there is some concern in colombia about the impartiality of such a commission and whether or not it might unduly favor the fork rebels. the real problem though, seems

to be less about establishing truth than about justice versus forgiveness as a way to achieve national reconciliation. and in this sense pope francis' offer on monday to play a direct role in the peace process if both sides agree is very significant. and will be clearly discussed here in havana. ca those certainly runs very deep in colombia so the church's influence cannot be under estimated. the dominican republic hundreds of thousands of migrants from neighboring haiti face did he for take under a new immigration law. many rush to government offices overnight in hopes of submitting their applications for legal residency before the new immigration law is enforced the new law stipulates noncitizen must prove they have been there for the past four year old or face did he deportation. the legislation aims to regulate the flow of paying rants from haiti. the interior ministry says out of 500,000 migrants in the country half are registered but

only 10,000 produce sufficient documentation. in chile education reform plans which require teachers to take new certification tests have provoked protests, riot police responded to the crowd in the capital santee ago oh, the president wants to regulate teacher pay and bring public schools under national jurisdiction, the reform plans have won support with students and teachers are demanding greater say. colombian football fans are celebrating beating brazil in the copa america tournament. fans packed the capital. a first period goal was the winning one. venezuela's football team also upset the form books, it's a game changer because baseball is fair that i have writ sport and

football fans are looking forward to the next big test against peru. >> reporter: against all odds venezuela scored a winning goal against football giant colombia in its first match of this year's copa america. sunday's surprising rought is being greeted by many here as a change that has been slow in the making but that could soon amount to something bigger. >> venezuelan football sim proving. i saw new players. new goalkeeper being i think we stand a chance this team. and we did beat bra brazil in the last copa america stage. >> reporter: but overall their football record is it's mall they are only the south american country not to play in a world cup. yet accord to this technical director of one of the country's biggest training school there are more kids playing football than baseball.

>> our football is at a breaking point, we are still a ways away but having more players sign up is helping. certainly the upcoming generation is helping thanks to what the older players learn abroad but also in a change in our approach to training. >> reporter: venezuela has traditionally been a baseball-loving country but several small victories in a yes sent start of football could be the first signed that change? the area. but it is baseball that has historically defined venezuela. venezuelans can turn any patch of grass or department department in to a baseball field. the reason for the preference is so deep to many it's just a matter of identity. >> baseball just comes easier to us, we are caribbean bee ans we like baseball. we like hitting the ball hard and sliding home. brazilians were born with a ball and we were born with a bat.

>> reporter: another unlikely victory in the copa could mean a welcome change of luck at least on the playing field. keep you want to minute on all our stories we are covering here go to our website aljazerra.com. >> every summer in america a force of nature becomes a man-made disaster. some call it a war millions of acres, billions of dollars. no end in sight. >> in this episode of fault lines we follow the 2013 wildfire season