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tv   News  Al Jazeera  July 23, 2015 3:00am-3:31am EDT

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10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. . >> the u.n. envoy to syria is in damascus meeting government officials and expressed alarm at using barrel bombs. >> i'm live from outside a refugee camp. i will be coming up with a report on the humanitarian and security challenges in the area. >> hello welcome to al-jazeera. the battle for aden.
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they say they have pushed houthi fighters from last strong holds. the secretary of state john kerry will be defending it. plus cash for conversation. why on-line chat rooms are big business in china. first, the u.n. envoy to syria is due to hold talks with the syrian government in damascus. on wednesday, there were deep concerns at the plight of people. the town, close to the lebanese border, is subjected to several barrel bomb attacks this week.
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the u.n. says syria faces the worst refew guy crisis in refugee crisis. many of them have crossed into neighboring countries which are struggling with the huge influx of refugees. more than a million are in lebanon. jordan has taken in over 600,000 syrians and close to 2 million have fled to turkey and the numbers continue to rise. we can go live to our correspondent in the turkeys border town that has thousands of syrian refugees. there is diplomatic soundings about how to get some kind of political solution to the crisis. evidence growing every day that the syrian conflict is overspilling into southern
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turkey. >> reporter: , absolutely right. and that crisis, especially the refugee crisis is felt keenly on turkey's border with syria. behind me you see a refugee camp. this houses around 30,000 refugees. most are kurdish. they saw a lot of fighting between isil and local residents and ypg forces last september. the refugees that cross over into turkey, most have refused to go back to syria. they are too afraid they will come under attack from isil or possibly from the government. they are very concerned. turkey has taken in close to 2 million refugees. that influx never stopped. you mentioned how now there are 4 million refugee whose have left syria. that number was reached around july 9 after about 40,000 syrian refugees crossed over intortor u.k. they have comeintoturkey.
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in that number, around 4,100,000. here in turkey they really feel intently that crisis, especially the refugee crisis. it's something that has cause the problems for local communities. there is a lot of anger by refugees particularly kurdish refugees who feel the government hasn't done enough to protect them. they will allow for humanitarian passage, they will protect the citizens against attacks by isil and other extremist groups. >> the security situation particularly in that part of southern turkey isn't causing great alarm even president obama had a conversation with their president putting more pressure on the turkish authorities to beef up security in this area. >> reporter: that's absolutely
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right. turkey has come under increased criticism. many governments many activists have stated they believe that turkey has not done enough to staunch the flow of extremists coming from turkey into syria. turkey has been adamant about denying that. after a meeting of the council of ministers the prime minister says these accusations towards turkey were lies. he says turkey has battled isil and other terrorist groups. he said they will continue to beef up security on the border. they will continue to protect all of turkey. they will take any measures necessary. this is the kind of rhetoric we have heard a lot. since that horrific attack a few miles away from us that killed 32 people. while that is the case, the
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kurdish community here, while the anger is rising in that community towards turkey's government. it has been rising for a while. but in the past couple of days, many told me they don't believe turkey's government has done enough to go after isil, they don't believe they have done to protect the kurdish minority and they believe more should be done. so those promises we are hearing from officials largely falling on deaf ears especially in this region right on the border with syria. >> okay. thank you very much. israeli forces shot dead a 52-year-old palestinian man in the west bank as they tried to arrest his son. it happened at the man's home. he was shot several times in the chest as he tried to help his son who was shot in the leg. there have been weeks of low level violence in the palestinian air torres as israel
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carries out arrest operations. on wednesday troops shot dead a man on a raid on several houses. last month soldiers killed a palestinian who opened fire at troops at a checkpoint. israeli soldiers killed at least 16 palestinians in the occupied west bank since the beginning of the year. government sources in yemen say they have pushed houthi fires from their last remaining strong hold in aden. they have recaptured the presidential palace. >> reporter: pro government forces celebrate victory at the presidential palace. these fighters allied with the government have fought for four months to drive out the houthi rebels and fighters loyal to the former president.
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>> translator: we entered and thank god we are here after clearing out other areas in the airport. right now we are standing at the presidential palace. >> reporter: there is not much left of the presidential palace. it's been damaged during months of heavy fighting. but forces loyal to exiled president hadi are confident they can repeat it in other cities. >> translator: we are liberate all areas of yemen. well not stop to liberate the rest of the areas. we will not leave any civilian whose need us to protect them. >> reporter: it's led to the reopening of the airport. a plane carrying military supplies from saudi arabia was the first to land. aid agencies started to deliver food water and medicine to the millions of yemenees desperate
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for help. >> it's a break for all humanitarians. there is food enough for 180,000 people for one month. >> reporter: the houthis still control the capital and proved a resilient enemy despite months of air strikes. the collaboration between pro government fighters in aden and the saudi coalition led to the houthis' defeat. the iranian president has been defending the nuclear agreement with world powers on state tv. he told conservatives who oppose the deal that iranian-sought policies of moderation and end to sanctions. he said a new page was opened in history when they elected him.
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top republicans in the united states say president obama has more work to do to convince them that the deal with iran is a good one. they say that campaigning for votes to veto the deal in congress. secretary of state john kerry has been holding closed door talks to persuade legislators not to fight it. ross jordan has more. >> reporter: u.s. secretary of state john kerry was one of three obama administration officials to brief members of congress behind closed doors on wednesday. he and the energy secretary and treasury secretary talked to legislators about the deal to make iran give up its nuclear weapons ambitions. however, some members of congress who came out in between the sessions said that they had real scepticism that the plan could work or they were hoping that the president and his team would make a stronger argument
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for trying to make this deal go through, not just through congress but on the international stage as well. even as john kerry was holding those secret talks thousands of people were gathering in new york's times square for a stop iran rally. the crowd demanded that congress veto the deal. >> reporter: the crowd was large, the speakers were many and the message was clear. >> we are here as americans to speak with one voice to say stop iran now reject this deal and let's speak loud enough that they hear us in washington right now. >> reporter: the stop iran rally was billed as bipartisan, interfaith and grass roots. it consists of jewish and
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pro-israel deal. >> we must always make sure that the security of israel never depends on the outcome of an american election. israel must always be a bipartisan issue it's support and defense must join democrats and republicans liberals and conservatives. >> reporter: a few dissenters were escorted out. but the overwhelming sentiment was that the islamic republic could not be trusted. this crowd wants congress to reject the deal and return to sanctions in hopes of getting more concessions from iran. organizers say there should be no limits on when or where inspectors can visit the nuclear facilities. though killing the deal will bring an end to any sanctions.
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>> it will guarantee a war and need to take out these sites. >> reporter: president obama accused critics of rehashing old policies. >> they are the same folks who were so quick to go to war in iraq and say it would take a few months. >> reporter: neither side is backing down. their interpretation of what the iran deal will ultimately deliver. staying in the united states, the man accused of shooting dead nine black churchgoers in the state of south carolina in june is now facing federal hate crime charges. on top of the nine counts of murder. against 21-year-old dillon root. prosecutors have not said whether they will be speaking the death penalty. the president of burundi is
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urged to hold talks. he's violating the constitution by seeking a third term in office which he is widely expected to win. he said the president will not oppose the formation of a national unity government. early numbers suggest that voter turnout was 74% despite the threat of violence. and the results are expected on thursday. but the u.s., the eu and african union have said they won't recognize the result. let's go live now to our correspondent who has been covering this election in burundi. she's in the capital. how serious is this talk about a unity government being form in burundi? >> well, the main opposition leader, it was an interesting discussion. he didn't seem confident about this. he said it's a proposal that was
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put on the table by regional african prisoners. he's willing to look into it but doesn't trust the president. he doesn't trust that he will keep his word to whatever is agreed. then i asked him about whether the opposition is united in this. are you all behind this. he said the problem this country has is that the opposition is splinted. his concern is even if you do agree to the government, you get one party that says yes we agree, the other group will say no. it may work. so a lot of concerns on the table. if it does work, there is no way he will agree to a five year proposal. one yeah, then the country must go to election. a lot of things still up in the air right now. >> while we are waiting for the official result which we are expecting today thursday, at some point it seems as though there is a vacuum in burundi. what about the international
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mediating efforts that were championed by the ugandans? >> they say they are still trying. they were trying to push this idea of a unity government. they say people shouldn't give up. they tried to get both side to talk. but on the ground people are concerned. last night a few hours ago a man was shot and killed not too far away. his body is still on the road. people allege it was done by government supporters. people are waiting for the results whenever they come out. people are concerned that violence will escalate, will continue if this political crisis isn't resolved soon. >> thank you. we have got a lot more to come including russian scientists that say world war ii
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survivors offer clues how people can survive starvation.
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>> these are the top stories stories stories here at al jazeera. there is concern about civilians following several regime attacks this week. pro government forces in yemen say they have pushed houthi fighters out of their last remaining strong holds. fighters loyal to the president in exile president hadi, have
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recaptured the presidential palace. u.s. secretary of state john kerry held closed door talk with members of congress to talk about the iranian deal. the greek parliament passed legislation paving the way for bailout talks with creditors to begin on friday. the draft was backed by 230 mps in the 300 seat chamber. 61 mps voted against t includes civil justice reforms a bank deposit protection scheme and measures to make sure banks have enough cash. greek opposition mps have this to say why they supported the vote. >> we do the best. for how long, we don't care. we are going to support this. >> you don't feel very well, but we have to think of the
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country's future, future generations, we have to think of greece within europe and within the eurozone. some of us are better able to withstand starvation than others. scientists in russia are saying that in researching this gene which we all carry it could find a cure to fighting metabolic disorders for the future. >> reporter: they have tried to build a lifetime of happiness together. but they are haunted by their childhood memoryies. >> translator: there were mountains of dead bodies. >> reporter: the couple were lucky to make it. for 900 days during the second world war their city was cut off from the outside world. for some of that time and against the bitterness of
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winter residents were con souping less than 200-calories a day. >> translator: our jewish neighbor taught us to press the mush. she sliced it and divided it for each day. we compared each other's bowls. >> reporter: surviving was an everyday endurance test. some here still want to know how they did it. and scientists looking at blood samples from people who lived in the city during the siege and another part of russia at the same time have found some differences. scientists say a gene which we all have prove crucial. it can be an active or inactive form. the survivors all have the active form making them better able to cope with the effects of starvation. survivors have more than just a
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shared history. researchers hope by better understanding the genetic makeup, we'll learn why some people are more prone to metabolic disorders. >> translator: this allows science to work on prolonging human life before we look at calorie restriction prolonged the lives of mice. the survivors turned out to be a live experiment. >> reporter: all the data from the survivors will go into a new bio-bank. researchers believe it will help to personalize medicine and maintain a link between the past and future generations in this city of survival and reinvention. a russian rocket has successfully docked with the international space station.
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it took with it three new astronauts from russia, japan and the united states to join three others who are already there. this is the first time in weeks that the space station has a full crew. barack obama is due in ken y he's due to go for a global summit on entrepreneurship. but he's not apparently due to visit his father's village. we report from western kenya villages there are hoping for a last minute change of mind. >> reporter: he lays claim to the obama name like no place on earth. it's all you hear in this tiny village. barack obama visited in 2006 when he was a senator. since then asphalt has been laid on the roads electricity has
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arrived. but education needs much improvement. as senator obama primary school, conditions are poor. only a private school could offer what children need. next door the secondary school carries the same name. they will change senator to president should he visit here. it has the same problems as the primary school. the one obama plans to change that. the president's grandmother, she lives just down the road. obama was 25 when he first visited her. things have changed since then. orphans are given homes here and it's the base of a foundation which has raised enough donations to rebuild the village schools. all run by her, 94 years old. she raised the u.s. president's
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father from childhood. when he returned to kenya he made a prediction. >> >> translator: his father said he will do a great job in this world. he said mom just watch this. he will make this family famous. now i see it with my own eyes. i'm proud of him. >> reporter: looking at the pictures she had an observation observation. >> translator: he's looking old. when i saw him in the white house, grandma, there are so many issues i have to judge on. his hair is white now. >> reporter: she wants her legacy to be better education for all. down the road, a poor boy called barack obama no relation goes home with a father who wants to believe his son can get a better education.
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at least 30 people have been killed in three separate bomb attacks in northeastern nigeria. two crowded bus stations were hit. one of the attackers is believed to be a female sue side bomber. last week 50 people were killed in the same city in twin bombings by suspected boka haram fighters. lovers were arrested in an area bordering china. a court gave 153 chinese lovers life sentences believed to last about 20 years. on-line chat rooms have become a booming business in china with millions of users willing to pay for conversation. from the eastern city, we
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explain what's behind their success. >> like millions of chinese, she moved from the country side to a big city looking for a better opportunity. he owns this working class restaurant. out of his rural element he quickly became lonely. that was until he get a performer in a video chat room. they have been chatting for three years. >> translator: we talk about each other's lives even about unhappy things. she tells me about her life, too. it's a way to let out emotions. >> reporter: 9158.com is the largest video site in china. 24-year-old is a full-time performer. she makes $30,000 a year.
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>> translator: in real life, not too many people will pay attention to me. on-line i have so many friends. i rarely encounter people who are offensive. sometimes they say why so ugly? i try to be patient and friendly. >> reporter: this is how she and 40,000 other performers make money. they are watching her perform will buy her virtual gifts from 5 cents for a rose up to a cruise. the more they like her the more they buy. all the chat rooms are monitored so none of the strict pornography laws are broken. if they want to meet offline it's out of their control. it's something he wants to do. >> translator: i consider it a form of entertainment.
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but also, i consider her a good friend. i will try to find a girlfriend like her. >> reporter: the company calls each chat room a family and is developing offline connections linking them in real life karaoke. >> if they feel entertaining, they can meet. >> reporter: she hopes to get the time to meet up soon. a type of friendship he and the industry here hope will successfully transition from the virtual to the real world. he gets to finally meet his friend and the company has more ways to make money. new pictures have been released by japan. they are aerial photos of chinese construction in dispute the waters at the east china sea.
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it's continuation, on tuesday tokyo demanded beijing stop building oil and gas rigs. china said the claims are misleading and malicious. you can find out more about the ongoing dispute and the rest of the day's news on the al jazeera news site. american infrastructure and do serious damage. and different kinds of cops, what could change police departments for good. living in an increasingly wired world comes at a cost that's both be impossible and dangerous to ignore. more dramatic evidence of that