>> hello, i'm lauren taylor. this is the news hour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes. the u.n. peacekeeping chief in central africa is forced to quit after troops are accused of rape and murder. hundreds of people reported injured by a massive explosion in china. the city held by houthi rebels

for months. and deplate gate. the disputes over under inflated footballs goes to court. secretary o general ban ki-moon speak today. the u.n. peace keeper forced to signs after allegations of rape.

this is very strong language, isn't it. >> it growing scandal really has caught the attention of the u.n.'s top diplomat. he used the words angered iowa shamed when reacting to the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in central african republ republic, the killing of an elderly man and his teenage son. this scandal has caught the attention of ban ki-moon. it caused the firing of the head of the u.n. peacekeeping mission there, and he spoke of a meeting to be held tomorrow or thursday, and ban ki-moon will be holding a video conference call with all force commanders in peacekeeping

missions around the world that the u.n. governs. this is a look at a broader problem than just the central republic. let's listen to what general secretary ban ki-moon had to say. >> every allegation must be thoroughly investigated. as you know i have appointed a high level external independent panel to look into more the reports of sexual exploitation and abuse in the central african republic and our systemic response. i believe that the allegations seen in many countries but in particular the central african republic in the period when u.n. peace keepers were deployed and since speaks the need to take

action now. enough is enough. today i have accepted the resignation of our special representative. >> what can the u.n. do in terms of punishment for anyone who is found guilty. >> fought only here but any of the peacekeeping missions around the world the u.n.'s hands are a little bit tied. all they can simply do based on the norms and the agreements between the countries that provide peace keepers from the u.n. all they can do is expel the peace keepers back to their origin country. there are more than 10,000 soldiers or police from over 45

different countries, and this is very important. after ban ki-moon spoke one of his spokes people also held a press conference. he announced that there are 57 allegations of misconduct by u.n. peace keepers there, and 11 possible cases of sexual abuse there. that's a number far higher than anything made public today, and you can see ban ki-moon and really the top leadership at the u.n. is taking strong and dramatic steps to address this. this goes to accountability questions and transparency question. the u.n. does have several investigations intelligently going including a high-level panel started by ban ki-moon when similar allegations came to light. so far the findings of those

investigations have not been made public. ban ki-moon says he hopes to get the findings of the internal investigations, in his words, soon. >> august 2nd and 3rd violence broke out between soldiers in cnr and musli r and muslim enclave. we have from the codirector from th a.i.d.s. free world. he spoke about sex yum abuse. what is your response to the reaction and moves u.n. has

made. >> i think it's commendable. it's good news that the secretary general has called for the resignation of this representative but they're only partially commendable. they have not gone far enough. the force commander should be forced to resign. the force commander in each peacekeeping mission who is responsible for the troops, the military soldiers and police and he should be forced to resign. in fact, in any ways where ex-soul exploitation and abuse is reported and found to be substantiatio substantiated in a peace-keeping mission. >> the u.n. does not have the power to sanction peace keepers even if they are found guilty. is that something that might change as a result of this and the seriousness that has been taken. >> i seriously hope so. this is something that has been going on for decades. there are 16 peacekeeping missions all over the world.

this problem is not confined to the central african republic. ban ki-moon said that today when he made his announcements. it's just that the media has paid attention to this--attention has been drawn to this particular country and the horrible things that are going on there. but this is a systemic problem, and the accountability has to go right to the top. >> just to go back, you mentioned car and the issues there specifically. can you give the scale of it or other allegations that might surface as a result of it? >> in the central african republic the case is still open where six boys interviewed by the united nations human rights office and by unicef, they came forward themselves, little boys, and horrible stories of sexual abuse that they had undergone that were french and h he

equatorial guineans when it had been going on for moss. when this news came to the united nations, they just kept the lid on it. they did not come forward or expose it to the marks but they did not report it to the governments of the soldiers involved. they should refer immediately these allegations to the appropriate countries and follow up with them to make sure that the appropriate investigation and prosecution happens immediately, and that that justice is served. but they didn't do that, and they withheld the information from everyone, including the governments involved. >> thank you very much, indeed, for your thoughts on the story. thank you. now a major explosion in the china. at least 400 people have been injured. footage posted online shows a series of major explosions.

the cause of the explosion still unknown. we'll bring you any further developments. now, almost five months after a saudi led coalition started airstrikes against houthis there have been significant progress against the rebels. they have recaptured large areas in the south and are now in the city of ib. they went further north where the houthis took over last year. >> pro government fighters in the city of taiz. their aim is to capture yemen's third largest city. but doing that may take time. houthi fighters are still

holding their grounds backed by the elite republican guard, an army unit loyal to the deposed president. this isn't just about liberating areas controlled by the houthis. it's more about creating a new yemen where people can be free. fighters are also besieging the city of ib. a crucial supply route for government troops, and their push to retake the government of sanaa. they're reportedly being supported by the saudi-led coalition across the southern saudi border. fighters are preparing a two-prong approach towards the capital of sanaa. one from marib in the east and one from the south. but if they manage to take ibb completely, they face dhamar where there is no support for the houthi fighters.

>> the introduction of the grand modern armor tanks and the trained yemeni, i think for taiz and ibb, sanaa will be surrounded. they want to surround sanaa. and especially the crops coming from marib. >> fighting also broke out on the capital of sanaa where tribesmen are on the enough. they're taking advantage of airstrikes by the saudi-led coalition to propel houthi fighters. talks to try to find a solution brokered by yemen's neighbor are under way. so far the united nations hasn't been able to negotiate a

cease-fire in the war which has already claimed hundreds of lives. peace efforts because of the huge differences between yemen's warring fashions. in the meantime fighting continues raising fears of more casualties and more suffering and shortages for millions of yemenis. al jazeera. >> head of the middle east eastern north africa program save the world organization, which aims to prevent violent conflict. what do you make of the progress on the ground. a lot of difference is that making? >> it is make a difference in the balance of power.

they've seen a number of gains on the coalition side, and this is to move north. >> what are the risks? what kind of obstacles are they going to face? >> sure, huge obstacles, and most of the gains they've made have been in the east. as they move north to the northern islands they're going to face real problems with the fighting, and in the history of grand troops in yemen people had a really hard time fighting in the northern territories of yemen. >> that's because of the terrain or the apply against that people have? >> it's both. it's because of the training, and the houthies are familiar with that terrain. >> we've seen pictures there, the problems with the healthcare organization saying the things are in a state of collapse. what is the impact going to be

if they do step up and head towards the capital. capital. >> we're going to see an increase in violence. for the population as a whole we're going to see a highest-level crisis you can have. two-thirds of the population already have no access to water and food, it's scarce. they just don't have enough food. and 80% of the population are in need of some sort of assistance. that's only going to get worse. >> at the moment it seems that any talks are inconclusive at the moment. what are your thoughts of how that might progress in the next few weeks? >> i think it's unclear what this could mean in terms of talks. it could mean that they open the

window. it could mean that they could seek victory. that's unclear at this moment. >> thank you for coming in to talk with us. thank you. >> thank you. >> coming up later in the news hour the death of a senegalese man brings violent protests. and fanning anger in the airport shops. >> in sport, rory mcilroy said that he's ready but not as fit as world's number one in golf's final major tournament of the year. a group linked to the islamic state in iraq and the levant said it has killed a croatian man it was holding hostage in egypt. the 30-year-old was held in cairo last month. the announcement of his death

was made by social media account held by isil supporters. croatia's prime minister said its government is working to clarify the claims. >> my duty is to tell the public what we saw, and of course it is horrific. we cannot with 100% certainty confirm that it's true. i don't know if we can confirm in the coming days. but what we've seen does not look good. it looks awful. >> government jets bombed rebel held areas in the capital. we have reports from neighboring lebanon. >> it's been another bloody day in syria. the opposition held towns were targeted by airstrikes. many people were killed and injured. the military regularly attacks

these regions. but the latest was in retaliation for assault on the government seat of power. rockets and bombs landed in damascus. they would occasionally fire mortars from the countryside, but this barrage was intense and lasted for about four hours. they have repeatedly called for talks with leaders who are worried about the growing influence in the region. >> we want to extend a hand for joint action between these countries to come back extremism, terrorism and sectarianism. >> there are a few details about

iran's peace proposal. iranian media has reported it would involve a peace fire and holding elections under international supervision. >> there are pending issues today for president bashar al-assad. the iranian initiative is what they call the saudi conditions, and the number one saudi condition is that no place for assad in any possible solution. >> saudi arabia made that message clear in moscow. there is a push for a diplomatic solution to the syrian conflict. it is going le being led by its

lead backer iran. there are many players in this conflict with diverging interests. some opposition leaders believe that iran and russia are pushing for a deal because the syrian government is facing military and economic pressures. but assad backers are not showing any signs of compromise, at least not until they score what they consider to be their strategic goals. al jazeera. beirut. >> a major explosion in china where 400 people have been injured. pictures posted online shows a series of major explosions followed by a shockwave that rippled through the city. the cause of the explosion is still unknown. they're saying that the blast erupted in a shipment of explosives some indication of what may have caused this. i'm joined now.

>> i was sitting in my argument in tianjin and i felt a rush of air. >> tell us little bit about the area and what's in that place? >> so this area is a development area. it's mostly factories and banks that are packed pretty close together. the area is near a bunch of malls and concentration of apartment towers. >> is it your impressio impression--they're saying that the blast he erupted in a shipment of explosions. you think it's coming from the

port, and that's where the explosion happened? >> yes, so initially at first we thought because there are a lot of pharmaceutical factories, chemical factories, initially it was thought it was one of those. it was possibly a chemical disposal site. the state media is saying it was an explosive shipment, i wouldn't doubt that. >> at the moment they're also talking about the numbers of people who might have been injured are in the hundreds. >> oh, yes. >> is there a hospital nearby where they can be taken to quickly. >> yes, there are many hospitals, but they're packed. there is one large international hospital, but apparently that one was flooded within the first 20 minutes. as far as i know at this point everyone is forced to go

downtown which is an hour away by car. >> and in these situations clearly we've got pictures that we're showing of the explosion, what is the approach from the chinese authorities when something like this happens? what are they going to be doing? >> well, we heard sirens. they blocked off four major streets in the area. no one in or out from what i can tell. yes, they seem to be dealing--there doesn't seem to be any more smoke after it now. after the first plume dissipated they started to get it under control. but i heard there was a second explosion, but it was much smaller. >> it must have been a bit scary. you talke talked about that rush of air. what was your reaction when you felt it?

>> if my windows had been closed the pressure would have broken the windows in. i had some of my friends here whose windows crashed. >> thank you for taking the time to talk to us, drew chemonic. we appreciate your time. >> no problem. >> italian news report say that 50 people were found on board a rubber dinghy but 50 others are feared missing. more migrants arrived at the sicilian port at the aid station.

scuffles between police and migrants during a police raid. they through objects at officers and disrupted train services by laying stones on the tracks. there are shops at u.k. airport demanded customers to show their boarding pass. but retailers are identifying people flying out of the european union and reclaiming the 20% value-added tax that is included in applies. >> that is money that should be going to the shops because you're flying within the e.u. or it should be coming back to you

because you as a traveler are supposed to get the benefits of traveling and not paying taxes on your purchases, not the retailer. >> but now passengers are refusing to show their boarding passes. >> i was frankly outraged that the shops seem to be one could almost say literally stealing the money from the customers in an under hand way that is not transparent. >> they're taking my money. i'm not doing it. i'm traveling on friday and they're not seeing my bordering pass. >> retailers say they're not doing anything illegal. some say it would be impossible to have a dual pricing system. it's one of the busiest times of the year for british airports right now and every day thousands of families are flying out for their summer holiday.

now the idea that they might be getting ripped off by shops at the airport will threatening to cause a consumer revolt. they said: they have confirmed that it is meant to benefit travelers not to benefit profits of retailers, but things could change when travelers decide to save their money for when they get to their destination. >> still to commonages, will he stay or will he go, the internationally recognized prime minister threatens to resign again. and in sport, more about

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>> interest has been a major explosion in china. pictures shows series of major blasts. the cause is still unknown. ban ki-moon has forced the head of peace keepers in central africa republic to resign under allegations of troops committing rape and murder. >> six people have been killed in a suspected boko haram attack in northeast nigeria. the bombing blast in a market when the market was at its bus busiest. aid groups in south yo

sudan say that violence against women has continued. >> each day displaced women in bentiu walk into the bush to collect firewood. they'll spend half a day to collect enough to sell. some say they're returning beaten and raped. >> they pointed a gun at us and told us to drop the firewood and follow them. this woman we call mary to protect her identify said that she and a group of women were gang raped by south sudanese soldiers at gunpoint. >> after they do a bad deed and they leave you like that, you're almost as good as did. all this is left is that they shoot us. >> these women are faced with a choice. trying to earn money when food is scarce or stay inside the camp where they're protected by

u.n. peace keepers. the economy said that it has helped hundreds of women in bentiu who have been victims of sexual violence. >> they say they were raped by government soldiers who viewed them as sympathetic to fighters. some accuse the government saying that they're using it as part of war. >> we will not allow them to do that. we'll dispatch a team to investigate, you will find things that will shock you simply because the people they

want to say the truth. >> mary now worries she has contracted a disease. she said she's too terrified to return to the bush. other women we spoke to say that they're afraid of being attacked, too, but they are still collecting firewood and taking a risk to survive. al jazeera, bentiu, south sudan. >> libya's prime minister has threatened to resign. the leader of the internationally recognized government in tibruk. a plane crash off japan injuring 27 people on board. it happened nery the island of okinawa. 17 crew members had to be rescued after they tried to land on a ship at an u.s. army base.

the deadliest single aircraft crash in history. 500 passengers and crew died when a plane crashed. just four people survived. china's central bank has revalued it's currency for a second day in a row. why is that important? well, china's economy is the world's second largest after the u.s. lowering the value of the yuen helps buyers and help its exporters. some believe it will start a currency war as they tweet with lower e change rates. it has had a knock effect on its neighbors. they have all seen their currency tumble.

>> they're looking at strengthening exports. they'll make it more competitive around the world. >> they're looking at how to make more of an international currency. part that have is allowing it to float a little bit more and address more dynamically what other currencies around the world are doing. >> thank you very much for coming in. the idea is that as presented by the central bank, the idea is

that they'll allow the currency to move, but they'll still apply their fix every day, which is official daily end that will be sensitive to where the market was before. sources tell us that they have been intervening today to strength the currency, which is the exact opposite of what people have been talking about and worrying about yesterday and today. >> what is the u.s. reaction? they've been worried about what china does in its currency. >> it's quite hard to justify getting cross with them. thorough currency is obviously very strong at the moment. it's strengthened dramatically because it's tied to the dollar. and the dollar has been strengthening.

so you could say it has brought a knife to a gunfight. >> what about the knock-on effect about countries in the region. how big is that? >> it's quite significant. they've fallen, but of course they've fallen a very long way. so this could have quite significance deflation with the world. the worry is what happens now. if this carries on every day this could be a really big deal. >> what about the talk that this could be the start of a currency wars. >> if we're in a currency war we've been in one for five years. this is not new. this is china entering the currency war. but as i say it has not done so with a big bang. >> what about the fact of global trade with this. >> china's trade has been really been suffering. this is one of the reasonable justifications they could have given but didn't, which is their economy is really doing quite

badly. experts have collapsed. collapse might be harsh, but it's been coming down. >> they've been trying to get in on the basket of currencies. the imf's view on this was neutral. it didn't seem to be saying much. >> it is vaguely positive, but they're very keen. china is very keen to be a reserve currency along with the dollar, the yen, the euro. it does not matter much for the world' economies but in order to do that they need to have an inflate in currency. this is a step towards that. the advantage is that it will make it weaker.

>> a guantanamo detainy has accused the administration of endangering his life. he has been on hunger strike for more than eight years, and his condition has been called life threatening. >> the u.s. military has held this man at guantanamo since early 2002. in 2009 the obama administration decided that he no longer posed a security risk and should be released. but it's 2015, and he's still at guantanamo. his lawyer has filed a petition to force the u.s. government to release him on humanitarian grounds. >> they're fighting his case in court to win the authority to hold him despite having cleared him for release, and despite the president's often repeated public statement that he intends to release the prisoner as quickly as possible.

>> what makes the situation significant, he has not eaten voltairely for more than eight years and his weight has dropped. his lawyers call it a life-threatening situation. and it comes at a time when guantanamo and the pentagon have struggled to deal with hunger strikes in pro fest to the situation. they won't say how many men are being forced fed because they don't want to highlight what they call the detainee's political actions. but he said he's trying to stay focused on his client's situation. >> they're force feeding a man who is gravely ill to keep him alive to prolong his detention despite the fact that he has-released. >> they won't comment because the case is now before a federal judge, but they do stress they're committed to carrying out the president's goal of closing guantanamo. >> let's go to roslind jordan who is in washington, d.c. for us. roslind, what is expected to be

the next step? >> well, as we mentioned, the lawyer has has filed for petition asking for his relief. but the top law enforcement agency has asked for a delay until the coming friday in order to respond to that petition. there is speculation that they may decide not to fight the request to release him on humanitarian grounds but basically they have to wait and see what happens in federal court on friday if there is an answer from the federal government, then there is going to have to be a court hearing, and this could continue to be dragged out. >> guantanamo has become a hot potato. who has in similar situations? >> well, certainly the other detainees all have their own legal reputation. this is also a situation caught

up inside an issue within the obama administration. the pace of the release of those detainees who have been cleared to be returned either to their home country or to a third nation for resettlement. the previous defense secretary chuck hagel was drummed out of office in part because the people inside the white house did not think that he was releasing enough of those qualified detainees. there is concern that the ref tillereftively new defense secretary ash carter under current law the defense secretary is ultimately responsible if someone who is released then goes back to the battlefield. so it's a very, very difficult situation, and it's not a simple

as the president making a phone call and saying go ahead and release these men. there are a lot of strictures in place to make that complicated. >> thank you very much, indeed. u.s. presidential hopeful hillary clinton is handing her private e-mail server to the country's justice department. the candidate has been under criticism when it was revealed she used her private e-mail to send correspondence when she was secretary of state. clinton's political opponents accuse her of side stepping record keeping rules. keeping a closer eye on the satellite orbiting mars. many more are expected in the future. neave barker explains. >> a decade later the o the

orbiter continues to circle the red planet. but it is not alone. five other orbiters have made the journey to mars, and nasa has three more spacecraft circling the planet. the or bitter launched in 2001. and the maven or bitter to studies the upper atmosphere. then there is the spacecraft that is no longer working. the european space agency has the mars express. and india launched it's o orbit er two years ago. as the exploration of mars intensifies safety precautions are also expected to increase.

>> still to come on al jazeera, the dirty secret that lies behind the centuries old polan poland's city. an grab grab >> [crowd chanting] hell no gmo.

>> reporting from the city that is trying to clear the air over its pollution. >> there are reasons to clear the air. but when the weather turns cold, the air fills with a thick toxic smog. >> it stinks. it's dirty. you know, this smog goes down to the street. krakaw during winter everything is dirty. everything is fate. >> household chimneys send out toxic filth that hangs over the valley. seven out of ten families burn coal for heat and plastics and other waste. air pollutions are four times the "world health organization" safe limit. >> my nose started bleeding one

morning. it bled for over 20 hours until the doctors stopped it. my doctor is laughing at me when i'm coming with problems. he keeps saying move out of town. move out of town. >> but who would want to leave this elegant medieval city sparkling in the sunshine and a magnate for tourists. it was once poland's royal capital. it is now the most polluted city in the european union. outside of the summer months coughing residents complain of being prisoners in their own homes. they face the quiff rent o--the equivalent of 205 cigarettes a

year. >> all of our efforts are to teach people to live in different ways. we do everything we can to convince tourists that they're safe in krakow. >> this family could not wait when they discovered their four-year-old son was getting sick. >> it was enough to go out of the city for three days, and the disease started to disappear. so it was because of the city. >> they left for the capital of warsaw with no plans to return. al jazeera, krakow. >> here is andy with the sport. >> deflate gate, now the biggest names are appearing in court. tom brady tried to clear his

game after being given a four-game suspension by the nfl. the players union said that brady did nothing wrong and described the hearing as a kangaroo court. >> don't expect the whole deflate gate saga to disappear today. short of tom brady standing up and shocking everyone by saying, yes, i did it, this case will likely continue into the month of september. both the nfl and player's union they have asked the judge to render a ruling by september fourth. which is a mere six days. all indications are that tom brady will be watching that game

instead of playing in it. >> another preparation for the new season has suffered a blow. geno smith was punched in the face by a teammate in a locker room fight. he could be out for ten weeks. the player who threw the punch was released by the jets. >> i felt it was childish either way, stupid, but you have to live with the results. >> tiger woods sai said that rory mcilroy has an uphill challenge after the world's number one broke his ankle playing football with friends. thit will test just how fit

mcilroy really is. >> as far as his talent and ability to play golf. he understands how to play. it's a matter of physically can he do it. i've had injuries where i blew out my knee and played for a good nine months before i had it fixed. so it can be done. is he going to be in pain? probably, yes. swelling is going to occur but that's what physio is there for. i'm sure they'll get him organized. >> the fire le first leg for serena williams is underway. but her play has been interrupted with injury with an elbow problem. she made a return to action in toronto. the world number one having to come from a set down. she has one more hard court

tournament in cincinnati before the start of the u.s. open in just 19 days time. serena has earned close to $10 million in prize money in what has been her most successful season to date. but she's not the highest paid athlete. first place belongs to fellow star maria sharapova at almost $30 million most of that coming from sponsorship deals. serena second i with an impressive $24 million. and third danica patrick at $13 million. and then we have mixed marsha martial arts rhonda rousey

making $6.5 million. and american golfer stacey lewis, three-quarters of her earnings coming from sponsors. now, india sinner has put himself ihis country in position. india in really good position now. a violent altercation in the stands. one player had a career as a striker at club level, but here is the difference. the olympic qualifier will go on the pitch to complain about the decision making.

the real madrid striker taking on bar can rivals. fee have with the international olympic committee. >> superficial changes will not be sufficient, and likewise mere changes of personnel or certain positions without a genuine commitment to good governance will not be sufficient. and it is our investigation continues we'll be looking very closely at what reforms are adapted and how they're implemented. >> a ghostly mystery down to a

phantom punch in a final bout. when he went down in the second round the replay suggests he was barely touched by the incoming bunches but he loss only two of his previous 19 fights. he could not get back on his feet, and the referee stopped the fight. >> thank you very much. and before we leave we have a quick update on the explosion in china. there has been a huge explosion. state television says that hundreds of people have been injured. the plasmati is said to have erupted just before midnight. a series of major explosions. they were followed by a shockwave that was felt several kilometers away. julie mcdonald will have much more on that story. thanks for watching. bye for now.

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>> hundreds of people reported injured by a massive explosion in china. hello. i'm julie mcdonald. this is al jazeera. also coming up. >> enough is enough. >> u.n. peacekeeping chief is forced to quit after his troops are accused of rape and murder. government forces enter the