>> china inferno. a huge blast in northeastern china, causing casualties in hospitals in the area. dissing the dissidents. >> castro knows he can fool the obama administration so easily. >> not inviting cuban activists to the historic flag raising ceremony in havana. show me the money. >> there is no way we can sit down and negotiate this.

we are going to give you a bill for what is yours. >> as the u.s. is prepared to open up a new chapter, havana keeps the $100 billion question on the table. the sound of music. >> we love to play for people who have no idea who we are. >> after playing for packed venues in the u.s. and moscow, the controversy slovenian rock group prepares to rock. this is al jazeera america. i'm libby casey. antonio mora is on assignment. we begin with the massive explosion in northeast china, all out rescue effort is under way. chinese president xi jinping is calling for a investigation in the port city of ti

rarvetionnjin. meanwhile these are some of the images of the aftermath of the explosion. the area resembles a post apocalyptic scene. authorities say they expect the number of casualties to rise in the coming hours. adrian brown filed the report from nearby beijing. >> this is an incident continuing, according to the local authorities the force of the first blast equaled more than 3 tons of tnt, and the second blast more than 21 tons of tnt so a huge blast. some residents say they felt like it was an earthquake. many people perhaps as many as 300 have been taken to hospital. there have been a number of deaths. now authorities stress they believe this was simply an industrial accident, nothing more serious than that but we

have to put this into context. industrial accidents like this sadly are all too common in chinese. for instance in channingtse province on wednesday, 20 people are rofted missing after an accident and in guaju province people killed after an industrial accident there. authorities say they are imposing an seclusion zone around this area, you can't get within two kilometers of where this blast happened. but what really worries the authorities is this. the air around yi tienjin is vey contaminated. >> adrian brown is traveling had and will join us in a few minutes. tell us where were you when the explosion happened?

>> thank you. i was in my home when it happened. i just finished watching a movie with my girlfriend when we heard a rush of air come in through our window. it was very hot so we left the windows open. and then right after there was a larger rush of air and the ground sort of shook. we thought it was an earthquake like most people said. >> drew what is the air quality like now and what is the scene this morning? >> the air quality right now is about typical of the summer here in tienjin. visibility is down to about a quarter-mile make half a mile. usually summers here. >> sorry about the sound quality. we're talking live to drew shavonic, drew if you can still talk to us. what did you do when you first heard the explosion, we may have lost drew. unfortunately, we have but we'll

continue looking at this story. as chinese officials are dealing with this explosion they're also coping with financial troubles. for the second day in a row beijing devalued its currency sending global markets into a dive. stocks in asia, europe, fell as you the value of the the yuan fell for the second of two days. dow fell more than 250 points at one point but rebounded at the close. fell a 212 point drop on tuesday. investors fear an impending war. patricia sabga has the details. >> reporter: the united states has been accused of doing it so has japan and europe. now china's become the latest powerhouse economy critics charge with escalating a global currency war.

>> everyone wants to make their exports competitive. so the quickest way of dining had is to deevaluate -- devalue their currencies. so the fear is that china now is playing part in this game. >> reporter: the federal reserve under former chair ben bernanke was accused of using three rounds of aggressive bond buying to push down the value of the u.s. dollar. boosting u.s. exports and jobs at the expense of competing economies. a pattern seen in japan under prime minister shinzo abe and his so-called abenomic policies that have kept the yen weak against the dollar. earlier this year the european central bank started bond buying against the dollar. moves that whip sawed to china as the value of the yuan has

whip sawed against the dollar. the the exports are down and its economy is slowing. so when the people's bank of china decided to execute a one off devaluation of the yuan, on tuesday, it's little surprise that economists are calling currency war. came on the heels of weaker than expected export data. china's export bank says it is not competitively devaluing but changing the way the value is set. something the international monetary fund has been pressuring beijing to do. enjoy now only 50 dollar, euro, yen and british pound. but the timing is raising eyebrows in washington.

>> the u.s. trade deficit with china has been growing and a lot of politicians have been calling for policies to curb devaluation and this can only make their voices louder. >> any devaluation no matter the motive is temping political fodder. >> that was patricia sabga reporting. ann lee, professor at new york university and author of what the u.s. can learn from china. thank you for coming in. do you see these moves as a sign of desperation or something more intentional? >> i think it's more intentional. china generally takes very calculated risks. and they have been pressured by the u.s. and the imf for quite some time to lible liberalize tr currency more. and they are opportunistic, because the market for the yuen

is rising more and they say great we are following the market and will help their economy by lowering the rate so it can help their exports. >> you see this as both domestic and international. >> yoyes, it is killing two birs with one time, economic and political objective at one time. >> who is it hurting, the policy makers or the financiers. >> it is generally the policy makers at the central bank and run it by a few officials at the time polit bureau and the standing committees so everyone is on the same page but generally i would say the experts and bureaucrats are focused on this. >> why more telegraphic of graphing and signaling, this is what we hope to do and this is what we hope the result will be? >> well, china has actually

telegraphed their intentions. the whole world know where they are headed and they have put out a lot of press releases on a daily basis on what their intentions are. >> railing the parks and causing international concern? >> well you know, this may have taken some wall street people by surprise. i think people that are china-watchers are not completely surprised. maybe the exact day when this happened came as a surprise. but people who have been watching china's policy-makers and understanding where they want to take their currency have known for some time that china has said, years ago, that they plan to move in this direction. because of their aspirations to have a global reserve currency. >> do you see more to come? do you see more devaluation? >> it's possible. especially if the market continues to move down. i have no doubt that the chinese

policy makers are going to continue with this. they will likely be watching the developments to see how this will affect their economy as well, before they take more drastic moves. but you have to remember that this devaluation at 2% each day while it is significant compared to its past, doesn't necessarily mean it's significant in the grand scheme of things. i mean japan's currency has fallen like 60%. and, you know, the euro also has devalued greatly ever since they also engaged in quantitative easing. so sort of the degree of currency manipulation by other big economies is far more significant than what china's doing. >> and do you see the chinese as willing to relinquish control over the yuan and really put it out to the global market.

>> perhaps in the long run, i don't see this happening in the short term. because the economy is still somewhat weak at this point and they're not fully developed in terms of the industries that they want to develop further, such as a lot of the service industries. and so they are not going to completely relinquish control. they are going to take baby steps as they've done with almost every policy they have ever undertaken. >> and professor lee if you are a company that does strictly made in america or one that does a lot of its making of goods in china how is this impacting your bottom line? >> well so if you're a company that only makes stuff in america, and you export outside of the united states, then you may find it more competitive, because then you are competing against chinese goods that may be comparable to yours. it depends on whether you're exporting a commodity or whether you're a branded product.

so sales oftentimes depend on a multiple of factors not just price. but certainly price is important. but many of the large u.s. companies certainly have operations in china. and apple for instance is actually going to benefit from this because their costs are going t to be lower when they he costs there and the currency is going to be cheaper. so it completely depends on the makeup of how they've structured their business. >> we'll see where it goes from here. ann lee, economics and political professor from new york university thanks for coming. >> thank you for having me. >> multiple explosions at a warehouse in northeasterly china. more than two dozen listed in critical condition. adrian brown who is now on the scene. aidadrian.

>> libby as you can see behind me smoke is still billowing across this port city of tienjin some ten hours after those multiple explosions and everywhere you look you see buildings with broken glass, in the street beside me people are wandering along dazed some are nursing quite bad injuries. people with cuts to the arms and bandages to the head and people are really in a state of shock. they are almost like refugees in their own city. they are grabbing what possessions they can and getting away as fast as they can from the disaster zone. what worries the authorities here and indeed many ordinary people is the air we are breathing in at the moment. there is a real concern that that explosion and remember, it was caused by explosives and chemicals have contaminated the air. so no one's quite sure what we're in right now. close by to me, there are temporary shelters, temporary

buildings that have been pledly shredded. it really does look like war zone. you are mentioning a thing about china's economy well, this is one of the most important ports in china. it is a major container port and i think it's fair to assume this for the moment operations here will have to cease as the authorities try contain the situation. president xi jinping has urged the authorities to ensure that the blaze is put out and to ensure that people's properties are protected and that people are made safe, to feel safe. >> adrian brown reporting live from tee tienjin, thank you. i.s.i.l. has released a photo claiming another beheading, of a croatian man. the croatians say they could not verify the death but authorities

threatened to kill unless they released female prisoners. 36 u.s. military leaders released an open letter asking congress to support the agreement. the letter describes the deal as the most effective means of preventing iran from geneticking nuclear weapons. without it they say iran could have a nuclear weapon within a year. meanwhile, iran's top diplomat is on a mission to end the civil war in syria. mohammed javad zarif met with bashar al-assad in damascus. during his meeting with assad, zarif spoke about the situation. are zeina khodr has the story. >> targeted by government air strikes many were killed and injured. the military regularly attacks thee regions but the latest was in retaliation for an assault on the government seat of power.

casualties were caused as rockets and mortar bombs landed in the center of damascus. rebels occasionally fire mortars into the capital from the country side but this barrage was intense and lasted for about two hours. many say this was a an amessageo the government and iran's miernlg mint, mohammed javad zarif, who repeatedly called for talks with gulf arab leaders who are worried about iran's growing influence in the region. >> translator: we want to extend the hand of cooperation to all neighbors in this region. we are ready to cooperate and exchange ideas for joint actions in these countries to combat extremism and sectarianism. >> iranian media has reported

the plan would involve a ceasefire, amending the constitution and holding elections under international supervision. the main problem for the opposition is the syrian president bashar al-assad. >> the main issue is the fate of the president bashar al-assad. why these iranian initiative is faced with what we call saudi condition and the number one saudi condition is that no deal is to be -- or there is no place for assad in any possible solution inside syria. >> reporter: saudi arabia made that position clear after the foreign minister met his russian counterpart in moscow. >> there is a push for a accomplisdiplomatic solution. the international community does agree on the need to find an

agreement but forming the basis of negotiations is proving to be difficult. there are many players in this conflict with diverging interests. some opposition leaders believe iran and russia are pushing for a deal because the syrian government is facing military and economic pressures but assad's backers are not slowing any sign of compromise al at least until they secure what they consider their strategic goals. zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >> jimmy carter revealed he has cancer. carter says he is rearranging his schedule to get treatment at emory university in atlanta. he will make more statement when he gets more information. the 39th president is 90 years old. coming up, anxious migrants cooped up in a stadium in the summer heat as it boils over.

and later a vee volt by travelers at -- a revolt by travelers at british airports about boarding passes. passes.

>> on the greek island of kos, riot police fought with migrants for the second day in a row. 2500 migrants are being forced to stay in a stadium until they can get their immigration papers but with so many people the process is slow and as they wait they're trapped in high temperatures without food or enough water. the government said today it would charter a commercial ship to house the migrants. doctors without borders say the conditions are inhumane. these are amongst the tens of thousands who cross

mediterranean, brought to si toy today, naval and choafg and cand ships. mrs. deny any wrongdoing migrants say tuesday's death is just the latest example ever their mistreatment. french police are now cracking down on migrant camps in the country's north as some 200 migrants are currently camped out at port cities hoping to be smuggled into britain. lawrence lee is in northern france with the story. >> the british media and governments have a new front line in their battle with refugees, not in calais but down the coast near dunn kirk. the plates belong to smugglers

who for a fee offer a way out of this. after all they say the west owes them for the problems this their home lands. >> other persons are responsible for what happened there. so now they have to get these people and let them live here, in europe, better, because we have no choices. >> reporter: doctors of the world are here handing out blankets and tents, desparing at a seam that forces the vulnerable to pay people who have sometimes been known to harm them. >> last time i met a young afghan man with a bandaged forearm, he unraffled the bandage and there was an enormous gash on his forearm. had he been attacked by a people smuggler. it's shocking, it has to stop. >> no sign of police and the conditions are absolutely desperate.

everyone said they want to get to the u.k. legally and had no choice but to break the law. they were all from the middle east. clawing at the one meal aday the local volunteers had to offer. it is really not surprising they want to get out of here. >> translator: immigration isn't a new thing. the problem is we've let this situation deteriorate and some people are profiting from it. >> the refugees were on their way again and the officials and inned we stop filming the car. they decided paying is better option than risking the railway line in calais. the people struggling for passage are the latest, what choices do the refugees have, the reason they are backed up 40 kilometers from calais is this offers them a better chance of getting on a lorry. in the u.k. it suddenly became

the best vehicle to whip both the european union and these countries at once. it avoids any discussion of where the u.k. silent policy has disappeared to. lawrence lee, al jazeera northern france. >> africa has gone a full year without documenting a new case of polio. officials says it won't be considered polio free without two years without a new case. string of abuse allegations surface, peace keepers and the car are coming under heavy criticism. the security council is holding a special meeting tomorrow to decide how to respond. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon promises that offenders will be brought to justice. the fight over an estimated

$100 billion. coming up why the u.s. and cuba are bickering over the money just days before a historic moment between the two countries. countries. i

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm libby casey. coming up in this half hour of international news the steps one european city is taking to counteract the effects of air pollution. but first a look at the stories making headlines across the u.s. in our american minute. we begin in colorado, gina mccarthy said the water quality is back to what it was before the spill but experts warn of heavy metal deposits

settling into river sediment. the state of emergency of ferguson, missouri remains in fact tonight, until thursday. no arrests were reported during late night protests in ferguson. for the first time bernie sanders has pulled ahead of kyle hill in hillary clinton. poll was taken by franklin pierce university and the boston herald. sanders gained about 8% in the same survey compared with clinton's 44%. presidential candidate and florida senator marco rubio is blasting the white house tonight for allegedly not inviting cuban dissidents to friday's flag raising ceremony in havana. rubio is on one members of

congress, one of other members of congress. >> castro knows he can fool the obama administration so easily that we are so hungry for this deal that we're willing to overlook 100 peaceful dissidents arrested just a few hours before the opening of our embassy. >> secretary of state kerry is going to be raising the american flag. that flag symbolizes freedom and democracy in the world and he is abandoning the symbols of that flag, what he should be raising is the white flag because that is what president obama and his administration are doing once again. >> supposed to secretary of state john kerry will be the first hav visiting u.s. since wd war ii.

(f) lifting the embar go against cuba, 5,000 claims for billions of dollars lost when the castro regime seized property in the early years of the revolution. but as lucia newman reports from havana the cuban government is make claims of its own. >> reporter: most of cuba still looks like it's frozen in time. a time when most of what you see here was on the other hand by american companies, from the sears department store to the grand hotels run by the american mafia. u.s. firms and american citizens whose property was confiscated after the revolution are demanding up to $7 billion in compensation. but not to be outdone the cuban government is claiming damages too to the tune of $100 billion. that's what it says 54 years of u.s. economic sanctions has cost the country.

>> translator: for example if you have a refinery with u.s. machinery that was paralyzed because we could not buy spare parts, cuba calculates the embargo. this jackson up prices of everything, all of this adds up. >> reporter: cuba is also claiming assets frozen in u.s. banks after the revolution plus interest. and it blames the embargo for its dilapidated fracture. dilapidated infrastructure. but it's a starting point for a negotiated settlement, which for cuba begins with the raising of the embargo. >> cuba can argue if the sanctions are not lifted there is a way to negotiate this. if you don't want to negotiate we are going to give you a bill of what you owe us. >> the standoff of who owes what to whom and how much it's worth

is not only complicated it's essential to normalizing bilateral negotiations. the helms burton act specifically states that all property claims must be satisfactorily resolved before the u.s. economic embargo against cuba can be lifted. but cuba believe it has another card up its sleeve to ultimately negotiate a deal in which both sides agree to call it even. >> they'll have to accept otherwise there isn't going to be any deal. and of course the prize is development in cuba. >> many american companies that were expropriated, are eager to return to the island, but the message will have to be they will have to drop their claims or stay out. lucia newman, al jazeera, be havana. >> joining me is jason marzack.

thank you for joining me this evening. these claims go back decades and have been accruing interest alt this time. how clear are they about receiving compensation? >> these are pretty gigantic claims dating back to the he 1960s. the 6,000 properties that were seized amount to $1.8 billion. with interest over the last 50 some odd years this has to be around a $7 billion claim. some of these claims are by the companies but a lot of these claims are individual claims whose house he, property were confiscate id by the government the in the early years of revolution and subsequent they fled to the united states. >> is there more focus on the personal claims which carry a lot of weight on a deeply personal level versus the corporate claims, one being focused on more than the other? >> yeah, i mean i think that the person -- there is more weight on the personal claims at this

point, partly because the corporations that have claims you know exxon before it was exxon mobil has a claim, there is a variety of other consumer good companies and whatnot that had claims. a lot of the major corporations now are focused on how to repeal different aspects of the embargo. and so you know their lobbing efforts are focusing on, you know, congress and how to provide more opening with regard to cuba. >> as you point out those companies want to do business in cuba and they may have incentive in overlooking the past in the way former citizens would not. mr. marzack what does government really expect to see? we have heard the report from havana there is a $100 billion figure on the table but it's likely inflated as a negotiating starting point. what do they really want? >> rather than being close to the u.s. number they're putting

out a number that is really going to they hope you know, not allow for the united states to really be able to get the full $7 billion in claims that it really desires from the cube ans. cubans. >> it's held out as something necessary but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of political will among republicans controlling both the house and senate to lift the embargo anyway. is this really a roadblock? >> this is one of the issues in washington that really crosses party lines. what you're seeing in washington is a series of bills that are starting to chip away at the embargo with the principal bill being one that will lift the tral bans so that all americans can travel to cuba without it needing to fall under some specific category. you know, whether it's professional or cultural or research or whatnot but just allowing a lot of blanket

travel. that bill has nearly 50 co-sponsors in the senate and there's also some movement on telecommunications and other aspects of the embargo. you know that the embargo will continue for you know at least a few more years to come. potentially the transfer of power in cuba in 2018 when raul castro stems down might be the moment to actually have the political opening to have a real serious lifting of the embargo. >> do you ever expect to see money changing hands or something more symbolic for the two governments? >> for fidel castro's domestic political appearance, he cannot be seen to be turning money over to the united states. the rapprochement, many in the

government don't want any type of opening in the united states because the embargo for the last 50 years has been their scapegoat, their crutch for all the economic problems in cuba. this has been their excuse for why the regime is not succeeding as the people expect it to. and so there is a lot of movement on the cuban side to not have the opening happen as quickly as possible. so recal raul castro needs to ks political position strong in cuba. you could see tax incentives being offer, task free investments other types of things. there are some historical precedence for this, not much with regard to vietnam or with regard to iran. but we're really entering into interesting territory. >> jason marzack, thank you. >> great thank you. >> this friday al jazeera will broadcast live from cuba.

antonio mora will host the international hour live from havana as this friday, 9:00 p.m. eastern time right here on al jazeera america. one of venezuela's many jaimed politician he has been released on house arrest. daniel seballos woke up at home in caracas after several months behind bars. his wife was elected in a landslide to replace him. today he called for all political prisoners to be freed. the u.s. army's outgoing chief of staff is offering advice on what to do about iraq. in his final news conference today, general ray odierno called the iraq situation a stalemate. mike viqueria has the story. >> today general ray odierno the

soon to be retired army chief of staff talked about partitioning iraq. >> that is something that could happen and may be the only solution but i'm not ready to say that now. >> it was an idea dismissed out of hand when suggested by joe biden. dividing up into kurdish, sunni and shia factions. something that they are discussing publicly. a four star general who served several tours in iraq from desert storm in the early '90s to 2011 when he commanded all u.s. forces there odierno will retire as army chief of staff a post he has held for the last four years. in his final press conference.

>> we are at a stalemate. the kurds continue to make some progress. i think it's important we continue to support them. and i think the reason it's that way is we are continuing to retrain iraqi security to continue on the campaign. >> a continuing flow ever i.s.i.l. which still has twoi 30,000. odierno hinted the iraqis will begin an offensive against i.s.i.l. in a few days. he raised the possibility of having u.s. forces next to iraqis. >> that is an option we should present to the president when the time is right. >> mike viqueria, al jazeera, washington. >> the dizzying effects of alcohol consumption in indonesia. still to come sales on alcoholic drinks is down but the dangerous home based alternative is

booming. and a european rock band prepares to conquer a new frontier in north korea.

>> it appears another north korean official may have been

executed by leader kim jong-un. vice premier che e.ngong was killed in may after he expressed displeasure over forestation policy. showing disloyalty to the leader and according to south korean intelligence officials kim jong-un had ordered execution of 15 officials by april of this year. for the first time a western rock group has been invited to play in north korea. the slovenian rock group, wearing fascist symbols. >> packed out stadiums from mexico city to moscow. next they'll perform in north korea. a communist country known for

its military marches, mass gymnastics and opposition to western culture. no rock bands and no idea what to expect from liebach. >> we love to play for people who have no idea who we are. because reaction of the audience is much better. we're honest. as they're not overloaded with information. ♪ ♪ >> the band have always courted controversy with their videos and life performances often using images of costumes that invoke totalitarianism. but when it comes to the north korean regime everything is relative. >> there is nothing to totalitarianism than the north korean dictatorship. >> coverage from the musical the

sound of music, a favorite in the country. >> we will play three of their songs including a revolutionary song in korean. we will also do our classics, including life is life. >> reporter: considering this is a popular song in pyongyang. ♪ ♪ >> the nation made be in for a bit of a surprise on august 19th and 20th. as for the performers who have their passports and mobile phones confiscated when they arrive, they promise to behave. charlie angela, al jazeera. imported alcohol schooled in the country, step vaessen reports. >> two days after drinking home made alcohol bought open the street, he lost his optical

nerves due to methanol poisoning. it's estimated hundreds die in indonesia after consuming highly toxic met methanol. >> i know him he always drove everywhere was always very active and now he can't see. >> reporter: even the people who think they're buying official bottled alcohol run the risk of being poisoned. shows us how he prepares fake whiskey and sells it as the real thing at a third of the normal price. the contents are alarming, alcohol normally used to disinfect wounds, chemical substance and water, business is booming. he doesn't want his identity to be revealed. >> translator: demand is increasing right now because the price of real alcohol has gone

up dramatically. so buyers are trying to reduce their cost and buy our bottles. >> indonesia spirit and wine association says sales of official alcoholic drinks are down by nearly bring%. >> translator: people will still look for alcohol although it's hard to get. if they don't find real alcohol and the government doesn't put measures in place to educate consumers the use of illicit alcohol will increase. the fact that tourists have died is not good for our reputation. >> reporter: accord tog to the world healting to theworld healh regulations are neated to protect its population. >> people can die of alcohol poisoning anywhere. just because only a few people die doesn't mean we can let 250 million indonesians drink alcohol. that's why our policy is undesirable for people in indonesia to drink.

>> reporter: a draft to ban alcohol is currently being discussed by parliament. import duties on alcohol are also being increased. >> a draft of the law banning alcohol says there will be an exception for cultural organizations. but it won't produce an increase in death due to alcohol poisoning. stricter measures whether they will save lives remain to be scene. in the meantime, visitors continue to be warned about the dangers. step vaessen, al jazeera, jakarta. major retailers are being criticized for paying taxes on duty free goods sold at u.k. airports. pocketing the savings, passengers are fighting back. nadim baba has the details. >> catching up with essentials,

to prior to flight. now it's emerged that retailers are reclaiming the 20% in value added tax or sales tax that's included in prices. this is money that should either be going to the chancellor because you're flying within the eu and it's the legally due v.a.t. or it should be coming back to you because you as a traveler are supposed to get the benefit of traveling without having to pay tax on your purchases, not the airport retailer. but now there's a revolt by customers, point blank refusing to show their boarding passes. the campaign has been whipped up by social media across the u.k. >> i was frankly outraged that the shop seemed to be, one could almost say literally stealing the money from the customers, in an underhand and in a way that's not transparent. >> they're just taking my money

and fleecing me and not paying it back. it's not good enough. i'm not doing it. i'm traveling on friday and they're not seeing my boarding pass. >> retailers say they're not doing anything illegal. some claim it would be impossible to have a dual pricing system but that's been rub ished by consumer groups. >> one of the busiest times of year for traveling, and flying outside the eu for their summer holiday. the idea that they could be ripped off by the shops at the airport. >> where boarding passes are not required, passengers will still be able to shop woot the boarding pass being scanned. the u.k. government has confirmed the v.a.t. relief at airports is meant to favor

travelers. nah diem bnadim baba, owner al , london. >> coming up, krakow rg combating smog. combating smog.

>> it's going to be a great night to catch a falling star. the annual perseid meteor shower, the new moon means there will be little light to interfere with the view. 3:00 a.m. is the best time to see the view, you should see a shower almost as often as every minute. >> now to our global view segment with a look at how news outlets across the world are reacting to various events. turkey's daily saba,

children begging for alms, it says the country must do everything in its power to protect and care for the refugees until they are able to return to syria or become a part of the turkish nation. the sydney herald writes about same sex marriage in australia, 60 to 70% are in favor but politicians are not in touch and can't rise above their own self interest. it calls for a nationwide vote to be held at the same time as the next election. and the guardian offers this take on the greek bailout deal. shows european creditors as hungry hippos from the children's game trying to devour greece's assets. krakow, it's one of europe's

most polluted cities as jonah hill reports, that's taking a toll on the nation's health. >> there are plenty of reasons to visit krakow. when the weather turns cold, the air fills with toxic smog. >> it stinks, it's dirty, this smog goes down to the street. krakow during winter, there is no visibility. everything is dirty, everything is gray. >> chimneys belch out smoke, cheaper coal and plastics and other waste. air pollution levels in the city are four times the world health organization's safe limit.

>> my nose started bleeding one morning. it bled for over 20 hours until a dorkd stoppe doctor stopped i. my doctor said move out of town move out of town. >> reporter: but who would want to leave this elegant medieval city? sparkling in the sunshine? it iwas once poland's capital c, but residents are complaimg of being riz centers in their own home. a campaign group called the krakow smog alarm fought back warning residents that they faced pollution levels equivalent to 2500 cigarettes a year. the city council has responded with potentially effective mitigation efforts but progress is slow.

>> translator: all of our efforts go to teaching people to live in more ecologically sensitive ways and we do everything we can to convince tourists that they are safe in krakow to breathe air that is getting cleaner. >> this family couldn't wait when they discovered their four-year-old son was getting sick. >> he had a very strong ectopic skin disease that didn't appear anywhere else out of krakow. the disease started to disappear so it was clear it was because of the city. >> they left for the capital warsaw with no plans to return. jonah hull, al jazeera, krakow. >> and finally, the search for convene nefertiti may be found.

tomorrow night we'll talk about his discovery. that's it for this edition of al jazeera news, i'm libby casey, i'll see you again in one hour. hour. >> on "america tonight," street corner dropoffs. cash in hand. it's proof there's a way out of thug life. >> everything is done with the very same hustle and opportunistic you know attitude that made them successful in their own world. that's the good kind of hustle. >> our report from panama on stopping gang violence with an entrepreneurial approach. and is it really no problem month? the last place you would