>> china sends chemical experts into tianjin to test for toxic gasses after a series of deadly explosions. hello. we have world news from al jazeera. also on the program, turkey may be facing a new election after political parties fail to form a coalition government. as japan marks 70 years since its defeat in world war ii, calls for an apology on forced labor grow louder in china. plus, a witness to history, we take a tour of havana's hotel

ahead of a momentous day in cuba. first to china a team of biochemical expert on the ground in tianjin, the scene of two massive explosions that left at least 55 people dead. they are testing the air for toxic gasses. rescue teams are wearing protective clothing. there are fears the site is contaminated with poisonous chemicals. agent brown joins us from tianjin. let's talk about the press conference by the authorities. what more have they been saying? >> well, they spoke to the media this morning and they confirmed that it's 7:00 a.m. local time on friday morning, a man was found alive inside the disaster zone. we don't know what his injuries are, just how seriously injured

he was. they have found one person. they have rescued 32 people since late on wednesday night when those multiple slowingses happened. a number of firefighters are still missing. as you can see behind me, those fires are still burning. what we don't know, of course, is whether the air that the 50 million people of this city are breathing in is safe or not. at that media briefing this morning, i asked one of the government officials whether he could give assurance whether the air was safe. he said i think the air is safe. that wasn't exactly reassuring. the governments have set up monitoring stations around the city of tianjin to check on the air quality and they say at the moment they are generally satisfied. but if you speak to ordinary people, every one you see in the city right now is wearing a protective face mask.

they are worried. they also say they believe the government. the government is watching what is happening here very closely, i think, because this is the fifth chemical accident we have had in china in the last five months. and it's once more raised serious questions marks over the safety standards in china's chemical industry. now, here in tianjin, one of the biggest ports in china, it is a center of the petro chemical processing industry. this area is awash in chemicals. what government officials are worried about, as long as these flames keep continuing, it's possible that more chemicals could somehow be ignited causing more explosionings. >> thank you. the u.s. is investigating reports of chemical weapon use by isil against kurdish forces in northern iraq. the incident is said to have happened on thursday. german troops have been in the

area training forces. they reported at least 60 kurdish fighters suffered breathing difficulties from the attack. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations says if the reports are true, then those responsible will be held accountable. >> it would be a further testament of the hideous nature of isil as a movement and its utterly brutal approach to what it calls warfare, but what appears to be just systematic attacks on civilian whose don't accord to their particularly perverse world view. i think we'll have to, again, move forward on these allegations, get whatever evidence we can, if i have seen a report, i believe it was kurds who came forward. so engaging with them. people in turkey may go back

to the polls because political parties failed to form a coalition government. the prime minister has urged parliament to call for a new vote as soon as possible. >> reporter: turkey's prime minister says new elections are the most likely outcome after a failure to establish a coalition government with the opposition secular chp party. those talks have been going on since the results of the june elections failed to give the party an overall majority forcing it into these coalition talks. the prime minister said they seem to come close on various issues, but it wasn't quite enough in the end. the opposition chp says it doesn't believe the akp was ever serious about sharing power for a full four-year term. it was only interested in sharing power for a few months. whatever, the result hasn't gone down well on the markets. the turkish currency hit a new

low against the u.s. dollar and there's been a stock market sell-off. now it's up to the president to call new h elections. the most likely date is sometime in november. greek politicians are due to vote on a bailout agreement. it has spending cuts. greece needs the money to make a debt repayment next week. but the terms of the deal are putting pressure on the ruling party. >> reporter: summer has been a time for unpopular bills to pass unnoticed while people escape the city heat. it didn't work out that way. its first bill implementing new spending economies brought out parties to the left hoping to cultivate disappointed voters. chief among them, the communist party's labor union.

>> translator: i don't think these measures can be implemented. people can't pay more taxes unless we all become homeless and eat at soup kitchens, such down schools and hospitals. i discovered a kidney medicine basic to my health is out of stock. i don't think more measures can work. >> reporter: inside the chamber the government defended other aspects of its policy such as a $28 billion bank bailout to keep the financial system from collapsing. >> translator: we had a huge debate because as you can understand, the bad loans are enter connected with the recapitalization of the banks. we'll have to discuss this topic again in october and hope to find a compromise. >> reporter: the sparks flew as opposition mps blamed them for creating more debt. >> translator: why do we need 25 billion euros for the

recapitalization of the banks? you drove up the deposit outflow. the stress shows that no capitalization was needed. we had a buffer of 11 billion to look into the markets. you gave it away. i'm wonder who is to blame. >> reporter: it liberalizes the energy and commodity markets. it enables more troubled businesses to enter bankruptcy protection, but it gives the government bigger teeth to which to go after tax evasion. it tightens the screws on spending, austerity trends which are expected to deepen in bills still to come. perhaps most hurtful, it ends early retirement over the next seven years and cuts pensions. the former association welfare minister ousted for opposing this bailout says pensioners will lose $3 billion this year and next. >> whil it held to its election

promise. but the about turn has now produced a fundamental imbalance in greek politics, while more than 60% of the popular vote is against austerity, a majority of lawmakers supports it. and that create as political market and potential instability. in a few hours time the u.s. flag will be raised outside its embassy in the cuban capital for the first time in 50 years. these are pictures from a rehearsal of the ceremony. the flag will be raised by the same retired u.s. marines who lowered it in 1961. one building in havana has witnessed some of the most important events. we took a tour of the 85-year-old hotel national.

>> reporter: it stands above havana on top of what was once a spanish fortress. with cannons that decorate the gardens. it's not just a hotel. it's a monument to history. the hotel's historian takes us on a tour of the national. built 85 years ago by american architects, the roof is similar to a chess board, with the pawn, knights, king and queen represented by its two towers. >> translator: it's all original. the front desk is made of ma mahogony. the mailbox works as it did 85 years ago. the mailman comes with the same original key to open the same

original lock every day. >> reporter: but it's the national's history that most fascinates visitors. hollywood's most glamourous stars were regulars. in the days when cuba was known as america's playground, the top mafia bosses rented out the entire hotel for a convention. >> translator: and this is the churchill bar named after the former british prime minister. he used to come here and smoke his favorite cuban cigars which cuba supplied him until he died. >> reporter: the hotel still puts on a nightly show. a venue that's been immortalized in films like the godfather 2 and about the night that changed cuban history. it was january 1959. all of cuban high society was here celebrating the new year

when they received the news that the dictator fled the country and that the revolutionaries had just triumphed. the casino was closed down, the mafia was thrown out. and it wasn't long before the hotel national again became a fortress. with trenches dug around the coastal part of the garden at the height of the cuban missile crisis. >> translator: we are underneath the gardens now. the only thing that's new are the lights. >> reporter: the tunnels were open to the public a decade ago to commemorate the crisis that brought the world to the brink of a nuclear war. >> translator: that militia uniform was mine. i was here when i was 18 years old, not working for the hotel, but as part of the university militia. >> reporter: half a century later, the hotel is still a major tourist attraction. >> translator: the hotel has

managed to create something not common in hotels. that is to appeal to people's interest in history. >> reporter: a history that in some ways has come full circle with the arrival of new hollywood stars, new world leaders and, again, the americans to the hotel national. lots more to come here on al jazeera. two years after egypt's massacre, the families continue their search for justice. plus sri lanka hopes the election will give the economy the boost it needs to grow. pore omore on that. stay with us.

>> welcome back. a recap of the top stories on al jazeera. chemical experts are investigating the sites of two massive explosions in the chinese city of tianjin. at least 55 people have died and more than 700 injured. the u.s. is investigating reports of chemical weapon use by isil against kurdish forces in northern iraq. the incident is said to have happened on thursday. turkey may be facing a new election this autumn after political parties failed to form a coalition government. the prime minister asked parliament to call for a new vote as soon as possible. syria's main opposition group

rejected a peace plan offered by russia. the leaders have met in moscow. the group wants president assad to step down before any peace talks can begin. but russia says fighting isil should be the priority. >>.even if a peace deal is agre, it's unlikely to work. >> i think the different sides view this as a zero sum gain. the syrian opposition, most of the syrian people want him removed from power. it seems that russia and iran are still trying to put forward a peace settlement that allows assad himself or the remnants of the assad regime to remain in power. that's a position that will not be accepted by any credible syrian negotiating partners. i think that is one of the bigger, it's the biggest

sticking point that is hindering a negotiated settlement. the other big sticking point is even if we could arrive at a settlement tomorrow, all the major countries and parties at the negotiating table, how are you going to implement that peace settlement when the two biggest political entities and forces, isis, are not at the negotiating table. they will refuse to implement any negotiated settlement that may be arrived in moscow, geneva or vienna. >> eye kill vowed t >> isil vows to carry out more attacks in iraq. now, friday marks two years since egyptian security forces raided two protest camps in

cairo. the two sides have been occupied by supporters of the ousted president morsi. many of the families of those killed continue their search for justice. a warning, this report contains graphic images. >> reporter: august 14, 2013, scenes that egyptians thought they would never witness. hundreds of dead bodies lie in the streets in cairo. killed by the army and police, some burnt alive. egypt security forces stormed the two sites with the protests against the military coup which overflew the first democratically elected president, morsi. activists camped at the main protest to denounce the coup and

the reinstatement. around that time, pro government newspapers, tv station stationsn brought out a campaign to demonize the protesters. >> we have to cleanse our city and country from these filthy people. >> reporter: less than a week later, the top prosecutor approved the request by the security forces to forcibly disburse citizens. it was a crime against humanity. at least 850 people were killed, including women and children. thousands of others were injured. the then vice president resigned in protest. fleeing the country because he, too, feared the military takeover. several journalists were killed in the massacre, including british cameraman mike dean who

work for sky news. in an attempt to erase all traces, the protest camp was burnt to the ground including the main mosque. the army rebuilt it and then renamed the square after the prosecutor general who was assassinated earlier this year. but the memory of the killings remains fresh in the minds of many. >> translator: just because two years have gone by, i refuse to forget about my son. i will not rest until i get justice. >> reporter: egypt has witnessed its darkest days. human rights groups say hundreds of egyptians have been killed, more than 40,000 arrested and the free press and free speech with nonexistent. following the 2011 uprising which toppled the president, much was said about egypt's young people. for many of them, that future was killed together with their

loved ones two years ago. japan is marking the 70th anniversary of its defeat in world war ii. in a few hours time prime minister shinzo abe will issue a statement. japan says it's apologized dozens of times for atrocities it committed. but china and south korea say it hasn't gone far enough. joining us from tokyo is an asian studies fellow. all eyes will be on the exact wording of shinzo abe's statement. is this likely to be a watered down apology or will he express genuine remorse do you think? >> i don't think there is any likelihood that mr. abe who has had a career of being against any such apologies is going to be expressing himself in a sincere fashion. that's asking too much. however, will he put in the

trigger words, apology, remorse, aggression, invasion. that seems to be very likely at this time. and that alone is a big step in his case. >> and there are suspicions in countries like china, south korea and australia that abe will downplay the atrocities committed by japanese troops. what do these countries want to see from the text? >> the countries around japan have always wanted to have at least an honest appreciation of a dispute as to how many people have been killed, how many were sent into sexual slavery, comfort women. that the numbers are a bit more realistic. however, for mr. abe and people who support him, they have vigorously argued that japan does not have an especially hainous record as compared to other powers.

and that its enemy, particularly the governments of south korea and china, exaggerate numbers in order to stimulate world opinion. >> whatever the statement says, do you think it could open the door for many countries to seek war reparations against japan? >> the war reparations issue has been the ka nard here on the right wing, saying we can't apologize for precisely that reason, we'll be liable for claims all over the region. that has not been very, very effective as an excuse and it certainly probably not going to happen in any case. no matter what mr. abe says today. >> let me get a final thought from you. what about ordinary japanese people themselves, is the statement important to them and how can they use it to move on from the war?

>> moving on from the war is the thing that the japanese people want the most. most of the japanese populous believes that mr. abe should put in all of the trigger words that the governments around the region and also japan's main ally, the united states, wants to see in his statement. what's happening in the next few hours, it's not just mr. abe, it's the entire cabinet that's approving the statement making it official policy of japan, not just mr. abe's opinion. that act should be in some way reciprocated by the government by taking the spirit of the people who want to get past the war and taking that and saying, okay, we want to get past the war, too. >> thank you very much, sir, for your time. now a general strike by labor unions, indigenous communities has brought

ecuadorian capital to a stand still. we have this update. >> reporter: for hours people tried to break the police barriers around the perimeter of the presidential palace. they have been protesting throughout the day. many of them indu indigenous pee who walked for days for this day of national strike. many protesters have different grievances, some of them asking for tax reductions. others, they want improvements in education and health. others want to be able to manage their land and water resources. but the one issue that most protesters said they agree on is the fact that they want the government to shelf a plan to amend the constitution that will allow the president to run for a fourth term. there's been violent protests in other parts of the country in different cities. violent protests, policemen wounded, civilians wounded,

people detained. and people say they will stay here until the president listens and responds to their demands. a state of emergency has been declared in argentina's capital. thousands of people have been evacuated from the flood-effected areas. the governor and leading presidential candidate cut short a trip to italy where he was getting medical treatment. he's been criticized of his handling on of the crisis. record levels of rain have caused flooding in nearby santa fe province. the communists in sri lanka are counting on politicians to introduce bold reforms to turn around the economy. they are hoping the elections will lead to more stable times. >> reporter: he's a wholesale

trader, shops like his are a vital part of the food supply chain in sri lanka. recent months have been difficult. that stability can only come after a new parliament is voted in. over 6,000 candidates are contesting for 225 seats. restructuring the economy will be a priority for those who succeed. but the housewives, there are more immediate concerns. >> translator: we have expenses. we have to manage with the money we get. when prices go up, we face hardship. >> reporter: the main contenders are promising to address her

concerns. but these promises which include lower prices, higher salaries, more government jobs and increased social expenditure will be difficult to deliver especially with limited state resources. analysts say the time has come for crucial decisions on a way forward. >> the situation is prosper or perish. there should be a complete turnaround in terms of building up investor confidence and in terms of internal finance. all these areas, there should be a complete turnaround. >> reporter: which parties will be decided by voters weighing their options on the 17th of august. a quick reminder, you can keep up to date with all the news on our website, there it is on our screen.

our top story, chemical experts investigating the site of two massive explosions in the chinese city of tianjin where over 50 people were killed. they set up 17 testing stations to monitor air quality. the address, www.aljazeera.com. that's www.aljazeera.com. all the news on our website there. tomorrow. i'm ali velshi on target from philadelphia, from sea to shiny sea, america's infrastructure is falling apart - roads, bridges, railways and waterways are in need of repair or upgrade. why can't we fix it? we go to ground zero of the colorado goldmine. complz