>> south sudan's president signs a peace deal to end the civil war. you are watching al jazeera news. coming up, arrests linked to the tianjin blasts, 12 people are suspected of involvement in the devastating explosion. >> the italian coast guard says nearly 3,000 people have been rescued in the last 24 hours. iraqi leader accuses the u.s. of

dividing his country along sectarian lines. south sudan's president signed a peace deal aimed at ending two years of violence. he signed the agreement in the capital. but he's expressed reservations whether it will end his country's civil war. the u.n. security council threatened immediate action if he failed to agree to the deal. the peace accord includes a new power-sharing agreement. and it opens the way for rebel fighters to be reintegrated into the army. both sides agreed to a cease fire and eventually leading to the creation of a demilitarized zone. they are to take responsibility for the war unconditionally

apologizing for the tens of thousands of people killed. >> reporter: now 20 months later, more than 200,000 people are still living under the protection of the u.n. what began as a site between soldiers killed and injured thousands of people, the violence didn't stop in the capital. it spread from town to town destroying neighborhoods and leaving tens of thousands of dead in its wake. the conflict took a dimension when the new tribe took control. everyone is affected by conflict has a story to tell. she lost her son when fighting came to her village and she was forced to run. >> translator: times my heart tells me he's alive. but times i get depressed and think negative thoughts. but lots of people told me,

other people have faced a worse fate than you. i stopped thinking about it and left it up to god. >> reporter: the army supplied into two factions with the president announcing he was in command of the rebels. war has dragged on with towns changing hands between rebel and government forces. even those who said they didn't support either side found themselves attacked in the streets. >> translator: they cut me with a machete. i fell down. after two, three hours i found myself in hospital. >> reporter: the united nations has been demanding that both sides come to a peaceful resolution. they signed an agreement with regional leaders and the president has been on the pressure has been on the president to do the same. the people aren't so confident,

because some of the top rebel commanders have split. they have made it clear that this peace deal means nothing. unfortunately for the people of south sudan, that could mean this war isn't over. chinese state media is stating the police arrested 12 people involved in the explosions in tianjin. >> reporter: among those arrested are the chairman, vice chairman and three deputy managers of the logistics company where those explosions happened two weeks ago. on wednesday we learned that the man who headed the country's safety regulator was socked. he was a former deputy mayor of tianjin, a possession he held for 12 years. the investigation is ongoing. we now know that 139 people are

confirmed dead but 34 are still missing, most the dead and the missing are firefighters. and, of course, the one question that people still want answered is this, why was it that dangerous chemicals were stored in a warehouse less than 800 meters from where people were living. and how is it possible that this company managed to pass its annual safety check. this is what the investigation, of course, is now addressing. we turn our attention to the european rene refugee crisis. a new strategy is needed to handle the surge of refugees making their way across europe. >> translator: i believe we must accelerate and intensify the decisions taken by the european council. such as reception centers, registration, hotspots where we

can differentiate between who does and doesn't need protection. >> the number continues to rise. the italian coast guard says just under 3,000 people have been rescued in the last 24 hours. 55 people are known to have died while trying to cross the sea. most were discovered by the swedish navy. the flow of people is continuing with thousands arriving in macedonia every day. the macedonian army has been forced to build bigger holding camps to cope with the influx of refugees. hungary is considering sending troops to the border. tensions rose after some refugees refused to be fingerprinted. >> reporter: unrest in the

european union border. the trouble didn't escalate beyond this registration center, but short lived. now there are fears of violence here. police are trying to play down the crisis. >> translator: what happens, there was a small conflict, people tried to approach the fence. the policeman tried to stop them and they used tear gas. but there wasn't any injuries. >> reporter: a fence is being put up. thousands of people are getting through sections where there is only razor wire. police are failing to make arrests. but the right wing government is taking a tougher line, more than 2,000 police are being sent to this border to reinforce it. next week the government will vote on plans to deploy the army here. back in the serbian capital, up to 3,000 people a day have been boarding buses bound for the

hungarian border. their record numbers. they have been treated in serbia and in greece and macedonia, but they are worried about getting into hungary. some of the parks have become the last transit points before the eu border. more are syrian. this woman fled from violence. now she's holding off heading to hungary because she's scared. >> we are here, not in turkey, not greece, serbia. hungary. why do that, i can't understand. >> reporter: as politicians prepare for a summit to discuss the biggest refugee crisis since the second world war, on the ground the situation is worsening. saudi arabia says its trooped crossed the border into

yemen for the first time. the soldiers have attacked houthi positions. we have this report. >> reporter: these are the first saudi soldiers to move into yemen. they have taken over mountainous areas and hills over the southern region. but the commander says the incursion is just for short periods of time. in the meantime, artillery has been pounding the positions nonstop for days. rebels insist they have the means to fight back. this is a houthi commander storming a saudi military port along the border with yemen. the soldiers seized the building after heavy clashes. they are seen here blowing up military vehicles before leaving the area. moments later, a saudi war plane

strikes. fighting has flared up. houthis are trying to recapture some of the areas they lost in the south. here, they ambushed pro government troops and destroyed vehicles that were recently provided by saudi arabia and the united arab emrats. yemen's warring fashions have dismissed efforts to agree on a cease fire and start political talks. for the time being, each party wants to win the war so it has the upper hand during negotiations. meanwhile, saudi arabia says it is committed to providing relief to yemen's people affected by the fighting. the foreign minister says his country will also support reconstruction efforts. >> i express the commitment of

the kingdom of saudi arabia and its partners to help yemen in the future with reconstruction efforts in order to alleviate the suffering of the people and to begin to improve the social economic conditions in yemen. still to come, the american president once again calls for more gun controls as a gunman kills two journalists during a live broadcast.

>> you are watching al jazeera. the top stories this hour.

south sudan's president signed a peace deal with rebels after threat of sanctions from the u.n. the power sharing deal is meant to end nearly two years of civil war. chinese state media is reporting the arrest of 12 people suspected of involvement in the explosions in tianjin. among those believed to have been arrested are the chairman and vote chairman of the company storing the chemicals. the bodies of 55 people attempting to cross the mediterranean have been found in the hull of a boat. 3,000 other people have been rescued in the past day. kurdish forces have killed 25 isil fighters. the fighting took part in kurkok. one of iraq's most influential military commanders is accusing the u.s. of

encouraging sectarianism. he told al jazeera that the u.s. is creating a sunni force to divide iraq. [gunshots] >> reporter: u.s. military advisers have been training and equipping tribesmen as part of their strategy to defeat isil. hundreds are already on the front lines. the obama administration believes their role will be crucial to recapture the region. it's backed by the iraqi government. but there are powerful voices raising questions. they have largely replaced the iraqi army on the ground. >> translator: if the americans are concerned about the sunnies, they should not violate iraq's

sovereignty. they should give the government the capabilities to train them. america is creating a sunni force. this is not charity, but a plan to divide iraq. >> reporter: they have a strong presence in parliament. he doesn't hide his good relations with iran. sunni politicians fear that commanders are growing in strength at the expense of the state. for them the u.s. training program is a step in the right direction. to create the so-called national guard. >> translator: there has been a good start. the u.s. trained 7,000 sunnies in anbar, but they didn't give them proper weapons. these men are under the control of the defense ministry. we hope that one day parliament will approve the national guard project and each province will have its own force from its own people. >> reporter: the people have a long history of animosity with the government in baghdad.

it seems there are efforts to prevent the popular mobilization forces from taking part in the planned offensive against isil in ramadi. the government agreed with the u.s. to stop his forces. but said without them, the battle can't be won. >> translator: the battle in ramadi is in its sixth week. if there was cooperation between the army, the police and tribes, it will be easily won. >> reporter: today some describe him as the most powerful men in iraq. he has long dismissed the u.s.'s role in fighting isil in iraq. but now he is openingly criticizing a part of u.s. strategy. u.s. president barack obama is once again calling for tighter gun control after the shooting of two television journalists. obama expressed his grief and said the number of people who die from gun crime out numbers

those who die from terrorism. >> reporter: reporter allison parker and photographer adam ward were in the midst of a live early morning interview. viewers heard gunshots. the two journalists died at the scene. >> i cannot tell you how much they were loved, allison and adam, by the wdbj 7 team. they both were in love and we'll talk about that a little more with other members of the team here. and our hearts are broken and our sympathies go to the entire staff here, but also the parents and family of adam ward and allison parker who were out doing their job today. >> reporter: the gunman's image glimpsed for a second on the broadcast. he was identified as a former reporter at the same station who had been fired two years ago. abc news reported that flanagan

called the tv network to claim responsibility, saying he acted on god's command and revenge for the recent shooting of nine churchgoers in south carolina. police crashed his car after he shot himself. >> she found flanagan suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. he was flown from the scene to the fairfax hospital where he died at approximately 1:30 p.m. today. >> reporter: on social media, flanagan blamed the photographer for costing him his job. and the reporter had been hired to replaced him. he was dismissed after incidents of anger coming to the fore. >> almost won in ten adults in the united states has this worrisome combination of

impulsive behavior and access to firearms. they have guns at home or carry a gun around with them. >> reporter: it's the latest. on tuesday a 14-year-old boy held his class and teacher hostage for several hours before releasing them. meanwhile, several big cities including washington d.c. which is seen sharp reductions in homicides report the numbers are going up again this year. one of the world's largest retailers says it will stop selling assault rifles. wal-mart said it was not related to the shootings. it blames poor sales. wal-mart now says it will focus gun sales related to the sport of hunting. it's been ten years since hurricane katrina hit new orleans killing more than a thousand people and causing billions of dollars worth of damage. the city has made a steady

recovery. many challenges still remain. >> on the streets of the historic french quarter, the signs of the recovery are obvious. it's a tourist hotspot. on the banks of the mississippi, the sound of jazz music hales the rebirth of new orleans. it's a far cry from the days that followed katrina when 80% of the city lay under water and the u.s. government was criticized for its slow response. over a thousand residents died. more were displaced, never to return. entire communities lay in ruins. >> how are we doing on produce? >> we are doing well. >> reporter: for one of the city's oldest black-owned foot markets, there is criticism. this has been in their family for generations. >> all those people got paid. at the end of the day people are

still left without homes, education. it's getting better, but still not where it needs to be. >> reporter: in the mere neighborhood, an influx of new arrivals have made things worse for the city's poor. this community is now so expensive, that many have been forced out to the suburbs. it's been a powerful force that house prices in this neighborhood have risen 75% in the past few years. researchers say that wealth disparity in this city is growing faster than anywhere else in the united states. proof that new orleans is more unequal than it was before katrina. in the upper 9th ward things have changed. damian grant has deep roots, but he can no longer afford to buy a house. his community is being ignored. >> a school right here, across the street, abandoned. it could be open for children. it could be a resource center.

could be a learning facility, they come after school and learn and get tutoring. they don't have that. >> it's clear that new orleans has a long way to go. even the city's most powerful officials admit that the poor are not being well served. >> it's not a surprise that people hurting more before the storm are hurting more after the storm. this is a universal principle. when it gets hot, the poor get hotter, when it gets cold, the poor get colder. >> it remain as shameful chapter in u.s. history. but the inequalities may be its lasting legacy. u.s. stocks posted their biggest gain in more than four years on wednesday. markets around the world have been rallying after chinese marks slumped early this week. wall street also got a boost from expectations that interest rates may not go up as soon as

previously thought. indonesia is one of the emerging economies affected by company owes own economic slowdown. many companies have been forced to lay off workers due to a decline in chinese commodity demands as well as the rise in the u.s. dollar. >> reporter: they have been producing lighting equipment for more than 20 years. earlier this month 460 workers were told the factory would close because aflac of demand. the workers can't believe it. >> translator: i'm so sad. i worked here for 23 years. i can't bear the news. i thought everything was going well. i feel really betrayed. >> reporter: labor unions estimate around 100,000 workers in indonesia have been laid off since its currency went into a free fall against the u.s.

dollar. >> translator: to make sure the crisis of 1998 does not happen again, we urge the government to implement regulations so workers don't lose their job. that's why minimum wages should be brought to decent levels. >> reporter: the government refuses to call it a crisis. but indonesia's booming economy is going for serious turbulence. the government calls on everyone to stay calm. but that won't be enough to save people's jobs. for many years there was no reason to worry with growth rate of more than 6%. but those times are over. indonesia's dependence on imports have made it vulnerable. the purchasing ability is affected by the high price of the dollar. while sales of cars and motorbikes have been growing for

years, now they are down by 20%. >> translator: in previous years we would easily sell up to 20 car as day. today we haven't sold more than four. it has gone down dramatically. >> reporter: the government is trying to improve the economy by launching infrastructure projects and limiting expensive imports. it wants to ensure the public that the return of the 1998 financial crisis is unlikely. >> the crisis has resulted in major economic reforms under the supervision of the imf, reforms in the banking center and reforms among regulators. the corporate sector has become more prudent. >> reporter: still, many are worried. they want the government to ensure that the economy can grow stronger again. something badly needed to take millions out of poverty.

dozens of people are feared dead in north korea after flooding. the state news agency says there are 40 human casualties after the typhoon passed over the peninsula. heavy rains in sydney have forced people from their homes. some streets are a meter deep in water. once a year the world's biggest, best, tallest, shortest and weirdest are gather in one place. that's the guinness book of world records. the latest edition hits the book shelfs this month. >> reporter: a shooting party in ireland, got into an argument over which was the fastest

european game. he commissioned a new reference book to resolve the dispute and here is that first edition from 1955. in the sixty years since, this office here in central london, guinness has become the definitive book of the fastest and the first, the best and the biggest. there are some surprising nuggets. mount everybodiest is known as the world's highest mountain. but the world's tallest mountain is mauna kea in hawai'i. it's the human records of endurance, strength and shear ex-century city that make it. >> you look in the first book, you find pipe smoking marathons, rocking chair marathons. we have done the quirky stuff and the hard core obvious like tallest man, shortest, heavy

evidence. we are also becoming more open to people's ideas. >> in an age where book sales have fallen, guinness world records has sold more than 134 million copies in 21 different languages across more than 100 countries. it holds the record as the best selling copyright title ever. it also holds the record of being the book which is most often stolen from libraries in the united states. thousands apply to be included. the few who are chosen become globalry recognized. >> everywhere i have been, they are impress with what i have done. but that was then in the book. just added so much. and for my agent, when he tries to sell me, she's a guinness record holder. >> cities have grown bigger and more populous. but in 60 years no one has grown taller than robert who stood

2.72 meters tall. on that question about the fastest bird, the answer is neither. we got more on our website, the address is on your screen, www.aljazeera.com. velshi. "on target" tonight, money for nothing. how wealthy sports teams get away with building stadiums and making the taxpayer pay the bill and the 2016 race for president. american football fans are counting down the days until the nfl season kicks off. it begins two weeks from tomorrow, when the defending super bowl champs the new england