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tv   Weekend News  Al Jazeera  September 5, 2015 5:00am-5:31am EDT

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>> more than 4,000 people crossed the border from hungary as austria opens its border to refugees. hello from doha, this is the world news from al jazeera. more on the refugee crisis. european foreign ministers are meeting in luxembourg to discuss how the continent responds. >> the united arab emirates
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declares three days of mourning for three soldiers killed. and more than 3.5 million people could need food aid. so they continue to cross as austria opens its borders to refugees. some of the latest pictures - a calm, miserable looking saturday morning. the refugees have made strong journeys, and have gotten as far as the border with austria systematic. our correspondent is through to us on the phone. you are about 10km from the border last time. where are you now? >> we are about 5km from the border now. traffic is still very slow, and there are multiple reports in the press that austrians decided to close off the border to anyone but the refugees that were being brought in the buses
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by the hungarian authorities. still a bit of confusion in the border area, exactly what the big pictures is here today, when they may reopen the border, but it does seem that there are more refugees on their way from this area. we were told that there were more buses that took possibly hundreds more refugees from the main train station in the capital, and that they are on their way to the border as well right now. >> rewind for me. we'll run the pictures from here. you tell us what people have been telling you about what has happened. >> yes, i spoke to one of the refugee mothers who was in a holding facility. this is where the refugees on the train for 24 hours had been stopped. she has given me pictures from the facility, where they are
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held now, kidnapped. these pictures show men, women and children sleeping on blankets on the floor, and what appears to be a gymnasium, and we have a picture of what was distributed to them. i was told by a woman, that it wasn't fit to eat, some bread distributed to them. quite worried about what will happen eventually. they have not been informed that they'll be taken to the border or be able to cross. or how long they'll be in this facility. i have lost contact with a woman, trying to re-establish contact. her husband is in another country. we are trying to find out about the refugees at the center. we have gotten no comment thus far from the government about what is going to happen with the refugees taken to the facility. we will report that as soon as we get it. >> getting closer and closer to
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the hungarian border chaotic situation as mohammed describes the scene from the pictures. there's hopes for the thousands of people that across the boarder. they have taken on extraordinary journey to get to europe. andrew simmonds is with them, the refugees, as they began the journey from budapest. >> an idea of leading the scholar, leaving the railway station behind. it's taken hungarian authorities by surprise, particularly the police. this much is bigger than anyone expected. it may be far-fetched to think they could reach the austrian border by foot. it's more than 170km away. they are determined. >> we are going walking to germany. >> it's a very, very long way. >> it is a long way. we have no choice. >> out of the city and on to the main motor way west. the mood is upbeat, remarkable
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that people under such stress. some of the refugees are worried the police could be leading them into a trap. the vast majority of those are syrian. and there are hundreds of families keeping up with the leading groups, disabled people taking part too. you could be forgiven for thinking this was some sort of marathon, a desperate plot of more than 1,000 men, women and children. under the shade of a bridge organizers spurred everyone on. hungarian volunteers donating water, food and biscuits have been setting up rest stops along the way. the high commission for refugees are worried that the police may stop. definitely there are hundreds of people walking towards austria. this is a long, long journey.
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it's more than 150km from the border. >> reporter: on the day hungary approved legislation to halt the flow of refugees, tiredness and pain written on the faces. there is a better life on the road ahead. then an offer of buses to turn into a border town. within minutes, arrived. >> they wanted to walk on. the offer of the buses and the assurances that they have been given, seen as good enough to get on board. next came the news that the austrian chancellor agreed to allow refugees from here and the station in budapest to across the boarder. a deal had been made after past experience, many people didn't trust what they were hearing.
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it does appear to be for real at last just an update on the refugee numbers from reuters agency. germany expects up to 10,000 refugees to come through via hungary. 4,000 or so already moving. germany saying it expects 10,000 just today. we have heard from finland's prime minister who said he'd allow his own home being open. and it could be ready for refugees next year. comments coming as foreign ministers meet in luxembourg to discuss the crisis, pushing for the common e.u. system. italy's foreign ministry says the freedom of movement could be jeopardised unless there is agreement. jacky rowland reporting from luxembourg. what are the sorts of differing
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reactions. >> well, there has been a problem up until now. there clearly isn't a coherent e.u.-wide policy mechanism for dealing with this influx of refugees. really, it's pretty much unprecedented. the last time we saw this movement, to speak of. was during the bull can wars, 20 -- balkan wars 20 years ago. we are seeing more willingness from certain countries - namely germany - to give asylum to the people. countries in other areas, the u.k., seem hostile to the idea, particularly of an imposed quota, the belgium foreign minister arriving at the meeting a short while ago, summed up the feeling of quite a lot of foreign ministers here, that there needs to be a change in attitudes across european union towards the asylum seekers. >> we must welcome all those who
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have the right to asylum. there's no reason for us to refuse asylum for those that came from countries of war, countries where lives are at risk. people who take enormous risks get to europe. it must come from the whole of the european union. >> now, part of the problem is also in terms of legislation and just logistics, because up until now rules have been if someone wants to claim asylum. they must apply in the first country they arrive at. it's not practical in the case of greece, italy and hungary. refugees are trying to get deep into europe. clearly some of the rules will have to climate change, and some are talking about having an e.u. asylum seekersistic, whereby refugees could register on arrival in the e.u., but it doesn't commit them to staying in the country. these are the issues that the foreign minister will be discussing today in luxembourg.
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>> jacky rowland live. >> to other news. the united arab emirates declared three days of national mourning for 45 soldiers killed in yemen. their bodies arrived in abu dhabi, and they arrived after a base was hit by a rock, a biggest loss by soldiers in decades. u.a.e. says it will increase focus on taking the capital sanaa. heavy strikes overnight. the presidential were among those. protests in syria over the killing of a drusk leader, this video to show the aftermath of a bomb that killed the leader and 25 others. he was against the syrian government and the armed groups.
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protests turned violent. and a government statue was destroyed. thousands of demonstrators were on the streets of iraq for a successive friday, demanding forms and services, and an end to corruption. zeina khodr has a report from baghdad. >> reporter: last week this was a space where iraqis spoke with one voice - demanding change and threw their weight behind the prime minister who promised reforms. now they are impatient. some say haider al-abadi is a weak leader. they called on him to break ranks with his ruling coalition. >> translation: if he can't reform the system, he should resign or leave iraq. let him stay in his party. >> reporter: many blame the head of the party, nouri al-maliki, who was prime minister for eight years for institutionalizing corruption and believe he's a powerful
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figure preventing haider al-abadi from taking action against corrupt officials. >> translation: he can't take any political decision on his own. he needs to get rid of political pressure from his party. >> reporter: the turn out was lower than previous fridays. people seemed to be losing hope. >> haider al-abadi's credibility and political career are at stake. people are questioning his sincerity, whether he is the person to carry out reforms. he contacted on some promises to reduce the seats in government, the budget for personal security, for officials. apart from that, little changed. >> that is why the slogan for the protest was a message - we assign the task to you. you failed. >> there were others at the rally who presented an alternative. shia militias and political backers are in the position of power are the legitimate leaders
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this is the last house for haider al-abadi. he can't give us tranquilizers and expect us to remain silent. if he is the sun of iraq, he must join the party of the people. this is where a spontaneousio movement begins. it's where a struggle for power is played out still ahead on al jazeera - we are with the exhausted refugees in the greek islands, where hope and excitement soon turns to despair. >> and a window to a lost civilization that is virtually empty. we look at jordan's tourism industry, and why it's in trouble.
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top stories for you once more on al jazeera, austria opens the border to refugees. more than 4,000 crossed. they expect the number to govern in the next 24 hours. germany talking about 10,000. e.u.'s foreign ministers meeting in luxembourg to discuss. france and germany pushing for an asylum system and a permanent quota. looking at another aspect of the refugee crisis in europe, in greece. 25,000 refugees on the greek ilted alone. the -- island alone. the port is crowded. people keep arriving every day. >> let's look at the sport from hoda abdel-hamid who is in a
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refugee camp there. >> reporter: hundreds, sometimes thousands of refugees are on the shore. they arrive in overcrowded boats, the majority syrians. often entire families are on the mood, distressed and tired. >> i didn't want to leave, but these are my children, who stopped going to school and university. there's no life. only fear. we had no choice. >> a few meters away. another boat horizon. and another. and one more. this rubber dingy's engine was broken. they were adrift. we could hear them scream and shout for help. for a moment, there's an outburst of joy. there's so much anxiety. in a faint voice he says "i'm scared, no one cares about us."
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>> translation: we have no value any more, we are a commodity. people make money off our back. we are trading commodities. >> reporter: the entire north looks like this, piles of life jackets discarded by refugees as soon as they touch land. it goes on. there's some personal belongings. a little life jacket. one can imagine a baby on board. here is the rubber dingy they came across with. the first thing the refugees do is they punk tute it before they are set to turkey, there's no one here to address the system. so they walk and walk. the camp and registration center is about 40km away. >> i was expected to help out for the first night. we don't have food or water. i never thought my life would turn out this way. there's no other way to reach europe through smuggling, we
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were obliged to take the route to survive. >> it's too exhausting for this boy and his younger brother. they fled because their parents couldn't guarantee their safety. >> translation: i tell them we are travelling to have a better life. i never thought it would be so hard. had i known, i would have stayed in syria under the bombs. it's less humiliating. now it's too late. >> reporter: no one knows how much refugees are here. there's an estimate of 25,000 people. the island cannot cope and has been asking for emergency funding. there's a backlog of people waiting. it's a long process. tempers flare. and for the new arrivals, the only option is to wait their turn. >> hoda abdel-hamid is live. extraordinary pictures in your report. tell me more about what you are seeing now, right behind you?
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>> well, the port is behind me. it's complete chaos. they are accused of refugees going in both directions for hundreds of meters, and the wait is extremely long. all of these people are dying to be processed inside the port. to get a piece of paper allowing them to board a ferry. the greek authorities are overwhelmed. it's a long weight. sometimes they can go up to more than a week. some of the refugees are tired. what you see behind me is happening all over the town mere. wherever it is that the public space is available. wherever it is that you find people camped out. the greek removed thousands in this port. they are outside of the city. in an empty land.
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i was speaking to the head of the unrcr. trying to make a registration. as we speak, hundreds are offpouring into the island. >> we talk about people being registered and going on to a ferry. what's then? where does the ferry take them? >> pardon me, can you repeat that. where does the ferry take them. >> well, first to athens, and interest there. to the balkan route. hungary, and syrians will tell you that they are going to german. others, afghans and people who might not seek the asylums.
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it's a dire situation. there's a lot of confusion among the refugees, and many nationalities think they'll be able to absorb everyone. the majority are syrians, 60% are syrians. the rest are tagging along. and this is where the problems stop, where the authorities try to get through all the people that are extremely complicated. and the residents of this island are overwhelmed by the situation and face an everyending flow. from here they come into the rest of the continent. we have the same situation and small islands in, where there are more refugees at the moment. it's a very situation, and a lot of people, residents of the island don't know how long they can deal with it, it's
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overwhelming, and it's affecting their livelihoods. when that happens, anger increases. there were refugees blocking the road. they were frustrated and asking for them to be allowed to continue the journey. the riot police were there. ending up. greeks were very angry. and overwhelmed. thank you hoda abdel-hamid, from the greek island. >> the united nations, droughts in northern ethiopia. mean around 4.5 million food aid. it could be a problem for the economy as half the income is generated. >> life was difficult. family of nine, before the rains failed. this year he and millions came across northern ethiopia. facing a tougher struggle. >> translation: there's nothing
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we can do, we don't have enough crops. we have to settle the food. but because they don't have enough to eat, the only chance is to sell belongings. villages say a foreign aid organization built the well in the 1990s. no one in the village knows how to repair it. people in the village are heavily dependent on farmers. around three-quarters of the population are farmers. >> this man grows corn and wheat. this time last year, they were ready to pick his crops. they harvested them enough to provide food for the pocket. around 3,000. this year they'll get virtually nothing. >> this shows just how devastating the lack of rains had on the crop.
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the plants should come up my shoulder by now. if you look down at this plant, look at the size of the car. this by now should be around a foot long. these plants are dying. and experts say it doesn't matter how much it rains between now and the end of the season. there's nothing to be done to save them. meteorologists are blaming the drought on a weather phenomenon miles away on the pacific ocean. el nino. it is dry. trade winds - experts say they are warning the government. >> this time, in september is very low. >> the government says it has allocated $35 million to deal with the crisis. the united nations says the
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drought is 4.5 million people, meaning food aid this year. >> translation: when we were informed about the problem. they sorted a programme. at this moment. there's enough surplus food at the depot, and are distributing it. >> around 20 million people live below the poverty line. many are farmers like this, and will be helped by donors in order to survive. >> a couple of stories from japan. people allowed back into a town, the nuclear power plant. for years after a disaster. 7,000 people had to leave after the tsunami triggered by an earthquake damaged the reactors, causing leeks and japan is about to begin
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a research whale operation despite a ban on whaling. japan uses a provision allowing them to be killed for scientific purposes. this year it plans to take up to 51 miniwhales. >> to jordan, where the government is launching a new campaign. they'll be getting fewer and fewer. one of the most important archeological sites in the world. almost empty. we have this report. >> reporter: empty information and ticket booths at one of the seven wonders of the world. horses pulling carriages. standing idol. it used to by busling with tourists walking down to elaborate ruins. western tourists have been hesitant to come here, officials
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say that the tourism is based on a misconception that it wasn't safe. >> we did a bit of research. everything on the internet was positive. no one was saying anything detrimental, and since we have been here, we have had nothing but welcoming people everywhere. and no hassle. >> nearly 3,000 were used every day. that figure went down. plummetingar jordan joined the coalition. >> this area in front of the treasury taking pictures and queueing for rides, according to statistics, the number of tourists has gone up to 80% since 2011. people living around here say the last year has been the worst. with as few as 40 tourists visiting the ruins on sunday.
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>> i used to make more than $400 a day. if i'm lucky it stakes around $30. >> some go as far as blaming western embassies. they encourage nationals. the government has a budget to promote aboard. >> a campaign will be conducted internationally. we'll look at the least sensitive markets and the largest for us that we are working on. making sure that traffic is coming back. sooner, rather than later. >> in petra city. hotels have been forced to shut down. more than 1,000 employees have been laid off over the last year. many hope that the beauty and safety will bring the tourists
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to this ancient town. juror okay, here is the web site at aljazeera.com. all the information there. all the reports and analysis there in one place. aljazeera.com. >> pull a sawbuck out of your wallet, there's alexander aljazeera.com. hamilton born and raised in the caribbean, he made his future as the fledging super power, two centuries of honoring men, campaigners hope to pull andrew jackson off the 20 and replace him with a great american woman. then

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