Skip to main content

tv   News  Al Jazeera  September 9, 2015 9:00am-10:01am EDT

9:00 am
>> this is aljazeera america live from doha. here's what's coming up in the next 60 minutes: >> we have to accept these people. >> the european commission penalty proposes a mandatory quota system for 160,000 refugees. >> an exclusive report, al jazeera spends the night on turkey's southeastern coast with refugees risking their lives trying to reach europe.
9:01 am
>> rebels in syria seize an air base after a two year battle. >> rwanda's supreme court will hear a case challenging allowing the president to run for a third term. >> we begin with the staggering rev gee crisis. european commission penalty announced plans to tackle the biggest refugee challenge since word war two. under that proposal, 160,000 asylum seekers will be distributed among e.u. member countries with binding quotas. the number of refugees to be resettled in one country will depend on that nation's wealth, population, employment rates and the number of asylum applicants already processed. countries refusing could face
9:02 am
penalties. germany which hosts the largest number of refugees has already the idea. it's welcomed syrian refugees, waving e.u. rules saying it he can spent to deal with 800,000 asylum seekers this year. sweden is in favor. it's taken the highest number in relation to its population. the czech republic all opposing the idea of mandatory quotas, so has hungary, building a fence to keep people out. we have our correspondents across the continent covering this crisis. first we cross to strasburg where the e.u. leaders came out with a plan to tackle the crisis, but not everyone is onboard. >> we've heard this proposal put forward now by the commission
9:03 am
president putting quite a lot of flesh on the bones. earlier this year, he was asking e.u. countries to accept a volunteer quota system for 40,000 asylum seekers, refugees, migrants who had already entered the european union. after this summer of hazardous journeys across the mediterranean, he is asking countries to accept 160,000 people, quadrupling the initial number. he says it's time for europe to step up to the mark. >> it's 160,000. that's the number. europeans have to take in charge and have to take in -- i really hope that this time, everyone will be onboard. action is what is needed for the
9:04 am
time being. >> we heard very strong emotions expressed there talking about europe needing to step up to its responsibilities and remember recent european refugee crisis after the second world war, not to have short memories. to present an alternative view expressed by plenty of people here and also a broader european public is janice atkinson, recently allied herself to the block of m.p.'s led by the french far right leader. thanks for joining us on al jazeera. what is your reaction -- >> all right, i do apologize for that. we seem to be having technical glitches from strasburg.
9:05 am
we'll try and get her back in a minute or so. you are on the hungarian-syrian border. are you with us? >> seems we're having glitches as well there. we'll try to get both our correspondents up a little later in the al jazeera news hour. the greek government has been ferrying refugees from the islands of kos and lesbos to the mainland. a ship carrying 1500 mostly syrian refugees arrived from lesbos. the island is under growing pressure with 18,000 people waiting to travel on wards. we have this report from lesbos where there is relief for some refugees. >> tensions have eased up here in the port because the registration process improved over the past 24 hours. most cleaning teams have arrived to this island and operation
9:06 am
moved to a stadium, so thousands were able to get their registrations today, allowing them to board these ferries and to continue their journey. first stop would be athens and then across several balkan countries to western europe. it's estimated between 8,000 to 10,000 have already left this island, but many more are still waiting here and living conditions are very poor. you can see there's just garbage everywhere. the kids are playing in the middle of the garbage. many people just sleep on the pavement. these who have a little bit more money can buy tents at inflated prices, but apart from that, there is nothing else. no sanitation, many come here and ask you where is there a toilet. we have seen kids having showers here on the pavement just with bottles of water, so it has been extremely difficult, but now that there's some sort of a process, so the refugees do know
9:07 am
at least what's going to happen to them in the coming days. >> these young men have actually landed here last night. we had met them along the coast when they first arrived. they walked 70 kilometers to reach this point. now, even though they have the registration paper, they will have to join this long queue. this is the queue to get the ticket to be able to board the ferry. it's been a very long queue and very slow-moving. still, the tensions are not as much as before, even though there are several that erupt between the refugees themselves simply because they are exhausted, dehydrated and just want to get their tickets and continue their trip. >> thousands of people are making the dangerous crossing from turkey to the greek islands in a desperate bid to reach europe. bernard smith spent the night on the coast and met some of those preparing to make that attempt. >> it is a deeply affecting
9:08 am
site, a family prepared to risk everything to make it to europe. children far too young to be doing something like this. a baby who never will remember this night, if he or she makes it. >> we counted 17 people from one afghan family, all to be squeezed into this dingy. they're on turkey's coast, about 12 kilometers from the greek island of kos. >> we are afraid of dying, of course, this woman says. some died recently, but dying is much better than starving here. there's a problem. their motor won't start. they begin packing up. the family tells us sheer shia muslim, a minority targeted by the taliban. they've tried making a life in turkey for the last three years,
9:09 am
they said, but apart from syrians, turkey does not accept refugees. there is no way for them to settle legally here. >> my daughter is a student and i cannot even pay her bus fare or give her pocket money. in europe, they know about humidity and they'll help us. if we have to try 100 times, we will try 100 times. >> the family i also desperate to leave and decides to try and fitch the engine. they're making their own way to kos to avoid being ripped off by smugglers. the engine won't start. the family will sleep here tonight. then a few minutes drive along the coast, we find another group.
9:10 am
they're wet, clearly the trip hasn't gone well and they're frustrated to be back in turkey. they're syrians. they salvage their life vests, but their boat is left to drift off. >> to see what these people go through to try to make it to kos, it's impossible not to be moved really, and you know that now that they've been forced to come back to turkey, because they didn't make it this time, they'll risk it again. they'll risk their lives again to try and make it to europe. >> with dawn, we see another boat. it's packed, and low in the water. its passengers are paddling furiously. some are bailing out water with shoes. kos is in the distance. it seems tantalizingly close. maybe these people will make it. then the turkish coast guard appears and the refugees taken
9:11 am
onboard. their dreams of a new life in europe are frustrated for now. al jazeera on turkey's ageen coast. >>. let's go back to strasburg. >> we've been hearing about proposals calling for europe to accept and absorb the 160,000 asylum seekers who have already come to the european union. i'm joined by janice atkinson, who has allied herself to the block of europe of nations and freedom led by the far right french politician. thanks for joining us. i wanted first of all to get your reaction to this proposal that european states should
9:12 am
accept mandatory quotas to absorb these newly arrived asylum seekers. >> it starts at 40,000, up to 160,000. we know we've got 500,000 immigrants on the borders of the e.u. how many are we expecting to take? a nato report and u.n. report said africa is poised with 2 million people coming. it undermines identity, culture, we can't take anymore. it's got to be sorted out within the arab states. i think the arab league should be stepping up to the plate to take their fair share. >> just if i may interrupt, lebanon, 25% of the population now of lebanon are syrian refugees. jordan, turkey, egypt, they are taking their share, aren't they? >> the levant is, absolutely, but the u.a. isn't, qatar, kuwait, saudi arabia, they haven't taken a single refugee. saudi arabia has paid over ate
9:13 am
9 million pounds. my country has promised 900. we've paid $900 million, $100 million coming. why are the arab nations not stepping up? culturally, this is their problem. the interference, if you take the situation with syria, you've got the factions fighting, the arab spring, and in this place, they talk about getting people around the table. there's been a 1400 year war between the various factions out there. how they think they can get around the tail and sort this out, we can't. the arab league and nations have to step up and take their responsible. >> we heard at the european parliament, saying, acknowledging that france and other european countries, nato countries have a big responsibility to pay, bearing in mind their action in libya and maybe inaction in syria. is it not a european responsibility? >> what we said today and i
9:14 am
support is that we should actually provide camps and humanitarian relief actually in the arab states in those countries, on the edge and then we need to get the people around the tail. we are not be a grow gating our responsibilities. we know what sarkozy has done and what blare did and they are feeling terrorism in their own country. we have to repair that. my country has got the highest populace country in europe. we can't absorb anymore. we can't simulate the people who have come to our showers from the european union and other states throughout the years. we don't have the infrastructure, the schools, hospitals, the g.p.s, the houses. we're creaking. we cannot take anymore. >> in fact, when you look at studies to deal with demographic changes, in western europe, we have aging populations. we've seen germany say actually it needs half a million new fresh flood every year, the
9:15 am
u.k., as well. who is going to look after the elderly people? who is going to be working to pay the taxes, the pensions and benefits? do we not actually need fresh blood, young people to come into the country since in western europe, we are not having enough babies? >> in germany, it is totally up to them. we can take back control of our borders. i've been quoted because at the moment, the u.k. is discriminating against people in the commonwealth. we need engineers. we need doctors, but we need people that speak english as well to come and fulfill those roles. germany does have a problem. angela merkel has acknowledged that, and that's up to her. let her take as many as she likes. i won't have an unelected
9:16 am
commissioner dictating to my country how many people we should be taking. we decide on quality and quantity. >> thank you very much for joining us live on al jazeera. we are just hearing from janice atkison, a member of the european parliament, part of the far right block giving some pretty strong criticism of the views, the proposals put forward calling for mandatory quotas to e.u. countries to absorb 160,000 asylum seekers who have already arrived at the european union. back to you. >> jacki, thank you very much for that, reporting for us from strasburg. let's find what's happening on the ground in certain parts of europe and cross over to the hungarian, serbia border. there have been scenes over the past few days of refugees and security clashing somewhat.
9:17 am
can up tell us what's going on? >> >> first of all, apologies. it's gotten chaotic and we've been asked to move. that's what's going on here. it looks at though possibly in the next five to 10 minutes, refugees will board buses and go to a camp and then possibly on to the border with austria. this is injury unclear at this hour. that's one of the problems with the refugees facing here today. they were worried about coming into hungary, because they heard about the agreement about the treatment from the government. we saw 10 refugees earlier this morning turn back, go back into
9:18 am
serbia, because they're so worried about coming in to hungary and they are so unclear about the policy towards them here. we met people with real tales of woe here today that just want to get to a camp to get sleep. i spoke to a syrian woman earlier. when she got to greece, she was roughed up by police. she was three months pregnant. she lost her baby. she and her husband have been distraught since. they just want to take a shower, eat a clean meal and see a doctor. i saw an amputeee from afghanistan trying to get medical care but wasn't going to get it here at this hour unless he was going to register here. he was trying to get on a bus and get priority seating and get the proper equipment he needs to help his leg.
9:19 am
just so many tales of woe here, so much sadness, so much fear and nobody quite knows minute to minute, hour to hour what exactly is going to happen next. >> difficult situation sounds like from the refugees that you are talking to. let me just ask you this. what's been the authority's reaction to the proposal that's been put forward to take in refugees? >> we've not yet heard any official reaction from the remarks earlier, suggestions. in fact, one of the problems that other countries surrounding hungary are having right now i also they're not knowing what the hungarians are going to do. yesterday when we spoke to the spokesperson for the austrian interior ministry, he said that the hungarians are making it
9:20 am
much harder for austria and germany knowing what's going to happen. there's still thousands of people on the border in serbia trying to get into hungary. there is that fence that they are building. there is one area on the fence tracks they are able to cross over, but we are hearing the government is thinking about building a gate on the 15th of this month. the government still intends to send troops down to the border to try to prevent the influx. it doesn't seem it's going to get better or we'll get clarification, despite the criticism of the policy and hungary's policy towards the refugees. it's very fluid and seems to get more complicate by the hour. >> thank you for that update. >> a camera woman in hungary has been fired after she was caught on camera tripping refugees as they fled. she was among several
9:21 am
journalists filming refugees fleeing. she was filmed sticking her leg out. a second video shows her kicking a girl. her employer said she had been leg without notice for behaving unacceptably. >> tony abbot said he wants to provide aid for people of percent cute minorities. he confirmed airstrikes will be extended against isil, part of the u.s. led coalition against the armed group. >> politicians talk in lebanon after condemned for a collapse in basic services. these protestors don't believe they can deliver. >> more than six decades on the throne, queen elizabeth becomes the countries longest serving
9:22 am
monarach. >> serena williams beats sister venus at the u.s. open. >> an air base has fallen to rebels. the airport was captured after a two year battle with forces loyal to bashar al assad. the group has already captured most of the province. while the government has pulled out of the area, some soldiers are still at that airport. a former u.s. democratic defense analyst said the loss of this air base is a major blow to the assad regime. >> the rebel strategy seems to be to encircle the assad's regime forces and force them to withdraw. once the provincial capital of idlib was lost and the area in northwest syria was also liberated by rebel forces, you
9:23 am
saw a push, a renewed push by the rebel forces to enter the gateway of the coastal hard land, where a significant portion of the assad regime's constituencies lie. this is both a military and politically embarrassing laws for bashar al assad. the conquest army, the rebel coalition that defeated the assad forces in this air base is not just al-nusra but is a wide spectrum of rebel forces. that being said, these are the same groups, the same rebel groups that are also fighting isil, also known as daish in northern syria, specifically in the aleppo countryside, the other day, we saw a series of international coalition airstrikes where the rebel forces are fighting isil. that has had an impact. when you talk to rebels, they tell you they are surprised between isis on one handled and
9:24 am
oop sod regime. relieving that pressure on the rebel forces allows them to concentrate more resources and personnel in the fight against the assad regime and his militias. >> in yemen, the saudi-led coalition intensified attacks on houthis as it shifts focus toward retaking sanna. gulf forces vowed to avenge the loss after the deaths of 45 soldiers in an attack on friday. thousands of troops from saudi arabia, qatar, bahrain and the u.a.e. are now on the ground fighting alongside forces loyal to the exiled president, adou rabbo mansour hadi. coalition forces have proofed where they are bombing houthi positions and saw the heaviest shelling of their six month air campaign. they are set to be retaking cities to cut off houthi supply routes to sanna. the capitol is their main
9:25 am
target, which rebels have held for a year. a consultant fellow at the royal united defenses institute joins us by skype. thanks for being with us. this you would say is a new phase in the war? >> it seems to be and it seems to be a creative phase that has come about as a result of the very significant loss of life, 16 mainly e.a.e. and bahrain soldiers killed, about to launch an offensive on the ground. i think this is a partial reaction to that setback. >> how do you see the battle then progressing, how much resistance will the houthis put up or are they capable of putting up? >> the houthis have fought many battles over the last half
9:26 am
century or so. of course, they will be more capable and more prepared to put up resistance to further back their push. their heartland is the sort of highland where it's very hard for them to be pursued on the ground and even by air, so the more that they're pushed back, harder will be their resistance. >> can this war be won militarily? in your opinion, what does a political reconciliation look like at this point? >> this war will certainly not be won militarily, and the political solution has to be on the cards, but of course the more you take military action, the harder to impose a political solution which would be acceptable to all the players, including the houthis, the big problem of course is this conflict has been simplified in the minds of the people involved, particularly the gulf coalition. they are attacking who they
9:27 am
regard as iranian backed rebels, but of course, the houthis were inspired by a sunni leader, saleh and there is a component being neglected, that's when al-qaeda and daish who are prayeding in the area and for the first time in al-qaeda's history have gained ground. we now have a very complex situation, which i don't think is being thought about, let alone addressed. politically, the solution is complex and i would be interested in thoughts are already underway in finding a political solution. it doesn't appear so that would lead to negotiate with the houthis. >> now the weather with rob and the aftermath of the tropical storm in japan. >> it whipped through very quickly. this time yesterday, thousands were advised to move around
9:28 am
japan. you can see why. by satellite, we have two masses of white cloud. this is the one that zipped up and centered to such degree, moving 50 kilometers per hour now. tropical storms just don't do that. we are left with the typhoon. at the moment, it looks like that is not a big worry. it's going to sip up and turn right, missing al-qaeda. it was the first tropical storm that dumped quite a lot of rain on japan, specifically in the tokyo area and it caused interest. i don't think anybody's been injured, despite the rain was recorded in 24 hours. skies cleared rapidly, but it was annoying, should i say, steady rain for many hours, but people persisted all the same. there was street flooding rather than anything else. i suspect there was some flash flooding up in the higher
9:29 am
ground. that thing's gone through and the next typhoon shouldn't bother us, but the rain coming from this, you remember this from the last typhoon from the sea of japan, it is heading for a place already troubled by flood, and may yet be still. >> still ahead on the al jazeera news hour: the greek pensioners trying to stay happy against the odds. >> coming up in sport, a bunch of swedish islands is becoming one of the biggest draws in endurance racing.
9:30 am
this is a great place to work. not because they have yoga meetings and a juice bar. because they're getting comcast business internet. comcast business offers convenient installation appointments that work around your schedule. and it takes- done. - about an hour. get reliable internet that's up to five times faster than dsl from the phone company. call 800-501-6000 to switch today. perks are nice. but the best thing you can give your business is comcast business. comcast business. built for business.
9:31 am
>> the european commission president announced a mandatory plan to resettle 120,000 refugees. that came as police in hungary continue to struggle with the high number of refugees. >> australia said it will permanently resettle 12,000 refugees fleeing syria and iraq. tony abbott announced an increase in funding to support refugees in camps in jordan, lebanon and turkey. >> a syrian government air base in the northwestern province of idlib has fallen to rebels. the al-nusra front said it captured the military airport after a two year battle with forces loyal to president assad. >> breaking news coming from nepal, four protestors have been shot dead by police. they were demonstrating against
9:32 am
a new draft cans substitution. we are joined from kathmandu. >> the protests have been going on for a few days and just today, we just got the updated that five people have been killed in two districts, four in one and one in the a year. there has been a lot of criticism against the police using excessive force and just today again, another thing that happened was the situation is getting worse and there is a growing disconnect between the government and protestors. >> why are protestors angry about this draft constitution? >> they feel that it
9:33 am
marginalizes groups that have been ignored by the state. previous agreements made with these communities have been broken by the government while drafting this new constitution. >> thank you for that update from kathmandu. >> protestors in lebanon angry over the government failing to provide basic services are back on the streets. issues have led to the movement. that campaign began over piles of uncollected rubbish in beirut but now expanded to a movement against corruption. we have this report. >> like thousands of young lebanese, he is unemployed. at 18, he is not enrolled in school or college. he blames the government, accusing officials are trying to get rich rather than serve the people. he is one of several activists
9:34 am
who started a hunger strike last wednesday. they have cashed outside the ministry of environment, part of a larger protest movement demanding the resignation of the minister initially over the rubbish crisis but now with with wider themes of corruption and incompetence. six days into the hunger strike, he fainted and taken to hospital. there, the police paid him a visit. >> i lost consciousness. they brought the ambulance. in the hospital, they put me on a drip. the police came and started questions me, asking why i am on strike, telling me issued end it, because it's a waste of time. >> he was the first hunger striker. he has one basic demand. >> i want the minister to resign, because i want to start the principle of accountability. i don't have any plan b. when my voice becomes lower physically, maybe it will become
9:35 am
louder. >> lebanon is caught in a political paralysis, the country without a president for over a year. that and the failure of the government to provide basic services like electricity or clearing waste is what's pushed so many to take to the streets. on wednesday, the speaker of parliament will chair a meeting of political leaders to try and resolve issues, but analysts say lebanon's political history shows it's unlikely things will change. >> they have no solution. the primely reason is because there's noabilitiability in the system. as i said, every time they get together, they collude against the citizens. we need a third force that could actually break this and hold them accountable. >> at the prime minister's office, what has now become a daily event, people bringing rubbish bags and dropping them on the prime minister's doorstep. >> it's not just the rubbish
9:36 am
crisis. here outside the electricity company, protestors have gathered, as well. more and more people have had enough of the political system and its failure to provide for them. >> back at the hunger strikers camp, he tries to entertain people. he hopes his words and gestures send a clear message. al jazeera, beirut. >> rwanda's supreme court will hear a case that challenges plans to allow the president to run for a third term. parliament has voted to change the constitution, extending a two term limit to three, but there's stiff opposition to that move. we have this report from the capitol. >> it's hard to imagine rwanda without the president. he seems to have brought stability and development in a
9:37 am
country that was in turmoil following a genocide just over two decades ago. he is winding up what is meant to be his last term in office. the election is in 2013. the debate to have him stay on is already dominating politics. >> we respect the constitution, but if it's changed to allow him to run again, we'll agree with that. >> it's for us to decide and we are happy to change it. >> i don't see why the constitution needs to be changed. >> parliament is not in session now, but it has started a process that could see a section of the constitution that limits a presidential mandate to two terms amended. members of parliament say that 3.8 million rwandans signed a petition asking for this change. >> it is a long process. there is going to be a commission set up to look into parts of the constitution that deals with presidential term
9:38 am
limits and eventually, there must be a referendum where the people decide for themselves. >> critics, most of them outside rwanda see the president's hand, trying to hang on to power through parliament. the president has not publicly declared his intentions, but insist it is a people who want him. >> if we give the pressure to remove you, for him, the pressure to stay, so he will have to measure the pressures of the international community with what his people want. >> some don't agree. the opposition democratic green party has asked the supreme court to block the process that has been started by parliament. their petition reads that the constitution only allows a referendum to change the duration of a presidential term, not the number of terms.
9:39 am
>> it was clear evidence by support from the government, people within the cabinet, even parliament and from the senate are the ones behind this move. >> the move is not all widely supported here and chances of a victory are slim, but they say despite their few numbers, they won't give up. al jazeera, rwanda. >> let's speak to a journalist who contributes to a zambian magazine. how much condition the pressure apply here? >> the president seems determined to go for a third term. from your report, he has not declared his interest, but the history to the changes to the constitution is the game he's playing, they keep quiet and let their lieutenants do the job. it's a question of when.
9:40 am
>> my question on how much pressure the opposition can actually apply, what do you think? the opposition cannot apply pressure, but you have to look at the context of rwanda, the clamp down that is already used by forces to clamp down dissent. much as the opposition might be determined to stop that and apply pressure, i think they are limited in how much they can do, given the environment in which they operate. >> what about the international community? do you see the u.s., for example one of rwanda's donors applying pressure? he certainly has gotten praise by the international community in the past, so that's a factor that's in his favor, is it not? >> it is. the international community also demands particularly in washington that he steps down.
9:41 am
i think president obama has been quite outspoken. at the end, it's not so much about what the government said that should carry the day. governance of african countries is about african allows, systems and institutions, so the outside world may indeed threaten to withhold aid and it might bend and comply, but it is not so much what the wests, african leaders must learn to respect their own laws, institutions and systems without some western power holding a whip or threatening to withdraw aid, as it were. >> ok. thank you for joining us on al jazeera. >> israel resumed activities in its embassy cairo after four years of suspension. this is according to sources who told al jazeera that once again, israel has resumed activities at
9:42 am
its embassy in cairo. this comes after a four year closure. >> a german labor court is ordering lieu of than is a pilots to end their strike and go back to work. the walkout forced the cancellation of 1,000 schedule would flights on wednesday. >> passengers onboard a british airways jetliner had a lucky escape after a fire in las vegas. the pilot was forced to abort takeoff. all 172 passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft, using emergency slides. the plane suffered a technical difficulty. >> few people can imagine being in the same job for more than 63 years, but that's what britain's queen elizabeth, ii has done.
9:43 am
we have more. >> by her life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service. >> it was a promise made more than 63 years ago by a 25-year-old princess, soon to be queen. she would eventually be recognized the world over, and who's been a constant presence in british life against a backdrop of constant change. >> in a sense, the queen is the social glue of britain. she is the pin that holds the whole class system together, and of course, she's very important not just as a symbol, but actually, she has real constitutional importance. >> at the time of the coronation, the british empire had begun to crumble. since then, other world leaders
9:44 am
have custom and gone. there have been royal weddings, divorce and scandal, but despite everything, the still interest globally in the head of britons most famous family. >> you might hear some negative things about her son or some of the other royalty, but never about the queen. it's always positive. >> i don't think she's very useful in the 21st century. >> on any given day, people peer through the gates of buckingham palace. polls suggest the majority of people living here want to keep the monarchy. for now, at least, there are those indifferent to it, some want the current queen to be the country's last. >> we are campaigning or an end to the mon arkansasy. >> the group republic are out campaigning in a northern city, convincing the public to give up
9:45 am
a 1,000 year institution. it is far from easy. >> the fact that she's been head of state for that long is in relevance really, without a democratic process, what's the point? just living a long time means nothing, really. >> that pledge made by the queen to serve for a lifetime is likely to be kept. her legacy perhaps so far is that the old institution of monarchy, abandoned by so many nations, is still intact and has been steered to a new era of popularity. al jazeera, in london. >> international human rights lawyer in the maldives in an effort to retrieve the former president, who is jailed in a high security prison. the former president was given a sentence under anti terror laws in march. the lawyers say the case against
9:46 am
him is politically motivated. >> the president is in remarkably good spirits. he wanted me to convoy to the people that they should remain hopeful that things will improve, and he's pleased that i'll be attending meetings on his behalf with the government this week. >> more coming up on sports news and floyd mayweather junior hits back over criticism of his choice of opponent for his final fight.
9:47 am
9:48 am
>> every second, two people in the world turn 60 years old, but a new report is warning many countries aren't equipped to provide for their aging populations. the global age watch index shows the gap in life expectancy between countries at the top and the bottom is growing. it's gone from 5.7 in 1990 to more than seven years. switzerland tops the index as the best country for older people to live in. the worst country is afghanistan. recent austerity measures have hit those over 60 particularly hard. greece, for example, has fallen 21 places in just two years to 79th. john has more from athens. >> it is the music of their youth and while they are no longer young, the members of this community center are once again carefree. they are more concerned for
9:49 am
their children and grandchildren facing unemployment and low wages. at 35, two sons live at home and drive a taxi, netting $1,000 a month. his pension brings in another $1,200. >> if we weren't all living together, i wouldn't be making ends meet, because i'm repaying a 160,000 euro business loan. everything is out of balance. we have doubts. we have food on the table today and tomorrow it all changes. i don't accept this. we used to have a balance. we could plan. >> the economic crisis has seen people's pensions here cut by as much as half. under greece's third bailout, they lost another 6% which goes to the national health system. >> the elderly are insecure about their income. capital controls mean they have more limited access to it. cuts in national health mean longer than ever waiting periods to see a doctor.
9:50 am
all this has lowered their standard of living. they have quality of life advantage in this mediterranean culture. >> the greek climate ensures that they are rarely locked indoors. nor do most pensioners pay rent. their generation built this economy and in most cases secured real estate. most of all, it's easy to find coffee and company, and sharing in the problems of the age has brought them closer to their families, so many here are skeptical of statistics. >> they measure prosperity according to how much money a person is carrying. the size of your pension. they don't measure the emotional factor. you can never get time without money by being near your friends and everyone helping to solve problems. this quality of life isn't measured, our parents were happier and they were penniless, but they had the neighborhood. >> surveys can measure material things, but they say cannot measure happiness.
9:51 am
>> time for sport. >> serena williams stayed on course to winning a calendar grand slam. the american is through to the semifinals of the u.s. open after beating big sister, venus. a crowd came out to watch, including u.s. presidential candidate donald trump. it was the top seed winner of 21 grand slam single titles that took control of the first set. venus with the winner of two u.s. open titles came back in the second set, sending the match into a tie breaking third. serena took charge oral in the decider and after 9098 minutes took the match and is now just two wins away from making history. she'll face the italian in the final four. >> i think i'll look back on it fondly. it means a lot to me obviously. we are very, very tough competitors on the court, but, you know, once the match is
9:52 am
over, and the second it's done, we're sisters, roommates and we're all that. >> djokovic fought off a tough challenge to book his spot in the semifinals. the serve was taken to four sets. eventually finished off the spaniard 7-2 in the tie breaker. he reaches the semifinals of the u.s. open for a ninth year in a row. >> defending european champion spain have all but guaranteed their place in next year's final. in france, they beat macedonia for first place in their qualifying group. spain managed just the one goal. spain not there yet, but a win in their next game will put them through. >> wane rooney that become england highest all time scorer in a 2-1 win. england had already qualified for the finals. >> yeah, it was a great moment
9:53 am
obviously tonight, and an incredibly proud moment for me in my career. >> one man that won't play any further role inside countries campaign is the coach, fired after two years on the job. with croatia only picking up one point in two games, she also fell out with the captain, who was unhappy at being snubbed in their draw against an azerbaijan last week. >> a member of the british parliament raised suspicions that she was guilty of doping. last month, the newspaper sunday times revealed that a prominent british athlete was suspected of doping. during a parliamentary meeting, it was suggested a british winner of the london marathon was indicated.
9:54 am
she's the only british winner since 1996. norman has since said he did not mean to single out any specific athlete. >> floyd mayweather announced his opponent for his final fight. he arrived at the m.g.m. grand. should mayweather win, he'll equal the mark of 49-0 by rocky marciano. >> he's very, very rough, tough, a very tough competitor. that's why we chose that fighter. it really doesn't matter who we might, but my job is to go out there and do the best that i can
9:55 am
be, stay focused. >> when we think of endurance sports, we might think of olt fra marathons or iron man try and got lance. a new discipline in sweden is gaining a reputation as one of the toughest in the world. >> crossing this finish line could soon become one of the biggest prizes in endurance racing. island to island is the world championships for the new sport of swim-run. teams of two swim and run between 26 islands, a total of 75 kilometers. in just its 10th year, the sport is rapidly becoming a crazy. >> it's so amazing and beautiful, but also so tough, and so long, too. that swimming today was so brutal. the water is so cold, it just never ended. >> with 10 kilometers of choppy
9:56 am
baltic waters between the islands, swim runners must be much tougher than the likes of an iron man or marathon. >> 65 kilometers, one and a half marathons in a wet suit over slippery rocks. in terms of the swimming, when you look at the distance between two of these 26 islands, you can see why it is considered one of the most extreme races in the world. >> the first race in 2006 had just nine teams. now there are 240 people competing with a waiting list of more than 1,000. final promises are just before down so that the athletes have a chance to reach the finish line before 9/11, even if some of the 26 nationalities around used to the conditions. >> we don't do any record breaking or something. >> hopping from one lieu gone to another island, what are these
9:57 am
guys doing swimming in their shoes and running in a wet suit. >> it began as a drunken belt between four swedish friends to see if they could get around without a boat. more and more people are jumping onboard. >> weaver seen a big change in the last three years, actually, where it became a sport in the last three years. before that, it was just a race. >> the new swedish canadian world champions completing their island hopping just shy of 8.5 hours, there's a price to pay in pain. >> there's much more sport on our website. check out aljazeera.com/sport. we've got blogs and video clips from our correspondents around the world. that's it from me for now. >> that's it for the news hour. we're back in a minute or two with a full bulletin of news. stay with us.
9:58 am
9:59 am
10:00 am
we have to accept these people on the european territory. >> the european commission president proposes a mandatory system for 160,000 refugees. ♪ you are watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, an exclusive report, al jazeera spends a night on turkey's southeastern coast with refugees risking their lives trying to reach europe. rebels in syria seize an air base from the government after a two-year