tv News Al Jazeera September 23, 2015 3:00pm-3:31pm EDT
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>> jailed al jazeera journalists mohamed fahmy, baher mohammed are pardoned in egypt. >> this whole nightmare is over. the whole nightmare is over. we can live like normal people and go back home, enjoy my life and that's it. that's it. ♪ >> hello there, i'm barbara serra. you're watching al jazeera live from london. e.u. leaders pledge an extra billion dollars for the refugee crisis as refugees del with
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problems. the volkswagen emission scandal continues. and meeting the president, the pope meets with pratt barack obama at the white house. >> thank you for joining us. jailed al jazeera journalists mohamed fahmy, baher mohammed have been pardoned by egyptian president el-sisi. they've been freed with 100 prisoners who were also pardoned. but none of the seven journalists sentenced in abstentia were pardoned. >> freedom at last for al jazeera producer mohamed fahmy,
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and for baher mohamed. >> we're going to celebrate, travel the world and party. our families have suffered so much since the beginning of this trial. we're very happy that president sisi took this action and released us. >> the whole nightmare is over. the whole nightmare is over. we can live lie normal people and go back home, enjoy my life and that's it. >> the pardon by president el-sisi is the end of a long ordeal which began when they armed in 2013 along with al jazeera correspondent peter greste. he was appearing on an australian tv show when he heard the news. >> they have been pardoned. if this means, i hope it means that baher is out, too. i'm feeling very emotional. i mean, we've been fightin fighting--fighting for the past eight months for this. >> the three journalists face charges including aiding the now
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banned muslim brotherhood. last year they were sentenced to to prison and then there was an order of a retrial. in february greste was deported to his native australia. mohammed and fahmy were released later that month but said they were still serving a kind of sentence. there was campaigns and support from grassroots to heads of government. >> we've been clear publicly and privately that they should be released. >> last month the court in egypt the court returned them to prison. the trial was to give them a second opportunity to clear thionase but it was denied. president sisi's pardon has
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allowed them to close this case without threatening the independence of egyptian judiciary. there were other al jazeera staff convicted in abstentia from the original trial. >> we're not hearing there is a pardon for the rest of them. but there is an egyptian holiday today. we're wondering why the paperwork has not been released. if that's the case, and we're not going to be getting a pardon, then we're going to be lobbying to the u.n. assembly to anyone who would listen, shouting that we were just journalists doing our jobs in cairo, and this pardon is long over due. >> for now the ending of one chapter. >> well, al jazeera's act thing general released this following statement:
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>> the case for the journalists sentenced in abstentia. they may not be behind bars, but they may not be behind bars but their families and careers a have been effected immeasurably. we urge the egyptian authorities to quash their cases and let them, too, get on with their lives. >> sir, thank you so much for joining us on al jazeera. you've been following the case. you tweeted today as news was trickling out about the release of mohammed and baher. you said today they were instructive in this. what did you mean by this? how in your opinion did president sisi use political influence as such. >> you've seen this drawn out over a significant period of time, and you saw that come out today.
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the way that the power in the egyptian court system, why did it not happen earlier given all the critiques and criticisms of the case over the last couple of years. why has the president today decided that-- >> someone would say that it's before the holiday, and in this case there was a presidential pardon because they were convicted and found guilty. >> but it could have easily been done much earlier. there were opportunities in the last couple of years where they could have been dealt with a lot more quietly and wasn't. the question that i think we have to ask right now in terms of understanding how the system actually works in this political dispensation is how the power dynamics are unfolding, and how we're using the presidency using its power within the system. >> and by system, you mean the judiciary. >> the judiciary is part that have system, but you can see through this case the judiciary did not--the judiciary process
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did not result in theles the release of these two journalists. and there were a number others mentioned. you have several activists quite high-profile but not the most high-profile activists. they were also released. why today as opposed to earlier on when it could have been a lot simpler to do. >> al jazeera we couldn't be happier that they're released. they're back home with their families, and they can get with their lives. the seven colleagues tried in abstentia, and as far as the courts are concerned they're still guilty. what is the pressure internationally and initially on these other, not just the seven al jazeera journalists but the hundreds of journalist that is are finding it very difficult to do their jobs in egypt. >> i don't think the hundreds of journalists are imprisoned, not in egypt any way. there is very little domestic pressure in egypt to move on these cases. internationally, the pressure has been building for the last
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couple of years. we've seen a big international campaign from al jazeera, and you've seen human rights organizations and civil rights groups raise the issue of judiciary of high-profile cases, and thighs journalists are two of those, but there are others well. one can see that continuing going forward. the real question i think has to be how the judicial process has worked out. this pardon game as the result of not working through the judicial system. this is at the end of that. and i think something that within egypt a lot of people within the human rights community and civil rights establishment is going to be wondering really is this what really has to happen? will it be at the end of the process of the judicial system rather than working through the vie judicial system in a more
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satisfactory manner. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> european union nations are to give an extra $1 billion to u.n. agencies dealing with the refugee crisis. the news comes in a draft statement from an emergency meeting of e.u. leaders in brussels. the meeting takes place a day after the interior ministers pushed through an agreement of how to relocate 120,000 refugees around the e.u. the deal was opposed by four countries. slovakia is one of the opponents is now threatening legal action. jacky rowland has been following the day's developments in brussels. >> one thing that may change, and what it is intended to do is to look at the more practical measures that can be put into place, to try to restrict the number of people entering the e.u. other rather to install better controls on who is
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entering. there will be discussions about deploying new e.u. forces to help the police, the immigration for those on the front lines like greece and italy, who have been struggling to cope with the people coming in. again that is controversial because that is a question of national sovereignty. should the greeks and italians be policing their frontiers or should europe? there are a lot of issues still to be discussed. another thing is the desire to pledge more money to some of the countries through whom the refugees travel in the balkans, macedonia and serbia, but usually to the front line countries, turkey, jordan and syria, who really have been carrying the biggest burden so far in terms of sherylin sheltering refugee refugees. >> the man at the top is out of a job, the volkswagen ceo has
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resigned, and now they'll get down to who was responsible for the technologically sophisticated scheme to evade pollution regulations. >> the trio of volkswagen board members made the announcement. ceo martin winterkorn is out. >> he would step down and the board acknowledges that with great respect. we want to stress the point that dr. winterkorn had no to knowledge. >> he said that volkswagen needs a fresh start. they said they weren' they were conducting an internal investigation to see how the software made its way into
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11 million vehicles. >> we will bring to light all the proceedings within the company and make sure that the people concerned will be prosecuted. >> germans including those who live in volkswagen's head quarter city are disturbed by the scandal that has soiled their country's reputation for quality products. >> no one new about it. that is scheming machinations. that is criminal dealing. it is like a mafia. >> it just can't be true. that such a global firm ruins their image like this. >> i am disgusted because they should be role models. just imagine this type of manipulation is happening at the very top. and at such huge expense. >> in the u.s. an chicago
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attorney is taking legal action on behalf of volkswagen owners. >> they have been harmed for the full purchase price and the damages associated with that whether it's in value, the were price. the impact is just massive. >> german prosecutors plan a criminal investigation and in the u.s. also v.w. could face charges of wire fraud and lying to regulators. an u.s. lawmaker demanded stiff punishment. >> there ought to be some prosecutions and corporate executives that knew this and who had done it, ought to be going to jail. >> volkswagen has already paid a heavy price for the scandal with its stock falling sharply and potentially billions of dollars of fines looming over it. but the biggest cost to the company cannot be measured in dollars or yo euros. that is the loss of its
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reputation. al jazeera germany. >> still move to come on the program. including why burr tina fasso's interim president said he's returning to power days after being deposed in a coup. and in saudi arabia, pilgrims have gathered on the ninth day of hajj. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,
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following a presidential pardon in egypt. e.u. leaders pledge an extra billion dollars as leaders gather in brussels to address the problem. and volkswagen's chief executive martin winterkorn resigns as the fall out from the emissions scandal continues. pope francis is on his first-ever official trip to the united states. the head of the catholic church is spending day one in the capital of washington, d.c. where he has been speaking with president barack obama. he'll speak with the u.s. congress and united nations. patty culhane is following this historic visit. >> it is clear that pope francis is going to take on controversial topics while in the united states bringing up the priest sex abuse scandal with u.s. bishops. >> and we have to hope that the crimes never repeat themselves.
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>> that is fell far short for many of the victims. videos the country this pope is still overwhelmingly popular. they greeted him as he began his day at the white house. guests to witness all the pageantry. renown for humble living he avised in a fiat, skipping the traditional limousine. >> in the simplicity, in the gentleness of your words and generosity of your spirit, we see a living example of jesus' teachings, a leader whose moral authority comes not just through words but also through deeds. >> pope francis is clearly going to try and use that authority to spur action focusing most of his remarks on climate change. >> whewe're living in a
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critical moment of history. we still have time to make the change needed to bring about takennible and integral-- >> the president already believes in climate change unlike many in the opposition party. the pope hopes to use his popularity to convince his followers that they need to act and push their lawmakers to do more. patty culhane, al jazeera, washington. >> let's cross live to washington, d.c. for the latest on the pope's visit. there is no denying that's an incredibly popular pope. as president obama said that it is not just him as pope, but it is him as a person that many people warm to. yet when you touch on the sex abuse can exactlies in the
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church, what did he say and what was his reaction? >> yes, there is always the debate about the pope, the enigma about what he says and what he actually does. he addressed bishops about the most pressing issue facing the u.s. catholic church, the child abuse scandals. not only were priests abusing children in their dic diocese, but they were covering it up and shuffling priests on to other diocese and not notifying the authorities and so on. he paid tribute to the bishops. he said that he's conscience of how they faced difficult moments of the children with great sacrifice. he added that their general commitment to bring healing of victims should be commended. well, it didn't take long for the victim groups in the u.s. to say what they thought about those comments, and they're incensed about it. as far as they're concerned it's
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the bishops who are mainly at fault for the cover up of the sex abuse problems in the church that went on for so long. snap, one of the largest groups representing those abused by the clergy that the pope said that bishops should feel courage, and felt that they showed cowardice and feel that they do now. they said more advice do they need? they said that they need transparency to hand over all the papers and knowledge they have about those who have abused and turn them over to the authorities. >> obvious by one of the key issues there that a lot of catholics and non-catholics would want to hear about in more detail. but they're at the basilica right now. you can see hundreds behind you. beautiful music as well.
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tell what's is going to be happening there. >> in the next half hour we expect pope francis to arrive, and over the next hour or so mass will begin, and part that have mass will be canonized. the first made a saint on u.s. soil. again we have an interesting bit of enigma about pope francis. not long ago in bolivia, pope francis apologized for the crimes of the catholic church and the damage done durin to the americas during the conquest. and as far as native americas, after the 50 years, 60 years of the mission, the coastal tribes were pretty much wiped out.
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mostly native americans were captured by spanish soldiers. and was violence. there was death and disease and so on. many are confused by pope francis' statements and eagerness on the other. francifran pope francis will address this controversy in his had homily. but in the end there is the argument the catholic church has even if they were killed they were still baptized. i just saw that on the jumbotron behind me. >> we'll return with the latest from washington, d.c. thank you.
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>> a palestinian witness has disputed the israeli's account in the shooting of an 18-year-old woman. the israeli army claimed she was shot as she tried to stab a soldier at a checkpoint. an outbreak of cholera could become an epidemic has forced the closing of elementary schools. it's those living in the displacement camps that are most at risk. >> with so many people packed together in harsh conditions, the fear of a cholera epidemic is very real. several cases have already been reported in this camper tha displaced iraqis live. this woman is a widow. her son is now suffering from
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cholera. >> three days ago my youngest son was vomiting and had diarrhea. we're living in terrible conditions. i'm afraid he might get it again and it might b might be fatal. >> the people here have stopped drinking from the main water supply. instead what people are doing is using tanks like these and filling them full of water and adding chlorine tablets to them, but there is a problem. the chlorine tablets are in short supply and demand is rising. the iraqi authorities say they have enough supplies to stop the outbreak from getting out of control. >> we have implemented strict measures to contain the outbreak with mobile health clinics that operate 24 hours a day, and we check for water cleanliness. >> but few here trust or take comfort in what the authorities are saying.
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al jazeera. >> more than 20 people have been killed in a bomb attack in the northeastern nigerian town. this follows a series of bomb blasts on tuesday at the capital of borno state, where more than 150 were injured. the leader of a coup in burkina it wa burkina faso said that he has given up. the coup leader said that he realized he does not have the support of the people of burkina faso. >> the popular reaction in particular of the militant youth, the disapproval of the international community, all reassert our certainty that we're on the right track, and
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that our cause is just. colombian president santos announced the surprise trip to cuba to conduct peace talks with leaders of the revolutionary armed forces of colombia known as farc. it is expected to take place in the next few hours. the president will meet government negotiators to conclude talks aimed at ending the long-running conflict between government forces and farc fighters. the meeting follows pope francis' visits where he urged both sides to end tensions. chinese president xi jinping is another high profile visitor to the united states at the moment. he's on the other side of the country in seattle, where he has been finalizing deals with the aviation firm boeing, who are based in the city. xi told the business leaders that they want to deepen investment ties and remain committed to financial reforms and open economy. he spoke about the issue of cyber security.
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♪ thousands of muslim from around the world are gathering in saudi arabia for the hajj. the pilgrimage is a center pillar of islam. it is meant to bring them close for god. they move together through a set of rituals of different sites around the holy city of mecca. more than 2 million muslims will take part of the spiritual journey from all around the world. it will start and fend five days. they will end by praising god and ask for forgiveness. we're in mecca and we have this update. >> the essence of hajj. it is where he or she will have their hajj invalidated. this is considered the pillar of
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hajj. we have about 2 million pilgrims gathered here. they will be asking god for forgiveness, blessings, by the end of the day around sunset the pilgrims will leave and then continue their rituals of hajj. having 2 million people in one place poses a security threat for authorities. they have more than 50,000 security troops to secure th including other areas that are considered the rituals of hajj. we also have a health hazard. if you have 2 million people then you need to deploy a lot of medics. around 15,000 medical teams are deployed, and they hope that the hajj season will go smooth and well. >> well, we have a lot more on the hajj on our website.
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it's actually a 3d version of what it's like to walk through the many rituals of hajj. and you can see the story of the release of the al jazeera staff. you are listening to applause and chants of francis, francis in these live pictures this afternoon from washington, d.c. pope francis is moving on to his third stop of the day. that is the basilica of the national shrine of immaculate conception. this is the vatican's embassy to the united states in washington, d.c. welcome to al jazeera america's special live
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