as the fighting in syria rages on, the u.s. says it won't let russian military action affect its campaign against isil. ♪ >> i'm shiulie ghosh, you are watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the program, combing through the rubble of the earthquake in afghanistan and pakistan, as rescuers rush to get to those in need. israeli forces fire tear gas at palestinians protesters marking a day of rage across the

occupied territories. 35 years and counting for the republic of congo's president gets the okay to stay in power. ♪ the u.s. defense secretary says washington expects to boost the intensity of the coalition air campaign against the islamic state of iraq and the levant. ash carter also said that russia's military actions in syria won't deter the u.s. let's go live to rosiland jordan who is with us live from washington, d.c. ash carter making it clear that this fight continues. >> that's right. that's because the defense secretary ash carter is telling those members that isil represents a fundamental threat to the u.s. national security interests. so he is promising that there is going to be a deepening of the

u.s. air war at least against isil targets. of course he is also getting a lot of robust questioning particularly from republicans on the arms services committee about how the obama administration is carrying out its work. it's been a contentious hearing so far. it's only been underway for about an hour, but the chairman, john mccain has been asking very tough questions shiulie. >> is there feeling that the administration's overall policy against isil could be loosing support on capitol hill. >> there is. particularly in light of the administration's decision to as it says dial back or change course on the train and assist

program for vets syrian rebels to go after isil targets inside of syria. there's a lot of scepticism about whether the administration, one it has a sense of purpose about what it's doing, and two, whether it's going after its goals aggress e aggressively enough. there seems to be a sense that the administration is perhaps being too timid and creating the opportunity for countries such as russia to expand their influence in a situation that is already quite complicated. >> thank you. france is preparing to host a meeting on how to deal with syria's civil war. diplomats from the u.s., europe, arab nations, and turkey having a agree that bashar al-assad must leave power before

political efforts are underway. what is russia saying about not being invited. >> reporter: i think there was a sense of frustration from sergei lavrov. but it gave him a chance to rehearse his arguments for expanding the countries involved in the debate over syrias future. there's a quartet meeting expected to gather on friday, turkey, saudi arabia, the united states, and russia, and all of those countries, aside from russia, are determined that assad must go before transition can be carried through, and russia will be asking to include at that meeting, iran, and other regional states to try to extend the voice of support for assad

in the meetings that will be up coming over the next few months. but saudi arabia has said that russia is guilty, really, now, of occupying the country and cannot play a part in terms of keeping assad in power, even up to transition. >> and russia has always offered its help to the main rebel group there, the fsa in its fight against isil. the fsa, frankly is skeptical of this offer and also says it hasn't even been to moscow. so what is going on here? >> reporter: well, there was a rather woolly statement from the russian foreign ministry. he says they, meaning fsa, are here all the time. they different people. someone is coming and someone is going. as you say, the free syrian army

stated categorically that they had no intention of coming to moscow. they are currently being bombed by the russian air force. we heard over the last 12 years these moderate rebel forces were being bombed. >> peter thank you for that. peter sharp in moscow there. syria's oversee ally has sent more military advisors to syria to help president assad's army. but tehran denies its combat troops are present on the ground. emergency teams in afghanistan and pakistan are scrambling to reach people trapped by monday's earthquake and getting aid to those in need. at least 379 have been killed. kamal heidler reports. >> reporter: brick by brick, locals pick up the pieces of

belongings and valuables buried under the rubble. rescue and recovery teams are also in the area. there was a narrow escape as they saw their homes come down. [ inaudible ] built his house over 30 years ago from savings he and his deceased brother made working in saudi arabia. he remembers the moment when the strong earthquake struck. >> translator: we were all in our rooms when the earthquake struck. it was shocking for everyone. the kids and the women were crying. it was like doomsday. we are lucky that god has saved all of us. >> reporter: there were still the persistent threat of after shocks. the authorities have begun recovery efforts, but it's not clear whether it will be enough. >> [ inaudible ] they are being given good treatment and we have no shortage of medicines, the

provincial government and federal government has given us a clean check to give them maximum support and relief. >> reporter: most of the deaths were in adjoining districts, but it could have been a lot worse were it not for the depth of this earthquake. it is estimated that thousands of houses were destroyed across the province, and people are now waiting for relief and rescue to arrive. the earthquake may have spared pakistan a major catastrophe, be it has left an imprint on most people's minds. just a few kilometers from the town, hundreds of people are being treated for injuries at the local hospital. but there are reports that there could be more fatalities and destruction in pakistan's remote areas. kamal heidler, al jazeera.

a hospital in yemen run by the charity doctors without borders has been hit by saudi lead coalition air strike. it says it provided the coordinates to the coalition two weeks ago. >> we had [ inaudible ] inside the emergency room being stabilized when that happened. the first hit touched the [ inaudible ] department, destroyed it. so the team had time to evacuate the emergency room. the second hit have targeted the maternity ward, just facing -- just in front of the [ inaudible ] and finished to destroy the hospital. unfortunately the team had like five minutes to run away, so there is some [ inaudible ] scratch from abrasion and some light things like this.

israel and jordan will soon begin to stream live footage from the contested al-aqsa mosque in jerusalem. new surveillance cameras should be installed within days. the aim is to have a transparency at the holy site. there has been tension between israelis and palestinians since september. thousands of palestinians have marched in a funeral procession for a man shot dead by israeli forces in the occupied west bank. he was killed in a village here hebron on monday. two other palestinians were killed on the same day. one was a 17-year-old teenage girl. she was shot up to ten times after being accused of trying to stab an officer. the other 19-year-old man, israeli says was killed because he seriously injured a soldier.

the ongoing violence has resulted in a so-called day of rage. nadine more violence across the occupied west bank. bring us up to date with what has happened. >> reporter: shiulie where i am it's near the israeli settlement, and it's fairly low-key as you can see there are the regular kind of confrontations between palestinian protesters throwing rocks, and being met by mainly tear gas from the israeli army. although a couple of people have been hit by live ammunition. the main flash point was the industry of hebron in the south, the occupied -- excuse me -- west bank. we're hearing part of the reason people are so angry there -- >> are you all right? nadine? you have obviously got something in your throat there. >> reporter: i'll try to

continue. people are particularly angry down there because we're hearing that there is still the bodies of 25 palestinians who have been killed in recent weeks that haven't been handed back to families, and half f them actually came from hebron, so many families there are particularly angry. we -- of course we know that the man who died on monday was given a funeral in the last two hours, which also attracted a lot of protesters. and we're hearing in hebron on tuesday, at least eight people have been hit and injured with live bullets and several others hit with rubber-coated steel bullets, so obviously it is a dangerous situation down there. where i am is just one of many places in the occupied west bank where people have answered the call for what they are calling a day of rage, but beyond that

there are many sporadic protests happening, and it's hard to predict which day and in what circumstances there will be more violence between palestinians and the israeli army, shiulie. >> nadine, thank you for that. let's leave it there and give your throat a chance to recover. hundreds of u.k. academics have announced they will boycott any contact with universities in israel due to its government's treatment of palestinians. the group is trying to highlight what they say are intolerable violence that has happened in the last two weeks. still to come, we'll be bringing you a second part of our investigation in the genocide against myanmar's muslim minority. and we'll meet a man who's hobbies is taking funeral pictures of elderly people.

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getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target weeknights 10:30p et welcome back. you are watching al jazeera. let's remind you of the top stories. the u.s. defense secretary says that washington is going to boost the actions against isil. rescues in afghanistan and pakistan are rushing to deliver relief aid to earthquake victims. the epicenter was in the mountains of northeastern afghanistan.

and israeli forces have fired tear gas at palestinians protesters, marking a day of rage. the latest deaths were of two men and a 17-year-old girl on monday. china has summoned the u.s. ambassador to explain why a u.s. warship entered what beijing says are its waters in the disputed south china sea. washington says its guided missile was an international territory. rob mcbride reports. the united states has been signalling for months that it would make this symbolic sail past. china has warned it would respond appropriately. the patrol came within 12 nautical miles of the disputed islands in the south china sea, normally the national limit of a nation east territorial claim,

but not accepted by the u.s. us, which says these are international waters open to anybody. china says it shadowed the u.s. vessel, assuming of it harming to peace and stability. >> translator: we want the u.s. to respect our position and correct its mistake immediately. it should not threaten china's sovereignty and security interest. it should also keep the promise of not taking sides on territorial disputes. >> reporter: the waters are disputed by choo -- china and several other nations, among them the philippines who welcomed the move by the u.s. >> the balance of power says there has to be a plurality of voices when all parties are effected by changes of realities to the ground.

>> reporter: another ally japan has its own territorial dispute with china in the east china sea. it went further expressing concern at china's island-building activities in the south china sea. >> translator: the unilateral conduct to change the status quo such as the large scale landfills are a common concern for the international community as the prime minister repeatedly said it's very important that the national community unites to maintain the peace and stability in the south china sea. we're closing conducting our intelligence information with the united states. >> the united states says the decision to send the warship close to the disputed islands reaffirms its right to sail in what it considers international waters. china is responding in equally asserted terms that it will safeguard its territory. but there is wide-spread

regional support from china's neighbors for america's actions. al jazeera's investigative unit has gathered evidence linking agents of the myanmar state town rest between muslims and buddhists. anti-muslim violence spread in 2012. phil rees has this exclusive report. >> reporter: communal r rye -- riots that claimed nearly 50 lives, namely muslim. shortly after a mob had arrived in the town. >> they were brought to the area, and suddenly, they were asked to start this kind of violence, so one of the problems to assess this incident is to establish where this is coming from. but the first step, it is there.

it is clear that it was organized. >> reporter: a former officer in myanmar's feared military intelligence service, speaking for the first time, described how the regime had in the past sent undercover agents to spark unrest. >> reporter: these people secretly entered the muslim communities, they created problems by insulting muslim, hitting and attacking muslims. the truth couldn't be revealed until today. all of these things were controlled by the military authorities using money. >> reporter: a former major in the myanmar army before he defected said covert agencies promote a policy of divided rule in order to divert opposition to the power of the military. >> they had to distract the people, make the people worry, spread the fear, the hatred, and create conflicts. in this way they influenced policy of the country.

>> reporter: this document was issued to district-level government officers and warned that worshippers at a mosque were planning countrywide communal violence between muslims and ber mans in 2013. no riots took place during the period mentioned. and the mosque informed the security services that the document was triggering riots. >> translator: every time we have the meeting the relative authorities come here. the government has not stopped our activities. >> when we see a document like that, we get very concerned that various authorities are working to incite violence against the muslim population. >> reporter: the government has not responded to al jazeera's allegations. phil rees, al jazeera. and you can see the

investigative units full documentary at 12 gmt on wednesday and also on line at aljazeera.com/genocideagenda. more than 92% of voters in the democratic republic of congo have approved a change to the constitution, which will allow the president to run for a third term. >> reporter: the opposition is not happy. they say the vote is rigged. they say there is no vote the voter returnout could have been that high. the go says most voted in the rural areas. the opposition is threatening to go on the streets to protest. but a lot of the opposition leaders are under house arrest, and also people are scared.

tuesday they took to the streets to protest, and police opened fire and shot some of them. some admit if they come on the streets they will be killed or arrested. it shows that one president can change the constitution and extend his time in power if he wishes to do so. some worry this could be a trend. people are concerned about rwanda, and uganda, where the presidents seem to indicate they want to extend their term in power. across the continent if a few can get away with it, that means more can try to do the same and the community will seemingly do nothing about it. in columbia 12 rebels have been killed. they have been operating in colombia since the 1960s. six other people are missing. this comes as the [ inaudible ]

between the government and the largest rebel group, the farc. the u.s. state of south carolina is be accused of trying to suppress black voters. andy gallagher reports. >> reporter: it's the picture of southern charm, but this is part of a new battleground in a decade's old fight. in small towns across the state, dozens of driver's license offices have closed. making it hard to get identification. in alabama they need id to cast their ballots. residents like evelyn say it's a reminder that voter's rights is still an issue. >> reporter: we'll still fighting for that right that we

earned years and years ago, and we shouldn't have to fight now like we did in the past. >> reporter: civil rights activists say it's not so much that driver license offices are closing, but where they are closing. overwhelmingly it's rural and black communities that are lo losing. some lawmakers are now calling for a federal investigation into the closures, but officials claim budget cuts gave them no choice. >> we will go to people's houses to have their picture made if they don't have a photo id in the state of alabama. we're not ever going to do anything to keep people in the state of alabama from voting. and for them to jump to a conclusion like this, that is politics at its worst. >> it's a big barrier in many of these rural counties. >> reporter: but closures combined with the state's voter

id laws are part of a long and ugly history of voter discrimination. >> here we are 50 years later, on the year -- 50 years on the voting right's act, and we are again suppressing the rights of black voters in alabama. >> officials say that closures are save the state millions of dollars. but civil rights activists say the is cost on democracy. in south korea, one man is trying to help the elderly by taking photographs to be used at their funerals. he says it is a way of preserving the memories of those who face dying alone, disconnected from their families. here is his story. >> translator: my name is [ inaudible ]. and i take funeral portraits from the elderly. ♪

>> translator: times are changing. in my day parents spent their money on their kids' education, but now the number of educated children who support their parents in return is falling. old people are being marginallized with nothing to rely on. with nowhere to go, they come to parks like this one. i was thinking of what to do, and my strength is taking pictures, so i thought why don't i take funeral portraits, and i started. ♪ >> reporter: the quality would be better at a professional studio. here the environment is bad with poor lighting. it's a challenge, but they come here anyway, because it doesn't cost anything. ♪

>> translator: i have do do lots of work taking out shadows and reducing wrinkles. old people's faces are different than young people's. lots of rough skin. i have to pay more attention. these are very important. portraits are placed on the people for ancestral right, and always are used at the funeral place. when friends come to the funeral and look at the portrait, the person's life story is there to see. it helps them live on in other people's memories. initially i thought, just in my head that it would be a good thing to do, but as i actually did it, something touched my heart, it made me feel something. my wife didn't mean to get involved. she just thought i needed some help. at the start she was a bit

annoyed, but after a while it made her feel good too. now she's even more into it than i am. and don't forget as ever you can keep up to date with all of the day's stories and all of the sports news by going to our website. the address, aljazeera.com. a showdown in the south china sea, beijing strongly condemns the u.s. navy after it sends a ship into disputed waters. congress considers how to protect personal information online. critics worry the new rules sacrifice privacy. and outrage over this video throwing a police officer throwing a teenage girl to the ground. ♪