so desperate they are eating salt for us is ta nans. the u.n. says 400,000 syrians are cut off from food and medicine. ♪ hello there, i'm julie mcdonald, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the mexican drug lord el capo is he captured according to the president. north koreans celebrate reports of their country's

hydrogen bomb test, south korea resumes propaganda broadcasts on the border. a warm welcome to the program. the u.n. says at least 400,000 syrians are living under siege, completely cut off with no access to food or to medicine. it says both the government and the opposition are stopping vital supplies from reaching people who desperately need them in different areas of the country. some are so desperate that they are resorting to drastic action to stay alive. >> reporter: a protests on the border between syrian and lebanon. they are marching in solidarity with the people nearby.

>> translator: we came to lebanon because of the regime air strikes. they destroyed our homes. they burned our fields. there is nothing left. they fled with their families to madaya. they put them in a big prison. >> reporter: there have been marches in syria as well. people here want to make sure their fellow syrians get access to food and medical aid as soon as possible. there are more than 40,000 people in madaya alone who have been without proper food for months. the last time the u.n. was able to get aid to them was in october. al jazeera managed to speak to a resident of the town. >> translator: we don't understand how the world can do nothing to resolve this crisis. civilians are being killed because of the use of this cowardly weapon. >> reporter: unfortunately there are many places under siege in syria's war, and more than 400,000 people who have been cut

off from food and medical supplies. that's something other syrians in lebanon say they can relate to. >> translator: we lived in the same situation asthma dieia. we came to stand in solidarity with the people there. >> reporter: the u.n. says it will be able to send aid from damascus to two villages in idlib. >> we expect the operation, the joint operation should take place in the coming day. >> reporter: the aid will help a small number of people out of the thousands who are suffering through this five-year war. caroline malone, al jazeera. a syrian campaigner for amnesty international here in london says the scenes are the result of a deliberate policy.

>> the syrian government is using starvation as a method of war. residents told amnesty international that some government officials at the check points besieging madaya have told some women who protested there, that as long as two other cities are under siege, madaya will continue to be under siege as well, and civilians are prevented from leaving the area. suppliers are buying rice and other kinds of basic food from government officials security forces and hezbollah members as well at these check points for very high prices. these suppliers are then selling these -- these food items at very expensive prices. at amnesty international we have been calling to the u.n. security council to basically pressure the syrian government to comply the resolutions. all sieges must -- must be lifted immediately by all

parties to the conflict. turkey has introduced new visa restrictions for syrians in an attempt by the government to reduce the number of refugees coming via other countries. turkish officials say refugees entering turkey directly from syria are still welcome. meanwhile more refugees have arrived via turkey on the greek island of lesvos. volunteers were on the shoreline waiting to help those in need. some of the refugees have boarded trains, heading north towards croatia and into the european union. medics say they have seen a spike in illnesses as they struggle with the freezing temperatures currently in the balkans. now to a developing story out of egypt. gunmen have reportedly opened

fire at the end transof a hotel used by foreign tourists in a resort town along the red seacoast. they are reported to have arrived by sea. at least two people have been injured. we'll keep you up to date with those details as we get them. now from mexico the president's twitter account as announced the recapture of the drug lord el chapo guzman. adam, what can you tell us? >> reporter: this is a big, big catch for the president. there are not releasing many details. he is going to be speaking shortly to the country, but his twitter was boasting almost, saying mission accomplished. this follows an extremely

embarrassing escape when he escaped from a high-security prison cell in july. that escape looked like something out of a hollywood movie, and there has been a manhunt also on that level in search for guzman. there have been many accusations that the army and authorities have got in heavy handed in their hunt for this man. but now that they have them, they will ask, are they going to hold on to him? because the u.s. wanted him extradited back in july, but the attorney general at the time said that just is not going to happen. they may change their tune now after that embarrassing escape. that's what people are going to be looking for in the next few hours and days, to see if the

u.s. starts to hint or say that they helped with this capture, because i don't know if the president wants more embarrassment in his term of office. he has had a whole run of embarrassments, not just with this escape, but also the ongoing case of the 43 students that was allegedly kidnapped and massacred last year. >> adam thank you. south korean scientists have found a small amount of airborne radioactivity over the sea dloes where north korea says it tested a hydrogen bomb on wednesday. but say they there is still not enough evidence to prove it designated the baum as pyongyang said. the test has provoked celebrations in north korea, the occasion was mash -- marked by a

mass rally and firework display in the capitol. scott heidler reports from the border where south korea has resumed its propaganda broadcasts to the north. >> reporter: it's a tactic not used since august, and one the north korean's call an act of war. exactly at midday, south korea restarted its loud speaker prop gan ga broadcasts. a former officer defected to the south ten years ago. she says the broadcasts are effective. >> translator: there are people who defect after listening to the broadcasting. it's the soldiers at the front line listening to the loud speakers. these soldiers get a lot of idealogical exindication, but now they are exposed to propaganda broadcasting. >> reporter: those broadcasts along the border here aren't just anti-north korean

government they also include global news, weather, and even popular music from south korea. there are more than ten speaker locations and some are mobile. the south korean government says the broadcasts will continue indefinitely. philip hammond urges south korea to show restraint. but it's not clear how north korea will react. >> the north might also respond by taking hostages for example among tourists or the ngo-workers that operate in north korea. they can be picked up for pseudo crimes against the state and stuff like that. so north korea might respond like that. >> reporter: so for now the military and the people wait for the response from its northern neighbor, along with the rest of the world. north korea's actions are one of many international

factors believed to be behind the instability of the chinese stock market. the chinese markets were twice forced to shut down under the controversial circuit breaker rule. adrian brown has the latest from the capitol. >> reporter: in china red is a lucky color. it tells you shares are up. nine months ago there was a lot of red. the share market was at its highest level since 2007. but for now that winning streak is over. the market is in a slump. since june stocks have lost more than 40% of their value, and some small investors are less than happy. >> translator: don't film! we don't want to talk about it! >> reporter: they blame their problems on foreign speculators as well as a measure that was supposed to calm markets but had the reverse effect. >> translator: the government is trying to protect individual

investors, but to be honest, the system is not perfect. the system needs to be improved. >> reporter: the authorities have responded to that criticism, suspending the circuit-breaking rule that halts trading when shares fall sharply, which happened twice this week. as a result, the market rose on friday, a partial recovery, panic was subsiding. but the start of 2016 has set a pattern for what is expected to be a very difficult year for the world's second largest economy. >> we do think that there is a chance of a [ inaudible ] of course just like in any economy. there is always a chance. in china we put it right now at about one in four. >> reporter: the stock market is an cater but not the cater of china's economy. the leadership here has more pressing issues right now, namely burgeoning local government debt, a growing housing bubble, and overcapacity in state-owned cities like coal

and steel. and then there's what china can't control beyond its borders. in neighboring north korea, the military this week claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. the markets also worry about deepening diplomatic tensions between iran and saudi arabia. last week's china's president told the nation that fruitful gains come with persistent efforts, his way, perhaps, of saying it is going to be a tough year. still to come, scared to go home, we meet the iraqi yazidis displaced by isil who are now too fearful to return to sinjar. hitler's controversial manifesto is published in germany for the first time since world war ii. all of that and more when we come back. ♪

♪ a reminder now of our top stories here on al jazeera. -- opened fire at the end transof a foreign hotel in egypt. at least two people have been injured. mexican drug lord guzman has been recaptured. an escape from a high-security prison back in july.

cologne's police chief has been temporarily relieved of his duties just days after a wave of violence against women on new years eve. police have started making their first arrests. dozens of men are thought to be involved in a series of attacks on the night. emma hayward has the story. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a night to celebrate, instead new years eve in cologne, turned into one of chaos and violence with allegations of serious sexual assault, robbery and threats by groups of men against dozens of women. an internal police report says officers were not in control. >> translator: i thought to myself, that if we stay here in this crowd, they could kill us. >> translator: there was no many people that i was no longer in

control of myself. >> translator: it felt like they were in power and that they could do anything with the women out in the street partying. >> reporter: protesters say the police could and should have done more. what happened more than a week ago is fuelling the debate in germmy about immigration. witnesses said many of the suspects looked arab or north african. more than 30 suspects have now been identified by german police. some are asylum seekers, but they aren't being connected to the sexual assault allegations, but face violence and robbery charges. the chancellor has demanded a far-reaching investigation. >> translator: the feeling women have in this case of being complete i will defenseless and at mercy is for me inforerable, so it is important that everything that happened must come out into the open.

>> reporter: cologne is home to a large muslim community. they are worried that people are pointing the finger at muslims and north africans when the facts are still not clear. >> translator: it has nothing to do with a religion. it's about the individual. lack of respect for women isn't a religious problem. >> translator: everyone says this has something to do with muslims. i have be been here for 30 years, and i have never seen anything like this. >> reporter: the german chancellor has warned that any foreigners who very involved in the crimes could face deportation. the united states army general responsible for the guantanamo bay detention center has hit back at reports that the white house is unhappy with the pace of prisoner transfers. he is the outgoing head of the command, with responsibility for the facility. the closure of the detention

center was one of president barack obama's key election promises. but it has taken far longer than originally anticipated. the general is strongly denying accusations his staff is deliberately slowing the movement of prisoners. >> the fact that there was reporting about this building, secretaries of defense, people in uniform, people in detention ops, in any way shape or form, slowing down to try to impede the release of detainees from my perspective is complete nonsense. it's an insult, frankly to saifl servant in this building to be accused of whether we agree or disagree with any of the policies that we would in any way impede the progress. >> let's get more from tom akerman joining us from washington, d.c. hi there, tom. what are the other factors then affecting these transfers.

and will guantanamo be closed as obama promised a while ago. >> reporter: it should be noted first of all, these transfers are continuing just today the last of the kuwaiti nationals will be returning to his country. after the government petitioning for the last 13 years for his release. as well there are 45 who are cleared for release, most of them yemenis, but because of the instability in their home countries, it hasn't been awespy house for them to be returned to their country. but the pledge to close down guantanamo is something the white house is holding to. they said that should not be taken off of the table, despite the serious obstacle, which is

that congress will not allow any of these people to be transferred to u.s. soil. two of the prisons that have been touted as possible relocation places have been ruled off of the table by the very powerful congressmen who represent those areas. 355 people suspected of terrorism are being held in american prisons on u.s. soil. so it is certainly a realistic prospect for them to come back -- or to be brought back to american soil, but only one has actually been tried in a u.s. court. the rest have been put before military commissions, which with very uneven results. a lot of these cases have been reversed. so the president maintains his pledge that he will close down guantanamo, but right now, given the fact that there are, as well, several -- about 40 prisoners who were considered indefinite detainees, because

they are crimes related to 9/11, and other serious in insy -- incidents, it's not clear whether he'll be able to redeem his pledge. >> tom akerman, thank you. now about a quarter of the iraqi city of ramadi in anbar province remains under the control of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. iraqi forces began taking back parts of ramadi two weeks ago. government troops have taken control of a main mosque as a well as a hospital. booby trops set up by isil are among the main challenges for the iraqi soldiers. sinjar still sits deserted we the kurdish peshmerga still not allowing residents to return for safety reasons. and as mohammed jamjoom reports,

from a camp that many of the yazidis who were displaced simply don't want to go back anyway. >> reporter: for carson and his family, all internally displaced yazidis, returning home wouldn't even begin to help. >> translator: if my family isn't there, i don't have the heart to return to sinjar, because my heart is broken. it's like an open wound that salt was pored into. >> reporter: he shows us a picture of his oldest son whom isil kidnapped after storming sinjar in august 2014. his daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandson were also taken. written on every face inside this tent are stories of unrelenting pain, unbearable loss. his sister-in-law had two of her children kidnaps, a 14 year old, and a 3 year old. she has no idea if they are

alive or dead. >> translator: how can we go back in we can never go back? i can't sleep a single moment at night thinking of them. >> reporter: at the camp in iraq, many have become accustomed to living in a kind of purgatory. children, women, and men steel against the bitter cold with a knowledge that worsening weather is nothing compared to the hell they have lived through in the past year and a half. another sad reality for the approximately 12,000 yazidis here is while many would like to return home, they can't. neighboring sinjar, while cleared of isil two months ago by kurdish peshmerga fighters is still off-limits to the yazidis who do want to go back. everywhere you look, ruin.

this brigadier tells me they can't allow the yazidises to return in they also take mosul. but there is another reason too. >> the big problem for them is all of the houses, you know, there a no buildings. everywhere they started bombing all of the buildings, all of the houses, so this is one of the challenges for them. there is no place for them to live in. but for this man none of that makes a difference. his family's house in sinjar is also destroyed, but even if it were still standing without the rest of his family, he would never consider it a home again. mohammed jamjoom, al jazeera, iraq. israeli police have shot dead a man suspected of killing three people in tel-aviv on january 1st. he was reportedly killed during a shootout at a mosque in a

northern town. relatives had identified him from cctv footage of the tel-aviv shootings. he was accused of killing two people in a bar and a taxi driver. adolph hitler's controversial manifesto is going on sale in germany for the first time since world war ii. the reprint contains critique's of his views. dominic kane reports from munich. >> reporter: it's author is long dead as is the party he created, but adolph hitler's book remains. the nazi dictator puts across denonesations of communism, and more. until this year, the state had banned the publication of the book wruzing copy write laws. but that copy right has now

expired. >> translator: the edition demystified the misinformation spread by hitler, his blatant lies. >> reporter: but for some members of the jewish community that is not enough to justify this new publication. >> translator: the copyright has expired so what. do i have to republic all garbage. i i simply at a loss of words. >> reporter: the shadow of national socialism is still be seen on the streets of germany. brass plaques have been laid

across the country to remember the victims. such public reminders of the dark past illustrate the gulf between the evils of nazi germany and the liberal values of its modern successor. >> translator: germans are very well aware of their past and all of the -- everything that's gone wrong with the -- with the regime of the third reich, and all of the -- all of the cruelties. >> reporter: nevertheless, in recent times, right-wing movements have staged regular rallies in the eastern city of dresden. some people have argued that the far right may welcome this publication. but the authors say that should not stop them from educating

future again rayi-- generations. you can find out much more on our website. our main story there about what is happening in syria. you can find it at aljazeera.com. >> religion. long the spiritual nourishment of the soul. now groundbreaking research on how it impacts the brain. >> because it's the biggest question out there. >> scientists analyzing the minds of believers. >> can you tell the difference between the brain of mother theresa versus a terrorist? >> measuring the divine one brain scan at a time. >> this is "techknow". a show about innovations that can change lives.. >> the science of fighting a wildfire.