it diminishes us in the eyes of the world. it makes it harder to achieve our goals. it betrays who we are as a country. >> the u.s. president, barack obama makes his final state of the union address calling out politicians who insult muslims. mellow. ism richelle carey in doha. ahead to the program: south korea calls for tougher sanctions against its neighbor in the wake of a nuclear test. foreigners are killed in a popular tourist spot in turkey. isil is blamed for that suicide

attack. >> people were anxious, coming to us, asking: did you bring more food? >> hungry for more, aid reaches syria's starving in one of the areas worst hit by the civil war. barack obama has delivered his last state of the union address as u.s. president. he talked about focusing on the next five years instead of looking back. he also took aim at the republican presidential hopefuls saving his harshest comments for donald trump talking about banning muslims coming to the u.s. >> when politicians insult muslims whether abroad or our fellow citizenship, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names, that doesn't make

us safer. that's not telling it what -- telling it like it is. it's just wrong. it diminishes us in the eyes of the world [applause.] >> it makes it harder to achieve our goals. it betrays who we are as a country. >> obama also said the u.s. is respected for its diversity. >> that's why i will keep working to shut down the prison at guantanamo. it is expensive. it is unnecessary, and it only serves as a recruitment brochure for our enemies. there is a better way [applause.] that's why we need to reject any politics, any politics that targets people because of race or religion [applause.] let me just say this: this is

not a matter of political correctness. this is a matter of understanding just what it is that makes us strong. the world respects us not just for our arsenal. it respects us for our diversity. and our openness. and the way we respect every faith. >> our white house correspondent, patty colhane sent us this update. >> reporter: president barack obama deciding to use his last state of the union address to try to set the tone for the 2016 elections. he spent a lot of time defending his record but laying out the case for democratic principles, talking about income inequality, raising the minimum wage.

he spent a lot of time criticizing the republican presidential candidates. he didn't have to name them by name. for the one who talked about carpet bombing in syria. he said that's not a strategy. that's a sound byte. he was critical of donald trump, the frontrunner in the republican party. he called for a ban on all muslims entering the united states. the president said that is simply just wrong and un-american. he made a call for bi-partisanship saying one of his few regrets while he was president is that he hasn't been able to make the partisan ranker any better here in washington. speaking to some members of congress, it doesn't look like the speech is going to change anything. >> jason johnson's is al jazeera political contributor and professor of political science. he said south carolina's governor nikki hailey was laying out the republican's plan for the white house more than responding to obama's speech. >> reporter: honestly, it wasn't clear if was responding to the

state of the union by president obama or was responding to the fro frontrunner donald trump and the republican party. shouldn't just listen to the loudest voices, sometimes being quiet and listen something a more effective way to lead. i think that was a clear sign she was shift to go saying, look. the g.o.p., itself, has challenges above and beyond barack obama. i don't think she did a very good job of really presenting herself. i think there were some real problems with somehow she described some events in her state, especially the shooting at mother emanuel last year. but she said some parts of the g.o.p. don't agree with donald trurp and they have an a lot tentative to what president obama has ever been offering. >> getting reports of an explosion in the eastern afghan city of jalalibad, apparently a suicide bomber is to have targeted a police patrol. three officers were killed in this -- specifically where this happened is not far from the pakistani consulate.

that's what we know right now. turkey said an ice ill member is behind a -- isil member is behind a suicide attack. 10 people were killed, all foreigners. turkey's deputy prime minister said the suicide bomber is believed to have crossed the board irfrom syria. the latest from istanbul. >> reporter: moments after the explosion, a eerie silence and then the medics arrive. on the ground, the bodies of german tourists. they have come to mafshl at the city's square that was before a man wearing a suicide vest approached. his bomb heard four kilometers away. one eyewitness said it shook the ground. another thought it was thunder on a clear day. >>f >> translator: it was the suicide bomb, yes. i went there and saw it and came back to the hotel. it was chaos. everyone was running around. police didn't see this coming. they were upset but at the same time, they were trying to

evacuate the area because they said a second bomb could go off. >> a peruvian tourist was killed and 15 others wounded including egeans and a south korean. the turkish authorities authorities confirmed the bomber's name. they said he crossed from syria illegally as a refugee with others and went to a police station in istanbul to register his status on january the 5th when his fingerprints were taken. that's how his identity was confirmed. the prime minister said the investigation would track any accomplices and called on the world to support turkey as it did paris after last november's attacks. >> the perpetrators of this attack will be unveiled. they will get the punishment they deserve. i call on all of humanity. we need to stand in global solidarity, shoulder to shoulder in the face, of the istanbul and

ankara attacks like we did in the attacks in paris. >> tuesday's attack in turkey is the fourth in a year. at least 102 people were killed in october in a double suicide blast on a peace rally in the capital, ankara. last july, a 20-year-old suicide bomber killed over 30 people at a cultural center close to the syrian border. the square was hit last january when a woman blew herself up killing a police officer. this attack on istanbul wasn't just meant to kill but to strike a blow on turkey's tourism industry and it well could change turkey's relations with germany. soon after afterwards, germingan chancellor, angela merkel urged solidarity. >> today, it was istanbul. we have seen attacks in paris, copenhaguen, tunis and many other places. international terror is

different places but its goal is always the same, our free life and our free society. terrorists are the enemy of all free people, yes, the enemies of all man kindly where syria, turkey or germany. >> 5 million visit turkey every year. a crisis center has been set up in berlin to coordinate the response to the bombing and to help those affected. >> the syrian conflict has already taken its toll on turkey. the country had already given shelter to two million refugees since the war began. tourism figures are well known but this latest bombing in the center of istanbul in a shadow of the blue mosque will drag the country even further into the syrian conflict. al jazeera, istanbul. south korea's president has called for tougher sanctions against north korea after its nuclear test.

] urging china, the only regional ally to support the measures. last week, north korea claimed to have successful tested a hydrogen bomb. it was condemned by its nabors and the international community. the chinese government will not act in a way that would aggravate the situation on the korean peninsula and it has been communicating with us in regards to the north korean issue. the best pefr is the one who holds hand. i believe that china will play aness role in the future as a permanent member of the u.n. security council. >> live in seoul. tell us more about south korea is hoping will happen. >> certainly when you cover these nuclear tests as i have a few of them now, there is a familiarity to the kind of response that comes after. there is the usual kind of condemnation from here in south korea and around the world,

efforts to try to get stricter sanctions through the u.s. security council and always attention does focus on china because china is the main ally and it has buttressed militarily to some extents but most importantly in terms of keeping the economy afloat and so for south korea's president to focus quite so as longly china on this address is quite interesting because she has been somebody who has maintained much friendly relations with china. she makes a lot of her personal relationship with the president. she went to china, the only u.s. ally to go to china during a big military parade last year to show support to her friend, the chinese president, and so she has made a pretty big play of saying, look, china. it's up to you to do what is required in the u.n. security council in the coming talks and make sure that the sanctions

that are imposed on north korea after this are stronger. she says this fourth nuclear test fundamentally changes the security situation in this region and, therefore, it requires a fund mentally different response. so a pretty harsh spotlight she has shown on china's role in the coming days. >> it remains to be seen how this has been handled. we may actually be here a few months from now again with the same thing. harry fawcett, live from seoul. harry, thank you so much. plenty more still ahead on al jazeera including a proposed new media law exposing deep divisions over the future direction of polish society. chinatown comes to tingeltown as china's richest man buys a hollywood film studio.

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and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. you are watching al jazeera. let's take a look at the top stories right now. barack obama has delivered his final state of the union address as u.s. president. he spoke about many issues including fighting isil and the strength of the economy and he also took aim at the republican presidential hopefuls in a speech condemning donald trump's comments about banning muslims coming to the u.s. turkey says an isil member from syria is behind a suicide bomb attack in istanbul. ten people were killed, all of them foreigners. south korea's president has called for tougher sanctions

against north korea after the fourth nuclear test last week. and urned china to support the measures. a u.n. commission documenting war crimes in syria is reportedly gathering evidence from residents of madia. the chairman has told reuters news agency, the residents have given details of how they have been graved of food in violation of international law. the world health organization has urged the syrian government to allow mobile clinics and medical teams to assess the extent of malnutrition in madia. trucks carrying aid reached the besieged town. >> it was very, very heartbreaking to see that definitely food, medicines, other humanitarian aid was very much needed we have seen people who were waiting for us at the

checkpoints who still couldn't really believe when the first truck were entering that this aid is actually reaching them. people were really anxious, were coming to us, asking: did you bring more food because we are really hungry. >> the u.n. says the number of people who migrated to foreign countries surged by 41% and the last 15 years to reach 244 million in 2015. >> reporter: people at this refugee center in serbia come from afghanistan. they say they left their homes because they wanted somewhere safer to live. a few of the 244 million people worldwide who are now living in a country other than where they were born. since 2000, the number of international migrants has risen by 41%. it includes nearly 20 million refugees. >> i find hope starting something new in my life if it was possible. we will see.

>> two-thirds of migrants live in europe and asia. most are working age. 48% are women. the u.n. says migrants make contributions to their host countries such as filling skill gaps and paying taxes which help to sustain economic growth. >> i think it's important in this situation, this debate, that we develop a more positive narrative about migration and what refugees can do. we have an aging population in both europe and north america and we would have a negative population triggers if we hadn't had my grants in europe. >> the united states is the country with the largest number of the world's migrants. it has 47 million, a 5th of the total but getting there is not always easy. around 8,000 cuban my grasped have been stranded in the camp in coast areka for more than a month. refused to go let them cross into territory. two weeks ago, central american nations reached an agreement to

allow them to continue their journey towards the united states. these cubans are on the first flight out. understand u.s. law, any cuban who makes it to u.s. soil is allowed to apply for residency. >> it's a great joy. i can't describe it because we have been waiting for so long and we didn't know how it would all end but thank god, it happened. >> migrants made up just 3.3% of the global population in 2015 up from 2.8% 15 years ago. still, international migration is growing faster than the world's population with significant consequences for many regions. victoria gaten become y, al jazeera. >> most of the land in south africa is still owned by white people despite more than 20 years of reform. it was supposed to be returned to black communities after they were forced off during white minority rule. this process has been slow. as tanya page reports. >> reporter: she will senecal

is one of the biggest land owners. he keeps some of the continent's iconic animals and grows crops but they may not be his forever. five different communities who were moved off of the land by a white minority government in the early 1900s say his land belongs to them . >> i am quite prepared to sell the whole farm. >> so far, the government hasn't met senecal's price about it may not have to if it changes the rules so that an independent body sets the price. he says the uncertainty has stalled his plans to build a renewable injury power plant on the farm and create 400 jobs. >> the biggest problem i have is unsure. we are totally unsure. will we be here tomorrow? will we be here in five years, 10 years time? i would love to get surety from government and whatever they decide, the government of the

day, we will cooperate. >> in 1994, it's estimated that 82 million hectares of land was owned by whites. the governing african congress partied promised to redistribute 30% to blacks by this year. only 4.2 million hectares has been returned. >> some of the people claiming the farmly up here on the mountain. every day they look down on his success hoping one day it could be theirs. the land here is dry, steep, and stoney. it's almost impossible to grow anything. alton remembers when the community first claimed the land 15 years ago. >> if we look, our land so boouflth and what is available down there. if we got that land, hey, very happy. >> the land could transform the lives of the people here and change this community's future but theirs is just one of 65,000

land claims still to be settle did leaving families like this with an uncertain future. tanya page, al jazeera, prosout africa. >> in pakistan, 14 people have been killed and 20 wounded in a blast close to a police statio . deployed near a polio center. anti-polio vac 7ation has resumed. the disease has been endemic in the country. the government said it is making progressed. last year 49 cases were report, a huge drop from 282 in 2014. extra security has been provided to health workers after attacks during past vaccination campaigns. authorities say they are now able to cover the entire country making it possible to reach every child. a report from the peshawara. >> reporter: pakistan's mask campaign in the fight against polio is finally, yielding results between 2005 and 2014,

pakistan's tribunal areas along the border were cut off because the groups operating there warned no immunization could take place in those territories. the government, therefore, missed the opportunity to immunize almost 292 children in that area. >> previously we had a huge number. there were many areas in pakistan which were inaccessible. now we don't have any inaccessible. we have reached every child now. that's why we are able to vaccinate the maximum number of children. >> however, the massive action plan by the government has now resulted in a significant reduction in polio cases. >> wiweren't aware of the implications of polio vaccinations later. the government has created a lot of localness through local hired women we trust. now everyone is more cautious about their children's

vaccinations. >> in 2014, it was known as the deadliest year from the fwalths against polio. the figure was 306 cases but in 2015, that dropped to 36 a sure sign that the battle against polio was possible and the united nations was quite confident that sfaning could be po polio-free by the summer of 2016. >> european commissioners are meeting in brussels later on wednesday to discuss the new law giving the polish government more control over the media. opponents say it will allow the ruling party to influence what's in the news. lawrence lee reports from warsaw. 24 years, this chair at the t.v. show has been a defendant staple of polish life. the telethon raises millions of dollars but it looks like it may become the most high profile victim of the new government's media law. mriningsz have started asking whether it wouldn't be better for the money to be spent on a catholic charity instead.

suddenly, the man who started the whole thing who is a house hold name in poland is having to defend his program against the claim that it is inconsistwent polish values. >> the pols can bear a grudge. i love this country. and i think that here, this country is being expressed with full heart. the new law means the treasury minister gets to decide who runs the straight broadcaster. it follows that the thousands of protesters hear the government controlling the news agenda as in somewhere like russia. >> they are going to put us in the jail of their own idea. they don't give the people any freedom. >> this is an echo of what happened in hungary and it isn't the only thing these eastern european countries have in common. poland's leaders see much of

this about being about preserving traditional values in a time of threat. none of the changes the government is introducing here would have been possible had it not been for the refugee crisis and, in particular, the nationalist surge that follows germany's response to it. the government would say it changes to things like state television are a necessary attempt to bring back some sovereignty to poland inside a european union has become too liberal. only protest worz say poland is in grave danger of losing its democracy. >> the government has come back fighting, taking to the airwaves to accuse german of a double standard after its stayed media failed to report the attacks in cologne at new year. >> certa >> certain european politicians should see what's going on german. very clear censorship of the right to inform the german

citizens by the state media. i would expect everyone to be judged by the same meyers. >> people are being bombarded with a political rhetoric that's, among other things, ass german's leaders of behaving like n ha zis to po land. like the new media law, it's very deliberate. like hungary, poland is refusing to be told what to do byler berlin or brussels. lawrence lee, warsaw. >> u.s. military says iran has detained two of its navy vessels in the gulf. tehran state news agency says the boats similar to the ones you have seen were seized for entering iranian territorial waters. the u.s. says iran will return the 10 crew members early on wednesday. three americans and one belgian national are suing israel in u.s. district court over a raid on a flot i will a headed for gaza back in 2010. the activists are seeking compensation for injuries they say they received during the

israeli army's operation. 10 were killed on the flot illa of six ships carrying what they said were essential supplies for the people in gaza. one of china's richest men is set to play a leading role in hollywo hollywood. he has announced the purchase of u.s. studio legendary entertainment for $35,000,000,000. rob reynolds reports. >> legend area entertainment has produced several films that were major hits in china like godzilla and pacific rim. china is fast over taking the u.s. as the biggest movie marketplace on earth and the acquisition is the biggest move yet by a chinese company into the u.s. entertainment industry. >> it's a very good acwizition for legendary and him because they are complimentary and it fills needs for both. this is one plank in a larger

strategy to be a woorld class company. it is the largest in china and recently bought major movie theatre chains in the u.s. and australia. company chairman, china's ries person has close tides to the government in bay ching but critics say it's unlikely that the robot and monster flicks will be used to push a political agenda. >> i has already talked to film makers and said it is not going to affect the way we do business, our existing deals. >> films in legend area's pipeline include another remake of king kong. >> it reflects not only the company's global ambitions but china's desire to exercise soft power through entertainment and culture. >> wong has said his goal is to

take a dominant role in global media, controlling 20% of the global film market by 2020. rob reynolds, al jazeera, los angeles. >> and you can get the latest updates on the news of the day at our website, aljazeera.com. slowing the train down. >> and the white house trying to rein them in today. thank you for joining us i'm joie chen. tonight a look at crime, justice and what may prove president obama's last major campaign. an all-out effort to force change in the criminal justice system. a key part reducing the sentences that many consider excessive for minor drug crimes. much identified is in need of