burkina faso's capital. at least 20 people have been killed and 63 hostages have been freed. you're watching al jazeera live from headquarters in doha. coming up in the next half hour, taiwan votes for a new president and parliament, the proceed independence opposition looks set to win the poll. growing panic in latin america over a months key toe--

mosquito-born video virus which cause is birth defects. supporters on gay marriage. at least 20 people have been killed in burkina faso's capital after gunmen attacked a hotel. 63 hostages, including a minister, have been fled. the fighters stormed the splendid hotel in ouagadougou that's located in the city's central business district and it is very popular with foreigners as gerald tan reports. >> reporter: the splendid hotel in burkina faso's capital under siege. gunfire rang out during the night as explosions were heard from inside. masked gunmen stormed the upscale hospital popular with foreigners and diplomats on foreign evening. they set cars on fire and attacked a café across the street

>> translation: the guys came and started to shoot. we know that the gunmen won't come out of the hotel alive. our country is not nor jihadists and terrorists. they are wrong >> reporter: french troops were called in to help local forces retake the hotel. they rescued dozens of people and many are receiving treatment in hospital. >> translation: it was horrible because everyone was panicking, people were lying on the ground and there was blood everywhere. they were shooting people at point blank range. the noise of the explosion was really loud. it was traumatizing. i think these people are really wicked. >> reporter: al-qaeda's regional affiliate says that it is behind this assault. the group has attacked similar targets in west africa in the past. the most recent in a luxury hotel in mali's capital last november. this is the first attack of its kind in the capital ouagadougou and is a setback for a nation

trying to emerge from political turmoil. the president was elected just two months ago as the country's first new leader in decades. how he deals with this on crisis is being seen as his first big test in office more on what is happening on the ground from ouagadougou. joining us on the phone is a local journalist. mass the fighting subsided yet? -- has the fighting subsided yet? i'm afraid we seem to have lost him there. we will try to get him back as soon as possible to get the latest on the fighting in the capital there. moving to another story. in eight years of warming ties between china and taiwan are being put on the line with

voters expected to elect a new pro-independent government. tsai ing-wen will become the first female president taking on one of the toughest political jobs in asia. she risks antagonising achina if she attempts to assert taiwan's sovereignty because beijing sees the island as a break-away province. looking at the candidates in running. if tsai ing-wen does win the election it would be the only second victory for the democratic progressive party. the former scholar has been cautious saying she wants to maintain the status quo of china. he is from the ruling party. he has campaigned on the need to continue building ties with the country. james sung represents the smaller party.

he defected from k.m.t. and is likely to draw some votes away from his old party. adrian brown has more now. >> reporter: this is the secondary school where tsai ing-wen cast her ballot early on saturday morning and since then there has been a steady stream of voters following in her footsteps, voters of all ages, some of them voting for the first time, some of them with in memories of what taiwan was like before it became a democracy 20 years ago. when she cast her ballot she spoke to the media. >> translation: i believe it is time for us to unite. we need a consistent position showed clearly to the international community that the people of taiwan have a consensus on a national identity. it is only rational and reasonable that the national flag of the republic of china should represent the country. >> reporter: if she wins this election, as all the opinion polls suggest she will, she will

become not just the first female head of state but also the first female leader in a chinese-speaking society. she would face enormous challenges if she does win, how to balance the interests of not just the u.s. and china but also of her own country. it is, without doubt, one of the toughest and most dangerous political jobs in asia. polling bootdzs close at 4 p.m. local time. we expect to have an early indication of who has won by mid evening taiwan time on saturday night russia says an emergency u.n. security council meeting to discuss the humanitarian crisis in syria was unnecessary. the meeting was held on friday night. russia's deputy ambassador accused the west of policy positive politicsizing the issue. 4000,000 people are living under siege in syria. >> reporter: regrettably siege and starvation as a weapon of war has become routine and

systematic in syria. with devastating consequences for civilians, the barbarity of this tactic cannot be overstated. by besieging civilian towns and villages, the parties of the conflict have launched a vicious war on ordinary men, women and children with callous indifference for their lives, health and well-being. a siege that denies people access to the basic necessitates of life is unlawful, unacceptable and unconscionable iraq's top shia cleric has accused the government of not doing enough for its people. those comments may have come too late. >> reporter: after days of violence remand continuing sectarian tensions, a significant statement from the highest shia religious authority in iraq. >> translation: a few days ago the town in another province

witness episode terrorist attacks and on several houses and mosques which will have dangerous consequences on the people of this country. as we strongly condemn these attacks, we place the responsibility on the government security forces. >> reporter: in a sur monday delivered by his spokesman - ser man - that. he blamed the government for not doing more to protect the people of iraq. the population is a mixture of sun eeps and shias. after i.s.i.l. was pushed out last year, shia militias began handling most of the security. some prominent members of the sunni community find his remarks disingenuous, suggesting that shia militias are more to blame for sectarian violence than any

other groups. >> translation: it's just another way to say big words and yet cover up the heinous crimes that are taking place. they know. they are responsible of those crimes. all iraqi government, iran and definitely the shia religious authority itself. >> reporter: what is clear for now, the violence couldn't come at a worst time. >> reporter: a huge skern for the government is that if this surge of violence continues and if sectarian lines continue to deeper, that could undermine efforts by iraq's government and the security forces in their fight against i.s.i.l. top diplomats from the u.s., tehran and the european union are due to meet in vienna to talk about the implementation of the nuclear deal. john kerry and others are taking part. last year iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange

for sanctions relief. u.n.'s nuclear watchdog will deliver its report on whether iran is complying with the terms of the deal. the the u.n. has accused forces in burundi of gang raping women. the u.n. is also investigating reports of at least nine mass graves in and around the capital bujumbura. this clues one in a military camp which contain the bodies of 100 people. four army generals accused of being behind a failed coup in may have been sentenced to life in prison. they are among 20 military officers on trial for attempting to unseat the president. venezuela's president has declared a 60-day economic emergency to deal with a worsening financial crisis. he made the announcement just before the state of the union address. the oil dependent nation has been hit hard by the big drop in

crude prices. >> reporter: friday was a day of unusual announcement in venezuela. while the president delivered his state of the union address, venezuelans grapple with the implications of an can economy that they now know to be collapsing. for the first time in 17 years since his predecessor rose to power, he is faced with great political and economic pressure >> translation: today we are arriving at a parliament whereby virtue of the constitution, the opposition to the majority is here today >> reporter: the oil dependent country has declared itself to be in cryise >> translation: i decree arlt 1, an economic state of emergency in conformity to the constitution of venezuela and its judicial order. >> reporter: with the world's

cheapest petrol, the measures the government takes could see a radical reform of an economic system that many see as having failed. yet it was a disclosure for the first time in a year by the central bank that venezuela's inflation rate is 141% which to many here drove just how much the economy is hurting. >> reporter: but just exactly what the state of economic emergency means is still unclear. the government has said it will take measures that help and not hundred terror people, but many living in the country with the world's highest inflation are afraid that no measure will be enough to recover the economy. in the living room of this middle-class family, maduro's words are met by disbelief who said he has seen it before. >> translation: it has become really bad and it is only going to get worse. his speech in congress he

doesn't offer anything concrete. >> reporter: because of so many economies relying almost entirely on ill which drops to $30 a barrel tightens the situation. if crude prices continue to drop, the president might be faced with a year of frequent and less well-received announcements still ahead on al jazeera frantic efforts to crackdown all the volunteers in a botched french drug trial that has left six people critically ill. also. >> reporter: i'm in india where the government is encouraging start-ups like this one to grow the economy and create millions of jobs in the next decade. cade.

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is.

welcome back. looking at the top stories. burkina faso's government says 63 hostages, including a membership sister, have been freed-- minister, has been freed from a hotel attacked in the capital. the final hour of voting is underway in taiwan's crucial presidential polls that could see the island elect its first female president. if tsai ing-wen wins, it would be a victory tore taiwan's supporters. world power are politicising and preventioning nauks.

more on our top story and that is the hotel attack in burkina faso. we have on the line from the capital ouagadougou is our correspondent. what is the latest on the ground. is the fighting over? >> reporter: yes. right now it is (audio indistinct)

right. we're going to have to leave it there. thank you for that, speaking to us from ouagadougou on the latest on that attack on the hotel in burkina faso. prosecutors in france have launched an investigation into an experimental drug trial that left one man brain dead and five other critically all. a total of 90 healthy volunteers were given the pain killer. development of the drug has been suspended. >> reporter: it was a clinical trial that went badly wrong. now with one person declared brain dead and five others in hospital, the french health minister has ordered an investigation. >> translation: the families are devastated. we will make sure they are given all the answers particularly as right now i'm not aware of any comparable case. what has happened is unprecedented and requires the greatest possible vigilance in the coming investigation.

>> reporter: the drug was being trialled at this private clinic in rennes in western france. it was meant to deal on the body's system which deals with nan >> translation: the condition of the other patients got worse over the first few days of this week and today four of the other five patients have neurological problems of varying gravity. one patient didn't have any symptoms fwu is under surveillance >> reporter: the lawyers of the victim says there was clearly some sort of error or over sight. >> translation: how come in 2016 with all the means we have such an accident can still happen. at this moment i have unfortunately no idea. has there been a human error? i can't believe in coincidence in circumstances. >> reporter: dozens more people got smaller doses of the substance. they're asked to undergo a brain scan u.s. health officials have issued a travel warning for pregnant women in countries in

latin america where the zeka virus is causing birth defects. the hardest hid is brazil >> reporter: the corridors of this public hospital in north-eastern brazil are full of disdistraught mothers holding babies with one thing in common, they were born with noticeably smaller than normal heads. it is called micro cepallis which affects a child's development. it has reached epidemic proportions in brazil. researchers say they believe the cause is a virus new to brazil called zika spread by the months key toe-- mosquito that carries

vires. >> translation: she was my first baby and it wasn't heard of until now. >> reporter: doctors believe the virus is causing severe scarring of the retina. in up to 40% of the new born babies. >> in december we had about one now cases, now we've just heard last week it has been three thousand reports. >> reporter: that is just in the state where a state of emergency has been declared and where the army has been called out to combat disease-carrying mosquitos. they breed in even the smallest amount of small still water. despite all these efforts, the zika virus is spreading not just through brazil but throughout safe and central america. disease control experts predict that within three months zika will have reached texas. there is no cure for the virus.

terrifying pregnant women like in woman. >> translation: i asked the doctor if what i heard was true. i have been taking precautions by using insect repellant. >> reporter: for three and a half young month old, precautions is too late. his sister dotes on him >> translation: my main concern now is going back to work. the child care center refuse to take responsibility for him. >> reporter: a tragic fom that has prompted health officials to warn women to refrain from getting pregnant. while they struggle to deal with an epidemic that appears to be just beginning the governor of the u.s.

state of michigan is asking for help to tack emled contamination in the water supply. high levels have been found in drinking water in the city of the flint. there has been an outbreak of lesion airs disease-- legionnaires. the attorney-general said he will launch an investigation. >> reporter: this is one of five water distribution centers in flint. the national guard is here delivering water and testing supplies and filters to the residents here. you can see them doing that. yesterday there was one soldier doing that. today there are six and that is happening at five different places around this city. to make matters worse, the governor has announced that there is also a problem maybe linked to the water with legionaires disease. ten people have died and 87 affected.

he has asked obama to declare a state of emergency which will free up funds to replace the system here. there is led in those pipes that has been leaching into the water. that is what caused this problem. it is believed to have been core owe sieve water from the flint river. it is now getting its water from detroit as it used to do before it switched to this water system the anglican church has imposed sanctions for allowing clernlgy to-- clergy to perform same-sex marriage. it is a growing sign of a rift within the church. >> reporter: st francis of assisi is a long way from england. these are devout anglican

christians practising the faith as thought to them down the generations. on gay marriage they're not sure what to believe any more >> translation: this thing of being gay and lesbian, i don't understand it because when you are born, you are told that you are a girl or we are a boy i >> in the olden days it was not proper, but now in today's life a we have our kids falling into this and we can't cast them aside >> there are voices that are in favor of same-sex union, there are voices that are not in favor of that. so we have to discern the voice of god in that mix and in that chaos. >> reporter: the global church of 85 million worshippers is sharply split. the united states church supports it and has appointed an openly gay bishop. on friday its stance saw it excluded from anglican debate for the next three years >> this has been a disappointing time for many and there will be heartache and pain from many,

but it is important to remember that we are still part of the anglican communion. >> reporter: outside a cathedr l cathedral, there is support. gay marriage it said remains a fundamental departure from the faith and the episcocal church must take consequences. >> the unity is going to be costly because we have deep differences. itting going to be painful as well as often joyful and remarkable. >> reporter: arch bishop portrayed this as a procedural problem than a doctrinal issue. he said the church have acted union latly without waiting on a consensus. there is no understating the deep split within the an gli ka can church. the ash bishop will head a task

group. >> it is not to reflect necessarily the culture of the day of the prevailing opinions. it is actually to present the timeless message of the gospel. >> reporter: the rift looks set to widen this year when canadian anglicans are set to join the support for gay marriage it's called start-up india. a program to encourage young ents to build new and exiting businesses. the prime minister launched it with the aim of young people who are shunning traditional jobs. >> reporter: this high-end store is a start-up success story. in just a few short years it has more than a dozen locations in and around india's two largest cities. it wasn't easy. it is especially difficult in india where a slow bureaucracy

can stop new ventures before they even start >> because as you know many start-up, the kind of resources that you have is limited. you want those resources to be used in productive work. >> reporter: the government is launching its start-up india program to encourage and promote new businesses, something ents here say they've been waiting a long time for. faction incentives and less bureaucracy are amongst those people hope the government will address. simply encouraging and promoting start-ups in india might be enough in itself to give the sector a boost. ents like this man say people's mindsets about start-ups are changing, adding it's a different environment now than when he set his first business up 12 years ago >> the biggest difference i've

seen is where people are accepting it more. even on the suppliers' end no-one would take me seriously. now not just them, but customers also expect a lot from start-ups. >> reporter: analysts say promoting start-ups over large-scale businesses may be of national importance because india will need an estimated 140 million new jobs in the next decade. >> we know that the government and large private is not to do that, so this gap has got to get filled by start-ups that comma board the next 10 years. >> reporter: back at the chai shop, he hopes the new program will make it easier for his business to grow. for the government, it hopes these small companies will encourage investment and drive growth n.a.s.a. was forced to cut short a space walk at the international space station when

one of the astronauts reported a leak in his helmet. he found water in his helmet as he and his fellow astronaut tim peake noticed water in his helmet. they were both forced back inside. our government are doing what they need to do in order to protect their citizens. i don't think this state is going to take this and appropriate manner until we're dragging dead bodies out of buildings good evening. thanks for joining us. this special edition of america