al-qaeda-linked gunmen storm a hotel in burkina faso's capital. many including a minister are freed. you're watching al jazeera. coming up in the next half hour. voting finishes in taiwan after elections are expected to deliver the island's first female president. women in brazil are urged to postpone pregnancy because of a virus that causes birth defects. >> reporter: i'm in india where the government is encouraging

start-ups like this one to grow the economy and provide jobs in the next decade at least 20 people have been killed in burkina faso's capital after gunmen attacked a hotel. the government says 63 hostages, including a minister, have been freed. the fighters stormed the splendid hotel in oug. it is located in the city's central business district and it is popular with foreigners. gerald tan reports. >> reporter: the splendid hotel in burkina faso's capital under siege. gunfire rang out through the night as explosions were heard from inside. masked gunmen stormed the upstale hotel. they set cars on poo fire and also attacked a-- and also attacked a café. >> translation: we know that

the gunmen won't come out alive. >> reporter: french troops were called in to help local security forces retake the hotel. they rescued dozens of people. many have been wounded by bullets and are in hospital receiving treatment. >> 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 traumatizintraumatizintr. these people are really wicked. >> reporter: the group has attacked similar targets in west africa in the past and in mali's capital last november. this is the first attack of its kind in burkina faso's capital oug and a setback for the nation trying to emerge from political

turmoil. the president was elected just two months ago as the first new leader in decades. how he deals with this crisis is being seen as his first big test in office voting has ended in taiwan after an election that could put pressure on the island's ties with its powerful neighbor china. polls are suggesting that opposition leaders wen will become the first female precedent taking on one of the tuftest jobs in asia. beijing sees the island as a break-away province. let's take a closer look. if this woman wins the election it would be the second victory for the democrat ignore progressive partner. she has been cautious on the issue of independence saying that she wants to maintain the status quo with china.

this man is the mayor of the new taipai city. he is from the ruling party otherwise known as k.m.t. he has campaigned on the need to continue building stronger economic tries with china, taiwan's largest trading partner. finally, mr sung. he defected from k.m.t. and is likely to draw some votes away from his old party. we go live to taipei. polls have closed. tell us what the turn out has been like. >> reporter: well, we expect, anticipate, that the voter turn out was very high, one of the reasons being we had good weather here today after what has been a week of rain. i'm outside the democratic progressive party headquarters. you can here the music playing in the background. there is very much a lively

sense of anticipation that the dpp has won the selection, that they have secured the presidency and possibly a parliamentary majority. there will be several hours before we have those confirmed results. for some context, i'm joined by ross finegold, a risk analyst in taiwan. do you believe she has won? >> it is very likely. she had a commanding lead in the polls ever since she entered the race. the poll numbers haven't changed, so the likelihood is she has won by a comfortable margin. the thing we should watch out for is the size of her mandate. the polls showed her at around 45%. when she lost of the presidential election four years ago, she pulled 45%. we have to watch for did she improve on the 45% or did people stay home because they didn't like the other candidate. >> reporter: is this the most significant election in taiwan since those elections 20 years ago? >> probably since the first dpp

president was elected in 2000. what we need to watch out for is not to make the same mistake. it was their first chance of governing, two terms, eight years, and then they were thrown out of power. they have to make sure that this time around they do a better job. >> reporter: how is china going to respond if the dpp control not just the parliament but also the presidency. >> that's right. there will be pressure on her for that. china has a range of options to show its displeasure whether not proceeding with negotiations or restricting the number of tourists that come here. she has a lot of domestic and other international issues to deal with as well, most recently north korea, japan, domestically xhok low down and corruption. taiwan is the last thing they probably wanted to add, but they will have to put time and thought into. >> reporter: no matter who wins, it is going to be four months before the inauguration.

>> that's right. this is the first time the period has been that long. there will be some unknowns here, but the expectation is they will handle this professionally. >> reporter: thank you. there are no exit polls here, but i would imagine that within the next three to four hours we will have a clear indication of who has won this election, but certainly at the moment a sense that history is in the making a sense that we could, perhaps, be about to have the first female president in a chinese society. back to you we will come back to you once that picture does become a lot clearer top diplomats are due to meet in vienna to talk about the iran nuclear deal. john kerry and others are taking part.

last year iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. the u.n. nuclear watchdog is due to deliver the report on whether iran is complying with the terms of the deal. an update from washington dc. >> reporter: there seems to be growing expectation that implementation day is going to happen on saturday. it really all comes down to when the i.a.e.a. issues its report on whether iran has complied with all of the terms under the jcpoa. that includes basically rendering iraq nuclear reactor ineffective by basically filling the plant with cement so that it can't process uranium or plutonium. that means reconfiguring the reactor so that it can only produce nuclear material that can be used for peaceful purposes. that also means implementing a lot of transparency measures, cameras recording equipment and

making it possible for i.a.e.a. inspectors to come into iran's military installations to take a close look at what is going on at any time under the terms of the deal. when the iea issues its reports that iran has complied with all of these terms, that means instantly u.s. and e.u. sanctions will be lifted. the united nations security council's prior resolutions sanctioning iran for the use of nuclear weapons program will be rendered moot. there will be a new agreement tacking effect easing some sanctions imposed on tehran. the question is can it happen on saturday or might there be a need to wait until tuesday because u.s. banks are closed on sunday an monday. officials want to be able to access the money that had been frozen by the u.s. government for more than three decades as quickly as possible. basically to show their citizens

that they're trying to do the right thing in terms of coming back into the international community and, more important, trying to gain access to badly needed money, but if they can't get the deal done on saturday, a senior administration official here in the u.s. says the deal will be implemented when it's time and not just because there's any domestic political pressure to make things happen that quickly 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 policity sizing the issue. an estimated 400,000 people are living under siege in syria. iraq's top shia cleric has accused the iraqi government of not doing enough to help its people. he condemned a recent spike in sectarian violence. as our correspondent reports

from baghdad, those comments may have come too late. >> reporter: after days of violence and continuing sectarian tensions, a significant statement from the highest sympathy areligious authority this iraq-- shia. >> translation: three days ago a town witnessed terrorist attacks on mosques and civilians will have grave kons. as we strongly condemn these attacks, we place full responsibility on the government's security forces for anywhere petition >> reporter: in a sermon delivered by his spokesman on friday, ayotollah condemned militia men and the wave against sunni mosques. he also blamed the government for not doing more to protect the people of iraq. the population is a mixture of sunnis 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 the remarks disingenuous, suggesting among other thing that 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 there. they know, they are responsible of these crimes, all iraqi government, iran and definitely shia religious authority itself. >> reporter: what is clear for now, the violence couldn't come at a worst time. a huge concern for the government is that if this surge of violence continues and if sectarian lines continue to deepen, that could undermine efforts by iraq's government and the security forces in their fight against i.s.i.l. still to come here on al

jazeera, fleeing poverty and the threat of violence. many young afghans say they have no choice but to seek a better life away from home. frantic efforts to crackdown all the volunteers in a botched french drug trial that have left six people critically ill. ill.

welcome back. a quick recap of the top stories on al jazeera this hour. burkina faso's government says 63 hostages, including a

minister, have been freed from a hotel that gunmen attacked in the hotel. at least 20 people were killed during the standoff. voting has just ended in taiwan's crucial presidential polls. it could see the first female president elected. if tsai ing-wen wins it would be a win. world powers are policity sizing the issues afghans make up the second largest group of refugees trying to reach europe after syrians. they're leading their country because of poor security and few job opportunities. the exits of young qualified people is causing concern among politicians as our correspondent reports now from kabul.

>> reporter: this is a 20-year-old afghan journalist who is scared by the news of the islamic state in iraq and the levant gaining ground in eastern afghanistan. he is a muslim shia minority who were the first victims of i.s.i.l. and before them the taliban. >> translation: we're disappointed the government is not paying attention to us. it makes everybody think of leaving. it's our last option. we are very concerned. >> reporter: last year a series of kidnappings and murder fuelled fierce that the hazara were being targeted. most troops ended combat operations in 2014 and left. last yeah was the bloodiest-- year was the bloodiest. increased violence led to an

unprecedented exit of afghans to europe. about 2500 afghans have crossed from greece into macedonia during the first four days of this year. the u.n. estimates more than 190,000 afghans have reached you're last year and-- europe the last year and the reason is because of security and lack of opportunity. problems are decades old. the economy is shattered, corruption is rife and unemployment rates are high. young afghans are leaving the country at an aalarming rate. unofficial estimates suggest that 70% of those who fled were young afghans. government leaders are concerned that so many young people leaving will do long-term damage to the economy. they are also promising to find solutions. >> translation: the government is working long, mid and

short-term programs to provide employment. infrastructure structures to provide job. in the short-term we provide small loans to prevent people from leaving. >> reporter: many here still have hope and faith that conditions will improve. not all afghans want to leave, but the number of those who are is increasing every day let's look at what this means for afghanistan with an analyst. with so many young afghans leaving, what does it actually mean for the country as it tries to rebuild itself? >> for any country to lose its youth like this is, obviously, a tragedy because they need this youth to regrow the country and, of course, if the people leaving are those who are more interested in human rights and more interested in a more open

society, then in the rather fundamentalist view of the taliban, then you've got problems for the future as well because the balance will be tilted afghanistan is not the only country that is losing its young people to better opportunities overseas. we're seeing a flurry of people from bangladesh, pakistan and syria as well. it has been said, though, that the international community needs to invest in these countries in order to create jobs there. is that all it takes to discourage would-be refugees? >> i think no-one can deny that the international community has invested very heavily in particular through the u.n. in afghanistan in trying to increase stability. there's no question there has been no shortage of investment. unfortunately, the security position in the country is what is driving this. people were afraid of the taliban, now they're afraid of i.s.i.s. and they're afraid of remaining around in a society which may fall control to one of

these groups most are fleeing conflict and security have made their way to europe. it is a dangerous journey. those who have made their way there are trying to make a better life for themselves. there is talk that they are, in fact, an economic drain on their host countries. is there any way that these refugees can be seen as an asset instead? >> indeed. i think it is a myth to suggest that refugees and migrants are an economic drain. there is, obviously, a cost in helping to integrate and helping to educate and to work with new communities, but we know from studies that migration is a very positive factor for economic growth, not just in the country of arrival, but, in fact, as migrants and refugees use their creative energies to create new lives for themselves, they send a lot of money home. indeed, the remittances far outweigh any aid.

immigration on the ground is a good thing for economic growth. it creates difficulties of cultural adaptation and integration. we see that in europe and that has to be attended to carefully thank you so much for joining us. thank you. prosecutors in france have launched an investigation into a botched drug trial that has left one man brain dead and five others critically ill. in all 90 healthy volunteers were given the pain killer. >> 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 work on the body's system which deals with pain. >> translation: the condition of the other patients got worse over the first few days of this week and today four of the five other patients have neurological problems of varying gravity. one patient did not have any symptoms but is, of course, under intensive surveillance >> reporter: a lawyer for the victims says there was clearly some kind of error or over sight. >> translation: how come in 2016 with all the means we have such an accident could still happen. at this moment i have unfortunately no idea. has there been a human error? i can't believe in a coincidence in circumstances. >> reporter: dozens of more people got smaller amounts. they're to undergo a brain scan women in brazil are being urged to postpone pregnancy as

zika is threatening to make its way into the u.s. reports from our correspondent in brazil which has been the hardest hit. >> reporter: the corridors of this public hospital in north-eastern brazil are full of distraught mothers holding babies with one thing in common. they were born with noticeably smaller than normal heads. it's a condition that is severely limiting of a child's intellectual and physical development and which in less than four months has reached epidemic proportions in brazil. researchers say they believe the cause is a virus new to brazil called zika, spread by the same mosquito that carries dengue fever. >> translation: i was shocked when i found out. she is my first baby and this was unheard of in praz iluntil

now. >> reporter: doctors here believe the virus is provoking see ver scarring of the retina in up to 40% of the babies. >> in december we had about a thousand suspected cases. it has been three,000 reports now. >> reporter: that's just in the state where a state of emergency has been declared and where the army has been called out to combat disease-carrying mosquitoes. they thrive in the rainy season and breed in the smallest amount of still clean water. despite all these efforts, the zika virus is spreading not just through brazil but throughout south and central america. in fact, the disease control experts predict that within three months zika will have reached texas. there's no cure for the virus. terrifying pregnant woman like

in woman. >> translation: i asked the doctor if what i heard is true. since then i've been taking precaution like using insect repellant. >> reporter: for three and a half months old david precautions are too late. his sister dotes on him while the mother worries how she will take care of a child who will be seriously handicapped. >> translation: my main concern is to go back to work but the day care refuses to take on the responsibility. >> reporter: a tragic phenomenon athat 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 venezuela's president has declared a 60-day economic emergency to deal with a

worsening financial crisis. he made the announcement ahead of his first state of the nation address since the opposition took control of congress. the country has been struggling with falling crude prices. the anglican church has imposed sanctions on its u.s. branch for allowing cler gee to perform same-sex marriage. it is the latest sign of the growing rift within the church over same-sex relationships. it's called a start-up india, a program to encourage young entrepreneurs to build new and exciting businesses. the prime minister launched it with the aim of targeting those young people who are shunning traditional jobs. systems are still big obstacles. >> reporter: this high story is

start up success story. it has more than a dozen locations in and around the two largest cities, but as with any new venture, it wasn't easy. it is especially difficult in india where slow bureaucracy can stop new ventures before they start >> the resources you have are limited. you want those resources to be used in doing productive work. >> reporter: the government is launching its start-up india program to encourage and promote new businesses, something entrepreneurs here say they've been waiting a long time for. tax incentives and less bureaucracy are in the main goals entrepreneurs hope the government will address in growing businesses, and simply doing that may be enough in itself to give the sector a

boost. >> translation: entrepreneurs like this man say people's mindsets about start-ups are changing, adding it's a different environment now than it is when he set up his first business 12 years ago. >> the biggest difference i've seen is cultural, where people are accepting it more, not just from the point where i started out, even in the suppliers end no-one would take me seriously. now, not just then 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 the private sector is not going to do it. this gap has got to get filled by start-ups that comma board in the next 10 years >> reporter: back at the shop, this man 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 all the latest news and analysis on our website. the address is aljazeera.com >> it will wake you up before you'll feel it. it's just like a pressure or a force that's coming through your bedroom. >> kind of a weird jolt, or-- a feeling that something's getting ready to happen. the-- the dogs can kinda get funny right before a big one. >> the primary is the one that's, you initially feel. you don't know it's coming. >> all of a sudden, you hear this bang-- kind of a loud pop,