implementation day. sanctions against iran are lifted as it meets all its obligations from last year's nuclear deal. it comes on the day the washington journalist is one of five detainees are freed by iran. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, taiwan elects its first female president. the leader of the party which was independent from china. at least 29 people are killed and around 150 hostages are

freed in burkina faso after a hotel is attacked by al-qaeda-linked fighters. a mosquito-borne virus spreads through latin america which causes authorities to warn women not to get pregnant. we begin with the news that iran has completed all the necessary steps agreed in last year's nuclear deal. the announcement was made a short time ago by the international atomic energy agency. it means that sanctions against iran are lifted. the i.a.e.a. director general says it is a his tossic-- an historic day >> relations between iran and the i.a.e.a. now enter a new phase. it is an important days for the international community. i congratulate all those who

helped make it a reality especially the group of countries known as the e3, e.u.plus 3, iran and the i.a.e.a. board a short time later the e.u. chief held a joint news conference with iran's foreign minister. >> today, almost exactly six months after the initially implementation, we have verified that iran road accidents implemented its nuclear related commitment. as iran has fulfilled its commitments, today multi lateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to iran's nuclear program are lifted in accordance with the agreement: r the e.u. and the

e.u.plus 3 countries countries the china, the represent lick of france, the russian federation, united kingdom of great britain an and northern ireland and the u.s. of america and iran will also cooperate in the field of peaceful users of nuclear energy in the framework of the g3 a, the sanctions are lifted u.s. secretary of state john kerry outlined the diplomatic efforts made by tehran and world powers to achieve this nuclear deal >> to get to this point, ladies and gentlemen, iran has undertaken significant steps that many, and i do many mean, people doubted would ever come to pass. that should be recognised even though the full measure of this achievement can only be realized

by aassuring continued full compliance in the coming years. in returning for the steps that iran has taken, the united states and the e.u. will immediately lift nuclear-related sanctions expanding the horizons of opportunity for the iranian people and i have even tonight before coming over here signed a number of documents over those sanctions that the state department has jurisdiction over in order to effect that lifting. in the words of the agreement itself today, january 16 2016, we have reached implementation day al jazeera's jacky rowland was listening into that very long statement by john kerry who joins us live from vienna. so iran has implied with the

obligations under the nuclear deal. explain what happens next. >> reporter: well, what happens next will both be in terms of the benefits to iran and also the continuation of that monitoring and verification process. in terms of the benefits, iran can see straightaway some of its assets currently frozen in the west unfrozen. at the moment about 100 billion iranian assets are out of reach. however, almost straightaway iran will have access to about $30 billion worth of those assets. sanctions also lifted straightaway, which mean iranian banks can be reintegrated into the international financial system. also western companies can start doing deals, making investments in iran. so economics there both for iran but also for international companies as well. in terms of the ver any xags,

obviously-- verification, obviously, it is not finished, but there will be ongoing verification monitoring of those key sensitive facilities that have been dismantled, put out of use, as part of the deal. in fact, as a very important part of the ongoing verification, there is this system which has been called snap-back, which means that any moment if it is proven that iran is some way in violation of its obligations, those sanctions can snap back into place straightaway. so, yes, there are benefits but also there will be ongoing monitoring i'm guessing that countries and individual companies now are going to be queueing up to have trade and involvement and business in iran. >> reporter: indeed. those countries have already been laying the ground work. obviously, companies working in

the energy sector will be very interested bearing in mind that iran has the forth largest proven oil reserves in the world and the second largest proven gas reserves, so obviously a lot of interest there for big international energy companies. also we have to remember as well that the iranian population are educated and sophisticated, there is a lot of appetite there for access to technology, consumer goods, luxury goods and, indeed, many western companies operating in those sectors have also been carrying out exploration trying to establish what the opportunities are and what steps need to be taken in order to build partnerships and start to take advantage of the new business opportunities created by this agreement thank you for that.

as jacky was saying, now that tehran has fulfilled the set criteria under item ran nuclear deal, that agreement immediately comes into effect. james bays explains it. >> reporter: today implementation day is the most important milestone in a long complicated process. let's look at how we got here. going back to the very beginning, iran built its first reactor in the 1960s after the u.s. shared nuclear technology with the country then governed by the shah of iran. concern grew in 2002 when opposition groups said iran were secretly trying to build a nuclear weapon. a new diplomatic effort led by the u.s. secretary of state and the officials of eye roon

reached an agreement. it comes into force today. the i.a.e.a. has confirmed that iran has started implementing the measures and has accepted the safeguards to ensure that its nuclear program can only be used for civilian use. it means that international e.u. and u.s. sanctions will be lifted right now. if there's any evidence of violations, the sanctions, and this is the key phrase, snap back into place >> snap back is the process where all the sanctions that have been put on hold as a result of the deal come back immediately. in the terms of the deal, there is a dispute process that could last as long as around 60 days, but once that process has been completed, any country that is part of the p3 plus one could decide to reimpose the sanctions on its own. it means iran could be back to

where they were before today. >> reporter: there's no doubt this is a key date in debate over iran's nuclear program, but this remains high and there's no way this is the end of the story james joins us live from the u.n. in new york. any sort of reaction at the u.n.? >> reporter: reaction by the u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon that says this is a milestone and behind the scenes a little bit of work, although most of this was down automatically because they had a vote of the u.n. security council ready for this moment back in july, just six days after the agreement was reached that said that when they got the report from the i.a.e.a. that verified that iran had complied, then all sanctions would be lifted. we heard, of course, that that report between the parties and we got a press notice about it. i've obtained the report.

this is the five-page report that was sent to the relevant countries and to the u.n. security council confirming that iran has complied. that report arrived at the u.n. security council about an hour ago. the person who deals with it there is the spanish ambassador because he had the chair of the relevant committee once he received the report, realized what it said, confirmed what it said and the sanctions automatically lifted. that spanish ambassador's committee also is now completely disbanded rather than the committee chairman on iran now becomes the facilitator on iran positive noises around the world. are there any stumbling blocks with this deal, though? >> reporter: there are possible stumbling blocks. clearly all along there have been people in the u.s. on capitol hill, many republicans

don't like this deal. i think their time has passed in trying to block it. we know there are people in the region, there are countries in the gulf, we know that israel objects to this deal. i think they probably now are going to find it very hard to block this because the sanctions are now lifted and the deal is now active and in place, but there's one issue which i think is going to be a problem going forward, and it relates to missiles, and a missile test that iran did back in october. during the negotiations for the nuclear deal there was some countries, including the u.s., that wanted all iran's missiles, the delivery system for a nuclear weapon, included in this deal. there was no way that iran would agree to that. iran believe that the ballistic missiles have nothing to do with the program. we heard that the u.s. administration was going to launch sanctions because of the test on that specific issue in

december. that didn't happen. we're now learning that didn't happen because the iranian side said if you do that, you might upset the prisoner swap, but that issue is still out there and is the administration going to, even on this day when so many sanctions related to the nuclear program being lifted, is it going to respond to that missile test back in october thanks very much indeed. one of five u.s. citizens has been freed from iranian jail. their release comes as the u.s. release seven held in their prisoners. >> reporter: on saturday iranian state television announced the new jason rezaian's family wanted to hear. the washington post reporter convicted of spying was now free. his employer is very well

brating:-- celebrating: >> reporter: the former u.s. marine and the christian minister as well as two other dual nationals were released in a deal that also frees seven iranians convicted of breaking u.s. laws. the u.s. has agreed to drop charges against 14 other iranians for sanction violations while the retired f.b.i. agent levinson is being looked for. it comes as the i.a.e.a. has confirmed that the nuclear programs has been dismantled. analysts have suggested the personal relationship twenl secretary of state john kerry and iranian foreign minister has made it possible to solve disputes between iran and the u.s.

what happens when both men leave their post? >> that relationship is one that predated the nuclear talks, it is one that have enabled the talks to move forward and overcome certain obstacles. it has to be institutionalised some way somehow because we can't have a situation where we go back to where it used to be because kerry is no longer there. >> reporter: no guarantee of more to follow sanctions against iran will now be lifted with firms worldwide already sending their people into the country to see what opportunities there are. in the last few hours media has reported the ooifl in tehran of executives from two oil giants, shell and total. u.s. countries may find it harder. a report on what the financial future may hold. >> reporter: years of

international sanctions on iran have choked the economy. an international ban on doing business with iranian banks, the import of iranian oil and the freeze of its government and private assets had attributed to sluggish, even negative, growth. that strangle hold is finally being loosened. >> the lifting of the sanctions will, first of all, have a very positive psychological impact, will compel a lot of the investors in the iranian economy, foreign and domestic investors who had either been part or basically were in a waiting mood, to start their investing activities. >> reporter: the iranian government agreed to limit development in exchange for return energy and financial market. it will be able to access billions of assets stuck in foreign banks. iran's president has said he

want to attract foreign investment, expand the oil and natural gas sectors and promote more diversified economy. the deal could not be better timed with parliamentary elections scheduled next month. >> translation: i tell the great iranian nation that god willing the sanctions will be lifted in january and the government will fulfil one of its election promises, the chains of sanctions will be moved from the feet of iran's economy and more interaction with the world >> reporter: iran is hungry for change. economic isolation has caused a weak currency. high inflation and lack of jobs. iran is a market of 80 million potential customers for foreign companies but propping isn't expect-- progress isn't expected to be quick. >> interests in investing in iran as a major emerging economy is there, but the pace at which this investment can be absorbed, the negotiations that are needed, the operational

processes that are needed to absorb these investments will be slower than many expect at this stage. >> reporter: the implementation of the nuclear deal is being lorded by many as a step of iranian reintegrated in into the global company. it is no reset button with the west. forces carried out two ballistic missile tests and prompted talks in washington on a new round of sanctions still to come on the program why why women in latin america are being warned off guessing pregnant. pregnant. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. when you're on hold, your business is on hold. that's why comcast business doesn't leave you there. when you call,

a small business expert will answer you in about 30 seconds. no annoying hold music. just a real person, real fast. whenever you need them. so your business can get back to business. sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business.

a reminder of the top stories here. sanctions on iran after the company had completed the necessary steps agreed in the nuclear deal from last year. in a sign of thawing relations, five up s citizens have been freed from pruz in iran. the u.s. will release seven iranian prisoners. taiwan is to get its first president women. the 59 year old vowed to keep the status quo in relation to china. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: history has made in

taiwan on saturday night. the first woman president was elected by a landslide. tsai ing-wen was narrowly defeated four years ago, but on this night the woman who likens herself to german chancellor merkel stands victor yous. i will redo the wrong of the previous government. we have told the international community that the spirit of democracy is part of the lives of the taiwan people. >> reporter: on the other side of taipei a completely different scene. the opposition concedes defeat and resigns as party chairman. >> translation: sorry everyone. i let you down. we have been defeated. the k.m.t. lost the election. we didn't do well and failed our supporters' ex-example pecktations. >> reporter: some supporters are unsure of what comes next.

>> translation: this is a big impact for our country. i feel taiwan is stepping into an unknown situation. we don't know what will happen in the future. >> reporter: ushering in a new chapter the issue becomes the ruling party. something the younger generations are eager for. >> translation: the future of taiwan will be better. young people will have now have by future and the next generation will be much better >> reporter: in her victim speed speech tsai ing-wen thanked her opponents and supporters and the main ally the u.s. while say she wants to work closely with china warned them against provocative acts. >> translation: we will make sure that there will be mechanisms to continue communicating with china. i will follow taiwan's best interests and make sure the cross-strait relationship will carry on as it has before.

>> reporter: within hours of winning, the new president walking the delegate balance. pushing forward with her position of independence while maintaining relations with the neighbor across the strait who still views the island as its own territory at least 29 people including many foreigners are now known to have died in an attack in a hotel in burkina faso's capital. it began late on friday night when al-qaeda fighters stormed the building and a nearby café. witnesses have described scenes of horror. they took 150 people hostage. >> reporter: the splendid hotel in burkina faso's capital under siege. gunfire rang out throughout the night as explosions were heard from inside. masked gunmen stormed the upscale hotel popular with foreigners and diplomats on

friday evening. they set cars on fire appeared attacked the café across the street >> translation: it was horrible because everyone was panicking, people were scared. it was traumatizing. i think these people are really wicked. >> reporter: troops troops are called in to help. they've rescued hundreds of people. many were shocked and are receiving treatment at hospital. >> translation: we did our best to try and get out. they on shot me in the arm and i have an open fracture. they destroyed my vehicle as well >> reporter: al-qaeda regional affiliate says it's behind this assault. the armed group has attacked targets in africa in the past. the most recent was in mali's capital in last november. this was the first attack of its

kind in burkina faso capital. the president was elected 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. >> translation: we would like to salute the response of the security forces, all the doctors and red cross who have participated in this situation and salute the military cooperation we have received from the french and americans. therefore it is important that we can share information our neighboring countries and share military means to fight against this scourge >> reporter: the challenge for him now will be for a long-term plan to tackle those groups five refugees have been found dead off the eastern greek island. it comes as three children drowned overnight when the difghy taken them to greece over turned. 63 people were rescued 12 people with suspected links to thursday's attack in indonesia have been arrested. police say the man they believe

financed the operation using i.s.i.l. funds was among those taken into custody. seven people, including the gunmen were killed in jakarta in the coordinated attacks. since october brazil says more than 3.5 thousand babies have been caused with defects caused by a mosquito-borne virus. >> 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 is a condition that severely limits a child's intellectual and physical development and in which in less than four months has reached epidemic levels in

brazil. specialists say it is a virus called zika spread by mosquitos. >> translation: i was shocked when i found out. she is my first baby and this wasn't heard of in brazil until now. doctors here believe the virus is provoking ing severe scarring in retinas of babies. >> we had 1,000 suspected cases but we've heard last week it as has been three,000 reports. >> reporter: that's just in this 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 even the smallest amount of still clean water. despite all these efforts, the

virus is spreading, not just through brazil but throughout south and central america. in fact, disease control experts predict that within three months zika will have reached texas. there is no cure for the virus, terrifying pregnant woman like this woman. >> translation: i asked the doctor if what i heard was true. i've been taking special precautions like using insect repellan repellants. >> reporter: for three and a half month old david precautions are too late. his sister dotes on him while his mother fears how she will take care of a child who will be seriously handicapped. >> translation: my main concern now is to to go back to work but the child care centers refuse to take him because they say it is too much responsibility. >> reporter: a tragic phenomenon openly athat-- phenomenon which

has urged authorities to tell women to refrain from getting pregnant you will find more news on our website. the address is aljazeera.com. one wrong bite and my immune system goes haywire. for me, a peanut becomes an extreme threat. my heart races. my skin erupts. my stomach is under seige. i am sick, and i am in trouble, but i'm not alone. >> you have five minutes, what are yoin