chinese stocks rise despite the government posting the lowest economic growth figures in 25 years. mic growth figures in 25 years. u.s. film maker spike lee leads a boycott of the oscars say he

cannot support an lilliwhite awards show new data out of china shows the country's economy is growing at its slowest rate since 1990\. it's year on year gdp figure of 6.9% is still broadly in line with the government's target. it is a figure that most western countries with only greem of, but it's far lower than the double digit growth of repeat years and with plunging growth prices and stuttering stack prices it is feared that a difficult time could be ahead. our correspondent is live for us in hong kong. just now that we've got this knew data, despite the low gdp figures, chinese stocks have risen. >> reporter: that's right. after an p uncertain start today

in afternoon trade, we've seen positive territory. the hong kong index is up 1.1%, shanghai up nearly 3%. is probably the market getting used to a new normal of a slowing china economy. these figures were in line of expectations, but there's also possibly an element of now being in that strange financial territory of the bad news being good news. these figures seem to confirm the extent of the cooling of the chinese economy. that leads to expectations that the government will inter even with some sort of stimulus not too far down the road. therefore, the markets like nothing better than a dose of liquidity. these figures are very much in line with expectation. 6.9%. the question for many is moving into the next gdp figures, what the government will accept as a growth rate.

some people are talking about 6.5%. some people say that that is good i it shows a maturing of the chinese economy, it doesn't need no be expanding at these double digit unsustainable rates, bus on the other hand it is an economy in transition. it needs to have a robust economic growth rate in order to underpin the changes that are taking place, the winding down of large sectors like government-run sectors creating an awful lot of employment which needs to be soaked up by the private sector. the government can't allow that growth rate to fall too low as you say, we always knew that the good years of growth would not last forever and this is the new normal that we have to get used to. what about the rest of the world. how is this going to impact a global economy? >> reporter: we can see the effects of it already. the most obvious effects are, for example, in commodities. all of those things like iron

ore, coal, steel, all the things they were importing into china a. the government in releasing these figures in china is trying to point up the growing diversity, the growing maturity of the chinese economy. it is not just reliant on those sectors such as construction and manufacturing. for example, the service sectors have done pretty well and continue to do well. the government says, for example, that more than half of its tax revenue now comes from the service sector in the economy. so an awful lot of hope is being placed not only in china, but in the rest of the world on the development of those service areas such as health, education, insurance, all of these things are much more development economy, but it will take an awful lot of expansion of those sectors to make up for the falls that we're seeing in the traditional sectors of the chinese economy

thank you for that. at least five people have been killed in an explosion in pakistan. the bomb detonated at a check point difficult dividing peshawar and the tribal area. it is thought the explosives were aattached to a motorbike and it could have been a suicide bombing. the prime minister is in saudi arabia in an effort to reach a growing divide. he met with the king earlier this month. saudi arabia executed a prominent shia cleric and that prompted iranian protesters to set fire to the saudi embassy in tehran. diplomatic ties were then cut with iran. the u.n. special envoy for syria has briefed the security council ahead of proposed talks on

syria, but delays look likely. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: the u.n. envoy who is supposed to mediate talks twenty syrian government and opposition in a week's time. it is touch and go whether they will now go head according to the french foreign minister. >> obviously, we hope that the negotiation will take place, but there are some questions which have to be dealt with. >> reporter: the u.n. in new york ambassadors arrived to hear a briefing by him from his office in geneva, also expressing a determination that talks must start on time. -- talks must start on time >> what we're going to hear is what progress he has made on this. >> reporter: does it look like the talks will take place on the

25th? >> of course, of course. >> reporter: the russian ambassador know his own government has problems with the current plan. the president was meeting for talks in which he made it clear the lists for the delegation drawn up in saudi arabia should have more secular figures and representation from kurdish groups. there is another problem. even those currently on the opposition list are not yet committed to attend geneva. they want reassurances that what happened last time there were syrian negotiations two years ago won't be repeated. they claim the syrian government was deliberately obstructiontive and derailed those talks. they want a guarantee that if that happens again the u.s. and its allies have a plan b. it is thought this time around the format will begin with days of what are known as proximity

talks in the u.n.s headquarters in geneva the two sides will be kept in separate rooms with mr de mastoora shuttling between them. the parties will not be allowed to be part of the per annum sigsal government that the talks are supposed to create. so there are rules in place but for talks that for now look far from certain the foreign minister said both sides had agreed in moscow to try and bring about an urgent solution to the syrian crisis. >> reporter: the heads of the two states agreed on the need to search for a settlement in syria now the final raid of aid has reached the towns in syria near the border with lebanon. they have also delivered fuel

and medical supplies. a hunger strike in norway. russia says it won't allow them to stay. >> reporter: cold, frightened and now hungry. norway's government doesn't want these refugees and plans to send them back across the border to russia. >> why russia? i need an answer this. why russia? >> reporter: russia doesn't want them either. the kremlin says they can cross the border but they can't stay. the refugees don't want to be there either. >> no money, nowhere to go. they don't speak russian and once we cross the border, nobody will help us >> reporter: the asylum seekers, many fleeing wars in afghanistan, syria and iraq have been in north-eastern norway. frustrated and angry they've started a hunger strike >> everybody here, including the kids, nobody is eating. >> reporter: forway has been getting tougher on refugees.

around 30 pakistanis who have been hoping to claim asylum were deported in november. they, like many others, has travelled what has become known as the nordic route. oslo also said it would send back refugees who used a loophole that allowed them to enter riding bikes. the hunger strike here is a desperate attempt to stay in one place. >> translation: to the extent that there is a hunger strike, this will be assessed against the return of people. this hunger strike is nothing to give reason to halt a return. >> reporter: as norway tightens its immigration laws, the number of deport ees is likely to increase iraq's oil rich province is starting to feel the impact of the falling price of crude. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: flames like these represent the engine of the

kurdish economy providing jobs and revenue. the regional government in northern iraq exports over half a million barrels of oil a day. its problem with the government in baghdad has been hurting its economy. it has stopped more than 60 public projects, including schools, hospitals and roads. in addition to helping the nearly two million displaced people in antecedent report, it needs to find money for its fight against i.s.i.l. >> the biggest problem that both the areas are facing is the low oil prices. even if everything was working great, even if the deal was in place from last year between baghdad ander bill, all sides would have problem problems. >> reporter: the economy is almost exclusively dependent on the oil sector. it has nearly 3% of the world's total gas reserves, but given

the international nature of the conflict $around its borders, many politicians see it as more of a challenge than an opportunity. infrastructure to export gas is still being built. the exporting gas pipeline is said to come in 2017. on top of the financial and regional issues, there is corruption. >> it's true that we have a problem of corruption. we don't have national institutions. many of the politicians are oil dealers and they own companies that transport, import and export oil. >> reporter: must much like the plans for goes, it trance ports its oil to turkey where it is sold to a number of companies to other countries. the low price of oil and conflict nearby, the region continues to struggle to provide for its people there's much more ahead here

in this half hour. why businesses in the occupied west bank are being accused of contributing to the violation of palestinian rights. calls for justice. thousand of argentinians demand answers over the mysterious death of a state prosecutor. rosecutor.

you're watching al jazeera. a quick recap of the stories. china's economy is growing in its lowest rate for the last 25 years. it grew by 6.9% last year,

broadly in line with the target but well below the double digit figures of recent years. the u.n. special envoy for syria has addressed the council. delays look likely. there is still no agreement on who will be invited to take part in the discussions in geneva next week. refugees in norway have begun a hunger strike to protest against their deportation to russia. police plan to return them to moscow because they were given safe passage there initially. the u.n. world food program is warning that 14 million people are at risk of starvation in southern after. 2015 was the region's driest year leading to a poor harvest. it is being blamed on a particular strong nin weather pattern. the worst affected companies are this list. the world food program spokesman for southern africa and he says

the region needs urgent assistance. >> the situation we've got in the region as a whole, as i say, is mainly as a result of the drought affecting last year's april harvest. on the back of that we have continued draught produced by the nin weather phenomenon which basically means reduced rainfall for this season. that coincides exactly with the planting season in this region. so we expect that the numbers could increase substantially later this year and, indeed, into next year. all our programs are seasonal assistance programs in this reason are facing huge funding challenges. in the countries you mentioned, we have so-called relief programs for the most vulnerable, either food assistance or where market

conditions allow cash-based assistance for these mainly subsistence farmers whose food stocks at this stage of the season are pretty well depleted. so they are very much dependent on some form of assistance, but otherwise beyond that we're also working with governments and other partners to provide technical assistance so that their preparedness measures, their response plans, are as effective as they can under the conditions cases of hiv and aids have almost halved in zambia in the last few years. better sex education has helped in schools. >> reporter: in this room in a small village they gather. these are the men and women who make up the front line in the fight against hiv aids.

they volunteered for training by health professionals on how to treat victims of the virus and how to help prevent it from spreading. among those giving the training is 35-year-old. >> my parents died of aids earlier on when i was a child. after i completed my education my sister got sick too and passed away. i lost two brothers as well from aids. >> reporter: as if that wasn't hard enough to deal with, she had a baby girl on only for her to die two months later >> i really wanted to know what was wrong with her because i didn't understand. i was quite young and all these things happening to me, no family to really like to go to for smi support, so i decided to follow hiv. >> reporter: it spends more than $600,000 a year to help combat aid in zambia.

what was expected an epidemic in zambia has been greatly reduced. 10 years ago more than 20% were found to be carrying the virus. now that number has been halved. the fight against the spread of hiv still faces difficulties >> when children start their education, we cannot direct talk to the children. we have to talk to them through the people who keep them. it is a problem ensuring that patients take their medication. >> reporter: one of the reasons behind the success in tackling the hiv aids epidemic here in zambia has been the multi layered approach being taken by the government and ngos. millions of dollars has been invested over the years in programs not like this but also education programs which targets the young. there is a greater emphasis on sex education. parts of the strategy to combat

the spread of hiv has been to encourage abstinence against young. >> there has been a lot less young practising unanimous ceases. >> reporter: there is still a long way to go-- pregnancies businesses in the occupied west bank are being accused of contributing to the violation of palestinian rights. the campaign group human rights watch looked at various economic sectors, including non-palestinian quarrys and found that the companies produced ten to 12 million tonnes of stolen annually and that 94% is transferred to the israeli and settlement markets. the palestinian of union of stone and marble says israel

haven't issued any new quarry permits to palestinians since 1994. >> reporter: an israeli company quarrying stone in the occupied west bank. no-one wanted to talk to us on camera here. the quarry owner and his palestinian workers and the palestinian businessmen buying stone all say the issue is too complicated. he said he pace his workers well and he has a lot of palestinian buyers. they all seemed to agree, that israeli companies get preferential treatment in israeli controlled areas, obtaining licences quickly and in better locations. the human watch rights report uses quarry is that are used to discriminate against palestinians. the report comes at a time of seemingly growing international pressure on israel. the european union is labelling products from israeli, they want

to sdink between israel and the occupied territories. spats with sweden and brazil is expense. the government denies international pressure on israel is growing >> when we look the horizon is bright and we see very good relations with many countries and this is a way it will keep on being. there is a negative spin which is being inspired by the bureaucracy and it does not correspond to the truth >> reporter: this man resigned from the government five years ago because he didn't agree with the policies >> the name of the game is benefit of the doubt. israel claimed to be adhering to a peace process, to the two-state solution, to the creation of the state of palestine alongside israel. people believedise really and prepared to leave pressure

aside. not any more. we are seeing the pressure coming in. >> reporter: the human rights watch report is the latest criticism from various international bodies. their patience with the government over settlement policies appears to be running out argentina's new president is promising justice will be done over the suspicious death of a former state prosecutor. the body of nisman was found in his arpt a year ago sparking accusations of a presidential cover up. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: a year on and there are more questions than answers. these people are still asking how this man died. if he was killed, then who killed him. why did those who were supposed to be guarding him the night he died disappear and why such a high profile case taking so long to investigate and reach

conclusions. >> translation: they're trying to cover the son with their hands, but the hands they're using to block out the sun are covered with begun powder and blood. >> reporter: the findings into the cover up of an event in which people died, the case needs to be done properly. others say that it is highlighted some of the inefficiencies in institutions most note bli the judiciary and the intelligence services. whatever the reason, one year on these people are asking what happens to him. >> translation: it is worth to keep looking for answers. argentina is a world power in looking for justice since we've had so much experience and optimistic. >> translation: we all felt his

death. it wasn't just him dying. it was the death of all argentina tines. >> reporter: a month after his his death these crowds filled the streets here calling for justice. they believe he was killed to silence his investigation. others say he had no case against president kish near and killed himself. >> translation: his dauts should be the first to benefit but the country the second many. >> reporter: many here hope the change of government will bring fresh impetus to the investigation, an investigation that from the beginning has divided argentina along political lines. one year on, those divisions are as strong as ever film maker spike lee is

leading a boycott of next month's oscars. he cannot support what he calls an lily white award ceremony. all nominees in the lead and supporting categories are white. there was no recognition for black actors who gave critically acclaimed performnesss. smith's wife has also said that she will not be attending the ceremony. >> did minimumishes dignity and diminishes power and we are a dignified people and we are powerful and let's not forget it. so let's the academy do it with all grace and love and legalitys do us differently david a love is executive editor of black commentatoh.com

and he says this reflects a wider problem >> it is disconcerting to see that even though it's 2016 american is still dealing with the same problems of lack of diversity in various institutions. i think the problem really goes to the heart of the fact that the motion picture industry, like so many other institutions, is very slow to change. not a very diverse institution. you have a situation where essentially white males are dominating the industry, and as a result you don't see diverse voices, blacks, data inos, other people being allowed to really express themselves. i think it's an ongoing problem that people should be concerned about. there is no guarantee that if someone appear new zealand a movie that they should be considered-- appears in a movie,

that they should be considered, but when you consider that there were a number of outstanding actors and others for awards, none at all have been considered for the oscars, it makes one wonder exactly what is going on here the academy president has issued a statement and she says: the founder of one of the world's best known bands has died. glennfrey helped compose many of the eagles hits.

the country rock singer and singer passed away at 67 from complications of pneumonia and other illnesses. we have got more on our website aljazeera.com >> for some reason as she was working this is what he did. withwolf whistles). the more peep that hear the story, the true story, no matter if you know nothing about the south, you knew that was long, you thought that child was brutalized that way.