>> our american story is written everyday. it's not always pretty, but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. . >> staggering violence. >> obscene as the death toll is, it scratches the surface. >> united nations says nearly 19,000 civilians have been killed in iraq, and more than 36,000 wounded in less than two years. controlling chaos. libya's rival political factions announce a long-awaited unity government aimed at bringing stability to the country

on the run - officials in burkina faso trying to find three suspects in the deadly hotel siege. >> this is another chance for us. it won't break us. >> as the country struggles to return to normal. and unanswered questions. the bizarre decades-old north korean programme to kidnap foreigners, what the plot hoped to achieve good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america's international newshour. the united nations says i.s.i.l. may be guilty of war crimes and possibly genocide. in a scathing report released this morning, the number of civilian deaths in iraq alone is staggering. it attributes most to i.s.i.l., nearly 19,000 civilians have been killed in iraq in less than two years.

36,000 civilians were injured during that time. the report accuses i.s.i.l. of beheadings and burning people alive. >> the horrors that the people of iraq are facing are tremendous. i.s.i.l. is abducting young children and recruiting them, putting them in the front lines of war. in one case that we documented, these children have been fled the front lines of war, because they were scared. when they got back they were executed by i.s.i.l.'s desertion. the report says i.s.i.l. is holding 3500 iraqi slaves - most women and children from the non-muslim yazidi community in the north. their families have been praying for their safe return. the u.n. says i.s.i.l. is trying to destroy the yazidi and other minority communities. mohammed jamjoom has more from baghdad. >> reporter: a new u.n. report pointing to a staggering number of lives lost in iraq because of

the crisis in this country. the latest u.n. report points to approximately 19,000 civilians who lost their lives between january and october 2015 because of the conflict throughout this country. addition to that, the report points to 3.2 million internally displaced people in iraq. of that number, 1 million are children. it is a desire humanitarian crisis here that has only gotten worse not just because of the rise of i.s.i.l., and they have taken up so much territory in iraq, but also because of the conflicts going on, the clashes with i.s.i.l., the numbers of eternally displaced and rising sectarian violence. there's several reasons why the crisis is as bad as it is. take for example, the north. my fame and i were in erbil a couple of weeks ago. we saw many from the yazidi community that took it over.

they are in a camp for the eternally displaced. they cannot return to sinjar. they can't return because of devastating infrastructure, but because in mosul, adjacent to sinjar, i.s.i.l. has a strong hold. you look at other parts of the country. take diyala province, it's an area where there was rising sectarian sanctions. many are saying they are afraid to go back because they are afraid they'll be targeted by shias. all spoke with fear. it will get worse in the near term. >> mohammed jamjoom reporting from baghdad. >> a former iraqi deputy ambassador to the united nations, the founding director of the center for study of middle east indiana university and joins us. good to see you under not so good circumstances today. the numbers are horrifying. 36,000 dead, wounded, the u.n.

human rights chief said what he called obscene numbers do not reflect the suffering i.s.i.l. caused in the iraqi people. i am sure you agree. >> i do. unfortunately in the last 10 years the occasions on which i have been asked to appear in the media for happy occurrences have been few and far between. yes, i.s.i.l. had a devastating impact on the - not only on the areas that they occupy principally in the city of mosul, and in parts of anbar, but also in areas where they have been able to project suicide attacks. in particular in the capital, in baghdad. they have enslaved yazidi women, they have committed a genocide of the yazidis, they have killed muslims and christians and shia and sunni, they have gone down, i'm afraid, in the annuals of

history as a true menace. >> you mentioned the genocide of the yazidi people, and the report says 3500 people held as slaves. now, the list of atrocities is long. people beheaded, drowned by being lowered into water in a cage, burnt alive. thrown off buildings. as a respected international and constitutional lawyer, is there any doubt i.s.i.l. is committing wholesale war crimes. absolutely not. these are - we use the words genocide as sort of almost a generically, but genocide is, in fact, a crime understand international law defined by treaty and statutes in the counter environment. whether we are faith to hunt the individuals down one by one and kill them to get them to leave iraq and ultimately on syria. i can't know. i know this is a dangerous

enemy, which is a common enemy of all civilized mankind. it must be confronted and defeated. >> 3.5 million displaced. a million children. mohammed jamjoom the reporter, said that it will get worse before it gets better. are you more hopeful given some of the recent successes in fighting i.s.i.l.? >> there has been an important effort by iraqis in confronting i.s.i.l. in a collision with the united states, and other allies. so i have no illusions that this will be easy, buts these people, like other fascist toe tall tarian organizations will ultimately, to use the trade, be a positive in the ash can of history by the time that happens, how much will there be to return to for the people in iraq.

>> we, ourselves, we need to look at ourselves. probably to create a better situation for ourselves or our children. to try to put the atrocities behind us. the alternative is a potential war against all. i hope we make the right choice. >> what would you like to see from the international community moving forward in iraq and syria. well, for one thing, particularly from regional partners, i would like to see a genuine commitment to fighting i.s.i.l., but the underlying antecedence of totalitarian, that is to say this philosophy of making haratecs out of those that don't agree with you on every point. that philosophy has much in common at root with the salifism and other practices in saudi

arabia, and i think we have to ask our friends and allies in the region to take a look at what brand of islam they have been - they have been promoting over the past decades, and see whether it's time to reconsider that. finally, with respect to syria, since you mentioned it, i still don't see a concerted international effort with a common strategy towards bringing the misery of syrian people to an end. there'll be no solutions to serious problems. there'll be no resolutions to iraq problems without a resolution in syria. the two are related and need to be dealt with wholistically with an eye towards bringing peace and decency back to those two countries. >> ambassador - always good to have your insights. thank you. >> it's a pleasure, thank you. >> i.s.i.l. confirmed the death of a british man that appeared in videos of public executions

and became known as jihadi john. i.s.i.l. released an obituary, the 28-year-old computer programmer grew up in london and taunted the west in several filmed executions of i.s.i.l. hostages. the u.s. military was tern amwa zirks was killed in a drone strike. >> libya's council announced a unity government. it's meant to bring together the separate governments that fought for control. the european union's foreign policy chief called it an essential step. two council members refused to back the deal. the unity government is operating out of the capital of tunisia. al jazeera's hashem ahelbarra is in tunis. >> the announcement of a national unity government is seen as a significant step forward because we are talking about a country that has been

struggling to put an end to the political impasse. many that resulted in morocco that resulted in the presidential council. the highest authority that leaves libya, now there is a national unity government which is going to take over. they'll have to convince the different factions to disarm and join a national army. they'll have to take on i.s.i.l., which expanded in a coastal area stretching towards misrata, a major concern for europe. they worry that i.s.i.l. could use that area to launch attacks against europe. we talk about libya that has been divided since 2011. this national unity government needs to reach out to different factions to convince them to work in the spirit of consensus. we are seeing signs in libya, in

the east, in tripoli and misrata, over discontent. it's been rejected by tripoli, and power factions, and the legitimate parliament or the internationally recognised parliament is divided. it's going to be a mammoth task facing the government. as it aims to bring peace and stability. >> hashem ahelbarra reporting from tunis. president obama praised australia today for its role in the fight against i.s.i.l. the president hosted australian prime minister malcolm turnbull at the white house. malcolm turnbull visited australian troops in baghdad and kaboom and said he was proud of their work along side manners to help the iraqis retake ramadi. president obama said few countries have as much in common as the u.s. and australia. >> in our fight against i.s.i.l., australia is the second-largest contributor to troops on the ground after the

united states. they have been consistent and extraordinarily effective member of the coalition that helped to deliver an opportunity to the afghan people to govern themselves, in the build up to security forces. >> the leaders discussed the trans-pacific partnership trade deal. president obama is working to get congress to approve the deal. >> in burkina faso, a manhunt is on for three men who officials say was part of an al qaeda attack. the footage shows the man a little over an hour after finding the man. france's prime minister expressed solidarity, comparing it to last year's attacks in paris. very more from where it happened in burkina faso's capital ouagadougo. >> reporter: the people of

burkina faso are slowly coming to terms with the attack in their capital ouagadougo. one of the poorest countries in the world, burkina faso emerged from a political crisis. they have hopes for improving their country's economy. when this man won office, and peaceful elections. the new government is in crisis mode. >> translation: the people of burkina faso have a history of struggle. we have fought against colonialism and dictatorship. this is another challenge, it will not break us. >> 30 people from seven countries died in the all the on a luxury hotel and app coffee shop popular with foreigners and aid workers. this is a place people can call

to get counselling. dozens of people are about to process the attacks on the relatively peace. country. the ministry of foreign affairs, officials held talks with friends and relatives. this man was injured in the attack that claimed the lives of some of his colleagues. >> translation: people had different demand and requests to make of the government. it was confined to how and where to bury the dead. >> >> reporter: this french photographer died after being seriously injured in the attack. burkina faso's muslim and christian communities lived together in harmony for a long time. people fear that may change.

>> reporter: i can say there's no population where the muslim and christian populations are recognised here. we are brothers and sisters. >> reporter: that is the message many have conveyed, along with display for decades, north korea's secret spy program involving kidnapping japanese citizens, coming up, the abduction project. how it came to light. >> a warning for pregnant women travelling abroad, about a virus that could cause birth defects. >> you can work very hard and you will remain poor. >> what's the cost of harvesting america's food? >> do you see how it would be hard to get by on their salary? >> yeah. >> today, they will be arrested.

>> they're firing canisters of gas at us. >> emmy award-winning investigative series. >> we have to get out of here.

a new book details a bizarre north korean spy programme dating back to the 1970s. john terrett explains how dozens of japanese citizens were kidnapped and held. >> reporter: japanese families hold up head shots of family members. these are photographs of people who vanished into thin air in the late '70s, early '80s. some of them literally taken from the beaches, likelily agents working to north korea. the japanese government recognised eight men and nine women were abducted. for decades north korea denies

any part. in 2002 with the country on the brink of collapse, kim jong-il admitted to the kidnapping of five. and returned them. what were they up to. they abducted them and made them spy. the scheme failed, and the captives were forced to make lives for themselves in north korea, marrying, having children and posing as north korean civilians. the issue plagued relations, overshadowing talks. ranging to nuclear proliferation. >> we are joined by robert boynton. he is the author of the book invitation only zone, the true story of north korean product.

it's a fascinating but disturbing story. how all the people were kidnapped. we should say first it's possible many were kidnapped. it was a lot of south koreans. >> this was a global abduction project. in the 50s and '60s, there were mainly fishermen, japanese, people from lebanon, from romania, other parts of asia, this was a truly global production project. the title of the book refers to the communities where some of these people live, which were the guarded communities that were thinly veiled. >> correct. these were guarded communities, gated communities, and the north koreans have a fine sense of language. if you put a sign on something saying this is a place into which one must receive an

invitation, north koreans know to stay away. the back describes something out of twilight. the north koreans thought they could use the foreigners they'd kidnap for their own purposes. >> it's hard to bring north korea back to the '60, and '70s. they were outproducing south korea, they believed they'd end up better off. >> they had a faith they could bring people to north korea. show them the blenders, and the miracle of the revolution, and they'd sign up.

>> i often reported phone the north korean atrocities and absurdities. this goes past anything i looked at. i question how can the international community deal with that country. >> it's difficult. even though we are past the period in which there are abductions going on. you see a form of abduction politics every time an ordinary tourist is detained in pyongyang, until a foreign or western leader. >> this is another version of this. >> it was so ludicrous, early indications that this was happening was dismissed. >> absolutely. i compare it to what if you woke up one day and said remember the reports about alien abductions you have been reading in the national inquirer, it was all true. it was that kind of a shift in public imagination.

>> this happened in the '70s, "le 0s. -- '80s. only a handful of japanese returned to japan. the thought it many others disappeared. >> five came back in 2002 after kim jong-il and the program had a negotiation. the japanese believe there were 17, the north koreans 13. clearly there were more dozens, probably hundreds. >> there are people in japan that leave it's hundreds. >> absolutely. the highest is four or 500. >> the stories you tole of how the people were abducted are on their own. what lesson can be heard? >> it's crazy or irrational. when you look at a microsense at

what each of these actions has tried to yield, there is a rationale behind them. it may seem a tremendous amount of effort for a small gain. >> they do the complicated things, but there is some sort of method to what - to us what seems like madness. >> i think we dismiss the north koreans as irrational at our peril. >> invitation only zone - author. it's a fascinating book, pleasure to have you with us. >> the cold and know keep the refugees crossing through the balkans in search of a better life. why they continue their journey. >> what the pentagon says is the biggest problem with the afghan military and the army's ability to keep soldiers in its ranks.

>> water is a human right! >> flint in a state of emergency. >> this can cause death... all kinds of health effects. >> we're already having trouble, but now what little i have has to completely go towards water. >> only on al jazeera america. . >> welcome back to al jazeera america, i'm antonio mora, coming up in this half hour of international news, a new report on the bill and melissa gates foundation ignites debate about whether the charity in some cases is doing more harm than good. first a look at stories making headlines across the news our american minute. the governor of michigan vows to fix the water crisis in flint. in his state address rick schneider took responsibility

and apologised to anyone affected by the water system. baltimore police officers will be outfitted with bodycam recess this year. the city contracted taser international to provide the equipment for nearly 3,000 officers. it involves a pilot programme involving 150 officers who report more positive engagement with residents. thousands of students were evacuated from schools across seven states because of bomb and mass shootings threats. threats and calls were made to mass massa chews et cetera. in new jersey, schools were emptied. most were traced to bakersfield california. >> the pentagon makes a sobering assessment of afghan forces. officials called the forces top-notch but says others are riddled with corruption and have

moral problems. jamie mcintyre reports. >> reporter: a spokesman for the u.s. train advise and assist mission in afghanistan insists that despite the death of a u.s. green barra on the front line, the u.s. is no longer doing any of the fighting against the taliban. brigadier general wilson, a spokesman for operation resolute support, the u.s. name for the afghanistan mission gave forces a mixed report card saying they performed well, when it came to preplanned missions, but not so well in a crisis. some of the toughest fighting has been in afghanistan's southern taliban crisis. general pointed to a number of problems doing the fighting, in the 205th core, including short staffing, bad leadership and widespread corruption. three fundamental things have to happen.

soldiers have to be paid on time. fed on time and they have to be given leave. if one of those things or a combination does not happen, the soldiers will leave. times they'll come back, it's no way to run an organization. >> it may seem something not directly related to combat. afghan soldiers are paid in cash, and records kept by hand. it's easy to sifon off money, or prepare to pay people that don't exist. the average afghan doesn't have access to a bank account. the u.s. believes to help set up a database or deposit will ensure that soldiers are motivated. the u.s. insists that there are some signs the afghan fighting forces are improving. recently afghanistan conducted two night-time raids on its own, with afghan forces backed by afghan aircraft.

the operations, he said, were flawless, with no loss of life. the taliban made temporary gains, he insists they were not able to hold ground or to govern jamie mcintyre reporting from the pentagon a video game based on the peshawar school massacre has been taken off line. the game "pakistan army retribution" - players assuming the role of a soldiers responding to the real-life tragedy which happened in december 2014. the goal is to neutralize the gunman attacking the school. the game was released on google play. and attracted complaints yesterday when an article about it appeared in the downnewspaper. the game is no longer available to download. the attack left 145 dead, including 132 children. >> the arrival of winter in the balkans has not halted the

influx of refugees. al jazeera's barnaby phillips reports while there are fewer crossing twine macedonia and serbia, it is still more than anyone expected. into many thought they'd stop coming once winter arrived. they haven't. a steady flow of refugees make their way across the border from adam mascherin into southern serbia. snow and ice has not stopped them. some say they suffered tragedies along the way. >> i have lost my father and sister in the town. in southern serbia the police register the arrivals, not the long lines we saw in the summer, but there are 1, 500 in the camp. it's funded by the e.u. aid groups say the government is concerned with deterring people.

>> european actions. pushing people towards more. more and more people are starting the smuggling route and the services of smugglers to cross through the barriers, and trending people behind borders, without any assistance. invariably they say they want to go to germany, and they fare more borders will be closed to them. europe's leaders must know if people are coming under these conditions, it's likely that this year will be every bit of momentous as the one just passed today norway started to deport asylum seekers declared economic migrants and not circumstantial refugees. some of the remaining asylum

seekers began a hunger streak. al jazeera's correspondent has the story. >> cold, fright ent and hungry. norway's government doesn't want the refugees, and plans to send them across the border to russia. >> why russia, i need answer about why russia. >> russia doesn't want them. the kremlin says they can across the boarder, they can't stay. the refugees don't want to be there either. >> no money, in respect to go. they don't speak russian, once we gross the border, no one will help us. >> many fleeing wars have been camped in nearby norway. frustrated and angry, they started a hunger strike. >> everyone here, nobody is eating. >> 30 pakistanis hoped to claim asylum seekers. they, like others travelled to

what is known as the nordic route. last week oslo said it would send back refugees who used a legal loophole allowing them to enter while riding bikes. for the refugees, it is a desperate attempt to stay in one place. >> to the extent that there is a hunger strike. this will be assessed against the return of people. this is nothing that gives reason to halt a return. >> as norway tightens its immigration laws, the number of departees is likely to increase. >> the u.s. supreme court said it will hear a case determining in president obama's executive action on immigration are legal. the president unveiled plans to keep more than 400 undocumented immigrants being departed. the federal court blocked the proposal. in the meantime the immigrants are in limbo. >> reporter: it's been a

roller-coaster of high hopes and low disappoint. for mary and her family since president obama announced executive action. at first, it looked like they could receive permission to live and work here. they had plans to finish the degree in dental services. it was a dream come true to improve our future for the work tournament. this is one person that may have qualified. the president's programme never took effect. halted by a lawsuit, claiming president obama lacked authority to take executive actions. >> translation: we prepared documents for the application and made plans, but suddenly the opportunity disappeared, we hope

that it will happen. >> reporter: that day may come by the summer, if the supreme court sides with the administration. the texas cornering is applauding the court's decision to hear the case, stating that the court should affirm what president obama said. that he could not unilaterally rewrite the laws and circumvent people's representatives. the obama administration raids targetting central american women and children for deportation sent mixed messages to the immigrant community. >> ice officers entered the bedrooms of sleeping children to snap them from their homes and put them in gaols. >> translation: i'm worried they'll knock on my door and take me away from my daughter and deport me. if ruling in their favour, the

government has seven months to put the plan into action, all of which can be indone by the stroke of a pen argentina's new president says he'll try a new approach with britain over the falkland island's dispute. the president says he'll take the first step by meeting with david cameron at the world economic forum in switzerland. tensions remain high, long after the 1982 wore over the falkland islands claimed the lives of more than 600 argentine soldiers and 259 other soldiers. argentina said it inherited the islands in from spain. and britain says it administered them for 200 years. the people of the islands in voted to remain part of the britain. peace talks showed process towards 50 years of fighting between f.a.r.c. rebels and the

government. both asked the u.n. security council to modify the disarmament. the government and rebels set a march 23rd deadline mexico's government is investigating possible illegal dealings between el chapo and actress castille. the attorney-general told the newspaper investigators are looking into possible money laundering charges and want to bring the actress in for questioning about her tequila company. she partnered with sean penn to set up a meeting. penn is not being investigated a mosquito born virus has led to a travel barning for women planning to get pregnant. it is spreading throughout the caribbean. al jazeera reports. >> reporter: american women man

planning to get pregnant are told to talk to their doctors before travelling to caribbean and other areas. in this hospital distraught mother are holding their babies, born with smaller than norm heads, a sign of a continge microself alley. >> in december we this many cases, last week it was 3,000. >> reporter: last week the first case was diagnosed in hawaii. the child's mother had travelled to brazil. the virus is spreading so fast, it's predicted that the infected mosquitos could reach texas in three months. it's warned that people wear long sleeves and avoid mosquito areas. >> the foreigner that comes to brazil and intends to get pregnant is in the same

situation, they should take measures not to come into contact with the mosquito. because they bite and contain the zeka violence. >> the brazilian army has been called in. the government announced it will direct funds to develop against the virus. >> researchers studying multiple sclerosis report remarkable result. doctors in the u.s., brazil and britain are using the methods to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis. 85% are diagnosed with that form of the disease. the treatment is described as a way of rebooting m.s. patient's immune systems. a watchdog group is accusing the bill and melinda gates foundation of yielding too much power in aid and development.

saying it favors corporatization over grassroots efforts. lawrence lee explains the problem. >> reporter: bill gates, so long the world's richest man, famously announcing he will give it away. spending much on the poor. his foundation run with his wife and warren bufr et targeted killers like malaria, tb and aids in the developing world. as mr gates powerful friend, the latest warning that the gates foundation is too powerful and may not be the force for good that then sa it is. the study paints a picture of corporate america's desire to profit from africa, and a d damming critique of its effects. >> you could have a case where they are funded by the institution. the media reporting how well the

research is conducted. if the media outlet is a gates-funded outlet or journalist, and the programme is implemented wide by by gates-funded n.g.o. there are insular circles here. among many criticisms, the idea that private gn can solve the problems of the developing world. should poor farmers be trapped into debt by using chemicals or fertilisers under written by offshoots of the foundation. >> private finance initiatives like the one behind this hospital. paid for by mr gates' philanthropy come under attack. payments cost more than 50% of the health budget. some experts warned that the focus on high profile headline grabbing diseases undermines attempts by the government to reduce the poverty that causes them. >> they have not been interested with looking at strengthening

the health system as a whole. what they have been interested in is around the delivery of specific interventions. albeit interventions that are important. but not considered the long-term requirements towards sustainability, and also the requirements for all the other diseases and interventions that are important in the parts of africa. >> global justice now had this response from the gates foundation to its report the private sector accessed innovations in signed medicine and technology that can save lives. we believe the role of philanthropy is to take risks where others can't or won't. by working in this way, we have made incredible progress. >> supporters can argue that it can get past corrupt government and produce results without going through the bureaucracy of the united nations. critics asked whether it's right that one foundation with more

money than entire countries should wield so much power and influence. a special environmental court in india is criticizing the government for failing to kerb pollution from dead bodies in the ganges river. more than 80 bodies, mostly decomposed surfaced in the river. the corpses are from poor families that couldn't afford to cremate their loved ones, and are forced to immerse the partly cremated bodies. >> about 3,000ar recovered from the river, and the court ordered the government to explain who should be held responsible. >> one of the world's brilliant minds has a dire warning. steven hawkin says the biggest threats to human survival are made by science and technology. he says a planetary disaster is due in the next thousands

of years. he said humans could survive by colonizing other planets but not in the next century. >> next, our artist's majora's attitu studio is being moved to london. >> earth could become extinct if an asteroid hits harth. a major operation to save us all. >> tomorrow - illuminating a dark period of history. >> jewish prevented from gathering art. how the struggle to right that wrong is over.

mexico's most historic active volcano is at it again. the colima volcano erupted tuesday morning sending gas and ash 8,000 feet into the sky. researchers in california say colima's earliest reported eruption was in 1576 and was dormant for 50 years at a time since then. since 2001, it erupted every

year. 300,000 people live within 25 miles of the volcano making it mexico's most dangerous. >> now, a look at how news outlets are reacting to event. >> deutsche weller says criticism of angela merkel in germany is growing, after years of prays, accolades, the german media and her own party are turning on her. it could be a sign of hard times to come. as the e.u.'s economic wows and the crisis is worse, the coming year could define chancellor merkel's legacy. >> the gambling scandal - for anyone that watches tennis, outside the big stars, the big four, british, american, french and australian open, it should be obvious thaf matches are occasionally thrown. the paper asks if unimportant

matches throw unimportant patches who case. this cartoon in response to oxfam's report. 62 richest people own as much as the poorest half of the world's population. rich uncle penny bags of monopoly holding half of the globe saying, "it's a start." >> quitter feeds stopped refreshing. most users were locked out of the twitter verse. the cap was online saying it fixed an internal coding problem. it was the third outage since friday. >> he was one of the greatest painers of the 20th century, now the art studio has been recreated and on its way to being exhibited in new york. we look inside london. >> it's a painstaking process. recreating a colourful world. a team of set designers

replicated hundreds of its, tables, your afties. et restrictions are based on the originals on the spanish island of majorca where he worked for 30 years. at the center is a famous rocking chair. >> i was with my grandfather. sitting in it. i was 10 years old. i have so many great memories. >> the artist looks after his legacy. >> all the reconstructions turn you about the mythological way to reconstruct a dream, and emotions, sensations and feelings of the social and political turmoil that they were able to experience throughout his life. >> also on show, works of art carefully shipped to london.

one of his paintings sold for a record $37 million. he wanted to assassinate painting, his work shouldn't be seen as a reputation of reality, but extraction into fields of colour. my work should be a programme set to music by a painter, he said. in terms, he went on to inspire more great art. from jazz, the american artist jackson polak. mira worked through years of political chaos, civil and the world wars, and the totalitarian regime. his work contains ideas of freedom, important to the catalan painter, ideas that resonate, as many in catalonia drive for independence. the studio is described as a vegetable guard edges. art chokes there, potatos here. >> i worked like a gardener.

mirro's garden is on the move if you are an early riser you'll see a rare treat in the sky over the next few weeks. mercury, venus, saturn mars and jupiter will be visable to the naked eye. this is the first time it happened in 11 years, for those that don't want to get up early, five planets will be visible. >> scientists from n.a.s.a. are tuning up to make sure humans don't go the way of dinosaurs, trying to figure out a way to push an asteroid off course. it's a real-life armageddon. >> february 13th, an asteroid cuts the sky, terrified residents and reminds the rest

of us that one with our name on it could be coming our way. with that in mind these two sign sifts from -- scientists from n.a.s.a. are putting their brains together. their mission to save the planet from a direct hit that could wipe us out. >> scientists call it the impact and deflection assessment, and has its sights on not one but two asteroids, a larger one, and a smaller one. neither is expected to hit earth, but they'll be used as target practice. n.a.s.a.'s craft aims to crash in, and like a giant game of snooker, pushing in another direction. >> an asteroid is the size of a mountain. we hit it with a spacecraft, making a change in velocity. over time that's the difference between hitting the earth and

not. >> a separate european spacecraft collects the data, bringing the no how to replicate the mission. a media of this size would cause about the same amount of energy and damage as dozens of atomic bombs. scientists don't see these headed our way for another couple of centuries, what's the rush to knock it off path. >> we want the capability to do this as soon as possible. we know these things are out there. to find outline the things that are potential threats, it is a very big move. this particular mission is to go the next step, which is important, which is what are you going to do if something has your name on it. >> for now the project is in the theoretical stages with approval for the launch waiting to get the green light to prevent us going the route of the

dinosaurs. that's it for the international news hour. in the next hour. what many suspect the murder rate in the u.s. claimed in the first half of 2015. the numbers and what they mean. i'm back with more news in 2 minutes.

good evening, i'm antonio mora, this is al jazeera america. >> sorry, most that i let you down. you deserve better. you deserve accountability. >> taking responsibility, michigan's governor apologises for the lead contamination in the flint water supply and the billion plus price tag to remove it heading to the supreme court, t