>> i am excited about really getting into the debate with bernie sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and america too close for comfort. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are neck and neck at the start of the presidential race. coming up in the next half hour, the w.h.o. declares a global emergency other the sdwlik virus but brazil says the olympics

will go head - zika. syria talks begin in geneva. >> reporter: i'm in south africa. the land appropriation bill is concerning to farmers in the u.s. where the race for the white house have begun in iowa at the caucus to choose their candidates. ted cruz has won ahead of donald trump. the democratic votes are still being counted by hillary clinton and bernie sanders are neck and neck. already, though, martin o'malley has bowed out after a week result >> i congratulate my esteamed friends and opponents. i wish governor o'malley the

very best. he has served our country and i am excited about really getting into the debate with senator sanders about the best way forward to fight for us and america. >> i want to take this opportunity to congratulations secretary clinton and her organization for waging a very vigorous campaign and i want to thank governor o'malley let's get the latest from our correspondent who is in des moines in iowa. this is the second time around that iowa has not given clinton the love that she has always wanted to iowa. was the race between her and bernie sanders expected to be

that close? >> reporter: it certainly wasn't. this is a really disappointing showing for her. in essence it is a loss, even though this is a tie. we have the latest numbers 49.8% for clinton, 49.6 for sanders. she has lost ground in iowa. when bernie sanders declared his candidacy she was some 50 points ahead. the fact that they're locked in a virtual tie is obviously disappointing because she is now going to new hampshire where she is behind bernie sanders. it is a blow to her campaign but it shows in this competition of ideas back and forth, her opponent bernie sanders has changed the dynamic and she faces a long and drawn-out contest that's the democratic camp. let's look at what happened in the republican camp. donald trump was pleased with his results.

this is despite coming second to senator ted cruz. >> tonight is a victory for the grass roots. tonight is a victory for courageous kon conservatives across this nation. tonight the state of iowa has spoken. >> i was told by everybody do not go to iowa. you could never finish even in the top ten. i said but i have friends in iowa and i know a lot of people in iowa. i think they will really like me. let's give it a shot. they said don't do it. i said i have to do it. we finished second and i want to tell you something. i'm just honored going back to our correspondent now.

after all that blues terror between ted cruz and donald trump it was cruz that came out on top. >> reporter: indeed. there are two winners here on the republican side that we have to point out. the one with the most to lose was donald trump and when he spoke to the reporters he was n uncharacteristically humble. the very strong and declared winner, ted cruz, who felt that his anti-establishment message as he called it resonated with his supporters, but the third place finisher is marco rubio. the g.o.p. republican field has a very large number of candidates. he proved that he could shine amongst them and that he is politically viable. this is something that will give a tremendous boost as he moves forward. so, again, this is something that is the biggest problem for donald trump, he, of course, brought in often thousands and thousands of people to his

rallies, but the billionaire had trouble translating that into the support at the caucus. there were two other losers too. not just martin o'malley, but mike huckabeeing who dropped out of this race let's really analyse the numbers here with the professor of public policy at george mason university. what's really interesting here is when clinton first announced her candidacy, she was 50 points ahead of sanders. where did the go wrong for her? why are they now neck and neck? >> there is a big anti establishment vote in both parties. trump tried to maximise it. he didn't do that on the republican side, but there are

frustrated democrats with obama, they're looking for someone who is a bleeding heart liberal, someone who can deliver on what liberals really want and they're disappointed in obama and hillary clinton is a stand in here for obama looking at the republican camp, marco rubio, where did he come from? >> yes. he comes from florida and he is likely to go all the way, i think. republicans have a division. those who voted with their hearts voted for cruz. they liked him, they said they share their-- he shares their values. those who voted with their heads voted for marco rubio. they're very fearful about cruz taking the nomination because they don't think he can get elected and win. you're going to see pots and pots of money from washington people, from rich conservatives being thrown at marco rubio because he looks like a winner does this mean the bluster

over donald trump die down and we will see actual candidates that will appease actual voters? >> there's one more step and that's the new hampshire . if he doesn't do well there, if he wins by a small margin or even if he loses, the balloon with all that hot air in it will burst and we will be left with cruz and marco rubio this is the first step. how much does iowa really count? how much does the iowa race actually shape the rest of the race? >> it begins to win over the field. it will get rid of non-starters. you see some withdrawing. it promotes marco rubio as a

series contender-- serious contender. marco rubio looks like he stands out here but he has to do well next week. on the other side hillary clinton has a good race. bernie sanders is a serious challenger. what is going to happen in the south and the west where there are a lot of minority voters, african american, latino voters, who don't know bernie sanders and are likely to be loyal to hillary clinton thank you for that. the world health organisation has declared a global health emergency in response to a growing number of birth defects in brazil and their possible link to the zika virus. this means that international action and research can be fast-tracked to tackle the mosquito-born infection. 24 countries and territories in the americas have been affected.

our correspondent has more. >> reporter: hundreds if not thousands of babies born with birth defects, adults suffering from neurological problems, all of this suspected to be caused by a mosquito-born virus that has been spreading through the americas, promising the w.h.o. to take action >> i am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in latin america following a similar cluster of french polenesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern >> reporter: here in brazil where the zika epidemic has hit hardest, the emergency is already in place. even as authorities come under fire for not acting fast enough. almost a week ago brazil's

government announced that it would be deploying quarter of a million soldiers out into the streets and homes to help eradicate mosquito breeding grounds. so far in rio there is no sign of them, but instead residents have heard that as of now workers with the help of police will be allowed to use force to enter homes to detect still water, where these mosquitos breed. these actions help reduce the number of mosquitos, but not eliminate the virus, which is why the w.h.o.'s increased involvement is considered crucial >> there were two major recommendations. these were surveillance for microcephaly and other neurological disorders needs to be standardised and particularly in areas where zika virus transmission is occurring. at the same time there needed to be intensified research of new clusters of microcephaly and

neurological disorders and to determine in case control and other study tholgs whether there-- methodologies whether there is a causal link. >> reporter: scientific and financial help from the international community cannot come fast enough. many of the most impacted countries like brazil and venezuelan are in the middle of an acute economic crisis and as zika spreads towards the u.n. and, perhaps, beyond, the race to find a permanent solution is just beginning despite the outbreak of the zika virus, brazil says the upcoming summer olympics will not been cancelled and the international olympic committee is confident the zika virus will not affect the games. the chief of stuff is urging pregnant women to stay away >> translation: it is too serious for pregnant women. it is not advisable for you to travel to the games because you don't want to take that risk

plenty more coming up, including we will be in geneva wherein direct talks between the syrian government and opposition members are officially underway. why greece is facing expulsion from the schengen free travel zone in europe.

you're watching al jazeera. the top stories this hour. the race for the white house has begun in the state of iowa. people there have been casting their votes to choose their

presidential candidates. bernie sanders and hillary clinton are still neck and neck. meanwhile, the republican presidential candidate ted cruz says his win is a win for courageous conservatives. the w.h.o. has declared a global health emergency in response to a growing number of birth defects in brazil and the possible link to the zika virus. indirect talks between the syrian government and opposition members are officially underway in geneva. opposition is demanding humanitarian assistance to civilians and also defending a new offensive which is supported by russian air strikes. >> reporter: with the rival of the-- arrival of the high negotiations committee it seemed a break through had occurred

>> we had one and two-hour meeting with the hnc. as far as we are concerned, their rival to the meetings with us is the official beginning of the geneva talks. >> reporter: moments earlier a spokesperson for the saudi backed opposition group sounded far less certain that any kind of substantive talks with imminent >> we came here to discuss with the essential envoy resolution 2254 lifting the siege and stopping the crimes that are done by russian air strikes in syria, and i believe we received very positive messages from the special envoy. >> reporter: syrian opposition

groups have been threatening to walk out of the geneva talks unless the government stops air strikes. with russia's help the bashar al-assad regime have made gains on the grounds in weeks >> today with russia on the ground, the forces are in favor of the regime. we are trying to convince our friend that they must help us to do this >> reporter: as pressure mounted on the syrian opposition to start these proximity talks in earnest, more members of the hnc arrived. >> translation: we came here with a clear message from the syrian people to tell the world the reality on the ground in our country. the continuous shelling, the daily bombardment, the sheej and the blockade that our people face, the starvation and the conditions-- siege.

>> reporter: with both sides here, the diplomacy will finally begin with getting humanitarian aid into besieged areas and a possible prisoner release. after days of difficulties now comes the hardest part, trying to build on the small amount of momentum achieved in the last several hours. the u.n. may be cautiously optimistic, but when it comes to syrian negotiators here, both for the regime and the opposition, mutual distrust has yet to subside our diplomatic editor james bays is in geneva. how do you build trust between these two warring factions in a conflict that has gone on for over five years now? >> reporter: this is the difficult and delegate task that the u.n. special envoy staffan de mistura has, and i think he knows that soon in the next few days he is going to have to

deliver something concrete. that is why the next discussions, having had that meeting with the opposition, is going to be with the people who are in the hotel behind me because this is where the syrian government delegation is staying and the head of that delegation will be making his way in a couple of hours time from here to the united nations for the government's next meeting with the u.n. special envoy. i think they will be talking about specific measures that have been mentioned by the opposition so that something can happen on the ground in order to keep this show on the road, to keep the opposition staying here in geneva because they are involved in talks now, but some members of that opposition block say they will go home unless they see some concrete developments. it was mechanicsed in the report, something like the release of some of the prisoners that is being held in the damascus, women and children.

mr staffan de mistura says he wants a list of names and he is going to present that list of names to the government side. in addition to that, trying to get relief convoys, at least some convoys through to some of these besieged areas. that's what they're working on. if they could achieve something like that by the end of the week, then i think they will be able to keep these talks going for now thank you for that, james. we turn our attention to myanmar where there are growing expectations for the newly-installed national league for democracy party. the n.l.d. led by aung san suu kyi was sworn in on monday. it is facing huge challenges which will have to be resolved. >> reporter: this historic transition of power is taking place in the parliament at the far end of this main thoroughfare in the purpose-built but still largely

deserted capital, seen by many as an folly. the changes taking place here promise to roll back the military years. a few kilometers from that world is the reality of a country mired in poverty, ribboned by ethnic divisions. aung san suu kyi and her n.l.d. may not have created those problems, but they do now own them and there is a high expectation they're going to fix them. >> translation: this government is going to be better. it will be the government we never had before. >> translation: this government will be more transparent and reliable. in the past we didn't know what was going on >> translation: i have confidence in aung san suu kyi and that's why i voted for her. >> reporter: with the military retaining a grip on power, the new administration will have to govern, constantly looking over its shoulder to see what the

generals think, but without betraying the masss that came out to vote for them. this is a people who expect results, for whom change is long overdue greece has been threatened by the european union with expulsion from the schengen free travel zone. it comes as aid groups say there has been a spike of port augusta bling-- people smuggling. >> reporter: on this northern greek border you can see how dysfunctional europe's management of the refugee crisis has become. macedonia are only letting in afghans, iraqis and syrians. >> reporter: this man is in a better position. >> i met other guys from lebanon, they are palestinian, they don't have papers and

they're not allowed. >> reporter: these so-called illegals have no choice but to risk the mountain passes and forests and the macedonian police. this algerian was preparing to try it for a third time. >> you can't. you must stay outside. i sleep here, i sleep there. >> reporter: what are the police like in macedonia? >> they shouting and like this and do this, go. >> reporter: this camp has many here who will never have a chance for an asylum claim. the european union has condemned greece for letting them through and praised macedonia for keeping them out. the greeks have been threatened from expulsion from the schengen area if they keep allowing everybody to come through here. athens insists that it can't be

the place where all the refugees and migrants end up, and so the buses keep coming. the consequence of that is that there is an absolutely flourishing trade here now for people smugglers. >> reporter: so every night it is the same, off they go into the woods. the greek police watch them all go into the darkness and they did nothing. 1200 had arrived just down the road. many will have asylum claim and others not. there appears little sign of greece trying to stop them. >> you can tell that they send them back. the rest of them with false paper, i don't believe that the greek authorities realise who has those kind of papers or not.

>> reporter: so this early in the year some things are already becoming clear. turkey cannot stop them from making the sea kroflg, greece cannot control its borders and the european union is counting en masse macedonia which is not even a member state, to be its new ro frontier. it is out of control. violent gangs make a fortune from this french president francois hollande has called on the united states to lift its economic sanctions on cuba. this follows the arrival the president after taking after his brother. the trip is aimed at boosting economic ties between the two countries. germany has stepped up security in preparation for this year's carnival celebrations. authorities are being cautious following a mass assault on women in cologne on new year's eve. leaflets in arabic are being

distributed to help explain carnival to newly arrived refugees and migrants. south africa's government is pushing through the issue of rebalancing the land issues between black and white citizens. changes to the law are being reviewed >> reporter: this community has been living illegally on this land for 20 years. they worry one day they will be evicted. the government says some landowners don't want to sell or their price is too high. so they set up a committee to review this. it will mean the government could buy the land. it needs to justify why it needs the property, negotiate with parties and agree on a price.

if agreements fail, a notice to take over the land is issued. >> the final compensation, if you're not accepting that, would then be paid to you. you would still have the right to go to court, to say the way in which the government is proceeding is administratively unjust >> reporter: land is a sensitive issue in south africa. it is partly the reason for the increasing racial tensions here. apartheid left hands in a small mainly white minority. some opposition parties feel black people should take back their land >> land is everything. it is identity, it is for industrial purposes, it's for agriculture. it's for spiritual purposes. after ki cans are still living like pigs >> reporter: the bill says it must be in the public interest and used for public purposes, such as building a school. some people feel the definition of the term "property", is too

broad. they feel it gives the government the power to take any type of business or property, not just land. some worry the government to one day take over private homes and businesses to build houses and other facilities for the poor. >> one must think about the home owners, the business owners who would be put out in these circumstances and find it difficult to find an alternative home if they get less than market value, for example. >> reporter: government officials insist land will not be arbitrarily seized. they say they only want to balance the ownership between black and white afterry cans. >> reporter: apple is no longer the world's biggest company. it is alphabet. it showed huge growth. it is about 458,000.

the iphone has experience aid downturn in sales for the first time since it was launched eight years ago. a quick reminder, you can always keep up-to-date with all the latest news and analysis. that's all on our website. the address is aljazeera.com has thanks for joining us for a special america tonight. decision 2016 is in full swing. the candidates are is chris-crossing the country vowing to bring change, improve our lives, make a difference. for some another campaign just means another round of promises made and broken.