the country, they'd be sent home in coffins. the balance of power shifted in favour of the syrian army. the russian intervention allowed the army to go from offense into defense. the syrian potential is on the retreat. it's in tatters. the syrian army made tactical gains, and they are accumulating into gains in the north, in the south, in damascus and now aleppo. >> it is a major major defeat for the position. it was not a statement, it was not a regular press conference,

it was a victory conference. a sense of triumphantism. we are winning. no preconditions. he questioned the legitimacy of the opposition, and said they are not syrians. it was a sense of triumph. this is our hotel. he claired. the syrian army is on the march. >> aleppo is the keep. the fighting that is going on in the outskirts of the city. if that falls, and it does what does that mean for the opposition and the rebel fighters. my take on it recollects and i'm not a strategist. if the analyst falls if there's an umbilical cord. they are not only the capital of

the pro-turkish rebels, it's a life line for the theatres in syria. almost 400,000 or 500,000 in the rebel held areas. we are already seeing the exodus of... >> thousands. >>..it would be a shattering blow, and it would strategically challenge the balance of power. it's our way or the highway. >> that means the rescheduled talks, if you like moderated by de mistura they presumably are in great doubt. >> the biggest lie perpetrated by the great powers, the u.k. or

the united nations, is that there's no military solution to the conflict. how many times have we heard this yet the syrian army and russia and allies are acting on the premise that there is a military solution, and they are accumulating tactic am gains and their -- tactical gains, and the strategy is to dictate the terms of settlement. at the end of the day, let's put the moral argument aside. whatever settlement happens would reflect the balance of power. >> would you say the opposition themselvesened up having to cave in and succeed to the arms of the government or the talks not happen. >> that's what they have today. no preconditions. we don't acknowledge the opposition coming from outside. the inside the internal opposition it's called the nationalist, the real syrian so that is what the syrian

government and russia are saying. if you want a settlement on our own terms, and the priorities of a settlement have changed. is anyone talking about the future of bashar al-assad what are the priorities? ceasefire, humanitarian aid, confrontation and extension of government and restructuring the system. it tells you not only how much the balance of power changes in syria, but the shifting positions on the part of the supporters of the opposition including the united states themselves. >> good to get your analysis. thank you, thank you 18 civilians have been killed in an air raid east of the iraqi city of ramadi. the army is trying to clear out i.s.i.l. fighters. they were captured by the groups in 2014. government forces have retaken much of the city. >> still to come on the al jazeera, how many poor south

africans are left with crippling debt after being targeted by loan sharks. >> fleeing the war. yemeni refugees seeking safety across the gulf of aden in djibouti. plus... >> i'm reporting from south korea where in a few weeks they'll hold skiing event. the industry is worried that the popularity of the sport is going downhill a number of people have been arrested at a far right protest in the french port of calais. although the rally was banned. 150 demonstrators clashing with police. the group protesting. riot police used tear gas, and people were arrested

tonnes of far right activists hold a rally in the german city of dresden. it was held bay movement opposed to the islamification of europe. supporters are calling for tighter border controls and restrictions on immigration. the rise of them as an electoral force is part of support for right wing parties. when tens of votes - not enough to win, but a surprise result. in greece's election in september, the far right golden dawn party won 7% of the vote and secured 18 m.p.s. and in france marie le pen's national front was stopped from winning regional elections when the main three parties performed alliances to prevent it winning power. our correspondent dominik kane sent this update from the protest in dresden. >> reporter: organizers of the

rally in dresden on saturday suggested 20,000 supporters of the begg eata would come to the rally, the police expected 15,000. in the event, we understand 8,000 to 10,000 were here for the demonstration. the police drafted in around 1,100 officers to make sure that there was no possibility to make that that support bag eida would encounter opponent that turned up. and encounter dissatisfaction and would be taken over. they were clear that their suggestion was there meaning merkel must go a meaning that the coalition government believed they were responsible for bringing in the refugee policies that opposed so much. what is important about the

numbers is that it demonstrates the level of support or right wing populism. >> that is important. in one month's time there were several elections. particularly in the neighbouring state. >> we'll have to watch by the political observers to see if the policies affect how that party can perform. >> angela merkel is under pressure to limit the numbers of refugees. 18% believe they won't have the situation under control. it places the popularity at a low. the german leaders called for borders to besanctions, except for the economic borders. >> we need to protect the

borders, we need schengen otherwise the source of our wealth will be in dangerser. i think all e.u. leader states agree on that germany has taken in the largest numbers of refugees but now public attitudes are hard inning. jonah hull reports on how the refugee crisis is creating political instability. >> reporter: it's minus 8 degrees celsius at a refugee processing center. the cold is painful. there's no strangers to hardship. more than a million arrived like this in 2015. many and more plan to make the journey. things may be about to change. attacks, allegedly by groups of men turned opinion against

angela merkel. >> we handle another million in 2017. politically it will not be possible. politically this government is obliged to bring the numbers down. if it doesn't, if it fails to bring the numbers down. it's the end of the government. journalist and television host uses arab big to help refugees integrate into society. his programme meaning welcome in arabic attracts millions of views online and agrees the system is close to breaking point. >> we are in the process of finding out if it works out. >> we are taking the dreams like closing the doors again. and getting a negative attitude

towards refugees. >> the crisis places pressure europe on the european union and germany. some countries are building offenses reinstating border control and here political in stapility looms. the grabbed arm under slat as well. angela merkel was smath etic, she saw it was a humanitarian issue. >> reporter: he lives in an apartment. student at school. we obscure his wife's face because of relatives in syria. >> with the huge numbers coming it shouldn't be german's burden

alone. all countries should help. which is the e.u. problem, a close knit family in good times, ties functional in a crisis. these are exceptional times of crisis. >> alecturer in european politics. thanks for your time. the influx of refugees and migrant led to an increase in popularity. there is a protection. the problem is financial crisis. this is a trigger to increasing support. some managed to move to government coalitions. some of them are even close enough to gaining major ties in local councils regional

councils and sometimes within national parliament. >> who are the typical supporters. when we think of the far right we have the image of a young man with a hair cut. >> that is the basis, however, it seems the kind of rhetoric that the parties are using are catching up on lower incomes, and progressively to the more educated parts of the population and highly skilled because the main stream argument about immigrants coming in helping the economy not to recover, let's say. to this is the idea. so the basis is growing, and, in fact we see a level of corn sol takes of the basis. the support has been rising

steadily. it has reached a level where it's there's the core. of support for these parties. you mentioned how it's affecting other groups. how is it affected across european politics in the whole. how are they dealing with that. a lot more parties are making immigration one of the main agenda issues. certainly the center right parties move to the right in an effort to capture supporters. >> some of the supporters for the far right are former supporters of left wing or center left parties. even the center left parties are moving towards a right wing

rhetoric. you talked about the far left groups are you saying some of them not just anti-austerity. >> not the standard left ring parties, there are supporters that have finished towards that kind of rhetoric. there is an inward looking movement. those parties coincide overlap in that kind of inward looking strategy that they are trying to follow. anti-european on the left. anti-immigration on the right. >> interesting. thank you for coming into the studio. >> thank you very much. >> the pakistani taliban is claiming responsibility for a suicide attack that killed nine people, a 12-year-old girl and

wounded five others. the bomber road a bicycle into the military convoy in western pakistan, before blowing itself up. it is the latest in a series of attack home to the planned route of the china, pakistan economic corridor three people have been killed in an explosion in a capital of mogadishu. an airport security officials survived. three others were killed when a bomb exploded outside a shot. somali's minister said it was a bomb that blew a hole in the plane. one person was killed. it was meant to kill everyone. the disment on the dubai airline's plane happened on tuesday. >> poverty is widespread in south africa so are loan

companies. some have legitimate businesses, prey on more people. small loans spiral into crippling debt. we have this report from johannesburg. >> this woman doesn't want to be recognised. she is afraid. the mother of four was desperate for money, it was meant to be a short-term solution but turned into a disaster. >> i really need money for rent. so i take long time to pay this lady. >> reporter: soon the $25 ballooned to $225. that's more than a monthly rent. the loan shark took her identity documents as collateral. and threatened her if she didn't re pay the loan. >> sometimes they hit you, these people and they want to take your things. >> failing to make ends meet is common. the official unemployment rate

is 25% in south africa. u.n. official rates are higher. the poor majority is stuck in poverty. there are regulation for the lenders. the business is legal and only lends money to people who have the means to pay. >> our interests are less than 30%. are we beat some of the banks. they need - they do need us. >> not everyone follows the rules. interest is sometimes calculated daily, not weakly or monthly. there has been crackdowns, on unscrupulous lenders, under the national credit acknowledgement >> no one is allowed to take your cards, pin, books as security for a loan. this is not only against the national credit act. this is a criminal act. >> reporter: there are rules in place aimed to help people getting out of debt. >> the greater privater has to send a 129 notice. basically a letter sent by

registered mail of demand. they have to meet a debt counsellor and meet a registered payment. that doesn't always happen. >> a reason for that is many south africans don't understand their legal rights. if they do, don't have the means to defend them in court. the national credit regulator, a credit-run watchdog. says nearly 6,100 apply every month. still ahead on the newshour greece unrest. a nationwide protest against austerity measures which will affect pensions blockade lifted. while the main indian-nepal border crossing is open to traffic after nearly five months. and in leicester city have they

continued a likely rise in the english premier league.

>> even though we're in here we're still human. >> how harsh conditions affect people on both sides of the bars. >> why did scott take his own life? >> the jail. >> some people might be scared to speak out but i'm not. i'm telling the truth.

hello, welcome back. a reminder of the top stories. emergency workers in taiwan are racing to rest as earthquakes struck the southern cities. 14 have died. syrian forces warn against any ground invasion of country. thousands take part in an anti-immigrant protest in dresden 120,000 fled yemen since the war began. many refugees fought safety across the gulf of aiden, we have this report from a coastal

down. >> reporter: this is a camp built on the desert. it's the only home for thousands of yemenize on the western shores of the gulf of aiden. this man and his family arrived three days ago from the besieged city of jonathan toews. >> translation: there are aerial bombardment of tiaz. the children run into the tents. the refugees have to content with no electricity and a shortage shortage of clean water. the population of the champs show-3,000 refugees. this is not the happiest of

places. they complain of poor living conditions and lack their needs. we have no rice wheat or sugar. the shakes echo the camp is home to some of the. a sudden blast sends them flying. with his leg held together by pins he decided to cross djibouti, believing he'd have a better chance of survival. >> i need specialized treatment. that is not available here. all they give are pink tablets.

said agencies say they are doing their best. as the war drags on the the u.n. predicts there could be 200,000 refugees in the horn of africa in a year's time. not good news for part of the war that is not used to seeing an immigration influx of this magnitude. tore -- greece where farmers are planning to blockade centers. they are planning blocking border crossings to turkey and bulgaria. it's the third day of protests. we are following event in the greek capital. how big have the demonstrations been? we have been to a road block an

hour's drive in the south. in the southern part of greece. there we have seen farmers who are blocking the highway. also now moving into the byways beside it and that is an attempt to increase a strangle hold preventing agricultural produce reaching the city. we see a long line a kilometre long of trucks with agricultural produce. it's imparted pound for athens, stopped at the road block. wedge saw the farmers very determined in the way they spoke to us, and they thing it's a do or die process. many question the european union and many are losing site of the

advantages of being in the e.u. these are not the good old days, these are leaner times with the greeks in terms of what they sell for and what they get in terms of sub-sidies, and they are leaning increasingly, if i'm hearing correctly what they are telling me in roadblocks all over greece between here and the north as well. increasingly people are leaning towards being left alone, boning outside the framework of austerity and subsidies of the european union. people would rather be entrepreneurial and free of constraits as well as the benefits riot police used force to move protesters from a macedonian crossing.

taxi drivers blocked the border with greece. the drivers protesting against directing arriving refugees to trains and buses. in january. 62,000 refugees arrived dozens carried the buses along the highway. >> in columbia three died from an illness. 20,000 cases have been available in the country. 3,000100 are00 are selected. >> tom ackerman reports. on the fatal basis, after they were treated in ha city in the second largest city. the health says he believes a patter is emerging. >> yesterday we had deaths.

>> in brazil investigators are looking at links. a serious berth defect in which babies are born with small heads. in peru they are concerned with a district hit which dengue. they have given out instructions. in panama the government expanded efforts to the communities. fumigation is not enough. >> puerto rico declared an emergency over the disease.

mainly they received a report. it's viz the men who travelled to the affected areas to have obtained. argentina is waiting for an answer from creditors. the offer could end a long-running battle over $9 million. resulting from it back in 2001. the dispute is not over. it's five days of intense negotiations huge steps forward have been made. there has been a move on both

sides. the new government and others to change the understood of negotiations to rooech a resolution. going back from 2001 to 2002. they reach agreement. some intist on holding out. the debt that they will hold. show punitive from and debt became 3 million and 4 million, and more recently 9 billion. the argentine government is asking for 25% less than what is asked for. some are reporting to accept it. wanting to put behind them the years of acrimonious disputes. the previous government cristina fernandez de kirchner,s and her finance minister, the negotiations broke down in bitter acrimony. both hurling abuse and

instalment at one another, the government saw the hold out funds which said something about what they thought of them. the new president, keen to put an end to the dispute and open the argentine markets and economy to much-needed foreign investment. reserves are low, investment is not coming in. they are hoping in buenos aires, that they were on the way to solving the long running disputes direct peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban are expected to take place. officials met in yourself llama -- islamabad to pave the way. it comes as the sides are suffering losses. this report from kabul. >> reporter: here in kabul, a city bakery, cher is busy biking

the morning batch of bread. they were well-known for this bread, and are busy selling it. the afghan's effort for peace talks are hardly at the forefront of their mines. >> don't know anything about it says cher. the discussions are not use says this man. >> reporter: the mood at the bakery reflects how many feel about the prospects of peace talks with the taliban. the government has been pushing for peace talks. that's why many afghans are no longer paying attention, and chose that are are no longer optimistic. >> we have not seen results for 14 years, it will not be different this time. the despair reflects failed promises by the afghan government and the international community and a deteriorating security situation. a surge in taliban attacks made 2015 the worst year on record

for civilians and security forces. government statistics show an average of 15 soldiers or police officers were killed every day. a report submitted to the u.s. congress says the taliban controls more territory than any time since international forces invaded in 2001. to make matters worse there's growing concern about the emergence of i.s.i.l. in afghanistan. despite the doom and gloom afghan lawmakers are hope. . >> i have to be cautiously optimistic. the taliban know that they can't fight forever and a political solution is the only path to peace. if you want to come one day and join the peace process in part of the political life in afghanistan. we have to reconcile. for now, reconciliation and peace remains distant prospects

that many afghans no longer follow the news. the main india-nepal border crossing is open to traffic for the first time in five months. protesters from the minority blockaded the crossing demanding more rights in the constitution. nepal accused india of blocking the aid. the closure led to crippling fuel and food shortages in a country recovering from an earthquake i stand on the friendship bridge between nepal and india. there was a lot of activity going around here. until yesterday, friday morning. protesters demanding that the reputation and constitution occupied the bridge to 137 days ago, blockading all imports coming from india, and nepalese

relying on imports from india. people blamed india for the blockade. it's their own doing. the answer lies in between. now to friday. those from both sides of the border came over here and chased the protesters away. that's according to the police. this port is important. the loss of revenue from this point is 450 million u.s. two thirds of nepal imports came from the border. and the strikes - the blockades from all across nepal. the loss ever revenue according to the chamber of commerce is more than 3 billion. according to the central bank more than 400,000 people lost their jobs. now, the significance. opening of the border has been analysed by different people in different ways some analysts

say the relationship has become better after nepal amended its constitution others are saying that this is a goodwill gesture as the prime minister is supposed to visit the prime minister in a few weeks and some are saying that india felt the pressure from traders as their business also was affected badly. but for the protesters, what they have been saying is that for now, the borders open. as long as their demands of demarcation is not met, the protest is innocent but in a different forum. still to come on the program, the world's biggest mass migration, why hundreds of millions in china are heading back to their home town in sport, retaining the dubai classic - is it a long

shot for rory mcilroy.

hello again. all your sport with farah. >> thank you so much. leicester city's unlikely rise in the english premier league continued with a league with manchester city widely tipped for relegation. leicester are three clear at the top. two goals, and morez's 14th goal

deciding the game. recommendation threatening suth. drawing 2-2 with liverpool, in a win over watford lifted them to second place in the table. >> atletico goes level on point with barcelona at the top of la liga. the win moving the side by 51 points. >> the united states is getting ready for the biggest day on the sporting calendar. the carolina panthers take on the broncos in the super bowl. an audience of 200 million set to watch the finale. concussion industries is changing the way america view us the its favourite sport. >> reporter: brett and his

family know all about sports injuries. as captain of his university football team, he flew himself into the game literally. it ended with two concussions in 2013 that knock them off the film and cost them his education. >> my wife took a turn. when i was at school suffering in my room in the dark, not able to leave to go to the cafeteria to go to class or talk to my friends, it's a low point in your life. >> reporter: his parent spent the next year to help him recovering, setting up an orgnaisation calling it one hit away. >> this is an injury that is invisible. people don't see an injury to the brain, they talk about it until it happens to their family last year's hollywood film "concussion" casts actor will smith as a nigerian african doctor who discovered head injuries suffered in football caused depression and mental decline in former players.

opposed at first by the n.f.l., he's now a sought after public speaker. >> i think the movie "concussion" has taken this to from the depth of the valley to the peak of american psyche. i think people are becoming enlightened. and i think we are moving forward. >> last season n.f.l. fans from shocked when chris borland quit after several concussions in his first season. and the league settled a lawsuit from former players suffering from mental illness and depression. the n.f.l. says it's making the game safer with awareness rule changes and technology. >> that may be so say critics, but too many players are getting injured. >> we are having a conversation about what is the future of football. the big change that we need is kids shouldn't play, this is an adult game.

it is dangerous, and you can't be hitting 5-year-olds in the head. under a miz take teek that we are teaching them. >> amid the growing awareness and growing publicity, fewer players are taking to the field as parents keep them home or send them to riskier pass times. there's no doubt the country's favourite sport has to change if it's to continue to be as popular as it was england take a 2-0 leave in the series in south africa. they didn't have too many problems chasing down the home side's 252. alex hale top scoring with 99. josh butler and ali saw them home. they smashed 42 off 48 balls. england won by five wickets. after the third round of the dubai desert classic.

danny whit ler is at the top of the board. rory mcilroy just about stayed in contention. he'll go into the final round eight shots behind willett, who shot a round of 65 and the englishman has a one shot overall lead. a venue in south korea is holding a first ever world cup skiing event. a chance to test out a downhill slope ahead of the 2018 winter olympics. harry fawcett reports. >> reporter: this is new territory for the world's best skiers and host. a first world cup event in south korea, where the winters can't guarantee snow this is the artificial kind, buts it is combed. >> this season is warm and here finally there's cold and winter. the snow is amazing.

it's working hard. looking good for the olympics. >> this is an event for the olympics. organizers spend $144 million, despite concerns expressed by conservationists. they company depend on south korea becoming an asian winter sports up. there's a buzz in the air around here. the problem for the organizers of the upcoming olympics is trying to extend the sense of enthusiasm throughout the country. >> this is phoenix park less than an hour away do to host skiing and boarding. for the last three years ticket sales have been in decline by yearly 10% every year. it's a pattern repeated across the injury. it was a short-livered boom when sear won the olympic bid. totally different from

expectations. the numbers visiting resports is declining. we are in shock. it blew up in our space. resort owners speculate as to the reasons. authorities focussed on building furring, rather than -- sprur, rather than the sport. >> does it lead you to advise expectations for what will be done in this country. >> i believe you have the wrong information, that the numbers have gone down. numbers have gone up. and the popularity of skiing and snowboarding so on the rise. >> it has been confirmed that numbers are in decline. the expectation is that the games themselves will fulfil the poppure labor partyularity -- popularity to secure the bid. until that happens, they'll have

the trade on the slopes of south korea that's your sport for now. back to felisty thank you so much. it's been described as the world's biggest mass migration, hundreds of millions in china are heading to their home towns to celebrate the luna new year. we followed one man on the long road from where he works to his family in the countryside. >> translation: i am 31 years old. i have been working in a factory for almost four years. i do mechanical processing. i work very hard 12 hours a day. i never take any days off. it's tiring but i can manage it. my factory is affected by the slow economy. we have at least 30% less

workers. some are laid off. we are still busy. i'm not worried, because my boss likes me. i have confidence in myself. normally when i go home, i take a bus. only for the chinese new year i ride a motorbike. the bus takes 4-5 hours. when i ride the motorbike, it takes about 9 hours in good weather. it's difficult to buy a bus ticket before the chinese new year. they are almost 10 times more expensive now. now a bus ticket is $45, normally it's a few balks. -- bucks. many of my friends ride a bike. it's tiring. i hope the weather will not be too bad. i have two sons my parents take care of them. the older one is in the first grade. the little one is three years old. they play with my brothers' kids. in the countryside childcare is easy. i think when i go home they

don't recognise me. it takes a few days to get back close to me. of course i always hope they can grow up with me and my wife. but i don't have a choice now. i can't take care of them it's a shame. i really am excited to see my family soon. now my mind is all about their faces. my kids, my parents. these towns are where my roots are, i can make a living somewhere else this is where i come from. my biggest hope for the children, is for them to have a good education. i hope they go to college and have a better life than mine. my life is too hard. i hope they move out of this place. it's a family bond we can't give up. we have to go home no matter what. that's about it for me felicity barr and the entire team. don't go far away.

we have another news shortly. thanks for watching. bye. >> understanding the epidemic. >> it was terrifying. >> it's like navigating a minefield. >> go inside the new medical breakthrough. >> you had quite a reaction there. >> that's crazy. >> i really feel my life changing. >> the freedom is unbelievable. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is what innovation looks like. >> ...can affect and surpise us. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> let's do it. >> techknow, where technology meets humanity... >> only on al jazeera america. >> al jazeera america brings you independent reporting without spin. >> not everybody is asking the questions you're asking me today. >> we give you more perspectives >> the separatists took control a few days ago. >> and a global view. >> now everybody in this country can hear them.

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the devastation left behind after a powerful earthquake in southern taiwan. there's hope 24 hours on. >> i'm rob mcbride in taiwan where the search continues through the night for earthquake survivors you're watching al jazeera live from london. also ahead - fear in the syrian city of aleppo. many believe a plan is to starve people into submission. far