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 right protesters stage a

demonstration in germany calling for tougher immigration rules. and on the road with a man, one of millions, taking part in the world's biggest mass migration. first to taiwan, where more than 100 people are missing after a powerful earthquake truck the country. 14 are known to have died. thousands of rescue workers are combing through the rubble looking for survivors. rob mcbride reports from the hardest hit city. >> reporter: with the night came more teams to join in the rescue effort. reports of contacts made with survivors still waiting for rescue added to the sense of urgency. and every now and then a success. after hours laying in the rubble, this woman is safe - injured and in pain, clearly alive.

like other survivors rushed away to a waiting ambulance. as the rescue operation continued, equipment is being brought in to carefully move away some of the debris as the rescue teams continue their search in other parts of the structure in the search for survivors. sadly the numbers of people brought out dead appears to be rising. in other parts of the city, damage and teetering buildings are evidence of the earthquake's strength. residents still in a state of shock at the damage around them. >> translation: everything was shaking violently, then a big crash. and when we rushed out we saw that things had collapsed. >> reporter: a number of people chose to spend the night in shelters, some with their homes destroyed. >> translation: we will stay here for now, eventually we have to find another place.

our home was destroyed. >> reporter: back at the main rescue site as monks prayed for the souls of those that died, there was confusion about how many were in the complex. anxious relatives and neighbours reported scores of people unaccounted for. it raised fears that the death toll would rise significantly. so, too is the number of those brought out alive thousands of syrian refugees displaced by fighting in the country's north are continuing to gather at the border with turkey. the governor of the nearby turkish province says there is as many as 35,000 at the crossing. turkey has no plans to let them cross, but will supply them with aid. many of the refugees fled because the syrian government supports are advancing on the

city of aleppo. they captured a village on friday, moving a step closer to encircle the village. they are fighting to gain control of two more areas. and effectively if they capture them they'll cut off the sidelines. zeina khodr has this report. >> reporter: they are pushing deeper into the rebel healed area. backed by the russian air-power. they have cut the supply route from the city to turkey. now they are trying to encircle it. >> the regime is trying to lay siege to the city that has depopulated the countryside. some are leaving the city. they are afraid. i don't plan to leave, because if activists leave, who will make sure the voices of those trapped inside are heard. >> reporter: people are packing what they can, and are heading out. there's no statistics on how

many live on the east of the city under the control of the opposition. some suggest up to 300,000. so far there hasn't been a mass exodus, there are those that don't want to take the risk of being encircled. >> people are leaving reasoning people are scared. the road to turkey is closed. they are heading to the border through the province of idlib prices are on the rise. there's a shortage of food. >> prices are on the rise. this is normal because of the situation. there's a lack of fuel. i ask the people don't leave or our city will be empty. >> reporter: many in the opposition feel the government is employing a tactic, laying siege and fighters into submission. in 2014 the rebels were forced

to surrender homs after a 3-year government siege. it was known as the city of the revolution. at the time the opposition did not lose hope because they controlled aleppo. it gave them a life line. now the future hangs in the balance. armed groups regarded as moderate rebels are fighting for survival. their voice in a future settlement has been weakened. well, syria's prime minister says the government will not accept opposition preconditions for talks due later this month. both sides blame each other for the collapse of the latest round of negotiations. he had a stark warning for any nation considering sending ground troops into his country. >> any ground intervention on syrian territory will amount to an aggression. we regret to say they'll return to their country in coffin.

a middle east expert from the london school of economic and political science, and says the balance of power has shifted to the syrian army, and the comments oozed triumphalism. >> the russian intervention allowed the syrian army to go from defense into offense. the syrian opposition is on the defeat. it's in tatters. the syrian army made major tactical games accumulating in strategic games in the north, south, damascus and aleppo. aleppo is a major defeat for the poise. the syrian army succeeds in the encirclement of aleppo, it was not a statement a press conference, it was a victory press conference, triumphantism, arrow behind, we are winning. warning de mistura, questioning

the legitimacy of the opposition, the riyadh delegation, saying they were not syrians, but soldiers of the saudis and turks. it was this is our moment. he declared the beginning of the end of the syrian conflict because the syrian army is on the march throughout syria, he says. riot police used force to remove protesters from a macedonian border crossing. taxi drivers blocked the railway line close to the border with greece. the drivers protested against police directing people to trains and buses for their onward journey. in january, 62,000 refugees arrived in greece and dozens of buses parked along the highway during the protest at the border

germany german chancellor angela merkel is under pressure to limit numbers of refugees arriving. a poll found 80% of germans don't think she has the refugee situation under control. placing her popularity at a 4-year low. she called for the border to be strengthened. >> reporter: need to protect the external boarders, we want to keep schengen. if we otherwise the source of our wealth will be in dangerser. i think all e.u. leader states agree on that a rally has been held in dresden. it was organized by a movement opposed to what it sees as the islamification of europe. supporters are calling for tighter control. dominique kane sent this update

from 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 sure that that support bag eida would encounter opponent that turned up. and encounter dissatisfaction and would be taken over. for those on the bag eata side, they were clear that their suggestion was there, meaning merkel must go, a meaning that the chancellor of the coalition government believed they were responsible for bringing in the refugee policies that opposed so much. what is important about the

numbers that turned up for demonstrations is that it inidicates 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. it will see whether policies insofar as asylum effects how that party performs. 10 people have been arrested in calais. riot police used tear gas. the group was protesting against refugees camped out there, hoping to make the crossing to the u.k. still to come - why nepalese are relieved after a month-long blockade ends. >> and afghanistan's government

says it will negotiate with the taliban. what does this mean for ordinary afghans? >> 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.

welcome back. let's take you through the top stories on al jazeera. emergency workers in taiwan are racing to rescue more than 150 missing after a 6.4 magnitude quake struck the southern city. 14 people died. syrian government forces are advancing on rebels in aleppo. president bashar al-assad's foreign minister warned against a ground invasion of his

country. thousands of people take pard in an anti-immigrant protest organized by the far right group in a german city of dresden. >> now, u.s. republican dehli candidates face each other for a last debate in the next few hours ahead of a new hampshire primary on tuesday. it marks the ultimate face off between the republican parties establishment support. alan fisher is in manchester, where the debate is taking place later. donald trump is back in new hampshire, is he fighting to survive politically? >>reporter: what donald trump has to do is turn fans into voters. the poms say he has a 20 -- polls say he has a 20% lead. they gave him a good poll lead.

he didn't go to the debate in iowa. he'll be on the stage in new hampshire. he needs to win in new hampshire, if he doesn't get a victory on tuesday, the man that says he'll be "the winningest president ever" will have a hard time convincing the american people if in the first election cycle he losses. it's a big night for him, he has to go on the offensive, show he'll be dehli, he'll hammer the ideas hammered in the past. he may have to give detail to some policies he's talking about. this is a big night for donald trump. >> and ted cruz and marco rubio. they have been dominating the headlines. they have big targets on their back as well. >> well, this is all whittling down to 7 candidates on stage one. carly fiorina has not been invited. the seven men believe new hampshire is the man continuing.

ted cruz has to shake off the stigma. the last two men that won in iowa didn't get the nomination. marco rubio, who has been surging with momentum because of a third-placed finish. both will be the subject of attacks on the stage tonight. what we will see is ted cruz coming under fire for the allegations that his campaign suggested that ben carson was falling out of the campaign and people voting for him in iowa should change their votes. donald trump says that victor cruz stole the win, and as for marco rubio, heef has been polished -- he has been polished all through. he'll come under attack on his position, particularly on immigration. instead of giving the answers he gives, he has to go further and show there's more to him. those two men will have targets on their back. jed bush and christy - they believe they should be the

establishment choice in the election. they banged it all on new hampshire, saying they'll do well. this will be over, they'll have to go home, back up the boxes and say not for me. and all of them want to go on to south carolina. so we have said throughout the protest, this is the sevens republican debate. in new hampshire, it will be a big night for the republican hopefuls. thank you very much from new hampshire. the republican dehli debate columbia's president says 3,000 women in his country have been affected about the zika virus. president santos said there were no records of microcephalilinged to the disease. it prevents foetuses brains developing and could lead to brain damage in newborns

farmers in greece stage protests against austerity measures, they are blockading key routes out of athens and cross inns into bull gar why and turkey. it's the third ta of strikes. >> reporter: farmers complain that the government will charge them a third of their income. 26% is paid for tax. put them together, and they'll pay the government 53% of income. on top of that you have to add solidarity tax, professional tax and property tax, other measures applied to farmers and other workers in greece. giving away roughly 60% of their income to the government farmers

say will make them nonviable. they need capital to invest in seed, fertilise are, pesticide and feed their family until they earn next year's sale. they don't have money coming in on a constant basis. political stakes for the government are high. if they don't make an effort to satisfied the contingent. they'll look at a million votes in jeopardy. that's a fifth of the voting public by the numbers of last year's september election. therefore it's in the government's interest not to alienate the formers. if the government manages to suppress farmers by forcing the police through the highway blockades and so forth, the image will be irreparably damaged, in view of the fact that syriza presented itself as the people's choice at least nine people in

pakistan, including a 12-year-old girl have been killed in a suicide attack claimed by the pakistani taliban. 35 others were wounded when a bomber rode a bicycle into a military convoy in quetta. it's the latest in a series of attacks home to the planned route of the china pakistan economic corridor. >> direct peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban are expected to take place by the end of the month. officials from afghanistan, pakistan, united states and china met in islamabad to pave the way for negotiations. efforts to resume talks come as afghan forces suffer losses. we have this report from kabul. >> reporter: here in kabul, new city bakery, they are busy making the morning batch of bread. they are busy selling it. the afghan government's latest

effort to revive peace talks with the taliban are hard by at the forfront of their minds. >> don't know anything about it. >> these discussions are no use. >> the mood here reflects how many feel about the prospects of peace talks with the taliban. the afghan government has been pushing for peace talks for years out success. that is 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 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 control more territory than at any time since international forces invaded in 2001. to make matters worse, there's concern about the emergence of i.s.i.l. in afghanistan. despite the doom and gloom, afghan lawmakers are hopeful. >> i have to be cautiously optimistic. the taliban know 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 and be part of the political life in afghanistan, you have to reconcile. >> for now, reconciliation and peace are distant prospects, and many afghans are no longer following news 18 civilians have been

killed in an air raid east of the iraqi city of ramadi, the army has been trying to clear out remaining i.s.i.l. fighters. ramadi was captured in 2015. government forces have retaken much of the city three people have been killed in an explosion in mogadishu. an airport security official, the target, survived, but three others were killed when a bomb exploded outside a shop. it was a bomb that blew a whole, in a plane that had to make an emergency landing. one died. two injured. the minister says the bomb was meant to kill everyone on board. the incident on the air bus plane happened on tuesday. >> the main indian nepal border crossing is open to traffic for the first time in five months. protesters from the minority

blockadeded the crossing, demanding more right in the constitution. >> the closure led to food and fuel shortage. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: i'm standing on the friendship bridge 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 from nepal 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 trading 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 of 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 of this 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 india in the next 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. it's been described as the world's biggest mass migration, hundreds of million in china heading to their home town to celebrate the luna new year, we goaled one man on the long road where he worked 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 ride 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. the tickets are almost 10 times more expensive now. now a bus ticket is $45, normally it's a few 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 relatively 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 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. more to be found on

everything we are covering, our address aljazeera.com. the top story - thousands of syrians leaving the city of aleppo as bombardment increases possible encirclement of that city. aljazeera.com is where you need to go for comment and analysis and the latest on that. or i can create something that nobody else will. >> she's best know for being one third of the famed group labelle. lady marmalade was their biggest hit. but it was just one of many that topped the charts. she grew up in new jersey, influenced by gospel music. she was the crea f