you're watching the al jazeera news hour. north korea has launched a long range missile from its west coast. that is despite calls to ban the operation. the rocket launch is a cover for an illegal ballistic missile test says some countries. more than 150 people are burden in an apartment building in tainan. at least 17 people have been killed. syrian troops backed by russian air strikes are making gains on towns surrounding aleppo. tens of thousands of syrians have sought refugee at the border. somalia's transport minister says the hole in a plane was caused by a bomb. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: the somali airbus had taken from mogadishu international airport.

it had only been in the air for a few minutes when an explosion ripped a hole in the fuselage. this footage was shot. >> we saw a hole in the plane and the first thing you worry about is, you know, can we really make it. it was - that worrying feeling was there. >> reporter: the plane was still climbing but was flying above 3,000 metres. one passenger was sucked out of the fuselage. some say he was the suicide bombers but that was not confirmed. the man's badly burnt body was found 30 kilometers from the airport. two other patterns were injured. >> translation: the explosion was not a technical problem but a bomb that was intended to destroy the plane and kill all

passengers on board >> reporter: it did not damage the plane's navigation system. although the cabin lost pressure the pilot was able to make an emergency landing. >> translation: people have survived. the security forces have detained people suspected of having been involved in the bomb that exploded inside the plane. >> reporter: the investigation is continuing. no-one is taken responsibility but al-al-shabab remains a security in the country david sheahan is a professor of international relations and a former u.s. ambassador to burkina faso and ethiopia. >> the efforts haven't worked. it shows a weekness of the government of somalia. were it not for some 20,000

african union troops in somalia, the government probably could not withstand the pressures from al-shabab. but at the same time it demonstrates a certain weakness by al-shabab, even though they have increased their military capability in the last seven months, i don't believe they're able to hold over any extended period of time a sizeable city in somalia. they can pretty much travel wherever they wish in south central somalia in the rural areas, attack amazon outlying bases and even a major town. i don't believe they can hold them interesting that you say things would be worse if it wasn't for the african union force that is there because if you talk to a lot of somalis, many of them would say that those troops are part of the problem and they are, in fact, making things worse in the country. what do you say to that? >> that's a fair point in that psychologically i think there are a lot of somalis who would like to see all foreign forces

depart. the biggest one is the african union force. the fact of the matter is that if they were all to depart tomorrow, i don't think that the somali government forces and militias would be able to withstand the al-shabab force. so you have a conundrum where the african union forces may on the one hand contributing to the issue but the government would likely fall if they weren't there back to our top stour, the long range missile of north korea. we will talk to victor gow the chair monday of the china energy institute and an analyst. before we come to you, i want to update our viewers that the south korean president park geun-hye says it is an unfor givable act of provocation and

is calling on the u.n. council to swiftly adopt a strong sanction. that's the reaction from south korea. we haven't heard any official reaction from china. it is an lunar new year there. but given their previous anger at north korea's previous times that they have launched tests like this, what are they likely to say? >> first of all, what the dprk government did by launching this missile is a series violation of-- serious violation of the peace and security on the korean peninsula and making the situation there much worse. i truly believe that the international community, including the united nations security council and china and the united states will very clearly make their positions known. as far as the chinese government is concerned, i believe it will come up with a strong condemnation and will join the

international community in imposing further sanctions on dprk. i would say that we need to make the message very clear, not only to dprk but to the international community, that what the dprk is doing cannot hold the international community hostage. we need to remain firmly committed to the ultimate goal of achieving denuclearisation on the korean peninsula. it is very important for major countries, especially china and the u.s. to get on the same page in dealing with this worsening situation on the korean peninsula when you say they need to get on the same page, what form should that take given that further - given the previous measures against north korea have at this point not worked? >> definitely. i think so far we have not achieved the goal of denuclearisation. on the contrary, the situation is deteriorating and may even have the chance of getting out

of the control. as far as china is concerned, china has been doing the right thing and will continue to do the right thing and china is firmly opposed to the nuclear weapon program including the launch vehicle program by dprk. on the other hand from the chinese perspective, the u.s. is asking china to fully cooperate and work together, but on the other hand the u.s. is putting more and more pressure on china relating to south china sea and east china sea, for example. therefore, i think the u.s. needs to get its act together and project a consistent message to china so that there will be greater incentive for everyone involved, major countries in particular, on getting onto the same page in dealing with the dprk. otherwise if the countries are divided, then dprk will fail and the situation will get worse if

not in the coming months and years thank you for that. thousands of supporters of the anti-islamic group pegida staged rallies in a number of countries. they're protesting the influx of refugees. the biggest where in germawas i germany. >> reporter: this was their opportunity to show strength in numbers, to link up with supporters from across europe. this is where the anti-islamic movement sprang from. it's followers are fearful of the future >> translation: we will be a minority. in the end i'm here for my grandchildren. it cannot be that i am a minority in my own country. this is the way it will end up being. >> reporter: the people at this demonstration have come here to show their extreme unhappiness

with the refugee policies of the coalition government. they say they represent a growing sentiment in german society and they say they want those policies kad kally changed now. -- radically changed now. pegida's organisers have called for rallies in five european countries. this is in france, calais, which has been a long designation of refugees and migrants trying to reach the u.k. 150 supporters here saw 10 people being arrested. across the channel hundreds of people marched through bichlt irmifgham, but the numbers were lower than in germany. over the course of 2015 this group had struggled to obtain support with dwindling

representatives at rallies. i was told all that changed since last year >> it has been reinvigorated by the ongoing and increasing and enormous immigration into germany which started last september because all of the people's statements have come true. all the statements that pegida talked about other problems turned out to be wrong. >> reporter: that analysis was not shared by support yeers on saturday. the government is broadly committed to its refugee policy, despite the hardening in public opinion, but that policy will soon face a series examination when three key parties hold

elections next month germany has taken in the largest number of refugees in europe. in the first part of our european disunity series, jonah hull reports on how the refugees crisis is affecting the area. >> reporter: it is minus 8 degrees celsius at a self gee processing-- refugee processing center in berlin. the cold is painful, but there are no strangers to hardship here. more than a million people arrived like this in 2015. as many, if not more, plan to make the same trip this year. things have changed. attacks by refugees have turned this. >> we could handle another million this year, maybe another million in 2017, but politically it won't be possible.

politically, this government is obliged to bring the numbers down. if it doesn't, it is the end of this government. >> reporter: journalist and television host uses fluent arabic to help refugees integrate into german society. his program meaning welcome in arabic attracts millions of views on line. he believes the system is close to breaking point >> we are now in a process of finding out if this experiment is working out or if it will actually fail and be of huge damage to our society here. we're at the risk of taking the extreme opposite, like closing the doors again and make getting a very negative attitude towards refugees that hasn't been there before. >> reporter: the refugee crisis continues to place unprecedented pressures on the european union and germany in particular,

taking in so much more than its fair share. some countries are building fences, reinstating border controls, threatening the free movement of people and labor. here in europe's biggest economy, political instability looms with the job of the chancellor herself, europe's grand dam e, under threat as well. >> translation: angela merkel was sympathetic to the situation because she saw that it was a humanitarian issue >> reporter: this man and his family live in a comfortable german apartment. the children are at school. we have obscured his wife's face because she is afraid for relatives still trapped in syria. >> translation: with the huge numbers of refugees coming, it shouldn't be germany's burden alone. all countries should help. >> reporter: which is exactly the e.u.'s problem. a close-knit family in good times, but dysfunctional in a

crisis. these are exception a.m. times of crisis. -- exceptional times of crisis the presidential debate is underway in new hampshire with donald trump back on stage. it is the last chance for them to make their pitch before the new hampshires polls. >> reporter: while the debate is underway and donald trump is back on stage. remember he missed the iowa debate because he had a row with the organisers there. he finished his second place in iowa. he has got to do welcome back. a quick reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. here. heap has to try and turn fans in supporters. people who actually go out and vote. if he doesn't win here, his campaign is in real trouble. ted cruz is going to be on the offensive from allegations that he stole the iowa election. that is what donald trump is saying because the cruz campaign sent out a message saying that

ben carson was about to drop out and a vote for him in iowa would be a wasted vote, so he has to go on the offensive there. marco rubio is going to be attacked by everyone. he is the man with momentum in iowa. he is sitting second in the polls here. chris christie will join john kasich and jeb bush going after him. all three have said a good finish in new hampshire is important. this is where they have staked the future of the presidential campaign. it is a hugely important night. just a few days to the primary, a good performance here could turn into a good performance at the polls diplomats in afghanistan, pakistan and china are due to meet in islamabad. the push to jump start those talks comes amid growing losses for afghan forces against the taliban. our correspondent reports from kabul on just how bad it has gotten. >> reporter: here is the new i

bakery she is making the morning batch of the bread for which afghan bakers are known. this man is busy selling it. the latest efforts to revive peace talks with the taliban are hardly at the forefront of their minds. i don't know anything about it he says. these discussions are no use says this man. the mood here reflects how many afghans feel about the prospects of peace talks with the taliban. the government has been pushing for peace talks for years now without any success. that's why many afghans are no longer paying attention and those who are, are no longer optimistic. >> translation: we haven't seen any results for 14 years says this man. it won't be any different this time. >> reporter: the despair is over

a deteriorating security situation. a surge in taliban attacks made 2015 the worst year on record or civilians-- for civilians and security forces. an average of 15 soldiers or police officers were killed every day. a recent 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 is growing concern about the emergence of i.s.i.l. in afghanistan. despite the doom and gloom, afghan law maker remains hopeful. >> i have to be cautiously optimistic. >> reporter: he says 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 pakistan, you have to reconcile.

>> reporter: for now reconciliation and peace remains such be distant prospects that many afghans are simply no longer following the news still to come, bringing in the chinese new year. will the year of the monkey bring good news for business. business.

the main border crossing between india and nepal is open to traffic for the first time in almost five months.

nearly 70 petrol tankers entered india to fill up with fuel. protesters from the nepal's minority closed the borrower. nepal accused india for closing. it led to fuel and food shortages in nepal. our correspondent has more. >> reporter: some time standing here between nepal and india. there is a lot of activity going on here. until yesterday, friday morning, protesters had occupied this bridge 137 days ago blockading all imports coming from india. it is totally reliant on imports from india. people in nepal blamed india. on friday traders on both side

of the border came over here and chased the protesters away. that's according to the police. this trading point is extremely important. the total loss of revenue from this border point has been 450 millionor. two-thirds of the nepal imports come from this border and the strikes, the blockade from all across nepal, the loss of revenue according to nepal's chamber of commerce is more than 3 billion dollars, and according to the central bank more than 400,000 people have lost their jobs. the significance of this opening of the border has been analysed by different people in different ways. some analysts say the relationship between nepal and india became better after nepal amended its constitution. other people say it is just a

goodwill gesture as the nepal's prime minister is going to visit india in the next few weeks. some are saying that india feel the pressure from traders as their business also was affected badly. for the processes over here, what they've been saying is that for now the border is open, but as long as their commands are not met, it will be going on in a different forum many refugees sought safety across the gulf of aden. our correspondent reports from a coastal town. >> reporter: this is a camp for refugees. it was built on a remote area of the desert. the camp is increasingly becoming the only home for

thousands of yemenis seeking safety on the western shores of the gulf of aden. this man and his family arrived here three days ago. they are from the besieged city of taiz. >> translation: there are aerial bombardments in taiz 24 hours a day. it never stops. the children run into the tents when they hear the sound of the aircraft. i have to keep reminding them that it's safe here. >> reporter: shelters have had no electricity and there is a shortage of water. there are now more than 3,100 refugees here. they might be safe from the conflict in their country, but this camp has not been the happiest of places. they have poor living conditions

and lack of basic things such as r ice, wheat or sugar. we have nothing says this man. the sounds of animals are heard in the evening and wild animals go into the camp which is not fenced. this man says he was riding home on his motorbike when an air strike hit his town. the blast sent the 27-year-old flying, his left leg slat erred by shrapnel. with his-- shattered by shrapnel. he thought he would have a better chance of survival here. >> translation: i need specialized treatment but they just give may pink tablets which they give anyone who is in pain, but they're not helping me. >> reporter: the u.n. predicts

that there could be more than 200 thoufshgs refugees in the whole of africa in a year's time. not good news for a part of the world that is not used to seeing an influx of this mag any attitude - 200,000 a chinese community is the world over are getting ready to welcome the lunar new year on monday. they're hoping the year of a monkey will bring better for tonne after a year of economic turmoil. the predictions from the fortune tellers are not looking good. >> reporter: the chinese new year market is a good indicator of how bad things are. the school that rents this spot here is so people can learn about business is paying 30% less for it and people have less money to spend. >> actually, lower price items sells much better. >> reporter: for masters of the chinese art of predicting the future, it is time to take

stock. this past year, the year of the goat, was predicted to be good for negotiations. some fortune tellers here point to the nuclear deal with iran but a troubled year in the west. >> you have refugees problem, economic crisis and terrorist attacks. >> reporter: for hong kong and china the past year will be remembered for the economic woes. many will be glad to see the back of the goat. there was a big impact on hong kong but investors should not expect the monkey will be any better behaved. >> on one hand he love this animal because they have some human an particulars, but on the other hand we dislike this animal because they love mischievous acts and they can be uncontrollable. because of that we think the coming year will also be a little bit uncontrollable.

>> reporter: all of hong kong's people pels are going good business as people are seeking good future. >> hope to get a good job, decent job. >> translation: don't invest too much in the coming year. that's my opinion. >> reporter: economically battered but unbowed, they're braced for whatever the monkey will throw at them just before we go, time to give you some of the latest lines coming out of the last hour after north korea launched a missile from its west coast international condemnation has been swift. south korea's president saying the action by north korea is under for givable and is urging u.n. sanctions. this is a live shot looking into north korea from the south korean side. pyongyang is expected to make a special announcement about that launch at 3.30 gmt. that's in about half an hour from now. lots more in two minutes.

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north korea launches a long range missile. japan's prime minister calls it absolutely intolerable. with the world news from al jazeera. also ahead rescuers in taiwan pull a seven year old survivor from a collapsed building after a massive earthquake. government forces close in on aleppo with opposition groups fearing a siege on syria's biggest city. welcome to the