>> angela merkel condemns the russia airstrikes that force thousands to flee syria. hello there, i'm felicity barr. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the eight-year-old girl is pulled alive from a taiwanese apartment block 16 hours after it was toppled by an earthquake. power vacuum the u.n. urges haiti to form a new government quickly as protests grow. and why ancient traditions to welcome in the lunar new year are changing in china.

hello, we begin in syria where new refugee camps are being built to house the thousands of people who fled fighting around aleppo where government and opposition forces are locked in a battle for control. 30,000 people are now braving the cold at the turkish border hoping to cross to safety. turkey's prime minister said that they will be allowed to cross, quote, when necessary. the crisis dominated the discussions with the german chancellor in ankara. they agreed on new steps to halt the flow from syria. angela merkel was highly critical of russia saying they are government was not just appalled but horrified at the suffering caused by the airstrikes in syria. all this as 33 people died when their boats sank trying to cross from turkey to greece. after that meeting in turkey,

angela merkel said that the averag refugee crisis is a burden for all of unity. >> we stand against any barbaric action, any indiscriminate bombing of the syrian people. >> we are shocked to see the suffering by the bombardment as well as russian jets. we have to remember the resolution from disease which russia did agree to, but the security council demands all sides immediately cease any operations against civilians. this is why germany and turkey will be at the u.n. demanding respect of the resolution signed by russia. >> 70,000 people are now trying to make their way into turkey. we're joined live in turkey. so how far are those government

forces from the government forces? >> well, the government troops are south of the turkey border. we all know what their objective is, that is to reach the border to choke the opposition, but before the government and it's allies are able to advance, they're going to have to confront the opposition in the town that is a main rebel stronghold. when i say heavily fortified, that is because the rebels were over at war really with isil in that area. so they are appropriate for any attacks. but the problem is that they are not able to confront russian airstrikes, and throughout the day there have been intense bo bomb batterment all across the northern country side of aleppo.

but the government and their allies are not the only force on the ground taking territory from the opposition. there is the kurdish armed group the ypg, which have been capturing towns from the opposition coinciding with this government offensive. now the ypg and the government officially are not allies. we do not know if there are any official across, but they still have not turned their guns against each other. and they have not turned their guns against each other really over the past few years. now the government is trying to reach the border but it's also trying to encircle the city of aleppo, and those in the east are preparing for such an eventuallity. >> there is a fuel shortage in syria so the people living in the opposition controlled east are preparing for the possibility of a senior. already supply lines have been disrupted by the government offensive. fuel is needed, and the city

that relies on pumping wells for water. >> there has been a rise in the rise of basic goods because roads are cut and most of the supplies are now coming in from the western countryside. our supplies, we don't have enough supplies. what we have is only enough for a few days. >> it is not known how many of the 3,000 people in the east have left. but there are those who are too poor to pay for a ride out. a siege would only cause more suffering in a city devastated by years of war. the syrian government and it's allies still have not managed to lay siege to the rebel controlled east of aleppo city. the road leading in those neighbors is coming under heavy airstrikes. russian air power has allowed the government to advance towards the border with turkey. >> they have expanded their control entering town after town as they try to reach the strong

hold of a town 25 kilometers from the border. the rebels have been fighting back. but on many fronts they've had to withdraw because of heavy aerial bombardment, and people are growing concerned. they're starting to leave the main place of refuge for those displaced by the offensive. it's a ten-minute drive to the border. but there are those who still have not lost hope. activists demand the creation of an aleppo army. >> we're calling on commanders and the people of aleppo. people will remove them from power. >> they also had another message. the people of syria don't want bashar al-assad, they chanted. it was a clear message from the heartland of the opposition that winning on the battlefield won't lead to peace. >> u.n. investors have revealed

evidence of war crimes in syria. the report focused on the deaths of detainees held by the government, opposition and so-called extremist groups. investigators say that detainees are dying on a scale of extermination. many deaths have been caused by injuries during tour door or abuse by security or rival groups. a pattern has emerged since the start of the conflict in which civilians are arbitrarilily arrested for supporting the opposition. >> the massive scale of deaths suggest that responsible for crime against humanity becaus. >> canada has announced it will pull out all six of its jets from the u.s.-led coalition

against isil. president trudeau said that the airstrikes were not effective in the long term. >> it is important to understand that while airstrike operations can be very useful to achieve short-term military and territorial gains, they do not on their own achieve long-term stability for local communities. the canadian armed forces will now be allocating more military resources to training iraqi security forces. we will be supporting and empowering local forces to take their fight directly to isil so that criminal meter by kilometer they can reclaim their homes, their land, and their future. >> the greek cost guard said that 2,000 refugees have been rescued on monday trying to reach greece in inflatable boats. this as porters of the golden

dawn demonstrate on the policies against thpolicies on refugee. you crane health ministry say that 180 people have died from swine flu since last september. the virus has been found in eastern ukraine, which the kiev government is no long center control of. the virus is a disease contracted through contact between humans and pigs. rescuings arrescueers are pulling out victim of saturday's earthquake in taiwan. an eight-year-old girl along with a whom who is believed to be her aunt was pulled out of the debris from the quake. more than a 100 people are still buried under the rubble in the

city. >> a short distance from the collapsed building, this temple is busier than usual. >> the earthquake made us very fearful and we're still afraid. >> we pray to the gods for those who are still trapped inside. >> this tragedy is overshadowed the lunar new year for many in taiwan, but it may have stirred others to join their efforts to do whatever they can offering up prayers in the hope more lives can be saved. >> on the grounds of the temple some of the volunteer groups in charities have made their base. a rescue team came from taiwan. on their first michigan they

helped to save a life. >> although we can't be with our families if we can save someone's life then it's worthwhile. >> at the apartment complex the collapse in saturday's quake trapping hundreds inside rescuers continue to find survivors, but time is running out. rescuers have to decide whether to bring in heavy lifting gear to reach anybody trapped below this mountain of republic. the danger is causing further collapse that might endanger life. but for relatives of those still inside it might be their only hope. rob mcbride, al jazeera, taiwan. >> there have been celebrations in north korea's capital after sunday's rocket launch. thousands of people gathered for a parade to mark the event. that was followed by ten minutes of fireworks display. the launch drew sharp international condemnation and threats of new sanctions. the government said that the

rocket was carrying a satellite. meanwhile, the diplomatic fall outs from sunday's rocket launch has continued. japan said it is previousing tougher sanctions and adding to the tensions south korea has fired shots at a patrol boat after it crossed a disputed boundary in the yellow sea. harry fawcett has the details. >> less than 24 hours after north korea's rocket launch, the south korean defense ministry reporting that a patrol boat came south of the de facto maritime border, the disputed maritime border, the northern limit line at 6:55 a.m. local time. the defense ministry here in seoul saying five warning shots were fired by vessels off the south korean navy, and that's north korean patrol boat retreated north of the line.

within 20 minutes the incident was over. it is lunar new year across asia, and a very big day here south korea as well. south korea said it will expand its broadcasting propaganda across the demilitarized zone in response to sunday's rocket launch. other countries concerned with this is on the u.n. security council after that emergency meeting on sunday. a lot of pressure trying to be brought to bear on china to support much tougher new sanctions against north korea in response to january 6th nuclear test and sunday's rocket launch. >> and still ahead on the program, how falling commodity prices is threatening south african mining jobs. find out when a leopard wanders

into a school in southern india.

>> 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. >> the turkish prime minister said that 30,000 syrians are at the country's border after fleeing a russia-backed defensive on the northern region of aleppo. the crisis requires global help. >> trying to surround the city of aleppo to cut off vital rebel supply lines. and at least four people

including an eight-year-old girl has been rescued from the rubble of a highrise block in saturday's earthquake. a high level u.n. panel has called for urgent reform at the world's health organization warning that the next pandemic could cause thousands of preventable death. meanwhile the u.s. president barack obama is asking congress for $1.8 billion to fight the zika virus. the white house said that the ask will be delivered shortly but did not give a time frame. 4million in south america has contracted the virus which is thought to cause birth defects in babies. independent vote whose are not dedicated to the republican or democratic parties could have a big say in who wins. an official reports in new hampshire.

>> voters pride themselves on candidates. deciding who goes on from here. and who simply does not make the cut. that leaves the candidates chasing the independent vote. that is a difficult line to follow. >> it is estimated that 40% describe themselves as independents. that means they can choose which parties to support, republican or democrat and which candidate gets the vote. a former republican, she now judges candidates where they stand on issues important to her. >> most people are predictable because they stay within party lines and they stay in the box.

candidates have to stay on top of their game to sway voters. the party lines won't do it. >> it has led to more people calling themselves independent. but one analysts believes that many rarely switch allegiance but like the idea of calling themselves independents. >> a lot of research has found that those who say they're independents are pretty consistent voters for one party or the other over time but for whatever reason they still like to think of themselves at independents and say i'm not a democrat, i'm an independent. i'm into the republican, i'm an independent. i have just voted republican in the last seven presidential elections. but it still matters. the independent mindedness behind that sort of impulse matters to a lot of these voters. >> winning over is a crucial test for anyone who wants to president. they can't just bank on the party's base for victory. the voters back in new hampshire don't always win their parties' nomination. but it remains an important stop on th the road to the white

house. alan fisher, concorde, new hampshire. >> the united nations is urging haiti to quickly form a new government whatever president michel martelly stepped down. they must use a caretaker until elections can be held. >> haitians were supposed to be holding carnival, instead, carnival festivity were canceled due to fears of violence. yet again haitians do not have a president. president michel martelly stepped down. they accused him of cronyism. now they say their next fight is to assure a delayed election is freed of corruption.

>> it took the deal a tamper down of political crisis and has left one officer dead. a new president will be sworn into office in mid-may. >> it is very important to insure legitimacy in the country and this is a step in the right direction. >> the last transitional government lasted two years. one thing is certain, haiti's next president will face a population struggling with a lack of jobs, staggering poverty, and a sense of hopele hopelessness. al jazeera, port-au-prince, haiti. >> a suicide-bomber who tried to blow up an airlines jet was thought to be flyin flying with

another airlines. one of 75 turkey passenger who is were recruited to djibouti. he was sucked out of the hole made by the midair explosion which forced the plane to land in somalia. this somali intelligence video shows two airport workers handing laptops stuffed with explosives. south africa's government said that this year will be a tough one for the country's mining industry. low commodity prices mean thousands will lose their jobs as mining companies slash costs. we have reports from the biggest mining conference in cape town. >> this miner says he doesn't want to think about the future. he has worked in the northwest province for eight years. but the decline in loss of privates in mining companies means that jobs have been cut.

>> we don't know how many jobs will be lost. >> it's estimated 52,000 jobs are under threat in africa's most billized economy. many say it's a industry in turmoil with strike over wages, safety issues and escalations in labor costs, efforts to cut expenses are unvoidible. >> this is going to feel the impact more it will be interesting to see how they position themselves moving forward. >> one in four south africans are unemployed. they play a significant role in the mining industry. they say they're determined to save as many jobs as possible.

>> do we preserve the current jobs that are here, and what do we do with the jobs that are entrenched in the mining industry? is there a way those skills can be put back into the economy? what are the sectors that can take mining skills and use them. >> the mining employee 1 million people. south africa's government maintains it's mining industry admits that they have not done enough to transform the sector. it's using this mining conference to attract investments in its ailing mining industry. >> africa has a third of the world's natural resources, but experts don't predict a huge change in demand any time soon, leaving little room for commodity prices to increase.

the question becomes who sacrifice what analysts are calling a mining bloodbath. al jazeera, south africa. >> aung san suu kyi has told al jazeera that they're investigating ways for her to become myanmar's next president. aung san suu kyi's party won last year's election comfortbly but she's constitutionally barred from the presidency, but there may be a way to get around the constitution. >> we're considering suspend or we can stay for temporary section 59 i think there will be no restriction in aung san suu kyi becoming president. >> three people were injured by

a leopard which wandered into a school in india. the counter attacks he was trying to escape over a gate. the chase lasted several hours until forest workers managed to shoot the leep ward with a tranquilizer dart. now showcasing the works of five depettens who have--five tibetans who have set themselves on fire was covered up. they threatened there would be consequences if the artworks were not removed. we have more. >> it could be an artistic statement about censorship itself by blank pages covering up works of art. but that was not the original intention of the artist. the final panelists contain letter letters of five people who burned themselves to death. however, when the chinese

ambassador visited the art summit, he, according to one of the curators, exploded demanding that the work be taken down or that there would be consequences. now we don't know what the consequences might be, but the summit organizers worried that not covering these up would jeopardize future events. china has stepped up it's role in bangladesh seeing its importance for connectivity to the indian ocean. and now artists hearsay they're worried that china could be exporting it's sensor isship abroad. >> chinese communities around the world have been welcoming the lunar new year which marks the beginning of the chinese calendar. it is the biggest important festival. but as we report from beijing some ancient traditions are slowly changing. >> beijing's annual explosive

illumination still dazzling spectacle but perhaps not quite what it was. fireworks sales in the capital are down by half this year. the reasons, pollution concerns or possibly just fading interest in a country that prides itself on having invented gunpowder. >> the economy isn't good. it's more difficult to make money nowadays. only business people can spend money buying bigger fireworks. ordinary people can only afford ordinary fire crackers. it's too expensive. >> other new year traditions are also changing like the giving of hung bao, red envelopes filled with cash exchanged between friends and relatives. an ancient ritual that technology is transforming. smart phone apps now allow yo users to send money that is deposits in mobile phone payment accounts.

this is a time to spend, at least the government hopes so. beijing wholesale market popular with new year shoppers. but where there is an air of desperation to the sales pitch people are spending but very carefully. >> of course, i'm more cautious buying stuff now. i have to look around and get the best value for money. >> retailers say turnover remains strong, but that's mainly down to discounting leading to narrower profit margins. amid the gloomy economic news retail sales up until now have been the one bright spot. and economists say that consumption has to be sustained to prevent the down turn worsening. superstitious chinese are flocking to the temples to pray for good luck. after a year of natural disasters and financial turmoil, but the predictions are for more of the same in the year ahead. don't despair, though, depending

on your zodiac sign the year of the monemonkey is a good year to give birth or look for love. >> and you'll find much more on our website. the address to click on to is www.aljazeera.com. >> less than 24 hours before voting begins in new hampshire, and a new poll shows a sizable lead for the front runners. >> weakness is simply not an option. >> the united nations considers new sanctions in response to north carolina's launch of a long range rocket. days after an earthquake rattles taiwan, crews hold out hope in search of survivors.