ra.com welcome to al jazeera. also ahead in the next 30 minut minutes, police fire warning shots during a night of violence in hong kong. a construction boss accused of using tin cans in a building

block in an apartment that collapsed during an earthquake in hong kong has been arrested. the president is demanded to pay every penny he paid of taxpayerers money on home improvements. we have a breaking story for u you. one area in germany there has been a train crash involving two, if not three trains. thousands of syrians refugees are trapped at the border of turkey. as many as 30,000 people have fled heavy fighting with the syrian army trying to retake

aleppo. russian air strikes are pounding their homes. live to our correspondent. so far the border is closed and it looks like it's staying closed. >> reporter: yes. for the time being. turkish officials believe there is no need to open that border because they're providing assistance to the people who are really camping out on the other side, on the syrian side of that border. tens of thousands of people are on the move and unfolding human tragedy, really, and it will only get worse because the whole of aleppo province is a battleground. there are many front lines and the fact that the russian air strikes have been targeting roads as well as towns, so people caught in the middle of this conflict and the government continuing with their advance to reach the border. they are probably 25 kilometers south of the border and there is going to be a big fight in a

main opposition strong hold. if the government want to reach that border they will have to capture this town. it is heavily fortified. the opposition says they will fight back. the question is can they hold ground in the face of russian air power. we've seen them withdraw from other places because of the bombardment. it is not just that, but the opposition is losing ground to the kurdish group the y.p.g. they have captured several towns in the northern province of aleppo and they too are not far from the border. as the government tries to reach the border, it is also trying to encircle the city of aleppo. the people inside are really bracing for this possibility. >> reporter: there is a fuel shortage in syria, so the people living in east of the aleppo city have begun to ration. they have prepared for the possibility of a siege. the lines have been disrupted by the government offensive. fume is needed in a city without

electricity and the city that relies on pumping wells for water. >> translation: there has been a rise in the price of basic goods because roads are cut and merchants are profiting. most supplies are coming in from the western countryside, but our supplies are low. we don't have enough supplies. what we have is only enough for a few days. >> reporter: it is not known how many of the 300,000 people in the east have left. 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 its allies have not managed to lay siege to the rebel controlled east of aleppo city. the only opposition controlled road leading into those neighborhoods is coming under heavy air strike. russian air power has also 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 main rebel

stronghold of an area 23 a kilometers from the border. the rebels have been fighting back-- 25 kilometers from the border. people are growing increasingly concerned. they have started to leave the main place of refuge for those displaced by the recent offensive. it is a 10-minute drive to the border. there are those who have still not lost hope. activists return to the streets from where the uprising began to demand the creation of a united aleppo army. >> translation: we are calling on commanders and people or else we tell them the people will remove you from power. >> reporter: they also had another message. the people of syria don't want al-assad they chanted. it was a clear message from the heart land of the opposition that winning on the battle field won't lead to peace one sees the opposition

claiming that the russians are going to kill as many people as they can and for the u.s. that presents a potential problem because the russians have got two "enemies", in this conflict, the opposition and ons i.s.i.l. -- and also i.s.i.l. >> reporter: the opposition really faces a real threat. we have heard oppositions as well as representatives of armed groups on the ground appeal to the community and foreign backers to provide them with weapons. they say they cannot hold ground because their opponents control the skies are. they need sophisticated weapons. they have been appealing for weapons over the last few years, but it is unlikely that they will get that pause u.s. worries that they will fall into the hands of extremist groups like i.s.i.l. and al-nusra front. the government clearly wanting to change the balance of power on the ground. it has the upper hand. the opposition is refusing to

enter peace talks because it will enter those talks from a position of weakness. it is demanding that the russian government stop the bombardment and russia says it won't because they believe they are killing terrorists. we know that the u.s. and russia will hold a meeting munich on 11 february and arrange a ceasefire, but it is becoming increasingly unlikely. we heard the foreign minister that says there will be no ceasefire in syria until sealing the border is done because that will block the rebel supply lines. another condition is for the international community to agree who is a terrorist and who is not. it is highly unlikely that they will sit down on 25 february for talks. the situation is very complicated. in the midst of all this the civilians are bearing the brunt of the ongoing fighting the israeli party has voted

to compel nongovernmental organizations to publish the origins of overseas donations. the controversial transparency bill has passed the first hurlgd. it will unfairly target groups to help palestinians it is said. the objections are described as paranoia. the developer of an apartment block that collapsed in the taiwanese earthquake has been arrested. tin cans and styrofoam was found inside concrete bins. it is said to be negligent homicide. one survivor has spoken >> translation: towards the end i had given up because to save my girlfriend i had to prop myself up against a wall but in

the end i had no strength to hold myself up. she would soon not be able to breathe because i had to lay on top of her rob mcbride is at the scene in tainan >> reporter: rescuers have started using heavier equipment but only after extensive negotiations with relatives of people trapped inside. their concern, of course, is that any further collapse could endangerer the lives of the people they're trying to save. they insist that they're not bulldozing the site but merely using the equipment to take out larger pieces of material to get access to the lower part of this mountain of rubble. they have to bear in mind the relatives of people who know that their loved ones are in the lower parts of this structure, people that haven't been reached by the rescue teams and have to get rid of some of the debris from the top in order to do so. as this war continues, this has been a grim prediction from the

mayor that ultimately the death toll from this tragedy will probably be boovp 100 more than a hundred people have fought with the police in hong kong, pelting stones and setting fires in the streets. officers fired warning shots as they tried to push back the angry crowd. they tried to evict outdoor food vendors who were there illegally, that started the outbreak. >> translation: we can never tolerate that and the police will spare no efforts to arrest the rioters. i pass my kon dollences to all those who were injured the president zuma has been accused of using taxpayerers money to pay for his private swimming pool and a home theater

and a court case in relation to this matter will be heard today. >> reporter: right now what is happening at the moment in the center of johannesberg some opposition supporters are gathering here to march to the court which is about an hour from here. they want the president zuma to listening to the public official saying that he should pay the money back. there are 80 lawyers representing all the different parties, the president represented the opposition parties and other people involved in this whole process but these people are just waiting for mr buses to come and they say they plan to march to the constitutional court we have pictures from inside the court. i guess the key thing is this, it's not unusual for a south african president to be called to account, but the precedent

here is the charge levelled against minimum. it is one of a financial personal misdemeanor. he is not there as south african president, but as an individual who did something wrong with the money. >> reporter: exactly, which is why this is huge. africans are saying this is the first time it happening, a sitting president called to account by the public protector. zuma wants this to end and he will pay it back and they say it is too late. they say it's not so much about paying the money, about corruption. why should an individual, even the president, get away with using taxpayers money for their own personal needs. he says he is not guilty. he is only paying back the money determined by the finance minister just to end this

matter, but they're seeing this showing the democracy in south africa, they want him to be health to account. -- held to account back to that breaking story, two trains colliding in southern germany leaving several people dead. our correspondent domestic neckache kane working that story for us. i know it's early days, but as far as we know what happened here? >> reporter: what we understand is that about two and a half hours ago two trains crashed head on near bavaria on the south-eastern border. there are about a hundred injured and several dead. two people are dead but there are reports several are dead. of the hundred injured very many are seriously injured. the emergency services have scrambled all the resources they

can to the site. there are helicopters in place, also scores of ambulances travelling to the spot. we expect a great more detail to develop on this. the two trains collided about two hours ago local time. we expect the numbers to climb on this if one has tvr travelled on those nice big fast ice trains any place in germany, they're basically tgvs, although we don't know the nature of these trains involved in this particular incident. >> reporter: that's right. so far it's not clear what type of train it is. the trains the operator provides are renowned for their speed and their luxury.

they will be keen to find out about what happened because the safety of the rail network in germany is, obviously, sack sacrosanct. they're going to try to get to the casualties to provide medical assistance they can, that will be the first thing, but going forward there will be many key questions being asked about how could two trains head-on because logic would dictate that is not a normal situation. so there must be some cause for this. the investigators when they start their task will be looking to establish what brought these trains into collision in a way which should never have happened still to come on this program, billions of dollars wiped off japanese stocks as the markets tumble. a high seas horror story.

passengers describe a terrifying ride as their cruise ship sailed into storms.

welcome back. top stories. several people are dead, more than 100 are injured after two trains collided in southern germany near the town of bavaria. one train came off the tracks. thousands of syrians are trapped on the border of turkey. only a small number has been

allowed to cross the border. police have fired warning shots during the lunar year celebrations more on one of our big stories. billions of dollars wiped off the markets. they plunged more than 5%. the nikkei fell more than 5%. the rising value of then, the japanese currency, that will hurt exporters. joining now is the chief executive of andrew stotts. what is going on here? >> well, we have to remember the backdrop is we're in a major bare market and wech been in it for a while. we've been in it for a while. it has hit asia badly.

volatility has risen badly. japan is one of the most volume file markets through asia right now, particularly over the last month or so. you're seeing markets close around most of asia and then you've got turmoil in the u.s. and europe and then boom it hits the market. that's already a very volatile market in a time when the markets are closed. it got hit pretty hard. that's kind of the backdrop of what's happening from the way i see if you're a trader in europe, you've just started your working day, if you're a trader in the states, you will start work in a few hours. what do you need to hear in those locations to female calmer and confident because the markets like confidence. >> i think that after such a big drop on-- feel calmer-- liquidity in the market, they're going to see the market has already fallen and so then they're going to have to make a

decision. that was a pretty move that we have already seen. i think it is unlikely we're going to see it continue, but the second thing is when other markets open, coming tomorrow in asia, basically there is plenty of room to absorb liquidity and movements of money that i think you may see a knock-on in effect on in the rest of the markets, but i don't think you will see the rest of asia going crashing down. they're trading a price to book which is slightly above one. so it means you can buy all the asia right now and the future cash flows of these companies and markets is not in the price. we have had a down market for a long time. we have a very volatile bare market, but a bare market is a time that you're supposed to be buying, right thank you very much. the north korean satellite launch this weekend is tumbling it orbit rendering it useless according to the americans. that hasn't stopped thousands of

people celebrating the launch in pyongyang, or condemnation from north korea's neighbors. the government is monitoring that launch. harry fawcett from seoul. >> reporter: the ministry has been talking about what it has learnt so far from north korea's launch on sunday of its long rage rocket. the first, second and third stages all appeared top separate successfully as planned, but the first stage which exploded over the sea to the rest of the peninsula may have been deliberately exploded by the north korean side in order to preventment south koreans from learning too much of the debris. t they will be trying to search for the debris. it does say that the indications are that there have been some

improvements to that technology since december 2012, that the rocket engines may well be somewhat stronger, that the satellite carried by the rocket appears to be double the weight of the one carried last time around and that the maximum range of this rocket may well be 12,000 kilometers as opposed to 10,000 kilometers last time around. as for the performance of the satellite itself, the south koreans are not saying. there are reports from the u.s. officials saying that they think it is tumbling in orbit and is not useful as a satellite. there remains a big effort in terms of international community trying to get sanctions through the u.n. security council. there were three separate telephone conversations between obama, park geun-hye and abe as they try to make sure that north korea is punished for the latest action the first votes have been cast in the first primary of the u.s. presidential race.

people in the small new hampshire town began to vote. the rest of the state will have to wait a few hours to have their say. alan fisher is there at why this north-east state is so important >> reporter: almost 100 years ago a law passed saying this should always be the place for america's first primary. that's why it is so important. the politicians come here through the winter to woo the voters. the decisions here spread through the country. gym gillmour wants to be a republican. he started the campaign here. iowa have a difficult place to

be in. it destroyed four. instead i'm here to start my campaign because this is a direct vote of the direct people in this state. >> reporter: it doesn't matter about the weather, it doesn't matter about the long hours. if you're a p.m.ed candidate in new hampshire, you have to put in the effort. if the people don't like you, then this is where your campaign will end. >> reporter: the candidates will spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars in new hampshire to get their message across. there is a concern that this place is not representative of the u.s. as a whole. it is overwhelmingly white, it has new year new immigrants, high ownership rates. >> terrorism, i.s.i.s. and the general concern over the on economy and jobs, that is shared pretty broadly where you go, but the first two primaries don't

have concerns are urban issues or race or some of the things that you would find being more concerning if you were in michigan or elsewhere >> reporter: the state has a good record of the winners here going to secure the nomination of their party. it doesn't always happen. when most people think of the presidency, they think of the white house and other things. before that comes the breakfasts, the meetings and engaging with voters in new hampshire some flights are resuming into and out of pakistan. the airline staff are opposed to government plans to privatize the carrier. many remain stranded. >> reporter: for hundreds of people across pakistan this has become a daily exercise. they come to the airport hoping

to board flights they paid for, but because of an airline strike, they can't. >> translation: i've been waiting at the airport for the of last two days to fly back to saudi arabia but there are now pia flights and i could lose my job >> translation: the situation is very hard. we don't know what to do. >> reporter: the strike turned violent last week when the protesting workers were stopped by security forces. an investigation is underway to figure out who opened fire at a march that caused the death of at least two workers. their relatives are calling for justice. >> we peaceful protester >> translation: it was completely legal. whoever was responsible, whether an individual or a wider conspiracy, they should be punished >> reporter: striking workers want the government to cancel plans to privatize the airline. the strike is affecting thousands of people. workers say the government should give them time to turn the airline around.

the government says it cannot continue to spend millions of dollars required to keep running the airline. the state-owned airline and other poor performing public entities are costing the government more than 60 million dollars a year. protesting staff they don't want flights to resume unless their demands are met >> we don't want to let the passengers and public suffer, but this is an equal responsibility of the government also to look into this. >> reporter: the government says it is willing to negotiate, but it won't be bullied into changing its policies >> the government will do anything to retrieve the situation, whether it has to show some flexibility, but the basic principle on which we tanned today and on which we stood ten days back or whatever, which is the process of privatization or the strategy partnership, that will continue. >> reporter: some flights have resumed to bring aback standed passengers who travelled, but it

will take weeks to continue completely police are looking for a mexican crime reporter who was kipd napped from her home. she worked for a newspaper in maximum co and dragged from her house. at least 15 journalists have been killed there since 120. a man has been shot dead in dublin in what is thought to be a feud between gangs. it follows another killing at the weigh in for a boxing match last week. that murder was reportedly claimed by the continuity >> ir although there is doubts about the validity of that claim. a giant cruise ship returned to port after sailing into bad weather. passengers called the anthem of the seas, posted pictures on

line showing these shots. they were told to stay in their cabins as the vessel was battered by strong wins and 9 metre waves. it was heading towards florida. you can keep right upped, of course, with all our stop stories at al jazeera.come. talk to us on facebook and twitter as well. >> the warm blue waters off the coast of hawaii, a scene of incredible beauty but a world in transition. ironically this piece of coral, delicate as fine china, is also a sign of trouble. >> today, we are facing the potential loss or massive degradation of all of our reefs. >> down here, climate change is