this is al jazeera. ♪ ♪ hello i am lauren taylor this is the news hour live from london. coming up. syria talks, the u.s. pushes for an immediate ceasefire after russia's proposal for it to start in march. >> you are out of order. point of order. >> a president under pressure in south africa. jacob zuma is heckled in parliament has the protests continue. mexican prison riot frustrated families demand answers after more than 50 people die in a monterey jail.

and a new window on the study of the cosmos as einstein is proved right about gravitational waves. hello there, aim robin adams with today's big sport stories. the iaaf president vows to fight the decision to end their cooperation with athletics following the scandals. we start with renewed effort to his revive the floundering talks in syria with diplomats gathering in germany ahead of the proposed meeting with rebels and the government later this month. john kerry and his russian counterpart have been hosting the talks. a ceasefire in march suggested by russia. , but the u.s. wants it to begin immediately. meanwhile on the ground there is continued fighting on the ground near turkey. kurdish fighters captured an air

base that was held by the syrian military before it was seized by rebels. meetings in brussel have agreed to send warships to stop human traffickers from struggling migrants and refugees to europe. first we go to james bays. we are expecting a news conference this evening from the three -- from lavrov, carey and stefan de mistura, do you have any inkling of what they might be saying this evening? >> reporter: well, it's been long meetings taking place here in munich. the meeting underway right now coming up towards four hours is the international syria support group. that is the international and middle eastern regional players who are trying, all of these countries, to get back on track. the process that was underway until last week in geneva that barely started in geneva, of trying to get the two sides

around the table to start talks on peace in syria. obviously, that process ended because of the russian bombardment and the syrian military advance. and it doesn't look very hopeful here, certainly on the ground grounds of a ceasefire which everyone says they want, but the russians say we'll do a ceasefire from the first of march. that will give them three more weeks of bombardment and that's why the u.s. is saying we need a ceasefire to start very soon, possibly as soon as this weekend. and there doesn't seem to be any agreement. there is clearly a gap between the two sides on that. i do know that they are also working up some possible ideas on humanitarian access to besieged areas of syria. and possibly i think that is where we might see when this news conference takes place something that is a little bit more positive that can perhaps keep this process alive. but i would say this process is not in a very good way right now. >> and if the process were to

fail completely, then what? >> reporter: well, then you look at what would be the various players plan "b." you have always heard people say that there is no military solution to syria. well, russia and the syrian government, some diplomats will tell you, are already working on that plan "b" and it seems to be a military solution. that's what at this time maps will say, diplomats from countries who are opposed to those two, will say is going on in northern syria rate now. and has led to that big movement of refugees. and i can tell you also on the opposition side, they are looking at other options. they tell me there are talks going on within the opposition for a change of tactics, perhaps taking up gorilla tactics in syria. there was a meet that go took place in turkey a few days ago between the opposition, the turkish authorities, the qataris

and saudis the close allies of the opposition about that idea and how some of those allies might help the syrian opposition if the political track comes to an end. i think it's likely, when we see that news conference that, it could happen we think at any time in the next half an hour or so, that you will see everyone saying at least that they believe in this process and this process should continue. >> james bays live in munich for us, thanks very much. we might talk to you later on if this news conference goes ahead. thanks. well, on the ground in the syria fighting is as fierce as ever. this report now from al jazeera's zeina khodr. >> reporter: the syrian opposition has lost more ground in the northern province of aleppo. military air bays, however, was not recaptured by government troops and their allies. it was taken by the kurdish armed group the y.p.g. and its arab allies. syria's opposition the y.p.g. has been taking advantage of the damascus government's offensive to expand areas under its

control in aleppo. >> translator: y.p.g. militia from the start of the revolution has been working for its own interests. it created an autonomous area, it never recognized the syrian revolution. but it used it to create its own state. >> reporter: the capture of the air base means the y.p.g. is now close to the main rebel-held border crossing with turkey. this has increased concern in turkey, which considers the group and it's a political wing the p.y.d. a terrorist organization. >> translator: p.y.d. has been the unto unstoppable winner it l gain territorial aspirations and stretch to the west. it is not lodge figure to turkey to carry out military operations against the py d in syria while isil has a presence, this will draw reaction from the u.s. and even russia. >> reporter: the y.p.g. and it's a ally the syrian democratic forces are partners of the u.s.-led coalition against isil. turkey has harshly criticized the u.s. for accepting the groups at allies but the obama

administration has made it clear this policy is not going to change. the y.p.g. also enjoys good relations with russia. it's a complicated webb of alliances on the ground in syr syria. officially they are not allies but have not turned their guns on each other since the start of the uprising. it it's not clear if there is any coordination in the offensive opposition in aleppo. what is clear is that the government and the y.p.g. are both heading toward's aleppo's border crossing with turkey. the border towns close to that crossing have received 10s of thousands of syrians displaced by the ongoing military operation. turkey continues to be criticized for not allowing them to enter it says they could safely remain in a designated zone on al jazeera long the syrian border. it would be what turkey wants beyaking as a buffer and stopping y.p.g.'s expansion and keeping the syrian regime away

from its doorstep. nato ships are being sent to the eastern mediterranean in response on the ongoing refugee crisis. the multinational group of frig it'ses and destroyers be requested by germany, greece. >> reporter: in defiance of border controls and despite winter storms and dangerous seize, refugees and migrant continues to attempt the aegean crossing from turkey to greece. this group was rescued on tuesday, so far this year around 1500 people a day are make the dangerous crossing. turkey has taken in some 2 million refugees and now wants helpful the turkish president in a critical speech on thursday warned without more support, you could simply open the borders and let the refugees leave. >> with you put them in a bus and turn them back but we can only do it once or twice, and i am sorry but we can open the doors and tell them have a good

journey. >> reporter: nato defense ministers have been meeting in brussels but the german-turkish greek proposal to send mayo ships to the eastern aegean was only floated on monday this weeks and seemed to take nato by surprise, nonetheless the shipping are being september. >> our military authorities will work out all the other details as soon as possible. and allies will be looking to reinforce this mission. this is not about stopping or pushing back refugee boats. nato will contribute information and surveillance to help counter human trafficking and criminal networks. >> reporter: it will not be plain sailing nato group will arrive the greek and turkish

groupings will have to stay within their territorial waters for it actually work it will need the turkish navy to help nato. one thing is mission is not is an intercept and rescue operation. any refugees that are saved by nato vessels will be returned to turkey. and turkey has so far expressed a willingness to receive them back. but for how much longer? paul brennan, al jazeera, brussels. let's get more now on all of these developments joining us live in the studio is the chair of the contemporary middle eastern politics and international relations at the london school of economics. thanks for coming in. just going back to munich. the stumbling block is the issue of the ceasefire and when it might start. do you think they might agree to that this evening or do you think it's unlikelily? >> there is a big divide between the united states and russia. the united states wants an immediate ceasefire now, not tomorrow. while the russians are not in a hurry. they are not committal. they suggested the first of march. their dog is winning.

assad and his allies. they are not in a hurry at all. they have tipped the scales in to the favor of assad. in two or three weeks the syrian army will be five or 10 miles away from the turkish borders, so the russians are trying to splay the process and the ceasefire as long as possible. >> we are lavrov, kerry and de mistura who will be appearing shortly. tell us about the other key regional players and ma they night bring to this? is it too big i've meet to go come up to a solution? >> you have 20, at least 20 members. so you have the great powers of the united states and russia and the european powers and you have the regional powers, iran, ticker, saudi arabia. so really we are talking about four states. tends of the day without an american-russia agreement nothing will happen. so far there is no agreement. and the simple reason why there is no agreement because the

balance of power favors assad and the russians. why should the russians basically make any comprises from their point of view? without a change on the battlefield, basically russians have already changed the rules of the game. think of the priorities, lawyer actual the priorities are no longer assad. where is the future of assad on the table. the priority is now a ceasefire and humanitarian needs. >> it's interesting that we have had francois hollande the french president saying again today that assad has to be, he seems to be a lone voice on that now doesn't snow. >> the americans make fun. french saying that basically they have a vocal voice why they don't really invest in syria. even though everyone, the americans still say that assad must go, but it's no longer a priority. and regardless of what the french and the americans say, they have not made a strategic investment in syria. while russia has done so, and basically has tipped the scales in favor of assad. >> so if they can't come up with an agreement on this, what do you forecast the war continues

and you end up with a situation where syria is broken up and assad still controls parts of it? what's your theory. >> does as truss hugh mar terriehumanitariansituation. aleppo is encircled by the syrian army. you are talking about the potential for 200, 300,000 refugees. already you have four or 5 million refugees. you are talking about a perpetual war and also the possibility that the syrian army will be able to control the turkish-syrian borders and this would be a shattering blow to the opposition and its regional allies, particularly saudi arabia and turkey. >> and what do you think might change the balance so that you could end up with a situation where the americans might be more prepared to intervene militarily? >> this is the key. the americans have begun to talk about plan "b." kerry has used the term. but the fact is it's posturing. there is no real action. as the americans say, where is the beef? even though the americans want a peaceful settlement, they want

to exert pressure on the russians they are not strategically invest ed in syria. russia has made an investment and is telling the world you have to act on our terms. >> what about the relationship between turkey and the u.s.? because we had on wednesday a lot of criticism from turkey of the u.s. strategy. >> very much. >> how difficult does that make it for them to come one something which actually is a unified plan that is a counter value ballot trouble russian, assad -- >> really difficult. not just the turks, turkey is very angry. first of all they have strategic liabilities. what are the strategic -- mine, goals of turkey? they want to topple assad. well, that's basically now more wishful thinking. they want the kurds not to have an autonomous region. the kurds are gaining more and more territories in syria. as a result of russian support. and also their relationship with russia is very hostile. so basically they are angry not to mentioned the fact that they

have almost 30,000 refugees on their borders. and 2.5 million syrian refugees inside turkey. it's really a disaster for turkey. it's basically it has miscalculated a great deal. it had thought basically assad would be gone in a year or two and basically turkey would establish a major base of influence inside syria. >> always so good to talk to you, thank you very much indeed. >> pleasure. still ahead on the al jazeera news hour. north korea kicks out all south koreans from a joint i-run industrial park. plus. >> reporter: it's been a thousand years in the making. but finally on friday in cuba the head of the russian orthodox church will meet the head of the roman catholic church. aim rory challands in moscow, keep watching for find out why this is happening. and in sport we'll tell you why a lack of icy conditions has made the run of sweden more dangerous for drivers. ♪

♪ south africa's president jacob zuma has been repeatedly interrupted while making his annual state of the nation address. in the end represents from the economic freedom fighters party walked out after being asked to leave or remain silent. and outside parliament in cape town, police fired stun grenades at protesters demanding that zuma stand down. al jazeera has been following events in cape town. >> reporter: they left parliament after trying to disrupt proceedings a number of times and ultimately not getting in to what they say the major issue around president jacob zuma and the influence, the negative impact he's had on south africa's economy and that's stemming from him firing two finance ministers in just a week and some of the decisions he's made that has received a lot of criticism here in south africa. tensions between the two koreas have escalated further after the north ordered all south koreans to leave the

jointly-run industrial park and seized all the assets. the decision to suspend operations there a declaration of war. harry fawcett reports from seoul. >> reporter: on the southern side of the korean border the first concrete consequences of north korea's recent rocket launch. vehicles headed south from the industrial complexion the joint venture that south korea declared indefinitely closed as of wednesday. >> translator: i feel horrible. if it stops operating, companies like ours have to close business. it's difficult. >> translator: we jokingly said it might be shutdown but i was surprised to see it really happening. i feel sorry for the north koreans because they are more worried than we are. >> reporter: as the vehicles start to come through it's clear it will not be a quick process. there are 124 companies inside the industrial complex. getting all of their equipment and finished goods out is going to take while.

but a few hours later it became clear it wouldn't be happening at all. north korea said seoul's action was a dangerous declaration of war. cutting the lifeline of north-south relations. it was putting the facility under military control, freezing all south korean assets and ejecting all south korean nationals. more than four hours after the deadline that north korea had imposed no staff members, 280 of them, streamed south. finished products, raw materials, valuable equipment, all had to be left behind. the catalyst for all of this, sunday' launch by north korea of its long range rocket coming just a month after it carried out a nuclear test. pyongyang broadcast the first footage of the launch on thursday. the whole process guided, according to the commentary, by the nation's young leader. there are mounting reports that kim jong un has had other pressing matters. a south korean government

official quoted as saying north korea's chief of staff was execute today corruption and abuse of power this month. it can't be corroborated and such reports have proved false in the past. but it would chime with a high-level meeting in pyongyang last week where kim i don't think un declare a crack town on corruption and the fact that he had been missing from rocket launching face tiff at thises. protecting greek farm who's have been blocking highway with his their tractors for weeks are now take getting their anti-austerity fight to athens planning to right their tractors to the capital on friday. neave barker met some of them on the road to athens. >> reporter: on the hillside, constantino tends his vines. when summer comes respite grapes will be shipped as far away as germany. but the changing seasons bring uncertainty. the greek government wants to introduce tax hikes and sharp increases in pension

contributions, changes the farmers say will leave them destitute. >> about 70 to 75% of our income to go for taxes and pension. this is not affordable. this is a death of the farmers. especially the little and the middle class of farmers. >> reporter: for the past 20 days, local farmers have gathered at a makeshift blockade on the highway to athens. if their demands aren't met, they say they will drive in convoy to the capital. the humble tractor has become a symbol of resistence. >> translator: our message is for the government to take back their proposed pension and tax measures and for us to sit down at the table to discuss our new set of terms. >> reporter: elsewhere in greece, farmers have used their vehicles to block highways and border crossings, forcing people to take long di detours and brot chaos to the country's roads. in athens the government is calling for negotiations to end the standoff. the e.u. and international monetary fund have agreed to

give greece $96 billion to avoid financial meltdown. but only if the country shows it's capable of economic change. >> translator: what should be clear is that this reform is not optional. merely a contractual obligation of the country. it is absolutely necessary for the pension system itself to have a future. >> reporter: but it's not just the farmers that are angry. in the last month the threat of tax hikes have led to a general strike, and even brought the police out in protest here on the streets of athens. the government's slim grip on power is being tested to the limits. as night draws in at the blockade, the farmers gather to plan their convoy. they know the police will be out in force to stop them. they say they don't want violence, but many of willing to fight if they have to. for these farmers, the seize of discon -- the seeds of discontent have been sewn and now times to act. neave barker on the athens

highway. at least if i have two people killed in a prison right you want in northern mexico coming one day before pope francis is set to arrive on his first visit to mexico's pontiff. adam raney reports from mexico city. >> reporter: witnesses say the fire and riot began just after midnight on thursday, dozens of prisoners were killed before authorities took back control of the prison. the fire lasted for several hours according to witnesses. it is the largest prison in the northern state and it's known for being overcrowded. rescue workers evacuated victims some apparently with burns the on thursday the governor spoke to the president. >> we have ruled out any jail breaks or escape attempts or the use of firearms a perimeter was set under around the prison as well as the rest of the prisons in the state 78 family members gathered around the prison and tried to break their way in. several hours after authorities were still looking for answers.

this happened in the middle of the night and several hours before the governor toll them how many were dead and a little bit after that the names of the people killed and injured was released now the government is saying they will split up some of the prisoners and send them to some other prisons in other parts of the state because clearly this happens quite a lot in these prisons in mexico where rival gangs have riots, fights, kurks all kind of corruption and violence in these prisons throughout the country. >> adam, how does this particular prison compare to the one that the pope might be visiting? >> reporter: well, the one that the pope is expected to visit in about six days as he finishes his tour that begins on friday here, is one that used to be extremely corrupt. extremely violent, it was, in

fact, of the overall drug war that has left 10s of thousands of people dead. adams rainy, thank you very much indeed. still ahead on the al jazeera news hour. one of the oldest surviving nazi guards stands trial for the killing of jews at auschwitz.

in the welsh town taking on global corporation with his what it says is a fair tax system. plus. >> reporter: i am no northeast india for the south ire an games where athletes from eight countries are vying for 1900 medals.

>> at 9:30 - "america tonight" - top investigative reporting, uncovering new perspectives. >> everything that's happening here is illegal. >> then at 10:00 - it's "reports from around the world". >> let's take a closer look. >> antonio mora gives you a global view. >> this is a human rights crisis. >> and at 11:00 -

"news wrap-up". clear... concise... complete. ♪ ♪ hello again, a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. diplomatic discussions to revive talks on syria are underway between the u.s. and russia in munich. moscow says it will begin a ceasefire on march the 1st, but the u.s. says it must begin immediately. south africa's president jacob zuma has been repeatedly interrupted while making his annual state of the nation address. and outside parliament in cape town police have fired stun grenades at protest he is demanding that zuma stands down. rat lete least 52 inmates have died following a prison riot in the northeast of mexico. south sudan's president has appointed his former arch rival as vice president. a decree on state television

saying the former rebel leader will be first vice president without giving further details. the conflict between government troops and forces loyal have seen south sudan embroiled in civil war since december 2013. in yemen forces backed by supporters of president hadi say they are in full control of a military camp close to the capital i sanaa. the camp is about 60-kilometers north of sanaa. its capture could be an important step as troops advance towards the capital which is we held by houthi fighters. the federal reserve chair janet yellen is warning that threats from abroad could stifle the u.s. economy. the u.s. dollar has strengthened against a weaker euro and chinese yeah an and rattling world financial markets. but in north carolina, u.s. manufacturers still see room for growth. u.s. manufacturers have gotten off to a slow start in 2016 and

the strong dollar isn't helping. it makes u.s. products more expensive abroad. and that's hurt exporters. like this. his company power curbers makes construction equipment used by developers. >> and this is where the mold is attached. whatever shape it is, curved, sidewalk, barrier walker ditch. >> reporter: there was little demand for his equipment in the united states after the financial crisis of 2008. >> we lost about 60, 70% of our u.s. business. because there was no development, no residential. no commercial development at all. >> reporter: exports saved the business his grandfather started more than 60 years ago. but now, like many manufacturers, his sales abroad are suffering. so while the u.s. economy has been expanding, federal reserve chair janet yellen says there is reason to be cautious, particularly when it comes to raising interest rates. >> foreign activity and demands for u.s. exports could weaken

and financial market conditions could tighten further. >> reporter: but economists say problems caused by the strong dollar are just one factor influencing u.s. growth. >> and that's certainly going to be a drag on u.s. growth, but one thing to keep in mind is that the u.s. -- u.s. total activity, about 85% of that, maybe even close to 90, is domestic driven. so, yes, the strong dollar will hurt exports, and hurt the economy, but not as much as you would think. >> reporter: there is no doubt the strong dollar is having an impact on exporters like this, but here they say that's offset by the improvement u.s. economy and growth in domestic demand. a strong housing market and the allocation of federal funding to repair the nation's crumbling roads and bridges, are expected to spurn more private investment in products like messengers. >> i think most exporters have a balance, you know, that's been one of our strategies for years

is to balance between the u.s. demand and international demand. >> reporter: domestic sales are once again the majority of his business, and sales overall are up in what many hope would be a trend for american manufacturers in 2016. kristen saloomey, al jazeera, salsberry, north carolina. investment bank morgan stanley has agreed to pay a three had the $2 billion settlement for its role in the 2008 financial crisis. as part of the deal morgan stanley has formally acknowledged it failed to disclose critical information to investors about the quality of its mortgage-backed securities. u.s. attorney general says the money will help pima void foreclosure and be spent on affordable housing. ray former nazi guard has gone on trial in germany over the murder of 170,000 people at the auschwitz death camp during world war ii. he is 94, and admits being a guard but denies any involvement

in mass murder, from munich dominic kane reports. >> reporter: the entered the court an elderly man with a dark past. in his youth he was an s.s. guard in auschwitz, on thursday that past caught up with him. he was accused of being an accessory to the murders of at least 170,000 people. auschwitz was the single-most murderous camp the nazis ran in the course of the holocaust. it's thought a million jews and around 100,000 others were exterminated there during its 4 1/2 year existence. he has admitted being at the camp at the time. but denied involvement in mass murder. the prosecution alleges that he met jews as they arrived, and may have escorted some to the gas chambers. when the soviet army liberated auschwitz, they found the belongings of those killed. mute evidence of the mass murder for which the camp became

synonymous. this trial is the first of four such that are due to take place in germany this year. a fact welcomed by the survivors of the camp, who say they have lived for the chance one day to confront people like him. >> translator: for me, it's only about justice. i would like if the man who is to stand trial, mr. henning, tells the truth by going to schools and telling the truth about what happened then. he should also tell that. >> reporter: very few of the people who survived auschwitz are still alive today. still fewer are those who served with the s.s. there. he says he is not guilty. but it will be for the court to decide. dominic kane. al jazeera. munich. a journalist on hunger strike. he was detained in november by israeli forces. doctors and human rights

groupings are concerned about the 33-year-old's deteriorating health. 100 years after einstein first predicted it their existence sign tiffs say they have finally detected gravitational waves the ripples in the fabric of space time. it's electrified the world of physics and astronomy as it opens the door to a new way of observing the universe, tom ackerman has more. space and time the two basic elements of the universe that once seemed extinctions until al best einstein's general theory of relatively changed our perception of them. it was explode by science fiction in a movie one woo travel through a collapsing time or black hole where time and space meld in to a fourth dimension. now scientists say they have witnessed a colossal merging of two black holes some 1 billion years ago and the ripple of gravity that followed. the. >> the colliding black holes that produced these

gravitational waves created a violent storm in the fabric of space and time. time speeded up and slowed down, speeded up again, a storm in which the shape of space was bent in this way and that way. >> reporter: last september, two facilities located on opposite sides of the u.s., detectived the wave. which lasted just a fraction of a second. the lasers that picked it up could hear it as a chirp. slowed down for the human ear. >> that's the chirp we have been looking for. this is a signal we have mention measured. >> reporter: in the next few years scientists from india, italy and japan, some of whom are here, plan to expand the scope and frequency of such monitoring at facilities of their own. they and a proposed joint u.s.-european space antenna dedicated to gravitational wave detection could discover more than black holes and newton stars. >> we will also hear things that we never expected. and as we open a new window in astronomy we may see things we

never saw before. >> reporter: phenomenon that iron stun en advantages a century ago, now actually observed by his successors. tom ackerman, al jazeera, washington. for more on the breakthrough we are joined by a professor at the school of physics and astronomy at cardiff university. thanks so much for coming in to the studio. i gather you have been studying this gravitational waves field for 20 years or so, how significant is this development? >> this is as significant as gal lay owe looking in to the sky with his first telescope. that completely transforms the way we understand the universe and this opens a new window to observe the universe. where we will observe colliding black holes and knew tron stars. >> these things are hard to describe in layman's terms, but can you break it down for us, what does it mean exactly? and how much effect does it have on our currents environment? >> it will hopefully not affect

us at all, these tinny ripples in the time. black holes when they collide they can create ripples in the way of fabric and space team, these ripples travel to us from very great distances in this particular case, they have been traveling for 1.3 billion light years. that's how far they are. >> the idea is you can look backwards at the kind of the formation of the university? >> absolutely. if we have more sensitive detectors, one day we will actually be able to peep in to the very birth of the universe itself. and tiny fractions of a second after the universe was born gravitational waves might have been produced and those gravitational waves are traveling to us unscathed and will give us a picture of the universe at its birth itself. >> does it affect how we look at the current university at all? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> at the moment the only way we can understand the universe is by using radio telescopes and

optical telescope telescopes any observatories but this is a new new window wherein we can observe the dark and defense universe and use it for not only understanding space but also fundamental physics, what is the fundamental constitutes of nature. these are the things that will be able to us in the future. does it feel weird to have been talking about this and studying it for this long and have this moment where you think actually it's all come together? >> absolutely. yeah, it's taken a long time. it was 100 years ago this year that einstein first predicted these photograph takal waves. but he himself did not believe these gravitational waves exist. and the technology was not right at that time. and it took a lot of time for us to develop this technology the first efforts began 50 years ago and today we are celebrate this

is discover. >> i if you had to boil it down for sort of somebody who doesn't really understand how all this works how would you describe it in one phrase if that's not reducing it to the absurd. >> i think it's a fabulous discovery. it's transformational science which will allow us to gain deeper understanding of what the universe is. compared to what we have right now. thank you very much indeed for coming to talk to us. thank you. now, a standoff between armed men occupying a wildlife refugee and police in oregon has ended. the last remaining four protesters have now left the national wildlife refuge. they have been there nearly a month forcing their -- voicing their anger over the government's ownership of land. for years work has been going onto make it happen, now one millennium after the eastern and western worlds of christianity slip. the patriot action of the oath dock church and catholic church

will meet in cube on a friday. rory challands reports from moscow. >> reporter: the sights and sounds of a russian orthodox service. in the skate schism of 1054, political and theological differences split christianity in to what are now the eastern orthodox and roman catholic words. other others have mit the pope since, moscow's patriarch never has. >> the main topic on the agenda will be defending christies in the middle east who are being destroyed. there have been loud voices from the catholic church and the orthodox world especially the russians calling for people to pay attention. unfortunately these voices haven't been heard. >> reporter: for some of russia's faithful, the meeting is a welcome, if rather abstract event. >> translator: i think any negotiations are good. maybe they are going discuss some issues or solve some problems. >> we hope this meeting will be

useful for people, for the world, for everything. peace is the most important thing. >> reporter: though president putin wasn't among the priests waving patriarchal hero off. the kremlin has given this trip its approval presumably. the two men will sign a joint declaration. as well as the fate of christians in the war-torn middle east, political tensions between russia and the west might well be discusses, too. after recent meetings it seems putin views the argentinian francis as less critical of russia's policies than many western leaders. moscow's main catholic church serves a varied congregation, services are held in polish, armenia, spanish, english and russian. the father going on the trip to cuba, has high hopes. >> when leaders come together and they show their willingness to speak, to talk it each other.

to overcome hostility. i don't know maybe not hostility but suspicion towards each other. something is changing. >> reporter: as historic as this meeting is it's not really about history. in the end, it will be judged on whether the meeting can, in any way, help with the problems of today. and whether it can open a new chapter, a new era of greater cooperation between the roman catholic and the russian orthodox worlds. rory challands, al jazeera, moscow. google executives have been facing u.k. lawmakers for a second grilling over the company's tax affairs. there is a public outcry over public tax regulations which some say are unfair, m.p.s pressed the president on exactly what he earns. >> i understand the anger and, indeed -- >> do you really understand the anger? what do you get paid? >> if that's relevant i'll happily disclose that.

>> i am asking what you get paid? >> i will happily disclose that if it's a relevant matter. >> it is relevant so i am asking you. >> i don't have the figure. >> you don't know what you get paid? [ laughter ] >> chair, let me -- >> well, there is growing frustration in europe over the tax arrangements of giants multi-national companies. in britain the government's announcement that google should pay $200 million in back taxes was widely condemned by many as too lenient think but one welsh down believes its found a way for make sure everyone is taxed fairly, barnaby phillips reports. >> reporter: a small town in the welsh hills hopes start a revolution in how we, the consumers, we they've. it calls itself a fair tax town, campaigners here want large cooperations, google, starbucks, facebook, amazon and so on, to pay the same rates of tax as small businesses across the country. steve lewis is busy in his coffee shop, returning parcels

to amazon, decorated with this message. he wants people to start asking whether it's right to care on using companies that give so little back in tax. >> their brand is their strength. now, if you erode that brand in the consumers' mind and the customers' mind and start them thinking are these guys good citizens, are they part of our community? and if they are not, what are regoing to do about it? but it will require the customer and the consume tore step up. >> reporter: steve lewis would like people to use local companies. and in this town, that's still possible. one of the interesting things when you walk around here, is seeing that almost every shop is locally owned. they are independent. and that is so different to the typical british town these days. which are dominated by the same old big chains. and it helps explain why people in this town are passionate about the fair tax campaign.

steven is the town's baker, always ready to tell us customers why fair tax matters. >> i think what we have to do is make people realize that it's them that are being short changed. you know, if everyone pays his fair share, we have a hospital full of doctors without a full police force, with no austerity, perhaps everyone would pay a little less tax. >> reporter: just around the corner jeff thomas sales clothes for hiking in the notoriously wet welsh hills and a prominent member of the campaign. >> it's a really nice well-fitted jacket. the whole thing is just so wicked. enormous firms in britain making millions and millions of pounds. and contributing nothing to the infra truck touche of the country. as far as i see it's the sort of breakdown of civilization as we know it if it continues as it is. >> reporter: but are politicians ready to take on global corporations? and are we ready to stop search on the ground google, friends on the ground facebook, and

drinking coffee in starbucks? here they believe the future of their town depends on how we choose to live our lives. barnaby phillips, al jazeera, crickhow el. ahead on al jazeera, to germany for find out more on the films fighting for the cough at the timed golden bear. and german football club hire a 28-year-old as their new coach. robin has that and the rest of the sport in just a moment.

♪ ♪ to sport now, here is

robben. >> lauren, tha thank you very m. good to have you along everyone, international athletics president says he won't accept the decision of nestle to end its sponsorship of the organization. the food and drink giant announced on wednesday that they would end their partnership with the iaaf's kids athletics program. they say after allegations of doping and corruption within the sport could negatively afternoon the company's reputation and immaterial i believe. coe says he's angered and dismayed by the decision adding it's the kids who will suffer. are nba yes cents months several sports have been affected by high-profile corruption scandals including football, cricket and athleticss and that has forced several big sponsor to his rethink their position and their relationship with those sports. now, the decision by nestle comes soon after a statement by adidas that said it was in talks with the iaaf about pulling out of their deal. last october mcdonald's and coca cola called for the then fifa president's sepp blood tore

steblatter tostep down followinf corruption allegations cricket's biggest tournament said its main sponsor pepsi would be quitting after several players were arrested for match fixing. football now, the final line up for the spanish copa del rey it's confirmed in the last few minutes villa have booked their place and will face barcelona at the camp gnaw. six had of two of the two legs of this semifinal tie. german club have announced their new coach and would you believe he's only 28 years old. plus he hasn't even completed his coaching exams yet. this is julien, and he's set to become the youngest coach in bundesliga history provided they are not relegated. they country sit second from bottom in the league.

he went in to coach after injury problems ended his playing career prematurely. he returns having been the assistant coach three years ago where he helped the club avoid relegation. mark cavendish has reclaimed the overall lead at cycling's tour of qatar on the streets of doha. norway's man starting with a lead but suffered a puncture and had to swap bikes way teammate. alexander kristaps won the stage, whether cavendish returns to the overall standings heading in to friday, that finishes on doha's [ inaudible ]. through to the quarter final fif the rotterdam open. he is the world number 18 and secured his pass within a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over the 19-year-old. cricket news now, england will continues their pursuit of an o.d.i. series win in south

africa on friday. the visitors lead the series 2-1 going in to match which is taking place in johannesburg. the wanderers suffered a defeat in their last outing. chris jordan most likely to make way for him. >> i am not sure whether this one-day pitch -- i don't think it would be quite like that. but, yeah, obviously the nba the thin air the ball flies further. and on good wickets, with fast outfields you get big scores, so if you get in, you have to make sure that you make the most of it. we have some very hungry guys in our squad that are keen to make big scores. and you know, put them under pressure. >> india is hosting the south air asian games in the far north of the country think more than 2,000 athletes are competing in 23 vents. the tournament brings together the eight countries of the region and for many athletes

it's been a challenge against this is far. a report now. >> reporter: this young woman hopes swimming will be her ticket to a better future. she is a 16-year-old bronze medal i was from bangladesh. >> translator: my family and i had to struggle a lot to get this medal because we are not well off at all. but in spite of this my ma they are provides me with whatever need for my training. >> reporter: this region is home to 1.7 billion team roughly a quarter of the world's population. yet none win olympic medals on the same level as china, russia or the u.s., according to this silver medal i was, this turn isn't a training ground for bigger, better things. >> translator: the next step for me now is to keep training hard with my coach so i can compete at the olympics. >> reporter: but for every victory there are many more who

have reached the end of the road for now. most of india's top athletes reports even here competing. they are busy playing in leagues or preparing for the olympics. so many are asking what is the point of this tournament? this is one of the organizers. he says many of india's best athletes were already engaged when the dates for the south asian games were announced. so they couldn't participate. but india still wins most of the medals here. >> india will top the tally because of its number of athletes, number of participants and many of the advantages that india has, it doesn't matter that other people doesn't have that advantage. >> reporter: sport is also not seen by many here as a desirable career choice. most south asian kids that can afford an education are encouraged to follow a more traditional career path.

but as the indian home crowd cheers its arch rival pakistan before a hockey match. all the political and social differences are set aside. for many, this is what sport is about. al jazeera, in northeast india. the rally of sweden gets underway on friday that's despite a shortage of icy conditions meaning the roads are completely bare of snow and ice for the traditional winter vents. without the protective layer of ice conditions are considered dangerous for the drivers and public. organizers have already slashed eight stages from this events. no problems with the snow at fenway park in bostons, one of the most iconic stadiums in the world for baseball. but over the next week it will be home to some of the world's best skiers and snowboarders. a 43-meter or 140-foot jump has been set up on the field for a competition known as the big a

air. that is your sport for now, back to lohr be and the rest of the news hour team in london. thank you very much. now, the berlin film festival is underway and this year the organizers trying to do more to include some of the 10s of thousands of refugees who now call the german capital home. almost 80,000 arrived in berlin last year. and this edition of the festival is focusing on getting them involved. meryl streep is ahead of the journal that i will hand out the coveted golden beara ward for best film. including george clooney and spike lee there are also free and discounted tickets for asylum seekers and a range of films looking at the risks people take trying to get to europe. quick reminder that you can always catch up with all the news at any time on our website the address for that is aljazeera.com. that's it from me lauren taylor for this news hour but i will be back in another minute for another round of the day's news, bye for now.

>> i respect him as a reporter and i love him as a brother. >> one mississippi journalist seeking justice for civil rights cases gone cold. >> it's not just about prosecution, it's about remembering. detailing of history. >> our special report. only on al jazeera america.

>> this is al jazeera america live from new york. >> at 7:00 - "news roundup". tony harris gives you a fast-paced recap of the day's events. >> this is the first line of defense. >> we have an exclusive story tonight. >> then at 8:00 - john seigenthaler brings you the top stories from across america. >> the question is, will these dams hold? >> and at 9:00 - >> i'm ali velshi, on target tonight... >> ali velshi on target. digging deeper into the issues that matter. >> i'm trying to get a sense for what iranians are feeling.

syria talks the u.s. pushes for an immediate ceasefire after russia's proposal for i it to start in march. ♪ ♪ i am lauren taylor, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. >> you are out of order. [speaking at the same time] >> a president under pressure in south africa. jacob zuma is heckled inside parliament as the row tests continue outside. next can prison riot frustrated families demand answers after more than 50 people die in a monterey jail. and