turkey resumes attacks on kurdish fighters in syria hello, welcome to al jazeera. these are our other top stories >> he had extraordinary service to our nation and was a towering figures of our time supreme court justice scalia

has died. now the dilemma over who will replace him. tempers fray as republican u.s. presidential hopefuls clash in south carolina. why more and more women and children are being killed in afghanistan turkey has shelled parts of northern syria for a second day. these are the latest pictures of the damage just outside the town of meneg. that's where kurdish fighters have taken a former military air base. ankara wants kurdish fighters from the y.p.g. to withdraw from this area. the u.s. has urged turkey to stop its military strikes to on the y.p.g. around the town of

azaz. we go live to our correspondent. that is in southern turkey. the y.p.g., the syrian kurds have moved in and taken territory which is upsetting the turkish authorities. >> reporter: yes, for the second day turkish army shelling positions of the y.p.g. and their allies in the northern countryside of aleppo. a number of fighters were killed and injured in the latest bombardment. turkey really making it very clear it will not tolerate the y.p.g. advances in the northern province of aleppo very close to its border. we heard that turkish prime minister say that azaz is a red line. that is a bordertown and as of late the y.p.g. has been advancing towards that town. it is not just azaz, they're now

on the outkirts of a main stronghold. this whole area is known as the northern car door of syria. it is strategic, it is important for all the warring sides in the conflict. the government has been trying recapture this area to seal the lifelong for the opposition. turkey wants this area to be a safe zone to prevent the government from advancing as well as preventing the y.p.g. from advancing. y.p.g. wants to link territories to its control in the north-east. it is very important corner of syria. the turkish army making it clear, asking or telling the y.p.g. you need to withdraw from territories that you have captured from the opposition and trying to make them withdraw by the ongoing bombardment, but this is causing tensions with the u.s. the u.s. is calling on turkey to

cease attacks. at the same time calling on the y.p.g. to stop capturing territory from the opposition. a very complicated picture at the moment, yet another front in our already complicated conflict to the u.s. and one of the supreme court's most conservative members has died, justice scalia was 79. his death has the power to shift the power in the court. republican nominees fought hard in a debate a little earlier. first, our correspondent on the life and legacy of the justice. >> reporter: as the flag dropped to half staff over the u.s. supreme court, the death of justice scalia sets off an epic battle between the white house and the congress. >> he was a larger than life

president on the bench. a brilliant legal mind, energetic style, colorful opinions. >> reporter: he was a consistentive conservative-- consistent kon servetive who often tilted the scales. he was confirmed by a senate vote of 98 to 0 after prompting not to transform the court >> i am not going to onto the court with a list of things that i want to do. i only want to be a good judge >> reporter: for 30 years he pushed the court in favor of the death penalty and the right to bear arms >> he will be remembered as a witty and powerful writer, very very distinct >> reporter: he believed in an unchanging constitution. saying founders would have scoffed at bay rights, same sex marriage and others

>> you can't say that the congress is advancing, you cannot do that without seeing the supreme court becoming a political institution >> reporter: his critics say that's what he did. his vote on key five to four decisions struck down issues of campaign donation and helped decide the election in favor of george w bush. in the midst of another election his death sets up a titanic struggle. president obama says he intends to name the successor >> there will be plenty of time for me to do so and for the senate to fulfil its responsibility to give that person a fair hearing and a timely vote. >> reporter: it comes as the court faces upcoming decisions on affirmative action, union dues, the death penalties and requiring employers to pay for contraception.

the president name supreme court nominees. mcconel thinks it should be made by the next president. unless obama can come up with i a common ground candidate, it makes it unlikely he will have a nominee confirmed by the november presidential election. >> reporter: that could mean all three branches of the u.s. government, the presidency, congress and the high court are all in play in the november election more now from al jazeera's correspondent. >> reporter: the death of u.s. supreme court justice is not going to impact people here in the u.s. but also an impact on the broader globe. u.s. president obama recently helped make that deal in the paris climate summit. he came back to say there were new rules that states had to curb greenhouse gas emissions. the supreme court was sending a message to the president said the recalls could not go into effect until the case had worked

its way through the court system. now that he has passed away that the supreme court will not weigh in on this. if they decide the president does have that authority, that it is likely that those regulations will go into effect meaning that there is much more likely that the paris climate talks are implemented the death came up at a very ill tempered debate between republican hopefuls. >> reporter: a moment silence to mark the death of a supreme court justice announced just before the republican debate. the question of replacement dominated early exchanges. the question, should president obama appoint a new justice as the constitution says. apparently not in an election year >> i think he is going to do it whether i'm okay or not. it is called delay delay delay. >> i think we ought to let the

next president decide. >> reporter: ted cruz highlighted the political significance of the supreme court which decides on important constitutional questions >> the senate needs to stand strong and say we're not going to give up the u.s. supreme court for a generation by allowing obama to make one more liberal appointee. >> reporter: there was a bitter exchange on the role that the presidential played in the war in iraq. jeb bush was happy to defend his brother. >> jeb is so wrong. >> a guy that amphetamines his foreign policy from his shows, who thinks hillary clinton is a greater negotiator. this is a man who insufficients his way to the nominations. marco rubio had an awful debate in new hampshire, but he seemed to get back in the groove here. on the subject of immigration >> this is a disturbing pattern

now. ted cruz has been telling lies. he lied about ben carson in iowa, he lies about marriage and all sorts of things. now he makes things up >> reporter: donald trump was his most hot performance yet and he came under attack. but the reality is he still leads the polls by more than 20 points. the death of justice makes the supreme court nomination a huge election issue. >> if you don't win the election you can't appoint a supreme court justice. i hope conservatives will look at this as an opportunity to make sure that we nominate somebody that can win the white house >> reporter: this was the loudest and angriest debate a new united nations report says more than 11,000 civilians

have been killed or injured in afghanistan in 2015. most deaths were caused by groups opposed to the government, including the taliban. the research shows a 4% increase in civilian casualties on the previous year. more than three and a half thousand civilians were killed, almost seven and a half thousands were injured. fighting on the ground calls most of the fatalities and injuries-- caused most. forces opposed to the government were ponl for 62% of those. a 37% increase in deaths and injuries among women and 14% increase among children. our correspondent has the latest from kabul. >> reporter: these statistics were released in a report delivered by the u.n. mission in afghanistan. this particular agency's function is not necessarily to

assess why the violence is happening, but to simply compile a death toll and a casualty toll, but when you look at the rising violence over the last couple of years, it coincides with the gradual draw-down of u.s. and international forces as they reduced forces violence has gone up. this seems to suggest that the taliban is looking to capitalise on the reduction of forces and perhaps afghan forces are not up to the task of fending off the insurgency. the statistics delivered in a news conference in kabul where the head of the u.n. mission condemned the violence called the harm on civilians unacceptable, but at this point in afghanistan no indication that the violence is going to stop. the taliban ramping up their attacks during the winter months and once again in this 15-year

war afghan civilians continue to pay the highest price still to come here at al jazeera, in bangladesh how the government hopes to give people a head start as they prepare to washing on broad. plus quirky romantic comedy on the challenges of dating in .

welcome back. a look at our top stories here at al jazeera. turkey has renewed its shelling

of kurdish positions in northern syria despite calls from the u.s. to halt the strikes. these are the latest pictures near the air base. ankara wants kurdish fighters to withdraw from its border with syria. u.s. supreme court justice scalia has died at the age of 79. he was one of the court's most conservative members. his death on could shift the balance of power in the court allowing president obama to add a liberal justice in his place. his replacement issue took super stage at the republican candidates on the stage. they turned on each other in the most hotly contested show down so far. pope francis has had tough words for mexico's religious elite warning them that they must stand up to the drug trafficking gangs. the catholic leader will say sunday mass in an area not far

from the capital and one of the country's most violent places. there the police and street gangs are among the hazards of daily life. adam rainey has more >> reporter: the sprawling poor suburb on the edge of mexico city. for many it represents the problems and promise of mexico and perhaps that's why the pope is coming here to say mass. hundreds of thousands of people commute to the capital. they work hard and scrimp to save. they're often held back by corruption and violent gangs. this man moved here 25 years ago. land was cheap and he wanted to be his own boss. he succeeded and after being beaten by police he is afraid he will be targeted again. >> translation: we're their prisoner. we can hardly go out on the street. we are more afraid of police

than criminals. >> reporter: robberies on buses are common and extortion. there has also been a ration of lynchings by criminals. victims groups are hoping to meet the pope and tell him about the violence and corruption that is endimic here-- endemic here. reality is cruel here. i don't want my country to have this image. we want international attention so government takes a hard look at its people and works to resolve this huge problem. >> reporter: meanwhile the local government appears to be doing its best to make the area look clean and safe, at least for sunday's mass. i asked him why they're ought pointing. he says him and his crew on out

painting to make it look nice for the pope. the mayor cease an opportunity in the pope's visit >> translation: it is a big big boost in our economy. >> reporter: residents say it will take more from its leaders to truly make the city safe and hope the pope's visit provides the spark for change they need hundreds of palestinians have travelled to the gaza border with egypt after it was opened for the first time this year. more than 25,000 people are in urgent need of using the crossing, including those with medical conditions, but only a frauks of that number have got approval to travel. >> reporter: these palestinians have been patiently to leave the gaza strip for months, some even for years. >> translation: we have over

25,000 registered humanitarian cases in the gaza strip. our best estimate is that one thousand will get to travel during these two days which means there will be 24,000 people need in help still suffering. >> reporter: this teenager is need of medical attention. he lost his legs during the 2014 war. more than 2200 palestinians were killed in that time. thousands more were injured >> translation: he need surgeries and tlerts t we have been trying to get help. we have been applying for permits and renewing them. >> reporter: the economic realities in the strip worsened after that war. more than 100,000 homes were damaged. thousands of businesses were ro destroyed. nearly half of the people are unemployed. they rely on humanitarian help to get by. for some their only hope is to leave. >> translation: i am a student and today my visa ends. i used to have a res deny tea permit in turkey but it expired

and i renewed my vees. all this because of the closing. what can i do. >> reporter: egypt only opens its border cross with gaza intermittently. it was sealed after the military took control in 2013. gaza has been under an economic blockade by egypt and israel since 2007. that's when ham as took control of the strip from the rival faction fatah. israel andy jipt consider hamas a terrorist organization. >> translation: i've been trying to travel since last year. for eight months. i live in saudi arabia and i almost lost my job because i haven't been able to go back. >> reporter: the 24,000 registered palestinians who will not be able to leave gaza this weekend will have to return home. they will have to renew their permits and passports and wait for their chance to escape this

open air prison we've got some breaking news. the palestinian health ministry is reporting that israeli forces have killed two palestinians in the araka area of jenin. israel says the palestinians opened fire at soldiers in the village. 175 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces since october. more details on this breaking story as soon as we get them now to car where voters are triesing between two formers prime ministers in a presidential run off votes. both candidates are promising to end years of ethnic violence. >> reporter: waiting for change in the car republic and hoping for a new leader to take the country into a more peaceful phase after multiple delays. there was no clear winner after a december vote to select

president. a parliamentary election in january was anulled due to irregular larlts. one candidate for president is a businessman who secured almost 24% of the votes in the first round >> translation: the people think i'm sexy, second i'm kind, third i have more experience and i'm decisive, so i think that will guide their choice. >> reporter: he served as prime minister under ousted president between 1999 and 201. he gained the support of the former leader. in a well funded campaign this man has promised a break from the corruption of coups that have plagued the country for years. the alternative is independent

candidate who received 90% of the first round of votes. he served as the most recent prime minister until 2013 when the president was ousted by armed groups. >> translation: i was prime minister for five years. they have seen me develop and i love my country too. we are in difficult times. i like all central africans. we want to bring a solution to our problems. >> reporter: for two years majority christian fighters fought of mostly muslim groups. more than 6,000 people were killed according to the u.n. with a shaky ceasefire holding through 2015, there was an opportunity for new elections to provide a fresh clean start. last month's parliamentary elections results were cancelled after hundreds reports of voting irremember latters. -- irregularities. this time on sunday is hoped it

will bring about change it is thought that nine million bangladeshi migrants live overseas and they send more than 15 billion dollars home every year. many find it difficult to adjust to their new life abroad. in some cases they're abuse offed. our correspondent visited a migrant training complex in dakaa to see how the government is trying to prepare its citizens for life in a different country. >> reporter: the washing machine is a for midable foe if you've never used one before. this woman had never even seen one before, nor a dishwasher or mike wave or vacuum cleaner. most migrants come from a similar background making for a steep learning curve. that's why she is at this training center. >> translation: when i go abroad i won't be able to speak

the language. if i don't know how to use the equipment as well, they won't keep me for very long. they will send me back. what if i didn't know how to use the iron and burnt all the clothe? >> reporter: with the vast majority of migrants going to the gulf states, they come here. back in a kitchen that is more familiar to her a former migrant is trying to recover from trauma. she says she was sexually abused and tortured by her employers abroad. she said the training center was good with teaching about appliances but fell short to tell her how to protect herself. >> translation: i tried to seek help, but nobody listened to me.

>> translation: there are allegations of abuse here as well. are women not being tortured here? we're not consideredials everywhere. relatively speaking it's not that bad abroad >> reporter: human rights watch disagree publishing reports how domestic workers are particularly vulnerable. despite the efforts of the government's training centers, going about still means taking a big risk for bangladeshi women, not just in terms of looking out of place because they don't know how to use a microwave oven a group of independent film makers from saish is creating a buzz at the berlin filmest festival. their movie is a quirky love story that looks at how a young couple can and cannot make use of public space. >> reporter: boy meets girl and tries to date girl. but this is saudi arabia and the challenges are enormous.

in fact, that is sort of the point of this film. despite being presented aas a comedy at the festival. >> saudi has become so much limited in the 30 years, limited in the face of young liberals and more progressive. no-one wants to watch a film maybe on public space. i had to make a love story and then in the background there is the story of the city of public space. >> reporter: if you're wondering just how much interest there is in the film, have a look at this. it is a complete sell out as the film gets its international premier. the young team who made the film financed it themselves because there is no film industry, let alone theatres in saudi arabia. getting around the censors they had to constantly explain to

people what they were doing >> i had this realisation that it was a different character, but for other people it was still me. so when someone walking down the street or driving by recognised me, they wouldn't recognise me as the character but as me, fatimah. >> reporter: the movie which got a great reaction here is careful to show traditional saudi culture in a positive light, but it doesn't pull its punches about the society's problems >> i was surprised about how in your face it was and how likely it was very, very saers matters. -- series matters >>-- serious matters. >> it was fun, a critique to the culture, this is what i think is not so easy to do. >> reporter: they have done it against all the odds and they hope they can inspire more saudi

movie makers to do the same i'm sure you haven't forgot, but just in case, aljazeera.com is where you can keep up-to-date with all the news, particularly looking at the developments in and around the syria conflict. aljazeera.com >> joint military exercises between united states and south korea are regular occurrences. this one, codenamed max thunder - took place in november at the kunsan air force base, 150 miles south of seoul... >> this type of exercise takes place every year, but for the north korean