tv News Al Jazeera February 16, 2016 2:00am-2:31am EST
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in response to north korea's rocket launch. we meet the afghan who is turning war relics into works of art. the chances of acis peace is remote as many died in bombings. five medical facilities and two schools were targeted in northern syria's aleppo and idlib provinces. the u.n. has called the attacks blatant violation of international laws. france and turkey say the strikes constitute war crimes and syria's president said implementing a truce would be difficult. bashar al-assad said any efforts to end the violence should be about creating stability in
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syria. >> translation: i will hear about a ceasefire within a week. who is capable to bring this all together in a week? no-one. who will make them aaccountable. we're speaking about foundations on the conditions that all these terms are met. the cessation of operations may be did with security the iraqi defense minister has been holding talks with u.s. ambassador with baghdad to retake mosul from i.s.i.l. the army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a base 70 kilometers south east of mosul. iraq's second largest city was taken over by i.s.i.l. in 2014. it is the last day of campaigning in uganda ahead of presidential elections on thursday. the leader was detained twice as he tried to hold his final rallies in the capital. police fired tear gas while some
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of his supporters through rocks. one person was killed. there is one challenger who has been in power 30 years. a report from kam pala. >> reporter: the final campaign rally for the presidential elections are here in the capital. the main opposition leader and his supporters were met with tear gas fired by police as they tried to walk through the city center. police say he was held because he didn't stiblg stick to an authorisingd route and his diverse would disrupt businesses. his supporters don't see it that way >> the dictatorship is so scared of is, that they can't allow to be the supporters. >> reporter: the police say that when they took him, it was not an arrest. >> we have simply asked him and his campaign team to coordinate
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and harmonise his programs with the police. >> reporter: a short while later he was released and back on the campaign tram. in thursday's poll he is running against the incumbent president. he has ruled for 30 years and is seeking another five. this is the fourth time he has run against him. >> the election is because the process, the whole process is controlled by one candidate. announces what he wants therefore. >> reporter: yesterday's planned rally didn't happen. his convoy and crowd was stopped again. police have just fired tear gas.
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his supporters are coming up this road. we're met with the tear gas fired. he was meant to come here and the university is just there. this is exactly the kind of tension people were having just days before the polls. many opposition supporters say they're tired of the government. >> we have the right to exercise our freedom. we go to school but we don't have jobs. >> reporter: campaign rallies are meant to end at dusk. at that point his car was towed to the police station with him inside. the supporters still defiant. he was later released. many are left wondering if this will bring more violence. malcolm web across the border in democratic republic of congo, a national wide strike has been called for. they're demanding that the
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president steps down when his term ends in december. we go live to our correspondent. >> reporter: we are at an intersection like you said here in kinshasa. it feels like a weekend. it is normally very busy, but the people who live here say that it's ordinarily not busy. right now, but we're seeing some activity going on, a lot of activity. there are traders going about their business, we have taxi operators just going about their business as well. there is also a security presence here. when we were coming, the roads were empty. it was still entry on an ordinary week day there would be a lot of traffic. we have been told that many parents have not taken their children to school because of the uncertainty and like you
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said, the opposition says that they want the president to pay attention, to listen to the people, tell him that he must step down when his term comes to an end human rights campaigners in footage from last year. they took to the streets saying that the elections were being delayed. people were killed and the election now is supposed to be held later this year. >> translation: we are afraid because we were ruled by a dictator for many years. people have no freedom at all. >> reporter: the opposition believe they still plan to delay the poll. the electoral commission is yet to publish a new cleared. up to-- calendar. up to 1.24 million dollars is
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needed to organise elections. the government says there is no money. the president has called for dialogue with the opposition. >> translation: the election should be left to the electoral commission. we can't have sideline talks. if he wants to talk about a peaceful transition, we will do it. that is the only thing we can talk about. >> reporter: this time they told people to stay away from work and not take their children home from school, pressure they hope will be put on the p. this is a countdown for the president's term. people say he must step down. most people live in rural areas.
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this ruling party member says that the president support groups in other areas. the opposition is causing panic for no reason. >> >> translation: we are now in february, not in december. why then are people saying that the president wants to extend his rule? he has not said it. who did he tell? he has said that he will respect the constitution. >> reporter: outside another opposition office this man updates the countdown. it is more likely 300 days since the term expires. more than 70 million people have little infrastructure here. opposition groups and their supporters say it still can be done oil prices are higher on reports that oil ministers from russia and several owe peck
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countries led by saudi arabia - op krechlt - are meeting on tuesday. the meetings will include venezuelan and they are attempting to tack ema global oil glut. riyadh says it won't reduce production unless non-opec producers cooperate reporters without borders has rejected allegations and is calling for reporters release. they were detained after covering clashes. the protest took place on the 5th anniversary of mass demonstrations. south korea's president says her communist neighbor has proven it doesn't want peace. park geun-hye has been addressing parliament in seoul about the ongoing provocations from pyongyang. last week north korea launched a
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long range rocket into osht which it says was carrying a satellite. seoul says it was covering for testing of missile technology. >> reporter: the message from park geun-hye was that south korea had got used to the threats coming from pyongyang about nuclear attack and nuclear shower and war turning the city into a sea of fire. now in the light of the fourth nuclear test by north korea and because of this last most recent missile test, the rocket launch which north korea was a peaceful satellite launch from the weekend before last, it is now a time to shifting in action that south korea is willing to take. sympathy says the government took the decision to close the joint industrial complex inside north korean territory as it did
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last wednesday. south korea has ploughed hundreds of millions of dollars into that plant. they said they knew it used currency for its regime for missile and defense programs. south korea doesn't want to be seen with a real international coalition which it wants to lead, it doesn't want to be seen to have knowingly given money to the weapons program in north korea. she says that that international coalition will soon show north korea and the regime of the president if carries on with the program it will collapse. we will wait to see whether such measures can enforced soon after the north korean test south korea and the u.s. announced they would consider deploying the advanced missile defense system known as thaad.
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on monday china said it opposes any such plan >> translation: we have serious concerns over the possible deployment of this advanced missile defense system. china has a clear position. we firmly oppose any country's attempt to the interests with the excuse of the nuclear issue more from adrian brown in beijing. >> reporter: china is deeply uneasy about the missile system because it believes it is aimed not just at north korea but also at china. again and again during the past few days the foreign ministry here has reinforced the message that it believes thaad will compromise china's security. the leadership believes it is a u.s. measure to try to contain china. what really unsettles the chinese is the reach of thaad because it will be able to reach into china. it has a range of some 2000
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kilometers and, of course, if it ever came to war between the u.s. and china, this system would be able to knock out chinese missiles more easily. all this comes at a time of warming relations between south korea and beijing, the south korean president very much the guest of honor at president xi jinping big military parade last september. there is embarrassment here i sense for the leadership that the south korean government is now openly embracing something that the chinese government is so hostile about there are lot more coming up here including pope francis condemns the treatment of mexico's indigenous people. the australian hospital that is refusing to discharge a one year old girl who is threatened with deportation.
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welcome back. a recap of the top stories. fighting has intensified in syria days after world powers agreed to a cessation of hostilities. dozens of people have died. the final day of campaigning in uganda ahead of presidential elections on thursday. on monday the main opposition leader was detained twice during a rally and his supporters were injured in clashes with police. opposition parties in the
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democratic republic of congo have the fears of a delayed election. they want the president to step down in december. his government says there is no money for an election pope francis has been to one of mexico's poorest states. it has the lowest number of catholics, but many hope that the pope's visit will turn things around, especially for the indigenous population. >> reporter: pope francis visit to the chappas was all about the indigenous community. they make up most of the population in the poorest state. he used the visit to side with them and denounce hundreds of years of exploitation. >> translation: on many occasions in a systematic and organized way your people have been misunderstood and excluded
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from society. some have considered your values, culture and traditions to be inferior. others intoxicated by four, money and market trends have stolen your lands or contaminated them. >> reporter: few expect his visit loan to change things, but for one of the survivors of a massacre in which 45 people were killed, including six of his family, it means something to him. >> translation: i feel like this is the real pope in favor of the indigenous communities, particularly because i lost six of my family in the massacre. i'm very happy that he came. >> reporter: mexico's government may feel differently. it has long been a problem area for them, especially famous for an army of afarmers who rose up in 1994 and are still active. pope francis is more conservative predecessors
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preferred to visit catholic heartlands, but choosing areas like this which suffers from poverty and corruption, he is taking a different line. he has used this visit to decree that indigenous languages can be used in mass. people sang and parade in prayed in their own languages. the state now has the lowest percentage of catholics in mexico. it has encouraged the faithful and those struggling in this poverty-stricken state it appears some inmates at a mexican prison where a riot claimed at least 49 lives last week were living a somewhat luxurious life. authorities for the first time entered the prison. they found cells that were decked out with big beds, air
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conditioners, paintings and even an aquarium. >> reporter: authorities have been cleaning out tons of luxury items in a prison of north mexico that was the scene of a riot last thursday. 49 people were killed during a bloody battle. clearly there were a lot of luxury at stake because they have been removing televisions, digital cable, beds that are larger than the standard issue, many statues of the death saint. this saint that many in the trade worship and many. the people of mexico worship as well. this shows how endemic corruption was. the director of the prison has been arrested on murder charges as a result of that riot. it is a sign of just how corrupt
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prisons are across mexico. viewers might represent that joaquin guzman was able to get a tunn tunnel. it will be one of the final places the pope wraps up his trip in mexico the australian government is being criticized after a hospital in brisbane refuses to discharge a migrant baby facing ex-importantation. she has been treated for serious burns after being accidentally scalded by hot water on the island of nauru. >> reporter: this brisbane hospital is where the baby who has come to symbolize everything controversial about australia's refugee policy. she and her parents will get at least 72 notice before immigration firnls go in and take her and her family back to
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nauru. that same guarantee of notice doesn't apply to the other 264 people in a similar situation in australia, but risking deportation to nauru. new zealand offered to take all 267 people to its shores, but australia has rejected a similar offer by new zealand in the past. it doesn't want to give any incentive to people smugglers. you can hear car horns in the background. this small crowd is encouraging their cars to honk their honours as they go past. last night there was a big crowd, more than 300 people gathered, trade union leaders representing the staff inside the hospital among them and students also. >> people are livid. this is the expression of ordinary people refusing to sit
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back and watch as innocent people get tortured >> there's general unease about asylum seekers in this country. this is being brought to a head because it is such a travesty. >> it is putting health professionals at great risk in thaerms of their professional obligations versus what they need to do as said by government >> reporter: they say they will keep a permanent presence outside here. small numbers during the day, but rallies each evening until they get some guarantee that the baby and her parent won't be deported. australia's government will make the decision about bait bee, her parents and the others in australia-- baby a strike by unions in guinea has brought the city to a standstill. they want the price of basic
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commodities and fuel lowered. >> reporter: most place shut down on monday, many workers and students stayed home. >> translation: the trade union asked everyone to protest. we have been asked to stay home and not go to school. >> reporter: hospitals in the capital provide basic services, but other major towns were left crippled. only a handful of service stations were selling fuel. >> translation: the government increased fuel prices by 100%. the government is not solving our problems. where is the ebola money guinea received? it's all in their pockets >> reporter: the ebola epidemic cost too much. the new tax has hyped up most prices. many are struggling to put food on the table. the average salary is about $90 a month. hospital porters make 55,
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teachers earn around 70 but ministers receive a thousand dollars a month and some parliament members rake in $2,000 a month. pensioners are forced to live on $10. a bag of rise costs $23. >> translation: we gave the government an ultimatum last month. they have not addressed our demand. all sectors are respecting the strike. so we will continue. >> reporter: the government is pleading that unions consider the post ebola economic realities of guinea. a similar six week strike in 2007 resulted in nearly 150 deaths and 2,000 injuries. that forced the then president to name a prime minister approved by unions. now nearly a decade later across
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the country frustration returns. many young people are blocking streets setting tyres on fryer and throwing stones at cars. their only hope is to call attention to their plight the trial has begun on two individuals. it is in relation to an explosion in last august that killed 20 people and injured more than 120. military courts are handling the case as it involves issues of national security. decades of fighting have left afghanistan littered with decaying relics of war. one artist is making old war machines a canvass. >> reporter: in afghanistan's former battle fields now graveyards for tank, rusted
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carcass elizabeth of war machines are getting flowery make overs >> i just wanted to try it to see how it works. >> reporter: this woman is the make over artist. the 28-year-old came to afghanistan on a visit last year. like the people and decided to stay. >> reporter: when you told your family i'm going to afghanistan what did they say? >> you are kraedz >> reporter: she turned her tender to relics of war, abandoned by the soef yaets when they withdrew in the late 1980s >> i enjoy the kind of recycling. . >> reporter: it took months to get permission from the afghan army to paint this tank. with the help of soldiers sent along to escort her, she revived the once rust covered snas into a glossy gold hunching of streel with traditional persian
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patterns >> i wanted bright colors >> reporter: this is what an abandoned one looked like before she found it. this is what it looked like after. in another neighborhood, before, after. sympathy insists her work is neither political nor anti war. her only motivation is to have fun and get people to think. >> i just wanted to make some questions in people's mind that what is going on around themselves >> reporter: the biggest impact of her work has been the fact that she has taken grim reminders of violence and war and turned them into colorful attractions where afghans, especially children can come and just have a little fun. >> reporter: it became beautiful, we love it these
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afghan kids say. she says she would like to survey in afghanistan to paint more tanks and murals and leaving her colorful mark on an otherwise bleak landscape more on all the day's developing stores at aljazeera.com-- stories at aljazeera.com >> thanks for joining us on "america tonight." i'm joie chen. tonight we look behind bars and beyond them. as you would expect, there is often enormous stress for the convicts inside but consider the pressure on corrections officers those charged with keeping things under control and in a prison town where so many residents work in the industry, it's hard to make a get-away even after work. "america tonight's" michael okwu brings us a look into
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