president obama presents his plan to close guantanamo bay and transfer some i inmates to the u.s. hello, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. desperation on the greek side of the border as macedonia blocks access for refugees. returning to their destroyed houses, coming home after a devastating cyclone on fiji. a real life superhero story

in the running for an oscar. hello, u.s. president barack obama laid out his plan for shutting the guantanamo bay detention center seven years after he first pledged to close it. it was set up 14 years ago after the september 11 attacks. many detainees were held for years without charge, 91 are still incarcerated. he said it undermines u.s. national security and values. >> with that, i will sign the next executive order. >> u.s. president barack obama is hoping in his last year, he can actually accomplish closing the controversial detention center at guantanamo bay, cuba. >> i've been working for seven years now to get this closed. >> his plan is vague, telling congress there are sinner sights in the u.s. where detainees

could be held, closing a chapter in u.s. history that damaged its standing abroad. >> began boy does not advance our national security. it undermines it. this is not just my opinion. this is the opinion of experts and many in our military. it's counterproductive to our fight against terrorists, because they use it as prop began to in their efforts to recruit. >> countering the message of on line groups, he disagrees with the president. >> the negative influence guantanamo bay had, abu ghraib, are going to live on long after they're shut down, so it's almost irrelevant in terms of the propaganda effect of it today is anything lidgeable.

>> the pie partisan will of congress has already been expressed against that proposal. >> the white house has indicated if congress doesn't act, the president might on his own, something his former lawyer says he could do despite a congressional ban. >> it's well within smack dab in the core of his responsibilities and authority as commander-in-chief. >> the president is hoping the majority of detainees will be transferred to other countries by the time he leaves office. for those who left, another try to change the location and color of their jump suits, not their detention. >> rosalyn jordan joins us live from washington, d.c. why now, roz? why does president obama feel the time is right now to try to close guantanamo seven years after he promised?

>> it's not as if the president hasn't been trying, but critics argue that the president hasn't been trying hard enough and in the interim, congress passed several restrictions, including the one that banned him or any future president from bringing any of the guantanamo detainees on to u.s. soil either to be held or put on trial. because of the latest legal restriction placed on the administration, that's essentially why they had to send his plan today. it is worth pointing out that because the president isn't dealing with for example the economic turndown that was happening when he took office back in 2009, that he feels that he has more energy to deal with it, but i can tell you there's going to be a very tough fight here on capitol hill for the president to get his way. >> i'm guessing that pretty much the u.s. remains split about

guantanamo bay. >> that's right, pretty much every congressional republican has come out against the plan, as violating existing law and endangering the safety of u.s. persons. for their part, democrats welcome the plan, but human rights groups who have been pushing for the closure which guantanamo bay said while it's good he wants to get rid of the prison at guantanamo bay, simply holding them in another prison doesn't fix the problem, which is that the u.s. is holding people without trying them or holding them in a legal process that isn't wholly recognized by the u.s. constitution. they're saying it's not enough. when is any of the committee going to take a look at this issue here on capitol hill? well, that's a big question. we're in an election year. there aren't many open session days here on capitol hill, but certainly one thing that congressional republicans and

democrats have said is that they're going to debate this issue. can the president close guantanamo before he leaves office at the beginning of 2017. well one senior administration official told reporters earlile on tuesday that it's doubtful, behe's going to make the effort. >> live with the latest from washington, d.c., thanks, roz. >> earlier we spoke to a former guantanamo bay detainee and now spokesman for the group cage prisoners. he told us while obama's announcement is welcome, the narrative around the prisoners needs to change. >> 780 of us plus were held. the word was told that we're the world's most dangerous men and yet the majority of us have been released and not become terrorists and despite all the torture we've been subject to. in fact, we've reached out to some of our goon bay guards and they've come to visit us in their homes. america is not ready to

reciprocate that. they won't let us into u.s. prisons let alone their homes. the language needs to change from the top. there's no reason using the 15-year-old nearative that these people are all terrorists, we're not. we didn't abuse anybody's rights for the most part. that's the case. >> the international organization for migration says more than 100,000 refugees and migrants arrived on european shores so far this year. on the greek macedonian border, thousands of afghan refugees are stranded for a second day, blocked from entering their territory and initially only allowing syrians and iraqis through. they are now stopping all nationalities. they are staging a silt-in on the greek side of the border. we have this update from the

greek macedonian border. >> the border did open after afghans and other internationalities considered at economic migrants were evacuated from here and bussed all the way to athens. some of the people were extremely distressed saying we cold all what we owned to reach this point and now we don't know what's going to happen next. we certainly cannot go back to our countries. syrians be and iraqis started queuing here. some of them found that there are new rules. those are restrictions imposed by five countries, austria, slovenia, serbia, croatia and macedonia. it's not enough to have the registration paper released by the greek authorities. there's a whole new registration. there's a registration form that will be issued by the macedonians and their registration valid throughout

those five countries. also syrians and iraqis now have to have proof of identity either by a birth certificate, i.d. orr passport. some don't have them because they came from areas where the war was raging and there's no more government functioning there and they escaped, so those will have to stay now in greece, so certainly this is a worry for this country, the flow of refugees keep on arriving here and now those people will have to stay here and wait either to go relocated or ask asylum here in greece or have to be returned back to where they came from. this is certainly creating a lot of angst among the people here throughout the afternoon, they were simply asking what is happening, will we be able to continue or not, but you do get a feeling that these borders are going to get tighter and tighter in the days to come. a french court has delayed judgment on the legality of

closing parts of a refugee and migrant camp in cali. several appealed the closure saying it would vital human rights of thousands of refugees who live there. last week, the french government ordered people in the south part of the camp to leave before tuesday evening. it's likely a decision on the camp will be made this week. we are at that refugee we have more. >> this is the southern part of what's called the jungle camp in cali. it's wet, dirty but for many is home. now, they have told us, some of the refugees here that they greatly value the facilities that they can use, things like educational tents, medical facilities and restaurants where they can get a hot meal for free. they are worried if they have to

move they won't get the same facilities. a judge has said she needs more time to make a decision, so for now, they're staying put. this is the place that the authorities would like the refugees to come to. it's a new camp just a short distance from the jungle made up of heated container. the people say it's much cleaner and much safer, because there aren't people traffickers around here. there are a few hundred spare spaces, still but it's filling quickly. the authorities say every day refugees volunteering to get on buses and go to other parts of france, centers where they can get accommodation and advice on how to you claim asylum in france and start to build a new life. for some refugees, their dream continues to be reaching britain and some people have actually disappeared from those centers, but for many others, the fact that they can get solid advice in safe conditions like this will be an attraction.

>> three days after cyclone winston flattened large areas of fiji, the numbers killed in the storms has now risen to 29. some who survived by fleeing are now returning home to scenes of devastation. al jazeera's andrew tomas knows the area well. he's part of the first crew to reach the island since the cyclone made landfall on saturday. >> it's taken nearly three days, but help is coming to some of the islands hit worst by saturday's cyclone. on board the spirit of harmony, soldiers joined people returning to what's left of their homes on the island. this boat is the second in two days. with phone communication cut, one did an exploratory shuffle run. >> we couldn't get ahold of them. we were the first point of contact from the outside world

with that what we saw is really devastating. >> a day later, this is the first trip with passengers carrying people back who happened to be away for the storm. these are their first glimpses of their homes since. >> total destruction. >> is it better or worse than you expected? >> it's worse than i expected. >> this island used to be lush and green and the coastal villages used to be intact. the ship docked 45 minutes before dusk, with no power, passengers have 45 minutes of daylight to see up close what the wind and pounding waves have done. not far from the dock, this man was sitting in the ruins of his home. >> very, very sorry to see the building to be very devastated like this. very sorry. >> his house is not the exception on the island.

it's now the norm. people say three people died on this island of 6,000. given the damage, that number seems remarkably low. i came here in 2014 to do a piece on what people thought about fiji's upcoming election. i chose this island, because it was known as one of fiji's prettiest. i stayed in this village, look at it now, complete devastation. >> dusk and then dark hid the damage, but not its consequences. many have nowhere to sleep but outdoors. andrew tomas, al jazeera on the island in fiji. still to come on the program, we are in iran ahead of parliamentary elections there, but are they traditional clerics or new technology more important in mobilizing voters. >> popular clock halt bars being recalled in more than 50 countries.

hello. a reminder of the top stories. the u.s. president has given congress his plan to close guantanamo bay. barack obama said the facility

is a threat to american security and goes against american values on justice. the international organization for migration says more than 100,000 refugees have arrived in europe in the first two months of 2016. fies military has been sent to some of the hardest-hit areas as the number of dead rise to 29. the syrian government and main opposition group have bat said they will accept the terms of a u.s.-russian plan to halt fighting. the opposition agreement is conditional on end to airstrikes on civilians. the deal does not cover operations against the nusra front or islamic state of iraq and the levant. al jazeera reports from the turkish city. >> on the offensive and making gains, isil fighters say they've taken control of the country side in aleppo, saying they've killed a number of syrian soldiers in this battle.

the village is on a supply route for the province and neighboring province. aleppo city has fighting continuing. fighting from a number of rebel groups are fighting democratic forces, which is dominate by the syrian kurdish fighters known as y.p.g. monitoring developments closely is turkey. it rewards the group under the kurdistan workers party, the p.k.k. turkey said it won't stand by as the kurdish fighters move against the rebels. >> chaos in syria providing an atmosphere for terror organizations like daish, al-nusra and the y.p.g. to spread. syria is exporting terrorism. turkey is suffering the most from the threats and being affected from the attacks rooted in syria. >> now there is a chance of a

deal reached between the u.s. and russia will brick ceasefire by saturday. the idea excludes isil and the al-nusra front and all rebel groups who do not submit to a cessation of has tilts. they want guarantees that the rebel groups will not be targeted under the explanation it is attacking isil and al-nusra. al jazeera. libyan security sources confirmed the arrival of french special forces. 180 soldiers landed in the international airport east of

benghazi. iran is preparing for two crucial elections later this week, one for parliament and other that elects the next supreme leader. hardliners and conservatives face the prospect of perhaps losing control of parliament for the first time in a decade. >> iran's old guard is rallying round. they formed an alliance of conservatives and hardliners. these clerics are being briefed to tell people it's their duty to turnout, vote and give support. >> the enemy wants to infiltrate. america wants to get in again through the back door. it wants to infiltrate our centers of decision making. >> an array of candidates in one of the most hotly contested elections in a decade.

emphasis is placed on mosques for their networking. they are connecting with the tech savvy people. one look at the coffee shop culture shows whatever the restrictions and websites, facebook is band along with twitter, people are maintaining communication. one teacher wants an end to these restrictions. >> it really matters to me. i do care about it, because as a human being, we all have right to travel armed the world. >> it would be wrong to say there's outright dissent here, but the people do want change. >> one of the most important achievements of rouhani is fulfilling his promise to get sanctions lifted. it's made people happy after eight different years.

>> the popularity of moderate president rouhani seen here at an awards ceremony for his negotiations in a nuclear deal is rising. hard liner have control of key islamic institutions. the conservative guardian council throughout moderates and reformers, more than half of those wanting to stand in the parliamentary elections. it also barred nearly 80% of those wanting to be candidates in the assembly of experts. that's the body which will eventually choose the next supreme leader after the ayatollah. >> absolute power still lies with the supreme leader even if the conservatives and hardliners do lose control of parliament. al jazeera, tehran. thousands of people have been protestinging india's

capital, furious about the suicide of a student who was allegedly the victim of caste prejudice. >> they came in the thousands from around the country, protesting the suicide of the student, a post graduate student from the southern city who claimed to be a victim of caste base discrimination. >> we've come for justice. etches murdered. we raise our voice but no one heard us. we thought we need to come to deli to be heard. that's why so many of us have come. >> as the march went on, more students and activists joined. >> the protest focuses on the

death and the discrimination faced by students on campuses across the country. with recent events here in the capital, issues that freedom of speech clearly have strong feelings among the crowd. >> these marchers also protesting sedition charges against several students after a video appeared to show several people making so called antinational remarks earlier this month. the students deny involvement. >> south of mumbai last year, students at the film and television institution protested the oh appointment of a new chairman. some claim peaceful dissent and freedom of speech are under attack at a time students and others want to challenge.

several kilometers from the march, the parliamentary session began. the prime minister who has remained silent, evidently not wanting the protest to stall parliamentary work. >> i hope the parliamentary session will be used for intense debate, criticism of the government and to highlight the government's shortcomings. this is the only way to strengthen democracy and fulfill the aspirations of the common people. >> several opposition lawmakers came to join the marchers and hear their concerns. everyone here says they want action to stop the discrimination and the crack down on freedom of speech, but no one here truly believes that these issues will be resolved by a single protest. al jazeera, new delhi. >> there is less than a week to go until the oscars, but away from the obvious glamour of

those big awards, there is plenty of talk about ebola this year. that's because of a film up for best documentary short at sunday's awards. we have more from los angeles. 11,000 people were killed by ebola. the illness took hold across west africa just over two years ago. there is still no cure. deep knee, sierra leone and liberia were hilt by an epidemic. >> this is a world away from that horror that we saw in 2013 and beyond. there is a link between liberia and l.a., because a film about ola is up for a top prize in the oscars. it could well take away an award

in two days time. >> the tale of the red cross workers who collected dead bodies as that outbreak took hold. it is up for best documentary short. this is the sight of the oscars without celebrity, this is real life and death, as real as it comes. >> every day i would fear the worst, could i be next. that anxiety played on my head during this production. i got a small glimmer of what it was like for these teams, the level of anxiety they were working under is intense. body team 12 is a tribute. >> it tells the story of a nurse ostracized by her community because she went to help in a place where few others would dare. there is hope here, too. >> liberia as a country had gone through a brutal civil we're. it's a shell of a nation. if you here these brave liberians are fighting for their

nation, families and ultimately for you the, the rest of the world. >> it has won best documentary short at tribeca film festival. it is essential that tales like this are third. >> it's a superhero story about bravery and people who did something at a time when the whole world was afraid. if we hadn't captured this moment, these brave people wouldn't be remembered for what they did. >> how many more victims could have died? >> what did we do to help liberia? >> al jazeera, los angeles. the chocolate maker mars recalled products from 55 countries. it follows the discovery of bits of plastic in one of its chocolates in the netherlands. the product involved were made in the netherlands and have best before days of january, 2017.

a full list of items can be found on the company's website. you can find out much more about many of the stories we're covering over on our website, aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. a show about innovations that can change lives. >> the science of fighting a humanity and we are doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. . >> tonight "techknow" vets the virus hunters. >> we want to understand the evolution of these pathogens. >> this team deals with the