protests in brazil after former president dasilva is detained as part of a widening corruption investigation. ♪ hello there, i'm barbara sarah. also coming up on the program, france's president slams bashar al-assad for scheduling parliamentary elections next month as provocative. the u.n. reports a sharp rise in allegations of sexual abuse by itself peace keepers in this ten different countries.

and americans join cuba's famous cigar festival for the first time. ♪ the multi-billion dollars corruption scandal in many brazil surrounding the state-owned oil company pret row brass has now sucked in the former president. police have raided his home, and he was questioned by police for three hours before being released. supporters of the former president, who ran brazil from 2003 to 2011 clashed with police outside of his house after he was taken away. brazilian media say a former senator turned whistleblower has implicated the former president and the current president who has consently denied allegations of involvement. prosecutors allege he received

kickbacks from a scheme which involved bribes paid by businessmen in order to get contracts with petrobras. >> translator: today we are looking at evidence that the former president and his family obtained advantages to eventually perform certain actions within thef government it's still a pot sis in our investigation. there is evidence of payment, but no possible motive for those payments. >> margo has the latest for us. >> reporter: it's being called the most politically explosive development in the corruption investigation with the state-run oil company petrobras. hundreds of armed police raided three different locations, and one of the homes they raided is that belonging to the former president. dasilva was brought in for questioning. he is not being arrested but has

been brought in for questioning. he is suspected of being involved or having information or knowledge to do with corrupt practices at petrobras, including the time that he was still president. his protoe -- protége is rather unpopular. dasilva is credited with lifting millions out of poverty, and his supporters took to the streets to show they were standing with him. but those that stand against him have come out as well, and the two slides are clashing in the streets, both wanting to be heard. now this is just a reflection of a deeper political turmoil that has been paralyzing brazilian government over the last few years. this case has been dragging out now, since 2014. ♪

the french president has slammed his syrian counterpart, saying that moves by the syrian president to hold parliamentary elections in the coming months where, quote, totally provacative and unrealistic. the comments came as representatives of several european nations held a phone conference with vladimir putin. russia is of course a key ally so the syrian regime, but has given assurances it will continue to respect the fragile ceasefire in syria. it says the only action will be against isil or the al-nusra groups? >> translator: any other action would violate the ceasefire. we have all agreed there is a communal will that has been observed. we have also wanted for humanitarian aid to be brought to the civilian people.

they are the victims of this conflict, and found themselves without basic goods. and the conflict in syria wasn't the only item being discussed in paris. the french president met the german chancellor to discuss europe's refugee crisis. leaders want turkey to do more to control the flow of people coming to greece. border restrictions are creating a bottleneck at the greece macedonian border. hoda abdel hamid is on the greek side of the border and joins us now live. where you are, of course, is where the bottleneck is. explain to us how you have seen what is now effectively a refugee camp there grow. >> reporter: well, actually i have been here for about two weeks, and when i first arrived here, there were a thousand people who were in the official

transit camp and that was it. you wouldn't see one of these colored tents. and what is difficult to understand is how the situation lead to this. the latest estimate we got is there are between 11 to 12,000 people who are stranded here in this now makeshift camp. the transition camp can't take anyone else. and aid organizations are having a real nightmare to try to organize all of this. the crossing is more shut than open. just to give you an indication, over the last 24 hours, about 320 have arrived -- have left, sorry, managed to go through. you probably have that same amount of people who arrived near this camp over a span of two hours. >> hoda, of course we know that most of this comes from the violence in syria. we just heard from francois hollande saying that most of the

refugees should stay in the nearby countries. from the people that you see, how many of them were in places like lebanon, turkey, and jordan and then seeing that syria wasn't stabilizing, eventually decided to make the move? >> reporter: well a lot of them tell you that they have been transiting for example, through turkey. some of them for just from syria, transiting and coming directly here. some of them had to stop in turkey to earn some money to be able to pay the smuggler and continue their journey. you have a big number of syrian kurds here, and i would say the largest number, and they are saying that they cannot stay in turkey, because turkey doesn't want to have more kurds on its territory, and they have to continue. each one gives you a reason, but they do tell you also about very difficult living conditions in those countries. many would tell you if they had access to work, it would be on

the black market under paid for very long hours. they will also tell you there is not enough places for schools for their children, and this camp is teeming with children. more than half of the people here are women and children, and many of the people tell you we have been taking all of this risk, putting everything we have in this journey for the sake of our children to try to give them a future. >> hoda abdel hamid absolutely heart-breaking picture there. hoda, thank you. now two syrian men have been sentenced to four years in prison over the drowning deaths of five refugees including a toddler. a turkish court convicted the two of human trafficking. the 3-year-old's death attracted international attention. both men were acquitted on a

separate charge of causing death through deliberate negligence. >> reporter: while german officials brace for the influns of yet more refugees in europe in the summer months, there is growing attacks. dominic kane reports. >> reporter: this is a hotel. it should have been housing up to 300 asylum seekers. instead, it is now a wreck. when the fire was raging, the emergency services reported that some people could be heard cheering the burning, and that a few people deliberately hingedered their efforts. those people have since had charges brought against them. the mayor says such incidents will not deter him from providing a welcome to refugees. >> we're not going to let arsonnists decide who is going

to come here, what number of people and under which circumstances. we're not going to give way to these arsonists. >> reporter: but such incidents do not happen in isolation. more than 20% of all of the attacks on asylum seeker centers are in this state, yet there are fewer asylum seekers per capita in sack sonny than anywhere else in germany. and there are other examples in this state. perhaps half an hour's drive away is this town. in this house, refugees are being given shelter. but just a few weeks ago, a crowd gathered outside shouting insults and verbally intimidating the refugees who were trying to get off of a bus. this video went viral, and in the aftermath ministers denounced what had happened.

but given that relatively few refugees have come here, why is there such anti-refugees sentiment? >> people are getting more anxious about the people coming in the country, and so they feel themselves justified to do some kind of resistance, and that's why some of them even take refuge to violent attacks. >> reporter: this is a picturesque town. the local mayor says refugees are still welcome here, but it seems a growing number of people do not agree. dominic kane, al jazeera. still to come on the program, status update, facebook agrees to pay millions more in

tax in the u.k. and we'll tell you why fishmen in south africa feel they have no choice but to break quotas. ♪

>> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. here is a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. there has been protests in brazil after former president dasilva was detained and later released over a multi-billion dollars corruption scandal, involving the national oil company petrobras. and turkey is being urged to

do more to control the flow of refugees coming to greece with more than 10,000 now amassed on the greek macedonian border. well in turkey, violence has broken out between police and fighters from the kurdistan worker's party in the southern region. the kurdish majority city has been under lockdown for the last three months as turkey aims to flush out the kurdish fighters. >> reporter: this is the old quarter. on any given day this place should be buzzing with tourists and shoppers coming through here. but it's not because of the ongoing clashes that continue between the turkish military and fighters loyal to the pkk. check points have been set up. anyone coming through is searched. and one of the effects of these ongoing clashes is that shops

and businesses have been forced to close, which has had devastating impact on the local economy. now there are at least six neighborhoods still under constant curfew because of these clashes. the government says it is trying to chase out the pkk, which it considers a terrorist organization. there are those locals who are angry and blame the government for what is happening. authorities have been forced to put up dozens of families, in fact hundreds of people in hotels and other places who have been forced to flee their homes. you will see there is a constant flow of military vehicles going through patrolling the streets, trying to restore some sort of order, they say, in trying to route out those militants. this conflict has been going on for several months now, ever since the peace process between the government and the pkk collapsed just around a year ago. it appear there is no end in sight. however, the government and

officials say that they will not rest until they defeat these militants. staying in turkey, two policemen have been killed in a car bomb and rocket attack in the southeastern part of the country. at least 35 people are reported to have been wounded in the explosion. the united nations has reported a sharp rise in allegations of sexual abuse against itself staff. a new report catalogs 99 accusations of abuse in ten different countries. u.n. missions in the central african republic, democratic republic of congo, ivory coast, and mali account for most of the claims. >> reporter: united nations peace keepers were supposed to come to the rescue in central african republic. instead they have been accused of sexual exploitation. the number of abuse against the staff reached 99 last year. in a statement it says:

the report further names all 21 countries who's nationals are allegedly involved. the united nations has been criticized for not doing enough, prompting the secretary general to speak out last year. >> i believe the disturbing number of allegations we have seen in many countries, but particularly in the central african republic in the period before u.n. peace keepers were deployed and since speaks to the need to take action now. enough is enough. >> reporter: it was in 2014 that allegations of wrongdoing in the central african republic first came to light. when french troops were accused of sexual misconduct. the mission is made up of more than 10,000 personnel from more

than 45 countries, and the u.n. says it takes time to investigate such allegations. u.n. soldiers in haiti were found to have sex in exchange for food and medicine. in 2003, the then secretary general promised action. the most recent report calls for establishment of a court-martial process. but so far it doesn't seem to be working. >> there needs to be improved vetting so troops that are implicated in these abuses in their own country shouldn't be sent on u.n. peace-keeping missions. there needs to be improved training, and the structure of accountability needs to be reformed. >> reporter: reports from central african republic say women and girls are raising babies who are the alleged children of u.n. troops. rights group has warned that dangerous levels of heavy metals

from oil production have leaked into drinking water sources in south sudan's north. the organization says 180,000 people are facing life-threatening health risks. toxicology tests were carried out, the area has seen some of the heaviest fighting in more than two years of civil war. global estimates show that fish are being caught nearly three times more than reported, and much of that catch is illegal. but as our correspondent reports from the western cape of south africa, small scale fishermen say they have little choice when it comes to making a living. >> reporter: this fisherman and his crew set out for the day's catch. it's a task made difficult by a small unsafe boat, and unpredictable weather on south africa's west coast. >> the water can be very rough, and with the side of the boat,

we can capsize. >> reporter: but the crew is willing to take the risk, because it's the only way they know how to make a living. sometimes they fish within the quota they are allowed, other times not. they say they have to break the rurals if they are to feed their families. leon says there are too many restrictions on small-scale fishermen like himself. >> i have a permit to catch 96 kilos from may to june, but with three children and a wife, it is not even valuable for me to go to sea. >> reporter: he has already been arrested once for exceeding the amount and type of fish he is allowed to catch. this community relies on the fishing industry.

the numbers of unemployed rose here after several local fisheries downsized or shut their doors. >> whenever you need to apply or put in permit, it's a lot of obligations, and a lot of paperwork, most of the people living along the coast, they don't know a lot about paperwork. all they know is how to fish. it's quite difficult, yes. >> reporter: south africa's illegal fishing industry makes almost $400 million a year. poaching is fuelled by demand for exotic sea products which are prized on some asian dinner tables. the quota system is intended to preserve species, but often appears ineffective. >> the annual quota is just under a hundred tons, and the poaching level for abloan is

much more. what is legally coming out of the water is probably less than 5%. >> reporter: these men say they want restrictions relaxed so they can stop poaching and earn a living in safe environment. social media giant facebook will soon be paying a heavy tax bill in britain. facebook faced heavy criticism after revolutions that it routed sales through ireland where taxes are considerably lower. they paid just $6,000 in taxes in 2014. facebook had global revenues of $17.9 billion last year. japan is suspending its plans to relocate the u.s. air base in okinawa. the suspension follows a long-running legal dispute. tokyo wanted to move the u.s.

outpost to a land filled site. the region's governor wants the base relocated off of the island completely. china is expected to raise defense spending by up to 8% this year. the details will be announced on saturday at the annual conference. it may further boost the president's standing. he is positioning himself as the country's most powerful leader since mao. from beijing here is adrian brown. >> reporter: president xi made the rounds of state media recently, adoring journalists could barely contain their excitement. but as they gathered around him, he issued his own blunt news alert. their job, the president reminded them, was first and foremost to serve the party. >> his purpose was to say that the media have to fall in line

with the central party, which means him. that no descent is allowed in the media. >> reporter: online the adulation is even more fawning. ♪ >> reporter: this song, decaded to the president says in you want to marry, marry someone like uncle xi. the state news agency has turned to rap, releasing a cartoon video to promote party slogans. ♪ >> reporter: the lyrics don't exactly roll off of the tongue, the singer inthuzs, it's everyone's dream to build a moderately prosperous society comprehensively. >> he is creating a cult of personality around himself. he is dominating the media. he is putting out a -- a sort of

mow-ist style line of leadership, where everybody has to line up with him. >> reporter: in the days leading up to the national people's congress, president xi ordered the parties 88 million members to study chairman mao's guidelines on party discipline. earlier this year, he sought a pledge of loyalty from his top generals after announcing sweeping reforms, aimed at wiping out corruption, and making the military a more effective fighting force. few world leaders face the economic and social challenges now confronting xi, but his campaigns against corruption and descent suggest that what matters most to him right now is party allegiance. if some party members are recentful of his style, they won't be showing it at this congress. they know to survive they need

to unite behind xi in both thought and action. the annual cigar festival in cuba is hugely popular, and now americans are joining in the celebrations for the first time. lucia newman had more. >> reporter: the smell of tobacco is overpowering, as cigar afish gnaw toes from the world over puff away. competing to see who can produce the longest ash. it's a passion for men and women attending the annual havana cigar festival. >> there are more and more young people in china start to smoke cigars. it's a trend. >> reporter: the same auditorium is turned into a classroom to learn how to roll a cigar. it looks easy enough, but it is very difficult, and people are coming here from all over the

world to learn how to do it. among them george from new york, who says he smoked his first cuban cigar before the u.s. economic embargo that barred americans from bringing cuban cigars into the country. >> my father gave me a box at 17. >> reporter: but until now he couldn't come here legally to smoke them in. now with the restoration of diplomatic ties between havana and washington, a record number of americans are here openly to take part in the festival. >> i thought it was a long time coming, and i'm glad to see that obama has finally opened up the gates. >> reporter: this year's festival is also special because it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the cigar brand, rolled by hand, as are all cuban cigars. this factory was opened in 1966 to make this, fidel castro's

favorite cigar. it was used as gifts until 1982 when it was finally put on the market for anyone to buy, except the americans. now they can buy and bring home up to a hundred dollars with. not much when you consider many leaving here will be leaving with tens of thousands of dollars worth of cigars. lucia newman, al jazeera. nasa has released photos of what appears to be ice on pluto. they believe it could actually be frozen methane. they say what looks like snow-capped mountains stretch across an area slightly bigger

than alaska. more on that and all of the other stories that we have been covering here on al jazeera on our website, aljazeera.com. you can see our top story there, the immigration bottleneck between macedonia and greece. the last person that hillary clinton wants to face is donald trump. that i know. [ cheers and applause ] >> let's move on, with all due respect -- >> verbal assaults and sexual innuendos. the latest jobs number show it's getting a bit easier to fine employment. you just won't be paid as much. and an alabama police officer