this is al jazeera welcome to another news hour from al jazeera. our top stories. the governor of greece says they're facing a huge humanitarian crisis and asks for a state of emergency to be declared. hope francis describes the-- pope francis describes an attack on a home in yemen as die local kal-- diabolical. 16 people were killed.

a turkish newspaper open under state control. >> reporter: i will have all the sport, including the latest from the north london der by. it is a great day for scott. i will details later in the program the governor of greece has asked the government to declare a state of emergency. he says they're facing a huge humanitarian crisis. 13,000 people are trapped at the border crossing between greece and macedonia. they want to kurn their journey north but only a few dozen have been allowed to cross. heavy rain has turned the camp into a mud bath and conditions are deteriorating rapidly. >> it needs to open immediately

the borders. the european union needs to implement severe actions against the countries that are closing borders today. whether they are members of the european union. this is unacceptable what they're doing our correspondent joins us live from idomeni. tell us about conditions there right now after heavy rain. >> reporter: well, today is a sunny day but there has been a very difficult 48 hours for the people stranded here. as you were mentioning before, there's a lot of mud pulleds everywhere and we've seen kids walking barefoot in the water. we've also seen tents that are completely soaked. most of these tents are summer tents so the water has been seeping in from the top of the tent. we've seen people who have been

absolutely drenched, kitdz who are-- kids who are sick. there's a lot of gastro and kids with severe coughs and cold. the morale among all these refugees is very, very low. just to give an indication, i was earlier at the crossing point there. it is absolutely congested. you can't walk between the tents any more. so many people are there. when we ask how the process of going through now, the time has come for those who have entered greece on the 17 february. so that is more than two weeks ago. just to show you the backlog that is stacked up over the past - these past few weeks and the enormity of it, as more and more people keep arriving athe islands. -- on the islands this state of emergency that the governor has called for, what practical difference would it make if it was put into

plac place? >> we have been receiving conflicting records as to whether it has been declared. the november nor says one has to be confirmed on the national level. once it is put in place, it will mean that there is release of emergency funds. first, 200,000 euros to help out in this camp to provide more tents and facilities because there is no running water. there is a couple of taps here and there, cold water and that's it, to provide also more food and blankets. everying is missing. baby formulas, milk. everything. so that will help with that, and it will also help with the local community. now, these tents behind mean are on private farming land and the farmers won't be able to use for a long time. the governor is trying to strike

a balance so the local population does not get more angry because the situation is getting out of control tell us about the crossing point itself. you said you were there earlier. what's it like when people are allowed to cross, small numbers of people, small groups of people? is there a rush or there a pretty ordered system? >> reporter: order is not there simply because there are so many people who are stacked there who are actually - they told me that they've been sleeping in the open air, even under the rain simply because they don't want to loss their position and they're-- lose their position and they're hoping to get there. you have parents with tiny babies. elderly people on wheelchairs, i've seen amputees there. they're trying to put the vulnerable people ahead of the queue to get through, but it's not happening.

it's a complete chaos. it's a trickle that goes through one at a time. over the border, there is a new process that happens. there is, let's say, an interview which is carried out by representatives of czech republic, macedonia and through an interpreter. they have to go through that interview process and they have to declare that they're fleeing war. a lot of people were saying they were trying to join other family members who are in northern europe, they were fleeing syria, but because they did not want to do their military service. all of these people are being pushed back. you can see a dramatic picture of a young man who was tearing his military service papers simply because he had gone through after waiting for exactly 12 days and he showed his id and once get - they get searched and once they saw his military paper, that's when he was sent back here.

so there's a filtering process that is becoming more and more complicated. we also heard that they're particularly look at what come from raqqa or der azor. from what we understand, people who come from those two obtains are not allowed through either. - - two obtains are not allowed through either-- two towns are not allowed through either the best known newspaper was raid by police over night and has been reopened under government control. >> reporter: taking a stand against what people here see as a crackdown on media freedom. hundreds of protesters try to block the entrance to the newspaper offices on friday night. >> translation: we're here to defend democracy and freedom.

we're here to defend our basic rights. >> reporter: riot police pushed through the crowd with water cannon and tear gas. by early saturday morning they got into the building. they pushed journalists covering the story out and evicted the editors. >> it has been a problem for the last three to four years, that anyone speaking against the forces is facing court cases or prison or such control by the government. >> reporter: the police were acting under a court order to replace the management of the newspaper. the daily turkish paper has a circulation of 650,000 copies, more than any other newspaper. it is run by the u.s.-based

cleric. he was once close to president erdogan, but over the last few years he has been accused of trying to overthrow the government and is leading what the authorities describe as a terrorist organization. those close to him have been arrested and media groups linked to him have been taken over by pro-government managers. >> translation: such incidents have become normal these days, things you never thought could happen, have happened. we condemn it. >> reporter: the last headline before the newspaper road accidents readed reads "the constitution is suspended" an mp for the turkey party joins us from skype from ankara. it reopened today but under the control of court-appointed

[technical difficulties] >> [indistinct] they did something really against other journalists. not against government. they're part of terror organizations we're going to have to move on because the quality of the line is not too good between us

and ankara. thank you for being with us. i'm sorry for the sound quality on that interview. turkey and iran have agreed to work together to find a common perspective to solve problems in the region. relations between turkey and iran have been tense because of iran's support of president bashar al-assad in syria. pope francis has condemned an attack on an elderly care home run by nuns as diabolical. at least 16 people were shot home in the dead, close-upping four nuns. >> reporter: from a place of safety and care, this home for the elderly became the latest casualty in yemen's war. 16 people were killed including four nuns. witnesses say the attackers surrounded the home and some asked to be let in to visit their mothers. they handcuffed their victims before shooting them at close

range >> translation: they force them outside with their hands tight. we heard gunfire and when we came out we saw them all dead in the garden. >> reporter: about 80 people lived at the home. members find it hard that defenseless old people could be the target of armed groups. >> this news is really shocking. the details that i get is that it happened at 8.30 in the morning local time while the sisters were serving breakfast. >> reporter: in yemen's war, the city has changed hands between houthi and rebels. in the war more than 6,000 yemenis have been killed, and the children and the elderly are no exception you're with the news headquarters with al jazeera.

still to come >> reporter: i'm in florida where local leaders say an influx of cubans arriving from central america may over whelm an already strained system 180,000 people in south sudan are at risk from contaminated drinking water. later in sport, having been 11 points clear just a week ago, german champions could see that cut on to two points. we look ahead to their game china's government has set a new economic growth target between 6.5 and 7%. it is another sign that growth in china may be slowing. >> reporter: this man has been selling fruit at the morning market here in beijing since

2010. business is slow. >> translation: who is my boss? the communist party. where did the customers go? you have to ask the communist party. business is bad in the past year >> reporter: he is not alone. economic growth is at its slowest in 25 years. 6 kilometers the most important event in the political calendar is playing out. china, the last major communist nation, has changed considerably over the last 30 years, but the grandeur of the national people's congress has remained. 3,000 people across the area attend. the premier opened with a speech in which he said. >> translation: there are inadequacies in the government. some measures and policies have not been implemented >> reporter: he went on to say more work needs to be done on

government corruption and misconduct. it is not just the china economy slowing, but it's global. >> reporter: what will take place here is political fear. that is because the most important decisions of how china will be run and governed have already been made by top officials >> it is mainly a place where they put out the big messages, including some new propaganda messages for public consumption, and then the meeting is actually discussing merely specifics of how to implement these things or tweak it to make it better. >> reporter: ten million more urban jobs each year and urban economic growth at 6.5% or above. some think that won't happen >> i think there's something of an misnomer starting with the government, that somehow this high-level growth can be maintained. by our analysis, the 6.5% that they're aiming for won't be

achievable >> reporter: not good news for people like this man. >> translation: i will definitely go back to my home town maybe in one or two years. beijing is too expensive and it is too hard to make money >> reporter: that's not the direct the communist party wants people going. they want more people in cities working and spending, heading towards what president xi jinping calls the china dream tibetans living in india held a ceremony for a 16-year-old monk setting himself on fire. he was protesting against chinese rule in tibet. his death marks the second such protest this year. at least 60 people have been injured on a water taxi on bangkok after its engine exploded. it was ferrying passengers on a major canal when the blast happened. most of those on board

reportedly suffered burns. philippines have impounded a north korean ship. there has been no response from pyongyang. jaels allegation harry fawcett reports from japan. >> reporter: nothing controversial found on board this ship in terms of its cargo when it arrived it was carrying palm oil. investigators have found breaches in terms of fire safety equipment, electrical equipment and they decided not to allow it to leave port. now it has been impounded. the 21 north korean crew members who were cooperative in this process are now being deported back to their home country. it's a very tough response by the philippines to what seems like a relatively minor infraction by the operators of

this ship. what we know about it, the ship, is that it is registered in sierra leone, it is owned by a company in hong kong, but it is operated by ocean maritime management. that's a north korean entity headquartered in pyongyang: it operates some 31 ships which are now very much under scrutiny as a result of these recent sanctions being agreed at the u.n. it was that entity maritime management which is operating the ship which in 2013 was found in panama with two elderly fighter jets under a big cargo of sugar. again, nothing like that found aboard this ship. it does seem to be an example of how toughly these sanctions can be interpreted if the countries involved what to do so. the philippines is, of course, a staunch u.s. ally, almost always likely to follow these sanctions

to the letter in the u.s. more than a dozen protesters interrupted donald trump's rally in new orleans. they chanted black lives matter and held up baerns that read, your hate is killing people - banners. this is ahead of state's primary today. the number of candidates has narrowed again. ben carson has pulled out of the republican race. he announced that he was suspending his campaign at a gathering in marieland. on friday his decision comes after a disappointing super tuesday finish. thousands of cubans stranded in central american have begun to enter the u.s. they left cuba worrying that their special status which provides them with u.s. residency ends soon. it is thought many will go to

miami, but the official $say the city can't cope. >> reporter: newly arrived cuban families are given all the help to selgt here. it has been a long and perfectlious-- perilous journey. they have have faced a series of setbacks. he etells us he was robbed several times by corrupt officials. a story not uncommon. the city's mayor says resources are stretched. they may not be able to cope with an influx of new rivals >> for me it is pain to see people living on a paragraph lot or in front of a story and we cannot just help them.

over the past months the number of cubans arriving by sea has been dramatic. it has many concerned. organizations who deal with newly arrived cubans here are nothing short of unwarranted panic. they're keen to point out that my annual ee has-- miam ironings has deelt with more. most new rivals will settle quickly and somewhere to go >> there has been an over reaction for the 8,000 cubans because of maybe the idea they will be homeless. the majority of them have families and they won't be homeless and they will be with the families here. >> reporter: this family are part of the biggest influx of cubans in two decades

let's get our weather forecast with some long awaited good news for california. >> reporter: yes. it has been a long wait. it should bring water to california. finally, some of this big circulation now sitting in the pacific has been gathering strength and throwing cloud across california. it has been happening in northern and central california, but now it has got to the south. we're talking about thousands of kilometers, and the driving force still sits there as a result of that, of course, good news. in the south very often you come across desert land. it is high land this part of the u.s. in the south-west corner. so to see anything growing there is a fairly rare occasion. there has been a recent bloom. this is generally speaking not

green land. beautiful flowers seen every now and again when it has just rained. they're california poppies. we've seen this before, the fact that the rain comes in. it comes in, lasts for 18 hours and goes away. i'm showing you the first tranch. l.a. will be 17 degrees by the end of sunday. i can take you through another 24 hours. the rain is from north to south, the snow is increasing in the central valley where you want it, and l.a. is around 13 the day after. it is long lasting a human rights group has warned that dangerous levels of heavy metals from oil production have leaked in south sudan's drinking water. the german based group says 180,000 people are at risk.

>> reporter: the people in this village take groundwater straight from the source. they use it for drinking, washing and cooking. near this village it an oil factory that hasn't acted in two years. broken pipes lies rusting in pools of filthy water and spilled oil covers the ground. at the hospital in the nearby found staff see health issues which they believe could be caused by exposure to oil pollution. no comprehensive tests have been done on the water, but this doctor says he wouldn't drink it. >> i think for me, it has got high problem that if you put it in container and the water evaporates, it leaves white and you can see it by the naked eye.

>> reporter: oil can be seen all over the planes. the rebels came through here right at the start of the conflict and destroyed everything that they could. it meept the people who worked for the oil company had to run awayment they weren't able to shut down the production properly. much of the pipes are in disrepair. people who live around here fear it is contaminating the groundwater and making them sick. >> translation: the water we drink is right by an oil well. it contains the oil that comes from the wells that have been drilled around here, but we trust god and drink it. i think it causes diseases. if you smell the water that we drink, it's not suitable for humans. >> reporter: al jazeera contacted the government and oil company several times but is still waiting for a response. meanwhile, despite their suspicions about the local water, the people here ech no alternative but to drink it

we're approaching midway point. a report on an effort to save indigenous languages from dying out. this ghost-like creature could be a new species deep under the ocean. the rally of mexico as well sees this herd of cattle. this herd of cattle.

welcome back. our top stories. governor in greece has called on the governments to declare a state of emergency. he says they're facing a huge humanitarian crisis, crisis. about 13,000 people are stuck near the border there. one of turkey's best known newspaper was raid by police over night and has reopened under government control. pope francis has condemned an attack on a care home run by nuns in yemen. 16 people, including four nuns, were killed. the ongoing refugee crisis on the greece-macedonia border.

we speak from the international organization on migration. good to have you with. greece, the poorest country in europe, is it fair that it seems to be shouldering most of the responsibilities for refugees at the moment? >> it is interesting greece, which is coming under so much pressure to get its financial house in order, is now coming to the rescue of the german leader angela merkel because it is the holding pen for the migrants trapped there. it certainly was in a different position. it will be a very interesting political time now what should richer nations be doing to help and what do you see from the e.u. side and turkey in the coming days? >> i think they were reluctant to bail out greece, but i think you will see them rushing to

support them because the crisis of the refugees is causing havoc across europe. they will do anything to stem the flow. the turkey is getting a huge bail out and i think we will see similar support for the greeks the u.n. refugee agency has criticized european leaders, saying that owe people not to come, and they're from conflict zones rather than economic zones. >> it's the case that those migrants coming in from turkey to greece are over whelm whelmingly refugee causing countries.

afghanistan, syria and iran. that's where the big flow is coming from. it is a bit - i think it's seen as a bit disengenous to suggest that they're economic migrants. many may be stable and wish to get up the chain and get a better life for the children. there's a mix. it's a bit of a blunt instruments so far as saying we will not take economic migrants. we think there's a lot of vulnerable people within that group that need to be looked after it is perhaps worth pointing out that so far as refugees goes, countries like lebanon, jordan and iraq have taken in for more people than any e.u. or european nation. >> they have. they have been extraordinarily genero generous, but staying nearby is important, staying nearby your home. if you have hope that your country is going to return to

peace, i think it's an indicator of how poorly people see the future if they're coming towards europe because people don't like leaving their homes. they wish to stay with their families and they can't afford to leave. the fact that they're leaving indicates a degree of desperation, a degree of exhaustion good to talk to you. thank you for that as the refugees become more desperate, a growing number are turning to gangs in athens who are selling fake passports. >> reporter: victoria square, athens, a place popular with refugees and migrants stuck in greece. every day they come here to get information about the border and alternative routes to get out of greece.

but for some there's desperate people. a business opportunity. the cafés around the square are teaming with smugglers. >> after five minutes i'm sure about this, somebody said, if you want to go to any country, i can help you. i'm sure this is illegal. >> reporter: with the border closed for the refugees, they say they only have two options, to either pay smugglers or get stuck in greece. this disaster is a booming time for gang criminals. they will make their money as long as war guarantees a steady supply of the desperate and uprooted. would were led to a smuggler from south sudan. he took two passport photos from me and i was supposed to wait for his call. later in the evening he turned ip with a bit-- up with a

british passport which would cost 350 euros. before my photo was laminated into it he wanted his money. it was at this point we decided to stall the process. the smuggler kept calling us the next day, but we didn't respond. the smugg meddling business has many layers. the police admit they face an uphill struggle against the smugglers. those who can't afford to buy

fake papers are forced to go along this trail north. thousands are on the move every day. it is the hope of being closer to a new life that many of the refugees say keeps them moving. their past has been destroyed and now for their future they continue to seek the refugee crisis is a major poll issue in slovakia where he has promised to protect his people from refugees. >> translation: this woman made the daunting decision to travel from syria to slovakia. >> translation: i tried to find a job in turkey. i hoped that i could work in some hospital. i didn't expect that one day i will be a refugee in europe. the company where i applied for the job gave me a final negative

answer, so i decided to meet the group of smugglers to give them money. after that there was no way back. >> reporter: with other refugees she arrived illegally on the greek island lesbos. that wasn't the end of the journey. it was then on to macedonia, serb and hungary. as she crossed into zlovakia and she went yale. they told me to go back where i came from several times. the human rights advocates says the treatment has a lot to do with the parliamentary elections. >> everyone wants to get the votes. they would be happy if after elections this hysteria with calm down a little bit and that people and politicians will actually turn the page.

>> reporter: prime minister has made the migrant crisis a racial and a religious issue. in one recent speech he said he wanted to monitor every muslim in the country. his party's campaign slogan is we will protect slovakia with the goal of preventing a muslim community from forming, which has confused some people in the capital because the city is already home to thousands of muslims >> so many of us are married to slovak women, we speak the language. it was for us a little bit shock. >> reporter: opinion polls suggests the rule party is unlikely to get enough votes for a majority in parliament, which means it may have to form a coalition. perhaps that's a sign of the tough rhetoric hasn't gone down well with voters some people in russia say that the economy has left them feeling nostalgic for soviet

days. the prospect of a resurgent communityist party is worrying the kremlin. >> reporter: it is often one of the first things notice here, hammers everything. communism is part of the history. recent poms suggests half of all russians still think they were actually better off under the soviet system. at an exhibition of starring era arts, the curator of the pride people female for the past >> translation: interest in stalin is increasing. we celebrated the anniversary of world war ii and we should not forget who was at the helm of the country and at whose feet the defeat was achieved. >> reporter: the communist never

went away as a political force. in the 21st century it comes second in parliamentary elections. the kremlin thought that was a manageable situation, but with elections approaching again, there are signs that the kremlin is worried about a possible communist resurgence. united russia heading by the president. at the 2016 convention he singled out the communists. putin had a rare attack on lennon. ultima ultimately, it is a tight party. political analyst still thinks russia's poor economic situation can hurt united russia >> the plan is not to make any

changes, not to take any risk, to keep very old-fashioned party system, including communists who are pretty loyal to the kremlin, but not to let them to get too many votes which will make them more autonomous. >> reporter: we were told that the kremlin has learned lechs from 2011 when vote rigging kick starred months of protests. the questions are can the communists really dent united russia's grip on parliament and, if they do, what will the consequences bement we will have to wait until september's elections to find out, but it is certainly something russia's power elite are worried about i just want to take a moment to show you some pictures from istanbul.

we told you earlier that police have set up barricades outside the offices of the one of the country's best known newspapers which was raided by the police and has now reopened under government control. people have, for the second day, been protesting outside those offices. hundreds of people try to block the entrance to the new on friday evening when eye on the police pushed through using water cannon and tear gas. they're using tear gas again against people. these are the latest pictures from istanbul that we've just received here at al jazeera. guatemala is the birth place of the mire people. it has one of the largest population of indigenous people in the americas besides the spanish. there are 23 recognised languages spoken there.

some of those languages are at risk of disappearing. >> reporter: this man is determined to see his people's language-- save his people's language. more than 200,000, a handful speak the language fluently. he hopes to change that and he is starting by teaching the teachers. >> translation: if i do, what is going to happen with this knowledge? it will be lost, but if i share it in the schools with the teachers and my friends, it the flourish. >> reporter: racism and discrimination have chapped away at the indigenous cultures and with that their languages. they now account for about 40% of guatemala's population, still large enough to force the government into action. in 2002 guatemala passed a law officially recognising 23 indigenous languages.

the law also required the government funds be made available to languages that are in danger of disappearing. in spite of that promise, the production of dictionarys and other educational materials in indigenous languages has largely fallen to private groups. this woman says the government should meet their obligations. >> translation: the government's wallet is minimal swab wash wallet is minimal. they think they live and have always lived the same way. >> reporter: he believes that culture in one culture what essential. he never taught his language when he grew up, but he shared what he does know with his students. >> translation: i want my students to at least learning the foundations of the language. i know that participating in their culture will open them up to many things in the future and

they can share this knowledge with their family. >> reporter: a long hanging on by a threat kept alive by tho those-- language hanging on about a thread take a look at in ghostly creature scientists found what they found could be a new species of octopus. it was discovered during a search operation in the pacific ocean near mawaii. it lacks pigment cells giving it it's light ghostly color. ahead, from we will hear from the democratic of congo symphony orchestra. also the soccer news.

soccer news.

we all wish we could put some jazz into al jazeera. but here is something differen . it is early evening in one of the poorer neighborhoods of the capital where this symphony

orchestra is practising. most musicians have no steady income. they do what they have to do during the day. this is a story written by their conductor. he created this orchestra back in 1992 when he had only three instruments and he had this in his father's church. >> translation: things have changed. we are seeing more people here but there's still much to do. >> reporter: in down town city the music dominates. people come out to listen and dance to songs by some of the continent's greatest artists.

this has a rich music culture. we're listening to the most popular type of music. getting people here to appreciate classical music has been difficult. the band trys out a classical music. it is not something that the young would go to watch. >> translation: our music is so popular because it is our language. the young people today just want to play and listen to foreign music. >> reporter: it is the children's time to rehearse. they get to hit not perfect notes, but are passionate and practice every day. this boy says playing his violin keeps him grounded. he is in second school and plans

to join the main orchestra group. one day he plans to compose and conduct his own music. >> translation: i love this. when i saw the others playing it, i wanted to learn. >> reporter: the young musician and his dad have to go home before it is too dark. they live in a more dangerous part of the neighborhood. his elder siblings are in the orchestra. they say it is good to break barriers and overcome the odds fantastic. time for sport. >> reporter: we're going to start with football. there are two huge derby games on saturday both of which will go a long way to finding who will lead. tottenham against arsenal.

this is vital for both. adam ram say coursing before the second half. later chelsea will look to maintain their run. they host 7th place. >> of course we have in mind the upcoming two games on wednesday and saturday, but, a big butt, i think we take all premier league games automatic serious. we have the same approach on this as well. we are not in a situation and we will not allow ourselves to make this a pregame for wednesday game. i think it's not - it is not good for a team as well. they must go and stay in the dynamic of the last weeks. >> reporter: that match one of eight on saturday. leicester go to watford in the

late game. seven days ago munich were 11 ahead, but following their mid-week loss, that will leave them two points ahead. the coach has no doubt about the quality of his opposite number. >> we are always searching for improvements, for innovations, for explanations, and with regard to this, he is one of the best to inspire. he is probably the best at the moment. the most successful. it makes it aeven nice her to play against him now and be a coach of a team that is able to do that. >> reporter: real madrid are said to go, kicking off against celta vigo.

moving on to golf, second round 66, appeared am scott, a two shot lead after the second round of the cadilac championship. he finished the day on 10 under par overall. the former world number one is two shots behind him. the irish man is 8 under par. this one struggled on miss game. >> it's just the start. look at the leader board, i'm sure it's going to be an amazing weekend out here. i hope i can keep my game high level for two more days. >> i made the most birdies in

abu dhabi, also in dubai, and that's normal. birdies have been there. it is just eradicating the bad stuff. the puts from inside 10 feet, those have been missing but i held those. that's 71s into 65s. >> reporter: less than two months after announcing his retirement, he returned again. they took the experienced brothers to five sets, but the u.s. leading. there were plenty of smiles on day three of the world track

champ yonships. they all had medals. great britain an have two goeldz, six in total, ahead of germany with five. in the nba, the grizzlies defeat. 25 points and 8 rebounds to leave the host to the win. this watts their third win in a row. they're in good form. they're now on 7 out of their last nine games. the stakes were certainly high for the champion as he came across a herd of cattle which managed to move out of the way just in time. he said he doesn't have a beef with the organisers

we will be back with more in just a few moments.