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tv   Weekend News  Al Jazeera  March 13, 2016 5:00am-5:31am EDT

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ahead of talks the main syrian opposition says bashar al-assad must go, but the government says that is out of question. you're watching al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also coming up, we johnal elections begin-- regional stat states. a day of protests in venezuela as the opposition ramps up calls for the president to step down.
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afghan families who have suffered injury and loss when the u.s. accidentally attacked a hospital say the compensation does not go far enough. first, to the war in syria. the u.s. secretary of state has arrived in paris for talks with his european counterparts. john kerry is meeting foreign ministers from france, britain germany and italy as well as the u.s. foreign policy chief. the opposition has arrived in geneva where talks to end the conflict are due to begin on monday. the syrian opposition main oop sippings leader say bashar al-assad must leave before the conflict can be resolved >> translation: we consider that the transitional period
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begins with the removal of bashar al-assad or his death james bays is in geneva for us. the opposition has now arrived there. so at this stage, at least, the talks do seem to be going ahead. >> reporter: yes. i think there are definitely going to meetings. as it stands right now on monday taking place here in geneva. i think what is important about the talks this time around is they seem to be getting to the key crunch issue. that issue of the roll of president bashar al-assad and those close to him. let me remind you, we had talks here that took place earlier on this year. they never really started. we had talks two years ago which collapsed and they collapsed over the agenda because the syrian government was trying to avoid talking about the role of bashar al-assad. it said it wanted to talk about fighting what it called terrorism first and because of that row over the agenda those
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talks collapsed. this time staffan de mistura says he wants to talk about the substantive issues, the future of syria, a transitional government for syria leading to elections. on this we have a very big difference of opinion. the government saying bashar al-assad must stay, his role is non-goeshable, the opposition saying he must go. i think this is going to play out on the first day of these talks due to start in 24 hours time. both sides will make their point clear to staffan de mistura. clearly not everyone meets in the same room, these are so-called proximity talks, staffan de mistura will meet with the government side and separately with the opposition side a lot of meetings behind the scenes to get these talks going once again. syria, of course, on the agenda again for john kerry as he arrives in paris. >> reporter: yes. he and his russian counterpart
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are in many ways the architects of the current effort to get a diplomatic settlement to the situation in syria. john kerry conferring with his allies, the four most prominent countries, u.k., france, germany and italy. they will be talking about this process. i think they will be pleased that everyone is coming to geneva because last time when the opposition arrived here, they arrived in gen eve you have a but didn't-- geneva but didn't commit to take part. everyone says they're going to see staffan de mistura first. if there is a breakdown, what do they do next. they will be talking about other issues related to syria. they will be talking about those refugees who continue to arrive
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in large numbers in greece. they will be talking about the situation in yemen and i think also near the top of the agenda will be the situation in libya with that government supposed to take office in libya, the new unity government and the suggestion that's out there, and i think this is maybe why the italians are a player in this meeting in paris. the suggestion that there could be some sort of international force sent to libya led by the ee italians thanks very much. the refugees are a key issue as voting gets underway in three key states in germany. it is said to be a litmus test for the chancellor's refugee policy.
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on saturday around 2,000 right wing protesters marched through central berlin demonstrating their opposition to the policy. there has been a sharp rise in the number of attacks on properties that house refugees. refugees stuck on the greek side of the macedonian border have staged another protest on the international train line there. there are at least 12,000 people now stranded at the makeshift camp. their onward journey to europe has been blocked by mass don't which has been-- macedonia which has been refusing to allow them across the border. >> translation: please, i beg you. have mercy on women and children. we don't want to eat or drink. we just want to feel humanity, feel like human beings. we need to feel like we are
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humans. >> reporter: a funeral has been held in afghanistan for a family killed trying to cross the sea between turkey and greece. their bodies was brought back to kabul after they drowned after trying to reach europe. 320 people have died on this trip. thousands of attended rival rallies in the venezuela capital angry at the state of the economy. supporters also turned out. >> reporter: these are the streets of down town today. supporters of the president came to condemn the renewal of a decree by the u is that rules that venezuela is a threat to their national security. these were those same streets
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when the late chavas was in power. it was a time of plenty, funded by record oil prices, but also when the larger than life leader was making the calls. today it is one of the worst managed economies in the world. food sold at regulated prices is hard to come by. some even harder to pay for. >> translation: people are not going to these mamps because they're stand engine life outside of-- something in lines outside of shops trying to get food. >> reporter: a couple of years ago this avenue right behind me would have become known here as the red tied with hundreds of thousands of supporters attending their leader's call to defend the revolution. in the area here where the opposition was holding its rallies, it was no different. just like it is no different
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today at the twin march that the opposition has called to demand the president maduro resign. >> translation: i came thinking this was going to be huge. there was a very poor turn out. maybe pause the need is controlled by the government and people didn't know about it. >> reporter: street demonstrations and political rally is have been a part of the landscape for dick antidepressants. a lack of unified leader and a desperate economic situation have left people feeling powerless and unable to seek out change peacefully u.s. nuclear powered aircraft carrier has arrived in south korea as part of a multi nation joint military drill. north korea is calling the drill nuclear war moves and have promised to respond.
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>> reporter: nothing does a power protection nothing like this with its accompanying battle group is evidence of that, a floating fortress city of well over 5,000 personnel and airborne fire power. its inclusion in exercises in korean water has been planned for months. this visit roin p coincides with relations being about as tense as they can be and it is a timely reminder of the type of power america can deploy if it has to. >> our focus is on deterrence. we're trying to deter such provocative acts. in the presence of this group, it is part of that deterrence. >> reporter: this visit sends a strong message beyond the korean peninsula to china. to get here this vessel sails through the south china sea very much in line with the u.s. policy of pivoting military
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resources towards asia, in doing so meeting head on the expansions in the region. much has been said in the last couple of years. joining a very small exclusive club of nations. this is a reminder from america with lots more still to come including protesters in bangladesh continuing their long march to save an environmentally sensitive area. we're in senegal where the government is cutting the price of petrol, but is this a premature decision? sen gallon sen gallon egal
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top stories. u.s. secretary of state has arrived in geneva. talks in gen eve to end the syrian conflict are due to begin on monday. voting is underway in three german states to elect regional parliaments. this is a litmus test on angela merkel's policy. the refugee policy has been a major talking appoint point. thousands have attended rival rallies in the capital more on our top story. lites ym five years since syria's up rising began. it was insfird inti events across the arab world.
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-- inspired by event across the arab world >> reporter: with memories as vivid as their disa-appointments run deep, these syrians in turkey turn to books when they can, seeking comfort in their pages are, solace in their chapters. an escape, albeit a brief one from the reality of a looming and horrific milestone. five years of a war that brought with it the kind of unmitigated misery no-one here could have foreseen. at the beginning, though, the arab spring had spread hope. >> what happens in tunis and egypt, all the area to go to the street, they give the courage to do this. >> reporter: syrian art of the opened pages book story and caée as a refuge for fellow citizens tired of conflict and thirsting for culture. he fled damascus remembers very
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well how things spiralled out of control >> the problem in syria because we think all the world it will help us like egypt, like libya, like tunis and in the end all the world left us alone. >> reporter: some attempt to pur ee their sorrows in these volumes, but it is harder than it looks. these days in istanbul, a city so full of the war weary, it is hard to find syrians that feel any accepts of optimism, certainly not on display in their country half a decade ago before up rising turned to war before hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives. in another part of town refugees whose lives were shattered by conflict tried value yaently to put some of the pieces back together. with the help of a small projectise taliban ngo these women, many of whoep are too
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afraid on to show their faces are learning skills to help them survive. this man used to own a jewellery store in aleppo is showing them how to make earrings. >> translation: it is felt like we started to raise our voices. i mean, we finally started to raise our voice. that was a good thing, but nobody had any idea things would get so bad. gentleman he insists skills like these don't just help in making a living. they also aid in soothing souls. >> translation: at the start syrians' demand with simple. people were asking for the basic reforms but the regime didn't know how to deal with people outside of using force. >> reporter: five years on these syrians still feel battered.
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for even those who manage to escape their country, they haven't truly been able to escape the war at least 17 fighters have been killed in strikes in yemen. it is was a second stage in the city of aden. there have been attacks on security officials in the area. u.s. military is being criticized for providing inadequate compensation to families killed in a hospital attack. the bombardment on the charity hospital killed 42 people and injured nearly 100. >> reporter: this man sits a broken man, his body scarred and battered from when an american begunship attacked a humanitarian hospital in northern afghanistan. he lost a hand and one eye.
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42 others were killed. nearly 100 injured. now the military is offering what it calls condolence payments of between 3 and 6,000. >> translation: i received $3,000 and this is a small amount. this looks like a joke, an insult to us. it is not acceptable to anyone >> reporter: this lady lost her husband. he was the breadwinner for her and four children. she says the american money is not enough. >> translation: if a woman doesn't have a husband or someone to take care of them, how can they live. the money they are giving is not enough to raise even one of my children to the age of 12. >> reporter: he was working as a security guard at the hospital operated by doctors without borders. they said they are given nato forces the hospital's coordinates. >> an accident is difficult to believe, but we are trying to understand how much the mistake was or how many mistakes were
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done and which types of mistakes that were done. again, it is only questions that we have. we can have all the assumptions, but the answers are with the american army today >> reporter: the hospital was destroyed, the u.s. plane fired 211 shells in the 30-minimum onslaught. witnesses say people were shot from the air as tremendous tried to escape. obama apologised for the attack and army said it was a mistake. findings have yet to be released from an internal probe, but we understand some personnel are due to face action. that won't be in any court. it will leave some afghans questioning whether justice will be done. this 11-year-old was a patient in the hospital on the day of the attack. he watched helpless as she died engulfed in flames.
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>> translation: they have given us $6,000. it will cost more for my psychological injures. >> reporter: for the families here the money will help a bit, but it can never replace a daughter or a loved one french investigators are due to release their report into the german wings crashed. the co pilot had been suffering from depression but under privacy laws his doctors were not required to hell advertise employers about his condition. in the u.s. marco rubio has won the latest round of voting for the presidential nomination. party officials in colombia say he won ten delegates in the cautious. meanwhile his rival donald trump
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has changed the location for his ohio rally on sunday due to ongoing security concerns. >> reporter: back on the campaign trail but towards the end of his event in ohio a moment of concern for the republican front runner. it appears someone tried to get on stage. donald trump quickly surrounded by secret service. >> thank you for the warning. i was ready for them, but it's much easier if the cops do it. don't we agree? >> reporter: it comes hours of an event in chicago was can semd >> tonight's rally will be postponed >> reporter: after hundreds of protesters got into the hall. as people filed out, there were fights started. outside five people were arrested and two police officers were injured.
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his rivals condemning the violence said he wasn't blameless. >> there should be political debate in this country without vines and anger and hate-- violence and anger and hate >> donald trump has created a toxic environment, which has allowed his supporters and those who sometimes seek confrontation to come together in violence. there is no place for this. >> reporter: just this week a protester has been led from an event was punched in the face. his 78 year old attacker who has been charged with assault told inside edition he was unrepentant. >> he deserved it. the next time we see him, we might have to kill him >> reporter: many believe donald trump has condoned such behaviour >> get out of here. i would like to punch him in the face. i love the old days. do know what they used to do to
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guys like, they would be carried out on a stretcher. >> just knock the hell out of him. i promise you i will pay for the legal fees >> reporter: miss campaign manager is also accused of matters. this is no order election and this is no order election-- ordinary election and no ordinary election hillary clinton says it's important to stand up to someone like donald trump >> if you play with matches, you can start a fire you can't control. that is not leadership, that is political arson. if you see bigotry oppose it, if you see violence condemn it, if you see a bull ee stand up to him floods and must slides have
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caused-- mud slides have caus caused caused-- mud slides and land slides. protesters in bangladesh are again trying to force the government to scrap plans for a coal-fired power plant near an environmental sensitive area. there are fierce the wetlands could be damaged by smoke ash and noise. >> reporter: protesters in bangladesh heading to the southern province. they're against government plans to build a coal-fired power station near the world's biggest mangrove swamp. for the government this is a choice of providing desperately needed energy and protecting a world heritage site. campaigners insist the focus should be on clean energy >> we are fighting for how the
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power is from clean sources, that is wind solar and bio- mass. >> reporter: bangladesh is vulnerable to climate change. millions of lives and acres of crops have been affected because of flooding and extreme heat. about a third of 9160 million people don't have access to electricity. the government wants to provide power cheaply and one of the cheapest options is coal. it is already said to be upped threat. too many people live here. every year the waters cover a little more of the man groves. the protesters are convinced the coal power stations will damage the swamps with smoke, ash and noise >> translation: we do need electricity for development, but not at the expense of destroying the forest. it is the lungs of our country. bangladesh is our mother. we do not want this type of
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plant which will destroy or mother nature. >> reporter: they have been able to postpone the construction of the plant. they will have to find another way of bringing power to its people while protecting its natural beauty in senegal it is the first day for the reforms. proposed changes include a shortening the presidential term from seven years to five. since the 1950s more than 140 offshore wells have been drilled off the coast of senegal with little to show for it. recent oil and gas discoveries have people there excited. there is still a few more years to go before any of the oil is extracted, the government is cutting the price of petrol. >> reporter: this man is a
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peanut farmer who prides himself on being tlifty. every week he drives to the outskirts in his car searching for the cheapest petrol. he never fills the tempering completely but buys what he needs. the government says with global pricing falling and the recent offshore oil and gas discoveries, it can afford to drop prices at the pump to $1.15 a litre. it is still expensive for a country where almost half of the population lives on less than $2 a day. sure it is cheaper, but having oil leads to complications. we might be better off paying more at the pump rather than have people fight over our natural resources. >> reporter: u.s. and bring the itch companies have announced the biggest finding, 12 million cubic metres of it.
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they have found vast quantities of oil near the border. the exploration hasn't been completed, but what to do with these untapped natural resources is a source of heated debate in parliament. the government has to negotiate ownership with neighboring countries. analysts say it needs to improve the economy source. >> translation: it is not a cause for conflict, but it will escalate existing challenge. senegal's challenge is not to be over dependent on oil and gas but to diverse any its export. >> reporter: the biggest export is fish and peanuts. the government plans to invest in it and promises new jobs in the sector. reducing the price of petrol at the pump makes the government looks good. how much is down to the discovery of oil and gas is uncertain. despite the prospects of more
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oil, this man wonders if it's word it. he says 40 years of peanut farming has taught him that sometimes having just enough it plenty you can keep up to data at aljazeera.com >> we're in the eastern part of the democratic republic of congo. it's one of the least developed countries in the world, but there's an estimated $24 trillion worth of minerals here. tantalum, tungsten, tin, and gold have all been linked to violence in eastern congo by rebel groups and the congolese army. >> millions of people have been killed in the congo over the past decade.

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