hello there, i'm felicity barr, and this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up -- >> today i am nominating chief judge merrick brian garland to join the supreme court. >> the u.s. president makes his pick, but the republican controlled senate still has the final call. the race for the white house, the republican field

narrows as marco rubio drops out. clinton is now in poll position for democratic nomination. and china unveils a new five-year plan for economic reform, but could it also spell more redundancies for workers. ♪ hello, we begin in the north of syria, where a powerful kurdish group the pyd has announce its plan to establish an autonomous region. they are said to already hold three quarters of the boarder, but the expected declaration has angered syria's open situation as well as turkey. ankara says it supports a united syria. it says unilateral moves like a federation aren't valid.

this latest development comes as syria's government and main opposition attend talks in geneva from which the kurds were excluded. president assad's chief negotiator said he wants to keep syria together, not break it apart. >> the syria kurds are an important component of the syrian people. we are proud of them. they are proud of us. we have established our -- our state together for centuries. so betting on creating any kind of divisions among the syrians will end -- will be a total failure. >> an official in the foreign affairs director rate of kobani, one of three autonomous regions set up in syria two years ago says federalism could work across the country. >> now the [ inaudible ] north

of syria, they are under the declaration of this federalism. in north syria [ inaudible ] kobani and [ inaudible ] umbrella of the [ inaudible ] administration, and under the federalism, more components are going to join, and there will be more autonomous regions, and it's not just for the north syria or the kurdish regions, it must to be for syria in general, because under this federalism,sy and the economy is going to be guaranteed. >> lawrence lee has more from the boarder. >> reporter: well, it's only day three of geneva and there is still no shortage of absolutely shock announcements. that's kobani over there, which you remember the kurds managed to expel isil from, in some very, very heavy fighting and

the yellow flag of the ypg now flies over the town. the kurdish proposal, if you take it at face value would put together the autonomous regions of places like kobani and join them all up in a federal grouping which would stretch with all the way to the iraqi border and join us at least geographically with the kurdish enclave in northern iraq as well. what do the other parties make of it? the turks are extremely concerned about this. they have long accused the ypgof acting in coordination with the pkk in turkey. there is obviously some sympathy with what they are trying to do. so apart from the turks saying they don't like the idea of syria being divided and broken up into a federal system, this will make them extremely concerned about their own

security as well. ♪ u.s. president barack obama has announced his nomination to fill the vacant seat on the country's supreme court. merrick garland was formally nominated. there is an empty seat on the supreme court after justice antonin scalia died in february. president obama's choice must now be confirmed by the u.s. senate. 63 year old merrick garland is chief judge of the d.c. court p op -- of appeals. the republicans have promised to veto anyone that obama nominates. but garland could be seen as a compromise nominee. al jazeera's rosiland jordan

joins us live from washington, d.c. ros explain what are the wider implications of this nomination? >> reporter: well, this is certainly coming right into the heart of the political atmosphere here in the united states because this is going to be turned into a campaign issue for whoever ends up be the presidential nominees on the republican and democratic ticket. the obama administration argument is this, i have a duty to nominate. the senate has a duty to give advice and consent. but the president is also threatening a big political fight. he did say, however, that this is not just a compromise candidate, but someone who actually understands the concerns of ordinary americans. he is not just what they call a white shoe lawyer, someone who has always lived life at the very top.

this is what president obama had to say about chief judge merrick garland. >> he walked away from a comfortable and lucrative law practice to return to public service. merrick accepted a low-level job as a federal prosecutor in president george h.w. bush's administration. took a 50% pay cut. this was a time when crime here in washington had reached epidemic proportions, and he wanted to help, and he quickly made a name for himself going after corrupt politicians and violent criminals. >> how much of this will play into the wider electoral race that we're seeing this year. >> reporter: well, even before the president announced this nomination, the -- the presumed democratic front runner hillary clinton was saying on tuesday

evening that this matter of filling the supreme court vacancy would be a campaign issue, and that she believes that people who support here should also support a quick resolution to this vacancy, which of course was created by the recent death of justice antonin scalia. republicans for their part are arguing that because of something known as the biden rule -- and i'll explain that in a second -- that the vacancy should basically stay there for the rest of this year, and whoever becomes president next year should get to fill the vacancy. now what is the biden rule in well, before he was vment, joe biden was a long-running member of the senate, and the chairman of the senate judiciary committee. he did argue at one point because of a vacancy on the supreme court that there might need to be some time for people to have their emotions cool off, and let the vacancy sit until

after a presidential election. the vice president has argued that he didn't mean this for all cases, but republicans have taken that -- remark from the senator back in the late '90s, and run with it. and they are intent on not having anyone replace justice scalia until sometime in 2017. it is already becoming a big political controversy, and the question is going to be what would the obama administration be willing to do to fill this vacancy before the election. >> ros thanks so much. the race for the republican presidential nomination is now down to three candidates after marco rubio pulled out. donald trump and hillary clinton both pulled away in their perspective contests. trump also won in illinois and

north carolina, and has the lead in missouri. john kasich won in his home state of ohio. so the result pushes trump closer to the number of delegates needed to secure the republican nomination. he now has 621. on the democratic side, hillary clinton beat bernie sanders in four states and has the edge in missouri. she now has almost double his tally of delegates and is the firm favorite to clench the democratic nomination. alan we know the republican establishment does not want donald trump to get the nomination. what options does it have now? >> reporter: they are really struggling to be honest. john kasich did the bare minimum that is required of any republican candidate, which is to win his home state. but he cannot get enough delegates between now and the convention in cleveland to secure the nomination. so pressure on him will be to

step down, to make sure that it's just donald trump against ted cruz. and the republican establishment believe that ted cruz might because of a lot of their primaries are close primaries, which means no independents, no democrats, no open voting just republicans there might be enough votes there to stop donald trump. the other problem the republican establishment have is they don't really like ted cruz very much. this is really becoming a difficult choice for them. and there are people who are openingly saying they will not support donald trump. if this goes to the convention, and becomes a brokered or contested convention, that gets very complicated and for people watching from home it simply looks like the establishment is rigging the results to get what they want.

that will upset people greatly, perhaps turn them off of the political system for a generation. so this is a really difficult tight rope the republicans are walking. the good news is, for the next month things will calm down a bit. we don't have the same primary, primary, primary battle we have had. so they can take stock and try to see where to go from here. but clearly they don't want donald trump as the candidate. they are reluctant to have ted cruz, and their options are limited. >> can trump persuade the establishment by reigning back on some of his rhetoric. to appeal to some of the more moderate republicans rather than the evangelical and conservative ones. >> he says he is the great uniter of the party. and we saw a slightly softer donald trump during his speech

just a few hours ago in west palm beach where he didn't mention ted cruz at all, there was no lying ted, he didn't mention john kasich, and remember all of the attacks about little marco, he just congratulated him on a strong campaign. everyone has remembered what he has said in the last few months and it has been incendiary. they say democrats fall in love, republicans fall in line. perhaps trump is hoping there will be a healing of the rifts. the war is over. let's all be friends and move on to fight hillary clinton. but in this case, more than mitt romney four years ago, it is a big, big ask. >> it's an extraordinary contest. thank you. still to come on the program, we're going to tell you why the united nations chief has

been accused of insulting morocco. and opening up the ocean, how niger's new railway will connect the country to the atlantic. ♪ hey how's it going, hotcakes? hotcakes. this place has hotcakes. so why aren't they selling like hotcakes? with comcast business internet and wifi pro, they could be. just add a customized message to your wifi pro splash page and you'll reach your customers where their eyes are already - on their devices. order up. it's more than just wifi, it can help grow your business.

you don't see that every day. introducing wifi pro, wifi that helps grow your business. comcast business. built for business. when it comes to the fithings you love,. you want more. love romance? get lost in every embrace. into sports? follow every pitch, every play and every win. change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity.

>> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. welcome back, a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. turkey and the syria government have dismissed a kurdish plan for a federal region in northern syria. merrick garland has been formally nominated by the u.s.

president for the supreme court. but the senate has already said they will block the nomination. and there were big wins for donald trump and hillary clinton in the latest round of primaries in the u.s. brazil's supreme court is meeting shortly to decide the rules on the impeachment process against the president. it comes as she appointed her controversial predecessor lula da silva as her chief as staff, a move that protecting him from corruption charges. former president strongly deny the charges, and his cabinet appointment now means he has ministerial immunity. the national people's congress in china has approved a

new five-year plan which aims for around 6.5% each year by 2020. that is despite growth in 2015 falling to the lowest level for 25 years. adrian brown reports. ♪ >> it's not a place for surprises or displays of discent. as always this was a tightly controlled political gathering, where delegates would make decisions in private. >> translator: we are full of confidence in the long-term revival of the economy. >> reporter: the prime minister holds one media conference a here. selected journalists get to ask questions vetted in advance. on this occasion most concerned

the economy. reform he said would mean having to shut down more inefficient state-owned industries. >> translator: we will press ahead to reduce capacity, but we must ensure that the rice bowls of the workers are still there, or we must give them new rice bowls. >> reporter: in other words the government is still hesitating about how hard to wield the axe. the hong kong-based china labor bullton monitors industrial unrest in china, and says laid off workers are becoming more emboldened. >> many have been working for 20, 30 years, they are entitled to a great deal of severance pay. >> reporter: the prime minister

says he set aside $20 billion to help workers who have been made redundant, promising more money if needed. the congress won't convene for another year, a year that the premier says will be a difficult one, especially for minors and steal workers. belgium police have released two people who were detained on a raid on an apartment in brussels. one man was killed. they said he was found with an isil flag. four police officers were wounded during the shootout. emma hayward has the latest from brussels. >> reporter: this is the apartment building which police tried to enter on tuesday expecting it to be empty. instead they were met with bullets in the ensuing hours this area went into lockdown. there was more gunfire later. eventually police shot dead a man inside.

he is known to be an algerian national who was not supposed to be in belgium anyway. they said an isil flag was found inside along with an assault rifle. we're now being told to who men that were arrested have been released. so that now means that two suspects are still on the run the german navy has rescue ed hundreds of refugees all of the coast. the united nations human rights for refugees says that more than a million refugees have crossed into italy this year by the aegean sea. in greece there are thousands of people who aren't from syria, and are therefore unlikely to be granted asylum.

>> reporter: with the macedonian border closed, greece has been turned into a giant holding pen for refugees. most syrian and iraq refugees live in proper camps, by others are roughing it up in a tented camp set up by volunteers from across the globe. this is the only welcome they have received. >> some peoples are facing the breathe problems. they are not exactly taking a breathe. just like that. what is going on? i -- i have no idea. it's a crucial time for me. i have never ever faced this situation in my life history. >> reporter: those here are mainly from afghanistan, pakistan, and morocco. they consider them economic migrants and unqualified for refugee status. this is now a place of limbo for hundreds. they have fled their lands but

cannot go any further. the northern border is closed to them. every day the volunteers struggle to give them most basic of humanitarian assistance to the desperate people. kamil is from denmark. >> i'm amazed by the human beings. i'm amazed they can still smile. and they city say thank you. if you were in a situation all the time where the only answer you can get is there is no solution, you are not recognized, it would be hard. >> reporter: many year fear they will be returned. but when you have just left and risked everything to get here, return might seem inconceivable. >> translator: we can't go back to our countries. what will we live on if we return? >> reporter: at least the refugees have safety here. and the construction of a game of cricket in a dull setting, their future offers a bleak

prospect. houthi rebels in yemen say saudi-lead air strikes have killed more than 100 civilians. the saudi-lead coalition says it is looking into the report. the u.s. student has been sentenced to 15 years hard labor in north korea for crimes against the state. he was arrested in january for trying to steal a problem gan da poster from his hotel. last month the 21 year old tearfully told a press conference that he made the worst mistake of his life. the argentinian navy sunk a chinese boat it says was fishing illegally in its area. the fishing boat sank after

shots were fired at its hull. its four crew members were rescued and arrested. morocco's government has accused the u.n. secretary general of insulting its people following comments made at a camp for refugees from western sahara. ban ki-moon has described it as an overreaction, and says he is deeply disappointed. bernard smith reports. >> reporter: a visit by the u.n. secretary general to a refugee camp wouldn't normally be particularly controversial, but this trip to see the ethnics from the western sahara, has so enraged the government of morocco that it has threatened to pull out of u.n. peace-keeping regions. they took over most of the sahara in 1975, it fought an independent movement until a u.n.-brokered ceasefire in 1991. as the unit saluted ban

ki-moon's visit to the camp, the u.n. leader described western sahara as being under occupation. >> they have endured a great deal of suffering in harsh conditions, and i want to draw the world's attention to a population who's plight is often overlooked. >> reporter: it was enough to bring out hundreds of thousands of demonstrators on to the streets of morocco's capitol. they were angry with ban's perceived lack impartiality. the government accused the government of giving in to the blackmail. ban met morocco's foreign minister, and told him of his anger at the demonstrations and said he was astonished by what he called the moroccan government's overreaction. and morocco now says it will cut staff at the mission, and pull

its troops out of other peace keeping operations. in western sahara, the 1991 ceasefire came with a promise of a referendum on the area's future, but that has never been held. instead morocco these days says it is prepared to offer autonomy. the spokesman says the secretary general remains personally cocommitted to achieve what the u.n. has repeatedly asked for, a mutually acceptable solution. the government in niger is building a railway. once completed it will give land locked niger access to ports in the atlantic. >> reporter: it's taken almost a century to arrive, but the train is finally here. the government of niger says it's the biggest project the country has seen recently.

>> translator: niger's train is now a reality. we have 140 kilometers of rail. and considering the reliability of our partners, we are sure the project will be accomplished. >> reporter: a french company began work on the five-year project last july. the first section linking the first section to the south is already complete. this is where the dream began some 80 years ago when colonial star started to build a railway. however, the project was never completed and the central railway station that was supposed to be built here, never saw the light of day. at the new terminal station, several trains are already parked, awaiting official inauguration later this year, but opposition leaders doubt the $1.8 billion project will have the desired impact. >> translator: they haven't

planned in advance for this railway. the real objective, i guess is purely electoral, but economically speaking it has no validity or positive impact. it could be more useful in the mining areas. >> we need to act. a railway is the best means to transport goods and people, and to achieve economic development. niger is also mining country. a railway will surely help us transport our minerals. >> reporter: on the banks of the river both men say they will be happy to stop using their wooden boats to ship goods if they can do it by train. >> when i get on the train [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: for almost a century, land locked niger had to rely on trucks for the perilous journey. but with the construction of the rail line that effort will be much easier. the train many hope will help

niger take a giant step towards a better future. and remember, you can always find much more about many of our stories on our website. the address as ever is aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. ♪ >> today i am nominating chief judge merrick brian garland to join the supreme court. >> the president makes his choice for the supreme court, but republicans are still refusing to consider anyone. >> we're going to win, win, win, and we're not stopping. >> donald trump scores big in the presidential