protests in brazil, tens of thousands call for the president to resign. we have the world news from al jazeera. also ahead criticism of a kurdish plan to declare an autonomous region in northern syria. president obama names his choice for the u.s. supreme court but republicans have vowed to block his nomination. we look at australia's aboriginal people who die younger and have higher mortality rates than their

compatriots protests are taking place across brazil demanding the resignation of the president. tens of thousands are on the streets of the city. they're angry over the appointment of her predecessor as chief of staff. critics say the move would shield him from prosecution in a corruption scandal. demonstrations have occurred outside the presidential palace in the capital. >> translation: my relationship with minimum is not one of powers or super powers. it is a solid relationship of two people who are building a project together. i am sorry he is coming, he is going to help, we're going to look at returning to growth, fiscal stability and controlling inflation the judge leading the corruption investigation at brazil state oil company has released recordings of phone taps of the former president

with the current president >> reporter: a just here has released a wire tapping that federal police had made of the president talking to rou sshg sef discussing the appointment. it is implied that giving minimum the papers would protect him from possible jail time or, indeed, prosecution. hundreds out on the streets a few days after they came out calling for her to step down and brazilians are saying at this point the only thing that this president can do right is step down the director of the brazil institute in washington dc says the president made mistakes that could cost her government dearly >> according to a recording of a conversation between the current president and former president, a conversation that took place today, indicates clearly that the act of nomination had the

intention to shield him as you reported from prosecution. this can be chronstrewed and has-- construed and has been construed by the opposition, and many experts in brazil, as an act of obstruction of justice. this in itself could be a cause, another cause, for impeaching the president. so we are in a scenario of a crisis that ask deepening-- is deep ying and the-- deepening and the former president could join the president rouseff at the presidential palace to help manage this is complicated. the president is not known as a very able politician, totally dependent from former president, missed important moments where she could have separated herself from the scandal. maybe it was a very impossible

really operation and now she has to face consequences most likely the political part is a lie to her in the next few days and weeks. we will adan done her. she is very december kritded, completely-- discredited. the situation is dire for the country which is facing a second year of deep recession a top syrian kurdish official has said that the kurds are preparing to declare areas under their control near syria's border with turkey as an autonomous region. the move has alarmed turkey which fears it would fuel separatism. they say they won't recognise such zones in syria >> reporter: this town was almost taken by i.s.i.l. until the y.p.g. beat them off. with hindsight that victory was crucial in the proposal for a federal system in the areas it and its political wing control which would spread all the way

to the border of iraq. there is support for the y.p.g. and in the conditions here, people are backing for kurdish autonomy in syria. >> translation: i support the initiative. kurds are also people. they deserve to have a home. nobody recognises us. they hit us wherever we are. >> reporter: now the kurds across the border have stolen the initiative. it is the timing of this that is so extraordinary, not only on just day three of geneva have the kurds, even though they weren't invited, managed to insert themselves back into the talks, the announcement also comes a few days before kurdish new year on march 21. could it be that the kurds wants to announce autonomy in syria as part of their new year's celebrations. the proposals have come across opposition from many sides. in aleppo many said partitioning of the kurdish area went entirely against the aims of the resolution as being one syria for all.

irrespective of ethnicity or religion. >> translation: this announcement is a tyranny, especially because it has come from the y.p.g. they are a group on the terrorist $list. this is just like i.s.i.l. announcing the caliphate. >> translation: this is really bad. the occurred are making themselves enemies of the syrian revolution. the occurred are part of the syrian people, like everyone else. what if the jews and others say they want their own state. it is unacceptable >> reporter: the kurdish delegations claims their block will be a home for turk men or arab citizen just like others. for once the people of aleppo and the governments in damascus and ankara have something to agree about. they all insist that partitioning syria is a mistake which could make things worse still than they have been the kurdish party pushing

for autonomy has not been invited to the talks in geneva. this has sent ripples through the various factions. james bays has more. >> reporter: as the talks that geneva continue, a group that has not been invited have forced themselves onto the agenda. staffan de mistura decided to exclude the pyd from the process for now under pressure from turkey which common assaults the kurdish party-- calls the kurdish party a terrorist group. he said the question of federalism was an issue to be decided by the representatives of the syrian people at the talks. >> translation: the u.n. position is very clear when it comes to this. every syrian that i spoke to stands with the unity and the sovereignty of the syria nation. >> reporter: the head of the pyd actually turned up for the last round of talks in january before he found out he was not invited. other opposition members say his

party should be excluded because they had been working with the bashar al-assad regime. >> translation: only when they openly announce that they're disengaging with the regime completely, only then will they have a place in the syrian revolution and they will then be welcomed with open arms as part of the opposition delegation. >> reporter: the syrian government chief negotiator ignored my question as he arrived for his first session here as russia pulled out its forces. he explained that was a joint decision >> our friends, allies, russians came to syria by a joint decision and the day they leave it will be done through a joint syrian/russian coordination action >> reporter: he then used the opportunity to attack the high negotiations committee who had

been at the same podium a matter of hours earlier, and in particular this man of the fighting group who is a prominent member of the committee. >> translation: it is not an honor at all to sit with a terrorist in direct talks. he belongs to a terrorist faction that hit embassies and killed citizens. that's with why we will never have direct talks unless this terrorist has apologised for what he has done. >> reporter: then he should save his beard. >> reporter: those most undiplomatic comments showing the mistrust behind the scenes on day where the announcements by the pyd only make this process harder president obama has nominated herric garland for the supreme court-- merrick. republicans have accused the president of politiciz willing

the nomination which is taking place in the election year >> i am nominating merrick garland to join the court. >> reporter: the obama administration released a video for him signalling he wants a public fight. >> they're faithful to the law and constitution and have people's trust that if they come before a judge they will get an honest hearing >> reporter: this could be the only time the public hears from him. when justice zcalia died in february, republicans said they wouldn't approve anyone nominated to replace him because obama is in his last month in offs office. the leader reaffirmed the party not too anything.

>> we act as a check on the president and withhold its consent >> reporter: the president praised his real-world experience. he over saw the prosecution of the oklahoma city bomber timothy mcvey. he called on republicans to call on what would be the right thing >> will be an ad vocation of the duty, it will indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. it will mean everything is subject to the most partisan of pal particulars. everything >> reporter: a political observer says obama isn't going to get what he wants >> once they've taken a position over here that says i'm not going to vote. i will not confirm this seat, it is hard to get them to flip their position and only doing it because of political considerations is not something

that is very strong position to take heading into an election >> i am grateful beyond words for the honor you have be stoud to me >> reporter: he starts his round of visits with senators. it may take more than that to persuade them to give him a hearing a controversy over the new supreme court justice comes as the race for the white house intensifies. both donald trump and hillary clinton have strengthened their leads in their respective campaigns. >> i grew up in a little town >> reporter: john kasich's home state has put him back in the race >> when you listen and you find your purpose, you're on fire. >> reporter: after winning just one state, people say there is one strategy available. team up with the other anti candidate >> we welcome you to our team >> >> the possibility that john kasich wins is through delegates is zero.

there is a greater chance that he and perhaps with ted cruz could deny donald trump the absolutely majority of delegates and then we go to the summer and see how the republicans try to sort all this out. >> reporter: if that happens the republican party would have its first contested convention since 1948. that means the delegates are freed up and the party negotiates a solution and anything can happen and any candidate can win the nomination for the ultimate prize >> reporter: after sleeping florida, north clooin-- carolina, donald trump has the numbers. for hillary clinton, the road ahead looks clearer than ever >> i think what we saw is the democrats are consolidating around their front runner. hillary clinton is gaining votes. she is enlarging her margin of delegates and i think she is well on the footpath toward the

nomination. >> reporter: hillary clinton's democratic rival bernie sanders has vowed to stay in the race until the end. >> that doesn't make him strong, it makes him wrong. >> reporter: that is the man who she expects to be her rival, donald trump donald trump has warned of riots if he is denied the republican's party nomination. a professor explained how the american businessman can lose out in the race. >> the only hope for those who want to stop donald trump is to keep him from getting the majority of the delegates and winning on the first ballot. if on the first ballot donald trump does not win, does not get a majority, then you will have a second and third ballot and it could go on from there, and the party can unite against trump and try and nominate someone else. if they try to nominate someone

who did worse than trump with the voters or someone like paul ryan or mitt romney, the trump people will wreek havoc. if they take the nomination away from them, they will burn the place down lots more to come. we look at the toll taken on the syria people five years into the country's civil war. the palestinian boy who lost his family in an arson attack is set to meet his idol. more on that. stay with us. stay with us.

welcome back. a quick reminder of top stories. protests in brazil over president rousseff president obama has nominated m essentialing rr ishi rrierrick garland for the new supreme court judge a top syrian kurdish official has said that the kurds are preparing areas under their control near syria's border near turkey as an autonomous region. the u.s. says it won't recognise autonomous zones within syria. syria's war has been raging for five years and killed more than

a quarter of a million people. it has created a refugee crisis that the u.n. has called the biggest of our time. our correspondent takes a look at the toll that the war has taken on the people over half a decade of conflict. some images may be reporting to some in this report >> reporter: there is an themity in greece and despair when you are one among hundreds of thousands >> we are not tourists. we're human. where is the humanitarianity. >> reporter: occasionally there are moments when the world does want to know your name. this mass forced migration as a result of the five-year war in syria. a war with many different allegiances and groups. on the ground and beyond syria's borders. three and a half years ago the man who first tried to resolve the conflict resigned and had this to say. >> at the time when we meet,

when the syrian people desperately need action, there continues to be finger pointing and name calling in the security council. >> reporter: that hasn't changed. no-one seems to be able to find common ground on how to end this war. everyone has their own interests. so-called red line $were crossed >> first hand accounts for humanitarian organizations on the ground. these all indicate that everything these images are already screaming at us is real. the chemical weapons were used in syria. >> reporter: syria's civil aisation has been described as one of the most ancient in the world, full of treasures that have survived for two thousand years. parts of it completely destroyed. entire communities forced to leave not just their homes but their country. nobody wants to be a refugees and there is little international appetite to find a home for the constant flow of

syrians fleeing from this war. their future is vulnerable and uncertain. they long to go home but no-one knows when that day will come and what syria will look like when it finally does more makeshift shelters in the french refuse gee camp known as the jungle have been cleared. only a few structures remain in the southern parts of the camp related in the french port of calais. dozen $have been on hunger strike for two weeks over the site's demolition >> we don't have any other option. nobody can hear us, nobody can do anything for us. so we decided living this way, our rules, our voice can be heard police in belgium are still hunting two suspects following tuesday's raid in brussels. one man who was killed in a shoot out has been identified as anal engineerian - an algerian

national. the raid on the city was linked to attacks in paris. >> reporter: specialist police officers and forensic teams carefully examined the apartment where gunmen had opened fire just hours earlier. aiming to try to establish exactly what they were doing there. by daylight those who witnessed events unfold were still trying to understand what had happened in the house opposite theirs. >> you heard a lot of shooting, at some time i heard an explosion too and i really didn't know what was really happening. >> reporter: police have identified the gunman shot dead during the operation as an algerian living in belgium illegally. he was known to police because of a theft in 2014 >> next to the body was a gun and a book on islam, a flag of

i.s.i.s. d.a.e.s.h. was found in the flat as well as loaded guns. no explosives were found. >> reporter: when belgium and french police investigating the paris attacks arrived at the apartment in forest, they expected to carry out a routine search of an empty apartment. instead, they encountered fierce resist aance resulting in a standoff lasting several hours. two people are still on the run. this is the back of the property where two of the suspects were made out making their escape in that direction. what is not known is how the man is linked if at all to the paris attacks where 130 people were killed. it is known, though, that the paris plot was planned in brussels. four months on questions remain about the intelligence failings leading up to the attacks and belgium remains at the heart of

the investigation britain's treasurer rechief has revealed a gloomy growth fore kachlt >> i'm not prepared to look back here and say to my children's generation i'm sorry we knew there was a problem with sugary drinks, we knew it caused disease and we did nothing. today i can announce that we will introduce a new sugar levy on the soft drinks industry and let me explain how it will work. it will be levied on the companies. it will be introduced in two years time to give companies plenty of space to change their product mix. it will be assessed on the volume of the sugar sweetened drinks they produce or import nigeria's president hats

promised the end of boko haram is in sight. it was made at the latest group. at least 22 people were killed. the army says the first bomber targeted the mosque and the second blew herself up close by a few minutes later. on average indigenous australians live at least 10 years less than the rest of the population. a national campaign aimed at addressing that disparity is being held across australia on thursday. andrew thomas has more. >> reporter: in the south of sydney new mother natalie bell is seeing the mid wife who seven months ago delivered her baby. the service with mid wives specifically trained to understand how aboriginal cultural norms different from western one has become a flag ship scheme.

>> you know your mid wives, the whole lot about your history. >> reporter: eight years ago aboriginal or indigenous infants died at almost double the rate of nonindigenous ones. addressing that became a target for the government under an initiative called closing the gap. simple changes like appointments away from hospitals have helped. >> sometimes a hospital setting can be a little bit off putting for a woman who hasn't been in the system before. we have clinics in the community, we do home visits, we also offer transport if women can't get them i will pick them up >> reporter: thanks in part to initiatives like this one, the gap australia wide is on track to be half of what it was by 2018. it's a success story, but a rare one. of seven closing the gap targets only two were on track to be achieved. on average, aboriginal people die 10 years earlier than others. they are as likely to be

unemployed as ever. school attendance levels lag significantly. >> there's much work to be done to meet the targets. today i want to reaffirm my government's commitment to closing the gap. >> reporter: this video has been released to mark close the gap day. on thursday about 1500 events are due to take place around australia, having them all take place on the same day is intended to keep the issue of indigenous disadvantage high profile. andrew thomas denmark has over taken switzerland as the world's happiest place to live. that's according to a new united nation $survey. the fourth world happiness report found countries with the least inequality were happier. ice land, and others were at the bottom with burundi ranked last

a five year old boy from the occupied west bank is travelling to madrid to meet one of the world's most famous sportsman. his family was killed in an arson attack by israeli settlors last year. where he is being treated in hospital the team has made his wish come true. >> reporter: like many five year olds, he is just getting into football and his favorite player is rinaldo. in real life he is closest to his grandfather. his home was bombed last year. his 18 month old brother was killed straightaway. his father died in hospital and his mother later died. >> translation: he asks me every day about his parents. he asks me where is heaven? how far is it from our house.

the other day he looked at his mother's photo. he said he was asking her where she was. i believe he will need more psychological help. >> reporter: he suffered serious burns and has had several operations. his treatment at this hospital is far from finished. he is surrounded by staff and volunteers who make sure he feels loved. now thanks to lots of planning by well wishers, he is getting a special trip to spain to meet rinaldo >> he was wearing a t-shirt with republican. we pictured him and put it on facebook and some guys from the soccer association saw him on facebook and they said if you love rinaldo, we can connect with the club there and maybe he can visit him. so they did. >> reporter: he faces a longer journey. his rehabilitation. but at least here at the hospital they're trying to give him as much of a normal chide as they can.

that means lots of love as well as a once in a life time trip to the spanish capital to meet his footballing hero all the news on the website. there it is. aljazeera.com our government are doing what they need to do in order to protect their citizens. i don't think this state is going to take this and appropriate manner until we're dragging dead bodies out of buildings good evening. thanks for joining us. this special