>> we will be able to see change. the u.n. court centers radovan karadzic to 40 years for genocide and war crimes. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, belgian police are reported to be seeking a second suspect in the metro bombing. pushing back isil, syrian forces fight their way to the gates of the ancient city of palmyra. video emerges which appears to show an israeli soldier shooting dead an incapacitated

palestinian attacker. and we report on the race against time to save indonesia's endang endangered orangutans. ♪ hello, the former bosnian serb leader, radovan karadzic has been given a 40-year jail sentence. he was acquitted of one count, but was convicted of another in which 8,000 bosnian muslim men and boys were killed. and he was found guilty of crimes against humanity during the siege of sarajevo. and his war crimes including holding thousands in detention camps in appalling conditions. >> in conclusion, in relation to

the municipalities component, the accused bares individual criminal responsibility pursuant to article 7-1 of the statute for persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, and forcible transfer as crimes against humanity, and murder of violation of the laws or customs of war. emma hayward joins us live from the hague. emma some serious verdicts there. what was the reaction in court? >> reporter: i think inside the court it was a mixture of calm and tension. many of the victims families have traveled to be here, and they waited about an hour 40 minutes for the judge deliverings his findings before giving that verdict. ten out of the eleven charges he was found guilty of.

most notably in the massacre where thousands of muslim men and boys were killed. he sat passively as the verdict was read out. i understand you have spoken to be karadzic. what was his reaction? >> he was disappointed and agos on the initialled at the conditioning of the trial chamber that they used to convict him. so he has asked me to appeal the conviction, and we'll be doing that. >> reporter: he hasn't shown any remorse for what happened all of these years ago, has he? >> he has a lot of remorse for the suffering of victims, and doesn't feel he is legally responsible for any crimes. >> reporter: do you think he was surprised by the verdict? >> well, i think he was hoping that he would be acquitted, but he was also not completely surprised if it didn't. >> reporter: and so now the appeals process begins.

can you tell me about how that will take place and the length of time it is likely to take? >> it is a three-year process. written briefs will be filed. there will be an oral hearing that will last about one day, and then the judges will summon us all back and deliver the final judgment. >> reporter: what was it like being inside that courtroom today in being among the victim's families with mr. karadzic? >> it was very sad, actually, and nobody has really won from today's judgment. >> reporter: peter robinson thank you for joining us here on al jazeera. so radovan karadzic sentenced to 40 years in prison, eight of which he has already served, and some people who have travelled from bosnia say the sentence is still too short. >> thank you very much indeed. stephane joins us now from sarajevo, so what is the reaction there? >> reporter: well, in this moment, we are waiting for the

reaction from the chairman of the presidency of bosnia. so far there are very few reactions from the government of bosnia, and we're expecting that he will comment on this verdict in the hague tribunal. so far there were few reactions from the area where most of the crimes happening during the war in the '90s. members said that what happened in the hague tribunal is not fair for the members of the serbian community in this country. it is notable the president fled the country for the day and is in neighboring serbia, attending a anniversary of a nato campaign in serbia. when it comes to families of the victims, and associating gathering, they are very dissatisfied with the fact that he got 40 years in prison,

because they hoped he would get a lifetime sentence. they are saying that it is not fair that karadzic is not convicted in genocide cases in seven municipalities. they say that not only did that genocide happen, they are saying in 1992, it was the first genocide in because nia, and that the last one was the genocide which happened in july in 1995. many people of sarajevo whom i spoke to during the day are of the same stance. they were hoping for a life sometime sentence, because they are still remembering the horror which lasted from 1992 until 1996. more than 11,000 people and sarajevo civilians were killed during that period, more than 1,600 children were killed and

you can still see the scars and bullet holes all over the town. during the '90s, more than 50,000 people were wounded, and more than 10,000 homes were completely destroyed, and they are playing radovan karadzic for that. and they are hoping in the appeal process, he will sentenced for life. >> thank you very much indeed. ♪ belgian authorities are reportedly seeking a second suspect involved in the metro bombing on tuesday. cctv is said to show a man with a large bag next to the metro bomber. that person may now be on the run. and abdeslam says he will no longer fight extradition to france. this is e.u. justice and

interior ministers meet in brussel to discuss their response to the attacks. paul brennan reports from brussels. >> reporter: how many attackers were involved in the brussels bombings. cc tv footage showed three at the airport. two are dead, one on the run. but belgian state media now says there may have been two people involved in the blast at malbec station. the suicide bomber and another man who may still be at large. the background of airport bomber should perhaps have rung alarm bells. in january 2010 he was involved in a violent armed robbery at a money exchange office in brussels, shooting at police with a rifle. in september 2010 he was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison. but in october 2014, he was released on parole and absconded. the first indication of isil

affiliation came in june 2015 when he was arrested in turkey apparently en route to syria. turkey says it warned both the dutch and belgian authorities that he posed a serious danger. salah abdeslam's lawyer appeared in front of the court. emerging after a hearing he announced that his client will no longer resist extradition to paris. >> reporter: why does he want to go to france? >> because i think it's the most important part of the file, and i think his explanation he has to give them there and not in belgium. >> reporter: the metro system has reopened now, and passengers are making their way back to

work. although malbec station remains sealed off. >> we have to be careful because they are walking around between us. it's maybe today. it's maybe in a month. it's maybe in a year, but they are still going on for attacking us. >> reporter: belgium remains at the high estate of alert. isabelle was passing the station as the bomb went off. she watched horrified as the dead and wounded were carried out. it has left a lasting impression on her. >> you could say that we expected this , but it still -- i actually never expected this. it's -- it's -- i have been living in belgium all of my life, it never really had something like this. >> reporter: one minute of silence here has developed into more than five minutes of silence reflection now, and the public opinion here in brussels is also changing from the initial grief and shock to anger at the apparent failings of the

police and intelligence receiveses. belgian's interior minister and justice minister have both offered to resign. their reclamati reclamation -- resignations were refused by the prime minister. dominic kane joins us live now from brussels. so what is happening at the airport? >> reporter: well, lauren, we understand that the airport is now going to remain closed at least until monday of next week. which in one sense comes as little surprise to most people because of the extent of the damage that was inflicted by the explosions on tuesday, and of course the fact that it is still a crime scene, clearly, and the police and investigating authorities will be looking to gather whatever evidence they can, physical evidence, which might help them in the investigation, looking to find the people responsible for this attack, knowing of course as we do, that one of the attackers seen in the footage from the

airport, the man with the hat and glasses and blue and white shirt combination was at the airport and fled the scene. so clearly the suggestion that it is going to be closed until month may well be because of that. more than 650 passenger flights would leave here on any given day. so you can imagine the chaos that will cause for passengers. but certainly the investigation may well will be the reason why the airport stays closed for so long. >> and the european union justice minister meeting, anything coming out of that? >> reporter: we understand the german interior minister is going to call for an exit and entry system for people traveling inside the schengen zone. what is interesting about that

is that that would certainly be a very considerable change to the idea of passport check-free travel inside the schengen zone. it is something the previous german governments have considered asking for, and it has been on the table for the e.u. for sometime. the question is whether the events in brussels might make that more likely. there is also a suggestion that the ministers will be looking at way of policing flights more considerably than has happened hither hitherto. but the question then will be on the lips of people in brussels is what can be done tra-- tangi. we see the military on the streets, and the police on the streets, frisking passengers as they go on to the metro, but whether they will be reassured by the thought of the proposals

that they have in mind, well, that is another question. >> dominic kane thank you very much indeed. iraqi media say government troops have begun their long-awaited offensive against isil. they have been working to cut isil supply lines. it is thought to be the first phase of the military operation to retake mosul. and syrian government forces have advanced into palmyra taking control of isil positions at the edge of the city. the operation was backed by syrian and russian air strikes. isil has held palmyra since may, demolishing several structures and artifacts. the troops advance has been slowed by land mines planted by isil fighters. let's speak to [ inaudible ] on the turkey syria border. tell us a bit more about the significance of palmyra and what retaking it would mean for the

syrian government. >> reporter: well, lauren, before coming on moments ago one of my colleagues was looking at updates in syria, and showed me a video posted by isil, by their media group, if you will, and they are saying that they are still in palmyra, so they are denying the reports, what the government is saying that they have entered palmyra. the significance of palmyra is that, first it is located in the center of syria to the north of palmyra you have raqqa. raqqa is an isil strong hold. so you have a road between palmyra and raqqa and that is key for isil, and that's why the government wants to cut that road off. and to the east, you have deir ez-zor, most of that province is under isil control. so again, there is a road from palmyra to deir ez-zor, so that is a supply route for isil, and that's why i think the government wants to cut that off. not only the government, but i

think their allies the russians. because remember, russia when it entered this war -- or started this military campaign, it declared its target was to target terrorism in syria. this is what they say, of course. >> and we are nominally in a cessation of hostilities period. paint us a picture of what is going on in syria under this umbrella of cessation of hostilities. >> reporter: well, the cessation of hostilities has surprising to everyone, contrary to their expectations has largely held. there are serious violations, but when you compare them to the level of violence prior to this cessation of hostilities you can't even compare them, so that's why it's making people really hope that this could lead to somewhat more, wider peace, wider hopes, perhaps to end this war. but at the same time, there is

pessimism among a lot of syrians. they say the government is not sincere, and not necessarily on the military terms, but also on the political front, and they are referring to the government delegations in geneva and they are not sincere in this achieving peace while negotiating with the opposition. my count of the violation so far since it started somewhere between 150 up to 250 violations. it could be more depending on who you speak to, but generally speaking it is largely holding, that is contrary to the expectations of many people. >> thank you very much indeed. u.s. secretary of state john kerry has called for a further reduction in violence and greater humanitarian assistance in syria. he is in moscow, pressing he russian counterpart over a political transition in syria.

still to come this half hour, president obama offers to shed more light on the fate of the 10,000 victims of argentina's dirty war who are still unaccounted for. and percenting the fern. new zealanders vote to keep their current flag. ♪

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change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity. ♪ reminder of the top stories. the former bosnian serb leader

says he will appeal his 40-year jail sentence. belgian police may be hunting two fugitives in connection with tuesday east bomb attacks on the metro in brussels. and syrian government forces have advanced to the gates of palmyra, taking control of two isil positions in the ancient city. israeli soldiers say they shot and killed two palestinians who tried to stab them at a checking point in hebron. video has emerged of one of the palestinians being shot as he lay incapacitated on the ground. a soldier appears to shoot at the mans head as ambulances arrive. [ gunfire ] >> after a van passes, blood can be seen pouring from the man's head. stephanie decker has more. >> reporter: we have had a statement by the israeli army, saying that following preliminary investigation, that it appears that there has been a

grave breach of military values. it is not how the army works, and it is not what is expected of its soldiers and commanders. that soldier has been suspended. there is an investigation ongoing. but it is extremely dramatic video, that shows one of the palestinians, the israeli army said he attempted to stab soldiers with another man who was shot dead. when that happened this second man lies what seems to be incapacitated amongst a group of soldiers. you do then see a soldier cock his weapon and then you hear a gunshot, and it appears that he shoots the 21 year old in the head. it is a shocking video, which don't do anything to appease the palestinian public. we have had six months of these attempted alleged stabbings and

shootings. dutch football legend johan cryuff passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 86. indonesia's orangutans are on the threat of being extinct. >> reporter: across indonesia, forests are being razed so make way for palm oil and rubber plantations. and these are the creatures paying the price. >> one of the mistakes people make is there's not just a mindless animal. it's a person. >> reporter: this is a man on a mission. he is one of the first people who reintroduce a rescued

orangutan into the wild, and now after failing to convince the authorities to protect the forest he is taking matters into his own hands. using donations, he is buying large tracks of land to endure they are not bulldozed. >> we have control of everything north of here. this is the front line to have a functioning ecosystem in this area. >> reporter: he has transformed these 30,000 hectares into a reserve for endangered animals. after training them to fend for themselves in the wild, this is where they release orangutans who have been orphaned or kept illegally as pets. >> all 178 have gone back into the forest, and are inhabiting this ecosystem at the moment. we're hoping to keep

reintroducing to get a base of a minimum of 200 and up to 500. ultimately we hope the population expands to 2,000 orangutans living here forever. >> reporter: now free to roam, this population has already started breeding identifily. >> living wild is one thing, but reproducing is the ultimate goal for conservation. >> reporter: on the other side, cox and his colleagues believe they have made a startling discovery. a new species of orangutan. it was previously thought there were only two species, but now they are almost certain a new specie exists in the forest. they are calling it the tapanuli. >> this population is isolated, different, and in a different environment.

it will move in a different direction to the other population, so sooner or later evolution will dictate that it will be a new species. >> we start from here. >> reporter: cox works with indonesian forest rangers to help keep illegal loggers and poachers out of the forest, but in a country where countless acres have already been destroyed and palm oil is lucrative, making the foresters safer is a never-ending battle. >> you can see more of that report at 2230 gmt on thursday here on al jazeera. u.s. president barack obama has offered to declassify more documents on the u.s. involvement with argentina's former military rulers. the made the promise after laying white roses at a memorial for victims of what has been called the dirty war.

he is in buenos aires on the 40th anniversary of the coup. top u.s. officials initially backed the government, and obama has become the first u.s. president to pay homage to the victims. >> today in response to a question from the president and to continue helping the families of the victims find some of the truth and justice they deserve, i can announce that the united states government will declassify even more documents from that period, including for the first time military and intelligence records, because i believe we have a responsibility to confront the past with honesty and transparency. a new zealanders spent $17 million deciding whether to change its flag, and in the end voters opted to keep the existing one. carly flynn has more. >> reporter: a disappointing

turnout, and a disappointing result. those who wanted the flag to change, refusing to concede defeat. >> the current flag has won the day. we think, though, in time we'll have a new flag to represent the fact that we're an independent multi-cultural country in the south pacific. >> here! [ applause ] >> a let-down too for the prime minister. >> you can't be a sore loser about these things. i think you have to say, you know, those who wanted change put their best foot forward, they gave it a go. it might not have worked, but actually we're a stronger country for it. ♪ >> reporter: for more than 1.2 million kiwis there are celebrations that the current design with the british union flag and southern cross will continue its 114-year reign. >> it's what the majority want. and they will go home delighted tonight. >> i'm so pleased.

well done new zealanders. >> reporter: 57% of voters picked the current flag over the new design. the $17 million referendum produced the highest voter turnout in 20 years. the prime minister says that proves it was a discussion worth having. >> as a country, we have had enormous discussion, probably ever school child in new zealand has had a discussion about the flag and what it means. >> reporter: malcolm was part of the government's flag consideration panel and says the discussion is far from over. >> i think what will hit them now is there will be ongoing debate about the appropriateness of their current flag, and there will be suggestions that will be promoted over time. >> reporter: this wasn't the outcome the prime minister and this crowd wanted but it's 11.2 million kiwis voted for.

the prime minister doesn't like being on the wrong side of public opinion, but it would seem on this occasion he got it wrong. al jazeera, auckland, new zealand. and a quick rem -- reminder you are always catch up on all of the news we're covering by checking on ouring website, aljazeera.com. ♪ the search is now on for a possible fifth suspect in the brussels bombings. secretary of state john kerry presses his russian counterpart on a political transition in syria. these attacks were relentless, systemic, and they were widespread. >> the department of justice announces one of the highest-profile indictments ever against iran. ♪