only on al jazeera america. libya's new unity government promises to rebuild and reconcile the war-torn country. hello. this is al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. some breaking news this hour. a bridge under construction in eastern india collapses. we will have the very latest in a few minutes. also ahead, an african court finds the president violated the constitution after he used state money to renovate his home. argentina approves a deal to end the countries's ongoing debt crisis and years of financial

isolation. working nine too five on the line. it could be the end of the 35-hour working week in france. first, some breaking news. a bridge that was underconstruction in eastern india has collapsed on a busy road. this happened in north calcutta. there are reports of casualties and many are feared to be trapped underneath the rubble. what do we know about what happened? >> reporter: we don't have official figures yet of people who are injured or who have been killed, but there is a fear that the number could rise and it could be a pretty large toll. this is a very busy area. it is the business district. at any time there is a thousand people walking around the construction area where that bridge was being built.

we hear that the long stretch has collapsed between two pillars and it has collapsed on to cars and workers so far. rescue teams are still on their way with machinery and sniffer dogs. then we will get a clearer idea of exactly what is under the rubble at the moment. at the moment there's political blame game happening too. many people are asking how this could have happened and why this has happened. this bridge has been under construction for about five years and they're saying that there were issues with the construction due to corruption, but it's also a time when elections are about state elections are about to tat place this month. once again, there's a huge uproar with finger pointing. we do know that this could result in a very heavy casualty. people are very concerned. this is a very busy area. residential and both commercial area. there's a market nearby and the

rescue mission is under way we see from the pictures that there are a lot of people surrounding this building. you've told us no numbers yet, but some reports have suggested that ten people are dead and at least 150 still trapped. what more are you hearing about this? >> reporter: the state minister, disaster management minister, has said at least 40 people are believed to have been injured. we're hearing that that number could go up a lot more too. we do also know that there have been many issues with this bridge before. construction has stopped and started nine months. it was a bridge under contention. this should have been condoned off, but because of the lax quality and safety control, it was very much open. people travelling underneath it,

passing through and cars also parked around it and through it and little stalls set up. that is what the concern is. in a normal construction area, you would have - it would be clear underneath where people are drilling or putting up cement and where there is heavy machinery, but in this area because there wasn't much control mechanism in place, it was pretty much access for all. that's the worry about the toll and the casualty. once again, we're still getting those numbers and we will update them as we get them thank you for that. a bridge that was underconstruction has collapsed leaving a number of people dead and many others injured. we will continue to bring you all the latest developments here. moving on now to south africa and a court there has found that the president violated the country's constitution. the court says that the

president must pay an amount specified within 45 days. the recommendation that he pay should not be disregarded. live to tania page who is live for us. tell us about what has been happening in court. the judge has been reading his ruling for some time now. what has he said about the president and the money he used to pay for this home. >> reporter: sure. let's start by first of all pointing out this isn't just any court. this is the constitutional court. this is south africa's highest court. no ruling made here can be appealed. 11 constitutional court judges have decided unanimously that the president must repay a portion of the millions of taxpayers' dollars spent on upgrades to his home that had nothing to do with security. things like a swimming pool andam pitheater and cattle

enclosure. it says that the president acted inconsistently, failed to uphold and defend the constitution and ignoring and dismissing the public protector's findings and also that the national assembly heavily weighted in the congress's favor that it also failed to uphold the constitution and acted inconsistently with that constitution in coming up with these parallel processes which basically exxon rated the president from any wrongdoing. so an incredibly damaging day for the president there was already a great deal of president discontent against the president. these were two separate cases that were brought by the opposition, the democrating alliance and the economic freedom fighters. zuma had offered, though, to pay back some of the money, hadn't he? >> reporter: he did, but only after two years of failing to

end and trying to make it go away. so he made this offer only a few weeks before it became obvious that this constitutional court hearing would happen. at the first couple of days of the constitutional court hearing his lawyers said, yes, the president accepts that the report findings are binding and he has decided to pay back some money. that was a complete 180 degree change in thinks position up to that date. -- in his position up to that date. it was a shock to everyone. not such a surprise that the constitutional court has come up with those rulings, but i think particularly as far as breaches, irregular laritys and inconsistencies in the president and the national assembly's approach to the constitution, gas ps in the crowd as the judge delivered those findings thank you very much for

that. a tribunal in the hague has found a serbian leader accused of war crimes not guilty. he was accused of stoking ethnic hatred in the 1990s. he was not in court to hear the judgment. he returned to belgrade in 2014 for cancer treatment. the leader of libya's new unity government says he wants to work towards national reconciliation. the prime minister and his u.n. back government have defied throats of violence to return to the capital. the area has been unstable still 2011. since 2014 it has had two competing administrations, one in tripoli and the other in the eastern port city of tobruk. the prime minister has promised to work for all libyans. >> translation: with everyone's support we will create the state

with institutions and laws, with participation of all libyans who will work for a ceasefire in the bloodshed across libya and confront i.s.i.l. the libyan political analyst says the current crisis is unprecedented. >> for now we have three governments that are all of tm are operating out of libya or somewhere out of libya. what happens next is or what is supposed to happen next is that both of th other governments will have to hand over power peacefully, but that does not look like an option at the moment and as a result what we will end up with is instead of having two competing governments, we will have three competing governments in libya. why? because the government of the self-proclaimed islamist claim in tripoli is refusing to hand over power and is going as far as actually threatening war and

resistance against this u.n.-backed government and in eastern libya the other tear taker government prime minister has refused to hand over power because he says this u.n.-backed government was not endorsed by the parliament in the city of eastern libya and as a result he would not hand over until it gets that endorsement from the internationally recognised parliament in colombia the government and the second biggest rebel group have announced the beginning of formal peace talks. the eln or national liberation army will follow on from the park-- farc to end civil conflict. >> reporter: it was the missing piece in the attempt to end the conflict. the eln, the second biggest rebel group, agreed to start formal peace negotiations with the government.

>> translation: they have agreed to open a public negotiating table to address the points on the agenda in order to reach a final agreement to end the armed conflict and agree to transformations in search of a peaceful and equitable colombia. >> reporter: the announcement was made in the capital where the sides have been meeting in exploratory talks since 2014. under the deal the public negotiations will take place in ecuador, but some suggestions will be held in brazil, chile, cuba and venezuela. >> translation: the action plan will involve mechanisms of control, monitoring and verification that will include the participation of society and international community and the government and the national liberation army. >> reporter: the two sides agreed to a broad six point agenda that will deal with issues like peace construction and the right of victims. the focus will be on some points

which will converge with the government and the biggest rebel group. they have been underway for four years and are now in their final stretch. founded by a radical catholic priest in 1964 the eln is a smaller group than the farc but is resill anti and able to inflict damage. a disagreement without the eln would have been fragile, with dissidents switching to the eln ranks and taking over areas under farc control. in a speech the president says bringing the eln to the negotiating table was paramount. >> translation: it will be the end of the groups and we can all concentrate on making our country the free, normal modern and inclusive place it can and should be. >> reporter: at this point it is still unclear when the negotiations will begin in earnest.

the government wants the eln to release any hostage they're holding before agreeing to a date. what is clear, though, is that this announcement means the country took another important step toward a definitive and sustainable peace coming um after the break on al jazeera, donald trump has controversy again, this time with comments on abortion. plus >> reporter: i'm in europe's largest port, a front line in the global effort of stopping the transportation of potentially dangerous nuclear materials. materials.

welcome back. a recap of our stories. a bridge that was under construction has collapsed in eastern india. this happened in the state of calcutta. there are reports of casualties and many people are still trapped. a south african court has found that the president violated the countries's constitution when he used public funds to renovate his home. he must repay the amount specified by the national treasury within 45 days. the leader of the unity government wants to work towards national kon sillation. dedefied threats of violence to return to the capital tripoli. >> reporter: argentina has taken a big step towards reentering the global financial system. the senate has approved a deal to repay u.s. creditors putting

an end to a long dispute over the country's dead. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: one significant step towards leaving financial default behind. on thursday argentina senate passed a law that will allow argentina to pay back its creditors. >> translation: we have to set the time and pay book soon because we are building interest. we have been in default for years and we need to put an end to that. >> reporter: the senate vote paves the way for the government to pay billions of dollars to so-called hold out creditors, a small handful of wealthy speculators who have rejected argentina's efforts to restruck tour a debt. the so-called obviously tour funds bought out billions dollars of the country's debt. in the early 2000's when the country was on its knees. since then argentina has managed

to renegotiate with around 93% of its creditors. a handful have sued the country for full payment in the u.s. plus interest and penalties. this vote is considered a victory for argentina's new president who is trying to pay off argentina's debts so that this country can go back to the world's financial market. doing this the president says would allow argentina to borrow money once again and get the economy moving. >> reporter: stagnation and inflation have been the main problems in the last four years. >> argentina needs some time to digest those macro imbalance that it has and the best way to gain that time was maybe devaluing the currency or without having to make a hash adjustment. >> reporter: many hero possess paying the obviously tour funds back. people close to former president cristina kirchner and left wings

say no more debt should be taken on. >> translation: argentina should be crying today and not celebrating. we're paying off a debt that has not helped the country at all. every time we have taken debt it has not been use to build roads, schools or hospitals. >> reporter: for now argentina has until april 14 to pay its debts. it's not the best deal most people say here, but it is the only one available that will allow this country to leave the past behind thousands of people are expected to demonstrate in france on thursday against proposed reforms that could alter the 35-hour working week. supporters say it will make the country more competitive while krimentics-- critics believe workers will have fewer rights. >> reporter: they're known for being ideal for getting out of tight corners and for being economical. in a squeezed market, tens of thousands of these smart cars

are being produced at this factory in france every year. when the workforce arrive on shift, they know they will finish slightly later than they used to. the 35 hour working week at the factory has come to an end to try to increase productivity. some extra hours are now being paid at a reduced rate. in return, the company has promised to secure workers' jobs until 2020. >> translation: right now this is a preventative move. we are the last constructor of small cars in france. they're competitive in terms of costs. labor costs is a huge impact on the resail price of the car. >> reporter: with 1800 jobs on the site, this is one of the biggest employers in the area. 15 minutes drive from ham bach and you're in germany. some big french employers say that the 35 hour working week

hinders competitiveness and that france needs to start acting like some of its european neighbours. the 35-hour working week has been enshrined in french law since 2000. brought in by a socialist government, it is now a socialist president who wants to amend it, believing it will boost the economy. the proposals, know, have alarmed the unions who wield significant power in france. the changes at the factory divided union leaders but in the end most employees accepted thement. >> translation: yes, it's true it is a step backwards for workers rights. it's a sacrifice for four years. we didn't want to have a sword of damocles hanging over our heads. in the end we got job security. >> reporter: the government wants to press ahead with reform. a gear change which is likely to

be testing for all sides involved. amnesty international says migrant workers in catta are facing systematic abuse. that's based-- qatar are facing system because a abuse. every worker reported some kind of abuse including poor wages and conditions and even forced labor. it goes on to blame f.i.f.a. and the government for not enforcing regulations. the government of qatar responded to the amnesty report saying it remains committed to reforming labor laws. it says new procedures allow workers to apply directly for exist permit procedures and without them workers can't travel. new wage protection rules are intended to make sure people get paid on time. the government says other new measures aim to improve recruitment practices and working hours. f.i.f.a. has released a statement saying that the

situation is improving chinese police have arrested more than 3,000 people trying to enter hong kong illegally. many of them were undocumented and from several countries in south-east asia. police say they wanted to work as laborers. the arrests were part of a joint police crackdown on smuggling. in greece refugees and local

people have marched to protest against the recent e.u.-turkey deal. they were out on the streeth of athens and in nearby port. under the deal refugees and migrants who reach greece from turkey will be sent back to turkey after any asylum claims have been processd. they wanted the borders to be opened. world leaders are arising at the nuclear summit. more than 50 organizations and attending. they want to skafl secure nuclear materials. russia isn't attending the talks during criticism which says it is a missed opportunity. while diplomacy is a large part of the smut, so too is increased surveilling and monitoring. there are dangers in transporting nuclear materials.

a report from our correspondent. >> reporter: more than 440 million tons of cargo through the port here each year making it the largest in europe. with every shipment comes the potential for dangerous nuclear materials to be brought in or exported. >> these are the sources coming from all over the world. they're coming from abandoned hospitals and things like that. sometimes they have contaminated steel. for instance, tubing, pipes, and we have had one case where there was some small pipes that contaminated with uranium. >> reporter: radiation sensors in the claw of each crane sound the alert if anything suspicious is found. they're dhekd as they're driven through the port. around 150 shipments are found

to have usual levels of radiation. when suspicious nuclear material is found, it is brought to this government lab. samples are taken and analysed to try and understand what it is and whether it poses a threat. recent finds have included depleted uranium cylinders from pakistan, nuclear testing material from russia and even an unused nuclear fuel pellet from germany. >> reporter: frequently importers are unaware their cargo is contaminated and blaming suppliers for not checking the safety of their materials. they say they're only finding a fraction of the material and admits some could be much more dangerous >> the material discovered is most likely not all the material which is around there. what we see is the tip of the iceberg, but we don't know how big the iceberg is. >> reporter: experts say low

level nuclear material such as those most often found pose only a small threat to public health. even if they were used as part a so-called dirty bomb. of much greater concern is highly rootive nuclear fuel or weapons great material. >> they are acting upon opportunities that they have. that's why the nuclear security is so important, that you secure them, that they don't have an easy opportunity to obtain the material. >> reporter: back at the port the seemingly endless job of under loading scrap metal continues. it's here rather than at international summit that the hard work of stopping the transportation of potentially dangerous nuclear materials is done u.s. republican presidential front runner donald trump has

courted controversy again. on the network he called for punishment for women to have abortio abortions. he seeks a ban on abortion. >> do you believe in punishment for abortion "yes" or "no" as a principle? >> the answer is that there has to be some form of punishment >> for the women? >> yes. some form >> what? >> that i don't know. i don't know. it's a very complicated position trump later back tracked in a statement he said that the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman. he added that the woman is a victim in this case and is the life in her womb one of the first video cassettes ever dropped is about to disappear into history. sony will no longer sell the

betam ax tape in japan, the only country where they're still available. >> reporter: now you see it and soon you won't. betamax, one of technology's greatest losers. 40 years ago when cassette recorders were knew and industry were looking for a standard standard sighs, they made all the early running. produced by sony, supported by the japanese government, burr then along comes the upstart vhs, produced by all of sony's rivals. the vhs catches on and the rest is history. the vhs is still recognizable. they would have seen it on the shelves of their parents or grandparents, but the beta what? >> translation: ah? >> translation: mm? >> reporter: son ee made the last machine in 2002.

in 2013 it stopped producing these tapes now with the the shipping out of the last of its stock, it marks the death of a format that held ever so briefly the promise of a golden video age, now relegated to the museum and to the memory of people old enough to remember such a thing ever existed tonight, america's cold war in the caribbean is fast coming to an end. the united states and cuba are taking steps to end more than half a century of disagreement. yet the embar go is in place. cuba is in the throes of change and the relationship with the