each time the u.s. occupation some of these graves are completely destroyed it's one of the most holy and sacred sites in all of iraq to turn into a battleground between the mighty army and the americans six years on rewind returns to iraq after the americans at this time on all juicy. and i. mean i know. zero. hello i'm maryam namazie this is the news hour live from london coming up an israeli fighter jet is shot down by syrian anti-aircraft fire as the conflict

between israel and iran escalates we'll have the latest from jerusalem and teheran . lympics or continues with an invitation to the south korean leader to visit kyung yang. brazil and colombia tighten border controls with venezuela no way economic crisis has led hundreds of thousands to leave and he raises demonstrators take to the streets in the italian town west six africans were shot last week. and i'm far is smiling doha our top sports story another symbol of political unity up the olympic games and chang as north and south korea form a united team for the first time. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says israel will continue to resist any iranian attempt to establish itself inside syria this is after an israeli fighter

jet was downed by anti aircraft fire during an air raid in syria the israelis say the raid was in response to the discovery of an iranian drone launched from syria flying into van as space emraan khan reports from west jerusalem. in the early hours of saturday morning syria's war escalated to a new level for the first time in thirty years israel lost a fighter jet to enemy fire israel confirmed syrian air defense shot at one of its of sixteen fighter jets the israeli prime minister was blunt israel iran and its syria responsible for to this aggression we will continue to do whatever is necessary. protect our sovereignty and our security the crusher followed the shooting down of a drone israeli army video shows what they say is that iranian drone flying towards the norden golan heights before it was downed in retaliation israeli air force at twelve targets in syria including the suspected drone command center iranian targets and syrian air defense syria alone surface to air missiles during the

israeli raid and says it shot down the f. sixteen which crashed in northern israel at the hands of. the syrian political leadership took a decision at the highest level to face to thaw simply any israeli military aircraft of a syrian in space today syria did what it promised to put down again israeli plane and striking at other planes this is clear for syria it is a decisive decision to confront the israeli air force and its careless behavior. both pilots ejected and parachuted to the israeli side of the border one is critically injured the israeli army spokesman said it were it was behind the launch of the drawing but didn't say whether it was armed or not the iranians have reacted they've said that they are going to stand with syria against any felician us by israel the russians have also reacted saying that israel needs to respect syrian state to state sovereignty also what we're hearing is that the israelis want to

send a strong message to the russians to get iran out of the region iran can al-jazeera western islam all this is not the first time israel has hit targets inside syria iran has sent military advisers in allegedly thousands of its revolutionary guards to help the syrian government and that build up of iranian assets has been increasingly worrying for israel and harder explains why this is the golan heights territory israel captured from syria in one nine hundred sixty seven the war in syria has brought iran and its allies like the lebanese armed group hezbollah closer to that border israel. says that is something it won't tolerate it has reached out to russia an ally of the syrian and iranian government. before this was the deal that was signed by netanyahu and put it on the thirtieth of september when netanyahu went to russia in two thousand and fifteen russia will prevent the iranians from building bases near the borders with israel this is when the russians

entered syria and launched their military operations we have been witnessing israeli air strikes ever since. israel has struck targets inside syria for years and has had convoys carrying weapons destined for hezbollah arms depots bases clearly with a green light from russia moscow does control the air space the israeli air force was flying unchallenged until saturday was shot down by syrian anti-aircraft batteries after it struck targets around damascus. the downing of the plane coincided with what some believe is the beginning of a more aggressive strategy to rollback iran rules america are the russians in front of a confrontation with the americans in syria are the americans in front of a possible confrontation with the russians in syria or is there an unannounced deal between the russians and americans to reduce iranian presence in syria. israel considers russia its guarantor for security along its border with syria they have

talked about a buffer zone but israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said the ceasefire agreement in southern syria didn't address what he called iranian military ambitions israel has repeatedly said it will not allow iran and its allies to entrench themselves militarily in syria and it won't allow syria to become a forward operating base against israel not saying who calls them red lines now the syrian government and its allies are introducing red lines of their own they say the downing of the israeli jets is a clear message that the days of carrying out attacks in syria are gone. russia allied to both sides is calling for restraint and for syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected it was a serious and dangerous incident the israeli army said it was not a war but more than a confrontation for now all sides have taken a step back after making their message clear set of. beirut.

is in the iranian capital tehran he joins us now so zain tell us about the iranian reaction to israel's explanation for developments in syria today well almost immediately after the incident the reaction from the iranian foreign ministry was very clear the foreign ministry spokesman said that the assertion that iran would fly a drone into israeli airspace is clearly a lie that is so ridiculous it's not even worth a response now that was from the foreign ministry and for all the specific details in the early part of the day the iranian government deferred to the syrians they see this is an incident that happened between the israeli military and the syrian military yes iran is present to help support the government of bashar al assad but they see this is a specific incident that israel is trying to use to bring more criticism against

iran once again and so we saw them very clearly letting syria and the syrian government take the lead in terms of responding. to the issue of the drone syria for its part said that it was a surveillance drone being used to monitor islamic state targets in the area but the very fact that iran deferred to them is very clear indication that they completely deny the allegation by the israeli government that the drone was launched by iran or ever encroached into israeli airspace. and of course we know that iran and israel are opponents in the region in terms of iran's activities in syria could we see going forward perhaps a bolder iran one that isn't afraid to engage israel militarily or is there is it your sense that the iranians would actually prefer you know restraint and containment. well you know we have seen two

very clear messages coming from the iranian leaders. with regards to this incident from the military side we see we have seen the same bold rhetoric delivering a message that iranian forces are ready to respond to any aggression by israel at any time on the civilian side we're seeing a clear effort to deescalate tensions syria is a place that for the lack of a better term is a tender box with many different actors often with diverging and converging agendas and so iranian leaders we've spoken to over the last several weeks and months have made clear that they don't want to open up any new fronts there are they want to work towards peace and stability they're trying to help root out islamic state fighters and to bring syria under the firm control of bashar al assad's government and they don't want to see another front open up in any sort of fighting and the

civilian leaders we've seen speaking have have made that clear for the spokesman for the parliamentary commission on foreign policy and national security spoke to syria and tried to downplay the incident and said the shooting down of his of an israeli f. sixteen is not that significant of an incident certainly it's the first time an arab army has an arab military has shot down an israeli aircraft since the one nine hundred eighty s. but this effort by the iranian leaders to de escalate the situation is clearly an effort to try to move things forward and avoid any conflict in the future and thanks very much with all that i tested from the iranian capital tehran zain best joining us. same with syria and a turkish military helicopter has been shot down during an operation against kurdish fighters in the north of the country is video is said to show the helicopter moments before it was downed killing two soldiers on board turkish present worship type do one says it happened the a turkey southern heartache province. has more from gaza and to turkey's border

with syria. the downing of this turkish manufactured attack helicopter the skill to sucker soldiers is a significant development in this three week long military operation it brings the number of turkish soldiers killed by a z y p g kurdish militia group to over twenty years far as the serbs are concerned they've killed at least one hundred fifty kurdish fighters now some advances have been made on the ground in the past twenty four forty eight hours as the free syrian army which is fighting alongside turkish military in order to advance towards the y.p. cipro just stronghold of free and i have managed to capture some villages on the road towards there as far as the turkish army is concerned and the listening to president merchant tehran they will respond the same to those who were behind that attack what's important to note here is that although the. courage or sources in

the y.p. ji claim that the turkish military has killed civilians in its operation ankara denies that they say the reason why this operation is ongoing as fast as they wanted to is precisely because they have been trying to of various any deaths of innocent civilians that have been reports that the p.g. and the p y d that's the political wing go that's kurdish militia have actually bustin kurds from other towns and cities to use them as human shields the kurdish officials there would say actually this is just the natural response of the kurdish population you know just to protect their town against what they see as a foreign aggression. three weeks now into operation on a ranch that does seem as i say to be a steady advance made by the tarps and the free syrian army towards are fine but this down to go by helicopter will be sure to incur the wrath of the targets from the tree. north korea's leader kim jong un has extended

a rare invitation to the south korean president lungi in to visit pyongyang when hosted came sister talks in seoul on the sidelines of the winter olympics is going i am has more from kong none. in the presidential blue house in the capital seoul relations between the two koreas continued to thaw the meeting had two firsts kim jong is the first member of the ruling family to cross into the south since the korean war the sister of the north korean leader came with the first ever invitation kim jong un is asking south korean president moon jay in to come to pyongyang at a convenient time soon little know it's key president moon said early talks between north korea and the united states are essential to improve relations here to north korea to be more proactive to move forward to have a dialogue with the united states. i think it's unclear when that might happen the

u.s. and north korea have rebuffed moon's attempts so far if an interesting meeting transpires it will be the first time kim jong un has met with the south korean president since assuming power in twenty eleven the last time leaders from the north and south met was eleven years ago during a summit in. jordan because of all the global attention i believe for unification will be brought forth the government is making efforts and i think people are rooting for it organizers of the olympics say they've been moved by the diplomatic breakthrough it was quite on the story a moment. and something that as you know the i.o.c. has been generally working for since probably two thousand and fourteen. and you know i think it shows it opens opens the door maybe just a little bit. critics say they doubt that door will ultimately open much more for

now there is hope that the p.r. chang winter olympics is the catalyst for a reboot in inter korean relations natasha to name elders era south korea. a cutter as a university research and i specialize in korea he believes kim jong un is trying to drive a wedge between the united states and south korea i think that a great deal of it is about the i must say kim jong un and north korea who we don't always associate with subtlety and scholem of play the blind they both come in the last minute well mistaken lovo made themselves the center of attraction politically but the at these games and it's left to the u.s. vice president mike pence to look like the grumpy old month standing up for what is the international community's position so kim jong un's game really is to drive a wedge between the u.s.

and south korea and pendulous he keeps reiterating that there is no daylight but i think now that the invitations being made for the summit all kinds of questions arise should go should he go unconditionally should he insists that north korea should also talk to the u.s. well those kinds of questions will be vigorously debated i think between the allies and in the south korean media. it with the news much will still to come for you we're visiting the german town that's in the spotlight since refusing dals any more refugees after forty years leading the irish nationalists partition famed gerry adams hands on the banks and. and then later in sport hurricane is the prince for tottenham again in the english premier league. thousands of anti fascist demonstrators have rallied in the italian city of matches

six africans were shot last saturday schools and shops in the city were closed and public transport suspended over fears that the march could trigger violence a far right sympathizer was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the drive by shooting adding to tensions around the issue of race and immigration ahead of next month's election anti-racism rallies were also staged in rome milan and paris. but she became when he did. the mission that in many people came to the streets here in russia and in many other cities in italy. fascism to recognize those founding values of our constitution which was born from resistance political parties have been using populism to create height tera and divisions. we are here because we want to be a dam like right smack new prey you spreading continuously social groups and in general we can't support. i mean look it's just saw. what happened in massive with

the terrorist luka also worries the black community because normal people who go to work and pay taxes risk being persecuted only for the color of their skin this is an ugly dangerous and old phenomenon that is don't belong to us in twenty eighteen . we're joined now by does he dare his a research analyst at the think tank open year up so a great deal going on at the moment you wouldn't perhaps expect this quiet town of to be so much at the forefront of recent developments in italy where that does seem to be what we're seeing how would you describe the position or the strength of the far right now i believe d. far right and in general does entire idea of. a revival a need to be shouldn't be exaggerated the far right is definitely wrong. but i believe especially abroad the reason a tendency to generalize put

a lot of parties into the same box which is not necessarily the case and right and so how important is it to make the distinction then between different far right parties which are gaining in popularity you know for its i know of is one but that is in a in a very different place or position compared to other groups such as the northern league here bystander mint yeah well. it's definitely a far right and to some extent fascist movement but force and whatever is holding very very low is not going to probably enter the parliament unless something unexpected happens then again you mentioned the leggo you mentioned the five star movement. is a part of the duties used to be a separatists and regional party now under the leadership of mark their salvini as was rebranded the party moved much more towards the fire. positions by the five star movement that many times abroad dispute in the same box as these other parties

is therefore not a far right movement a far right party so it is you say it's important not to group them all together and those parties that are not in the sort of far right part of the political spectrum. i mean have they suffered some damage because of what's happened recently i don't think necessarily that what's happened recently. impacted at least for now so much in the polls or do immigration. and the world seem is becoming polarized in italy and is probably now the main theme theme until the election day . but what i was talking about before i think there is a danger in putting you know different parties with different political ideologies label them you know in the same way. nonetheless is there a sort of to what extent would you say people in italy struggling to deal with issues around racism immigration we have seen an influx of

migrants and refugees how is that impacting the country and of course those crucial elections in march well i believe that growing support not necessarily connected to me gratian part parts that so but partly not for parties that like the legal like five star movement although there are as i said they're very different they're all part of the present the parties that present themselves as un to start basement parties so there is definitely i believe i'm elisa's if you want within the italian populations which explains the growing popularity of these parties but at the same time dancers to does mollies between different parties are also different and it does dangerous to say that the far right you need there is just growing without meeting and distinction not sure to between what a party like the leader is argued for and what a party like the five star movement has argued for well thank you for shedding some

light on it for us and there is a dairy from the open your think tank. in germany the authorities in the city of kut bus are refusing to house any more refugees the decision was criticized by activists and applauded by far right groups both of which descended on the city to demonstrate but the people of say much of the criticism has been unwarranted paul brennan reports. with its bilingual german and sorbet street signs and so close to the polish border bus has been a cultural melting pot for centuries so news that it would not accommodate any more syrian or iraqi refugees sparked angry demonstrations proving even some neo nazi elements and makeup busts a flashpoint between rival groups. after the demonstrators have dispersed though the reality here in corpus is somewhat more nuanced and complex a town which finds itself the rather reluctant focus of

a much wider issue here in germany. city hall insists the decision on new arrivals was forced by practical issues including a lack of kindergarten space but it's put cutpurse in the eye of a storm of protest. of the refugees of all the nazis that are coming to. bite us both the situation is bad for whole sides will have to be managed in case of a school its there are acts of violence which we condemn and where we hope the police and justice or thorough will respond of the appropriate punishment those include two separate knife incidents involving syrian youths and another where german youths attacked a group of afghans the police presence in coppers has been visibly raised but the perception of fear has affected attitudes because that is how many hours and as i really have nothing against immigrants they are welcome in germany but i am scared of. my friends who are foreigners but what if i end up with a knife in my pocket some residents worry that the debate has become quite so

polarized. after first in as i tried to understand that there are people who are there and i don't think it works to call them on our i do have a problem here with right wing extremists no doubt we don't get for that and that is no factual discussion. architect ass red flag from homs and arrived in coppers three years ago the tensions he says are being manipulated to me it's like a bit like propaganda it's like the use the story the way it fits them that's the sort of thing because as you can see it's like total quiet i mean there is. no such. concerns about integration resourcing and security are certainly not limited to this city but distinguishing reality from perception is the key all bran and al-jazeera cops. but still in colombia by tightening the

border controls with venezuela in an attempt to restrain the number of arrivals from that crisis torn neighbor hundreds of thousands of venezuelans have attempted to escape from the rampant inflation food shortages and political uncertainty in that country as daniel shaima reports. officially more than half a million venezuelans crossed into colombia in the last six months of last year but no one knows the true figures only that tens of thousands of venezuelans now try to scrape a living across south america the largest numbers in neighboring brazil and colombia . game here there are many mechanics doctors college graduates and look at us we're cleaning windows selling chargers and air conditioners so and so to them as well as future is over but hey you have to before i feel really sad really sad because we have to migrate to look for what we used to have in our country because before in venezuela we had what colombia has abundant and

a growing economy there are scaping in the economic crisis is lead to severe food and medicine shortages the international monetary fund predicts inflation this year will reach thirteen thousand percent the presidents of venice wailin because mcdougall blames the u.s. backed international conspiracy for his country's troubles the colombian president juan manuel santos says nicolas maduro has mismanaged the economy and the colombia can no longer live with those consequences or you saw me decide on our starting today only venezuelans who have passports or have in their hands the migration card will enter colombia. he's ordered three thousand more soldiers and police to patrol the border with colombia and brazil said the influx of migrants is straining their social services to breaking point it's been my law regarding immigration what the government wants and what the country once is to. achieve orderly secure legal

migration that means foreigners are legal in our country in that way we can plan for the future. but with the situation in business where you would be predicted to get worse the migrants who keep coming you now face a more formidable challenge to cross the border. so i have for you this hour in the shadow of death is never far away your report on the psychological impact i am murder rape is having on people in the mexican city of acapulco. conservation a step up the pressure on restaurants selling shark fin soup in hong kong fish that still in demand. and on the first gold medals at the winter olympics in china handed out fire or have those details and more.

hello there for some of us in europe the weather is going to turn a bit milder over the next few days you can see more in the way of cloud working its way into the northwest at the moment a disaster weeps its way eastwards is going to bring a change in the wind direction and the air coming in is going to be a fair amount milder so we're looking at around nine there in london and six in paris on sunday the leading edge of that malta will be turning to snow still as it hits the cold air and then eventually as it works its way across us we will see it turn from snow to rain and then the temperatures will begin to rise a little bit so staying mild there as we head through the next few days and there's still working its way down through parts of italy still giving a fair amount of wintry weather on its leading edge the other system that was in the mediterranean that's working its way towards the northeast and working its way away from us on monday so things for turkey will be calming down quite down there for the other side of the mediterranean sea lots of cloud to it was the showers

actually have been in the northwestern parts they gradually easing now so for many of us in morocco it should be drawing fine the temperatures have recovered him about we're back up at sixteen by monday a few showers may just clip the north coast about jerry about jews will still make quite a decent fifteen degrees as a maximum temperature. from satellite technology to three d. printing and recycled waste to solar powered classrooms africa is transforming young innovators are propelling change building communities creating employment and solving problems. challenging systems and shaping you what it's about creative thinkers shaping their continent's future innovate africa this time on al-jazeera. i sometimes feel that we are really looking into the hearts and souls of those

directly involved in the dance taking place really good at telling all sides of the story from the political elite to those people who think that you really get to know what's happening on the ground that's very important for me as a third generation past that can often feel that my continent is misrepresented and we've changed that your story is important to us it doesn't matter where you come from. and back you at the news hour let's take you through the stories making headlines the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says israel will continue to resist any iranian attempt to establish itself in syria is comes after an israeli fighter

jet was downed on a mission of this area. south korean president lungi and has received a rare invitation to visit pyongyang from north korea's leader kim jong un. and thousands of anti fascist demonstrators a ride in the it's a italian city of much of russia a week after six africans were shot by a far right sympathizer. and all the stories are falling around ramadi is wrapped up the first official visit by an indian prime minister to palestine the palestinian president mahmoud abbas told mody that he needs india support during future talks with israel a bass's government is seeking new allies after u.s. president doll trant cause an uproar by recognizing jerusalem as the capital of israel and its methe reports. this first visit to the occupied west bank for an indian prime minister was also very short just three hours it ended with a media briefing no questions allowed when i had remotely offered the traditional

indian support for the palestinians. i assured president abbas that india is committed to the palestinian national interest india hopes that palestine will become an independent and sovereign state in the future the building of the state comes through peaceful means and through dialogue and understanding. but there was no mention of east jerusalem as the capital of a palestinian state something previous indian leaders always referred to from the palestinian president came the hope that india might help in mediating future talks with the israelis. we exchanged views about the current dilemma of the peace process that resulted from the continuity of the occupation and from the blocking of the political horizon following decision on jerusalem and the refugees. there was no comment from modi on that. how different the relationship was when yasser arafat was alive modi paid his respects at the former palestinian leaders

more the limb in one thousand nine hundred eight india became the first non arab country to recognize the state of palestine india suffered under colonialism and felt the palestinians are in the same boat thirty years on india buys forty one percent of israel's arms exports. israel's prime minister was in india for a weeklong visit in january making new trade deals for the found a monarch and with set on a lot of israel indian relations palestinians wanted to reintroduce balance to the relationship and bring back india as an important ally but mostly a very ditto looking directly but with india was ready to take up such a role after his visit modi flew back to jordan and on to the gulf mode it was in israel last july but he didn't out on a visit to ramallah which is what most leaders usually do india wants to dealing kids relations with the israelis and the palestinians which is why there was a separate visit here now the palestinians hope this means they can still rely on indian support even though strong relations with israel on our new delhi's priority

. al-jazeera ramallah myself about which he is the secretary general of the palestinian national initiative he says ninety's visit to palestine is important for diplomacy between the two nations it can be perceived as a balancing act indian people have been very supportive to the palestinian cause but during the last few years unfortunately the government. building relations with israel and specially military cooperation with. israel and i think there has been. this visit is important because maybe things back some balance. in positions we of course appreciate the fact that you have voted with us in the most recent vote and then our nation's i guess mr trump's decision on the other hand this visit is also diplomatically

important because it opens the door hopefully for a bigger involvement. i mean china russia south africa. the irish republican party shin fein is elected a new leader to replace gerry adams the announced he was stepping down in november mary lou mcdonald says he's committed to pushing for united ireland dignity and barbara paul she has more immediate challenges. taking over from a man she calls a political giant mary lou mcdonald paid tribute to gerry adams who became shin fein president when she was a teenager and he was instrumental in northern ireland's peace process that led to the good friday agreement two decades ago he has defined politics on this side and for a generation or more and when other said it was impossible gerry and mark mcinnes

along with john hume and others bravely walked the path to peace macdonald and out of his have been involved in talks on reconvening northern islands devolved government which broke down a year ago shin fein which shared power with the unionists do you once movement on issues such as irish language rights. i mean really facing us as the war is was over there is no my hurrying we don't have to agree on the past the reason i'm seeing the historical matters. we will see how we agree that the past is never again he says other things we can agree to disagree like mcdonald the party's new deputy leader michel o'neill represents a younger generation of activists hoping to get shin fein into government on both sides of the border. this conference represents not just a handover of power but a move towards a more modern policy by shin fein it comes at

a time when there are real challenges for it's both in northern ireland and here in the irish republic how do we become the party that is seen by those people who are in full time employment and average wages those people are part of a point of poor wages and also going to provide how do we present ourselves as the champion of their needs and their interests the party's also been hit by resignations over alleged bullying and mcdonald says she's listening to complaints here in the south she's also backing a change in the law to allow abortion ahead of an irish referendum later this year but she in feigns long held aim of a referendum on uniting the island of ireland remains some way off the al-jazeera. mexico is in the grip of a war on drug gangs acapulco was once a sought after holiday destination now it has the highest murder rate in the world despite the resources put into policing and the efforts of n.g.o.s it's had a destructive effect on society john home reports from acapulco. the

shadow of death has lain across the years the former taurus talksport was one of the highest murder rates in the world and behind the military patrols police sirens and daily crime scenes live a townspeople struggling with fear and grief. last year francisco's wife was caught in the midst of a gang shoot and killed now he's raising their four children alone we hid his identity speaking out here is dangerous. this. is this. a decade or more than one hundred twenty thousand victims into the drug war there's still no federal program dedicated to psychological support for the families left behind. in acapulco and n.g.o.s doctors

without borders is filling that gap their team of community workers and psychologists go to churches community centers basketball courts anywhere people gather to train them to support each other and. the violence gets to such a level that the social fabric is destroyed people don't trust their neighbors and little by little things deteriorate. those suffering particularly painful experiences like francisco to meet one on one with psychologists. doctors without borders are also training teaches to recognise children traumatized by violence or sexual abuse the aim is to convince the government that programs like this a needed on a national scale makes krispy huge amounts of money and manpower into combat in organized crime in comparison very little has been dedicated to treating traumatized victims and according to psychologist that shows

a real lack of foresight because those affected by violence if not attended to a much more likely to repeat the cycle. that's the worst nightmare of parents like francisco trying to protect the next generation. in. new york. experts say it could take decades for the wounds of a society grown used to violence to heal the worry is that without intervention that process will struggle to even begin john homan how does it or i could pull co . well another opposition party in azerbaijan has announced it will boycott the presidential election it means that there are no candidates to contest the vote which has been brought forward to april as ery president ilham aliyev who's running for a fourth term issued a decree changing the date of the election from october it has been in power since

two thousand and three votes are being counted in triangular after its most peaceful election for decades it's the first vote since the electoral laws changed and that's allowed a record number of women to campaign for a seat in local government in alpha and as has more now from columbia choosing members of three hundred forty local government institutions observers say voter turnout was higher than expected some districts reporting eighty five percent of voters had a clear idea of what they wanted from their local representatives corruption is a big problem so somebody who is less corrupt somebody who was educated turn and of course somebody with the return can do something for the community in other water said changes to the electoral system has made things easier compared to. previous system do so much more simple system for the water it's a new mixed result system which candidate wins the most votes and which party has

the most support the changes also included a quarter of twenty five percent for women this election monks a number of firsts the first time so many women have contested the first time votes are being counted in polling centers like the one behind me and the funds time election violence has been so low observers say there is a marked change in the conduct of campaigns and the election the main election organize the credits hard work mean big news. if you care good the people not degrade the law through the law enforcement of the law recall. her comeback prepared. despite being a local election which is usually about issues in local neighborhoods the campaign to go on the flavor of a national election president might to the city center braben is to run no become a singer and the man the united to defeat by in the rajapaksa were heavily involved

in the camp being traveling around the country to support their respective candidates the stakes for each of them are high and the results of this grassroots race will point towards the political board in the run up to the general election in two years in a fernandez. colombo indonesia's navy a sees more than a ton of crystal meth and arrested for suspected drug smugglers substances were paraded on by some island after being found on a boat in indonesian waters near singapore on wednesday they've been hidden on the sacks of rice for taiwanese men have been arrested there are reports that the drugs were headed for australia a double decker bus has crashed in a hong kong suburb killing at least eighteen people is reporting that a passive been traveling fast and was full of people when it tipped over at least forty seven people have been injured nineteen of whom are in a serious condition firefighters cut open the roof of the vehicle to free

passengers still trapped inside how many stories of heroism have been emerging from taiwan after tuesday's earthquake that killed at least fourteen people but one emergency worker in particular is capturing the public's attention this dog has become a national hero after finding a survivor on his very first rescue mission. which translates as i n hero navigated through the wreckage of the marshall hotel and wiley and a four year old labrador was flown in specially for the operation. ct an ear infection though in the cold weather and he has been receiving get well messages from all over taiwan. during chinese new year old traditions are a big part of the set up rationed but the practice of eating shark fin soup is proving controversial activists say hong kong imports five thousand tonnes of shark a year which is driving the animal towards extinction and i want

a delicacy out of restaurants pollan reports. with chinese new year just around the corner it's the busiest time of the year for shops selling traditional dried seafood and sales are brisk for one of their most popular items shark fin. i guess we should be concerned about shark fin because i feel it depends on how we sculpt after all we have been eating it for a long long time and when it's time to celebrate the traditional delicacy is seen as a sign of prosperity and good fortune consume at last i just have no choice because india or the chinese new year man you each of them and you have sufi standing in conservation groups and young activists are lobbying one of hong kong's biggest restaurant chains to take shark fin soup off the menu and this is not tested is just a transition they are just forced to either we meet coming out and. that they eat for free you can only kill them because that's what the protesters are also

highlighting the cruelty and brutality involved a charge finning the fins are the most profitable part in most cases they're hacked off while the shark is still alive then it's thrown back into the sea to drown our starving it's estimated one hundred million sharks us watered each year and seventy percent of those are killed solely for their friends hong kong is at the center of the shark fin business accounting for more than a horse the global trade every year most of the fins are packaged and exported to mainland china once a rare delicacy only than ability and a lead to could afford it is now widely available due to improved fishing dick meeks and logistics. china's economic boom and growing middle class have also added to the demand but there is an increasing awareness event to lindsay we're having mass shafi now because the youngsters are more concerned about the environment but it's our custom to have a grant meal at the end of the year

a recent study using d.n.a. analysis found that a third of shark fin products sold in hong kong shops come from species that are vulnerable or endangered conservationists are calling on the government to step in they say they're running out of time in the battle between thousands of years of tradition and millions of years of shark of dilution if you go pollen ajah zero hong kong you're still with the news hour and there's more to come for sales record breaking carnival kicks off i have that story also korean hockey fans celebrate a unified women's team at the olympic games. for the congolese the journey to work all aboard seems unimaginable hardship i prefer to lie down because they didn't get the can to chance again like this and live on a dangerous journey through the jungle. tunnel into the real dark which i merely

dug. our children to go to school and live because of the trade risking it on the democratic republic of congo at this time on al jazeera. al-jazeera. and for your.

now the world's biggest and most raucous street party is in full swing in brazil brazilians a using the carnival to let off steam after a difficult year a struggling economy spiralling corruption investigation increasing political polarization of all taken their toll. on human has been with the revelers in the northeast and says he received. and early morning bugle call summons revelers on to the streets of the seething. it's called the rooster of the dawn the highlight of carnival in northeastern brazil's capital where least a million people parade past the giant bird doesn't spend money there because we're for carnival all year but something spectacular that's in all of our hearts here in parnell bercow where we hear and dance the rhythm of our region. above all the city of a jungle where brass band music is accompanied by an acrobatic dance in

a massive street party resilience complete get their economic and political woes down there howie it's culture roots joy for all people who've been suffering so much lately. carnival lasts for five days a period of unbridled revelry ending just before lent which on the christian calendar ranks a forty day period of fasting and prayer particle has certainly a ball since it first began here in the eighteen hundreds then this was. the guard it was you know the market. rob what a way to prepare the way for the rest of iraq mentioned and to the gods of the upper class. after the emancipation of slavery and until this day it's become a massive outdoor affair gail an alcohol mad it's

a con of all made up of so many people that just want to have fun. i'm looking real well lavish some of the schools and millions of dollars often from questionable sources here it's all grass roots every neighborhood in household comes out to parade you know with his two young or too old to celebrate brazil's most traditional carnival. you see inulin i just see that they see fit brazil. to give. up on the sport now if. marion thank you so much north and south korea have played together in a united team for the first time at the olympic games and while their women's hockey team were thrashed by switzerland the ok sion was seen as being about

a lot more than sport lee wellings reports from chang i offer the political for the historic march on the ice a unified korea from now at least via women's ice hockey a remarkable event watched by south korean president. alongside kim jong sr of north korean leader kim jong il. some south koreans particularly younger generations were critical of this sudden union between north and south preceded by the nation's providing together a four days opening ceremony said it would harm the host nation's medal hopes but all those including those lucky enough to have tickets welcome the step towards peace however temporary it proves. it was a good idea to form the united team i'm very much looking forward to this guy and the feeling that our nation becomes one of you know. i think the united team is beneficial is a part of improving the relations between the koreas. parents and i saw

a win or lose a meaningful event i'm so glad to see this game. the korean team took to the ice in white jerseys with the unified flag two hundred twenty nine north korean cheerleaders across the border on the korean so you are providing for the symbolism of the current unity by how the early chances to score but it was switzerland half way through the first period the swiss are going to higher six in the world. with a quick second i'm avalanche of goals followed the final score was switzerland unified korea mill a disappointing scoreline for the crowd but an important event this unified korea and so you will need to pick itself up for marches against sweden and your panel coming up on their chances of winning a medal in this a vote or extremely unlikely but south korea does have stronger sports and this was about far more than sporting success. of the quandong hockey center and.

it wasn't all bad news on the ice for south korea on the first day of competition a limb gold in the fifteen hundred meter short track speed skating for the host nation's first gold medal of the games speed skating is event where south korea traditionally performs the best at the winter olympics. the very first gold of the games was won by sweden's charlotte collar she won the women's skiffle on a cross country event riskier switch techniques at the halfway point any fifteen kilometer race. and there were big celebrations at the netherlands home base after they completed a clean sweep of the women's three thousand meter speed skating event carlene de defending four time olympic gold medalist i read this the netherlands won eight speedskating medals. now over the coming days will be seeing events that may be

unfamiliar to many of us so we're going to try and explain a few of the sights on show in south korea first stop here is peter stem it to tell you about some of the fastest men and women on ice. warning sports are exactly as they sound at the winter olympics think sliding down the ice at high speed with close finishes and inherent danger to the athletes all of that make them thrilling to watch is perhaps the best known of these think cool runnings and it's been part of the winter olympics since the first events in nineteen twenty four teams of two or four men or women compete the four man crew consists of a pilot up front two pushes in the middle and a break man at the back of the carbon fiber slade so this is how it works the teams start by running and pushing the slade before jumping in and hurtling down the ice they're going to have to travel one point five kilometers at high speed the slip

can reach up to two hundred one kilometers per hour and the first us team is the winner now if you thought that a slip provide a little protection then marvel at the lose here it comes one or two man teams travel on a flat slid along the same track as the bobsled but they go it lying on their backs just imagine vers at one hundred forty kilometers per hour and then we have skeleton as you can see here it looks a lot like luge but these competitors are going to run and throw themselves down head first on they slayed there's no form or steering all braking on a verse and with speeds of one hundred twenty kilometers per hour it's probably the most dangerous sport at these winter games tottenham that they would have to ferret in the english premier league after a y.l. went over our style and then north london darby harry kane scored the only goal in the game at wembley it was the england striker is twenty this season. and legal leaders manchester city thrashed leicester on saturday were him sterling open

the scoring for the hosts before jamie vardy equalise sergio guerra then scored four on answered goals in the second half leaving port vila side to a five one victory although when puts man city sixteen points clear at the top of the table second place manchester united will have the chance to cut that lead when they face newcastle on sunday talk them have crawled into through the third champions league place while arsenal are down and six six points behind liverpool who are forced and around madrid have picked up a much needed win in spain's league rinaldo scoring a hat trick in a five one defeat of ralph sociedad it lifts them to third in the standings but still sixteen points behind leaders barcelona england have stayed joint top of the rugby six nations standings the defending champions beat wales twelve six in a tense match at twickenham on saturday and also hold that joint top position after

a fifty six nineteen thrashing of italy's scotland hosts france on sunday and that's all you sport for now it's now back to marion and london thank you farai. for the news hour but i will be back in just a couple of minutes with much more of the day's news for you today of course around up all of our top stories stay with us. on vehicles harvesting every pic you take every click you make click to everything all the waves. but it's time to watch the what can we blame

that on the dixie the first civilian. creators. are. critical engineers at this time. when the news breaks when people need to be head. back into good to me as i. said my brain and the story needs to be turned asia's largest catholic country is witnessing a dramatic rise in teenage pregnancy al-jazeera has teams on the ground to bring a mood winning documentaries. and live news on air and on. a unique poor trait of a small gulf nation living under siege maybe this friend was their target scent that pain to be forced to leave would just be all and their gains by the celeb it

has given us the desire to carry on with our lives and be creative maybe of turndowns but it's not a marriage part of business. has become a movie united. beyond the blockade at this time on al-jazeera. and israeli fighter jet is shot down by syrian anti-aircraft fire as the conflict between israel and iran escalates we'll have the latest from jerusalem and teheran .