to address a critical issue march on al-jazeera facing realities growing up when did you realize that you were living in a special place a so-called secret city getting to the heart of the matter why is activists to live in jail just because she expressed herself hear their story on and talk to al-jazeera at this time. zero. hello i'm maryam namazie this is the news hour live from london coming up in the next sixty minutes north and south korea agreed to hold summit talks opening up the

possibility of a nuclear disarmament deal. russia off a safe passage out of besieged eastern ghouta government fighters and their families. nationwide state of emergency after riots target the country's muslim minority and a cold war style mystery unfolds as a former russian double agent who spied for m i six critically ill in a british hospital. i'm far as to be here with the sports as we build up to a big night of champions league football looking to overturn a tool called deficit against around madrid to reach the quarter finals but they'll have to do it without their injured star forward neymar. hopes of building for a breakthrough in peace talks on the korean peninsula after a successful meeting between the north korean leader and a delegation from the south the high level talks on the escalation took place in

pyongyang and a joint summit set to take place next month but president trump has cautioned against what he's called false hope over these talks bribe reports. the delegation arrived back in seoul clearly delighted the mission how to achieve its objectives and. most importantly an apparent commitment from north korea to denuclearize under the right conditions the. north korea made it clear that there will be no reason to possess nuclear capabilities if there is no military. threat and also north korea's regime security is guaranteed the two sides have agreed to a summit between president jay end of south korea and north korean leader kim jong un pam and john inside the demilitarized zone separating the two koreas where a truce was signed to end the korean war in one nine hundred fifty three and for

the first time a hotline will be set up between the two leaders to diffuse any future crises south korea says the north has also agreed not to hold any provocative new clear or ballistic missile tests while these talks are ongoing and has shown its willingness to discuss denuclearization with the u.s. washington has always insisted that north commits to giving up its nuclear arsenal as a precondition to talks but it's far from clear this agreement gives that commitment . greenman follows an extraordinary visit lasting little more than twenty four hours with a banquet and smiles at the invitation of kim jong il on north korea's state run media giving the visit extensive coverage. president moon's government will hail this as a landmark achievement of his policy of engagement earlier choose day he was attending

a graduation ceremony at a military academy he clearly believes in his mission of long term peace through dialogue but this was a reminder to his critics that south korea should remain militarily strong if the initiative falters you know how. we must talk to north korea to denuclearize the korean peninsula but at the same time we must put our maximum effort into establishing effective measures against north korean nuclear and missile capability. south korea's envoy is now traveled to the united states to fill in that allies on the details of the agreement that will be tough to sell. but macbride al-jazeera so. earlier we spoke to robert kelly a professor of political science and diplomacy at the signing of us he says the challenge now is to convince the united states that north korea is committed to the talks the summit goes well the north koreans make some kind of serious offer not

some not pseudo concessions of like a freeze or something that can be easily reversed but some genuine concession then moon has to go the south korean president has to go and sell that to the american ally what we really need is for the north koreans to actually concede on something that's genuinely important right they allow inspectors back in or something like that right and you know nuclear tests and missile tests could easily be restarted so you know freeze isn't really a concession i mean that's what i think that's what the south koreans will need it they're going to sell this to the americans as something that looks like the north has made really moved and something important to it i think with the north koreans alike most of all is some kind of guarantee there won't be american led regime change against the north and i think that's one of the reasons why so many people are skeptical these deals can be struck because it's just not clear that the americans can make that deal credibly which is to say the american president can say this but the next american president might roll it back right the north koreans have told us famously for years that the americans promised not to strike libya if gadhafi gave up his nuclear weapons he did and we struck them anyway during the arab spring i think that's going to be the biggest problem is can the american

signal credibly to the north koreans that we want to strike that most people the soon that's not possible the north koreans won't believe us and therefore they would keep their weapons that's why i mean this promise to denuclearize again it's you know we've heard this before the north koreans said this ten years ago i mean the basic strategic issues haven't really changed that much you know i mean the north koreans are still looking for security. russia's military has offered a guarantee of safe passage to syrian rebel fighters and their families if they leave. but rebels are accusing russia of escalating the fighting and ignoring a temporary truce russian air strikes killed ten people on tuesday and holder has the latest from beirut in neighboring lebanon. the latest bombing campaign in eastern who is into its third week. with the number of civilians killed is climbing with a way. civil defense volunteers are

overwhelmed now russia is offering a way to stop the war russian military commanders say they will guarantee safe passage out of the besieged enclave for rebel fighters and their families this. immunity for all fighters who choose to leave personal weapons and with their families is government you did by the russian center we call upon the leaders of all illegal armed groups to make everything possible to release the civilians from suffering and secure unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid to. the hundreds of thousands of people in eastern who are trapped in a war zone many refusing to cross into government controlled territory because of the lack of security guarantees the pro-government alliance blames the rebels for preventing civilians from believing and holding them as human shields the rebel factions deny that and accuse russia of insisting on military escalation and force

displacement what is not is the revolutionary leadership announced general mobilization to defend the cities and towns of eastern huta. that this unite and forget the differences of the past the world with your steadfastness and perseverance with all your sacrifices during these. victory's near many men requested to join the so we opened many recruiting centers for volunteers and the should be the opposition has lost ground in recent days rebel defenses collapsed in the eastern side of the enclave the fighting hasn't yet reached heavily populated areas but pro-government forces seem to want to avoid direct combat the strategy appears to involve surrounding the main towns and cutting rebel supply lines to force a surrender. that is what they did in the battle for aleppo they laid siege to the rebel controlled east of the city for months and then they launched an all out military campaign it was only when the rebels found themselves trapped in

a small pocket of territory that they agreed to leave with their families many others left with them particularly those involved in opposition activities. the people of eastern who fear the same fate doctors civil defense volunteers media activists are all considered terrorists by the government they don't want to be forced from their homes but the likelihood is increasing dozens are killed every day the suffering is only getting worse. sent to. beirut. more than four hundred thousand people are trapped inside is in good health with around a thousand in need of urgent medical evacuation alan fischer reports now on how aid is lost arriving in some besieged neighborhoods. it's been a long time coming a white line stretching through the shuttered streets of the scooter bringing relief for some disappointment for others some vital medical aid was stripped from

the trucks before they set off a question mark placed over their approvals and obey him i don't know about yet we don't need most of the food supplies we need medical aid the most because the regime has prevented it from entering. then it was about getting them unloaded quickly and safely on going is strikes meant not all the trucks could be empty fourteen had to head back. now we are dying here with our children under the bombing please save us we have no water food or medicine we are normal people we have no nose for a fight is we are syrian people in the besieged on cleve close to the city capital see ongoing is strikes makes it too difficult to distribute the aid for the moment it sits and we have houses where the people take shelter where they can there are. many are no living underground junichi are says basements are being turned into crude living quarters some are packed two hundred people or more seeking shelter

seeking sanctuary and safety humanitarian agencies know there is a critical need for aid in east ghouta what was delivered on monday should be enough to feed their own twenty thousand people they have permission to take in enough food for seventy thousand but the population of the enclave at the moment is four hundred thousand and eight convoys planned for later in the week it's something for the people of the scooter it's nowhere near enough alan fischer al-jazeera on the turkey syria border. well u.n. investigators say will crimes were committed in syria in two thousand and seventeen by all sides in the conflict including russia and the us a report by the un's commission of inquiry on syria found that an attack that killed eighty four people in a market in uttar of west of aleppo in november was carried out by russian at craft the attack using on guided weapons may amount to a war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks the report says it also concluded that u.s. led coalition strikes on

a school now iraq in march twenty seventeen killed one hundred fifty residents the u.n. rejected the pentagon's claim that dozens of militants were killed and found that the u.s. failure to protect civilians was a violation of international humanitarian law investigators said syrian government forces used chemical weapons in densely populated areas of eastern ghouta three times in july and then again in november the report found the siege of east and characterized by pervasive war crimes the report also covered on groups though finding that i sills actions in june two thousand and seventeen in preventing residents of rock leaving areas under attack amounted to the war crime of using civilians as human shields well i earlier spoke to heini magali one of the commission is behind the un report he's calling for international pressure to impose a thirty day ceasefire in eastern guta but i think we go back again to trying to remind people that these are the rules the everyone has agreed to abide by and if

they don't as we've seen good luck to the rules of the jungle were you know the laws are there to protect everyone and if they're not respected. then they come back to haunt you the pressure no is for a cessation of these on board rooms for the thirty day session that would also arlo humanitarian access to help those who most need it. you know if we can get that moving we can begin to talk about some of the other issues like the people in detention or the people who are missing turn in the you know secret detention places or they've completely disappeared or been killed but the families are still looking for them while hundreds of women have begun their journey through turkey to raise awareness about the plight of syrian women international conscience convoys mentor ivan the turkish border city of hatay on thursday to kind side with

international women's day women from fifty different countries that want to shed light on the suffering of syrian women especially those who are in government prisons this is the twenty first century you know what want to know is this happening twenty first century and women are being tortured in brutalized it has to stop you know some women have had to give birth behind bars you know can you imagine the the horrors that they've had to endure it has to stop it is not really human why does it have been in syria. and watching the news hour live from london much more still to tell you about trapped in a church compound the people seeking safety one of the most dangerous towns in the central african republic we'll have an exclusive report from. as china encourages a return to rural areas to reduce poverty inside the lives of beijing's than paul.

you are the victim of sexual abuse it's ok it's not your fault. a lawyer after a gymnasts becomes the first man to accuse a jailed u.s. doctor of sexual abuse. sure lanka has declared a week long state of emergency to stop rising violence against the country's muslim minority military's been deployed to the city of candy and a curfew is now in place of the muslim owned homes and businesses was set alight and damaged in riots began after reports a truck driver from the majority put his community died following an altercation with four muslims. and as has more now from candy province. a heavy blanket of security around the affected areas of. candy in. the authorities very keen to make sure that there's no room for any of the flare

ups any more confrontational the muslim community and the sing heelys know what had started off as a fluke quickly small scale argument or an altercation about broadway's all right of way. has basically taken on a communal proportion it never start of this way and this is what the government is urging people not to give in to sort of hate rhetoric any of this hate crime and violence but ensure that they work together the government has pointed towards the violence this country has seen for almost thirty years reminding people that the kind of food to go back to that era now basically the muslim community very one of its own who was caught in a house that was born down by an unruly mob last afternoon he couldn't get out on time and basically his funeral happening on tuesday afternoon the single community

also sort of cutting off to a truck driver forty one year old truck driver basically he was assaulted to death a few days ago which formed the sort of catalyst for this tension for this country hoping very much that they don't return to this kind of computer clash because the country simply cannot afford it. the u.k. is threatened russia with more sanctions if the russian government is shown to be behind the suspected poisoning of a former double agent sergei script was found unconscious on a bench in southern england on sunday along with his daughter he is a former russian intelligence officer who's been convicted of betraying dozens of spies to persist intelligence from seoul's free barker reports. a police cordon surrounds the scene where surrogate's cripple and his daughter yulia were found fighting for their lives the bench where they were sitting is covered by a forensic tent nearby police have set up an investigation unit c.c.t.v.

footage shows the pair shortly before they became critically ill after exposure to an unknown substance they remain in intensive care in hospital this is been a fast paced investigation and our focus has been on trying to establish what has caused these people to become critically ill and whether or not criminal activity has taken place in london the british foreign secretary promised a robust investigation he threatened to extend sanctions against moscow if it turns out the kremlin's to blame though i'm not not pointing fingers because we can't this is because you don't sound point fingers i see governments around the world that move tend to take innocent life on u.k. soil will go either unsanctioned or unpunished two police officers have also been treated for minor symptoms of contamination but were later discharged the

authorities say there is no known risk to the public the possible by who called the emergency services so the two were in a semi paralyzed state vomiting and foaming from the mouth before passing out a script always then airlifted to hospital a father surrogate followed by road sixty six year old surrogate scrip our was a retired military intelligence colonel this is the moment he was arrested by russian security services he was jailed for thirteen years by moscow for passing the identities of russian agents working in europe to british intelligence. it was released during a high profile spy swap in two thousand and ten one of four prisoners released in exchange for ten russian sleeper agents planted in the u.s. he was later flown to the u.k. where he's been living this is an image of yulia scripts while she is in her early thirty's and was visiting her father from russia the mystery poisonings led to

comparisons with the two thousand and six killing a former russian agent alexander litvinenko he died in agony twenty three days after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium one of his suspected killers and look of oil is now a russian m.p. immune from prosecution an inquiry into the death concluded the president vladimir putin probably approved the killing police say they're keeping an open mind over what happened here british counterterrorist specialists have now taken control of this fast paced investigation the life of a russian double agent is fraught with danger nieve barkha al jazeera solsbury. so i'm joined in the studio now by bill brown to he's accused the kremlin of killing a number of its enemies including his own lawyer sergei magnitsky it died in a russian prison in two thousand and nine survivor thanks very much for coming in to speak to us so you all sots on the way sergey scriptural was found and the

symptoms have exhibited well it's clear that something very dramatic happened based on the chronology of events when you had this man walking along the street with his daughter and then twenty minutes later they were found both in a state of unconscious and apparently in critical condition and so it's it's quite alarming it's not clear what was used on them what they were exposed to and i'm comforted by the fact that the the police are taking are treating this as a as a terrorist incident and they've sent to the end anti terror unit from from the metropolitan police to look at this because that means that we're not going to end up in some stupid situation where they destroy the evidence before trying to figure out what happened the kremlin will important to point out that the kremlin has denied knowledge of the case which i know you know it denies knowledge of every case they deny that they invaded crimea they deny that they cheated in the olympics so i know that you definitely don't buy any of that but they've denied knowledge of

the case british police haven't looked at any suspected poisoning to the kremlin and of course there's been no diagnosis of substance were although it is difficult we're drawing on the minutes of conclusion one day into this whole thing ok so so they have that they have the poison specialists at porton downs which is like the major facility in this country looking at the stuff the police have their anti terror unit they are taking over the investigation one day later they're wearing hazmat suits you know what was put aside when i suddenly oh no i understand where you're coming from but at this stage there's no evidence implying crime in responsibility can i ask you about. the british government and. whether the level of responsible. in the sense that they have that huge sea of cats awards for my spies and this raises questions about their ability to protect such figures well so then the main thing that they've done horribly wrong is that there was a similar murder which took place here alexander litvinenko in two thousand and six

and it has since been determined that this was a murder that was organized by the kremlin and it was it was determined by a high court judge and one would think that if if if a high court judge has come to a verdict that there was a russian government assassination of a british citizen on u.k. soil that there would be consequences to the russian government for organism organizing their murder but there have not been and so i would say that we don't know what happened to surface cripple but what i can say is that the duty of care is not just to him but it's to everybody who has a beef with russia which is to create consequences for russia so they don't feel like the welcome mat is open for them to do their hits on u.k. soil and we've been hearing from the british foreign secretary boris johnson's he's saying that if evidence does emerge of kremlin involvement that that will be consequences and they the u.k. government will take robust action but if he is he really in a position to be able to do anything at this point because we've seen initial we

know he's still russia sort of being squeezed out of the g. eight of the annexation of crimea but oh sure there's a lot that is risk is that there then there's a whole menu of stuff we can we can do if we choose to do it we can there is there's a magnitsky act which is in it which is the asset freezing and visa sanctioning piece of legislation named after my lawyer which can be applied there's an unexplained wealth orders there is cutting russia off from these swift international payment system there's a lot of things that can be done against russia for their bad behavior and and so i you know boris johnson i like boris he's a friend of mine but. when he he makes these grand statements i don't believe them because i've seen the government here behave so so. weakly towards russia that until something is actually done i don't believe it. thank you very much thank you well now hundreds of muslims have been trapped inside

a church compound in the central african republic for the past nine months with no sign of their ordeal coming to an end being sheltered by the catholic church to protect them from a christian armed group that over around the town of last may the muslims rest being killed or if they leave the protection of united nations peacekeepers catherine sorry traveled to benghazi for this exclusive report. friday prayers for muslims in a compound of the largest catholic church in bangor around fifteen hundred people have been trapped here since last may when fighters from a mainly christian stormed into the town leaving the compound can be fatal for muslims so last i do shows us where his brother was abducted then killed two weeks ago as he looked for firewood. one of these gunmen are always aiding and waiting for us the reason is short of inside the compound one bullet went through a tent where i was with my children. the world food program supplies

a camp every ten days u.n. peacekeepers guide them other aid agencies help but getting medical supplies is a major problem. is just over a year old she's sick but it's too dangerous to take her to the hospital in town even the roads are not possible because they are controlled by the armed groups therefore we as humanitarians have to fly the assistance from bungie to this location and sometimes the transportation cost is very expensive than the food or the we provide these people they were forced to flee their neighborhood after coil which is just about two kilometers away their homes at the mosque they first took refuge in are destroyed the area is now an operational base for the mainly christian group which now calls itself the fans and is a vigilante group that was formed in twenty thirteen to fight against the mostly

muslim seleka armed group with coming here at a time when there is a lot of tension fighters from their armed group in control of bankers who are quite nervous afterward that another rival group is planning an attack. this is one of the most dangerous towns in central african republic people are always on edge they say the other group which is just outside town wants to come in to rescue the muslims taking refuge in the church compound. guns they don't comprehend the church because they see that the church is the one who is keeping the most muslim people so they also against as you see and also the muslim people also they don't understand us because for them we are like i don't know. the godfather of the people want guns so the church is in the middle. the u.n. is leading efforts to return the displaced to their homes it's a delicate process that involves talks with the communities and gunmen people in

this camp are a preventive but hopeful that maybe they may have their lives back some catching sight. banga soup central african republic. it's exactly one hundred days since i was and then i'm going to go over as president of zimbabwe ending three decades under the rule of robert mugabe one of my goggles key early aims is attempting to attract foreign investment to revive his nation's struggling economy but his armor task force in the capital harare zimbabwe is have mixed feelings about his progress. charles was laid off years ago he used to work for disco steel which was once one of africa's largest still factories. charles is now a part time handyman in his neighborhood he says not being able to properly provide for his family is humiliating but we've been living from hand to mouth most of the days inn some nights you could go without eating

a meal and you know it's so odd for your father need to supply for his family so it's been hard from two thousand and eight up to today the steel factory which charles worked is now an industrial graveyard it used to employ more than five thousand workers at birth. used to one million tons of steel annually now zimbabwe imports four hundred million dollars worth of steel every year the president is under pressure to deliver his administration insist it is making progress repairing relations with western powers and international financial institutions what was been solved by this government is the promise of change that although they have been part of the old regime seem to be committed to some form of change and some traction and also to be rid of the eighty three promises we've seen fluxion around thirty three issues but opposition politicians say not much has changed in the one hundred days as when i got took over from robert mugabe so you missed that opportunity by. failing to affirm a government that was consistent with. the people really does been don't work now

it's business as usual the public is very skeptical reviving to rapid infrastructure needs foreign direct investment the us has extended targeted sanctions for another year say not much has changed since when i got took over the sanctions were imposed nearly twenty years ago for alleged human rights abuses economists warn this could scare away potential investors industry experts say the real economic recovery could take at least three years right now people can access money from banks and the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world after years of neglect some roads are getting a facelift some people say that's a small positive sign but political analysts say the road to real economic recovery in zimbabwe will be long and bumpy. still to come for this hour it was an election that saw a rise in anti immigrant rhetoric could it inspire attacks on foreign isn't italy

though afghanistan's new strategies of boosting use employment but some are concerned it could make the country less safe than in sports arena williams steps up our preparations for a return to top level singles action. the end. how i will after what's been a pretty disturbed spell of weather on places say we have got things quieting down across a good part of the middle east a fair amount of clouds flooding out of the eastern side of the mediterranean but i think the most it will be dry fine and sunny as we go on through the next few days twenty celsius there in beirut and in aleppo uncursed struggling to get to around fifteen degrees but not looking too bad there is a little more cloud across northern parts of iraq could be some rain coming through here at cloud easing out of the caspian sea pushing a little further research as we go on through thursday she ought to shower pushing

over towards to my stand and even the old winfrey floury into afghanistan but clear skies do come back in behind but notice yeah there will be a little bit of rain just coming into the northern parts of syria to spilling out of turkey over the next day or two now right in the forecast across the middle east as we go on through the next as i said across the region potentially thirty thirty one celsius here glorious sunshine it does get as we go on through the next few days not looking quite secure across northern parts of madagascar aside now in the process of pulling further south but we still have this legacy of plough bring you some very heavy showers into northern madagascar more than areas of mozambique into tanzania into the democratic republic of congo still a few showers there into and also the eastern cape. for a man has decided to break with tradition and train to sail competitively we're not that we want to present a positive immense emptiness the steering typical expectation of women for them

it's about more than just racing yachts you can still be a good a modern woman and also a very talented sailor going off around the world showing everybody how strong armani people are al-jazeera world meets the first female same crew in the gulf sailing stop at this time on al-jazeera in a country beset by poverty and lack of infrastructure. sometimes we risk our lives in taking these roads with cattle saving lives is a dangerous job as a vaccine so it's on a good twenty four hours there are patients waiting for his medicines who must be in pain and lives are threads of a recall go one of the gang stops on because of the road but that can deal with what folks are risking it all guinea at this time on al-jazeera.

i'm back with the news out a quick recap of the top stories north and south korea are to hold a historic summit next month after pyongyang said it would be willing to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees russia's military has offered a guarantee of safety to syrian rebel fighters and their families if they leave east and go to. a new case counter-terrorism painter investigating the suspected poisoning of a russian double agent in southern england. now sunday's election in italy has seen the anti immigrant party known as the lego or the dominant force in italian politics the leader says he's the only possible candidate for prime minister but there are increasingly xenophobic rhetoric from politicians feeding into attacks on

foreigners as barbara ports from. i lay go rally in the run up to sunday's election formerly the north of the leak it's grown from a northern separatist movement to a nationwide populist party under matteo salvini and there's a familiar slogan with a clear subtext for the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees who've made italy their home. and i mean. those who choose to leak she simply clear the talents first italians first. and it starts same slow good you can see on the banners of the extreme right like at this gathering in rome or because a pound there was a small party in a failed to win seats in parliament but their opponents such as these counter protesters say electoral success is not their only purpose and. some organizations are hiding disguising themselves speaking about democracy but using words of hatred discrimination and racism and carrying out aggressions and stabbings. one attack last month hit the headlines

a gunman drove around shooting at african. it's in the central city of much errata wounding six of them when police arrested suspects look at trainee he had the italian flag draped over his shoulders but inside his home they found nazi material people who know him say trainee was a leak party candidate in local elections before turning to the neo fascist group fortson over as well as cause a pound here in the capital the bangladeshi community is one group that's been targeted more than seventy bangladeshis many of the street vendors have been beaten up in the last few years a sort of initiation rite for young fascist activists this rome based journalist says the anti immigrant language that dominated much of the election campaign is having a knock on effect using immigration and. itself is that that extreme right five days not just these two parties. the skin they are creating

small groups to prove cooling and target and make it into parties like lego and their electoral allies the brothers of italy deny links to neo fascist groups and have spoken out against physical attacks on foreigners but their detractors say they're knowingly creating hatred with dangerous consequences gently maybe present growing climate of fear in the country and often that immigrants don't report violent incidents that because they might not have residents as well because they're scared that speaking out might have worse consequences. mateo salvini and his party are on the rise and expanding their support base but as attitudes harden against immigrants some fear that's already making life dangerous for minority communities here the dean barber al-jazeera road. and saudi crown prince mohammed bin salmond will touch down in u.k. on wednesday why he's expected to meet the queen a prime minister and business leaders they asked the saudi throne will be backed by

a select public relations campaign but opposition to. this it is also expected as explains. muhammad bin some man is visiting london and he wants everyone to know about its adverts like these have been placed across the capital portraying the crown prince as a friend of britain a reformist who's changing his kingdom for the better. the british government is rolling out the red carpet for m.b.a.'s as he's known and what's the thirty two year old's first official visit to the u.k. since being appointed heir apparent britain is saudi second most important partner for arms sales and security with british companies selling billions of dollars worth of military equipment so the saudis the u.k. government which is preparing for post breaks its economy em's to boost the amount of trade in other sectors to. its why prime minister to raise a may in foreign secretary boris johnson have both visited the saudi capital

recently may's government sees it's in the u.k. has interests to do more business with the saudis and to have an even closer relationship with riyadh. critics are opposed to that and there's major opposition to been some man's visits as well as how britain has cozied up to the saudis opponents accuse the saudis of killing thousands of civilians in yemen as well as committing widespread human rights abuses at home the leader of the opposition labor party jeremy corbyn has called for a halt all weapon sales with several other members of parliament also against m.b.'s his visit i think most people in this country and many following terry's probably majority all of it terry and do not welcome this this desk in this country and to give him a state visit law is to get an audience with our head of state i think sent all the wrong signals it's legitimizing an illegitimate regime a despotic regime and we need to do better britain needs to do better. at

a media conference by the stop the war coalition organizers announced a protest outside the prime minister's home in downing street they want to send the message to been said man and his hosts that this by the p.r. campaign patrolling him as a reformist they believe the saudi regime is an oppressive one the argument about reform at the moment in salmond is a reformer is a spin and the most superficial spin at that i mean the eighty's one of the most backward one of the most undemocratic one of the most brutal regimes in the whole world and at that level there's a very strong argument for saying that he shouldn't you shouldn't be coming anywhere near britain aside from meeting britain's queen elizabeth and political leaders the crown prince and his delegation which includes several government ministers is due to meet the head of the bank of england and business leaders as well current saudi trade with the u.k. has estimated that's around eight billion dollars a year the british government is expecting the saudis to increase that took ten billion dollars annually mohamed bin sad man will receive

a warm welcome at downing street by a british prime minister in need of money as she struggles with briggs it negotiations but across the road protesters will gather among them several members of the. argument to the mounds of the visit they believe the ideals and principles of freedom and human rights should not be forsaken no matter how much the saudis are willing to invest in the u.k.'s economy. troian are just a number. to discuss more about this saudi p.r. move we're joined in the studio by rob brown managing partner at rule five piano former president of the chartered institute of public relations thanks very much for coming in to speak to us many governments public relations and lobby thumbs but what approach has the saudi government taken here in the u.k. well i think they're trying to promote the fact that some of the law changes that taking place and in in the country the moments are more progressive and. putting forward. a more moderate image of the country but i think what's been interesting

is that that's not the only subject has been on the agenda. how effective are p.r. campaigns like this in influencing public political perceptions so there's a huge sea change in opinion about p.r. for this kind of thing at the moment one of the big events of last year was the crash of the firm bell pottinger had been advising companies related to the south african government and i think the conventional wisdom now is that actually at the highest level p.r. firms need to be advising their clients about not just what they say but what they do and are we seeing evidence of that in terms of the relationship here i don't think we're seeing any clear evidence of that no is that likely to change i don't know i think. listening to the the the saudi foreign minister on the radio this morning clearly they need they know that they need to improve their communications and they need to they need to do things to to get their message across but i think i come back to the point that actually given that we live in a world of social media and everybody's everybody can publish now that actually

governments need to demonstrate by behavior as well as by what they say and so tell me more about that what extent the social media and online news complicate. those that are traditional p.r. efforts that we're used to seeing well i think we're all listening to multiple voices there so we have access to all sorts of t.v. channels all sorts of online media channels and also individuals who are close to the subjects of discussion so so we see lots of different perspectives and it means that the old days of kind of spin if you like so the old the old idea of public relations putting a gloss on a subject really have gone forever and so what does that mean for what any particular government or regime can achieve from the sort of campaign so one of the things that we've seen from the saudi government is an attempt to change public perception by for instance making it possible for women to drive attorneys at concerts and that kind of thing and and clearly there is evidence of a of

a change in their the way they're looking at the world in the way they want to be perceived by the world but actually in order to get paps to where they hope to get to they they know they need to do more of those things all right thank you rob brown managing partner at rule five current former president of the chartered institute for public relations. china's leaders are trying to reduce poverty levels by encouraging millions more people to move to cities from rural areas that many migrants who have gone to the biggest urban area the capital beijing are struggling to cope with the high cost of living as adrian brown reports. you zam you is having a good afternoon he reckons ill of made around ten dollars by the end of it he collects discarded clothes plastic and scrap metal anything he can sell to recyclers. you shows me his home a room measuring just over five square metres in the rent one hundred dollars a month to economize the electric heater stays off which means it's as cold inside

as out a dangerous smash of exposed wiring loops around the room he washes outside where there's also a public toilet. poor there was my father had to share this bear with me last the sama my children also visited all five of us have to live in this tiny room some of us have to sleep on the floor can you imagine five people squeeze in this room. he came to beijing almost ten years ago because there was no work in his home province of chandon his wife two daughters and a son all in other cities he sees them just once a year. so i first daughter and my second daughter a both in college now the reason i'm working here is to save money for their education last

a chinese new year i didn't go home because i didn't have enough money. he's not bitter about his life and accept it's his choice to live this way poverty in china is defined as anyone living on around three hundred sixty u.s. dollars a year you makes twelve times that but in beijing costs are much higher than elsewhere . his future though is now uncertain in recent weeks the homes of tens of thousands of migrant workers have been demolished on the grounds they violated safety codes for years china's rural poor have been encouraged to move into the big cities but here in beijing officials now want to cap the population of twenty three million and that's why so many migrant workers are being forced to leave me or on the real i don't have any pension or medical care i have to look after myself or with no one really cares about you to be honest and never sought about my future.

china's economic transformation has for now passed him by down the road there's a new shopping mall and apartment complex aimed at beijing's permanent residence a world that you is unlikely to ever know adrian brown al-jazeera beijing. afghanistan has launched and his strategy to combat high youth unemployment and a lack of education this involves creating more jobs for young people at the expense of older workers but as he found out the government's plan poses new dangers. there's an army of desperate street kids selling whatever they can in a daily battle for survival it's not just the bombs and bullets that kill in afghanistan but poverty and hunger too the young work wherever they can mostly for a pittance there are hundreds of thousands of them most with no hope of an education these children at the internationally supported orphanage in kabul are

more fortunate they are a mix of street kids often and those abandoned by desperate parents. afghanistan is officially one of the worst countries to be born and it has high infant and child mortality rates it has high rates of child sexual and physical abuse but it has one of the lowest literacy rates in the developing world. it's estimated more than six million children don't go to school yet education brings hope when they're found out that you know i want to be a doctor in the future so i can help people in afghanistan. all i want to be a policeman so i can kill i still serve the country i arrest the eaves and stop suicide bombers. their chances are slim forty percent of young afghans are unemployed what jobs there are tend to be obtained through nepotism or bribes it's led to an exodus of the country's educated elite

a trend president garny is trying to reverse with a new strategy simply put it's aimed at replacing the old with the new he started a youth parliament offering them a bigger role in the future the young know of this they are really educated and open minded and they have very good idea. they can build this county had again toward peace and a sustainable prosperity and peace in. the clear out of the old has also hit the security forces many senior officers have enjoyed cushy positions in high salaries up to the age of seventy and beyond hundreds have now been sacked as part of the u.s. backed initiative. was a colonel in intelligence and says he risked his life many times in a forty year career he's angry at being thrown out with a small pension and warns of potentially dangerous consequences while. our work for the government has been honest however there's

a possibility that some could be recruited by the enemy for money because of our knowledge of the government that could help the opposition. for the seventy thousand street kids and because of kabul the only aim is to get enough every day to eat. it would be a tragedy it is what. it's all children know and they make the best of what they've got. zero. terrible day.

time for the sport now with. marion thank you so much choose days a champions league last sixteen matches kick off in less than an hour with champions around the dritte taking a three one lead to the french capital as they face perry saying sure man p.s.g. is task is made that much more difficult as they'll be without their star player who could even miss the world cup the most expensive player on the planet neymar is on crutches after surgery on his fractured right foot the two hundred seventy million dollars brazilian has left result to begin a three month recovery doctors say the operation on his bed atar soul and sprained ankle went perfectly but i'll still be racing to be fit for brazil's opening world cup game in mid june to most of those up as soon as. you always have two options

sit down and cry get up and make it happen it's true that with naima p.s.g. is much stronger and without many it is still strong but there are other players it's true that it's impossible not to feel the absence of such a player but i insist we are the sit down and cry or we might do and we fight and of course choose the second option. liverpool have the option of resting some key players for the second leg of their tie with porto the english side won the first leg in portugal five nil no team in the history of the tournaments has recovered from being five goals down to win a toddy. if i was in my dressing room i'd want to draw on prove a point and it's very important going for those you know every every time we put a little show on there's an expectation of pressure to win the game and we expect to do that every time we go out also for the rest of the season want to keep this wrong going on important a good performance to asian champions league winners wang show ever grand had to

come from behind in an eight goal thriller to beat south korean side in the group stages having trailed to kneel in the first half they had their very own brazilian forward to thank were carter goulart scored their four scored four times it was a welcome comeback for ever grant who lost the opening match of the chinese super league season or its fourth was a real beauty as they went on to win the match five three. striker commission will has scored a hat trick to lift south korea's young both motors to a third street win in the competition kim's three goals were part of young books six three victory over challenging in their group the match the twenty sixteen champions are top of the group five points clear of their nearest rivals. mclaren's preparations for the new formula one season have been majorly derailed as the final pre-season testing out of the new champ campaign got underway on choose days still fill the endurance car suffered a battery problem compound in

a dismal winter testing period for mclaren it was the third day out of five testing sessions in which they've had to deal with reliability problems less problems for a four time world champion sebastian vettel the ferrari driver was quick as terry voters of her say vs was next fastest. other rival to formula one formally he and veiled a new car for the twenty eight thousand nine hundred season a new generation two car has gone through a massive redesign it's faster and lasts longer civil the no need for mid race car swaps the hope is the new look will increase formalise modest fan base fiske season gets underway later this year. he's got a we see the most as a weapon against climate change we need to change or see these we need to do some of the we need to go electric and formula. goes all around the world promoting the guards and this is our work. for the next three seasons change the world will likely the first man has come forward to q.'s former u.s.

gymnastics team doctor larry nasser sexual abuse jacob morris says he was abused two years ago while being treated by nasser for a shoulder injury the eighteen year old is one of more than two hundred fifty alleged victims of nasser who's already been sentenced to hundreds of years in jail . i hope to god you know no one no one else is. or has been affected by this that hasn't come out yet but. you know if they are out there . you know i don't want them to be you know scared to come out because you know. you know guys can be you know such a. you know taking advantage of this serena williams has stepped up her return to competitive tennis with an appearance at an exhibition tournaments in new york williams appears in the tie break tans ahead of her return to the pro tour six months on from giving birth to her daughter the twenty three time major tournament champion will play at the indian wells event in california with her first match

that for wednesday. you are going to make your way back starting next week and you've made it a point to set your expectations high which i love why well i think everyone should have high expectations you know you should always believe in yourself even if no one else does and if someone tells you no you just keep going and don't let that stop you so that's kind of how i feel and that's the message that i'm spreading on this journey back. and that's all your support for now it's now back to merion in london thank you very much a wreck of a famous u.s. navy aircraft carrier has finally been discovered seventy six years after being sunk and his story to battle the u.s.s. lexington and appear remarkably preserved three kilometers beneath the pacific lady legs as she was known went down at the battle of the coral sea in one nine hundred forty two when the u.s. halted the japanese advance towards australia it was discovered off the coast of

queensland by a search team led by u.s. billionaire paul allen. well that's it for the news hour my colleague will be with you in just a couple of minutes time with a full list of news top stories coming up very shortly say without as they are. paint the scene for us whether online what is american sign in yemen that peace is always possible but it never happens not because the situation is complicated but

because no one cares or if you join us on sept there are people that that is choosing between buying medication eating base is a dialogue i want to get in one more comment because this is someone who's an activist and just posted a story join the global conversation at this time on al-jazeera the continent of antarctica is facing multiple threats from climate change to overfishing tourism but now a campaign is underway to create the largest protected area on earth the remote waters of the white vote see stay with al-jazeera for a series of special reports from the greenpeace expedition to antarctica natural capital the capital which makes a creative. when nature is transformed into a commodity big business takes a new interest buying landscapes protecting landscapes it's a phenomenal opportunity to be able to use a business model to achieve sustainability of nature but at what risk banks of course don't do that because they have at the heart protection of nature they do

that because to see a businessman crossing the planet as this time on al jazeera. al jazeera is a very important force of information for many people around the world when all the cameras are gone i'm still here go into areas that nobody else is going talk to people that nobody else is talking to and bringing that story to the forefront. north korea's leader agrees to meet his south korean counterpart in next a month but is he really willing to discuss getting rid of his nuclear weapons. in iran barbara starr you're watching our jazeera.