of course. facing realities growing up when did you realize that you were living in a special place the so-called secret city getting to the heart of the matter while it is activists to live in jail just because he expressed himself here they're stored on the top to al-jazeera at this time. we will not weaken our resolve we will stand firm britain takes its case against moscow to the un after announcing the russian diplomats will be expelled over the poisoning of a former spy russia says it was involved. james

i mean this is al jazeera live from doha coming up. from coast to coast students in the u.s. walk out of class to demand change a month after a school shooting in florida plus. we will not allow. we will not allow. from south africa's president as australia office to help the republic's white farmer. and jus t. on a country an increase in the number of women joining the afghan police ranks. russia has told the u.n. security council that british accusations that it is behind the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter found it britain requested the emergency meeting in new york just hours after prime minister to resign may order the expulsion of

twenty three russian diplomats the u.s. called on the security council to hold russia accountable for what it described as a chemical weapons attack surrogate and scruple remain in a critical condition in hospital after being targeted with a military grade nerve agent last week britain's deputy ambassador to the u.n. urged the security council to take united stance towards russia this is how russia has acted in every other case where it is being called flouting international law denying destruction and threats it is what russia does. but we will not let such threats deter us we will not weaken our resolve we will stand firm confident in our democracy our rule of law and the freedom of our people we will stand by the values which is shared by the overwhelming majority of those in this council in this united nations and we are you today to stand by

us christensen has more from the united nations headquarters in new york. the united kingdom laid out its case for blaming the russians and got full throated support from its strongest allies on the council including the united states france and sweden other council members were reluctant to point the fingers at russia but expressed their concern over the gravity of the situation the united states for its part made a very clear plan to stand by its ally while russia continued to deny the charges the united states stands in absolute solidarity with great britain. the united states believes that russia is responsible for the attack on two people and the united kingdom using a military grade nerve agent. the news of the earth already interested in finding the truth lost they guided by something else the using propaganda war to influence

the public which is very easy to influence and not well educated the u.k. has asked the o.p.c. . organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons to validate the findings of their investigation the russians say they're happy to cooperate but they won't respond to alternate arms the u.k. says they'll continue to keep the international community apprised of progress in the investigation more now on the measures that britain's prime minister announced against russia tourism is given twenty three russian diplomats a week to leave the country a move the white house backs are u.k. correspondent bondy phillips reports. there was an air of inevitability to the prime minister's announcement given what she calls the contempt with which russia has responded to her demands for an explanation of what the british authorities say was a hit it so mr speaker there is no alternative conclusion other than that the russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of mr script and his daughter and for

threatening the lives of other british citizens in salzburg including detective sergeant nick bailey. this represents an unlawful use of force by the russian state against the united kingdom she told parliament she's expelling twenty three russian diplomats alleged to be undeclared intelligence offices they have a week to leave she said the u.k. will suspend all high level bilateral contacts with russia and cancel a planned visit by foreign minister sergei lavrov ministers of the royal family will boycott russia as well top in june and she said the government would freeze russian state assets if there's evidence they may be used to threaten the life or property of u.k. nationals or residence. the opposition labor party leader jeremy corbyn was supportive up to a point his spokesman later refused to say the russian state was definitely at fault if the government believes that it is still

a possibility that russia negligently lost control of a military grade nerve agent what action is being taken through the o.p.c. w. with our allies i welcome the fact the police are working with the o.p.c. w. . and has the prime minister taken the necessary steps under the chemical weapons convention to make a formal request for evidence from the russian government under article nine point two from russia itself the message remains consistent speaking before teresa mayes announcement the foreign minister was characteristically dismissive would you stay with mr little move we will demand the application of international laws we see no argument from our partners and without demonstrating concrete fascist they'll be responsible for attempting to deceive the international community. so that the

russian embassy in london they'll be packing their bags and low russian relations at their lowest point since the cold war but even now britain needs to keep open some lines of communication with moscow on so many issues from iran to north korea britain can't afford to ignore russia. the measures which have been announced here would have been largely anticipated by the russians what would really hurt them would be further multilateral sanctions involving other western countries for that to happen britain needs to convince its allies that this is not just a bilateral spat between london and moscow but an issue which has the potential to threaten the security of many western countries to be phillip's al-jazeera westminster in central london exactly a month after seventeen people died in a florida school shooting the u.s. house of representatives has approved legislation to try to prevent gun violence in schools the bill will allow for at least fifty million dollars

a year to fund training and coordination between schools and police but it doesn't address any action on gun control president donald trump has backed the legislation which falls short of border measures he suggested following the park and shooting the bill now goes to the senate for debate and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the nineteen year old suspected of last month's shooting a judge entered a not guilty plea for nicholas cruz after he remained silent during his court appearance the shooting sparked a nationwide student movement and all across the u.s. young people walked out of class demanding stricter gun safety laws and gallagher reports from fark parkland in florida. only across the united states students left their classrooms in droves from the east coast to the west this was a mass protest by a generation calling for gun reform on the capitol lawn in washington activists laid out thousands of shoes each pair represents a child killed by gun violence. in new york the sentiments of many reflect the pain

in george by those in florida that is why it is important for us to stand here today to show that gun control isn't a suggestion but a demand from the american people the protests lasted seventy minutes one for each of the victims that were killed a month ago some t.v. networks followed suit paying tribute to those that died a lot of schools around the country. we've been doing so i think if we. start changing. the prosecutors in florida and now seeking the death penalty for the alleged shooter nicholas cruz wants yes but more than anything else these students are determined to campaign for change no matter how long it takes deeply care to meet the difference and they're going to stop until they have documents that mean that we're going to start seeing politicians realize that they need to make a difference if they want to stay in office and congress hearings into the

aftermath of the parklane shooting continue i on the streets demands for gun reform grow if there is a message from the students of the marjorie stoneman douglas high school it's one of hope and remembrance they will continue to on of the friends that they lost one month ago but they will also continue to campaign for change this is the voice of a new generation and gallacher al-jazeera park in florida. so africa slammed an australian government minister for suggesting white south african farmers should get special visas because of what's being described as quote horrific circumstances they face at home president pose as valid to escalate the pace of redistributing land from wealthy whites to poor blacks almost seventy five percent of south africa's farmland is still owned by whites more than twenty four years after the end of apartheid but rahm opposes says any chance for it would be done legally i can say now that we will not allow land grabs we will not allow land invasions

and those who are tempted to resort to such activities must be wound not bombs that we will not allow would because it is illegal but apart from being illegal it begins to violate the rights of other south african citizens david mayne is the executive director of the refugee legal center joins us from melbourne very good to see you with us david maine what do you make of this policy is it ok just because they are white. well i think the first thing to say here is that internationally the need for protection is at exceptional and unprecedented levels i mean worldwide there are sixty five point six million people who have been forcibly displaced when we look at the situation of south african farmers if south african farmers are indeed being targeted being

persecuted and indeed there are land grabs going on where they may have their land confiscated redistributed if there is a need for protection clearly astrologer and other countries should factor that into the broader picture of who is to be resettled who is to be protected but the fundamental fact here is that that is a very complex and difficult question when we have such scarce amounts of places internationally for a settlement and such massive numbers of people in the youth it's also a difficult debate in south africa while many farmers say they are being targeted in including their work as it hasn't been resolved in the country says he said it's get it is going to be a long debate but isn't it the fact that it's going to be easier for these farmers to be given visas than it is for others looking for the same sort of status in australia we don't know all of the data house yet really all that we

know is that the government is trying government have flagged examining whether or not to fast track these is for some south african farmers who they say would be people who are risk people who are being who are being targeted and persecuted what about syrians oh it's an awful first razzo black skin i mean it seems to be a lot harder for them yes. well what we don't know firstly is is how the scheme might work if it if it were to be applied to south african families but what we also know is that there is this mess of nade worldwide for protection that includes running it includes people caught up in the syrian crisis who are being targeted for brutal abuse include so many it also includes those refugees who have been marooned by a strategy that is who have been exiled by a strata. small island republic of noor and also to pop and he gave me

those people who sought protection astrarium was sent there but the bottom line here is that the very difficult question of worldwide with these enormous numbers of people in the aid who gets protection and who a strategy should protect is a difficult and complex question with a very particular process and one that also should be informed by close consultation with the un refugee agency and the real concern he here is to ensure that there is proper consideration of the needs of people persecuted and to focus on those that are most in need and how do you think this will be played out naaman what is the next step because it is a political hot potato isn't it you know. that's right it is what one of the one of the crucial questions in australia is this destroyer has a. cap a quota each year of in type of humanitarian and refugee entrance there is a cap on numbers the numbers are scarce that australia the grace to take eight year

so the first question is if south african farmers were fast tracked to a strata with phases would those would those brought to australia cut into the already very scarce numbers allocated for refugees worldwide. including people caught up in the syrian crisis including potentially running a and many others in dire need so that's the first question would those resettlement places cut into the already scarce numbers if if they do well that will cause considerable controversy in the strata on the basis of why south african farmers being prioritise are over for example ringing a who're who have fled from genocidal genocidal practices or for example people in need in other parts of the middle east or you know. i think that's one of the questions the other question is if they if they if the

resettlement or the allocation of these is the south african farmers is to be a special scheme which doesn't cut into those numbers then there will be the discussion about why this group is being prioritized block come back to the basic point if south african farmers aren't being targeted persecuted astray and other countries should look seriously at that situation as one of many an aids globally david grange thank you very much man. still ahead on al-jazeera. i'm andrew thomas at the opening of sydney's b.n. ali this year's is the first ever to have an artistic director from asia i'll be explaining why that's significant what it says about broader changes in australian society.

however you can expect another blustery day on the shores of the eastern med and the cloud gives an indication of which is sort of the way but the forecast charts up you get an idea that's a very breezy day nineteen in beirut some clouds as far south as north and egypt sheraton is possible with is not much in that is more or less cloud cover is what will further inland the course in iraq still dust in the air north and saudi hand iraq iraq you get an idea of the strength of the wind twenty on baghdad and twenty in tehran more shells light to form as that law moves into the high ground of the west and south of iran. and i think maybe northern syria in eastern turkey still wet or calls snowie if you're a target the sun's out in beirut come friday south of all this and it's still quite warm for the time of the year that of course the actual temp is catching up the average bassy moves on such a two is a full cost the doha clean air at the moment but look at the wind direction coming

out of southern side you've got two hours and also in kuwait i think it will be quite dusty in the next day or so temperature wise is not a lot of change cloud does build to some degree here. see whether wet season has got to well has moved north as a botswana recently kenya's been the wettest place. the capital which makes a great. nature is transformed into a commodity big business takes a new interest. to be able to use a business model of sustainability of nature but what bank of course don't do that because they have the heart protection. because to see your business pricing the planet at this time on al-jazeera.

they're watching a mind of top stories russia has told the u.n. security council that accusations it's behind the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter are unfounded britain requested an emergency meeting in new york just hours after prime minister to resign ordered the expulsion of twenty three russian diplomats. executive months after seventeen people died in a florida school shooting the u.s. house of representatives has approved legislation to try to stop gun attacks in schools it comes as students across the u.s. staged a walkout demanding tougher controls. so the africa slammed an australian government minister for suggesting white south african farmers should get special visas

because of what's described as horrific circumstances they face at home. to escalate the pace of redistributing land from wealthy whites to poor blacks. now to syria where the red crescent says a large aid convoys due to arrive in the rebel held part of recent goes on thursday the u.n. says fighting has subsided in duma after deal with the main rebel. group that it allowed the evacuation of around one hundred fifty people in need of medical treatment to the capital damascus at least three hundred civilians have left. despite the ongoing bombardment by government and russian forces. at least thirteen people have died in the latest attacks on eastern syrian forces are making major advances nearly a month after stepping up the assaults on the besieged area in recent days they've sought to cut off sections of rebel held territory. civilians are caught up in

fighting on another front in northwest syria rescuers worked to free a woman from a collapsed building for twelve hours at least nine people were killed in the same attack two others were rescued further north turkish troops and free syrian army fighters are aiming to surround the city of affray in the coming hours take has been fighting for two months to drive out kurdish forces from the border region it sees them as terrorists thousands of civilians are under siege in the kurdish held territories alan fischer imports i slowly they're closing in on a friend these free syrian army fighters an o.t. here positions on the edge of the city the next group could come at any moment. with the special forces that belong to homs of brigade were preparing for an operation which you'll hear about in a few hours it's a big operation at a meeting in ankara the turkish president confidently predicted an end to this phase of operation all of branch in the coming hours. before i came here today i

checked the latest numbers of how many terrorists were neutralized enough rain three thousand four hundred forty four terrorists were neutralized and we have gotten closer to africa and i hope that by this evening inshallah african will be completely followed but within twenty minutes of the president speaking his advisors were qualified that what he meant was the city of african would be completely surrounded within a few hours not taken over the kurdish militia the y p g so the idea that the city is about to fall is completely false i the turks say they've created a humanitarian corridor to a low people in the city to leave safely a number of people have already done just that the international red cross has reminded everyone that any civilians who evacuated anywhere in syria must be treated humanely among the key points the emphasize are any evacuees must be informed in advance on the terms of the agreement destination site and evacuation process. yes but they must be protected from attack if they're staying or leaving

family unity must be protected that their loads to take and keep personal belongings including important documents and property and possessions left behind must be protected and after the city itself the cards have asked people to donate blood in the. doing that a battle me lie ahead in the coming hours her bloody that might be alan fischer al jazeera on the turkey syria border at least nine people have been killed and twenty seven injured after a bomb blast ripped through a police checkpoint in eastern pakistan it happened near the city of lahore while police were changing guards the checkpoint was outside an annual religious meeting and nearly eighty thousand people were gathered pakistan's taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack more cases of violence against women were reported in afghanistan last year than ever before but when you laws were introduced there fell to include penalties for the crimes critics say the problem lies in the difficulty

of changing the conservative mindset in afghanistan anybody who reports from kabul this the latest batch of young hopefuls sitting the afghan police entrance exam seventy young women were included in the four thousand applicants the highest number to date it's a korea about honor and survival and person i want to join the place to help defend my country and fight for the rights of my people and the rights of women the war in afghanistan has touched many but few as hard as samir and her family her two sisters nor all hire a menorah were police officers in fiza bad in badakhshan province as they drove to work with their mother the taliban stop their car drag the young women out and strangled them their bodies were dumped in the river they were targeted because they were police. i couldn't do anything my daughters were screaming help me mother help me it was terrible. the family had to flee the province after receiving death

threats samir a still clutches the cord used to kill her sisters despite what happened she's determined to join up. i am scared of the taliban we even i.c.'s they will kill us perhaps they might riddle me with bullets or strangle me i can't go home anymore so i am determined to join the police for the memory of my sisters and to serve my country. females in the security services are often treated more harshly by the taliban which is consistently opposed women's rights those rights of steadily improve for some women in afghanistan mainly in the cities but not as fast as many would have liked the drawing up of the new penal code left out a section about penalising violence against women and a draft law aimed at making the houseman to women an offense has been left untouched for a year younger than i am they deliver speeches and play politics with their words and the women of afghanistan are tired of the empty promises and lies changing

lives is one thing but changing very conservative mindset in much of the country is quite another was definitely murder freedom and support for some women in the country today but even so the number of cases of physical and sexual abuse the great swimming is not fairly there raising. last year saw an increase of eleven percent in those cases and two thousand three hundred women and girls committed suicide because of abuse but in reality those figures are said to be much higher because many women are too scared to report violence to a male dominated police force samir a sisters were victims not only of war but also of deep rooted discrimination it seems clear that long after the last bullet has been fired the women of afghanistan will still be fighting a battle tony berkeley al-jazeera kabul. here is president donald trump has boasted about making false claims on the state of trade relations with canada that's according to the washington post the paper says trump admitted telling canadian

prime minister justin trudeau that the us has a trade deficit with its neighbor without knowing if that was true in fact the u.s. has a trade surplus with candidate well known retail toys r us will sell or close all of its u.s. stores putting thirty thousand jobs at risk it's also shutting down its remaining seventy five artists in britain the company filed for bankruptcy last year after racking up five billion dollars in debt it dominated the toy business in the nine hundred eighty s. and ninety's but it's been struggling to compete with online retailers such as amazon. sydney's rb and other begins on friday and runs for the next three months for the first time ever it has an artistic director from asia japan's mama. curating this is event says her choices of artists and reflect the modern multicultural city thomas reports. sidney's held

a not be an alley almost every two years since one thousand nine hundred seventy three but some of our critics say this year is sydney's twenty first represents a coming of age old libyan ollie's previous artistic directors have been west and other australian european or american this be and ali is the first with someone from asia curating monica to ocala who normally runs a gallery in tokyo sees the significance and how it reflects a broader changes in australia since the b. and ali began so this is not a zero but this is not europe either it's interesting to see the demographics of this country and city and how you capture. this entire team through the lens of our one nine hundred seventy three view of the first b. and ali was also the year the queen both britain's and australia's open sydney's new opera house the crowd in this old footage is exclusively white until nine hundred seventy three white australia was official policy that changed soon after

and australia sent to become far more multicultural today more immigrants arrive from china and india than from any european country the art scene reflects that so that doesn't seem to rattle this be an erroneous and capture something that is being percolating. and the source of that being away since. since the late seventy's maybe eighty eight b.n. ali is showing out in six ten years across sydney chinese artist ai weiwei ways work in response to the global refugee crisis is the standout piece on cockatoo island a film a shipyard and one time prison in the middle of sydney harbor. unlike some permanent galleries like london's tate modern which have been built within the shelves of former industrial buildings this has been a space is still very much raw the floors are on even there a cracks in the windows and this of machinery it's still covered in dust ty an

artist has hung canvases from the ceiling of a formal workshop where ships were once made and repaired firth we talk with the cube. and good luck. to keep me disappear even critics who don't like most of the b.n. ollie's ott say the setting is dramatic even sometimes the most but now or or you know sort of piece can look quite interesting in one of these places it borrows from the interest of the buildings alan thinks the ben ali's art suffers from being too commercial it's not as political as it once was but arts can reflect rather than campaign and this year's been ali reflects the changing face of australia under thomas al jazeera sydney. the top stories allowed his era russia has told the u.n.

security council that accusations it's behind the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter are quote unfounded requested an emergency meeting in new york just hours after prime is set to resume ordered the expulsion of twenty three russian diplomats this is how russia has acted in every other case where it is being caught flouting international law denial destruction and threats it is what russia does but we will not let such threats deter us we will not weaken our resolve we will stand firm confident in our democracy our rule of law and the freedom of our people. we will stand by the values which is shared by the overwhelming majority of those in this council in this united nations and we are skewed today to stand by. exactly a month after seventeen people died in a florida school shooting the u.s.

house of representatives has approved legislation to try to help prevent gun attacks in schools it comes as students across the u.s. staged a walkout demanding tougher controls so i would get slammed in australian government minister for suggesting white south african farmers should get special visas because of what's described as quote horrific circumstances they face at home president so opposes valid to escalate the pace of redistributing learned from wealthy whites to poor of blacks the red crescent in syria says a large aid convoys due to arrive in the rebel held parts of eastern goods on thursday follows the medical evacuation of one hundred fifty people from dharma where fighting has subsided after a deal with the main rebel group in the area. at least nine people have been killed and twenty seven injured after a bomb blast ripped through a police checkpoint near a low hall in eastern pakistan happened outside an annual religious meeting where

nearly eighty thousand people were gathered those are the headlines the news continues but right now it's witnessed india's forbidden love. this is really an attack on itself is a lot of misunderstanding of what free speech is supposed to be about the context of a hugely important setting the stage for a serious debate up front at this time on al-jazeera.