i a convenient time for russia's president to announce his government doesn't know the suspects in the ski pole poisoning case taking advantage of the international attention and bloody vostok planted question granted this response. we have looked at who these people are we know who they are now we found them i hope that they show up and speak for themselves that would be better for everyone there is nothing special criminal there i can assure you that in time we will see civilians. millions i don't hear. of course civilians one russian state television channel said it had spoken to one of them he declined to comment on the case for now saying only that he wants for a pharmaceutical company in the siberian city of tomsk and would perhaps speak next week just last week british prosecutors identified the men they said were russian military intelligence officers operating under the aliases alexander petroff and bullshit of the peg casually dressed boarded

a flight from moscow to london on march second staying at a hotel in east london before heading to the city where the poisoning took place c.c.t.v. footage captured the moves at several locations including at the train station on the day of the attack later that night they returned to moscow the british government has repeatedly demanded explanations from russia with the result the mother has been backing from the u.k.'s international allies the prime minister's spokesperson said that moscow had repeatedly lied and hidden the truth about the poisoning statement i really didn't give much he he said these these individuals were civilians that was essentially. the time to disavow them and the claims of the u.k. had made their a member of. russia's military intelligence. and you know beyond that we didn't even see any confirmation of these gentlemen real names british prosecutors have said that there is sufficient evidence to charge the two men they have not

requested extradition as russia does not extradite its own citizens but a european arrest warrant has been sought if the patch travel to any e.u. countries in the future sunny viagogo al-jazeera london. plenty more ahead on the news hour and clothing and more fighting in the yemeni. as the u.s. state department says the. avoiding civilian casualties lebanon's prime minister designate father says he isn't seeking revenge as lawyers make closing arguments and the assassination trial of his father and former leader and an impact cycling champion come to terms with the entering that's left her unable to. factions in south sudan have signed what's being called a final peace deal after months of negotiations the latest transitional government

with an eight month president's health care will have rival the react which are as again as well as for other vice presidents catherine sort of reports from ethiopia's capital addis ababa where the deal and. another grim and aimed at peace in south sudan the last time this leaders signed the past. fifteen it collapsed. after violent clashes between the two sides in the capital juba. that provides for man other things five vice presidents and five hundred fifty members of parliament despite mistrust between the groups. that saw it is. actually. i'm sure this. would be built the confidence would be built.

south sudan's leaders are under immense pressure at home and internationally to make it work the regional heads of state did not specify any action against spoilers it still remains a possibility i think they sanctions and things like a possible sanctions and is this just sanctions and. a lot of them going to us today and it's not it's not the not terrible but we know the use of those terminologies who had them we said before and i must say. i'm not ruling out if anything happens now if there's any good for good french or all the signatories say it's not apathic still but they are committed to implementing it so now we have eight months to form a transitional government which will run for three years opposition groups that have signed this deal say they have concerns with the division of roles in the executive and legislature security arrangements as well as the number of states and boundary demarkation and. they also have reservations about how and who will be

involved in writing a constitution whatever we do not get. this process is a progressive process and it is a process a transitional process that will take. two years or three years. we will on our some of this thing as we go along. regional leaders and other stakeholders who witness assignee expressed optimism they say failure is not an option anymore for millions of south sudanese displaced from their homes those unable to fend for their families because of their kind of me or those who continue to live in fear of violence in their own country catherine sorry al jazeera i disabled the. the u.n. human rights investigators say seven government forces have fired chlorine gas that is a banned chemical weapon on rebel held areas three times this year the u.n. commission of inquiry says an unprecedented number of people have been forced from

their homes or most of them now in the last rebel held province of and led me back a report from geneva. the syrian war is harming the syrian people on a massive scale the un's international commission of inquiry on syria says fighting displace more than a million men women and children in six major battles nationwide between january and july levels not seen before in the seven year conflict if as many diplomats expect as an escalation of the syrian government offensive in italy a province to try and capture the last remaining rebel stronghold it could trigger a massive exodus of civilians you are fighting them thousand. people terrorists and. dream you know population will be the price to fight off most you don't have any figures fight against terrorists but something has to

be done to protect the rights of the three million people or one million children if we had little goes the same way as we've seen in other places then it's a complete failure of the international system and it's a complete failure of many of us to be able to prevent work we've seen happening time and again the u.n. commission blames all sides of the conflict for violations the syrian government for again firing the banned chemical weapon gas using rockets made in iran. turkish forces for bombing a medical convoy an archaeological site in the battle for african and kurdish fighters for attacking a psychiatric hospital it's hope that all the analysis carried out by the commission of inquiry on syria will one day lay the groundwork for legal proceedings against those accused of war crimes and of violating human rights in the hope that when the war is finally over the guilty will be brought to justice

but with peers growing up in imminent assault and it live the u.n. is preparing for an even larger humanitarian crisis leave barca al-jazeera geneva. u.s. secretary of state has told congress that saudi arabia and the united arab emirates are working to avoid harming civilians in yemen and that clears the way for the u.s. to continue providing weapons and refueling support to both countries more than ten thousand people have been killed in three years of war statement follows a string of solving erratic coalition air strikes that have killed dozens of civilians including many children roslyn jordan has more from washington d.c. . the saudi like coalition has been criticized for indiscriminately targeting civilians while trying to go after the rebels who are trying to take control of the country of yemen. coalition has denied these allegations and it's also been facing

criticism on behalf of its main military supporter the united states the u.s. has now certified that so far as best as it can determine the saudi like coalition including the government of saudi arabia and the united arab emirates are taking reasonable precautions to ensure that civilians are not targeted injured or killed in the conflict with who the fighters in that country now this certification has been made by the secretary of state pompei o at the insistence by the requirements of congress through the terms of the new defense budget act mr prompt said that the examination of the facts shows that the precautions are being taken but so far a public version of that certification has not been made the pentagon is supporting the certification because it does feel that it is important to bring the these to heel and to try to restore order and to restore the hardy government in sanaa but

again the details of the certification have yet to be made public but this is something that is going to perhaps bring more concentration of criticism on to the united states because it provides both the saudis and the amorality us with their military weapons with their aircraft with military training and support and so there is a real concern that this military support if it is in fact being used against civilians indiscriminately could be a violation of the leahy act which says that the u.s. must cut off military aid to countries that don't use their military equipment for the proper and legal purposes this is of course something that the u.s. is going to have to justify in the weeks and months ahead. now the u.n. envoy for devon martin griffith has arrived in the armani capital muscat he's hoping to restart talks between the warring parties fighting between what the

rebels and saudi iraqi forces has resumed in the port city of how they then anderson has more from neighboring djibouti there are no details on casualty figures and whether or not civilians are involved but multiple reports suggest that the fighting has escalated again around the city of who data it's rebel held by the hooter's and they are reliant on a supply routes between the port city and samar their capital now the report suggests that that supply route has been cut to the point of choke point called kilos sixteen also reports the kilo ten further towards the city has also been breached cuts by government forces forces they are aided by the saudi usa easy led coalition amounting strong asterix all around the area now we're hearing that the hutu rebels have responded with a counter attack using artillery and other weaponry and that fighting has been very

harsh indeed now beyond this beyond this whole issue of this route that delivers aid and arms and supplies to the rebels is the problem of how martin griffiths the u.n. special envoy can possibly get traction again for any form of peace talks or talks about talks involving diplomats and the fighters he is shy jeweled to be in amman and moving on from there hopefully he thinks to sana'a and from there to riyadh but as he knows the chances of getting a breakthrough seem quite limited. washington's accusing iran backed groups in iraq of carrying out what it calls life threatening attacks against u.s. diplomatic missions and a wrong there have been violent protests in the city of basra where people are angry about a lack of government services and corruption and it was during these protests that

a rocket attack damaged the airport in basra where the u.s. consulates located and three rounds were fired at the fortified green zone in baghdad which contains the u.s. embassy but protesters also attacked the offices of iranian allies and ted on the consulate in basra was burned. to lebanon now a promise to designate saadi says he's not seeking revenge for the assassination of his father he made the comments in the hague with closing arguments are being heard in the trial of four hezbollah members accused of killing a feat the former prime minister the court will not issue a verdict on till next year but political tensions over its findings are resurfacing they now hold the reports. the closing arguments are the final step before judges issue their verdict that is not expected until sometime next year this as a nation trial of lebanon's prime minister if you can head he began in early two thousand and fourteen the prosecution is meant taining its argument that the syrian

government was at the heart of the plot which was carried out by members of the political armed party has below these men are being tried in their absence from the un backed tribunals. the two thousand and five assassination was a political earthquake that tore lebanese society apart political and sectarian divisions that emerged continue until today how do you do as the leader of the sunni community and the suspects belong to a shia group his son and political heir three time prime minister saddle had eighty flew to the hague for the culmination of the trial he is in a difficult position has been and its allies gamed political power at his expense how did he said the perpetrators will face justice sooner or later but added he needs to put his feelings aside as prime minister designate. it took a long time for justice to be served but maybe time allowed us to be more rational i'll deal with this issue as a responsible official who has the responsibility to protect the country and the

lebanese people. the prosecution said his father's killing was politically motivated because he wanted to end syria's domination of lebanon the court appointed defense challenge what it described as circumstantial evidence the prosecution says analysis of mobile phone network calls undeniably links the suspects to the attack and they had been monitoring how do these movements for months prosecuting lawyer say phone lines stopped working moments before the massive bomb blast in beirut the court has again asked lebanese authorities to carry out their obligation and arrest the defendants and transfer them to the hague to face trial but has below which is the most powerful political party and military force in the country has vowed that the suspects will never be caught twenty one other people were killed and dozens injured in the assassination for many the suspects are not the only ones who should be tried and. they didn't act alone there are definitely people backing them they should be handed over to justice so that we

know the people behind them who played a bigger role the truth is what her family and his supporters have been demanding for years but some of them fear political stability may take precedence over justice at least if the prevailing balance of power doesn't change. the hague still ahead on the news out of the media conference that expose the strained relationship between the philippines president and the military the stock markets want to replace about apple's latest launch. and. extend their fears. onto the football pitch. later this hour. hello there well here across parts of night states we are watching the approach of

florence this is a major hurricane category four you can see it right there with the i make its way towards the carolinas now the problem with the storm is not only the size and the intensity but as it makes its way towards the coast it's going to slow down that means that area along the coast is going to be seeing sustained winds as well as precipitation and storm surge not just for one day but probably for several days in that same area as we go from thursday or friday watch how little movement we see with that storm system so that is going to be the big problem and they are considering this to be a catastrophic storm system as it makes its way onshore and also we're going to be watching this through the weekend as a break away down here towards parts of the caribbean we are watching what is happening out towards the east very carefully that is isaac out there a tropical storm system it's moving quite quickly across the eastern areas and it's going to bring some showers maybe a little localized flooding but because that storm system is in staying around very long then it is going to be clearing up fairly quickly behind that system up here

towards the gulf of mexico what we do have a tropical wave there that system is going to pass over cozumel in the yucatan peninsula and head towards texas we do expect to see some flooding as we go probably towards the end of the weekend. overthrown and exiled they appoint again say if you will all this race meeting you an intimate film about the struggle of the elected leader of madagascar to return to his country and reinstate his presidency you know as the jewish traditions and we will not only go if you think he is the only true change against return of the president on al-jazeera.

every. it's good to have you with us on the al-jazeera news hour and these are our top stories millions of people in the path of harken florence in the eastern united states are making a last minute preparations for what's being dubbed a monster storm it could make landfall as early as friday south carolina's governor

has warned of heavy rainfall and damage from flooding hungary says it will challenge proceedings against it for breaking rules on democracy and civil rights the european parliament agreed to take action which could lead to hungary losing voting rights and south sudan's warring factions have signed what's being called a final peace deal after months of negotiations the leaders will now form a transitional government within eight months president salva care will have rival react machar as deputy again as well as for other vice presidents. the philippines president has criticized his military commanders for refusing to arrest one of his opponents there you go that there they voted and this to you to former naval officers senator antonino three and orders has a rest but military leaders refused saying they want a fall the division has raised further questions about the future of the country's democracy. reports from manila. what was the widely

anticipated conference ended up becoming one of the most jarring interviews ever held by president to the good the terry for most of the one hour and a half long interview vented his anger on the philippine military exposing the strained relationship between soldiers and their commander in chief. and i only started now don't let this drag you plan to sabotage me then go ahead and be firing a few rounds won't work then assassinate i will be happy to die in your hands he accuses soldiers of citing with a staunch critic and doing it on this the senator accuses the cat there and his family of amassing illegal well which is denied chilian as was also one of the proponents of a complaint in the international criminal court against the terror tis war on drugs . that they ordered arrest which the military did not carry out.

their youngness was a navy officer one of the many to mutiny when gloria arroyo was president despite his detention for seven years he complained and won a senate seat he was granted amnesty by former president binney lucky no seven years ago there to revoked the amnesty saying it was avoided but documents show the amnesty was legal and absolute and because an amnesty is your revokable giuliani says what the title has done is unprecedented and only done by a desperate leader there will probably. be psychological help for the commander in chief because they didn't expect that from their commander in chief who will actually incite. against against himself and it threatens to split the military institution that has. gone

through legal reforms over the last thirty years critics see it is unheard of for a president to challenge his commanders out to the politics of the if he is that. client relationship he dispenses dispenses. people would think. the us logical. to run but i look at this person us it calculating person and he is not to be underestimated the senate leadership has given giuliani's sanctuary so he remains within the premises for now meanwhile the military has made a commitment that it will only follow orders that are in line with the constitution still many here are worried these see do tear it is relentless pursuit of juliana's no matter the costs me further destabilize the country is already fragile democracy dog and manila. rebel group in colombia has released six hostages captured

last month but it's still holding at least in line others most members of security forces all military contractors president of andi ok who took office last month has insisted that all must be freed before peace talks began under his predecessor can continue as colombia's last major rebel group after fark disarmed under a peace deal agreed in twenty sixteen. a former president of el salvador has been sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption antonino sappho lead the country between two thousand and four and two thousand and nine last month he confessed to money laundering and embezzlement charges they relate to three hundred million dollars of public funds which were redirected to personal and company bank accounts the guilty pleas for his sentence reduced to he had faced thirteen years behind bars five others have also confessed in the case. now brazil's leading present presidential candidate that is conservative. remains in intensive care

a ways and more surgery on after being stabbed last week and while he's on likely to return to the campaign trail before the september. seventh election a new opinion poll shows that the attack has boosted has approval ratings a latin america editor lucy newman has more from could achieve. the aftermath of last week's attack against shade during a campaign rally has become the latest source of controversy surrounding the brazilian presidential candidates two new polls show his approval ratings rose from twenty two to between twenty four and twenty six percent not as much as some had predicted. political violence is always there. was a crazy man with. or an organization and i think the vote in brazil. but the barrage of photos and videos of both

in intensive care released by his campaign and family members has sparked an outcry even some allies say using them for electoral gain is in poor taste and manipulative but. while he awaits a second abdominal operation one piece of good news for the ailing candidate was tuesday's announcement that imprisoned former president lula da silva was withdrawing his candidacy with brazil's most popular politician now officially out of the race. is well in the lead but now his main enemy may not be a rival candidate but rather the exploding and also not a campaign also showing media leading the charge are women also not as controversial comments against gays blacks and women are. opposition to his presidential bid and. is one of those who've helped gather more than

a million supporters in less than two weeks. a man who says that engendering a girl rather than a boy is a failure what does that say about his opinion of women. in the us a man who says in front of cameras i won't rape you because you don't deserve it does anyone deserve to be raped we've been make a pretty three percent of the brazilian electorate and could decide the election also not all has attempted to tone down some of his most politically explosive opinions but with more surgery limiting his chances of returning to the campaign trail before october seventh election it may be too late to undo the damage you see in human al-jazeera brazil the us health authorities are warning that young people are using electronic cigarettes and epidemic proportions the food and drug administration is now considering banning flavors like candy and bubble gum at

a popular web he young people the agency has also given leading manufacturers to moms to provide details of how the limit sales to minors it's estimated that over two million years the devices and they go west last year he has more from washington d.c. it's against the law cigarette to anyone under the age of eighteen in the united states number less it's estimated that some two million schoolchildren are regular users that's of concern because these cigarettes deliver a particularly intense hit of nicotine so young people are getting hooked tobacco manufacturers say it's not their intention to market to young people but campaign is skeptical pointing to the long history of tobacco companies doing anything to sell their product despite the health risks campaigners say the time for self regulation is over it's time for the government targets. well let's get more on this knowledge one by matthew miles and washington d.c.

he's the president of the campaign for tobacco free kids very good to have you with us on allergies they are so as we've been reporting the f.d.a. commissioner saying that more than two million middle and high school students were regular users of a cigarettes last year just how big a problem is this mr miles especially compared to say the use of regular cigarettes the problem of the use of these cigarettes monk kids has actually reached epidemic proportions and in fact preliminary data shows a dramatic increase in just the last year in the united states more kids are using these cigarettes than using cigarettes was particularly disturbing is that the new generation of the cigarettes are highly addictive they deliver very high levels of nicotine very rapidly and we're hearing signs of kids becoming hooked literally within days and if they are out and so you say that the smoking cigarettes more than they do regular cigarettes why are they both especially appealing and damaging

to young people i think what we're seeing is an interesting thing in the united states there's been a dramatic decline in the use of cigarettes to no longer cool among adolescents the new generation of e. cigarettes have been designed in such a way that there's sleek and hip they've been marketed with social media campaigns that appeal to kids and they now come in flavors that are highly appealing to kids in a mass the harshness of the flavor so it shouldn't be a surprise if you design a product that appeals to kids marketed in social media and introduce it in flavors you're going to see kids use it i mean should they be should manufacturers be allowed to advertise in a way that is appealing to children and what do you make of the action that the f.d.a. has taken to address what they say is an epidemic sixty days to prove that they can keep their products away from from minus. well what f.d.a.

did today is important because they made clear that they see this as a truly serious problem and they recognize that it's the actions of the industry that is made the problem worse what's unfortunate is that there are experiences shown that given the opportunity the tobacco industry in the east cigarette industry won't reform itself they can't police themselves the only solution is for our government to ban flavored products that appeal to kids ban the kind of advertising that we have seen over the last couple of years in eliminating the kind of online sales that make it easy for kids to get the products and mr miles just lastly how likely do you think it is that the government will take any of those steps well the government has really put itself in a box the food and drug administration has acknowledged in part because it is a law of the tobacco industry to be hey without any regulation that if there is today an epidemic of substantial proportions unless the government acts it won't be

solved and i have faith that this food and drug administration does not want to be known as the food and drug administration that allowed another generation of americans to become mr miles it's great to get your thoughts on this that is matthew miles joining us live from washington d.c. thank you thank you. now stocks of the tech giant apple have dropped slightly after its latest launch featured its largest i phone bought lesser in the way of groundbreaking innovation but the company's strategy of getting consumers to upgrade as increasingly. expensive devices continues to pay off what the overall share price up thirty percent for the here. has more. what is the secret to apple's success wednesday's product launch was short on new products big on prozac now let's talk about i phone and even bigger on

price i phone tennis max has just displayed ever on the night the new i phone tennis max a larger and faster version of the previous i phones starts at one thousand nine hundred nine dollars while the so-called starter version i found this year costs seven hundred fifty and under its estimate the advance release especially for folks who are looking for an upgrade to be away for a year or two or three for. apple's higher prices are a way to boost sales in an already saturated market although the number of i phone sold remain steady apple has increased i phone revenue by twenty percent by squeezing out more money from each unit but to what point can consumers continue to stretch their wallets apple doesn't appear to be too worried announcing more than five hundred million people visit its apple stores.