al-jazeera selects. victory is not winning for our party. victory is winning for our country. president donald trump calls for unity across party lines as he outlines his priorities in the state of the union. harvey when i'm kemal santa maria with the world news from al-jazeera coming up confirms a second summit with north korea's kim jong un in vietnam later this month.

also the war in yemen a new report says the united arab emirates is supplying arms to militias arms that were received from western nations. and doctors in venezuela plead with the government allow the delivery of medicine and other humanitarian aid now. so donald trump's delivered a call for unity in the divided u.s. congress but some democrats denounced his state of the union address as one of division fear and false once the president was present was due to make this major speech last month but was delayed by what was the longest u.s. government shutdown in history. and it's congress continues to refuse to fund a border war with mexico trump insists he will get bills mike hanna with all the things help from washington madam. president of the united states.

much has changed in the stranger since president trump last spoke here sitting next to the vice president a new speaker nancy pelosi has been locked in a power struggle with the president since the democratic party took over the house and acknowledging this the president called for political. together we can break decades of political stalemate we can bridge all divisions heal old wounds build new coalitions but on the issue that led to the partial shutdown no sign of any compromise the president adamant that his demand for a barrier remains unchanged congress has ten days left to pass a bill that will fund our government protect our homeland and secure our very dangerous southern border if you can understand your pain calling on

victims of crime by what he called an illegal alien to back his argument. simply put walls work and walls save lives so let's work together compromise and reach a deal that will truly make america safe. a standing ovation from the republican side while democrats wearing white in honor of women's rights stayed in this seats it is time to give our brave warriors in syria a warm welcome home. on foreign policy in defense of his unilateral decisions to pull troops out of syria the claim that he's averted a major war with north korea announcing another summit with the north korean leader will take place in vietnam at the end of this month and despite calling for unity from picking on an issue that is highly divisive to defend the dignity of every

person i am asking congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late term abortion of. a mother with an example of issues that democrats contend are seized upon by the president with the intent of division. this is a point brought up in the opposition response given by the democratic party's rising star stacey abrahams the shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the united states one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandon not just our people but our values the one moment of real unity came when president trump left his prepared script we also have more women serving in congress then at any time before. republicans and democrats alike burst into applause but the vast majority of women

are on the democratic side in terms of gender and race it's the most diverse democratic party caucus in congress tional history and despite a rare bipartisan moment it would appear this side of the house were a main intent on fighting the president every step of the way my kind of august here or washington. well south korea and japan are both welcoming the news of donald trump's second summit with north korea's leader but they want the meeting at the end of this month in vietnam to be in their words more meaningful specific and practical problem bride has more from the south korean capital. after their first historic meeting in singapore last june all now looks set for round two in vietnam it's a neutral choice acceptable to both sides it's also symbolically important as a former enemy of the us that now enjoys normalized relations and economic

prosperity a possible path for north korea to follow since singapore negotiations have stalled but both leaders seem determined to meet again. march work remains to be done but my relationship with kim jong un is a good one. chairman kim and i will meet again on february twenty seventh and twenty eighth in vietnam negotiators from both sides have been meeting knowing the next summit will have to produce something of substance following criticism that single tall was little more than a photo opportunity it probably won't be anything big maybe the decommissioning of some nuclear facilities under international monitoring in return for the security guarantees that north korea craves and just possibly some relief from sanctions after the stalemate of the past half year anything that moves the process forward

will counter success even partially being a collision or freezing it's a better then or to having nothing to go waiting for ever for north korea to agree on completely which is almost impossible for a totalitarian regime whether this process is moving towards full denuclearization the more immediate need for trump and kim seems to be maintaining the narrative that it is bright al-jazeera seoul so let's talk about issues arriving arising from the state of the union with our senior political analyst mo and in london marwan let's start with north korea actually i thought the comments from south korea and japan are interesting where they said they wanted meaningful specific and practical things to come out of this next meeting kind of shows that they are under no illusions that nothing really came out of the last meeting and that they need something from this one. absolutely and not only that i think they feel

generally that they've been left out of much of what's going on and certainly we also understand from the phrases used by the american president that there's no longer the love relationship that we've heard about last year there's more like you know it's good relationship the skeptics of course are talking about why north korea is in a better position than it was two years ago while the united states is a less favorable position because the things just weren't gone now for two years with north korea basically giving up not much and getting more than. more than a few things in return i think it would all. it will all in fact be up to china not north korea not japan and we have yet to hear from china and it's the chinese who have been meeting with the north koreans and it's the chinese who have a lot of problems with the united states economic trade and others so i think it

will always be a trilateral sort of thing and i think the north koreans will always want chinese got to tease and my guess is come out they're not going to give up their nukes any time in my generation let's move to the broader themes of the state of the union one and that is one of unity it's. ironic maybe that donald trump is calling for unity when he is arguably the most if not one of the most divisive u.s. presidents that there have been at how do you find unity in a divided congress in a divided country. well look i mean this state of the union is a ritual it's an annual ritual that's good been getting bigger longer the stylus what an hour and twenty two minutes and i think it's becoming more and more like the super bowl of the oscars you know what stories to do with performances and actors to be showing on the stage to tell their stories you know with people

clapping what ninety eight times or something for an american president. but in this very particular speech there were very few touchdowns just like the last super bowl. and yet the talk about unity you know was met with skepticism by the democrats when as you said there was a lot of divisiveness in the actual approach of the american president but he did start off on a note of compromise that we need to work together and so on so forth realizing that the house of representatives now you know own different world by the democrats who are very skeptical of him so i think there is a sense that there is at least an intention for unity and let's remember that these sorts of speeches are written by someone in this case apparently steven miller and steven miller might have you know wrote some of those words but there are ways skepticism by this administration of working with the democrats even if the

president might say a few words in its favor so the state of the union might be sort of ok but the state of government is not that good well one of the guests earlier on al jazeera was saying to me it's pretty difficult for donald trump and the republicans to do business and to be united with the democrats when you could argue that the democrats want him gone that they are is a wing of the democrat party that wants them impeached. absolutely and and there are serious it illogical differences i mean with the exception of couple of see in a place is when you sense that there is this american nationalism when you invoke questions like regime change in venezuela or israel and its capital letters home and so forth generally speaking when it comes to domestic affairs there is an increasing division within the country and they're republicans are moving towards the right then the democrats are moving towards the left and the money away is when

he talks about socialism is it's by saying and this is a country of freedom and the others are saying look social security health care. so forth is not socialism is also part of the american creed. i think you will find more and more differences moving forward and i think immigration of course would be the one where the american president talks about a tremendous sort incredible onslaught it reminds me by the way that his of his inauguration speech when he talked about. the american carnage you know this sort of the cabbie though he of course does not bode well for the democrats american comics going to all right good to talk to you as always my one thank you to other news an amnesty international has accused the united arab emirates of supplying weapons to what it calls unaccountable armed groups in yemen a new report by the rights group shows how the u.a.e. siphons off billions of dollars worth of advanced weaponry to buying the arms from

the west many of the groups that supply base supply have been accused of war crimes the head of the u.s. central command in the middle east called for an investigation after similar allegations in the media reports. we spoke to pete of osman who is a senior researcher at cypriot the stockholm international peace research institute who said the findings and the report are worrying but it's nothing new. the u.a.e. and saudi arabia haven't been supplying weapons to the different militias in yemen for that matter also in syria and in libya so that we now find very clear evidence that weapons also and in the hands of all or more extreme militias including those related to al qaida it's not surprising at all surprising thing is more that the united states department of defense only now seems to make an issue of that i think if you supply weapons to militia groups you should assume that they

go too loose some are even many of them and these militia groups are more want organized and trained in the same way as the more professional armies of the united states itself and of course we have to remember that also the united states at times has lost weapons itself already so if you if you go further down that kind kind of the hierarchy you could say you are the risk but you're actually going to lose those weapons to to your real opponents and it's very significant i don't think that the united states is going to punish the usa us saudi arabia by significantly restricting arms sales to these two major we simply ends of the united states when weapons i mean saudi arabia accounts for a very significant share of u.s. arms exports and it will say that you u.a.e. they are they belong to the most important is that. recipients of u.s. arms and there are significant sums of money involved and of course both are also

very important and i switch to united states does not want want to lose. the u.s. secretary of state says i still remains a menace and as reassuring allies that the withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria does not mean it is the end of america's find there speaking at a meeting of the global coalition to defeat time so. called on will nations present to permanently defeat onselen syria and iraq remember though in december president trump declared i still had been defeated in syria let's bring this together with jordan in washington d.c. actually at the state department there. and it is a sort of a conundrum isn't it that yes the u.s. wants out and yes isis been defeated but actually no it hasn't and we need to stop them coming back out as my point present us. well what might pompei o has been saying to foreign ministers and other dignitaries from at least seventy nine countries as well as the european union is that the president's desire to pull two

thousand u.s. troops out of northern syria is not a change in the u.s. the strategy in fighting eisel is here a little more of what he had to say the drawdown of troops is essentially a tactical change it is not a change in the mission it does not change the structure design or authorities on which the campaign has been based. it simply represents a new stage in an old fight the drawdown will be well coordinated and a policy approach to syria remain unchanged. but come all as you pointed out this is a rather rust sticking position for the secretary of state to be putting forward because there is also this recognition that there are still elements of eisel or isis as the trumpet ministration calls this organization still around in northern syria and in parts of northern and western iraq and he has argued that it is up to the u.s.

and to other countries to make certain that the security apparatus is there in order to prevent these groups from trying to retake territory retake control of local communities and try to expand their influence and to wreak havoc on these countries and perhaps send fighters to other countries around the world this is something of a course that also has alarmed countries in the region because they say that their security forces aren't robust enough aren't strong enough to fight i sold for that matter and other groups with considerable support from the united states including considerable military support so this is perhaps the key issue that is being debated during this ministerial here at the state department on wednesday thank you jordan and president trying to just speak a little bit later on today as well. here's what's coming up view on al-jazeera more rainfall cosper flooded home odin's in australia hoping the worst is over

prostrated steps up the pressure to release the football team but thailand warns the refugee from behind could still face months in prison. hello again it's good to have you back we are going to see some messy conditions coming across the levant over the next day if you take a look out here towards the west notice that big system coming in off the mediterranean now that is also bring some gusty winds down towards the south but it's bringing some wet and also winter conditions up here towards the north and we're expecting the higher elevations so look for some rain as it makes its way towards the east and as we go towards friday we are going to be seeing that move a little bit more towards baghdad also over here towards tehran and then down here across parts of saudi arabia towards the back end of it we are going to be seeing

the winds continue across much of the sinai peninsula and into the red sea well that same system we are going to be watching very carefully because we do expect to see rain showers in the clouds over the next few days so medina thirty one degrees on thursday and as that system pushes through there's the rain coming into play over here towards rio it is going to be a warm day if you with a temperature of twenty five degrees and then down here across parts of southern africa it's still going to be quite wet up here towards the north a little bit dry down here across much of the south so for cape town with a sun in your forecast we do expect to see a high temperature a few about thirty degrees there derbent at about twenty seven degrees and as we go towards friday a little bit more rain for johannesburg with a temperature of twenty six.

headlines here on al-jazeera this hour the u.s. president donald trump has called for political unity in his state of the union address he told republicans and democrats they must join forces to confront what he's calling a security crisis on the border with mexico. donald trump also confirmed

a second summit with north korea's leader at the end of this month it will be in vietnam today meeting with kim jong un beginning fabric twenty seventh which aims to build on denuclearization talks which began in singapore last june. and the u.s. secretary. of menace and as reassuring allies that the withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria does not mean it is the end of america's fight there or in iraq in december president trump had declared been defeated at least in syria. the u.s. senate's passed a bill that allows states to penalize businesses that boycott israel the senate also backed strengthening america's security in the middle east act by a seventy seven to twenty three vote but that was hours before donald trump was due to deliver his annual state of the union speech we reaffirmed his promise to bring troops from syria bring back troops in syria and afghanistan to become law the bill would need to pass the democratic controlled house of representatives you must

several israeli ministers have signed a declaration supporting the settlement of two million israelis in the occupied west bank the plan goes back to the time of former prime minister it's actually here who served back in the one nine hundred eighty s. more on this from harry falls that and western islam. well this pledge coming in the form of a sort of personal loyalty pledge signed by extremely senior figures within the ruling likud party signifies a couple of things that signifies a right would move within mainstream likud opinion wear what would have been seen as a pretty radical plan for expanding israeli settlements in the occupied west bank the illegal settlements that are there now have a few hundred thousand jewish settlers in the maybe four hundred thousand in the occupied west bank another three hundred fifty thousand in east jerusalem it shows how far right they could as moved under benjamin netanyahu and indeed how far right the mainstream of israeli politics has moved but it also signifies the period that we are in at the moment two months out from an election on the ninth of april there

is a lot of effort being made to try to court right wing votes which might otherwise go to the smaller more extreme parties and also an opportunity to define the could against the man who has come to challenge benjamin netanyahu in perhaps a stronger way than many expected the former israeli army chief benny gantz who has set up a new party is occupying the center ground while trying to make his right wing credentials also as obvious as possible this is a way for could mainstream politicians to say that he's actually too soft on the issue of settlements that he may well try to engineer some kind of withdrawal despite his talk about strengthening settlements at least in the blocks around jerusalem this is also a question as to whether it will ever become israeli government policy well one thing that isn't on this list is that of the prime minister benjamin netanyahu if he were to make it israeli policy are to the election given that he wins that election then that would be something which could derail the already very tenuous

u.s. peace plan he's made a great deal of his friendship with donald trump jury in the course of this campaign already presumably he one would want to undermine his plan in that way but the why the question is whether this does signal a direction of travel for israeli politics and a potential policy for a future israeli government. venezuela's oppositions accusing the military of blocking a bridge on the border with colombia self declared president where there was appealed to venezuela's armed forces to allow the delivery of much needed food medicine and other essentials teresa bo has more from the capital caracas. employee said there's maternity hospital in the capital get access say they are in desperate need of aid they say their hospital urgently needs basic medicines and medical equipment they say the venezuelan government shouldn't get in the way of international aid entering the country. only this hospital had the best doctors the

base nurses the best of everything and now we are seeing a complete deterioration with shortages of medicine food for patients and cleaning products the self declared interim president why though says the presidency of nicola is illegitimate he's pushing for legislation in the opposition controlled national assembly to be passed to remove the roadblocks on humanitarian aid members of the national assembly say that they would like to create a humanitarian corridor composed of n.g.o.s religious groups and doctors that will allow the aid to reach those who need it the most but it won't be easy because the government says that the humanitarian aid is a political show by the opposition that will allow the united states to intervene in the country where. he's in charge of coordinating the push for aid in the national assembly he says is wrong. it is not only the united states that is involved it is the leymah group that meeting canada nobody can cite

justin trudeau is the extreme right or pretty dress cinches and spying i want to seem to message to the world in his wireless constitutional order is broken we won legislative elections and i took our wife from us we asked for a referendum and they did not want it they do not want to get out of our what we are offering is not a liberation army just the ability to choose their future and a new election in the same building but in another room met the rival constituent assembly the legislative body created by the government two years ago to redraft the constitution now it is proposing to. call for legislative elections to replace the opposition controlled by a man whose mandate expires next year i you know he said you are going to go to the opposition wants election so we could cause a legislative elections because parliament is controlled by the extreme right at that stage in a coup by the only power that has not been revalidated recently. and that sentiment

was shared by supporters of. who surrounded the national assembly building during the session. the once a chair that you can buy to the store because here no one will allow him to sit on the presidential seat a political crisis when nobody really knows how or when it is going to end. the footballer. who is appealing for help against his extradition to be framed as being what he actually faces six months longer in a thai prison he appeared in shackles at court on monday saying he'll be tortured if he is forced to return to. the twenty five year old fled political repression there five years ago seeking refuge in australia he was on honeymoon in thailand when the bahraini requested his arrest australia's prime minister is now increasing the pressure for his release what i've also stressed is that people in the thai people have a wonderful people to people relationship and i've stressed just how strongly about

this and i would i would be very disappointed. if you as a result of how this matter is handled that that relationship between the time people were affected or i'd be very disappointed about that so of appeal to the prime minister to take that into account but i do have the authority to use those executive controls for him to come and so we're going to continue to work patiently and respectfully to secure that. homeowners in the flooded city of townsville in australia are hoping the worst is over weather forecasts to say more monsoon rain could be on the way to queensland but nothing like the record breaking deluge of a few days ago queensland is now returning to their ruined homes they have been speaking to our reporter andrew thomas. this is what you see in front of houses all over townsville now the floodwaters have largely gone down but anything that people weren't able to get out of their house in time things like french phrases well

they're really in there that waiting to be picked up as rubbish well this house belongs to kevin martin. he's been clearing up your place all day kevin help it so i can see everything on the ground was really how high was the water in here probably are from right around man when i. came up pretty quick and it didn't come up with out things that there was. spiders you know i meant it came with it you saw us night i did i was eight o'clock at night it was dr additional lot and a different relation one addition so as you're clearing out if you were watching which cabins you were i was fairly left and. i don't know whether it's a foreign land or a python and i know you were able to get sentimental items and electronics you know it's a very nice rifle it's just finally ending think it was only grain yeah probably they are structured in a whole idea is just you know what you are. really swelling of interest gaming and i think the clearing bedrooms that you have to carry mattresses you ripping up the

carpets i guess you need to dry out everything before you can even start thinking about replacing but you aren't sure yes or yeah well good luck good luck with the cleanup this is a situation being repeated all over townsville on the wednesday the worst of the rain. has moved south but still waits and there's a lot of cleaning up today. ok let's get you the headlines here on al-jazeera and the u.s. president donald trump has called for political unity in his state of the union address. he told republicans and democrats in the congress they must join forces to confront what he is calling a security crisis on the border with mexico. trump also confirmed a second summit with the north korean leader at the end of this month it'll happen in vietnam this time a two day meeting with kim jong un beginning february twenty seventh which aims to build on the denuclearization talks started in singapore last year of the news

amnesty international's accuse the united arab emirates of supplying weapons to what it calls unaccountable armed groups in yemen a new report by the rights group shows how the u.a.e. siphons off billions of dollars worth of advanced weaponry after buying those arms from the west many of the armed groups based supplier have been accused of war crimes. u.s. secretary of state might prompt remains a menace centers reassuring allies that the withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria does not mean it's the end of america's fight there or in iraq in december president trump to declare that i still have been defeated in syria and as well as oppositions accusing the military of blocking a bridge on the border with colombia the self declared president one way though has appealed to venezuela's armed forces to allow deliveries of much needed food medicine and other essentials. the footballer. who is appealing for help

against his extradition to behind has been warned faces six months longer in a thai prison he appeared in shackles in court on monday saying he'll be taught should be forced to return to behind the twenty five year old fled political repression there five years ago he sought refuge in australia he was on his honeymoon in thailand when the bahrain has requested his arrest. and the president of the european council has accused some politicians of support a campaign to leave the european union without a concrete plan using unusually strong language donald said there would be a special place in hell for them but he went on to say he will do everything in his to help solve fortunes crisis of how to exit the european union schools said preparations are being made in case the u.k. leaves without a deal that's a look at the headlines twenty five minutes inside story is next.

salta allies. some of america's gulf allies are accused of transferring us. to rebel groups. to stop supporting the. coalition at war and this is inside story. welcome to the show. now amnesty international says the united arab emirates.