this is al jazeera. this is the news. coming up we'll have breaking news from iraq where the u.s. is strikes have killed several iraqi militia fighters knew the border with syria. i'm barbara starr in london with the top stories from europe including ukraine and russian backed rebels complete their swap of prisoners from the 5 year conflict in the east of the country giving how their resolution could be in sight. also ahead

the u.n. rushes more resources into the central african republic after at least $48.00 killed in fighting between militia groups and market traders at a missile attack in yemen is blamed on hooty rebels who are now threatening to target sensitive locations in saudi arabia and the u.a.e. and i'm peter sim 2 of the supporters the college playoffs reached the finals we reported on measures to protect younger players from injury. usa strikes in western iraq have killed several militia fighters 3 locations were hit in iraq including on the border with syria the target was a shia militia group called hezbollah which isn't to be confused with hezbollah in lebanon iraq has ball is part of the popular mobilization forces which helped the iraqi government's fight against arsenal the u.s. is drugs also get to charge a. it's in syria but the pentagon hasn't said with his some of what the pentagon

has had to say in response to repeated hizbollah attacks on iraqi bases that host operation inherent resolve coalition forces u.s. forces have conducted precision defensive strikes against 5 cateye of his ball the facilities in iraq and syria and that will degrade his ability to conduct future attacks against coalition forces let's go live now to our jazeera simona 14 in baghdad can you tell us the latest of what you're hearing about these strikes. well the pentagon has for the 1st time confirmed that it has hit targets of popular mobilisation forces in iraq now this is quite a significant development the popular mobilization forces have in the past accused the u.s. of striking its positions but this was never confirmed so this is quite a significant development and of course it comes at the back of a series of rocket attacks aimed at bases where both iraqi and u.s.

personnel are based the latest of these attacks occurred on friday in kirkuk and for the 1st time a u.s. contractor was killed and several u.s. personnel or injured in this attack now secretary of state mike compare had warned in december that any such attacks that would result in harm of u.s. forces or their allies would be met with decisive force so these strikes that happened tonight are a response to the attack on friday but more broadly a response to this increase in rocket attacks against against bases here in iraq now it's quite significant because until now the u.s. has been appealing to the iraqi government to take its responsibility to protect u.s. forces here on the ground who are here by the invitation of the government seriously but there seems to be some sort of this illusion meant with the government for not doing enough to really protect these bases but also it's not really doing it that's

really doing enough to rein in these groups under the popular mobilization forces which are officially at least integrated into the armed forces of course have also been promises of many investigations but very few of them actually none of them have really attribute responsibility so it seems that the u.s. has decided to take matters into its own has this is quite drastically relevant because until now the u.s. has tried to rather keep a low profile because there is a lot of opposition to u.s. military presence here in iraq especially by these group. and let's remember that the p.m.s. has many groups that also hold seats in parliament and there have been efforts to actually launch bills to try to expel u.s. forces so it remains to be seen what reaction there will be to this strike by u.s. forces both in parliament but also on the ground. talk a little bit more about these groups you talk with the popular mobilisation forces being integrated into the iraqi military but they're also linked to iran and the

tide does barbara and how that organization factors into this is well because that's been the target of these particular strikes well the popular mobilization forces include dozens of different groups and there have been several efforts by the current administration as well as previous administrations in iraq to formally integrate them now to what extent that is actually happening on the ground is a big question there are several groups that are relatively there answer to the iraqi prime minister as the commander in chief but then there are some groups which are often referred to as rogue elements who are said to be answering to the horizon rather than to baghdad and to type hezbollah is one of these groups and it is one of the groups that u.s. officials said was responsible for at least one of these attacks that we have seen on u.s. bases so the big question here is how will the iraqi government react there are u.s. air strikes happening on it's also against groups that are supposedly integrated into the armed forces so we have to wait and see how the government will react to

this what it will take it all measures to try to stabilize the situation so one thank you smother 14 live from baghdad ukraine's government and pro russian separatists in the east of the country have completed a full swap of prisoners from the 5 year conflict with more on that we cross not a barber sara you know european news. stan thank you yes 200 fighters from across both sides were exchanged in what's being seen as a sign that there could be a resolution to the ongoing war this latest prisoner exchange comes after talks between the leaders of ukraine and russia a few weeks ago in paris and the heywood reports. for many this was a long time coming ukrainian prisoners finally free to leave the territory they fought to keep but still controlled by pro russian separatists security was tight as a prisoner exchange began in eastern ukraine some had arrived at the checkpoint in

heavily 45 because their identities checked and checked again but the men disbelieve them relief that it was happening and they will be able to return home with their. fathers though found to fight on this moment ukrainian prisoner said they would fight for their country to president there were more developments while this pro russian separatists thought he'd been beaten and tortured by the cranium security services. sunday's exchange was the result of direct talks between president for lenski and putin in france earlier this month they agreed to implement a full ceasefire in a bid to end the war in the donbass region of ukraine relations between russia and ukraine for howard when protesters in kiev managed to drive out a kremlin backed government in 2014 russia then seized control of crimea from ukraine and within weeks russian backed separatists took control of the eastern

part of ukraine. more than 13000 people including civilians have died during 5 years of complex the have been attempts to pour to try to end the war and the prisoner swaps ukraine wants to join nato wants your union wants to move west. or ukraine and this. difference may just. not be result of prisoner exchange this one has caused controversy in ukraine protesters gathered outside a detention center angry some members of a ukrainian police unit accused of killing demonstrators in kiev and 2014 were released there is little will on civilians caught up in the fighting but this war to continue this prisoner exchange then a sign that tensions could be easing and he would al jazeera journalist alexander go fry's in moscow and says that for the most part the president is welcome but

there is some criticism that ukrainians who died in the revolution have been betrayed. zelinsky faced criticism in ukraine from the very start when he openly showed his willingness to talk with russian president vladimir putin and also a willingness to compromise with him and critics say he might have compromised too much or did he is a bit too willing on the other hand there is effect that he did win the elections by promising to end this conflict and we could read on social networks and also ukrainian media that this prisoner swap is welcome the there were posts like are finally our people are heading back home some of them have been kept by the russian separatists are since 2015 at the same time what caused the criticism mostly in

this particular swap that happened today is that. the russian separatists were released 5 x. special police members who were charged with killing people in the square with ben this in the center of kiev in 2014 so before the crimea was annexed by russia before a 1st gun was fired in the east ukraine and critics say why are you handing over or dispy people they have nothing to do with the fighting in east ukraine and they feel that people who died and the whole ukrainian revolution of 2014 has been in a way surrendered has been the way betrayed. well let's speak now to michael q. he's a former spokesperson for the organization for security and cooperation in europe's special monitoring mission to ukraine e joins us via skype from portugal sir thank you for joining us here on al-jazeera so as we've been hearing this prisoner swap did not go without criticism it's

obviously great news for all the people personally involved here the people who were prisoners but when it comes to either finding peace or some kind of long term agreement for for the conflict between ukraine and russia do you see this as a step in the right direction. good to be with you it was of course you know we call these types of things as confidence building measures as you pointed out at the beginning this is something that was agreed to a few weeks ago in paris but as your correspondent pointed out it has constant controversy at home i had a bit it is a bit of a lopsided swap if i can put it that way ukraine gave up 127 captives and got back and returned 76 including i should point out 2 contributors to radio free europe and radio liberty stunned islam by say of an all or how as you look there are facing up to 15 years in captivity but you know i think that next milestones will be looking for is the ceasefire promised for the end of the year

but i'm not getting my hopes up too high because there are 3 disengagement zones that have been active for quite some time and there have been cease fire violations according to the u.s.c. there for quite some time so difficult to be optimistic i suppose at what i would call it an optimistic note but the leaders of both france and germany did come gradually the parties involved for this present a swap and that mention specifically a future a ceasefire do you think that more pressure from key countries like that would help the situation or not. well absolutely it would help however has to be pointed out with what's going on in washington right now with a disgraced president trump his his attention is not on ukraine whatsoever and putin russia knows that and it makes it that much more difficult for his the lansky to get any future gains or wins and the march for peace and the other thing i should say many another indication of the way putin manipulates the situation if

i can put it that way is the getting the ukrainians to agree to give up those 5 but a quote riot police officers i mean i cannot overstate this enough this that this is probably the 5 most hated despised men in ukraine for what they did for the unit they belong to and i think putting realizes by zaleski handing them over it could so some social does court force that i was going ukraine when it comes to. obviously apparel can be told the way that crimea another area that was an extent by russia a few years ago one can see the strategic importance of crimea as a naval base when it comes to these territories why do you think that they are crucial of interest to russia. great question i mean look for ukraine it was the former industrial heartland but no more and for russia well i think it's more symbolic than anything it for putin it's

a distraction from the his own domestic problems at home of inflation pension problems and also it's slowing economy but i think that another question has to be asked if ukraine were to get the gun buyers back who is going to pay the billions of dollars you know in reconstruction i've been to the occupied territories the lines going to next many times a part of the open sea and i can tell you barbara some of the scenes i've seen there are equivalent to hell on earth there are so bombed out and civilians so traumatized including many children so it remains to be seen what happens in terms of the return of the with to territory. i called buster q former spokesperson for the organization for security and cooperation in europe's special monitoring mission to ukraine so i thank you for sharing your views and experience with us thank you all that have more from london a little later in the news hour now though let's go back to stand in doha we say

that barbara thank you all the un's sent a rapid response team to the central african republic the violence between shop on this and fighters demanding body at least 40 people were killed in the capital bangui on thursday dozens of shops and homes were set on fire after traders refused to pay the un is warning against an escalation of fighting following years of andras between muslim and christian militias one shop owner who did not want to be identified said he's fed up and. we've had enough every time they're asking for money sometimes they take things by force we can't continue like this when we were in north. well the central african republic has filed to become stable since its independence from france in 1960 violence and turmoil worsened 6 and a half years ago when muslim rebels formed a group called silica seized power in the majority christian nation and alliance of mainly christian militias called anti blackall was formed to counter them

a transitional government was handed power in 2014 but attempts to broadcast any last piece have repeatedly broken down how much of the conflict is over the country's vast wealth the diamonds gold oil and you rania joshua servia is a senior policy analyst for africa and the middle east at the heritage foundation in harrisburg pennsylvania he says tension has been building in the p.k. 5 district of bangui for some time p.k. 5 has been a flashpoint in the capital bangui that has seen various levels of violence for years now it was a bastion of safety for muslims who fled to p.t.-fi during the sectarian violence that broke out in the country between christians and muslims so very restive very volatile and again this is just yeah i'm out there round of

violence in the capital city and in this neighborhood car is a desperately complex environment there was a recent peace agreement signed in in february there were 14 armed groups that were signatories to that agreement and that doesn't represent all the armed groups in the countries that gives you some sense of again the complexity of this so this is a very difficult situation and in a desperately poor country very corrupt it's one of the least developed on earth. there's much more still to come taiwan's leader wants china is the biggest threat to his wellbeing pointing to the events in hong kong plus it is mass violence and i consider this. domestic terrorism. speaks out after the latest attack against the jewish community. at the queen of the slopes. in

austria all the action. at least one person has been killed in an airstrike carried out by forces loyal to libyan warlord who leaf a half to a number of others were injured in the attack that targeted. in the eastern suburbs of the capital tripoli the yemeni government is blaming hooty rebels for a missile attack on a major military graduation which killed at least 7 people there's been no claim of responsibility for the strike in the town of dolly in southern yemen the apparent target was security built forces which are trained and equipped by the saudi you a coalition that coalition intervened in yemen's war in 2015 trying to restore the government to power meanwhile the who identified in saudi arabia and the u.a.e. next year as he is

a pro hooty journalist based in sana he says as the who these make these threats there are significant disagreements within the saudi u.a.e. coalition. i think because if we see that their goal in the south is different saudi arabia is supporting the legitimacy of the other on the other side we see that united arab emirate is creating a militia and security forces which actually want yemen to be separated over they call it the session of yemen that's why i think if they continue this way i don't think that this coalition can continue on as well we have seen today press conference for the spokesperson of yemeni out of voters here in sanaa and he has warned saudi arabia and he said that this year. 2020. name it if they are victory. difference because we know that in many other means and has been developed that it depends on if they can limit. the power of saudi.

forces i believe that they can conduct the maid that i tack against saudi arabia united arab emirates and i just want to mention that 2 days ago yemeni a ballistic missile has targeted a military base in niger and i think that was a clear set of the end of the unilateral truce that was announced in sanaa 3 months ago on the spokesperson today have said in sanaa that yemeni army would respond to any attack against yemen either here in area under the control of some or any other attack or a major development in the south especially from the united arab emirates india's opposition congress party is describing the new citizenship law as an attack on indian traditions culture and history. easier for religious. bring countries to become indian citizens. the secular constitution by excluding. markets. really she says protesters willing to give up. jummy amelia sameer university in new delhi has become the

epicenter of protest against the citizenship law recently passed by the indian government today some of the students. some of the scenes from the days when police boasted and some of these students this is that they want an inquiry against these police officials 26 people have been killed but only one of these people has managed to file a complaint with the police investigations are expected to start soon the others will be water bound those who've been beaten up we will also see visuals on social media of police smashing private cars so these students are essentially saying that they've been on sea and they feel that they may be attacked by their own now it did start as a student movement but it's also quickly turning into a political long as different political parties. which is i mean the nationalists say that they are not going to implement this law in their states that's at least

10 states in india now that is. on the ground these political parties in the states can make the implementation of this law difficult these students. and that they will be but very few. for the government. going to continue this 6 month revolt into the new year. and the resignation of leader kerry last. sunday's events were much more peaceful than what we've often seen in these protests. $300.00 protestors or supporters of the protest movement dressed mostly in black with a small so they're not immediately recognizable by police that's become the usual uniform of people attending such rallies police have issued a letter of no objection to this gathering which means they deemed those to be a legal offending so we're not seeing a heavy police presence but we know they are in the area. there's been

a stage set up people have been listening to speeches various people have gone up to speak. been talking about their experiences in the protests and the can talk about why why the why the fighting for what they're fighting for. encouraging people to continue with the protest movement is there more to the been shown documentaries on this movement as well there's also a bad guy laid out on the ground where people can write and find messages of support to the protest is the same people signing messages of support including the usual slogans that these rallies including we stand with hong kong as well as 5 demands not one less. than huge and i think quite frankly that might be due to the it's been raining all day and it's a little bit miserable but these protests are still going on really is a reminder. a lot of under current. government sentiment in hong kong.

watching developments in. that it's a funny stuff in the. pro independent president. who'd like to see close to talk with china. relations. with china dominated the hated t.v. debate between the 3 candidates vying for taiwan's top job as she bids to secure a 2nd 4 year term president sighing when says beijing is the biggest threat to taiwan's free and democratic way of life has a down day when dar my rival hong hesitates when asked which country he thinks would harm the well being of taiwan the most let me tell you now that country is china. from the chinese nationalist party or k. m. ting is widely seen as size main challenger he favors kosar ties with beijing and accuses of exploiting the protests in hong kong to bolster her case.

hong kong people are bleeding from fighting against china president what have you done to help hong kong people are bleeding while you are enjoying electoral gains your campaign is based on the blood of hong kong people so the. pro-democracy demonstrations in hong kong over china's perceived efforts to curb the territory's freedoms have ignited concerns in taiwan some say the 6 months of protest in hong kong is given a timely boost to its size reelection campaign. a steady and he's. responding to events in hong kong and china benefited from the rest of the chinese government. for example many and i and.

president xi jinping is emphasise that taiwan is a renegade province that needs to be reunified by force if necessary china is pressured countries to cut diplomatic ties with taiwan the number of nations retaining relations with the island has shrunk to 15 and china is seeking to win favor with voters in taiwan by making it easier for taiwanese companies to invest in the mainland part of the opinion polls are correct and cya is reelected china's efforts are expected to face a further the backlash on china's island neighbor brian al-jazeera. among our stories coming up living in the sacrifices we made to people being poisoned by chile's cold contaminated cities with strikes taking center stage in france to see her powers theaters are struggling to fill basics and we'll catch up with the leaders at the top of the standards of the n.p.r.'s peter who are in school.

hello there plenty of cold are in place across much of iran and that east across into afghanistan is a little bit of cloud there but really the main activity is still out towards the west or the eastern end of the med particularly impacting turkey for the next couple of days as sunday and monday we have got this system just sitting in the eastern end of the mediterranean some strong gusty winds again some coastal and plenty of snow working its way across into turkey now by choose day it does really begin to fall apart still want to showers and still some gusty winds at times but a much better picture certainly than we will see on monday meanwhile to the east we have got clavicles and snow and some rain in the mix but mostly dry into terror that's the south of that which is how being very nice that mean the mid to 20 celsius as some light winds a little bit cool in the evening hours we're seeing

a few shots on coastal areas of amman we could just see the same as we go through monday and tuesday a sudden cheese day that is developing but really it will stay mostly dry and sunny feeling pretty warm as well on the 10 which is a sunny high side across into much of south africa we've got 29 in johannesburg 25 been both days of house and scott at thunderstorms at the same way the on tuesday and still plenty of rain in north america aska. capturing a moment in time. snapshots of all the lives. of the stories. providing the clips into someone else's what. they. do day or. inspiring documentaries from impassioned filmmakers. witness on al-jazeera.

news is happening faster than ever before from different places from different people and you need to be passive backs you need to be able to reach people wherever they are and that means being across all social media platforms this is where i will be in slides as well as in front of a t.v. there on the smartphone there on the tablet there on the computer. and that's the way al-jazeera is a fall into the true media network. you're

watching al-jazeera here's a reminder of our top stories this hour u.s. airstrikes in western iraq have killed several militia fighters 3 locations were hit in iraq including al qaida on the border with syria the strike targeted a shia militia group called the talib is all up in the u.s. also hit 2 targets in syria but the pentagon hasn't said when. a prisoner swaps be made into eastern ukraine between government forces and proud russian separatists the 2nd exchange in 3. bunts of around $150.00 prisoners is being seen as a step towards ending 5 years of fighting. and demonstrators in hong kong are bound to continue their 6 month revolved into the new year that demanding less influence from beijing and the resignation of leader kerry land. from iraq protesters have stormed an oil field in the south cutting off its power supply but the oil ministry doesn't expect exports to be affected because of an extra output from the oil fields meanwhile hundreds of iraqis of marched in baghdad in the nearby city of

najaf to protest against the iran backed nominee for prime minister iraq's president has refused to accept the nomination he says he doesn't want to appoint someone who will be rejected by demonstrators a little did we not protesting against the prime minister if we would we would have ended our demonstration from the very beginning we've been protesting against the political parties we want services we want the government to help. now we heard earlier from our reporters about a 14 in baghdad she's also had a look ahead at what's in store for iraq in 2020 after decades of war u.n. sanctions and mass protests. hundreds dead tens of thousands injured dozens of activists assassinated or abducted and only one resignation that is the result of 3 months of anti-government protests in iraq as unrest spills into 2020 the rift between iraqis and ruling elites only appears to be growing in but that's

her square the epicenter of protests some people call this a revolution they want the end tired political class to leave across the bridge into fortified green zone politicians offer token concessions as they cling on to power all of the candidates put forward by major political parties to replace prime minister i love the mahdi have been firmly rejected seen as the product of a political system that has failed the people can only. what's the demonstrators say about the candidates cannot be disregarded we put down our conditions and do something to the politicians and all the world the protests have galvanized iraqis from all walks of life muslims christians the elderly women and the youth all united by demands for a just and sovereign government that serves its people regardless of religion sect and status i demand my rights i'm a student and i want to get a future for myself i hope there will be change for the better in the country and the schools will improve the majority of demonstrators came of age in the post

saddam era but after promises of democracy they feel that down iraq are turning the reality of education is that 1st of all we're in 2019 and there are schools built of mud in 2019 there are over 100 students and one class a student can learn an environment like this but as the weeks passed and crowds growth in so it seems there's the prospect of sweeping change what we have is. a system whereby there are multiple political actors who are very well entrenched within the state they are we fighting for their political survival right now and they're really looking to find a way out of this current crisis through consensus i believe through finding some sort of an agreement between them that can push forward a new government that can pops in the future address some of the demands of protesters for now prime minister of the of the matter remains in a caretaker role

a new election law was passed earlier this month and while it allows voters to elect independent legislators rather than choosing from party lists it doesn't give the people the right to direct the elect the head of state 3 months all the chances that this protest movement will usher in a new political order appear less and less likely that people are discouraged by the lack of progress and intimidated by the state's violent response but unless the root causes of this crisis are addressed. it seems iraq's streets well bear witness to more turmoil in the years to come and one of halting i'll just about. a bad suspected of attacking 5 orthodox jews with a machete in upstate new york is facing 5 charges of attempted murder that happened while i was celebrating the festival of hanukkah at a rabbi's home on saturday night some people were chased from the house and he had in a neighboring synagogue to remain in hospital with critical injuries your governor andrew cuomo described the ongoing attacks against the jewish community as domestic

terrorist this is about the 13th into that incident of anti-semitism in just the past few weeks. comes during a period of high holidays for the jewish people. it is intolerant it is ignorant but it is also illegal. and at the end of the day it's not just about words it's about action and we have seen enough in new york this is violence spurred by hate it is mass violence and i consider this an act of domestic terrorism let's call it what it is these people are domestic terrorists rather than jordan is in washington d.c. and has the latest developments. the person in question a man identified by the associated press as 37 year old grafton thomas did not allegedly saying anything that could be construed as anti-semitic the location as

you noted a rabbi's home on the 6th night of hanukkah a big party underway and then after he was chased out of the house he then tried to break into the senate dog next door but congregants there heard the commotion and locked the door so thomas allegedly could not get in so he's not actually facing any hate crime charges at this point. but it is conceivable that he could be charged with a hate crime given the location and given the people who were at those locations at the time of the attack as you heard there andrew cuomo the new york state governor is suggesting that there should be tougher legal penalties for people involved in anti semitic crimes and that he is going to put forth legislation before the legislators in albany to try to have the anti-semitic attacks and for hot and probably other kinds of attacks as well classified as domestic terrorism that's

going to take a while what's more important right now is that there will be an arraignment on sunday and grafton thomas is expected to appear before a judge. well somalia's government says a senior member of al shabaab has been killed in an airstrike by military forces now that comes a day after a truck bombing blamed on the armed group in mogadishu 80 people were killed more than a dozen of those injured have been flown to turkey for treatment reports from nairobi in neighboring kenya. they survived saturday's truck bomb blast in mother decide to sustain some of the worst injuries now some victims have been airlifted to better equipped hospitals in turkey clinics and hospitals in mogadishu are struggling to cope with the dozens of wounded while going to have responded from the time the explosion occurred up until now the government leaders have been working hard to provide the services needed by those injured in the explosion it's now possible for us to airlift 16 of some of the seriously injured in the attack to our brothers in

turkey. a truck loaded with explosives has degenerated a security checkpoint in the capital somalis president is blaming the armed group al-shabaab and mohamad abdalla for my joseph in the country won't be demoralized by the attack which caused the highest number of casualties in 2 years. because of the magnitude of the damage caused by the blast let the prime minister of somalia to request assistance from the turkish government to provide treatment to those injured in the attack. a turkish military transporter landed with mice needed supplies and medical staff some will stay to treat patients at a turkish one hospital in make a decision as turkey seeks to boost its influence in the horn of africa it's been an increasingly important a donor especially since the somali famine in 2011 as more as a rise and the badly injured leave the country is on edge somalis constantly wondering when and where the next attack will be. al jazeera. voting is wrapped

up in guinea-bissau after a presidential runoff election people hope the result will help them turn the page on near constant political turmoil 2 former prime ministers are competing to replay . president joseph murray of us who's promising to respect the outcome after being eliminated in the 1st round loss was the 1st leader in 25 years not to be ousted in a military coup michael moore is a visiting fellow at the for rose lousy center for africa at the london school of economics he says it will be a close race one of them seems to be a general and also an academic at the same time and the other is actually. the head of the main party going to be sell now what seems to be the difference actually is that the the main domingo's pereira of the main party is actually counting on support for for the main party where i still position

seems to be wanted to gang up with the un to talk to see whether they can actually remove their main party out of this seat for once there is a clear possibility that the underdog may win. because the said the opposition parties in the round of most of them have actually decided to pitch the tent with the underdog with ballo and see if they can actually use in my room to to unseat the main part of the has been ruling the country since independence so 3 there's a very high possibility that the table is my 10 bucks but we don't know yet will the winter weather in europe has turned deadly after a 2nd avalanche in 24 hours with more on that we go back to barbara in our european news center. yes stan a skier was killed in the italian now not far from where 4 people died on saturday the most recent victim was among a group of 4 peoples struck by the avalanche in the dolemite mountains on sunday

morning on saturday meanwhile 27 year old girls and the mother of one of them died after a wall of snow fell in the sinhalese valley prosecutors say that they are investigating whether the slow should have been closed because of the high risk of avalanches. it's going to france now where the ongoing strike is proving bad for the entertainment industry at its most important time of the year but the show has gone on and. just without solid audiences reports from paris. of paris is the cast expects to perform in front of full houses at this time of year. but amid the rows of excited children there are empty seats a drop of 20 percent in ticket sales means the public transport strike is no laughing matter. for the only family that owned the circus for almost 90 years it's

one of the toughest seasons they've had we we doing the show until 16 of march so if we lose 20 percent every sure is a lot of money is a lot of lost but we can stop we have contract with an artist we are and our public already bought ticket until the 16th of march so we can see we stop it's impossible . sometimes it's the performers who are on strike. against government plans to reform pensions because for now they get to retire at $42.00 after a short career the puts enormous strains on their bodies. were against the pension reform the government wants to implement but it's also a gesture toward spectators because we as artists are very sorry for what's happening to the private 100 spectators. the opera house says it's lost $9000000.00 since the start of the strike on december the 5th ticket sales in many paris that is a drop by as much as

a 40 percent and december is the most important time of the year its money will not be able to make back. just 250 tickets have been sold for tonight's performance of the 650 seat today after the montana. people have spent an hour and a half on foot to get to work it's too much to expect them to go out again here when the crowd the plough the actors the act of clout that the crowd back because they are the real heroes we've managed to make it here it is says bertrand the biggest slump in theater going he's experienced in recent memory. for the performers the show must go on of course but it's getting harder to live up to the principle. with al-jazeera paris. london's a big ben will bring in new year with the famous clock face on show for the 1st time since 2017 restoration work on the iconic elizabeth tower has seen the 4

clock faces read glazed repainted and repaired the once black new models and hands have been repainted blue which scientists say was actually the original color big ben which is the name of the bell inside the tower has been silent since restoration began sounding only for portal to bent's such as remembrance day in moving. in the exclusion zone around the tree noble nuclear plant a new year spruce tree has been put up in the abandoned town. it's the 1st time that the tally has seen a new year tree since the nuclear disaster in 1906 former residents of the town opted not to use traditional decorations instead covering the tree with family photographs from before the disaster they say that they're remembering happier times for tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate the town. and there is snow on the ground for new year in moscow nothing unusual you might think but

it's not normally delivered by truck yes russia's capital is currently having one of its warmest winters on record. snow is being used to decorate a new year display in the city center videos of the snow's arrival have gone viral with some noting the irony of trucking in snow in a country which usually spends millions of dollars clearing the real stuff here. here doesn't you don't you get sad as there isn't any snow anywhere it's new year and it feels like it came with him but now there's a real festive spirit. it's a taste of winter when you don't have any real snow this will do you we've been waiting and waiting and waiting for it to fall and here it is it's great. and since there's no snow this makes us happy we like it a lot now we're going to have a snowball fight off in london in the next bulletin now let's go back to stan and della thanks barbara residence in a hole that is in parts of the australian state of victoria have been told to leave

now ahead of what's forecast to be another day of extreme fire danger on monday for the north the fire ravaged state of new south wales is also facing more strong winds and temperatures of 40 degrees celsius and above bushfires in 5 states and burgeoning area about the size of switzerland since september at least i have been linked to the fires at the australian prime minister scott morrison has bowed to pressure agreeing to compensate unpaid volunteer firefighters by up to $4000.00 as this is a very prolonged fire season this is putting additional demands on our firefighters in particular and it means that the turnouts in the call outs have been far more extensive than in previous years going well and beyond and above what is normally expected of those who are engaged in volunteer service and i've got a site particularly when i've been out an outside the cities and seen the impact to

clean rural communities on farmers who are dealing with drought during the day and doing with far as at night and through the afternoon. konami can social unrest government study by its ambitious promise to go neutral by the year 2050 the commitment has. little advocates but in cities like cornell it's far too early to celebrate the sinew but explains why. this is what remains of the once impressive coal company in the city of cotton in the wild today the mines are closed 28 thermoelectric plants powered by coal continue to supply more than 40 percent of chile's energy and 3 of them are located within a 3 kilometer radius here in. america shows us the giant coal ash dump of one of the largest plants he says that since 2003 high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals have been contaminating the air and filtering into the water supply from.

cornell is the only city in the world that has a coal ash dump inside a residential area 100 meters from a school $150.00 from a nursery school 30 from homeless the ash is a health hazard. and that's why is known as a sacrifice own more than 70 residents especially children have tested positive for heavy metals including planted 9 this who has dangerously high levels in her blood stream she and her 2 children suffer from headaches exhaustion muscle and body pains lack of concentration and other symptoms. no one has taken responsibility they haven't said what will be the long term consequences what will happen to our children we've been totally abandoned by the state what will happen to my children if i die. the good news is that chile's government has vowed to close down all coal plants by 2040 and replace them with clean energy sources

like solar and wind. these measures aim to confront climate change and contribute to reducing greenhouse gases but they also are intended to create a positive impact in the cities where there is contamination from coal plants chile's pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 it will require one of the fastest coal shutdowns yet for a coal dependent economy but the government's plan to begin by shutting down 8 of chile's oldest electric plants is regarded as an ambitious by environmentalists and much of the communities that live next to them. put in as plants are unlikely to be shut down for another decade the government argues transitioning to alternative energy takes time and technology. unfortunately for residents like 109 days the dream of no longer living with her children in a so-called sacrifice one will have to wait. to see in human i just see that chile

. will shortly unsporting the rangers decade long drought at celtic top 10 peter will be. they wanted 43000000000 pounds with a weapon that was 6000000000 in commission. there is now and a more because there's always a small. goodness. in essence we in the united states have privatized the old public function more shadow on al-jazeera. when the news breaks today the current government has lost trust the people they can't do anything because the protestors are against it when people to

be nice like what the represent the law of proponents of brecht's it's drawing the conservatives. al jazeera has teams on the ground right now hopes the meeting in paris will push politicians to create a competent and credible government to bring the. documentaries and nightly on and on line. i was taught not to support with peter ben thank you so much liverpool will go into 2020 with a 13 point lead in the english premier league title race v.a.r. incidents dogged their one nil win over wolves on sunday that disallowed saudia manet go counted off to

a review will then had an equaliser cancelled out by technology before held on to win an edge closer to a 1st league title in 30 years mikel arteta was beaten in his 1st home game in charge of arsenal by chelsea despite taking the lead through a medical bomb a young 2 goals in the last 7 minutes from georgina and tommy abrahams that's the points leaving arsenal downing 12 place in the table in the final premier league of 2019 has reached half time champions manchester city taking on sheffield united it's goalless so far. that's taken ranges the whole of this decade but the head into the new year in the wind mood after their 1st win at glasgow rival celtic since 20 tame that cynical a cat each grabbing the decisive goal is rangers beat the champions $21.00 at celtic park city for that one. the german one as league is enjoying its 4 week winter break for proceed altman's push for a 1st title since 2012 will be helped in the new year by the arrival of the highly

rated teenager holand the club announced on sunday they have signed him from rb salzburg the norwegian strike impressed in the champions league group stages and has scored a prolific 28 goals in 22 games this season australia's cricketers have wrapped up a series victory of new zealand they won the 2nd test in melbourne by 247 runs with a day despair so africa did something similar they now lead the 4 match series with england after winning the 1st test at censuring also on day 4 or about it taking 4 wickets as the tourists were beaten by $107.00 runs the 2nd test starts in cape town on friday. because shifrin secured a slice of slalom history on sunday with another world cup win at lanes in austria she equalled the record of fellow american lindsey vonn for the most women's victories in a single discipline the shift in 64 world cup title and 43rd in sloane of ace even her 3 short of the record for most wins in one discipline held by swedish great

ingomar stan mark. the manes world cup combined events at bormio in italy so a number of delays due to crashes that's austria's chris when. he was airlifted to hospital after this incident it was defending champion alexis pencil road who won the title the frenchman came from 12th in the rankings of the super g. section to win the slalom and with it the overall victory. some politicians in the us want to change the way kids play american football to make it safe for the state of new york is the latest to consider amending rules in the team to reduce it injuries but even with a new study highlighting the risks of the game base resistance al-jazeera is kristen salumi has more. saturday night on the gridiron for many families playing

american football is a tradition. one that starts at an early age. was it's really fun competitive. 11 year old ryan for ranch act loves playing the game even after suffering a mild concussion and it's just a really fun sport and i like to hit people. but those hits even the ones that don't cause concussions could increase his chances of a degenerative brain disease was a recent study by the boston university school of medicine found a player's risk of developing c.t.e. or cry. traumatic encephalopathy increases 30 percent each year they play the sport it isn't so much concussions although of course concussions are a problem but it's also a cumulative effect of even sub concussive injuries the study is fueling efforts to ban tackling under the age of 12 in some states talking about

a modification to the game not banning it that's number one number 2 we're talking about addressing children we're not talking about adults that can essentially consent to engage in whatever activity regardless of the risks. hitting is part of the game and football not an accident opponents say the studies don't take into account new training techniques and time limits on drills that involve contact which many youth leagues have recently imposed. we take the head out of the game we were using more upper body strength hip strength leg strength and the head is out of it the best answer for me as a commissioner is training football is the most watched sport in the united states but the number of kids who play on school teams has been declining for the last 10 years in part due to concerns about head injuries still for many parents a tackle ban is a step too far so i think the prevention comes with teaching the proper techniques and the proper way to play the game i don't know that a law is going to ever you know solve that problem i do worry about it but i you

know every bit football's been going on for a long time and a lot of people play and not everyone gets hurt. the research maybe raising awareness of the issues. but these hardcore fans don't yet see a ban as the way to tackle this problem kristen salumi al-jazeera bridgewater new jersey. le bron james in the los angeles lakers ended their run of 4 straight defeats as they beat the portland trailblazers on saturday meanwhile james harden gave the shooting last applause as they used the rockets down the brooklyn heart of the school in $44.00 points he seemed to be able to school from anywhere he chose. on the night you still leave a division and 2 places behind the makings in the woods. and that is we will leave it for now i'll have another sports bulletin a little bit later on stand up thank you for that and that's it for me and the team in darfur now bob or sarah and our colleagues in london next with more world news.

what do you protest in about how does that include when they're on line well i face mental state i'm directly out of trance like it's playful or if you joined us on sand this is an attack on academic freedom and on our ability to do research and teach freely they say is a dialogue myanmar is not making it very welcoming for people to come back everyone has a voice climate change is real the discussion is for real and i'm here to talk about

the solutions on al-jazeera it's a tough time for the afghan security forces taliban attacks have increased suffering heavy casualties and the prospect of a withdrawal of u.s. forces hangs over them yet young men are still joining up some for reasons others it's the only way to get a job despite the risks midway's karimi was an army bomb disposal engineer in helmand province he knew the risks he was blinded in both eyes and lost a leg when a roadside device exploded as you try to defuse it always aware of the danger of seeing friends wounded while working on mines i wasn't scared to lose an arm or a leg is to separate us we have to like to serve this country. the pollution is palpable. delhi shares the symptoms of many modern metropolis but its unique creatures have been gotten a crisis. people in power investigates the toxic mix feeding the city's invisible

killer i'm asked why more is not being done to relieve its citizens to these deadly aired on al-jazeera. little girl your. ukraine and pro russian separatists hand over all their prisoners in a move and the 5 year war in the. bar percent are you watching out jazeera live from london also coming up as a missile hits a military parade in southern yemen who the rebels say that they have a list of 9 targets they tried to strike in saudi arabia and the u.a.e. last this is why i learned.