this is. just. it's a markup. on our just. historic talks to end conflict in afghanistan negotiators from the afghan government and the taliban are meeting here in qatar. hello again i'm come all santa maria here in doha with continuing coverage on al-jazeera of those in traffic and talks what we have come here with good will and good intention to stop the 40 years of black should an achievement countrywide and lasting peace. when you were ready the negotiation process may have

problems but the request is that we move forward with patience and a lot of attention. and the host says it will spare no efforts to support the initiative along with help from the international community. so these historic talks aimed at ending nearly 2 decades of war and misery in afghanistan are finally taking place in qatar negotiators from the afghan government and the taliban a meeting in doha it had their opening statements today with both sides expressing optimism for peace and a willingness to negotiate however each has vastly different goals and reaching an agreement will be difficult. for those we want all the people of afghanistan to be reunited under one roof again after more than 42 years of upheavals aggressions jihad and resistance all the narratives we all know what happened to us throughout

these years and where we stand today we now need to grasp this unique opportunity to move towards a new future that we can define together. we have acted accordingly to all the points lined in the previous agreement and we are requesting the or decide to act accordingly to those things that have been agreed to so we can have this process without any problems ahead we want of understand to be an independent developed country and it should have a form of islamic system where all its citizens see themselves reflected. asama been covering these talks for us today. so much optimism from pretty much everyone we've heard today which is good and it is good to see the 2 sides in the same room together at least. absolutely c'mon i was just talking to a diplomat a few minutes ago and he was saying that this is something that you have been hearing for people who've been covering this for the last 2 decades of gun tone of

gun led has been the buzzword and now it is quite something to see it in action those people who are locked into battles who are still fighting each other on the ground in the same room talking to each other and that is why there is cautious optimism from all sides it has been months in the making but finally the afghan government delegation is talking to the forces which his government has been fighting and it is it significant movement also for the united states of america which has been trying. to try to bring these sides together as its president has said that he's willing to pull out all of these troops from afghanistan and at the was across the road so i'm not at stake here in the country capital but as you said there is a lot of optimism doing the rounds but we've also got to address the hurdles start where some are and one of them particularly which i heard from a brother the taliban co-founder who spoke with his continual reference to the

islamic emirates of afghanistan in other words wanting the country to be run under some sort of islamic law. well as you heard the both sides you could sense the differences come to the surface yet again yes there was option optimism but below the surface of all that optimism is the fact that these sides are holds apart yes it took months to get here but it probably will take even longer to try and come to a solution many many challenges remain not just between the republican the islamic emirate but about the constitution the role of them and what is going to happen in the freedoms of society how will a gun is done be governed what will happen to the fight is going to some what happens to have got national all of that remains to be settled as the sides to start these negotiations is going to be around today and they are going to be multiple rounds in the days and weeks ahead we spoke to the spokesman of the taliban and we are asked him whether there is

a time frame that they have put for themselves then for the other side to try and come to terms with the solution because a lot of hope has been rekindled not just here in the country capital but in of gun sons about. of course the out of status the other one obstacle when you laura started to talk. with that americans about the draw of the year to sort of one is on ending the occupation but after the talks in the i guess. the long discussions he chose solution and we had the. economy in sign but if women don't paint him unfit where the interview i'm hopeful that didn't meet beam bumps in the week ahead frankly wendy would be just solution and that's my hope. so that was a representative from the taliban negotiating team speaking to some a binge of a little bit earlier. the fact that we've got to this point is quite an achievement

to take you back a little bit over the last few years to show the party starting with that who was appointed as the u.s. special envoy back in september of 2018 american diplomats military representatives and the taliban they have actually held more than a dozen rounds of negotiations in doha they were called off briefly by president trump in september of last year that was after taliban fighters killed american soldier in kabul only days earlier actually the suicide said reached their draft agreement they managed to get the formal talks restarted were in december at this point in the deal then signed in february of this year 2020 and carter this is as you said between the u.s. and the taliban paving the way for these pace negotiations with the government in kabul the interim afghan talks were meant to start on the 10th of march but had been delayed until this point we've heard from where you had some of the speakers earlier but also plenty of foreign ministers and dignitaries who've contributed

virtually for example the secretary of the united nations who said afghan women should also be a part of these talks an inclusive peace process in which women use and victims of coffee that meaningfully presented offers the best hope of a sustainable solution all parties must do their part to ensure that women pretty she put it in a variety of roles and that the peace process reflects the experiences and the expertise and the afghan women in all their diversity and we heard from the head of nato as well as the alliance will remain committed to training afghan forces nato has stood with the afghan people for the last 19 years we are now adjusting our troop presence in afghanistan to support the peace efforts at the same time we remain committed to changing and funding afghan security forces to help safeguard the afghan people. so with us now at those talks he is the director of the center

for conflict and humanitarian studies at the institute sultan how important is it that there is all this support that we've heard today from so many foreign ministers i only say that because in the end it's up to the 2 sides in the room to talk things out in traffic and talks. a lot think it's very very important as you know the afghan conflict is not entirely an internal conflict . has be. for a lot of politics both regionally and internationally the very invasion of afghanistan following the 911 happened because of the events that happened so far away from the country so the presence of the international community is very important i think the only unfortunately that's happened today is the absence of russia and then the iran does not make

a statement but every other country in the region has spoken in support of this policy what would you anticipate sultanas the biggest stumbling blocks i spoke to and we discussed this idea of the islamic emirates of afghanistan which is something the taliban seems very wedded to. for obviously it is important to the taliban but in fact in the opening statement but i did he made no reference to the marriage as such he and i can't culture we're think any on that translation and spoke about a sort of an islamic system and that is very different from insisting on having an emirate reestablished in afghanistan and i don't think on the government side many people would disagree with them and so maintaining as the cornerstone the i mean system of government of government in afghanistan in the future to come because

that's already in the a republic as it is today ok because i seem to be getting a sense certainly from my comp a with the u.s. secretary of state that he was saying we need to embrace unity but still respect diversity. yes and you know many of the size of the a need for unity but also the sovereignty of the country and the level of participation or consultative politics within the country interestingly he referred to democracy as working for the united states but not necessarily work for everyone so you've left the door open or the system that made you measure out of these 3 worship actions and that's probably the right position to take at this stage united states is no longer into advocating or promoting democracy as it practices it. seems to be willing to consider other forms as long as it does result in a sovereign country unified country one country and

a country where people have the opportunity to participate in politics and most important for their states is secure country and a place where terrorist organizations can no longer be based or you. is it as a safe haven to launch attacks against the united states and nato allies sultan do we also have to be wary of what can still happen during this process it's great that the leadership is there in doha talking and saying all the right things but that doesn't necessarily mean that all the taliban's followers or even people on the government side will agree with this and will keep to it actually back in afghanistan. absolutely i think you can get to the higher in terms of for presentation really have the on the taliban side the. whole was the co-founder of the movement and then you have

a lot of the law hope played a very important role in politics ever since 2001 and now he's the head of the conservation council and both whatever they get to agree and whatever comes out of these talks they have a lot of hard work to do in convincing that all people back home. no doubt that people are divided ideologically politically in the country but also i think the vast majority have had enough people out now for 2 years of devastation conflict displacement we have millions of have guns who are not able to return home and millions more watch this place within the country so people have had enough and i think there is a genuine will and desire to have peace. that is sponsored to falls on the teams here to reach an agreement and then obviously they have to advocate for it and engage i think very important to engage communities across the country in. the

story talks the what we see here is is is merely the top of this the negotiation this is the former. official side of it there is a need for many many more forums and meetings that bring afghans together to debate and discuss the issues as they see them from the local perspective which is very important in the country so we do appreciate you your time and your thoughts today . thank you very much in the news ahead the rest of the day's news santa not a gulf arab nation has agreed to normalize ties with israel. and an apology for the death of a student in police custody still not enough to quell the protests in colombia.

but. we got to get spread of showers across much of southeast asia some lovely ones there into the philippines it's been since a very heavy shower as to when to malaysia and they are even pushing down into indonesia northern parts of indonesia in particular one or 2 shows such as cropping up around java as we go on through sunday and on into monday wetter whether they're coming into borneo as you go through monday southern parts of the philippines also seeing some lively showers and more in the way of thundery a raid 4 times that in the heat of the day season wet weather to moving across southern parts of australia down towards that southeastern corner bryce's skies with sunshine coming back into the west a little area of high pressure nosing in with temperatures in perth to around 25 degrees celsius already getting up to 33 dance was the southeast where we are into the teens here say 17 or 18 adelaide will see has a blustery show i was still there and see where tasmania and you might just catch

your chance to that eastern side of victoria pushing across into the southeast of new south wales these will clear through as we go through it's monday box cars coming back in 22 celsius there in sydney out in the south wales and also pushing up into queensland. counting the cost of debt crisis and the insurgent uprising mozambique's troubled road to becoming the world for the biggest gas exporter an epic battle the challenges apple's grip on it's not a story and the rising prospect of a currency war it's a mighty dollar sink counting the cost on al-jazeera. if you want to help save the world. sneeze and euro.

the top stories this hour on al-jazeera historic talks aimed at ending nearly 2 decades of war in afghanistan a funny taking place in qatar negotiators from the afghan government and the taliban a meeting searching for a permanent ceasefire among other issues for the head of afghanistan's peace council called for an immediate cease fire and said this opportunity must be used to create lasting peace the taliban's representative so they are prepared to negotiate but reiterated his group's demands for an islamic system. qatar is hosting these talks its foreign minister urged all sides to enter negotiations with an open mind should. not have it and these negotiations represent

a keen sensitive phase to the afghan people to find solutions to all controversial matters i hope you agree with me that today we must overcome the past and its pains and focus on the future in the hope it brings us well surely drawing lessons from the past all of this requires everyone to. braced the future with an experience and a firm belief in the right of the afghan people to enjoy peace security and unity and to follow in the path of progress and never be left behind and us 2nd the state might pompei i was also that he called the meeting a truly momentous occasion that's taken years of hard work to reach each of you hope you will look inside your heart. each of you carry a great responsibility. but no know that you're not alone. the entire world wants you to succeed and it's counting on you succeeding. on to other news and behind has

followed the united arab emirates informally recognizing israel u.s. president says it's a historic breakthrough to achieving peace in the middle east palestinian leaders called betrayal to me how reports in the white house. following a friday phone call with the king of bahrain and israel's leader the u.s. president made this announcement on twitter israel and the kingdom of bahrain would be establishing full diplomatic relations bahrain now joins the united arab emirates after its announcement last month that the country would be establishing full diplomatic ties with israel which includes opening embassies in both countries both leaders also agree that bahrain will fully normalize and diplomatic relations with israel trumps now encouraging other arab nations to consider similar steps and leaders that the future can be filled with hope and does not need to be pre-determined by conflicts of the past the agreements to end hostilities with

israel are set to be formalized on tuesday at a signing ceremony at the white house and will advance the trumpet ministrations goal of realigning arab nations with israel against iran some want to thank you for your leadership on this issue trump son in law and senior adviser jared cushion or helped broker the deal following failed efforts to strike a peace deal between israel and the palestinians the palestinians have rejected the trumpet ministrations peace plan released in january in a statement palestinian leaders called the deal with behind a betrayal which supports the legalisation of israel's ugly crimes against the palestinian people but ranes actions are often viewed as an extension of policy of saudi arabia whose ties with the united states have strengthened under president trump indeed trump has protected the kingdom repeatedly even as the u.s.

congress sought to block weapon sales and take punitive action against the saudi crown prince following the death of journalist. trump has hinted the saudis could be the next country to. strike a deal with israel so here maybe it was doing things that they're not doing anymore and so are other countries and neighbors they are doing things that they just. would never have done the agreements come less than 2 months before the u.s. election and already president trump is touting the deals as a major foreign policy victory can't really help it al jazeera the white house well the palestinian authority has condemned baron's decision as a normalization of an illegal occupation and has ordered its ambassador home made it pretty much more from ramallah in the occupied west bank. palestinians are saying that even when they you we deal with israel has boosted that it has put annexation on ice with the time being it's really practices on the ground are

ongoing so for example probation hasn't ended and the beheading the statement of normalization agreement today he did not he didn't give anything to the palestinians so they feel that they've been left out alone against what the arab league's previous resolutions were in a specific peace initiative which calls for the normalization between arab states and israel but after israel and its occupation now the palestinian president has recalled the palestinian ambassador to beheading we've seen a similar move to. when the u.a.e. find deals and of course the fear now among many palestinians is that there is the deal has been a green light really for more arab states to normalize with israel and we've heard also many palestinians saying that for years they've been seeing. these radio lawyer in the region that is really

a partner but now they see it as israel's agent specifically saying that because trump is the one who has been announcing these deals normalization between. the new. and israel on the other hand humanitarian aid finally being delivered to hundreds of thousands of people after the worst flooding in the country's history at least 100 people have been killed off a 1000000 homes have been submerged and the sudanese pound has plummeted 40 percent as pryde food prices continue to soar as part of the government to declare an economic state of emergency on thursday. more than 50 people have died after a gold mine collapsed in democratic republic of congo it was near the eastern town of coming following heavy rain and landslides hundreds of people have gathered in mourning outside the entrance to the mine accidents such as these are common in the city where small mines are often unregulated with dozens of deaths reported every

here. tension between the u.s. and china has dominated the final day of the annual summit of the association of southeast asian nations this is meeting was hosted by vietnam of course most meetings were held virtually because of the coronavirus also on the agenda in north korea disputes in the south china sea and regional infrastructure projects the colombian capital has seen a 3rd straight night of protests against police brutality. they were sparked by the death of a law student in police custody the defense minister issued an apology for the incident but it wasn't enough to pacify the demonstrators the reports from. protesters were out again in the capital. and police brutality right. there is no justice for all the killings committed by the police that are supposed to be protecting us it's just wrong that they can kill with impunity. after 2 days

of violent demonstrations they left the least 13 people dead only as defense minister acknowledged the killing of. that sparked the riots. i apologize on behalf of the national police for any violations of the law all regulations by any member of the force. but the minister didn't address the role of the police in the deaths that occurred during the protests. the mayor. said the police wasn't authorized to fire on protesters insisting they were disobeying direct instructions. the year 5 this year the mayor's office has documented 101000 complaints of police abuse 119 in 48 hours. the 2 police officers responsible for doing news there have been fired on friday and another 5 officers of also been suspended in connection with the incident

a medical report says or don't use died from blows to its head while in custody. or don't use that was the last straw for many who say they are angry and fed up with what they consider a rogue force police tactics were widely criticized last year after a teenage protester was killed by a riot squad project tile. for creating one of the problems is that columbus police is a militarize force overseen by the minister of defense instead of being a civilian. a group of congressmen of drafted their reform bill to address the abuses but they say major reform is necessary to change how agents are recruited trained and the kind of weapons they use. we have always had a structural problem but it has worsened over time 1st due to a lack of training in the proportional use of force and respect of human rights sick and due to an internal disciplinary system that doesn't work and the fact that

they're judged by military jurisdiction with more than 90 percent right when punitive. on friday night protesters turned a burned police station into a people's library saying that the government's apology alone will not quelled their growing discontent and the mains for change i listened. the governor of the state of oregon says dozens of people have been reported missing as massive wildfires burn in many areas off a 1000000 people have been ordered to leave their homes equality in poland has plummeted making it one of the world's most polluted urban areas. and further south in california the remains of 7 people have been found by firefighters the state's been ravaged by dozens of fires for several weeks and 15000 firefighters are trying to put out those finds california's governor gavin newsom has 2 of the worst affected areas. if you do not believe in science i hope you

believe and observed evidence you walk around this community you walk around this park around lake oroville you see the reality a reality that is set in in this state in very indelible ways and that is we're in the midst of a climate emergency where in the midst of a climate crisis we are experiencing weather conditions the likes of which we've never experienced in our lifetime. were refugees in the great content of lesbo also demanding permission to go to the mainland after 5 destroyed their overcrowded camp when 12000 people are sleeping on the streets and say they don't have enough food or water john psaropoulos reports from that's false. a refugee protest attempts to put a police blockade behind that blockade thousands of asylum seekers from the incinerated morea camp sleeping on the highway they hope to be allowed to leave lesbos and reach mainland greece but the government wants them to remain here to

reduce the risk of spreading covert to camps on the mainland and to be able to deport them to turkey if they don't receive asylum the situation here is very tense police have placed 2 roadblocks on this highway one behind us and one further down the road attempting to contain the homeless from morea camp in a certain area in that area there exists another refugee camp which is run by the municipality and they are trying to set up tents in that area however many refugees and asylum seekers seem to be determined to break out either to go back to moria or to make their way into mytilene e town the island's capital and the police are not going to allow that to happen not everyone wants to leave he said dean has asylum and could travel but without job prospects he prefers to stick to the somali community in moria. destroyed we

had to stay just to stay on this side and sleep in. no food no water this syrian woman has brought her newborn to doctors without borders which still has a clinic in morea others struggle back through sheer force of habit this afghan family isn't camped on a bluff overlooking moria can't even between the police blockades food and water hasn't reached everyone 3 days i didn't eat i didn't have rights here i didn't have food i didn't have not seen. a sunni our son and a quiet life in moreas olive groves is arguably better than the tension of a standoff with police won the trophy g.'s cannot win after the. the government moved in bulldozers to extend the municipal refugee camp and chinooks flew an army turns to set them up the overcrowded and overburdened with asylum applications morea was clearly no paradise but neither is the street jumped or opal us

al-jazeera lesbos. plenty more online at al-jazeera dot com to get not just the headlines video on demand and opinion pieces whenever you want them al-jazeera dot com. at half past the hour that we will take you to the headlines historic talks aimed at ending nearly 2 decades of war in afghanistan and finally taking place here in qatar negotiators from the afghan government and the taliban are meeting as they search for a permanent cease fire among many other issues for those we want all the people of afghanistan to be reunited under one roof again after more than 42 years of upheavals aggressions jihad and resistance all the negatives we all know what happened to us throughout these years and maybe stand today we now need to address this unique opportunity to move towards

a new future that we can defy together if that was a bell or a bell of a head of afghanistan's peace council formally the afghan c.e.o. he is representing the government in these talks and was calling for an immediate cease fire. it said this opportunity must be used to create lasting peace also the taliban representative said the group is prepared to negotiate but he reiterated there is a demand for an islamic system. we have acted accordingly to all the points outlined in the previous agreement and we are requesting the oldest side to act accordingly to those things that have been agreed to so we can have this process without any problems that we want of understand to be an independent country and it should have a form of islamic system where all its citizens see themselves reflected. the other headlines now in bahrain has become the latest arab nation to recognize israel follows a similar u.s.

brokered deal with the united arab emirates the palestinian authority has condemned the move as a normalization of an illegal occupation humanitarian aid finally being delivered to hundreds of thousands of people in sudan after the worst flooding in the country's history at least 100 people have been killed in half a 1000000 homes submerged. and tension between the u.s. and china is dominating the final day of the annual as c n summit that is the association of southeast asian nations this year's meeting was hosted by vietnam and most of the meetings were held virtually because of coronavirus also on the agenda was north korea disputes in the south china sea and regional infrastructure projects. look at europe today with the headlines on al-jazeera pitted always got your news hour in about 25 minutes time next it's nick clegg with counting the costs. is the government necessary action to really address some of the structural issues we listen i still

think that. travel and we meet with global news makers and talk about the stories that matter on the. elevator on a clock this is counting the cost on al-jazeera to look at the world of business and economics this week mozambique's troubled road to becoming the world's 4th biggest gas exporter a debt crisis. society and an islamist uprising near its most valuable gas fields. also this week an epic battle to challenge apple's grip on it for a multi-billion dollar gaming company taking on the tech giants and the regulators watching from the wing.