your economics the misinformation the latest developments what's going on here is very different 1st start look that's incomes in the form of the nasal spray special coverage of the corona virus pandemic on a. it's time for american troops to come home president biden says it's time to end america's forever war but promises it will not be a hasty exit from afghanistan this is the u.n. says nearly $1800.00 afghan civilians were killed or injured in just the 1st 3 months of the year. hello i'm barbara sarah this is al jazeera live from london also coming up the

police officer who shot dead 20 year old that dante right in minnesota is of arrested and faces a manslaughter charge and india refuses to call off a hindu festival drawing millions to the ganges despite hitting a new record high for covert cases. it's time for american troops to come home that's the pledge from u.s. president joe biden as he looks to close the book on to beck aides of military involvement in afghanistan in a speech at the white house see an ounce that all $3500.00 u.s. soldiers still in afghanistan will start to withdraw in may the 1st step and we'll all have left by september 11th that's the 20th anniversary of the attacks that sparked america's longest running war it's cost the lives of $2400.00 u.s.

service members and an estimated 2 trillion dollars tens of thousands of afghans have also died. we cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in afghanistan hoping to create ideal conditions for their drawl and expecting a different result now already have service members during a dude you know afghanistan today whose parents served in the same war we have service members who are not yet born when our nation was attacked on 911 or in afghanistan was never meant to be a multi-generational undertaking we were attacked we went to war with clear goals we achieve those objectives. well nato allies have also agreed to withdraw troops from afghanistan alongside the us from may the 1st time around $7000.00 merican forces from mainly nato countries are currently deployed in afghanistan speaking

alongside the u.s. secretaries of state and defense in brussels nato secretary-general. bag said it was a case of in together out together and the alliance is not abandoning afghanistan this is not the end all relationship with afghanistan but rather to start over a new chapter chapter nato allies and partners will continue to stand with the afghan people. but it's not for the afghan people to build a sustainable peace stephanie decker has more now from berlin on that message from nato very much similar language hearing there from nato and stoltenberg similar to what the americans have been saying also that nato troops will start their withdrawal on may 1st just like the americans as you say very much coordinated together they went in together they will leave together of course so for nato also

this was a historic mission in the sense that was the 1st time they invoked article 5 of the nato charter this was also referred back to by and stoltenberg which is you know attack on one member is attack against also officially now all foreign troops will be withdrawing from afghanistan by september. this is what we're hearing they say they remain committed to the country of course it's been 20 years of conflict they've had soldiers on the ground and now it really is up to diplomacy they say that's a view from nato particle hain meanwhile has been at the pentagon and says the u.s. defense department has concerns about completely withdrawing from afghanistan. it's been long believed that u.s. military leadership urging president joe biden to keep at least a small contingent of troops in afghanistan specifically to be able to have counterterrorism operations there's a big concern in this building about just how well and how long afghan forces will

be able to continue their current level of readiness but yet the commander in chief has given the or giving them the order they have to be out of afghanistan by september 1st that's just under 5 months from now there are only $3500.00 u.s. troops there so far they're not giving very many if any details here in this building about just what that drawdown will look like but we do expect we'll get more details in the weeks and months ahead well the head of afghanistan's committee for reconciliation of beloved a less is the taliban needs to return to talks and good faith be to assure that if close to the people of afghanistan one thing that rights and freedoms protected they don't want the destruction of gunston and this is the decision of afghan people and we should find a way to take people out of this destruction the only one either to have said the taliban made to the home calculation and wants to impose peace the way they want after the u.s. withdrawal. well the afghan peace process has stalled fighting is increased in

several parts of the country in recent weeks weeks with deadly consequences the u.n. says nearly $1800.00 afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the 1st 3 months of 2021 that's a 29 percent increase from the same period last year the taliban were responsible for $43.00 and a half percent of civilian casualties while afghan national security forces caused 25 percent the un says other deaths were caused by crossfire i saw fighters or undetermined anti or pro-government elements the report also documented a source the 7 percent increase in the number of women killed and injured and the 23 percent increase in child casualties compared with the 1st quarter of 2020 or residents in the capital kabul say that they are torn between the prospect of peace and concerns over future instability of there are no foreign troops in afghanistan

. the americans have not fulfilled their responsibility to afghanistan their responsibility is to ensure a strong government the rule of law and democracy in afghanistan and ensure that people's concerns relate from terrorism drugs intervention by other countries i think the u.s. should not leave until it has fulfilled its responsibilities peace is the only thing the people want but if foreign troops stay here peace in afghanistan will be impossible their presence will continue to cause problems they fail to fulfill the promises they have made to the afghan people disperses are not useful to afghanistan because their presence has not changed the country's security situation so what does it mean if they stay here. turkish diplomatic sources say the u.s. is counsel deployment of 2 warships to the black sea which were due to arrive in the region this week the u.s. embassy in ankara notified to turkey's foreign ministry of the decision but it didn't provide a reason for it the u.s.

and nato have been alarmed by the buildup of russian forces near ukraine and in crimea russia's navy has started military exercises in the black sea and had warned the u.s. to stay away from the area. an airport near a u.s. led coalition base in northern iraq has been targeted by explosive laden drones witnesses to the attack appear to be oh say that they saw a plume of smoke rising from the local area but officials say there were no casualties and only minor damage. a former u.s. police officer has been arrested and charged with manslaughter over the death of an unarmed black man. wright was fatally shot during a routine traffic stop on sunday the 20 year old's death reignited protests in

minneapolis coming not far from where another former police officer is on trial over the deaths of george floyd came potter who resigned after 26 years on the force faces 10 years in prison if convicted of 2nd degree manslaughter she allegedly mistook her gun for a taser when she opened fire she says in minneapolis and explains what the charge means. that's defined what 2nd degree manslaughter is that's culpable negligence is a quote from the statute culpable negligence whereby the person creates an unreasonable risk and consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another as you say the police she mistook. for her taser and there's been a sort of out of incredulity about that not least because. different sides of a body have very different weights and so on and in fact we got this statement from

benjamin crump who is representing the family right he said this shooting was no accident this was an intentional deliberate and unlawful use of force driving while blunt continues to result in a death sentence a 26 year veteran of the force knows the difference between a taser and the firearm yes you're right. could lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison but we've been hearing the lawyers there is that usually leads to about 2 years in prison and there's a maximum of $10000.00 fine involved because there's always a huge hurdle in trying to make a case against a police officer who always could say what they felt in some sort of danger so it's unclear as to how far this will go to whether this will be the only trudge levelled against giving. such an early level period of investigation. or staying in minneapolis of retired friends in forensic pathologist has told the court that george floyd died as

a result of preexisting heart disease but in cross-examination he agreed that floyd a should have been given immediate medical attention the fence witness dr david fowler says he believes that floyd's condition was made worse by fumes inhaled as he was pinned to the ground behind the police his testimony contradicts prosecution witnesses including the medical examiner who performed an autopsy on george floyd they say that he was starved of oxygen by having a former police officer there. pressed on his neck for 9 minutes show than is on trial for murder and manslaughter. can you sum summarize briefly what your opinions are in this case. it is so in my opinion mr floyd had a sudden cardiac a reasonable cardiac arrhythmia. to his atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart

disease or you can write that down multiple different ways. during his restraint and subdued by the piece of restraint by the police. that's what he said but the prosecution use their cross-examination to cast doubt on his knowledge of real life situations. but you're not a toxicologist or you don't have a degree in toxicology that is correct i'm not a toxicology just. and to be clear for the jury as a as a forensic pathologist you don't treat patients. courage. we're heard from home and i'll just use also respiratory disease just you know out of home and i'll just work respiratory physiologist through the history so you never measure anybody's respiration that is their breathing as

a part of your work as a forensic pathologist no. i have no. part of it just. still to come in this half hour as brazil's hospitals are near collapse how much is the president to blame for the country's coronavirus crisis and bernie made off the american financier convicted of running the biggest ponzi scheme in history has died in prison. they want to settle down now you know straight later what you might expect of early autumn we got from systems coming up from the side of the remains of your colleague and say i'm right there in southern ocean over land it's mostly sunny there are

a few showers on this front itself which is quite a gusty one that it's followed by a rather cold wind we're going to tasmania or victoria but we're still talking about teens by day rather war in person of course but so the knolls that you want i can often now this east coast the along shore breeze tropical quiz you might expect to see a few showers say you mart see if you shout but not very muddy it's a very dry picture. the rain at this time the attends be diverted mostly towards newsy which is exactly where it's going. now the spring rains have shown themselves they were quite heavy when they went through japan that was that last tranche they'll be more coming because it's forming at the chinese and the heavy rain in southern china would eventually work its way up the system will see more in japan as an interruption i fear this cold bit of winter weather as certainly strong thunderstorms for beijing do the same to the korean peninsula but by friday it looks like a much sun the picture is still sunny if occasionally stormy around new delhi but

the rain proper is in southern india. but. when the cold 19 pandemic hit iran. a filmmaker cut adrift from his crew began documenting life from the naacp down amid on going international sanctions. an intimate portrayal of isolation and one of the world's least understood countries coronavirus locked down iran people in power on a. the the the e.u. .

the comeback here's a reminder of the top stories on al-jazeera president biden has announced that all u.s. troops will be withdrawn from afghanistan between may the 1st and september 11th the 20th anniversary of the 911 attacks the us police officer who shot unarmed black man one to have right has been arrested and charged with manslaughter the 20 year old stepha's reignited protests in minneapolis. well in minneapolis a pathologist just told a court that george floyd that died as a result of preexisting heart disease giving evidence to former police officer derrick show vince the fence he rejected the results of the original autopsy. india's new corona virus infections have hit another record level with more than 184000 cases reported in 24 hours this fight this the government is refusing to

call off a religious festival in the north where millions of pilgrims have gathered to bathe in the ganges river more than a 1000 people have tested positive in the city of hard water where the week's long hindu festival is taking place many people have criticized prime minister narendra modi for allowing the event to go ahead. well tough new restrictions have come into effect in state state that's where its largest city mumbai had locked down from midnight to help curb the spread elizabeth problem reports. a long line of ambulances outside a covert vine hospital in the state of inside a patients struggling to breathe and waiting for a bed to become available good roth is one of many states but the hospitals are overcrowded and they don't have enough equipment or health care workers to deal with the current caseload. the ambulances bring in the patients who are on oxygen

supply some of them are critical and they are admitted forced soon as the beds with ventilators are available the patients who are on oxygen supplies to the venturi masks are given that in 108 ambulances. as patients wait for beds the families of the dead mourn for their loved ones nowhere is the situation as bad as in the state of maharashtra where migrant workers crowded bus and train terminals after more restrictions were announced the closing down of all but essential services has seen many daily wage earners lose their jobs they want to travel to their home states afraid the government might shut down public transport as it did last year. but it's the common man who suffers the most i've come here from with the i have no russian card or any of the local documents only those who are local and have a ration card will get groceries outsiders don't get anything at all hobble migrant workers feed themselves that's why they're leaving for their villages. states lida

said he had no choice but to impose the restrictions but that this disease is spreading at a very horrifying base i say horrifying because today's number of positive cases in the state is the highest so far. as $125000000.00 people will only be allowed to go out for work and shop sensual supplies including groceries and medicines until the end of april as india witnesses the world's biggest surge in cases the health ministry says it will foster track emergency approvals for the pfizer and johnson and johnson vaccines that's amid continuing reports of vaccine shortages in the country which produces 60 percent of all the vaccines in the world elizabeth purana al-jazeera new delhi. south africa's drugs regulators says a local study and the johnson and johnson vaccine showed no major safety concerns but it still decided to suspend the jobs use over concerns raised in the u.s.

that it could be linked to blood clots the single dose jab was the only vaccine being administered in south africa but it does have other doses on the order from 5 for me to millers in johannesburg she says the pauses adding to growing concerns about the inoculation program. so let's look as health minister as william kizzy has said that the country can't ignore what the f.d.a. has decided with regard to the suspension of the use of the johnson and johnson vaccine the health minister the government as well as experts have also said that the doesn't appear to be a course all relationship between the vaccine and blood clots and that it has an identified any specific safety concerns but at the same time the south african health products authority has recommended that the implementation study that south

africa's in the in the middle of using that johnson and johnson vaccine to vaccinate $290000.00 out workers so far that study should be poured so that data can be reviewed the health minister has said he expects this to be resolved in a couple of days and he's confident that south africa can continue to use johnson and johnson to vaccinate at least to continue or broaden a vaccination program that so far is focused on health workers the concern for many south africans though is that the rollout has been slower than expected primarily focusing on an implementation study and also that south africa hasn't received vaccines that have led to the slow rollout and also in this particular case has now committed financially to both johnson and johnson and pfizer and the government has said should anything go wrong with either vaccine that south africa can't be refunded. brazil has just reported nearly 3 and

a half 1000 new covert related deaths and more than 7073000 cases it comes as the supreme court orders a committee to investigate the government's handling of the pandemic president thabo scenario has come under criticism for downplaying the fires and fighting against restrictions on a local level it's told but letting it run unchecked is leading to mutations this pressure not just physical but the rest of the world and there are warnings from sao paulo state that it can't care for seriously ill patients for much longer as a stranding out of key drugs let's cross live now to monica is live in rio de janeiro for us so monica tell us a little bit more about this inquiry into the handling of the pandemic. well this is a congressional inquiry and it has the power to call witnesses to ask for

approves for records like phone records bank records and it comes at a time when which is not favorable at all for president. because it will put the whole pandemic in the spotlight and it's going to investigate not only what was done but also what was not done for example the fact that the government did not have a national plan to tackle the pandemic and as for things that president will find out of himself did were things like not using a mask not giving a good example. is stimulating people to to crowd around him and criticizing vaccines which also was something that ended up delaying the rollout of the vaccines here in brazil so all these things will be put on a spotlight and we must remember that next year there will be presidential elections so for president both a lot of this congressional inquiry is not

a good thing. monica with the late latest on that from edition at all monica thank you. at least 20 young school children have died in a fire in the share of fishel say they were trapped by the blaze which ripped through their stronghold classrooms in a poor neighborhood of the capital it's not known what caused the fire which spread rapidly fanned the by high winds the prime minister has visited the site and pledged to punish those responsible if it was started deliberately. to do this in a minute if the fire was criminal be assured we will find the perpetrators i'm we will do everything to ensure they receive the maximum sentence because this is not acceptable i don't know even ramadan to lose such young children is really sad and i express my condolences to the families the u.n.

says health workers continue to document cases of women being subjected to horrific sexual violence in ethiopia's the northern t. grey region the conflict began in november when he theo pian soldiers launched an offensive against the region's government the security council is due to hold a meeting on the conflict on thursday our diplomatic editor james bay says more from the u.n. . the current president of the u.n. security council the ambassador of vietnam confirmed to me that the council will have a meeting on 2 grey it follows a discussion they have over lunch with the secretary general of the united nations and the subject was raised during a security council meeting about sexual violence in conflict zones in the remote mountainous regions of north and central to great women and girls are even subjected to sexual by letting me be leveled at the beyond comprehension ok we're ok documenting new cases of rape and then we begin this fight be

a free wifi prize there was an attack but movement. and communicates the operation we have a council must address what are its. military elements abstracts the basic commodities and reports of sexual. refugee camps other the nation it is the us that is called this latest meeting it's now almost 6 months since the start of the ethiopian military operation in that time the security council has been absolutely silent they haven't managed to agree a single statement on the subject. the southern african development community has sent officials to northern mozambique to assess the threat posed by armed groups last month dozens of people were killed when the town of palomar was attacked by ice a linked fighter is now nearly a 1000000 people face severe hunger head on with the has more now from panda. when

palmer was attacked by an armed group that calls itself al-shabaab people scattered many hid in the forest for weeks until it was safe for the end to move this group has just arrived in the provincial capital some of them look traumatized they say they saw the children being killed some mothers say they don't know where they are they just saw them being taken away the bishop of pym says he suspects that this group is holding children as young as 11 in the camps and some analysts also say that they believe this group is recruiting child soldiers when families get to this reception center in him but they are registered and they will stay here until they can be moved to camps for internally displaced people is the stadium that's now a temporary home for them and conditions in here are basic and assistant team is being sent by the 7 african development community that team is assisting threat

levels and it will also see what other countries in southern africa can do to assist mozambique it's in with a report back to african leaders at a meeting on mozambique that's expected to take place at the end of april. burnham adolf the former finance year and ponzi scheme mastermind has died in a us prison at the age of 82 he was serving a 150 year sentence kristen salumi reports from new york. from a finance industry legend to a man the tabloids described as the most hated new york bernie madoff was convicted in 2009 of orchestrating the largest ponzi scheme ever it's virtually impossible to avoid. his promise to clients of 11 percent returns each year simply too good to be true instead vestment money from new clients was paid as profits through established lines all while eluding regulators for years don't forget that the

largest bang. in the world j.p. morgan paid $2000000000.00 in fines because it turned a blind eye and assisted for decades this ponzi scheme so it this isn't just some rogue individual this was at the heart of what of course became the 2008 financial crisis it's estimated the scheme cost his investors individuals and institutions nearly $65000000000.00 from celebrities like hollywood director steven spielberg to charities like the foundation started by nobel prize winner ellie b. cell which lost $15000000.00 and there was a human cost as well made our oldest son mark took his own life on the 2 year anniversary of his father's arrest it took advantage of seniors that he should never of god and if his old family property from what he did resident peace. didn't

do the right thing heard a lot of people made off had requested release from prison for medical reasons but was refused bernie madoff leaves behind no fortune 170000000000 dollars in assets seized by the government there's only his wife ruth and what he described at sentencing as a legacy of shame his name is now synonymous with wall street for you kristen salumi al-jazeera new york. a reminder now of the top stories on al-jazeera u.s. president joe biden says the american withdrawal from afghanistan will be complete ahead of the 20th anniversary of the september 11th attacks and a speech at the white house c.n.n. now instead all sri 1005.