they need to make sure that the human rights are respected and that these very vulnerable people are protective migrant shelters in this part of the country have reached the maximum capacity and some have experienced outbreaks of cobit 19, coupled with a lack of access to adequate health care growing security concerns and a national policy that prevents people from leaving the situation is quickly growing beyond the ability of authorities to control. manuel up a little al jazeera tougher to la mexico. ah, this is al jazeera, these, you top stories. the south korean military says north korea has 5 to short range ballistic missiles, office east coast. they landed in the sea of japan shortly off to its south korea, conducted its own test if the submarine launched, ballistic missile. all the tests come as john is foreign ministers, but holding talks and sole dominated by killing young nuclear ambitions. regional

security software is hoping that phasing can help to bring kim john on back to negotiation and a nuclear talk. deadlock are the both will be of course we all want to contribute to the peace and stability of the korean peninsula. for example, not only north korea, but also other countries are conducting military actions. so we should have all the parties make joint efforts to resume dialogue. the democratic governor, the u. s. state of california has defeated an attempt to remove him from office and a recall election. the republican lead pushed to hold the vote with fuel by the gavin knew some tumbling of the pandemic. haiti's prime minister ariel only has sacked the chief prosecutor once in charge of the matter if the president, juvenile, noisy, the chief prosecutor had also lost immigration agents to ball the prime minister for leaving the country. president boise was assassinated in july and court

documents say, henri was called twice in the hours of his death by one of the main us actually of state. on to me, blinkin has testified for a 2nd day about the withdraw from afghanistan and the collapse, the washington back government. the body administration has been criticized for pulling us troops out of afghan is done. taliban fighters gain territory across the country. lincoln told senators that the rapid fall of cobble did take us intelligence by surprise. a group of 9 activists and politicians in hong kong happen sentence to up to 10 months in jail. they were arrested for taking part in last year's band. the candlelit visual commemorating the p. m. and square massacre . been a crackdown on descent in hong kong to controversial security law was passed last year. the stream coming up next. there's a wave of sentiment around the world. you will actually want accountability from the people who are running their countries. and i think often people's voice is not

heard because it's not part of the mainstream news. narrative, obviously recover the big stories and report on the big events going on. but we also tell the story that people generally don't have a voice. and then when i was a child, that's never be afraid to ask a question. and i think that's what they were really does. we all the questions for people who should be accountable and also we get people to give you what's going on . ah i am josh rushing sitting in for me. okay. and you're in the stream today is democracy in el salvador at risk. the country is making international headlines of the world 1st to declare bitcoin a legal tender. but critics of the president is government say they're undermining checks and balances in a graph are continue power. as always, we want to hear your thoughts. your questions right there in the youtube live chat, join me for today's conversation. all right, joining us today, we have jose merino,

he's the president at the foundation for democracy, transparency and justice. he is in san salvador. paul steiner serves us outdoor ban, salvador and government as the president of the national commission for small micro companies is also in sim salvador and completing our line up as john holmes and mexico cities out to 0 long time corresponding covering latin america actually reported from el salvador and showed us how life is changed there recently. let's see. some of the report feel the difference in the streets of less palmers, a tough neighborhood in the capital, says julio, se so. he should know the under living on the streets painting murals. almost frankly, we're living calmly now without problems. you can go and get a soda or a beer wherever around here, before it wasn't light before it wasn't like that, you wouldn't see a light in the street have to 7 pm. there's a lot of police here right now and that didn't exist before expulsion still. right

. and it was obvious as we visited, that the gangs were present even if they're a piece. a great report, john, and a lot of the changes that are happening in all salvador and i have some stats to bring up later the show to show how murder rates are down to violet down. but a lot of the, the changes people are crediting president, the new president elected 2119 president mckelly. can you tell me who is he? what, what, what's so interesting about him? yeah, it was really interesting to be there actually. and he is a really interesting person character at the moment in central america. he's a young president, he's really good on twitter. he's really good on social media marketing and you just actually make to the coin sort of initiative. i think that's part of that. he's also seen, i think by lo, salvadorans is someone who can get things done. the countries have your policy,

do willing parties in which has been a lot of political gridlock and also a lot of institutional corruption. and he basically said, i'm going to cut the rules that i'm going to make things happen. so on the success side of the ledger for him to handle the quite well, the back nation campaign and salvador wealth. and also what you saw in the report there in terms of violence in the country. this country just don't like guy was so low and he has managed to reduce that by now that has been reported by 30 credits. who me to that he's done that by doing a truce between gang which coming he said, and some of the other governments in the pup has done so it's to, based on how we've done that, but has reduced violence. he government has reduced violence in the country and i think that accounts for his high popularity. this is the killer president right now . and so that's the good side to legit. now we go back to the other side of the

ledger, which is the fact that the president in his time of both is in the tunnel. we went, he just his supreme court and he's congress just elected. had said the president of the country could run against reelection if you want to put this in perspective in the 1st president, if you chose to do that and been running for reelection once in 70 years. and the last one that did it was a military dictator. and so that is something that's a big deal in el salvador. right now. he's done. other things like replace the supreme court justices. he's just forcibly moved to possibly retire for a 3rd of the country's judges and those move, but he says he needs to do to clean house. that's pretty cool. now obviously, if you're looking at that, you're a journalist, you're a speech organization, you're thinking, i've seen this before in latin america. where is this going from the president? so it's a really interesting moment in the country with president kelly and those sort of

tool 3 sites. thank you so much. and from your perspective, what do you see there? will i agree that this, this facet of president mckelly as attractive, i guess garnett, international attention. he protects this anti establishment. damage. he worse jeans and his baseball cap backwards even to former locations are oh, this is the image he projects. right. it looks makes him look modern and, and connected with a youth. but he's actually millennial he's, he's almost, he's 40 years old by now. he has a fixation, i guess, with his own image. he. he is a very good and twitter. yes, he is very social media saving he, he's known for having for example he,

he fired public servants via twitters, a few months ago. but he saw he also has a large following of internet trolls and, and bullies. he's, he's definitely unexpected communicator of i would qualify off a usually shallow discourse. he's highly intolerant with critics, particularly with independent media. john might have seen this as well as some other he's highly employed and also human rights offenders and civil society organizations just like ours. in also he, he's what you would define typically as a, as not the right thing and populist. he has discourse that where he claims to be connected with the people. yet he's, he's very keen of, of the paraphernalia, usually, of power surround the, usually by soldiers the economists just to find him perfectly. a few days ago he

said that he kind of said that bouquet is an old fashioned autocrat. the guys are the tech loving mother leader and i and i tend to agree with this to finish. and so paul, i want to ask you your views because i want to understand 1st or would you actually be considered in the administration? it would just be asking you about your boss. yeah, your actually, he in fact gave me the, the role of president of the economy, which is the national commission for small micro companies. i've been working with the president now for a number of years before he was elected president with a view to helping him into power and obviously become the leader of what is actually a transformation of the nation. it's, it's, it's hard to talk about, solve it, or in front of people around the world without putting things into context. hours. i'll put the context in 3 statements. first of all, under the 15th of september,

in 1821. when the declaration of independence was written, the very 1st act, the very 1st article of the act says, having declared this independence in this for publication before the people consider it as something of their own. and i think that puts something into perspective of where the country began in terms of democracy. it actually established a feudal system where we got rid of the king, but we actually transferred the fuel system from the spanish to the cradles. there's an organization in washington of global financial integrity and they report for solder, for the years, 2001 to 2015. they estimate approximately $20000000.00 a year, a sorry, over that period,

left the state in corruption, evasion, money laundering, and illusion. and the, the result of that was the 1st dimensional, multi dimensional, already measurement by the un where we had approximately 98 percent of all homes, you know, solve it or suffered at least one of the 5 different dimensions of poverty. and lame a, just a few 57 percent of home suffered from unemployment or self employment. 70 percent of homes have no access to social security. 45 percent the home suffer from overcrowded household. i could continue, but i think that's that's plenty to put the, the context there and transformation or revolution. according to erica channel, as we used to work for the department of justice, requires 3 things. one, it requires a pause and the people united in the cause and the 3rd of february 29th,

2019. it needs a conviction to actually take action. and the people took action in 2019. and i gotta get back because i don't think you can discuss el salvador without talking about your homicide right there. you've gone from being the murder capital the world to now it's less than mexico. if we go to my screen, i'm going to show a little graphic here that shows the declining rate of murders. but i also happen to notice that for decline started in 2015. this is 4 years before he gets elected . so when he takes credit for this with his security plan, how do you justify the fact that we're really the greatest drops in this trend? started years before he came into office, the jobs did start in 2015, sorry. in 2016, 2015 was our most valuable year ever. and it was when sense of it was placed as the

most violent capital in the world. and since then, it started dropping again, but we were still talking of a large percentage 20 odd murders per day. and now that has been dropped dramatically over the last 2 and a half years with a view to getting to the point where they've been a lot of days where we've had 0 homicides that was unknown and heard up before. well, let me just because of a church between the gangs, i don't believe so. i believe that it is a direct result of having a better control over the territory before the strategy was go in about with the police and them and the military make a big show and then leave. so while they were there and the gangs left, but when the military lead, they got back to have been here. and here, i mean, yeah, yeah, i want to ask paul if he then disregards entirely the, the journey, the newspaper investigations,

the media exposure that an apparent truce has been reveal happening between the 3 primary gangs of subtler and the government. the, the evidence is mounting fault. so do you think this is, this is just fake news. i can just throw into the us, and this is for our viewers at home. we're going to tweet out a report right now this is from the international crisis group. it's called miracle, or mirage gains and plunging violence in el salvador. and there's a bite down here that says, statistical studies show that the territorial control plan, which is his plan, is most likely not. this will cause specific local falls and murder rates do not correspond. precisely to those areas where the plans been implemented instead and large part gangs appeared to themselves, had decided to go back to waco violence. paul, i would hope that they have actually chosen to do that, but the truth of the matter is that, but how's that was asking pretty specifically. does a government acknowledge that there's been

a church between the gangs as reported by the media or the report? so of, of some sort of agreement that has been reached with the gangs are based on people who are not necessarily known for reporting news, but creating and i think that it's very different. i'm sorry. yeah, i have to say, oh, well respected allies out outlets and salvador indeed in the region. so just put on a little bit of perspective, what would you like to bring up the editor of our been deported. right. has he been at the country, one of his editors was, was boarded by, by the same government and, and this is the whole strategy right discrediting, attacking the media, the journalists that do the investigation. and i can hear, i still haven't heard any response. serious response, with evidence from the government discrediting the story from the side of the the story has expanded and rested in recent days. a newspaper just 2 days ago,

also revealed to one of the officials that the, for the fido identified as being part of, of the negotiations with the gangs. was also meeting up with the gang leaders at a hospital. so they would pull out gang leaders from the prison, they would take them as if they were sick to a hospital and, and help inside other. and then they would meet with public officials to continue their conversations or negotiations or whatnot. i think it's clear but not necessarily any conversations. and i think it's, it's very easy to jump to a conclusion, especially when you want to actually make a point in terms of your opinion and what's happening. i think the truth of the matter is if you look at the ground, you look at the streets and you go to different cologne. yes. which is where people live. you see a big difference. you see a big difference. people are more open. i've had people tell me there now. so you

on that po. a quick question for you and one for just a 2nd what you think? that's what we did go to. let's finish my point. load your answers all but telling you we're just there in the streets. what did you follow? we were talking to my question to we were talking. i think the story that we spoke to more people saying that we're really happy to come down. however, which way we can go out at night, the question to him was, does extortion still continuing to in your, in your neighborhood? and we ask people because it's what we found in the past. no, salvador, the pilots gone down, but the guy who still operates and they still go there, businesses that and we actually see that happening. we're worried about the neighborhood, but the guy is still there and they still credit it. the question is if they still operate and if they still it's, it's 2 people in the neighborhoods,

you think that's still happening. and if so, what's the government's plan to stop? but then listen we, we have a plan control territory which is nowhere near finished. it spent the whole year last year waiting for funds, which the congress did not wish to to, to, to provide. but what we have got is a tremendous advance what we, what we can see. and regard of those. so say, as an investigative criminologist, who has made a number of analyses, i provided al jazeera copy of his latest report prior to this interview. and one of the things that it demonstrates is it's not just on the sides that have been reducing over the period. but also extortion, also thefts and also female lounge. so from that point of view, i've, that's not the government stating it, it's a private analyst and stating that. but the,

the whole point i think here is that you can't just center a transformation of a country on just the said the, the century part of that transformation paul, i got to jump ahead running out of show really quickly. part of that transformation has been accepting bitcoin as the national currency. there are a national currently there. here i have a bit of video i want to share on that. for the 1st time, a non feared currency becomes legal, tender in a nation, stay around 23 percent of our salvatore's economy. is remittances alone? those romantic remittances come specifically from the united states. and the legacy financial system is not fair to them. now you could stay in the comfort of your own home and you could immediately receive remittance in seconds. and the fee is minimal. the adoption of the legal tender by the government will follow to our

service primarily the valuable distraction from the increasingly authoritarian measure to being taken by president night from kelly to consolidate power. and of course, as a currency that has the volatile value, international actors have also express worry about this, move the international monetary fund, which is currently in negotiations with a government out or over. a major loan has express worry that it could be used as a vector for money laundering. whorehouse has been seeing their i said jorge and i actually meant, oh yeah, i think you said, i apologize. i still don't know where our graphics guy here is. jorge on the show. don't, don't know. look, there's been a lot of hype about the adoption, not bit going as legal tender. and i understand that mostly because the government has used its international publicity machinery to, to project an image off of this, making it some a little prosperous and modern. and also then the government has been,

has been also successful in, in mother lighting up part of the international crypto community. but i think that reality is very far from there. and it will give you 3 quick reasons. look, that the whole crypto bit going to adoption project has like transparency from the beginning. did you know that the, the initial announcement of the adoption of a lot that would make bitcoin obligatory, and some other was made at a bit going convention in the states and united states long before the sub lawrence . we are informed about this one to mental change. so the monetary policy, i think this reflects well on what i mean by lack of transparency, $200000000.00 of government funds. i've already been used in this for the project, and there are very little, there's very little clarity on what the purpose of these funds would be at least a big chunk of it. to kelly has says that these, the project that the option of beacon would make payments cheaper and it would

encourage for investment even he has had this up there. there is, however, no evidence, no documentation from the government explaining how this will happen. a civil just sites are going to say, she requested just last week, all technical documentation supporting the law and none was provided because there is none, no technical dividend supporting the idea and the objectives behind the adoption of crypto as as illegal took a currency. second, research post. so policy and i want to get a chance to, to jump in on this because we're running out of time. but paul doesn't serve the part of the country. if you ever have the country there has access to the internet uses it regularly, doesn't serve them better than the other half. that doesn't have access to the internet. $1100000.00 businessmen invoice less than $2400.00 a month. and 4600000. salvatore is depend on their sales to eat and live

less than 70, sorry, more than 70 percent of the population has not got a bang. and so from that point of view, the banks will not touch them because they are informal because they don't have a credit track record with bitcoin. all they need is their national identification . and the advantage of that is that there's a very large proportion of them that receive remittance is, as you heard in your report, this year, it's estimated that $7000000.00 will arrive and solve it, or in the form of remittances. if you look at the average percentage of cost of remittances, you're talking over a $1000000.00. if you take on board all types of remittance costs, that will be saved. that money could come in the extra income or could come in, in terms of investment by their, their relatives overseas. additionally, i don't need to be respectful here, but i think this is, this is a, this is

a lot of else of numbers you're putting out. but why has the government failed to produce a single technical document to explain the linkage you're making between growth and opportunity possible, lawrence and the implementation to forced implementation off bitcoin as a legal tender. i still failed to comprehend that why hasn't government produced a single piece of evidence. and what we have seen, on the contrary, is a cam paying a political pain for sub organs to adopt the quickest pace possible dis, currency. they do not fully understand in which by the way is absolutely unpopular . it's extremely unpopular. did you know that be familiar? already subscribed in the last 7 days. that that is, that is, that is great. update that your president announced cindy was not in the

government while it was launched in february in san sorry, march 1 more time 7. last week. we've had 7 days of about half a 1000000 people registering it. now the interesting thing about that is that by setting the wallet as a national wallet, the president can control all commissions on it. so that means that someone in new york can send 100 dollars to his relative hearing or who receive a 100 dollars and can transfer it to his bank account if he has 10 commissions all the way through that man, that all 3 of a wallet who owns that? i'm sorry. who owns achieve? oh, the wallet that you're talking about who owns a government on wallet and who is it run by? it's run by a subsidiary. i believe, of a private company with books. yes. it's a private company that has thoughts and could be eventually sold out to somebody

else. yes, it was founded with government money, but it's a public company. you have to see this in the context of the democratic backsliding office number. so just just list when i have a minute, i gotta make this point type. the absolutely. so book kelley is immersed in this quick power graph. he has already eliminated the chords. he has the majority in the assembly, he's points for reelection. undoubtedly, he wants to amend the constitution, he wants a new constitution, and now he wants us to believe that the new currency, the new legal currency, will be, will benefit, celebrate dorians to which, or to whom he is now denied. even the rights hard to separate and because you don't have to if you're, if you're, if you're, if you're hyper, i hate to do it, but we have to end the show there. paul, i want to thank you. hey, john,

i want to thank all of you for being on the stream today and i wanna thank you for watching until next time. we'll see you in the stream. ah . meet your minds, small natural rocks from outer space that survive the jones down to us. and have high market value for rock and minimum collectors. i'll just the world's joins the moroccan nomads in their desert such with these gifts for sky. and i can tell that it's a meter i had it is it is i me to roy morocco's meteorite hunters on orders. he from talk to al jazeera, we what gives you hope that there is going to be peace because the situation on the

ground seems to be pointing otherwise we listen. we were never on. 3 whatever road to off migration we meet with global news makers and talk about the stories on sierra they have been waiting for week to be allowed to cross the call for now, which finally happening, thousands of migrants were allowed to travel to the town of i can be where the journey with the dairy and got me. i didn't jungle on the border between when i'm on the begin this is the 1st time microscope using this crossing. people be around $100.00 each to the guy locals are involved in the business. she offered to take migrant on cards, tractors, and motorcycle, but only a part of the way. those who cannot afford it have to go on foot. the pace is fast, and the heat and humidity makes it difficult for the most vulnerable, as there are lots of women carrying very young children. this one, for example,

is only a month and a half. it's a dangerous journey, and many do not make it across the junglin, migrants know the risks. they say they have no choice. ah, north korea 5 to short range ballistic missiles of eastern coast. ah, my money saw you, this is al jazeera life and also coming up. thank you all very much and thank you to 40000000 americans 40000000 california in thank you for rejecting this recall. resolving victory california governor offends of.