separatists and the ukrainian government forces when conflict started in 2014, most of the people that used to live in this neighborhood are too afraid to return because of the sporadic shilling. and now increasing phase of a potential renewed conflict. ah, world leaders step up their efforts to con pensions over ukraine with manuela crohn on a high stakes piece mission in moscow. while the german chancellor left short supplies for washington for talks with president biden. ah, hello, i'm barbara sarah. you're watching al jazeera life and also coming up at least 20 people dead after cycling, but seed i batteries, madagascar, destroying homes and flooding. lar,

james hong kong register is i record number of corona virus cases. this fight eats 0 covert policy and fires burning far away. in the amazon and leave columbia's capital blanketed by 6 ah, feeder is of some of the world's most powerful countries are engaged in a whirlwind of diplomacy to the fuse, the standoff hoover ukraine. russia denies that it's planning to invade its neighbor, despite deploying more than $100000.00 troops on ukraine's borders. moscow's also accused the west of ignoring its demands. well, the crisis is dominating talks between us president joe biden, and the german chancellor, all of sholtes at the white house right now bite and says they are working in lock step to deter russian aggression in europe. the u. s. one schultz to stop

a crucial gas pipeline project between germany and russia. if ukraine is in vain. meanwhile, over in moscow, francis president manuel mclaren has been holding talks with vladimir putin before heading to ukraine on tuesday. for cron says, europe and russian need what he called a useful response to end the standoff hootin as hale frances efforts to resolve the security crisis. and says, both leaders had common concerns over the situation where the french leader is in moscow in search of a diplomatic solution to concerns that russian troops are on the brink of an incursion into ukraine. or con, hopes the talks can start to de escalate intentions in the region. and germany's foreign minister says the european nation is willing to pay a high economic cost to avoid an armed conflict between ukraine and russia. russia is set the supply gas to germany via the newly constructed north stream to pipeline . but its use is now under consideration as part of sanction measures if russia

crosses into ukraine. and alina burbock was meeting with her ukrainian count to pardon me, to whomever in kiev, where she said, germany stands by the territorial integrity and sovereignty of ukraine. when all this nato is considering a longer term military presence in eastern europe to strengthen its defences, in response to russia's military build up new ukraine. the alliance currently rotates troops in and out of the region. but there is a process now going on within nato. also, of course, in goals consultation with only milton commanders to adjust our presence in the san portal, the alliance to refer to strength from our deterrence on defense. and if russia really wants less metal a closely borders, they get the opposite or russian hoops and military equipment remain on the belive lucien border with ukraine,

where the 2 countries have been holding joint military exercises out of del hm. aid went to find out how that is affecting the lives of people who live a long ukraine's northern border. i didn't know viet elevate, she border crossing. it's business as usual. about a 1000 people transit through here every day. going to and coming from bella luce, on the other side, russian. bella russo holding joint military exercises. but no sign of that here. still the border guards say they are on high alert and prepared. but how? the worthless tv to through ha keeble to cure the gear to mom. it depends on the forces which will oppose us. and on the situation we will face. the only thing i can say, i said there are units ready to react in case of any threat coming from the neighboring country. there's little to show in terms of military build up on the ukrainian side

of the crossing. this ditch was dug a while ago. it's now being reinforced with coils of razor wire. this road is more than 2000 kilometers long. it starts in odessa on. the black sea goes to cave towards the north of the country, crosses bella ruse, and ends up in saint petersburg in russia. so should russia decide to send its troops across the border into ukraine from bella? ruth, this would be a perfect way in awe. from here, it's an easy for, i was drive south to the capital. but at the moment it's ukrainian troops who are on the move north you chris, northern border is more than a 1000 kilometer long warriors. but nicolai shanker remembers when there were no demarcations with russia, billers and ukraine were all part of the soviet union. he says his life was better

than for amola and his wife. nadia is suspicious of us and says that no one here will tell us what they really think. but we'll hear closely linked to russia. valerie petrovitch tells us people into mary go shopping across the border. that's where he got his boots and he doesn't see their big neighbor as the enemy ringing in your thought. nick, doin? you're big. no, no, no, no, no, nobody will fight. everyone here, we'll laugh about it. we don't care. i watch tv, and it's horrible. our troops are mobilizing, mobilize in russians. don't care why let them come. we will welcome them. they won't do anything to us. we are not afraid, because we are a part of russia, but i'll join me near by you, ah, if they were to invade russians could also come through this in keith crossing. it sits at the junction of ukraine, bella roost to the west and russia to the east. the 3 sisters monument,

a symbol of brighter days, between the 3 countries and natalie and his wife are on the way to visit their daughter and grandchildren in moscow. they don't go as often because of the uncertainty of a looming war, but he, like most people living near the border, don't agree. oh, see why relations between cave and moscow have reached says shallow point. what up the hamid al jazeera along ukraine, snowden border? oh, we have correspondence standing by in moscow and washington d. c. on both those meetings. let's start with dorsey jabari, who's lived for us in moscow, where of course, president putin and manuel macro, the french president are meeting a man when the kronos so right now effect to lead a president of the you, if you will. france holds the repeating, present and see how significant is this meeting. and then what do you think both leaders are going to try to achieve?

i think it's very significant because this is the highest ranking official. we've had to visit moscow to have face to face meeting with vladimir putin. and this was of course, at the request of the russian president who was very keen to have the french president visit moscow. and they spoke on the phone 3 times last week. and when he, when the 2 met for the 1st time face to face, since the summer of 2019 vladimir put was clearly very happy to see my new micron. and he said that they share ice common security concerns. and the french president also had said prior to this meeting, not to expect any major breakthroughs, but rather at, to open up dialogue with the russians to try and understand better their security concerns. i think the french president was trying to limit expectations, but also very much trying to position himself as a peacemaker and making this trip to show that he's very much at the forefront of trying to de escalate detentions. of course you have to remember there are

presidential elections coming up in france in april, so it serves to his domestic audience as well. this very grand diplomatic gesture for him to make this trip used you to, to visit ukraine on tuesday. but it's important to note that the meeting between the 2 men is still ongoing. it's over 4 hours now that they have gone behind closed doors. and we had heard initially that they were going to take a long time to discuss things in very fine detail. so that we should have some interesting developments if you will, after the meeting is over, they're expected to speak to the media just at the sure our number of hours that the 2 men have been speaking. we expect to be some kind of understanding moving forward. both sides have said they are looking for discussions on how to move forward and to de escalate tensions. and we'll see whether or not the french president has been able to manage that during his trip. it will be interesting indeed, and of course of course you'll be monitoring developments there and we will take that news conference live whatever shape or it takes when the to a president and said finished meeting for the moment or so jabari in moscow doors

a thank you let's go to rosalind jordan, who's live for us at the state department in washington, d. c. another meeting happening there. this time between the u. s. president and the german chancellor. all of shorts. now germany, of course, i guess you could say one of the more reluctant, a members of the western alliance in any kind of a potential military action in the, in ukraine. so what are we expecting to come out of the talks between the 2 men? well, the, a 2 men has been meeting over at the white house for about 30 minutes. now, according to the latest pull report, and what joe biden and all of souls are supposed to talk about, is how to best support ukraine against what both countries agree is a threat from the russian military and from the russian government of la, amir potent. but the real onus, as far as us is concerned, is convincing germany that it's support for ukraine must be more robust for it's

part germany has said that it needs to be very precise and very a calculated in how it shows that support. because as in everything else in politics, whether to most domestic or global, it comes down to the economy. and in more, uh, specific terms, it comes down to germany's ability to provide energy for its people. and for its businesses, it gets of somewhere around 25 percent of its own local fight natural gas from a russia. there's the concern about the bringing on line of the nord stream to a gas pipeline from russia through ukrainian territory to germany. the u. s. does not want that pipeline going on line if there is a russian invasion of ukraine. now, while that discussion is taking place over at the white house. earlier on monday, there was a discussion here at the state department about

e u. energy concerns writ large. and this is a situation where of course, once again, ukraine came up as part of the discussion. the e u foreign minister, joseph burrell, had this to say about the situation in ukraine. and ye shoes are central to this gracious because russia doesn't hesitate to use this significant. and as you supplies to youtube ass, a leverage for geopolitical gauge and winning gas prices in european union had been increasing from $6.00 to $10.00 times higher than they were a year ago than times higher than one year ago. this has a major impact on consumers. and on the computer dvd of the economy.

now it's important to note that this meeting of the u. s. e. u energy council is a regular form. it's been in existence since 2009. and so, and this was a pre plan to get together of u. s. and e u officials. but they did note as part of their overall strategic plan, that what they want to do is make ukraine much more integrated into the european energy of structure writ large. and that they want to do what they can to help make ukraine much more energy, independent rosin. jordan, with the latest on that from washington d. c at the state department. rosalind for the moment. thank you. and just to remind the viewer as those 2 meetings are taking place, a president, putin and macro in the, in, in russia and present biden and chancellor shall say in the us, we will bring you at the latest on those meetings when they end in, presumably, when some of the leaders will speak to the media as soon as that happens here now

to sierra. in other news emergency, rescuers are struggling to reach parts of madagascar ravaged by a cycling over the weekend cycle and but said, i made landfall on saturday. battering the eastern coastline until it moved away late on sunday, leaving many roads and bridges impassable. at least 20 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced with rising river levels threatening to force more from their homes. julian wolf reports. cycling bad. c res slammed into madagascar as eastern coastline with heavy rains and wind speeds of a 165 kilometers per hour. flooding roads and leaving several houses completely submerged. tens of thousands of people have been displaced for the marine of vision . wilma thought it was early morning, we're still sleeping. our landlord came to tell us that war was rising. who got up to move furniture all while the war continued tries. the house started cracking and

some of our furniture was still upstairs and the crack started to get worse on margaret. some far belongings have been destroyed. margaret, as she, she could plead residents, use tree branches to measure the depth of the floods. the damage compounded by the destruction left by another cyclone, 2 weeks earlier, which killed dozens and displaced a 130000 people. michelle de la monte lucia. hi, i don't think the damage is thanks. the wind was very strong and even if people tick had to protect their belongings, there had been a loss of damage to london done for b. ah, a disease had prepared food to distribute those in need with you and evacuation flights on standby children and worried parents fill the floors of this local evacuation center. and i say the guardian, i can follow cumby. we live on the hill in the edge of a cliff. the wind was strong, but our house is also strong. early in the morning there was

a landslide to be safe. the head of the neighbourhood told us to go to the evacuation center. that's why we're here. madagascar has recently suffered drought, another country hit by extreme weather as a result of climate change. gillian wolf, al jazeera. still to come in this half hour, how crypto currency is helping north korea launch miss signs. ah, and the heroes welcome for the senegalese football team as they ring home the app on cup for the 1st time. ah whites and wendy for turkey. hello, everyone here is a snapshot from is stumble rate through the west and the south. we've got pouring

rain and not only that wind as well. so for it's stumble, look for wind gusts of about 60 kilometers per hour. you're certainly going to field this one off the central europe right now. this is where all the weather came from. it dive down toward the south, still some lingering snow over the higher ground in the balkans winds coming out of the north. so that's pushed down temperatures as well. after northwestern europe. right now, steady snow for western areas of norway. we do have weather alert for the snow and wind in iceland, and then this run of rain through the islands of ireland and britain affecting western portions of britain, but a mild search of their london at 13 degrees by far best weather on the continent. iberia, sun, few clouds drifting about valencia, 17 degrees. the high for you. top end of africa, things are settled, are har, mountain wind, start to die down, but still some showers around the gulf of guinea. here's the latest on tropical storm that sariah continues to get further toward the south. so that means mainland africa is going to duck in dodge this. and that is certainly good news when you

consider there's been flooding in eastern portions of south africa. ok. i'm out of time. that's it for me. see you soon. ah. the world of high frequency shared trading, exposed. i had this engine that was basically trading at kinda lost $30000000.00. was a terrifying experience. how artificial intelligence is raised, the stakes, and risks on the money market is market school browser faster? we're opening up a policy delay for an instability, for no use with money books on al jazeera blue.

ah, a reminder now of the top stories on al jazeera leaders of some of the world's most powerful countries are engaged in a whirlwind of diplomacy to try to diffuse the span doseover ukraine. for the last few hours. frances president, that one know a lacrosse has been holding talks with vladimir putin before heading to ukraine on tuesday. the crisis is also dominating talks between you as president joe biden, and the german chancellor, all of schultz at the white house right now. the u. s. was schultz to stop a crucial gas pipeline project between germany and russia. if ukraine is an emergency, rescuers have been struggling to reach hearts of madagascar ravaged by cycling, fancied i which made land full and saturday. at least 20 people have died in tens of thousands have been israel's police chief has asked for an

independent inquiry after reports that investigators use the controversial pegasus spyware to target citizens. colby shove tie, says the investigation is needed to quote, restore the public's trust. that's after, and his really newspaper reported that police tracked several prominent figures using the hacking software vegas. a spyware has been linked to the legal surveillance of human rights activists, journalists, and politicians, world wide. well, it's believed that the spyware may have been used to target the former prime minister benjamin netanyahu, and his son, this was the former israeli leaders reaction williams hall in beautiful room. this is a block day for the state of israel without referring to my issue, which of course has wide implications. i think this case concerns all citizens of the country. not right, not left. all citizens of the country without exception or something inconceivable has happened here. a you and report says north korea has stolen tens of millions of

dollars of crypto currency to help finance it's nuclear and ballistic missile program. it says pyongyang store more than $50000000.00 through cyber attacks between 2020 and last year. a separate study indicates as much as $400000000.00 may have been stolen. north korea conducted 9 ballistic missile tests just last month. rob mcbride has more from sol. this does follow a pattern. we do know that north korea has been accused now for years of being involved in all sorts of nefarious international criminal activity as a way of getting much needed foreign reserves to basically let it survive. it has been involved, for example, has been accused of being involved in international narcotics in a legal on sales. but it does seem to have found a lucrative avenue in cyber crime with another report in 2019, for example, from the un suggesting that north korea had managed to accrue $2000000000.00 worth

of digital assets in recent times. with the current economic, dire straits that your career is in, it seems as though it's not going to desist from this cyber crime because of course, it faces international sanctions. the impact of 2 years of basically being cut off from the outside world. by the pandemic, it is very difficult to di, economic straits. there are talk of food shortages in north korea and as we get into 2022. still the same question of how to deal with north korea. especially given this flurry of missile launches scores and bob, we have reopened full time after nearly 2 years of intermittent learning and closure is because of cobit 19. the reopening coincides with the national vaccination campaign being extended to every one age 14 and over. but there have been reports of teachers failing to show off because of poor safety standards and low salaries. the average teacher salary and bob boy is equivalent to $50.00

a month. putting them below the poverty line. australia is reopening its borders nearly 2 years after the government closed the country off to the rest of the world from february 21st, the fully vaccinated tourists and the other visa holders will be allowed in unvaccinated travelers will still need to apply to enter and undergo hotel florentine on arrival, australia has only been allowing a limited number of citizens and permanent residents into the country. throughout the pandemic making it one of the crick, this, the border closures in the world will make the announcement. the prime minister scott morrison alluded to the deportation of unvaccinated player, lubbock, jock, of which we just want to stress that you will need to provide that proof of vaccination. your visa is one thing that your entry into a stride, yes requires you also to be double vaccinated. and i think events earlier in the

year should have said a very clear message. i think that every around the world that that is the requirement to enter into astronomy of hong kong has reported a record number of covered 1000 cases. despite the cities 0 tolerance policy towards the virus. more than 600 new cases were reported on monday with officials warning that infections are likely to rise exponentially. but climate reports now from hong kong. thousands of hong kong residents queuing up at testing centers across the city. on the day, the territory records its highest number of coven 19 cases. since the pandemic began a record 614 infections were reported on monday, nearly double the number announced the day before. many of the cases are untraceable. authorities called the shop serge an unprecedented challenge and urged people to stay at home for people in hong kong who lived for months without any local transmission last year. this is uncharted territory. really worried not only

from herself, but mostly from her family. the people are only basically, it's been a crazy a once the year started. you know, no one expected this home or you fall off the, the government should be more scientific. i have a strategy and romance to let the public understand the purpose of the anti epidemic measures. the government does not have a new role map of strategy now, but only random plants. hong kong authorities have given no sign they're willing to via, from the 0 cove in 19 strategy adopted by mainland china. especially when vaccination rates among hong kong elderly remains sluggish. strict pandemic controls is still in place, including flight bands and quarantine facilities for those who test positive. hong kong is bracing for social distancing restrictions to be extended even further and officials war that cases he could rise in the coming days. as the effects of last

week's luna, new year gatherings take hold. brick clinic, al jazeera hong kong police in canada's capital, ottawa have seized thousands of liters of fuel and removed an oil tanker as they cracked down on 11 days of anti government protests by truckers. for freedom convoy began in anger at corbett. 19 vaccine mandate for cross water drivers. it since evolved into a wider protest against prime minister just intruders strict measures to fight the pandemic order was mayor jim watson declared, a state of emergency on sunday, saying that demonstrators are a threat to president safety with reports of racially charged attacks. a former costa rican president has taken an early lead and sundays national elections. preliminary results show that you will say, maria, a few waiters to has 27 percent of the vote he is trailed by the conservative

candidate for bri silverado or run off vote is expected in april because that he has one of latin america's most stable democracies. but high unemployment and corruption have caused widespread this content. it's going to columbia now where hundreds of wildfires are burning in the amazon drought. he turned our son attacks by on the groups are thought to be behind the blazes. now the capital has been put on air pollution alert is priyanka goop to reports. toxic s shook in columbus capital booker town. a st cloud of smoke looms over its 8000000 people, carried by troy, winds hundreds of kilometer away from fires, burning in the amazon. that i had okay, was the ceo cameras was a good thought here as a law we have decided together with our secretary of health. to decree, a yellow alert for the prevention and care of severe respiratory disease in bogota throughout the public and private hospital system. the air quality is so bad,

the government says it's best to stay most the endorse. but for those who can't, it's come at a cost lanier, somebody's up or like what i mean, i feel may barely get the yellow alert for pollution haunts me because i work on the street every day and it's harming my lungs more than it should because it has increased more in columbia's amazon record temperatures and deforestation. blamed on formal fact. rebels are creating a combust of makes. here the defense minister gets a 1st time look at the nation's largest national park, a unesco world heritage site under threat. the last 4 years up or down army, been the chevy became the national park was burnt by criminal hands that seek through this practice of the forest to appropriate the land in milan. and the responsibility for the support practice lies with the fox dissidence yard sale of the ever since the fark rebels disarmed and gave up control of the territories they

once held destruction of the amazon has been on the rise. groups of rebels who rejected 2016 p. steel with the government are accused of starting fires to create cattle or grow coca to make cocaine. its effects are now being felt in cities across columbia plank up there. i'll to sir. chinese tennis star pinch. why has again denied accusing a former government official of sexual assault. her allegation on social media in november was taken down half an hour at root was hosted. and now in a highly controlled interview with the french newspaper, she said her statement was misunderstood. fang, this appeared from public view for nearly 3 weeks after making the claim. the international olympic committee says that she had dinner with its president thomas back on saturday. synagogue footballers have received on surprisingly a heroes welcome after returning home as africa cup of nations,

champions. it's the 1st time that they want it and the biggest triumph in the country is sporting history. thousands gathered in the capital darker to welcome the team, including president lackey, south santa, go be egypt on penalties. and the final, the tournament on sunday. and the celebrations have been stalked with monday, declared a public holiday in the country. ah, and now the top stories on al jazeera leader is of some of the world's most powerful countries are engaged in a whirlwind of diplomacy to defuse the standoff over ukraine. francis president manuel micron has been holding talks with vladimir putin before heading to ukraine on tuesday. a khan says, europe and russia need what he called a useful response. the end that the san both put in his hail transfers efforts to resolve the security crisis and says.