part barrier to entry, the tennis. so you you king competence and skill fat and people get addicted to that feeling of accomplish? 0, one of those pickable fanatics is retired attorney lynn. so dick, even after 2 knee replacement surgeries, the 66 year old hits the court 5 days a week, she loves the sense of community amongst players. so it doesn't matter if you're a ceo or a limo driver or you work at 7 aladdin. everybody treated the same. i failed that it's made me healthier. i think it has opened me up to a lot of new friendships. pickable as a good sport for people like me, who's knees and hips aren't quite what they used to be. but it truly is a sport for all ages. pickable is challenging enough for players like 28 year old rob bellamy who played tournament level tennis at the

university of southern california. people. i went to college with hello into high school with people i work with. a lot of them are, you know, hopping on like the pickable bandwagon and getting into it as may. it's been fun. so many people have hopped on that bandwagon that there are far more players didn't places to play in this southern california community players are lobbying the local government to build more pickable courts as the sports popularity continues to spread. rob reynolds, al jazeera santa monica, california. ah, this is al jazeera and these are the top stories. north korean leader kim jong owns sister, kim. jo, john says whether her country uses the pacific ocean as quote, it's shooting range. depends on the united states. the statement comes after north

korea fired another ballistic missile off its east coast. less than 2 days after a similar lodge. joanie ang, been angered by military drills between the u. s. and south korea. turkish rescue efforts have ended in all provinces, except the 2 hardest hit cat ahmad marashi and a tie. no survivors have been found in the last 24 hours. more than 46000 people have been confirmed dead in turkey and syria. on sunday, u. s. secretary of state antony blank and visited some of the areas affected by earthquakes in turkey, the state department has announced an additional $100000000.00 and $8.00 for turkey . we are working very close collaboration with our turkish colleagues both to understand all of the needs and to find ways to do it wrong. this could not be done without the extraordinary working collaboration of so many parts for u. s. government that starting with the united states military,

which is always some, jumped in a remarkable way. moscow says it's forces are making gains in the harkey region. it says russian troops have taken control of a village near the city of harkey. those of the headlines, the news continues here on al jazeera after upfront. thanks for watching then to 3000000 nigeria of registered to vote in the 2023 general reelections 10 to 30000000 more than the entire vote and population in the rest of west africa. the vote to say they care about the economy. insecurity, unemployment, and is it will bring you comprehensive coverage of this election. the candidates and the issues 2022 was the deadliest year in 3 decades for journalists, mexico. the country has been grappling with cartel violence and corruption for decades, placing the journalists who report on these issues at great risk when simply trying to do their job. what is the situation at a critical point and his journalism in mexico facing

a point of no return back conversation is coming up, but 1st, ongoing fighting in the resource rich democratic republic of congo, between the army and the march 23 movement or m 23 has left hundreds, did, and millions displaced in the countries eastern provinces. the d. r. c. government blames neighboring rwanda for supporting him. 23 and allegation currently has denied. but as fighting intensifies many fear the conflict could escalate into war between the 2 countries. so what's in store for the congress people, and is there a path towards peace? will ask the minister of communication and spokesperson for the government of the democratic republic of congo this week. the headliner, patrick, and the patrick we, i thank you so much for joining me. on upfront thank you. tensions are flaring between the d r c animal wanda, which your government has accused of backing the armed group m 23. is that that's

an accusation that wanda has repeatedly denied, of course, despite evidence documented by the united nations and human rights watch. there's also been a war of words with ca, golly, as violence proliferate sparking fears further escalation. rwanda had said that your government is quote, preparing for war is war with rwanda minute. thank you for your question. and i think once we are living today, it's not like for the 1st time we are in this kind of situation to respond back. in the past years, they've been fighting almost 5 time the government of democracy probably could. congo. you can remember in 1996, we've asked them, you can remember our std center and 23 didn't be doing it for years. and they always keep the same speech off, denying the fact of what is what they been doing in the early part of yours today. we don't even want to go on detail of that because they're read it documented

report from united nations expert. they're read the white paper this year in kinshasa. there we do a lot of condemnation from always in the countries talking by united states, a key one that to stop the or the, to support m 23 democratic republic of congo was to present to katie. we are busy because we have some tough challenge. we need to pace in that condition. we don't need any will we want? we need to teach for ben walks to get orders and we've been keeping people for the past year. and that's our back. clear year. that's prison got me because we don't think that these people are seeing on the wall that use this will ease doing that because yes, order interest such like continue looting in as 0. see me.

it's a very clearly some economy arisen can interesting friday. what the prison tagami doing to they use. one of the challenges here, of course, is what's happening with them. 23. there are the military challenges there, the legitimate threat that you've raised. another piece of this though is the actual war of words that has been escalating president to 2nd he called rwandan president apopka guy may a war monger, he also referred to his actions as diabolical that kind of language. that type of rhetoric certainly doesn't de escalate the tension. is it adding fuel to the fire? we don't change, you know, years since the beginning of this war we've been talking with quantities from the past to july. first, it was in brenda and then we will actually, it will be 2 or 3 times one new york state prison, my wife everywhere,

and ear differs and to see if he's known by being a demo or someone would been fighting to get him power to the prison got me, you can just look back on his background and then you know, what kind of liter east saw the president got me. but the question i'm less asking about the type of leader he is more about if the language that's being used is making matters worse. if the goal is peace in language using doesn't strike doesn't mean anything. if you have to compare it with what's present to me and these 2 are believe in the years the especially let me give you an example. last no proper. she was a kid, almost 20200 people were men. the woman lady in the correct condition, it's not your balance loads each about the act of violence they've been doing and

or the international community can then work that i think issues. so there is certainly ample documentation of m. 23. committing human rights violations, summary executions, raped force, recruitment of people into the rank you reference some of the stuff yourself. to date, however, your government has also been accused of backing militias with similarly poor human rights records. i'm talking about groups like the democratic forces for the liberation of wanda, the f d l arm. they've been accused of killing hundreds of civilians. they've been accused of widespread sexual violence. president, just 2nd, he has said that he opposed any alliance between the congo, leave army and militias, but there are reports, credible reports that document the supply of arms and supply ammunition, food all to these groups. you know, why is your government backing these militias? i think we must make things clear because there is

a lot of money relation and bad news, especially one of the especially of special needs fund governments, bringing bad news and news. what must be clear, that speaking about kate 1st companies, those people, us. we've been fighting them since 1996 just today. we continue to fight them because they force, there are, is security for them for people in the past years. unfortunately, they are a mom of those people who killed the cell number in the region. so we cannot walk. those people were called. thank you said you cannot. you cannot work with f d l r, but there is credible evidence. when i look at reports from human rights watch, just is one example. there are credible reports of people who say that the congress army has supplied armed groups with aid and weapons. one f l.

our fighter, for example, told human rights watch in october 2022 that he himself witnessed for transfers of ammunition. and he says that it's the government quote that would always provide us with ammunition. he was specifically referring to the troops. he said they also gave us uniforms and then we will have these level of reports of armed groups getting support from the congress army. how do you respond to this? oh no, i don't see. don't let, let's, let's be clear on that question. there is no chord aberration between army and in the nation. so non take for granted that don't give credit to all those people. oh, some of them can be by there under strategy to make sure they are like complicated because right. i know that here are you, are you disputing or are you hearing human rights watch? we have often criticized. we will want in government as have other people in your

government. one of the places that they have looked to, to just to verify their claims of the violence in atrocity committed by the rule, wind and government and groups like him. 23 has been human rights watch. now the same organization which people have trusted human rights watch is saying that your government have done the very same thing or are very similar things. examples of the cognitive army supplying arm groups with, with arms and 8 ammunition uniform boots. this has come on multiple occasions from multiple people, people from f, the alarm fighters from the my, my car, we don't militia also make claims that cargo army supplied them with, with, with ammunition across the board were hearing these claims. are you disputing human rights watch account, and if so, why? you must need clear. but you cannot make any comparison between am plenty a tree which is like a proxy of one than different forces. and a movement like failure m 20 degrees doing or p fission by doing my

factor on people. that the 1st point is, be clear, you cannot make any comparison between there is no preparation between army and need to show. but they've made some reforms. in some situation. here, you might just the point to make it in january position. there is no, like a common plane between army and meet you shot it, bounce back, getting old doing seems it gets one o m 33 inside your seat, which is very different. we've. i'm 23 fighting with one and different forces killing equal doing soccer. there have been a number of talks and initiative aimed at brokering in into the fighting most recently at the east africa community stomach in burundi. earlier this month. these initiatives have largely failed to yield any real results and of course the

violence has continued him 23 asking for direct negotiations with your government. is your government willing to talk to them? we don't. we cannot negotiate but we agree that we can talk with them, but their condition, it was my end of state just back at what happened in luanda in november 23. in november 23, there was a meeting between end of the eastern african community and was to be in front of you a little more in english in each one different school initially was, she's 5 year cease fire evacuating like local, etc. and then these are moments and then after the or process, we can see the way we can talk empty tray guide and the way we can deal with the

ronda and government because we want to stay in the state of war for the rest of our life. so we can, we move, i mean we are able to talk, we fund that or to talk we am 20 tree after new with respect was the road map of one. recommend this friday or reach rate from new territory the summer months. and then we can see the way we can talk, it will be done just if they can respect what the state we amended after the meeting in the us. and it was back in the united states, united nations, and in patrick re, i thank you so much for joining us on upfront. ain't you, sir? ah, mexico was known as one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world. the country experienced a record number of journalists, deaths in 2022 criminal cartels and corruption have played the country for decades

. continuing a cycle of violence, even with some efforts to protect the press. the fact remains, journalists, and mexico are facing undeniable threats to their lives and their livelihoods. so what does the future hold for journalism in the country? joining me to discuss this is award winning investigative journalist and the author of narco lamp, the mexican drug lords in their godfathers, annabel hernandez, she is currently living in exile after receiving death threats because of her investigative work on a bell. thank you so much for joining me. on up front. at 2022 was an awful year. in fact, it was the deadliest year on record for journalists in mexico, according to the press freedom group article owed 19. there was an attack on a member of the press, every 14 hours violence by drug cartels. it's not new journalists are often targeted for their reporting, but the number of journalists killed last year had a record high. is the situation for the press and mexico getting worse?

absolutely. it is very sad. and am i speaking to explain these, but guess absolutely a ease in getting worst these attacks, these, the threats, these violence against them, joe released and had been in increasing in the last 20 years. even at the same time that the drug could be that the big one between that got this kept being great thing. so even in one way you have these, why are we doing that? got this and i know that way at the same time in almost in this same see piece where these wire east had been inc, a cure hours, so dead. so there of the journalist and sadly, no one, even the government or all the air force of all of these and none convert them it over never own organizations can have been able to stop these by list. i can say

just there's a growing number of areas inside of mexico that have gone silent, you know, places that have become information dead zone where the press is effectively silence because of the intimidation that they receive from the cartels and other actors as well. oh, what does the emergence of these zones of silence mean for the people living inside of those communities? really affects and deeply that them will cressy, of course. because if you don't catch me via that a report there's that are able to inform to their society what is happening, not he just in them out there. so big safety or so they might, there's of government accountability, all these things that are necessary to have a healthy democracy. most of the journalists in mexico, every there are fighting to protect the right of the people to having permission.

the problem is that they are clock and fighting alone their media, many times are corrupted. their media, many times receive money from them, from the government group that people of, from the got this. and even bid judgment is one to 2 public day information. they media many times said know all that, oh many, many other times they generally have a very low salary. they even don't, doesn't have life insurance, they need the support of the government. they need the support of the society, they need the support of the media. so i have been talking with many of my colleagues in different parts of mexico, even in the spots like for example, them only past that each one of the biggest states where this silence is there

for at least 10 years. and when i talk with these journalists, they want to do their job, they want to public information. but if they don't have deb platforms, media all orse, oh, safety places to public they. they are not capable to do their job even if they want to. and they are suffering and not because this much of the violence against journalists and mexico was happening at the local level in smaller cities and towns in august. for staff members at a local radio station in sudan waters were shot and killed in what is just one of several recent violent incidents. there seems to be a pattern of violence in areas away from bigger cities, especially against journalists who work independently or for smaller outlets. in your view, why is local journalism bearing the brunt of this violence? he's really, it's really very,

very hard to try to explain these complicated question in mexico in just few words . but you have to understand that in mexico currently at this moment are operating 109 creaminess organs stations. some of them are the beek guard this, that everyone knows it's in a la carte. they got up in cali schooner back in it as shown, all of these big companies, but also exceeds medium and smoke artists that have gone through in every town in the country. so when i look, i journalist wanted to coordinate the day job. they got not capital to do it because in one point you have to look out better look, got m a gang, a grim leg station that control street by street. and these gang many times, most of the times are connected with a major of the cd without doing the so the c d,

even if this it is very small. so these groups shown m and really makes to their, to their, to their daughter least almost impossible. to do their job without risking their lives. that's. that's why what is happening in mexico is a human right. it writes emergency, and that's why, since many years ago, a many journalists, as, as neat, we are asking to today come in, the national community to, to pay attention is when, what and what is happening there? because now we have, again, i will repeated 109 creamy lands i sessions controlling all the country. a decade ago, a mexico introduced a set of protection mechanisms for journalists refer to l as l. mckinney. small are providing thing like police protection and relocation services. in cases of extreme

violence, now at least 9 reporters have been killed while enrolled in this program. i de la navarro bed. your general director of the one is magazine said that said that a mechanism obviously does not work. many of my colleagues who were killed in mexico was under the protection mechanism when they were murdered. why is that mckinney small not working? well, i can tell you in my own experience, because i am also inside them mcneese. i cannot believe in mexico because these make and he's doesn't works obviously. but what can i tell you is 1st, that really dig government, the federal government doesn't care about the judges list. now we have the president, and that is my know lopez. so, but i thought that almost every day in he's ever a, in, he's in a french press conference at top journalist at back their media

because they the one that any one a can. it could be good because he does do critique school games him. so for they the back of the state that are very could hook that, that don't that, that don't one that they generally do their job for that got there is that one also to keep silent to the journalist if they see that just a precedent, a man who supposedly have some breast baked about dead, the more racy about that point, ability about their freedom expression. if you see that the pressure then is the 1st one that is attacking every day to they don't release of course in one way or another. the depression, then even you permeate to do whatever you want to do again they jordan is that's

why that's why last year became the most durable duper, the germans. according with united nations anesco night, 2 journalists in mexico were more there in mexico. this is the crisis when you talk about the government's role in this, there's the president in his words, for sure. but there are many people who argue that the government and security forces are also complicit in what's happening to journalism that i'm thinking about in 2015. for example, jose moisture, sanchez said esl. i was killed after you publish content that was critical of the local government in, in better cruise, where he lived in 2022, a bare lopez vasquez was shot a day after he published a story, accusing a local politician of corruption, people who say no more afraid of the government,

at least some journalists, are there more afraid of the government than the cartels? what do you make of that? i mean, if you go to the is street by street and you ask for 2 i journalist who is smaller than gears a chapel was man the head of this in the look got been or the governor or the maker of the ordered the chief of the police, they did childrens will tell you that they are out touring t, the members of the government. i'm more dangerous because they also can do these with all day impunity given, given what you're saying, you know, the violence, the impunity, the structural deep structural problems that we're seeing throughout the mexican society. do you think we'll see a new generation of journalists actually emerge in the country that, that, that, that, that be so one kind of a miracle, you know, because for example,

many times i go back to mexico to continue my work. and many times i gave a gong fans in universities. and most of the time, all these em classrooms are full of young junk students that want to be came journalists, even they go freight even. they know that their salaries are not good for me. it really is that huge hop, see they face this of the german is that even all these tragedy that is happening again, journalists, they want to became a jobs and they want to serve to the, to the society. and that they also want to the offense. then right of the society

to have the information to try to save aware betty, a quick democracy. anabel hernandez. thank you so much for joining us, an upright. thank you. everyone that is our show up front will be back. ah ah. then to 3000000 nigeria of registered to vote in the printer to into for the general and the next 10 to 30000000 more than that entire voting population in the

rest of west africa. the voter civic chair about the economy insecure to unemployment on cuz it will bring you comprehensive coverage of this election. the candidates i but you shoes with clouds. ah. west struggle gives birth to a true passion where faith is more just with where humanity defies. expectations with freedom is always worth fighting power, both and untold stories from across asia and the pacific. 101 east. on al jazeera, talk to al jazeera, we are asking, what should they not be more over signs, perhaps, of foundations like yours? we listen when it comes to diversification, we don't do it in order to be gets rid of the rational energy source. we meet with global news makers. i'm talk about the store restock matter. on al jazeera,

2002 was the 5th hottest year on global record stretching back more than a century. government report says 2022 was a bad year for whether 2023 isn't shaping up to be much better already year in california series of severe storms as battered the coast line and the interior of the state. pausing a number of deaths and up to a $1000000000.00 in damages. why mad scientist say the warming is caused by industrial age, heat trapping, gas emissions, which have been rising steeply since the 1960. they say rapid reduction and emissions are needed across the globe to flow over 1st. the greenhouse effect ah.