>> this is al jazeera. ♪ anchor: hello and welcome. coming up, >> we will cut off billions of dollars of support to the iranian regime and we will continue our enforcement of other entities. anchor: the u.s. announces new sanctions against iran with the goal of further damaging its economy. with tensions high between washington and tehran, european leaders scramble to keep the nuclear deal alive. the world health organization

warns a measles outbreak in the democratic republic of congo is the world's fastest moving epidemic. waste ever% of its recycled, mexico's biggest city introduces a new plastic ban. ♪ anchor: washington has announced a new wave of economic sanctions on iran in retaliation for its missile attack on bases in iraq housing u.s. troops. the sanction targets iran's manufacturing and mining industries as well as eight senior officials. >> iranian americans are under attack. reporter: tensions between the united states and iran still escalating. the u.s. secretary of state and treasury secretary announced more sanctions against iran in

retaliation for its attack on iraqi military bases used by u.s. troops. >> the president has been very clear, we will continue to apply economic sanctions until iran stops its terrorist activities and commits that it will never have nuclear weapons. reporter: the sanctions target iran's steel, iron, trade, construction, and textile industries. there are sanctions against eight senior iranian officials. the trouble administration says a response. hovering over the top administration, questions about last week's killing of custom an assassination the white house says was necessary to save american lives without offering proof the threat was imminent. >> this was going to happen. american lives were at risk. we would have been culpably negligent that we would have

been -- had we not recommended that the president take this action. reporter: the sanctions come as the u.s. is at odds with iran over the future of its soldiers in that country. calls forg has fueled the americans to leave. 5000 troops remain as part of the global coalition to defeat a soul -- isil. government says they want a u.s. delegation to plan for a withdrawal. the u.s. says it's not pulling out. >> as times change and we get to a place where we can deliver on our right structure with fewer resources dedicated to that mission, we will do so. reporter: pompeo says any delegation sent to a rock be for the purpose of discussing strategic partnerships like increasing the role of nato in the region, an idea donald trump announced this week. a nato delegation visited the

state department to discuss that prospect. >> working to develop a plan which will get burden sharing throughout the region. reporter: this by calling middle obsolete, president trump says it must be expanded to include middle east nations to reduce tensions and assist in the fight against isil/ . he insists it is an international problem. the eight iranian officials targeted are not likely to be affected by the new sanctions. >> we have been hearing from one of those people who has been thetioned who is part of expediency council of iran. he's a former head of the revolutionary guard. he commented about being under u.s. sanctions. he said this is more of a symbolic gesture. it is a point of pride for him to be sanctioned by the u.s. government.

that is how many see the sanctions. it is not something that affects them or the reality of their lives. they don't have any property in the united states. haveanctions don't really tactical ramifications for them. they are seen as a symbolic gesture. he is one of the individuals who has been sanctioned. another important figure is the secretary of the supreme national security council, an organization headed by the president that is in charge of dealing with iran's foreign policy under the supervision of the supreme leader. bashis the latest passive batch of sanctions. they don't have any tangible effects. furthere seen as a hostile act by the u.s. government against iranian officials coming at the heel of the assassination of a general, seen as an act of war here.

in the irans bring project director for the international crisis group. he joins us from washington. welcome back to the newshour. how much extra leverage does this give the trump administration in this crisis with iran? >> almost none. the reality is, the trump administration is running out of things to target and sanction. they have already sanctioned and iranian individuals sectors of the economy that actually matter. from this point on, they are adding new layers which would make it more difficult in the future to remove the sanctions. in terms of their immediate economic impact, it is almost negligible. anchor: we heard from mr. trump saying he wants to a tree -- achieve some sort of deal. this is part of maximum pressure. do you get the feeling that behind the scenes anyone is talking to iran or working with

iran to achieve a deal? >> absolutely not. generalssination of the has closed the door on any kind of direct diplomacy between iran and u.s. in the perceivable future. the political price of engaging the trump administration has significantly risen as a result of it. companyity is, the ministry's and new sanctions today, demonstrated that it is so attached to its maximum pressure policy, it believes it is working, but the iranians would probably see no light at the end of the tunnel and would not trust to engage in an administration that has artie violated the only existing deal between iran and the u.s. in the last 40 years and assassinated an iranian official. anchor: what is the point of maximum pressure moving forward its maximum pressure isn't attached to the kind of diplomacy that you seem to be saying is an absolute

requirement? >> that's a good question. it pressure was used to advance diplomacy, one could make sense of it. it appears that pressure here is not just the means at the end for the coveted ministration. they believe that they have been able to put iran in a box and contain it. the reality is, if you look at what has happened in the region in the past few months, they have come to the brink of a military confrontation three times in the past seven months. thathas been taking action it hasn't in the past 40 years, targeting u.s. bases in the region and oil infrastructure in saudi arabia, shipping in the persian gulf. the more the situation continues, the more the risk of future confrontation could easily spiral out of control. the risk of miscalculation is increasing. they are extremely high in danger. anchor: we are in an election

year in the united states. could the next president, if it is not mr. trump, or if it is, could they lift all or some of these sanctions if they felt iran was moving in the right direction, the direction they want? >> it would be a very heavy lift. it is not impossible. if it is president trump, it would be quite difficult. he seems to be primarily .nterested in the pageantry i don't think it is any longer possible. whatevern official said with a president who ordered the killing of one of the most revered military figures inside iran. but if it's the democratic president who promises to return to full compliance with the ,cpoa and tries to build on it i think there is some prospect

for diplomacy. the question is, can the nuclear deal survive between now and the u.s. presidential election? can the two countries avert a full out conflict between now and then? it is only 10 months. it doesn't sound like a long time. given the dynamic we have seen in the past few weeks and months, it is a particularly dangerous stretch of time. anchor: thank you very much. the u.s. state department says it will discuss troop withdrawal with the iraqi government. the prime minister as the u.s. secretary of state to send a delegation to baghdad. his request follows the assassination of the iraqi politician and the iranian commander qasem soleimani. iraq's parliament voted to expel all u.s. troops from the country. two iraqi journalists have been killed in southern iraq. it's a campaign by armed groups

backed by iran to drive them out of the region. it comes as protests take place in several iraqi cities, a revival of antigovernment rallies which began in a -- october. demonstrators chanted anti-iranian slogans. that story from baghdad. a chorus against those who follow the united states or around. --is a 104 iraq's protist democracy demonstrators. they say their demands are simple. give us rulers who have honor and hold early elections. iraq is not a war ground. we want the government to leave. we want homes and dignity. we want an independent iraq with no external influence. the pressure has forced out the prime minister but weeks after his resignation, he is still in charge in a caretaker capacity. iraqis are no closer to an

interim government acceptable to all parties. >> we want to live in dignity. we need a united country with sovereignty. we don't want others 20. this happened because of the weak leadership we've had since 2003. reporter: this is the largest crowd we have seen in baghdad in recent weeks. people have been coming here from all corners of the country. they are saying that they are against the influence of the united dates as well as iran. atmosphere makes it difficult to imagine it is the same city which was on edge 48 hours ago. missile warnings, helicopters in the air, and threats of a major conflict. a pressing issue in baghdad's corridors of power. the iraqi pms request for the u.s. to send a mission has been ignored by the united states. continue thepy to conversation with the iraqis about what the right structure is.

our mission set is very clear. we've been there to perform a training mission to help the iraqi security forces the official and continue the campaign against isis. we have a nato team that is here at the state department working to develop a plan which will get burden sharing right in the region as well. reporter: since the assassination of custom soleimani, anti-isil operations have been suspended. some troops have been relocated for their safety. ,he government is questioning what is the point in keeping them in a rock? -- iraq? anchor: with tensions high in the region, eu foreign ministers have met in brussels and repeated their support for the iran nuclear deal. the eu foreign-policy chief said the deal is critical for regional stability. he says europe wants to maintain the deal but iran must uphold its obligations. the deal has survived for years

but only just. they signed the agreement with world powers in 2015. it lifted sanctions on tehran and iran agreed to restrict its nuclear activities. less than a year later, president trump withdrew from the agreement. he said it was bad for america and reimpose sanctions. other nations tried to keep the pack alive. began rolling back its compliance. it increased its stockpile of enriched uranium. on sunday, tehran scrapped all limits on its nuclear program. it says it will continue to work with the u.n. nuclear watchdog and allow inspectors into the country. we have more from brussels. the eu was looking to mediate the crisis. reporter: the eu foreign-policy chief really came out and wrapped up that eu foreign meeting, an emergency meeting that was held to discuss the situation of crisis between u.s. and iran. he touched on a few main point.

he said that whatever happens, the message from the eu is that they cannot afford another war. he said that all sides must he escalate tensions. another war would risk unraveling the good work that had begun to try to stabilize iraq. the priority had to be to fight isil. eusaid that the priority for member states was to maintain the jcpoa. it was signed in 2015. eu leaders have been battling to save it since 2018 when donald trump pulled the united states out of the deal, saying it was a bad deal. the eu has kept the line they have always maintained. that this deal is absolutely necessary for the stability of the region. he said that without this deal, it is likely that iran would have a nuclear weapon right now. he also said that iran must now try to fully comply with the deal.

that comes after the fact that tehran said it was withdrawing from many of the key commitments that it made to that deal which would really see that deal on the brink of collapse. there, eu member states want to save the jcpoa. we saw eu foreign ministers trying to maneuver the eu into a position where they could try to mediate in the crisis. we must move away from conflict and to try to find some form of political solution. anchor: plenty more still to come for you hear on the news hour. political analysts list top global risks. courtindia's top describes the internet blackout as an abuse of power and orders a review. spain with victory over belgium. the recent semifinals of they did become. -- the atp cup.

♪ anchor: ukraine says it's investigators have been given access to the black box of the boeing 737 that wednesday. it insists the plane was not hit by a missile. the -- that is despite country saying that the crash was likely to have been caused by a mistake in tehran's air defenses. that assessment is also being backed by nato. >> we have no reason to not believe the reports we have seen from different nato allied capitals. they have expressed concern about information indicating that the plane may have been downed by iranian air defenses. that's exactly why we need a full investigation.

that's why we need to establish all the facts. wet is why it is important have full cooperation from the iranian side in such an investigation. anchor: they maintain it should carry out the investigation into the crass after several western countries offer to play a role. 30 hascivil aviation a talked about the inquiry. >> it is very obvious. when the plane took off from the airport after three minutes, it caught fire. the reason is not clear now. the pilot tried to return to the airport and change the root. it shows that he was aware than an accident had happened. it crashed on its way back. if the missile had hit it, it would have crashed in the original direction. the plaintiff not explode until it the ground. anchor: canadian government officials are traveling to deal with the aftermath of the crash which killed 63 canadians. people are holding vigils across the country. reporter: a vigil at canada's

parliament joined by prime minister justin trudeau. he has made private visits to victim families. the country's iranian community has been devastated by the tragedy in tehran. claims denied by a run surface-to-air missile brought on the plane have only made things worse. >> the whole community is in shock right now. when you go online, using the name of your friends and family, the people you talk to the day before the event. it is too early for the community to do just that. reporter: ottawa wants to send investigators and is said to be concerned about reports that the crash site has been tempered with. by bulldozersris and possibly leaders. canada is hoping to get diplomats and officials into a run, a country that it's ever tied with in 2012. beck obligates efforts to help families recover bodies and find

out what happened to their loved ones. >> it is difficult in the best of circumstances, even if we had a diplomatic presence there. it's a very bureaucratic place, a hard place to maneuver. the fact that we are not there creates extra applications. 1985, an air canada flight from toronto to delhi was brought down by a bomb over the atlantic ocean. nearly 300 canadians died. governments failed to bring perpetrators to justice nor bring comfort to victim's families. the response to events in tehran 35 years later has been much more timely and assertive. >> canada is a g7 country. we have domestic leverage. we have allies. we are members of nato. it would be a huge mistake on the part of iran to easily dismiss canada as if we were some insignificant body. reporter: that may provide some comfort to those whose family

members, friends, and colleagues have been lost, whatever the cause of the tragedy. ottawa seems determined to press its case with tehran and find out why so many canadian lives were lost. the u.s. navy says one of its warships has been aggressively approached by a russian n naval vessel in the north arabian sea. the destroyer sounded hisis horn five times, the e internationanl maritime signal warning of a danger of collisision. the ship c continued to o move closer. the russian defense ministry denied the allegation. have also turkey called for a cease-fire in libya by sunday. that has been rejected by a warlord whose forces have been trying to seize tripoli from the u.n. backed government. fighting has escalated in recent weeks.

libyan warlord says the fighting will continue. a cease-fire called by russia and turkey has been reject it -- rejected. he bows to take over tripoli. arab armed forces will continue to target the enemy by air and land, spreading its control of all areas from the capital to the outskirts of misrata. reporter: international concern is growing across the region. they hope just or support from the european union. there is russia and turkey which support rivals on the ground. opera has begun deploying troops in support of the u.n. recognized government. the warlord could be pushing away russia, one of his main

allies. between has escalated his forces and those loyal to the internationally recognized government in tripoli. attempts to take control of the capital have fallen short but his forces have gained ground, especially in the coastal cities. libya is a strategically important, it has the largest oil reserve in africa. the country's location along the mediterranean coast has become a gateway for african migrants fleeing to europe. tunisia's president met with forces -- france's foreign minister to warn about the potential consequences of the conflict. together with my european and egyptian colleagues, we are highlighting the risks of an escalation in libya. it would threaten to destabilize the higher region -- entire region. reporter: leaders from the european union are banding

together, warning that libya could become a second syria if a cease-fire is not reached soon. haveatest incursions brought the fighting very close to residential areas. the sound of explosions can be heard clearly across the city and many people here are scared they may be killed or displaced. anchor: a developing story coming to us out of the un security council in new york. the when voting to extend the cross-border view marian -- humanitarian operation to syria but it has been scaled back somewhat. whichization for the aid enters the country without the formal permission of the government in damascus has been in place since 2014. it was scheduled to of -- expire on friday. russia had been pushing for a

, we need to aid flip that around. there has not been a formal reduction in aid. while they have are new the syrian cross-border aid operation, a number of crossings , the length of the lvedorization, have been have by member countries to avoid a russian veto of the whole thing. it's going ahead. it's happening. that's a plus. it is constrained within this various aspects of it being cut by 50%. it will happen. we'll be talking to our diplomatic editor about that developing story for you within the next half hour or so. still to come here on the newshour, pressure on the indian government continues. thousands protest over a new citizenship law.

after three years of limbo, a breakthrough in northern ireland political bedrock. -- deadlock. all the details, coming up later. ♪ >> hello there. all eyes on southern states across the united states. we have a big storm system building. very warm air ahead of this massive clouds that you can see here. this is the line of thunderstorms from saturday. we could have tornadoes developing within the severe thunderstorms. 22 in atlanta. 12-14temperatures are degrees above the average. meanwhile, precipitation turning over to snow for canada city. widespread flow across most of

the west. sunday, strong wind pushing into the pacific northwest. by sunday, most of this weather should push well off to the eastern seaboard. it is still pretty warm into washington. by monday, temperatures come back down. nine celsius. it should be dry. with a highsp temperature closer to the norm. into the caribbean, pretty strong wind here as well. one or two showers. bringing of clouds showers across the yucatan peninsula. nothing particularly heavy. a very warm day in cancun on sunday with a high of 28 degrees. ♪ >> frank assessments. >> the one good thing about these bushfires, it is working out the politics of climate change. >> informed opinions. >> the economy is keeping donald

trump afloat right now. >> critical debate. >> this argument is astonishingly patronizing. >> in-depth analysis of the day's headlines. story on al jazeera. >> examining the impact of today's headlines. >> use the term misinformation. i use the term lying. >> the agenda for tomorrow's discussions. >> how unique a moment's this in terms of modern american history when it comes to racism? >> you have the makings of a neofascist moment. journaliststional bring programs to inspire you. al jazeera. ♪

anchor: normally, we would be bringing you an update on the headlines. we are taking to the government building in the canadian capital to listen in to the canadian foreign minister, holding a news conference on the aftermath of that ukrainian plane crash that killed 63 canadians on board the plane at the time. let's listen in. on the parent to admire, the child you watch grow up. us make who welp are. losing them like this unexpectedly and inexplicably is devastating for each and every canadian. loss, notemendous only for their families, but for

the entire country. crash,days since the there has been an offering of support from canadians across the country. vigils were held, stories were loss, ofessages of love, and support percent. i hope the families can find some comfort in knowing that the entire country is grieving with them during this extraordinarily difficult time. i would also like to speak to canadians today to give them an update on the situation. [inaudible] end, i have a few

updates to share with canadians tonight. first, the prime minister of canada has asked that the clerk of the council set up an emergency task force of senior officials to ensure that the families and loved ones of the victims have the support that they need. second, our government will be setting up a dedicated process to address any visa issues for those affected by the crash. saying thatout these extraordinary , our government is mobilizing as quickly as possible to provide more support to families, many of whom currently separated from their loved ones. our priority at this time is providing support to the affected families. they need us and we are looking at all possible options to do

this. the prime minister has also mandated his parliamentary secretary to work directly with the families as they navigate time.ery, very difficult as far as the investigation is concerned, we repeat our call for a full and thorough investigation. we have a team of officials from global affairs canada and the transportation safety board in place and ankara in turkey. to date, the iranians have issued to visas and we expect the other visas will be granted soon so we can begin providing consular services, help with the identification of the victims, and obviously participate in the investigation. finally, the prime minister and

with position leaders over the past few days. all canadians should now that we stand united in this difficult time. like i said before, this is nothing short of a national tragedy. all levels of government are working together to support families and their loved ones and, obviously, the loved ones of the victims, to ensure that all the questions that they may have will be answered. the prime minister also just ofcluded the fifth meeting the response group. he will also be speaking with prime minister abbe of japan later this evening. canada has established the international coordination and response group for families of

the victims of flight 752. this group brings together representatives of ukraine, sweden, afghanistan, and the anded kingdom, all grieving also searching for answers. earlier today, i led the first call with our partners. all participating countries reaffirmed the need for a full and transparent investigation into the causes of the fatal crash. [speaking french] >> in the coming days, the -- anchor: saying that they have set up a dedicated process for the visas to get canadian investigators into tehran. is that there is no formal diplomatic relations between tehran and ottawa. they were severed in 2012.

they are ready have to visas. is to giveriority all the support from across the political spectrum in canada to the families of the people, the 63 canadians who lost their lives on that flight. they fell from the skies near tehran's international airport. let's stay with these pictures coming to us from the government buildings there and ottawa, just in case the foreign minister gives us any more information. as we are watching the jews, we will talk to our correspondent. what is your reading of what the foreign minister was saying? he certainly outlined a pretty busy day for himself and the prime minister, it busy week. there's no doubt this is the biggest combination foreign and domestic policy challenge for this government since it was elected four years earlier.

what they are doing is actually taking an extremely -- it externally seriously. they are setting up task forces that will handle the domestic side of things. visa issues were to help iranian base members of families who were affected get over here to greet with their relatives. on the four inside, they are matt -- marshaling allies and countries that share in the bereavement from this crash and trying to get them to put pressure on iran to open up the investigation process. this is not just a government that is doing things. it want to be seen as doing things. that is what the canadian public and the families of those who were killed in the crash really need and want to see. anchor: do you get the feeling that the canadian government is signaling to authorities in tehran, don't delay, don't obfuscate, we know there's an issue over the fact that the iranian authorities don't recognize dual citizenship

because they were canadian iranians who had a canadian and iranian passport? please, just get through this as quickly as we can. can,ter: as best they given the lack of diplomatic ties and the fact that there has not been an official presence on the ground in canada since 2012. anchor: i will address you. we are going back to the foreign minister. he has begun to take questions. >> what will canada be able to do when you get there? >> i'm concerned, like all canadians. we are looking at the images that are coming. , i first thing we need to do call upon the iranian government, is to issue those visas. we have a rapid response team currently based in ankara. this is a team of 10 people from global affairs. we have to officials from the transport safety board of canada which are also on their way to ankara. we need visas for these people to get on the ground, to have eyes on the ground to be able to provide assistance and

counseling services to canadians . the latest information i got is that two visas have been issued. there remained ten that we need for our people to move into tehran. i've been calling the foreign minister of turkey today to seek his assistance as well to make sure that the iranian embassy in ankara will be issuing the visas as quickly as possible. we all know that in circumstances like the one we are facing, time is of the essence. every hour matters. we are pursuing that vigorously with all the authorities and partners around the world. >> [speaking french] hours, past week for have you had additional information about the

investigation? we monitor what the canadian foreign minister has been saying about the aftermath. that it isirming actually the death toll of canadians, 57, not 63. he says time is of the essence. saying that time matters. he will be well aware about what the rest of the world is aware of, the way what was left of the aircraft has been bulldozed, literally, scavenged away. reporter: yes. if the bodies are being treated properly, goodness knows. they will need to be forensically analysis as well. hanginga big question over what is a pretty opaque investigation. you mentioned dual citizenship. they will want to know whether some of the iranian nationals on the plane listed on the manifest

were dual canadian iranian citizens. some of them were. we just double the numbers. it's a question of, can canada and its allies get the information they need to really make sure this is investigated? the ultimate goal is to make sure that things like this don't happen again, whatever the cause. anchor: do you get the feeling that the canadian government is using its friendships in the middle east to exert extra pressure on the iranian government to do all the things that it should be doing very quickly? reporter: it is definitely leveraging it's very good relationship with turkey when the diplomatic relations ended between the two countries, when canada cut them off in 2012, formally there was no declaration of where canada would monitor around. that has emerged to be ankara. diplomats in the uae and elsewhere to keep an eye on things.

most diplomats would tell you privately that there is no replacement for being there, for having boots on the ground, years on the local situation, figuring out with actually going on. a small team of diplomats in the couldath of this crash have had this thing probably much more advanced from the point of view of canada that it is right now. anchor: thanks very much. let's dip in for a couple of seconds to see what mr. champagne is saying now. he's taking a question from the reporters. >> [speaking french] anchor: if you are just joining us, what you are looking at is the relatively new canadian foreign minister who has been in the job since the last election in 2019. francoise philippe champagne. he says they have a dedicated process to get the necessary visas. they are ready have two in place. they have one team on the ground in ankara waiting for their visas.

that team is being augmented by another team of specialists who are on their way to ankara from canada. he said at the top of the news conference that the main get to a they want to situation where the canadian government can offer the most support to the families of the 57 canadians who lost their -- having that in taken an unusual course. it turned right when it was in trouble. let's listen in to what the foreign minister is saying now. >> i'm wondering, when our investigators are on the ground, will they have access to everything they need in terms of the wreckage and crash site as well as data from the black box? >> time will tell. i cannot speak for the iranian government. i think the world is watching the iranian authorities as to the axis they will be providing.

we want a full and complete investigation. that's why the international court nation and response group wants to speak with one voice. not only canadians want to know in canada. you have families across the world and iranian families who want to know what really happened on that night. therefore, we are pushing for more active roles for the canadian investigators. they have the knowledge, the technical know-how to be providing assistance with the black box, with interpreting what may have happened. i hope that the government of iran welcomes our offer to provide additional assistance in getting to the truth. like you just pointed out, it starts with the visas. unless we can have our people physically on the ground at the site, at the meeting, we are obviously not in a position to have all the influence we want.

we have been stressing to the iranian government to issue these leases as quickly as possible. tomorrow morning, i will have even more to know. today, that was a holiday. embassy isthe opening up in a few hours. we do hope to be able to report to canadians that all the pieces that we have been asking for have been issued. the foreign minister continues to take questions inside the parliament building in ottawa. he says they are talking to the other countries affected by this who lost nationals on board that plane. he was very clear, time is of the essence. not least because we have seen the pictures. we reported the claims that the wreckage of the aircraft has been bulldozed. some of what was left in a couple of locations close to each other on the ground

adjacent to tehran's international airport have been scavenged away, which is absolute we appalling if it is true. technically, that's a crime scene. that's an international, multi-country crime scene. as we have established over the past 36 hours since this tragedy happened, the dead may provide more clues as to what happened because they will literally, when the bodies are returned to their home countries, as is custom, they are put through a postmortem process. the scientists can detect explosive material contained on or within or inside the remains of the people who were on board the plane. there's no delicate way to talk about that. we will get more on that as soon as we can. india's supreme court has ordered and of real of the internet shutdown in kashmir.

they say it is a violation of the country's telecom rules. they have not had internet for 150 days. reporter: the lockdown in kashmir amounts to an abuse of power. that's the ruling from india's supreme court five months since the government remove the territories economy, restricted people's movements, and block the internet. >> those are challenged the shutdown say it is a significant burden. >> the stand taken by the state was that these were national security issues. leave it to the state. the court has struck that down and said, this will be subject to judicial review. reporter: the indian government argued it needed to block the internet to stop what is called separatists and terror groups from communicating with each other. the court found the government had breached telecom rules and gave authorities in the territory a week to review the restrictions. student in kashmir has

welcomed the judgment. >> if the government is trying to suppress us or they are not trying -- that's why they are putting us through this. reporter: for over five months, the journalists in the valley have been given access to just a few computers enabled with internet. >> it's always difficult for a journalist. when you are depriving him of it'sasic tools, internet, a deliberate attempt to make his work more difficult. reporter: several restrictions including on phone connections have artie been lifted. many people are waiting for the internet to be restored. legal experts say that the verdict will also affect other areas where the internet has been shut down and freedom of kashmir limited after

deployed the same measures during protests against the controversial citizenship amendment act. mexico's capital city has banned the use of plastic bags. it's the latest in a series of cities trying to cut out single use plastics. residents of mexico city are looking toward a plastic free future. the city has announced a ban on single use plastic bags. the new law is largely seen as an important step to curb back pollution. businesses that don't comply with the mandate could face fines or other penalties. leaders within the plastic industry say the new measure is too extreme and could result in tens of thousands of jobs lost area -- loss. >> the find is absurd. there are serious crimes that carry a lesser penalty than having a plastic bag. that bag could cost you more

than $8,800. the city doesn't have the infrastructure to enforce this. manufacturerstic aren't the only voices of criticism against the new law. sayronmental scientists authorities rest the initiative without property -- properly consulting efforts. >> this is a political decision. it is the wrong decision. it is not founded in science or technical ability. what i would suggest is that this be studied instead of simply following the trend taking place in the rest of the world. reporter: the 12 million residents of the mexican capital produce 13,000 after tons of waste every day. much of that waste comes in the form of single use plastics which often end up in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. mexico city officials say the ban on plastic bags is only a first step. there are plans to prohibit the sale and distribution of a wide range of single use plastics by january of 2021.

critics of the legislation say the government lacks the necessary enforcement mechanisms to make the initiative successful. city officials say this is a necessary measure that requires everyone's commitment. instead of inspecting stores and policing, we are putting our trust and consumers. we believe the watchdog for this regulation should be consumers. consumers should under no circumstances allow plastics to continue to be distributed. reporter: there are exceptions to the rule, although the lot remains vague on what bags or are not allowed. now will bee developing an innovative of -- and sustainable option. anchor: still to come on the newshour, >> i think it was you people. anchor: details and sports.

♪

anchor: time for sports. nadal had to dig deep to help spain secure their spot and they do become. he suffered a shock defeat in the singles match. he was handed his first loss in the tournament by goffin. they set up a deciding doubles match. the doll return to the court in sydney alongside pablo carreno

busta. tiebreake match in a with the doll spending 4.5 hours in court on total. they will play host to australia on friday. hittingaka looks to be form ahead of the first grand slam of the season. he will start -- she will start the defense of her australian open title later this month area that month. -- month. this is a sock is 14 straight victory. kept saying it has been suspended for doping violations. the 37-year-old kenyan has been charged with breaking to tamperingg rules, with samples, and failing to tell authorities of his whereabouts. he could not compete in any offense until he has cleared his name. he broke the marathon world record in berlin in 2013.

he won bronze in the london politics. thomas boggs is the decision from the court of arbitration for sports regarding russia's participation at the tokyo olympics must be made as soon as -- and as clear as possible. the world helping agency handed them a four-year ban from international sporting events as punishment for manipulating laboratory data in 2015. the ban bars pressure from competing in the summer olympics and the 2022 winter games in beijing. athletes who can prove they are clean will be able to compete as neutral competitors. important for the ioc and also for the international federations is that we get a decision which does not leave room to any kind of interpretation. be a waterproof

decision where everybody concerned knows when reading the decision what to do and what not to do and what the decision means and what it does not mean. has been elected to the ioc, ending because absence from the committee. he took over as fee for president four years ago. the corruption investigation formerng fifa's president prompted the body to delay his admission. english -- liverpool faced tottenham on saturday. the manager had fun at the expense of his counterpart. he was asked to he thought was the better footballer. he played in germany's second division. >> i don't know. he was a goalkeeper.

was he a goalkeeper? does anybody know what he played? i want to know it now. google it. we have time. i have time. and? sorry? reporter: his jokes want distract him too much. he has a major problem to deal with. his star striker needs hamstring surgery. he is rolled out until april. tottenham is six points off the top four. he says he won't be rushed into making panic buys. >> if we don't find the right opportunity, right then we are going to wait for the next summer to try to make the right decisions for the evolution of the team. so hasr: seven perham

one stage six of this year's rage -- race in saudi arabia. he is third in the standings. he was one minute 35 seconds ahead on friday. the race resumes on sunday. former major league baseball player alex romero has been fined -- finding new uses for his bat. an ill tempered game in venezuela escalated to a new level when he was hit by a pitch. he struck out at the nearest target. benches cleared to join in the fight. romero is one of nine players ejected from the game. that's all your sports for now. more later. anchor: more news on the website. you know the address by now. that was our newshour. i'm back in a couple of minutes on the other side of the break with 30 minutes of al jazeera world news. ♪