you no longer regard addis ababa and prime minister abiy ahmed as legitimate rulers of your country. as a legitimate leader, not only of tigray but also of the 0romos or even the amhara. so as far as we are concerned it's separatism to the extent that there is a tendency of separatism in tigray, it's imposed on us. it is because abiy and his partners in crime caused the kind of suffering which no—one in their right mind could have imagined would come from a government that considers them its own. so, you know, to the extent that there is a tendency of separatism, i don't think this was something we wilfully pursued. this wasn't something that was part of our agenda. it still is not part of our agenda. but we have to make sure that our people have the right to self—determination and they should have unfettered access to the full exercise of this right. whether abiy is considered a legitimate leader by the rest of the world, it is of no relevance as far as we're concerned. when i hear you use this kind of language, i then read what abiy ahmed said to ethiopiansjust the other day. he sa

gedion timothewos in addis ababa, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. it is a pleasure to have you, mr attorney—general. when we last spoke to each other, nearly nine months ago, you seemed very confident that your government was about to crush the forces of the tigray people's liberation front. are you now prepared to say that your government strategy has gone disastrously wrong? mr sackur, as i started back then we are in a position to retake mekele, and we're able to finalise the initial phase of the operation within a matter of three weeks. we took over mekele, we established an interim administration, we invested in rehabilitating tigray. and remember, it was a conflict that was forced upon us. it was not a conflict that we got into by our own volition and willingness, so that's how we see the situation. we, you haven't answered my question, because since then — and your forces did take mekele — since then things have gone very wrong. yourforces left mekele injune, and since then the tplf — the tigrayan rebel forces have retaken much of tigray from

gedion timothewos, in addis ababa, welcome to hardtalk. it is a pleasure to have you.we last spoke to each other, about nearly nine months ago, you seemed very confident that your government was about to crush the forces of the tigray�*s people's liberation front. are you now prepared to say your government's strategy has gone disastrously wrong? we have issued a statement saying we can retake mekele and will finish the operation within three weeks. we established a new administration, we invested in rehab tigray. it was a conflict that was forced upon us. it was not a conflict we got into by our own volition and willingness. that is how we see the situation.— that is how we see the situation. ., ., �* ., , situation. you haven't answered my question. — situation. you haven't answered my question, because _ situation. you haven't answered my question, because since - my question, because since then, and your forces my question, because since then, and yourforces did take mekele, since then things have gone very wrong. your forces left mekele injune, and since then the

. >> judy: this week, the biden administration is sending its most senior official yet to addis ababa, the capital of ethiopia. u-s-a-i-d director samantha power is putting pressure on the ethiopian government and its nobel peace prize winning prime minister to alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the country's tee-gry' region. but as nick schifrin reports, the ethiopian government seems determined to target tigray. >> in addis ababa, the army's newest recruits wrap themselves in the ethiopian flag. they plee to give their blood -- literally -- in a war the government calls existential. >> our recruits shall bury the enemy and make sure ethiopia's sovereignty is respected. >> that enemy is in tigray in northern ethiopia, led by the local government tigrayan people's liberation front, or tplf. today ethiopia's federal government is waging war against tigray not with arms, but food. five million tigrayans don't have the means to eat and rely on aid. bumany world food program trucks are blocked by the ethiopian government. the last convoy allowed into tigray was 3 weeks ago a fraction of a

rebels will continue to pursue the national army and its allies even if it leads to the capital addis ababahe central government to end the siege on tigray, which has cut communication lines and blocked aid distribution. the bbc�*s africa correspondent, catherine byaruhanga, reports. have you seen the recent statements from the office of the prime minister where he's calling for all ethiopians to join in the fight against the tigrayan forces? yes, idid. he wants more and more people, probably hundreds of thousands of people to get killed in a senseless war in which the fate of ethiopia is being put on the line. we have regained most of our territory and dislodged both expansionists and to a certain extent, the eritreans as well. and the army's regular forces from out of tigray. he... when he tried to continue his fight against the people of tigray through a blockade and a siege. how does expanding this conflict to amhara and afar, you've gone as far as lalibela. there's also fighting in wadiya. so how does expanding conflict end the blockade? well, we are doing is we are trying to degrade e

a tele rivera, senior crisis adviser in the crisis response program at amnesty international in addis ababa, samuel gets a choose independent journalist and also from london. martin cloud senior research fellow at the institute of commonwealth studies at the university of london. thank you all for joining us. just to let you know the, the, the open government and the t great people's front didn't respond to our requests to join the panel. but let me start with you, donna tell rivera we mentioned there that the humanitarian crisis, and this report from your organization about the possible crimes that taking place. they just talk to us a little bit more about that in the the extent of it. yes, this report presents the finding of the investigation that we carried out over several months without being able to visit t grade because the european government not until now allowed international or any other international human rights organization to go to t grey. so we traveled to east down to refugee camps and interviewed women and girls, had been victims of sexual violence in te gray as well as a

the bbc�*s kalkidan yibeltal gave us the latest from the ethiopian capital, addis ababa.e hotspots of this conflict, which is in its ninth month now. we travelled to the region's capital, which is more than 100 miles away from the front lines, but the war is evident. the war is very visible. it is in the foreground. we have seen quite a number of mobilisations of malicious and youths joining the army or the regional forces, the armed forces. preparing and supporting the war effort. so now, as i said, nine months on we are seeing this conflict going into a protracted phase and expanding to other regions across northern ethiopian. humanitarian aid and the difficulty to provide much—needed emergency support for hundreds of thousands of people in tigray have been very much what the international community are trying to highlight in the past nine months, and particularly since june this seems to have worsened and now we are understanding that very little aid is getting into tigray. lastjuly the ground forces controlled much of tigray, and following that all the roads leading t

the therapy group says it struck in alliance with t cry forces to overthrow the government and addis ababa both groups. the mora liberation army and the to grind people of liberation front were added to the government's terror list this year. and the report by amnesty international says, sexual violence has been systematically used as a weapon of war into grime. it says hundreds of women and girls have been raped mainly by a few p and, and a retrain soldiers. algeria is beginning, 3 days of morning after the, after the number of people killed and wildfires rose to at least 65. the algerian read present says more than a 1000 people have not been injured and hundreds more are homeless. the heat wave has fuel the spread of the fires northward. he's believe when he was started deliberately. german authorities have arrested a british man working at the u. k. embassy in berlin on suspicion of spying for russia, that he's accused of sending documents acquired through his job to russian intelligence and exchange cash. the suspect is now in pre trial detention and awaiting a decision from a judge.

rebels will continue to pursue the national army and its allies, even if it leads to the capital addis ababaopian prime minister called on civilians to join the army to fight tigrayan forces. still to come a bit later in the programme, we'll look at china's role in cutting global emissions. but first, wildfires in algeria have killed at least 65 people, including 25 members of the military who were fighting fires in forests east of the capital, algiers. algeria is the latest country on the mediterranean to be hit by wildfires. the bbc�*s north africa correspondent rana jawad reports. fires are still tearing through the region. the flames destroying a lush green forest that once stood there. this is not a natural disaster, according to algerian officials, but the work of arsonists. it has killed civilians, soldiers and volunteer firefighters. residents here used what little means they had at their disposal to help firefighters extinguished the raging flames that reached their homes. it is in difficult and strenuous moments like this that the capacities of the state and the distrust that many

o p and i'm groups as it struck on alliance with to grind forces to overthrow the government in addis ababa, both groups, the aroma liberation army, and the to grind people's liberation front were added to the government. terror las earlier this year. voting begin shortly. and then be his presidential and parliamentary elections. the president and colonial is expected to face a strong challenge from his opposition rival, who spacing him for a 3rd time soaring unemployment, and corruption are among voters biggest concerns. algeria is beginning 3 days of morning, off the number of people killed in wildfire as they rose to at least 65. the cheery and red crescent says more than a 1000 people have been injured and hundreds of families are now homeless. the authorities believe many of the fires were started deliberately. up next here on al jazeera, my nigeria. we'll have more news for you on this channel in a little under 30 minutes. i will see you very soon. bye bye for now. did you know you can watch out for english streaming live and i do 2 channels plus thousands of our programs. award winni

the ethiopian government in addis ababa says it is in favor of the planned, but fighters are extendingonflict. they have been moving from the northern tigray region towards the southern border. the u.s. and the u.n. have called on the fors to leave the region. joining me now is the bbc's correspondent in the ethiopian capital. thank you for joining us. you recently came back frothe region. what can you tell us about the security situation there? reporter: it is one of the hotspots of this conflict. it is in its ninmonth now. we traveled to the region's capital, -- it is in its ninth month now. we traveled to the region's capital. we are seein quite a number of mobilizations of malicious -- militias and youths joining armies. now, as i say, nine months on, we are seeing this conflict going into a protracted phase, expanding to other regions across northern ethiopia. nada: what we're hearing from u.s. officials is just 10% of targeted aid has reached the region since mid july. can you give us a sense of what you saw in terms of how difficult it has been to get in supplies and if the ethi

so mohammed, how close are we to seeing talks between the government in addis ababa and te gray rebels? what he has house in there is a lot of shuttle diplomacy going on right now to try and bring both sides in that if you're p and conflict 2 talks, the african union has already appointed the former president of my judo, lucia abbas one. you'll but the people's liberation front rebels have refused an invitation from the african union. calling the organization bias to that of course, we are also seeing real on potable fees in the entire region. all out was in the field africa. the 2nd most populous mission could have effect far beyond its boldest. and in the past few days, the president can know who could data on the south to the nice president silver cube, paid a visit to prime minister, be this weekend. he visit the compiler and keep galley to see president william was 70 of uganda. i'm the one that president polk had gotten the united nations also coming in with lots of pressure to see if you opinion that warring parties come to the talks. but up until now, we are not seeing any kind

the ethnic groups themselves beginning to form an alternative alarms against the government in addis ababa so you have a fragmentation and they are again, a unification on different lines, which is happening right now. and they said right at the beginning, this is already a regional conflict because the error trans troops are directly in bowl. there are also have been sudanese forces who have been brought in because they've been crashes along the border and almost anything is possible. i think that it is really terribly serious situation. ready where the collapse of ethiopia is a possibility. i mean, it's the last thing anybody wants because it was unleashed forces that would be sustainable in the region. and, but it is a possibility. and one that we have to face, give them the tensions, and the ethnic rivalries and risks that are rippling across and making the whole situation much more dangerous. samuel gets a chance, should the government be focus more on dealing with the countries route problems? in order to, to, to, to tackle this rather than this call to arms from the prime minister.

samantha power has accused the government in addis ababa of obstructing aid convoys to the area, where insists it's allowing aid into the area, but it must stop weapons from reaching the rebels. china has formally revised its laws to allow couples to have up to three children. the plan is to reverse falling birth rates. china abandoned its one—child perfamily policy five years ago. these new measures will include scrapping financial penalties for parents who have more than two children, and offering families more support at work and with childcare. india's taj mahal will re—open for night viewings on saturday for the first time in more than a year. the vast white marble mausoleum in the city of agra is a huge tourist attraction, and viewing it by moonlight is a particular draw. but viewings after dark were cancled in march of last year. from broadway to the west end, and many places in between, theatre productions are gearing back up. but it's been a long year—and—a—half for performers. many of them had to find a way to fill their time, and pay their bills. david sillito,has been speak

samantha power has accused the government in addis ababa of obstructing aid convoys to the area, wherelowing aid into the area, but it must stop weapons from reaching the rebels. china has formally revised its laws to allow couples to have up to three children. the plan is to reverse falling birth rates. china abandoned its one—child perfamily policy five years ago. these new measures will include scrapping financial penalties for parents who have more than two children, and offering families more support at work and with childcare. there's growing concern in afghanistan about religious and media freedoms under the new taliban regime. the human rights group, amnesty international, has accused the taliban of killing nine men last month in ghazni, all from the country's hazara minority. eyewitnesses said three were tortured. akram gizabi is chair of the world hazara council. it is a human rights organisation which works for the welfare of the hazaras in afghanistan and around the globe. he's in washington. thank you for having me. how worried are — thank you for having me. how worried ar

they are important. malcolm webb is and i work with worn, how the government and addis ababa is treating the 8 organizations were you monetary and organization said that they were suspended since last week, but it was just a short while ago that the government put out the statement, confirming that and the things that they've accused those organizations are included using social media to disseminate propaganda. utilitarian organizations commonly try to publicize the crises that they're working on, where they're trying to assist people. the government, on the other hand, throughout the duration of this conflict, cut off the internet, cut off the phone, cut off the electricity throughout the gray region. there's definitely in information war going on as well. and the government clearly object to the humanitarian organization telling the world about what's actually going on on the ground. another one of those accusations was against doctors without borders, reporting, satellites, communications equipment without the license for the schools. and all of the traditional usual communications ar

department columbia thousands of pro government supporters in ethiopia gathered in the capital addis ababa to denounce to grind rebels. they rally against what they say is foreign interference in ethiopia affairs. the government has a strong international criticism over the conflict into which has killed thousands and pushed the regions to the brink of feminine families. of those killed and last year put explosion in lebanon. have rallied in by word, protest is carried to fake coffins and pictures of their loved ones to show their anger at the government and demand accountability. more than 200 people were killed and thousands injured. when ammonia nitrite stored at the port exploded, or i'd still ahead on al jazeera belgy back the loan around the game life after messy with the wind coming out with joe infill. ah ah ah ah, ah ah. ah me. oh, a time before emily. thank you. all eyes will be on the whereabouts of lino messy today as its reported, the form up offline star was on his way to paris for a medical with p. s. g. newspaper le keeps as the argentine is close to finding a deal with the

gedion timothewos in addis ababa, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me.go, you seemed very confident that your government was about to crush the forces of the tigray people's liberation front. are you now prepared to say that your government strategy has gone disastrously wrong? mr sackur, as i started back then we are in a position to retake mekele, and we're able to finalise the initial phase of the operation within a matter of three weeks. we took over mekele, we established an interim administration, we invested in rehabilitating tigray. and remember, it was a conflict that was forced upon us.

an armed group says it struck alliances to gray forces to overthrow the government and addis ababa. the early liberation. army says it's joined hands with the guy in people's liberation. frontal the t p l. s. s. know which has been fighting with government for 9 months. not both rebel groups have been added to the government. terror left earlier this year in the hospital, workers across the us have found themselves at the center of the national debate on covey. 900. next, since now there are calls to make jobs mandatory for all health employees when he refusing to get the vaccine well continued to catholic patients, as john 100 reports now from chicago to work at rush university medical center, there's a new rule, get the jab, or get another job, i think it's the right thing to do. we are in health care, we should be maintaining how and we shouldn't be putting our patients at risk. and even though the risk of transmitting covert from health care worker to a patient is low, it's not 0. there are strict exemptions or religious or medical reasons, but in general, health care workers ar

like we have seen over the last little bit where storms have been major as a capital of ethiopia addis ababa. these are the scenes that are playing out. and it all has to do with those storms falling toward the opium highlands and then draining gushing right down to ground level. we also know it feeds into the blue and white river. now's in heart to me were water levels have risen rapidly, further toward the south, unsettled for the eastern cape, spilling into durbin and southern mozambique. but there is some sunshine to be found. here we looked toward our botswana. ha baroni high of 29 degrees, and now you're up to date, caesar. the more than 10 years after the global financial crisis, you've taken home more than $480000000.00. your companies now bankrupt our economies in the state of crisis. i have a very casey question many last at home in the us who held responsible. i will be fabulously wealthy and i will not take any price for it. thank you, lloyd. the man who still worked on al jazeera when i think of my nature, i think of potential. when i think of potential, i think of what would be

samantha power has accused the government in addis ababa of obstructing aid convoys to the area, wheres allowing aid into the area, but it must stop weapons from reaching the rebels. from broadway to the west end and many places in between, theatre productions are gearing back up. but it's been a long year—and—a—half for performers. many of them had to find a way to fill their time, and pay their bills. david sillito has been speaking to one group of people who found themselves facing an unexpected career change, the cast of the west end musical, mamma mia. it always begins with an over chore. it always begins with an overture. a little musical welcome from the 93—year—old david dennis, to his carer, stephen beckett. i saw a sign, a care agency was looking for staff. i wanted to contribute, i wanted to do something. i can'tjust sit around. # here i go again. people at the care agency, they gave me five minutes. it is a bit of a change from what he was doing just over a year and a half ago, performing in london's west end as one of the three dads in mamma mia. and his co—stars? richard

is a b, b as capital addis ababa criticize the government for what it described as latin kids? criticisms of 8 organizations, that refers to a comment that the government person made last month when he accused the a big way. 8 organizations working into grey of being destructive forces in the martine griffith, the un humanitarian chief, said that this kind of talk about a organization is dangerous, and they put their workers at risk. and welcome just briefly. i mean, if there is no age from all the agencies are being suspended, in this particular case, these 3 groups, 78, actually reaching the people that need it most. and he's actually delivering it who even a terry and the saying that this is going to make the situation worse, cutting off some of these fairly major players in the humanitarian response. martha griffith yesterday said that at least a 100 trucks today need to be reaching the to great region. and at the moment, know when the many trucks, a getting through hundreds of thousands of people are reportedly facing fam. in conditions they need food, they need other supp

and group says it struck an alliance with degree in forces to overthrow the government in addis ababa, both groups, the aroma liberation army and the to grind people's liberation front were added to the government perilous this year. fan b and start heading to the polls in less than one hour with the economy and the fight against corruption. top of the agenda, one of africa's most indebted nations, is spacing economic turmoil and a pending bailouts. her him. a tasa has more for us from the suck the candidate again, the hugely emma is promising to create jobs for them as jobless youth, unemployment, his tenure, high last year. there's been anger and frustration about the economy. that's why supportive of each limb as opposition. united party for national development, a confidence he can beat incumbent president. it's a long so he's a scared of that nature to me because sanity is going to the dentist can to these guys, we have committed some benefits. it's been too much for the cases. so they're scared to handle the power, but there's been people who the about people who make sure that

the government in addis ababa has blamed the situation on tigrayan forces, accusing them of obstructing 1.6 million doses of the moderna vaccine due to what they say was contamination. officials said foreign substances have been found inside a number of unopened vials. moderna said no safety issues had been identified so far — and they would find other supplies to avoid disruption to japan's vaccine programme. new research in west africa has shown that combining an anti—malaria vaccine with a preventative drug lowered hospitalisations and deaths from the disease by more than 70%. but a key precondition was for the medical cocktail to be administered just before the start of the annual rainy season injune. malaria mainly affects children and young people, killing more than 400,000 people each year, mostly in africa. let's return to the situation in afghanistan and look now at the refugees who got out. 0ne interpreter who worked with uk forces spoke to our special correspondent lucy manning. he's currently in quarantine with his family. a new life inside the uk. this is what freedom looks

samantha power has accused the government in addis ababa of obstructing aid convoys to the area, wherewing aid into the area, but it must stop weapons from reaching the rebels. 0n the one—year anniversary of the poisoning of russian 0pposition leader alexei navalny, western nations and russia are taking actions against one other. the us and britain have imposed further santions on russian individuals, both for the attack and russia's chemical weapons programme. for their part, russian authorities have now raided more than five hundred navalny supporters whose names were leaked online. the united states has imposed sanctions on three more cuban officials. washington said the sanctions were in response to supposed violations of human rights during large anti—government protests last month. hundreds of demonstrators are still detained, following what activists say were summary trials. from havana, will grant reports: the 11th ofjuly was a day unlike any other in modern cuba. furious over shortages of food and medicine, blackouts, inflation in the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of protest