david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala city. >>> close to the turkish border, morea is within a proposed safe zone put forward by turkey last month. if the rebels lose the town it will be harder to clear i.s.i.l. from the area. >>> u.s. secretary of state john kerry said that, discussing reports that moscow is basing its military involvement. kimberly halkett has more from washington, d.c. >> the secretary of state did express the enhanced military buildup that has been taking place in recent days. the concerns expressed by the state department is if in fact these reports are true, that this is troublesome in that it would escalate the conflict in the view of the united states, it would also lead to further loss of life, and it would also increase the refugee flow, a concern that is expressed by the united states. now we do know that in fact, the secretary of state has articulated that it is his wish that there can be a further discussion about this at the united nations general assembly meeting that will be taking place later on this week, in new york. this is an annual meeting and alwa

david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. >>> the u.s.nt barack obama says climate change is a problem and needs to be addressed now. he just had begun a historic three-day visit to alaska and patty has the details. >> reporter: u.s. president barack obama is dragging the national spotlight to a place it rarely goes, the far northern state of alaska. >> over the past 60 years alaska has warmed about twice as fast as the rest of the united states. last year was alaska's warmest year on record. just as it was for the rest of the world. and the impacts here are very real. >> reporter: he will tour melti melting glasiers and talk to people dealing with climate change and a chance to reach a third of americans who tell pollsters who do not believe that climate change is real. but this trip has some environmental activists calling the president a hypocrite because he recently approved drilling for oil in the very place he is touring. the administration says they couldn't stop it because president george bush first approved it while in office bu

let's go to david mercer joining us via skype. his immunity has been stripped. what does it mean for him? >> well, it is all happening at an incredibly fast rate. as you said, congress decided yesterday, to strip him of his immunity. the order came out, an order for capture, 6 o'clock in the morning. thursday, he could be taken before a judge. and if the judge decides to send him to preventative prison, that could be the end of his presidency, it's happening at a fast pace. this follows months of ro test. demanding that he steps down. he has no connection, it's been said, are for the tax fraud corruption scandal. is looks like he'll be taken to task. >> how does the scandal a come about, how does guatemala find itself in that situation today. >> well, corruption in guatemala goes back a long time and certainly the military during the 36 year civil war, the military had an extensive network of illicit activities. and a lot of controls followed through null the present day, and a lot of the actors are in the same situation, what changed is the work of groups, inte

for the moment, david mercer live in guatemala city for that electi election. thank you, david. >>> the nigerian government is planning to exploit solid mineral resources to offset decline in global oil prices but it says it's losing millions of dollars in revenue every year from illegal mine can and now wants the miners to pay tax on what they earn. a report now from the town in northern nigeria. >> mohammed has been working the minds for seventeen years. he dropped out of school because he says his parents couldn't afford the expenses but soon, he may have to look for another job because the authorities are planning to crack down on illegal mining and he is not amused. >> this is my life. i can't do anything else. if anyone wants to take this job away from me, they must give me a home, a decent wage and all of the comforts of life. >> most of the gold prospecting may be small but the people working is huge. a good day can fetch hundreds of dollars, and those are the dollars the government also wants. for a long time, enforcement against illegal mining has been

let's get more from david mercer who is live for us in guatemala city. pretty eventful few days for the former president. what went on in court? >> reporter: that's right things have been going on at break neck speed. he was president on tuesday, on wednesday an arrest warrant was issued for him. later that day he put in his resignation. on thursday he was brought before a court for a preliminary hearing. last night he spent the night in prison, today he's back this court. he's expected to make his first declaration. now, meanwhile alejandro maldonado has been sworn in as the new president of the country. now, maldonado is a lifelong poll tipping, a manage station in the constitutional court, the highest court in guyed mall a. one of his first requests is for all the cabinet ministers who served under otto perez to submit their resignations, he wants to form a new cabinet. he's trying to restore credibility in the government and says significantly he has called upon guatemalans to pressure political figures in an attempt to bring more transparency to the

david mercer joins us live now from guatemala city. from where you are, does it seem like a lot of people have boycotted the contest? what is the turn out like? >> reporter: well, we are about midway through the day of voting here in caught mall a at this particular voting station where we are right now, there has been a really steady stream of people comi through here. in fact, it's only noon and already more than 40% of the voters who are registered here have shown up to vote. so that's a pretty high turn out. it's a very high turn out, especially considering the changes, the political development over the past week, over the past couple of weeks hear in guatemala. there was talk -- there were a number of people protesting calling for the elects to be canceled or at least pushed back to allow some very needed electoral reforms to be pushed through congress. a lot of people were saying that they would society no or refuse to vote whatsoever as a form of protest against an election they say they are not ready for, the system is not rea

six cabinet ministers resigned last week as david mercer reports. >> jubilation in the streets of guatemala city, as people celebrate an historical decision. president otto perez molina, stripped of his immunity by congress will face impeachment, the news guatemalans have been waiting for. the decision was nearly unanimous. >> the results of the vote are as follows. 132 votes in favour. zero votes against. congress men not present. 26. now proving that they can take president molina to the court. prosecutors accused the president of being the head of a multi-million corruption scandal. congress voted an an impeachment process pushed forward a week and a half ago, the second time in a past month congress met to decide the president's future. you can see the energy on the street, people say they have been waiting for a long time for the lawmakers to take is seriously. this is an historic day. there's no place these people here would rather be >>> from the early morning, the president supporters formed a human chain in an attempt to block entry from congress. those in favour of impeachment wer

david mercer reports. >> reporter: veronica is disillusioned by politics. up until a few weeks ago, the 45-year-old mother decided not to vote in the guatemalan general election. when she saw the changes sweeping the country, she decided that now was the time, even if it meant voting for the least worst candidate. >> if i don't participate in this election, i will not be able to question the future, and also i have to set an example for my daughter. i need to show her the importance of political participation. >> 7.5 million guatemalans are eligible to vote. many feel the same way as veronica. of the 14 candidates, you'd thing the people are spoilt for choice. many guatemalans said they heard the campaign promises, but they have not heard a plan on how they will deliver. >> i have a well-structured governance plan. i will not need to improvise, i have the leadership experience to my political advantage. >> translation: i don't belong to the traditional political class. what i'll do is fight the class associated with corruption and immunity. we have a plan t

david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala city. >>> a mexican president will make the annual state of the nationon wednesday and his popularity is low among the poor nest the country and john holman says it's not just the president people are fed up with. >> reporter: welcome to mexico senate where wealth is unashamed on show. a new political year is kicking off with the president's annual report but the game remains the same. >> translator: the problem is mexico politics is about getting rich and therefore the gap between the poor and politicians widens. we are part of a system that is fundamentally corrupt. >> in a country struggling with mass poverty mexican senators are more with extras and bonuses than their counterparts in uk, france, spain and almost as much as the u.s. but while those salaries bear some relation to their county's minimum wage mexican senators make 170 times more than those living on the bread line. like the people in sidewalk city. the people living in this neighborhood are in a desperate position but not alone. almost half of mexicans live in poverty and that is a numbe

. >> david mercer with the latest from guatemala city, david, thank you. >>> thai police say that neithere two men that they've detained in connection with the bangkok bombing is the lead suspect. this man was arrested six days ago in a bangkok suburb with what police say was bomb-making equipment. his dna and that of another suspect do not match samples from the person the police think is the bomber. >>> an unprecedented number of shark attacks off australia's east coast have reignited a debate over whether culling is the only way to make waters safe for swimmers. the new south wales say government is reviewing new control measures after 14 attacks between sydney and brisbane over the past year. in the latest incidents a man was knocked off his surfboard by a shark and then mauled. andrew thomas reports now from new south wales. >> reporter: on the morning of july 31st, just 20 meters from shore former boxer case was mauled by a great white shark. sat on his surfboard with the shark trying to rip off his leg, he imagined to fight back. >> i went who can, who can, who can, four files. >>

let's get more from david mercer who is live for us.u tell us about the second day in court? >> reporter: we just herbed president molina giving his first declaration in court. he spoke for about 40 minutes, rejecting the charges, he says that he is denied that he was involves he said he didn't benefit financially in in way from this ring. he says he he could have diverted. he could have diverted the investigation but didn't. he said he has made himself available to the justice system. he said there must be hard proof and evidence that is brought to court and that so far what's been present violates his presumption of innocence. and he also highlighted his military experience and the role he played as a senior military ore fcial during the 6-year civil war and the role played in sign the peace accords and what he said was bringing democracy to guatemala. yesterday while he was listening to some of the taped telephone conversations with him. speaking to people who have been involved in this corruption scandal he looked very worried. incr

david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala city. >>> still ahead here on al jazeera, we visit a remote villagealaska facing the threat of being wiped out by climate change. >>> plus mexicos haves and have nots, we report on the wealth gap between the poor and the people who are supposed to represent them. ♪ >> the show's called "third rail". we'll be talking about topics that you wouldn't ordinarily touch. people are gonna be challenged, we're not gonna take sides... an approach that treats every single player in a particular story equally. it's something fresh and something new. ♪ >>> hello again, you are watching al jazeera. there have been angry protests outside of budapest's railway station. hungarian police are preventing anyone without a valid e.u. visa to leave the station. >>> the former congalese war lord is facing charges at the international criminal court. >>> and two red cross workers have been killed in yemen. gunmen tacked their car. the red cross says the vehicle was clearly marked. >>> the u.s. court is hearing pretrial arguments in the case against six police officering conne

david mercer reports >>> jubilation in the streets of guatemala city as people celebrate an historical decision in a country battling corruption. the president stripped of immunity by congress will face impeachment, the news guatemalans are waiting for. the decision was nearly unanimous. >> translation: the results of the vote are as follows, 132 in favour, zero against. congressman not present, 26. now, with a majority we approve they can take president molina to the courts. prosecutors accuse the president of the being a head of a multi-million corruption scandal. congress voted n an impeachment process, pushed forward, a week and a half ago. it was the second time congress met to decide the president's future. >> you can see the animosity on the street. this is an historic day. >> from the early morning the president's supporters formed a human train in an attempt to block entry to congress. those in favour were present. some of whom handed out white flowers and a symbol of liberty. despite pressure from across guatemala, analysts say legal obstacles mean putting him on trial could

more now from david mercer who is in one area where the blazes have been contained. >> we are on the outskirts of the capital city of ecuador. you can see the damage that was caused by these forest fires that have been going on for the past couple of weeks. the low brushes charged. you can still smell the charcoal in the air. if you look up here to my left, you can see a house, you can see how the fire came up to the doorstep just a couple of meters away. hinns of people were evacuated. they are back in their homes now. the fire chief who we spoke to today says the fires have been contained. that's thanks to the arrival of hundreds of other firefighters. it was in valleys that the fires often started. the investment minister says 70% were started by people. the interior minister has put out a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest anybody suspected of starting the fires. we are at the end of a long, hot dry summer. the winds are picking up in the afternoon, creating the conditions that firefighters are afraid could start a fresh blaze. for now things are calm. people ar

. >> david mercer there live from guatemala city, david, thank you. >>> now, an independent report hasrred the mexican got office investigate in to the disappearance of 43 students almost a year ago saying they may have been killed in a case of mistaken identity by drug smugglers, the student protesters were attacked in the southern city of iguala after highjacking buses during a december trailings last december. a report from the i want americainter americancommissions one of the buses may have contained a drug shipment. >>> a diplomatic effort to end the what are in syria seem to be going nowhere with the rub an and u.s. hardening their positions for and against president is sad. john kerry spoke to his russian counterpart on saturday to express concern about reports of an increased russian military presence in the country. pictures released by syrian activists show russian fighters backing syrian forces in the country sources close to the syrian regime say some of the images released show soldiers at a russian base a support city where syrian soldiers are being trained. >>> now, at

as david mercer reports from keto. >> reporter: we are on the out skirs of keto, the capitol city of and if you look around you can see the damage caused by these forest fires going on for a couple of weeks and low brushes absolutely charred and you can still smell the charcoal in the air. and if you look up here to my left you can see a house and see how the fire came right up practically to the doorstep just a couple meters away and, in fact, hundreds of people were evacuated and they are back in their homes now and the fire chief who we spoke to today said the fires largely have been contained and that is thanks to arrival of hundreds of other firefighters in the country. it was this valleys like this one right behind me the fires often started, the environment minister here says 70% of those were started by people and the interior minister has put out a $50,000 reward leading to arrest of anybody suspected of arson and starting these fires. we are at the end of a very long, hot, dry summer here in ecuador and the winds are picking up in the afternoon creating the sort of conditio

crossing over to david mercer, joining us from guatemala city to tell us how turnout has been so far, david. >> well, it's still early hours here in guatemala, voting started about two hours ago. people are slowly filing in at this particular station where we're at right now. 20% of the people they expect to vote have already voted. that's a pretty fair turnout so far. there are 14 candidates for presidency who want to run the country for the next four years, but of course, this is all taking place against this political turmoil in the country. now, with me today, i'm joined by a supervisor here. thank you for being here with us today. we heard rumors that certain political parties are offering to pay voters to take pictures of their ballots to show they're voting for their particular political party. what are you trying to do to prevent this from happening? >> first of all, the group we are working at this voting station is composed of four people, and we have met with the presidents of each table. we have seven tables at this voting center and they are aware that this may happen, an

david mercer on whether history is repeating itself. >> you are on to something.he voters are not attached to any candidate. it's only 2015. we are not even in 2016 yet. there's a lot of truth to the front runners so far before the whole thing is over. people forget that mitt romney lost -- neil: by the way, and bill clinton on the road to his nomination and jimmy carter on the road to his nomination. so that happens. i was reminded of the democratic side although not as many candidates yet, placing bernie sanders and hillary clinton such places. in fact it more crowded? >> i don't think it gets more crowded. certainly not to the extent the crowd is gathering. i think five to six candidates. there's a question mark about vice president biden but we will address that if you wish later on in the show. that said, there is a lot of similarities. multiple candidates as you do in 2012. secondly, you don't have leadership qualities summoning the port among donors, among state party leaders, other congressmen than others being surrogates to campaigns. there is a distincti

malfunctioning traffic lights in princeton in mercer county on mercer street at lover's lane, david.g out there. >> wow. all right. so, we have cool conditions this morning with temperatures in the 50's and low 60's. by 9 o'clock at the el station and bus station in philadelphia, we'll be up to about 62. a nice morning to get your exercising done. and then by noon, 74. and 79 by three he clock with a high today of 80 probably around 3:30 or 4 o'clock. and settling back to about 77 by 6 o'clock. it's going to be bright and nice today. big issue across the country is this area of low pressure and related cold front in the center portion of the country that could trigger some thunderstorms. these right now are not near any of our most commonly traveled destinations or even any major airports. later on in minneapolis maybe a problem. a little bitter of cloud cover and related shower activity down around florida but it doesn't look like it's causing any rain in orlando right now and as we check out our most commonly traveled destinations, no precipitation anywhere, all green aircraft, no

year-old is a currents student at mercer university and she's the first contestant from georgia to win the crown in nearly 60 years. >>> abc's world news tonight with david muir is next here on channel six. "action news" continues at 10:00 on phl17 with brian taff sharrie williams, meteorologist adam joseph and ducis rodgers. then join us for "action news" at 11:00 right here on 6abc. now for jim gardner, cecily tynan, adam joseph, ducis rodgers, the entire "action news" team, i'm rick williams. we hope to see you at 11:00. go eagles. >> ♪ let's clear the air. there are no limits on the amount of carbon pollution power plants can... release. and our senator, pat toomey, led the fight to keep it that way. carbon pollution, a major cause of climate change, leads to more asthma attacks in children. over a million pennsylvanians now suffer from asthma. and senator toomey took over a million dollars from polluters. tell senator toomey: it's time to clear the air. vote for the clean power plan. >>> tonight, the breaking news. the state of emergency. the deadly wild fire right here in california. several unaccounted for tonight. hundreds of homes destroyed. as