neave barker from athens. >> angry crowd tries to storm the ministry of agriculture. plumes of tear gas fill the air while protesters take pot shots at office windows. many of these farmers have traveled from the island of crete to join a day of demonstrations that began with violence. from across the country, farmers querngfarmersconverged on athenn thousands. this group came in convoy. protesters from across the country, now they're taking their anger to the people. >> this country is people, these laws are not going to help people, they're going to destroy them. not only farmers. most of the society. >> on syntagmas square close to parliament, protesters have pitched tents. they say they'll be here for days. >> we have come here with determination and decisiveness. we won't leave until we have justice. >> last week, greece signed an agreement with international monetary fund. greek government says the reforms are not a matter of choice, they're a matter of necessity. but the reforms will mean tax hikes and sharp increases in pension contributions. ing make their sm

. >> neave barker is with us, the investigation on those attacks on paris showing the links, what do they actually plan to do together, how do they think that's going to stop further attacks? >> well, as we heard there from the french prime minister, this, mini summit is largely about finding a common solution to what is essentially a shared problem a shared threat of there being potentially further attacks in the future. of course soon after the paris attacks, both countries acted rather unilaterally in shoring up the security on the trustees paris and over in france the french government were quick to introduce a state of emergency. there were loopholes, there were gaps in intelligence and that has been the real source of some tensions between france and belgium. the french accusing the belgian government of not doing enough to keep see suspects fleeing from france into belgium. there is an active search for salah ben islam. salaam. from brussels into france too carry out these deadl deadly at. shared database of information a list of suspects, both intelligence agencies working cl

neave barker, al jazeera. athens. >> in an historic meeting pope francis and the russian orthodox patriarch have called on the international christia community to stop persecution. it was the first meeting in 1,000 years. >> i'm grateful for the humility of his holiness, his good wishes for unity. we've emerged with several different initialties which we believe are feasible if this come to pass. >> it was a conference full of content which provide us an opportunity to understand and feel out each other's positions. on the result it's of the conversation, enable me to state that both countries can cooperate and defend christians around the world and with full responsibility work together to prevent war so human life is respected throughout the world. >> let's speak to miguel delatore from the university of colorado. he joins us live via skype. thanks for being with us on the program. this meeting, has it really been forced on these two churches because of their joint dire is to raise awareness that christians

neave barker is in dublin for us, and from there, he sent this report. >> reporter: ireland is a nationed. the last five years have brought pain and prosperity, the government promised continued economic recovery, but not everyone is convinced they can finish the support. >> we expect as many people as possible to go out and cast their votes. >> reporter: the main opposition party and its leader are hoping for an election recovery. the party was once among the most powerful in europe, but was swept from office soon after the financial crash. ireland's fortunes may have changed, but the country is still fixated on its economic health. >> i know keeping the tax [ inaudible ] keep the [ inaudible ]. >> there are people outside of dublin who haven't seen the benefits of the recovery yet, and i think they are wondering why not? >> reporter: it's 6 -- 6 years since they secured a bailout from international lenders. now it has the fastest growing economy in the european union, but not without painful cuts. while some want to remain on this road map to recovery, others are desperate for change.

neave barker, al jazeera, london. >> for more, the address is aljazeera.com. you'll find comment, analysis and video on demand, as well. incredible science in the lab usually means this. it can be controversial, it can also be extremely beneficial. >> just like that, i'm genetically modified >>> the mosquitos that carry two deadly diseases, malaria and dengue fever. both show promise they can work

well, we'll speak to neave barker live in athens in just a moment after his report. >> reporter: protestingrs attack riot police as an angry crowd tries to storm the ministry of agriculture. protesters take pot shots at office windows. many of these farmers from traveled from the island of crete. from across the country farmers converged on athens in their thousands. in the last two weeks farmers have staged at least 70 blockades on highways across the country. >> the country is the people. these laws are not going to help the people. they are going to destroy them. not only farmers. most of society. >> reporter: on the square in athens close to parliament, some protesters have pitched tens. they say they will be here for several days. >> translator: we have come here to protest with determination and decisiveness. we won't leave here until we have found justice. >> reporter: last year the greek government signed an agreement with its lenders that if it introduced a raft of deep-seeded economic reforms, it would have access to a $95 billion bailout. the greek government says the reforms are

neave barker, al jazeera, dublin. >>> still ahead on al jazeera. as alal i on the first anniversary of the shooting of the opposition leader boris nemtsov. >>> some fear more unrest over current economic controls. ♪ ♪ >> the only live national news show at 11:00 eastern. >> we start with breaking news. >> let's take a closer look. ♪ ♪ >>> hello again, reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. the u.n. says a cessation of hostilities in syria is largely being honored. russia says it's halted airstrikes on syrian rebels who have agreed to the ceasefire. >>> at least 25 people have been killed in two suicide attacks in afghanistan. and ireland is placing political uncertainty after exit polls indicate the governing coalition has failed to win enough votes for secure a second term. the u.n. is worried about the use of force in uganda following the presidential elections. two killed and 200 detained including the opposition candidate. the opposition is continue to go dispute the president's reelection. and now there are more allegations of vote ri

neave barker, al jazeera, dublin. >>> now, a top hacker has told al jazeera that hollywood hasn't gott comes to protecting itself against cyber crime. it's been more than a clear since sony was hit by a mass i've tack and that criminals are increasingly turn getting their attention studios. from los angeles, phil lavelle reports. >> reporter: there is edward snowden. and there is hollywood director oliver stone. he's making a film about edward snowden. and this is ralph. the man oliver stone has hired to keep his film about edward snowden away from prying eyes. >> this industry doesn't really know what it's doing. >> reporter: ralph is a hacker turned hacker detector. one of a new breed called digital body guards helping hollywood make sense i've world where it is more than film fans watching very closely. >> they have this idea that the film is in the can as if it were a physical thing and it's not. from the moment that you are captioning this film it's a file it gets duplicated and multiplied throughout that process so many times. that didn't happen with a physical piece of film. >>

neave barker, al jazeera, on the athens highway. >>> you are watching al jazeera. still to come.orea has kicked out all south koreans from a joints i run industrial park. plus. a standoff between armed men occupying a wildlife refuge and police in oregon has ended more than a month after it started. >> i respect him as a reporter and i love him as a brother. >> one mississippi journalist seeking justice for civil rights cases gone cold. >> it's not just about prosecution, it's about remembering. detailing of history. >> our special report. only on al jazeera america. ♪ ♪ >>> reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. diplomatic discussions to revive talks on syria are underway between the u.s. and russia in munich. moscow says it will begin a ceasefire in syria on march the 1st, but washington says it must begin immediately. >>> south africa's president jacob zuma has been repeatedly interrupted while making his annual state of the nation address. outside of lament in cape town police fired stun grenades at protesters demanding that zuma stand down. >>> at least fest two pri

neave barker, al jazeera, london. >>> just ahead on the news hour.eature film on ethnic minorities in bangladesh is getting an extra reception. >>> and in sport why this team have high hopes ahead of the rio olympics. ♪ ♪ >>> hello again, a new feature film is offering an incite into the minorities in bangladesh who have long complained of being neglected, but it's unlikely to get a commercial release in the country where it was made. >> reporter: film festivals here are a rare occasion to promote bangladeshi movies not just for a global audience, but bangladeshis themselves. the local cinema is in decline. >> the old cinema halls are dying, and the new film theaters have not replaced them in that way. >> reporter: at the same time, local movies have been receiving more recognition abroad. but the bangladeshi film with most international attention this year, won't be screened at home any time soon. my bicycle, the first movie in bangladesh about its indigenous communities is having trouble getting clearance from the censors. >> translator: we [ inaud

neave barker is live in paris. where is the cabinet heading on this one? >> well, there has been weeks of speculation, as to whether the government extends the state of emergency. that is what they intend to do. the prime minister has been speaking extensively. we were at the press conference in brussels, in which they said they would extend the state of emergency. and it's good to remind france that the nation is at war. the state of emergency over the last 2.5 months has given extra power to the authorities, to shut down red sites, glorifying acts of violence and ban public demonstration, on top of that. the government wants to make changes to the constitution to bring in states of emergency in the future. there's a controversial proposal that may be voted upon later in the week. it could see dual nationals stripped of presidentship if they are convicted on acts of terrorism. the government needs to get tough on any possible threat and signs of home grown violence. >> how strong is public support for these special powers? >> here in the french capital pa

neave barker reports, not everyone stands to gain from the country's changing fortune. >> when ireland goes to the polls on friday, ashley and her family will be evicted from this government-paid hostil hostel. rents soared leaving hundreds of low-income families homeless. this is the blip side of ireland's economic recovery. >> we couldn't find property that was affordable enough for us and the three children. it was the difference between paying the rent or feeding the kids. we didn't have enough money to do both. >> this is the recovery of those in power want you to see. here the sun shines on the irish economy. building works stalled during the financial crisis has begun again. ireland has become a poster child of what financial posterity can achieve, but there were winners and losers. >> the be beneficiaries of for those who are highly skilled, multi lingual. the lose are those who are at the bottom of the distribution and lower level of skills. >> the prime minister are hoping for reelection. many feel the recovery is down for them. >> a lot of growth and support has come off the

neave barker reports. >> alice evans has a mental disorder that affects her moods around thoughts. >> it was very, very frightening and i started hearing things and seeing things that weren't there and i felt very threatened. >> alice was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and anxiety disorder. needed support to get what she needs. >> there was only one psychiatrist in the area i was living in covering, i don't know how many people i was living in. no mental health care for people under 65 and they still don't have scriforts as far as i can i can tell because they don't have the means to do so. >> in this age of seng cut spens and this age of austerity, this new report says the situation is too critical to ignore. its findings paint a bleak picture of england's mental health services. 4477 people on average are killing themselves each year. 47% of areas provide no service at all for postnatal mental problems. black african and other men are held in different groups, the report says 1.7 billion is what's actually needed. paul farmer who oversaw the report is calling for urgent act

neave barker, al jazeera, athens. >>> the world health organization says it is looking more and morethat the zika virus is linked to birth defects. the disease is affecting many countries in the americas and could spread to other parts of the world. >> reporter: this is china's first zika patient. he was in venezuela when he began to get a fever and feel dizzy. >> translator: the symptoms made me believe that i had contracted dengue fever, because zika virus was only found recently. >>> infection with the virus is not usually life-threatening to adu adults. the latest outbreak begin in brazil nine months ago. health sorts are pushing to distribute more effective health kits to speed up diagnosis. >> translator: there is great optimism that we would develop this vaccine in less time than originally foreseen. we believe within a year we could have the vaccine in its developed form. >> reporter: but the world health organization says it is likely to be 18 months before a vaccine can go to large-scale trials. 4,000 suspected cases linked to brain deformities in babies. the virus has been

neave barker reports from dublin. >> the arduous task of counting began. the coalition government faced the prospects of a bruising result. early polls showed a drop in support despite improvements in the commit. the party way be forced to sake support from others. signs of electorate switching signs, as support grew. >> shin phone campaigned with a strong voice. a message that went down well, where the party topped the poll. anner at public spending cuts, mistrust of established politicians all plays a roll in the lose of support. >> the government is a bit complacent. they felt they would be rewarded for a recovery. >> it follows a pattern for other european countries. spain, portugal and greece have been through austerity. austerity is meant to be over. as the votes are counted, the results come in. and it continues to look more and more like people have gone out to cover in the polls >>> the current coalition will have to hold on to power and build new alliances. the main political parties were forged 100 years ago. there are differences that date back

neave barker, al jazeera, london. >> a baby girl is at the center of a row over australia's refugee policy. doctors have refused to release one-year-old ash-a. she will be deported to the island of naru. naru is used by australia as a place for slum seekers. >> the baby has seemed to have healed quite well, the mother is overwhelmed. for the first couple of weeks since they arrived, she was really angry about the treatment of the baby, and now, she is completely overwhelmed and feeling so much better. >> iranian film directors are making their mark at this year's berlin film festivity, films from iran have a good track record, winning the top prize twice this the past five years. nadim baba is there. >> reporter: they're young and behind bars and forgotten by societal. the teenage girs in the iranian documentary starless tears, have committed serious crimes. the director says it's tragic that many would prefer to stay inside the correctional facility than go back to their families. >> if you show their pain, their dreams, their, what they think, we can try to solve our problems with us and

neave barker, al jazeera, dublin. >> tension among refugees is rising at the greek-macedonia border. humanitarian challenges are mounting at the camp. refugees are continue to go join more than 5,000 who have been blocked from passing since the border was closed to some nationalities on thursday. >> jakarta's oldest red-light district is about to be demolished. thousands o prostitutes have been convicted and many don't have enough to eat. >> this has been a popular destination for salers and traders for as long as everyone can remember, but not any more. those who sold food to customers every night are now out of work. this is a shanty town where this woman raised her children and grandchildren making money doing laundry. >> i'm crying all the time. i can't even eat. i want to eat, but i don't have the money to buy food now. i feel sad that my grandchildren will also have to go through this. >> it's a dark hidden world where generations of poor indonesians made a living and this will be the end of an era. now they're forced to pick up their lives, lives of joy and sadness. only 200 o

neave barker, al jazeera, london. >> for more, the address is aljazeera.com. you'll find comment, analysis and video on demand, as well. incredible science in the lab usually means this. it can be controversial, it can also be extremely beneficial. >> just like that, i'm genetically modified >>> the mosquitos that carry two deadly diseases, malaria and dengue fever. both show promise they can work when standard methods do not >> that's not enough to prevent dengue transmission. >> reporter: you can do better? >> yes. >> reporter: so what are we waiting for? this is techknow, the show about innovations that can change lives. the intersection of hardware and humanitarian, and we're doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. techknow investigates genetically modified mosquitos. welcome. joining me today is my guests. what would you say if i told you would could eradicate malaria and dengue fever but to do so we would have to release genetically modified mosquitos into the world. what do you think the reaction would be? >> i think it wou

neave barker is reporting from paris. >> in the land of liberty, equality and fraternity, matters ofational security and now center stage. since the paris attacks france has been living under a state of emergency, and many people here welcome it. >> the measures are good. they allow us to identify people with bad intentions. >> i prefer to see some that no one would be killed in the streets. i think we must be very careful today. >> at the end of february the three month long state of emergency will expire after weeks of speculation the french governments also now almost certain to speak parliaments approval to extend it. the state of emergency gives authorities unprecedented power to be able to arrest and conduct searching without the need of a warrant. also to shut down websites seeming to glorifying acts of violence and to start public gathering and demonstrations. the french government says the country is at war. >> we are going to extend the state of emergency. we've already voted for two anti-terrorism bills, and we're also going to propose the law giving more powers to the pol

neave barkers joins us now. the government is losing support how are things developing there?the counsel here has been going on for more than 12 hours and expected to go on for a few hours before we get an idea of the results in the general election. as you said the health of the economy has been high on the mind of the electorate which they took to the polling stations on friday. the outgoing coalition made up of fine gael and the ireland labor party sea they are responsible for turning around ireland's economic fortunes. only six years after the country went cap in hand to the international lenders to secure a multi billion dollars bailout. but the government's rivals, parties like sinn f e.u. n say that the economic discovery is not filtering down to all sectors of irish society. the coalition government already faced the prospects of a bruising final result. early polls showed a drop in support despite huge improvement in the county's economy. the fine gael party and it's a labor party ally may now be forced to seek support from other parties to stay in government. as the

neave barker reports. >> ending weeks of speculation, france's state of emergency is certain to continue. cabinet ministers met to finalise a proposal to extend it. the plan will go before parliament for approval. >> since attacks troops patrolled the streets. many french welcome this. >> the state of emergency gives unprecedented power to stop, search and arrest people without a warrant. it gives them power to take down websites, and also to stop public gatherings and demonstrations. some worry that the temporary measures may be more perm nant. thousands took to the streets of paris. many here threaten french values, freedom of speech and the right to demonstrate. there are questions about the effectiveness of the measures. since the attack, police have carried out thousands of raids, but so far only four terrorism related investigations have been open. >> activists say the heightened security unfairly targeted muslim communities. >> measures taken by the government are counterproductive. state of emergencies against security-based measures, stigmatization of various community. >> withi

as neave barker reports. >> it's passion day at christies.le reserved for the super rich, works by picasso and other modern masters fetch millions of dollars a piece. with many works snatched up by rich chinese buyers who ensure that prices remain high. >> this he is mate estimated £7 million. >> it's yours, sold. >> at this high end, art is an asset to be traded. experts warn the market may be ready for a klum. christianers at the university of luxembourg have been analyzing the results of millions of sales over 30 years. they're showing that art sales fluctuate like our commodities like gold and real estate and now we're heading to a big dip. >> a lot of people who are specialists of the art market have been expecting the market to cooldown and i think we're seeing it this year. i think we saw it top in may last year, and since then we've seen a bit of a cooling. will it collapse? i don't think so. will it hit a downward trajectory, i think we're seeing that this year. >> christie's sold $7.4 billion in art last year. $1billion less than a

neave barker met some of them on the road to athens. >> reporter: on the hillside, constantino tendses. when summer comes respite grapes will be shipped as far away as germany. but the changing seasons bring uncertainty. the greek government wants to introduce tax hikes and sharp increases in pension contributions, changes the farmers say will leave them destitute. >> about 70 to 75% of our income to go for taxes and pension. this is not affordable. this is a death of the farmers. especially the little and the middle class of farmers. >> reporter: for the past 20 days, local farmers have gathered at a makeshift blockade on the highway to athens. if their demands aren't met, they say they will drive in convoy to the capital. the humble tractor has become a symbol of resistence. >> translator: our message is for the government to take back their proposed pension and tax measures and for us to sit down at the table to discuss our new set of terms. >> reporter: elsewhere in greece, farmers have used their vehicles to block highways and border crossings, forcing people to take long di det

neave barker is outside that embassy in london. give us an idea what this ruling means.s not legally binding. so what does it mean? >> reporter: well, yes, that's is a very big question. it's a critical time for julian assange, he is waiting for the official conclusion, although, we do have a very strong idea that it will rule in his favor. already we have heard from the swedish government who have rejected these findings saying their conclusion is very different to the one the u.n. is about to officially make on friday. julian assange said if the ruling was in his favor, he would call for his passport and be able to travel to ecuador. if he said the appeal failed, then he would come out any way on midday on friday, potentially facing arrest, because this would have been the last ditch appeal that he could possibly make. but the big question is, what influence, if any, really, will this united nations conclusion have in whether or not the u.k. and sweden continue to push for his arrest, extradition, and of course, the swedes aren't desperate to interview him. he faces a

neave barker reports. >> reporter: the french government is now poised to extend the state of emergencyeks of speculation. the french prooichl has been speaking extensively in the last few days, quick to remind the country that it is in a state of war, and unprecedented levels of security are the only way of keeping the nation safe. the measures give authority to the police to be able to carry out arrests without warrants, and to stop public gatherings and demonstrations too. and the government wants to make it much easier in the future by changing the constitution for states of emergency as well. and also they could see duel nationals stripped of their citizenship if convicted of acts of terrorism. the vast majority of people here in the country are behind an extension of these extraordinary measures. >>> people of ireland are going to vote in general elections on february 26th. this is five years after ireland secured an international financial bailout. now, though, it is the european union's fastest-growing economy. there are those, though, who are not feeling the benefits. jonah hal

neave barker, al jazeera, dublin. >> video has emerged of a violent confrontation of an university rugby match in south africa. it shows black protesters clashing with white players which resulted in several people being injured. the violence of the university of free state comes after a wave of race-related protests on south african campuses over the last year. [singing] >> now the management and coming down to engagement. >> i'm an english student. i'm studying english. because that have i know that two-thirds of classes are in english. it's not a majority-speaking language. and they claim that most resources go to africans, which i can say for a fact that's not true. >> the look of mobile phones has changed dramatically in recent years with devices relying on the innovative use of new materials and technologies. however one material more than any other is poised to reshape the next generation of phones. from the mobile phone congress in ba barcelona. >> 200 times stronger than steel but invisible to the eye. graphene with remarkable properties. it conducts electricity and when it's pr

neave barker reports from london. >> reporter: it's auction say at christy's.rved for the super rich, works by picasso and other modern masters fetch millions of dollars apiece. >> sold. >> reporter: with many works snapped up by rich chinese buyers who ensure prices remain high. >> this is estimated to be 11 to $15 million. >> reporter: this picasso broke auction records. >> $160 million. it's years. sold. >> reporter: at this high-end, art is an asset to be traded, but experts warn the market may be ready for a slump. researchers at the university of luxemburg have been analyzing the results of millions of sales over 30 years. their findings show that art sales fluctuate like other commodities, and now we're heading for a big dip. >> a lot of people who are specialists of the art market have been expecting the market to cool down, and i think we're seeing it this year. i think we saw it top at -- in may last year, and since then, we have seen a bit of a cooling. will it collapse? i don't think so. will it hit a downward trajectory? i think we're seeing that t

as neave barker tells us, activists question the need for more power. >> reporter: in the land of libertyequality and fraternity, matters of national security are center stage. since the paris attacks people have been living under a state of emergency. >> measures are good. they allow us to identify bad intentions. >> i'm prepared to see something that no one knows. i think we must be very careful today. >> reporter: at the end of february, the 3-month long state of emergency will expire. after weeks of speculation, the french government is certain to seek parliament's approval to extend it. the state of emergency gives authorities unprecedented power to arrest and conduct researches without the need for a warrant, and to shut down website clorifying acts of violence and to stop public gatherings and demonstrations. the french government says the country is at war. >> translation: we'll extend the state of emergency. we have voted for two anti-terrorism bills, and we are going to propose a law giving more powers to the police and the courts. but plans to extend the measures led to this. t

. >> neave barker, live in dublin, thank you very much. >>> still ahead only al jazeera. south carolina is the latest state to name previewed candidate for the u.s. democratic party. we take you to columbia. zimbabwe's president mugabe's 92nd birthday with a lavish party. >>> and we look at asia's cricket cup, details of a dramatic game coming up. >> hunted to the brink of extinction. >> we need an urgent method that stops the killing. >> now fighting back with a revolutionary new science. >> this radiocarbon dating method can tell us if trade of ivory is legal. >> it could save a species. >> i feel like we're making an impact. >> techknows team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> i'm standing in a tropical windstorm. >>...can affect and surprise us. >> wow, these are amazing. >> techknow, where technology meets humanity. >> only on al jazeera america. >> the u.s. and russia at the end of its first day of cessation of hostilities at the end of its first day appears to be holding. at least 25 team have been killed in two suicide attacks in afghanistan. an

neave barker, al jazeera, london. >> u.ss were obama and leaders turn their attention to china on theond day of the asean summit. they discuss the dispute of the south china seas where there are conflicting claims. it may be difficult to come to united front, but the united states wants a statement that calls on china to follow international law and end th the dispute peacefully. hi there, rob. what is the primary topic being discussed? >> well, as you mentioned it is china, and china is newly assertive posture, particularly in the south china sea. this is the sea that borders china, vietnam and other countries, and it is believed to be lots of energy resources, oil and gas there. so china has been asserting its presence in this area to the consternation of vietnam, the philippines and others and the united states, which traditionally has been the dominant naval power all over the pacific ocean. so that dominated the conversation. today we do expect president to come out and have a press conference very shortly. he may give us more information about what has been or had not been decid

neave barker reports. >> it's the life line julian assange should hope for, up to 3.5 years holed up inside the ecuadorian embassy. julian assange fires a complaint, claiming that his stay at the embassy was a detention, because if he tries to leave, he faces roast. the u.n. -- faces roast. the u.n. group is certain to rule in julian assange's behaviour. one of the swedish lawyers is calling for his release. >> if the report states he has been detained for 3.5 years by sweden. i see no other way out of this for sweden, and the prosecutor, but to cancel the decision to detain julian assange in absentia. and to close the case. the swedish government says that it disagrees with the ruling, so, too does the u.k. it's unclear what influence, if any the u.n. findings have on the british government. this is not an unlawful detention, but is a voluntary decision by julian assange, to evade arrest by staying on at the embassy. the british government says they are obligationed to extradite him because of allegations of rape in sweden. bashar al-assad denies the allegations and believes he'll b

neave barker, al jazeera, london. >>> voting in iran's parliamentary election, the balance of power between hard liners and moderates and reformists. tens of thousands came out to vote, forcing the election officials to extend the elections five times. jonah hull has the story. >> that should favor the list of moderates and reformists. husseini mosque serves as a polling place. watch what happens now when a conservative candidate turns up to vote. get to the back of the queue they cry. in tehran, reformists and moderates are expected to hold sway. >> i would like to have a better economy, a better life with friendship all over the world. >> reporter: yet conservative support remains strong wrels. this was supreme leader ayatollah khamenei. placing list vote. could determine whether iran moves towards greater tolerant and complek reform. but in a system geared to the ultimate power of religious conservatism, old thinking and the status quo remain deeply entrenched. this election is a test of the policies of plod rat president hassan rouhani. he settled the nuclear issue and had sanctions lif

neave barker reports from dublin. >> reporter: voting is underway to elect 157 seats.his is one of the smallest countries in the european union. but what happens here is likely to send ripples across the entire continent after years of austerity, and an economy that is now on the up. since the 1990s, no single party has been able to form a coalition on its own. they were hoping to capitalize on improvements to the economy in this year's election. also hoping to gain ground after they lost a tremendous amount of seats in the election in 2011, the republican party, but also smaller parties like the socialists, the social democrats, and other social independent parties were also expected to play a key role in the difficult process of coalition building. >>> a special ebola phone line has been closed in guinea. the group running the line says funding ran short. >> reporter: guinea is officially free of ebola, but the calls for help have still been coming. the 115 ebola hot line was set up for people in remote areas could get information and ask for help if the they suspect

neave barker files this update from dublin. >> it's been a bruising election for the outgoing coalition. now some difficult conditions await the outgoing government if they hope to hold on to power. do they stick together and team up with independence and other parties or does something take place and the other parties team up with arch rivals. politically, there's not much separating the two parties. they share the same vision for the future of ireland and the economy. one is center left, one is center right. go back to the irish civil war. many believe that now is the time to put aside the differences in the interests of economic and political stability. it's an important year for the country. 100 years since the 1916 uprising against british colonial rule. never before do they show it's in control of its landscape and economy. when the irish parliament convenience people in the country hope to know what the make up of the government will be, until then, the future of ireland hangs in the balance. >> 26 coalminers have been pronounced dead following an explosion in russia. they were s

neave barker, al jazeera, paris. >> a young legal team in russia is making a name for itself. the constitution is supposed to protect the freedom of citizens to receive, distribute distribute information. but an increasing number. >> the librarian will hear if her house arrest is to be exte extended. her investigators say that she distributed anti-russian books. they consider here an extremist. defending natalia is her lawyer evan pablo. >> in 2014 the number of high treason cases increased three times over the last year. this explosion happened with the background of the ukrainian conflict. w >> the team is an informal collective of young lawyers and journalists. they are those that the state considers traitors. this mother was arrested for telling ukraine's embassy that troops were being sent to fight. a rare victory, her treason charge was dropped for lack of evidence. and this is team 29's new online project. it's called "if they come for you." advice of what to do if they come knocking. this is their headquarters. so if the men from here appear at your front door asking y

neave barker is in athens with more. >> reporter: i'm just outside of parliament some of the farmershave gathered here have set up tents. they say they are going to be here for at least 48 hours. the atmosphere is somewhat festival like. a group of farmers tried to storm the ministry of agriculture. there riot police pushed them back. and of course many of these farmers have already taken part in up to two weeks of protests, blockading various highways across the country. now they want to bring their protests here to the capitol. they are out in force against a series of new measures that the government hopes to introduce, but could see an increase in the amount of contributions that these farmers have to add to their pensions. that extra financial strain many say is pushing them towards poverty. >>> now to ukraine, and an agreement signed one year ago was supposed to end fighting in eastern ukraine between government forces and pro-russian separatists. but as both sides accuse each other of breaking the agreement, orphans are among the civilians who are suffering. charles stratford

neave barker has more. >> reporter: campaigning is over, and media restrictions are now in place aheadiday's vote. polls open at 7:00 gmt on friday. this is why me 158 newly elected irish deputies will take their seats, the irish parliament. no single party has been able to form a political majority since the 1990s. meaning when the first exit polls are released on saturday, the process of coalition building will begin. the government has been made up of a coalition of two parties, who this time around are hoping to capitalize on improvements to the irish economy. the republicans who were decimated in 2011, are hoping to also make ground, but when it comes to coalition building, smaller parties, and the socialist party may end up playing a crucial role as king makers. the economy will be high on people's minds, 60 years after the country went cap in hand to international lenders to avoid financial meltdown, but the last few years have brought prosperity and pain. and when some vote, they may be voting for a different path for ireland. >>> the head of the world health organization has p

neave barker sent this update from dublin. >> reporter: it has been a bruising he for the outgoing coalitiond the ireland labor department. now difficult decision as wait the outgoing government if they want to polled holed to on power. do they stick together and team up with independence and smaller parties or doing something unthinkable before election takes place and fine gael team up with its arch rival fine fall. politically there isn't much separating two party, they share the same vision for the future of ireland and the future of the economy, one is sent left, one is center right. but their differences go way back, 90 years to the ireland civil war when they fought on different sides but mean believe now is the time to put a size these historic differences in the interest of economic and political stability. it's an important year for the country. 100 years since the 1916 uprising against british colonial rule. never before has ireland wanted to show that it is in control of its political landscape and of its economy. when the irish parliament convenes here on march 10th, people here