up, a dutch court rules oil giant shell can be sued for oil spills in nigeria. is a terrorist and who is not? major debate ahead of new syria talks in new york. kurdish fighters in iraq appeal for more help in the fight against i.s.i.l. u.n. says refugee numbers are at record levels and millions more will soon be on the move. and mother theresa miracle and says she will be a saint and get reaction from her adopted country india. ♪ we begin with breaking news a dutch court has ruled that the oil company shell can be held liable within the netherlands for the actions of its subsidiary in nigeria and fishermen from river and balsa state filed the lawsuit first in 2008 and want shell to cleanup its oil spill and pay compensation and it opens the way for other possible legal action against shell. the company has faced accusation of human rights violation connected to alleged arrest, torture and wrongful death in nigeria 2009 shell paid more than 15 million of the family of the environmentalist but the company denied any culpability in the deaths saying the money was

it will keep stealing nigeria's future, unless nigeria finds a way to change.k schifrin, pbs newshour, kano, nigeria. >> ifill: in tomorrow's final story, nick will detail the abuse and mistreatment of gays in nigeria. >> ifill: stay with us, coming up on the newshour: why two degrees is so important when discussing climate change. and a wind project that spans two countries. >> it's a very different kind of baby gift. facebook co-founder and c.e.o. mark zuckerberg announced yesterday the birth of his daughter with a most unusual letter. he and his wife, priscilla chan, will donate 99% of their shares in the social media giant, an estimated $45 billion as of today, to charity. the couple created the chan zuckerberg initiative, a limited liability corporation, on "personalized learning, curing diseases & building strong communities." the couple released a short video on facebook explaining their decision. >> having this child has made us think about all the things that should be improved in the world for her whole generation. the only way we reach our potential

has a huge stage in nigeria and vice versa.re is a lot of cooperation now happening between the u.s. and nigerian government that's new, and there is a real need, i think, for certainly west africa and nigeria for americans to have a little more understanding and empathy with a country often depicted in a singular lens. >> brangham: you're reporting touches on the issue of corruption and present harrowing stories from cops shaking down citizens on the street to the top to high-level government corruption. did you really find it that pervasive? and what does that do to a society? >> it helps create boko haram. that's really what happens. the answer to your first question is yes. now, you know, i'm not nigerian. i don't experience this on a daily basis. many do. i think it's important to point out it's different in different areas. there is places where cops are worse and place where the cops are better. there has been an improvement in the last few months with a real almost single focus by the president -- >> brangham: his campa

people in a region in south-eastern nigeria are once again calling for independent. they want an independent christian state called biafra. the movement leader is due to appear on court on tuesday and could be charged with terrorism. >> reporter: the last time people from eastern nigeria tried to breakaway and form an independent country it led to a civil war between 1967 and 1970. nearly three million people were killed. today a small number of people are trying again. their leader has been imprisoned and charged with criminal conspiracy and intimidation. his supporters say it is because he is fighting for independence. they believe under the new government led by the president a muslim from the north things are getting worse for south-easterners. >> the south is mainly christians. we are not together. we share values. we are being marginalised. if you come down to the east, there are good roads, bad universities. after graduation, no job. >> reporter: there have been several demonstrations like this calling for the release of the man over parts of the south-east re

for instance, i come from nigeria. i will talk about nigeria. about chad, in the past, was -- amy: explain where lake chad is. >> it is a river. there are millions of people. --the 1970's, the chad river it is now dried up post of hundreds of millions of people have been displaced as a result of the dried up lake chad. most of the people affected are women and children because the men are forced to migrate, but the children cannot leave because they have children that have to be taking care of. so the women, most of the time, have to deal with climate impact. amy: how does climate change affect the politics of nigeria? interestingly, recently, u.s. secretary state john kerry talked about the role of climate change in syria's civil war and also with boko haram in nigeria. >> coming from the issue of the saidharam, i've often we're addressing the issues of boko haram and should look at in terminal insecurity -- environmental insecurity. if we address the issue of environmental -- the rivers are drying up, the livelihoods of most of the people who

in nigeria, it's red meat. >> it's very abominable. and i think that is one of the reasons why soadom and gomorrah, had to be wiped out because of homosexualism. >> pope francis said, "who am i to judge a gay man?" why do you think you should judge? >> reporter: the problem is that's exactly what's happened. last january, nigeria made same-sex marriage and advocating for gay rights crimes. since then, nobody's been sentenced, but police, state-sponsored vigilantes, even public mobs are accused of exploiting the law to abuse and export. in another video, a mob accuses a man of being gay. and then the accusers take off their belts. gay nijeernz say since the law was passed, had kind of abuse has become common, and not just by vigilantes. >> reporter: brian says police officers picked him off the street and beat him inside this police station. >> reporter: in legos, brian and a group of gay men agreed to meet and openly discuss their homosexuality. >> reporter: simmion is gay and h.i.v. positive. >> reporter: you considered committing sui

. >> woodruff: and, our special series, nigeria pain and promise continues.tonight, how gay people there face horrific abuse. >> i get calls. i get text messages. i get emails. threatening my life, that, if you don't stop what you'reçç doing, as an activist, as a gay activist, then, we'll kill you. >> ifill: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ç >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. ç >> and with the ongoing support nstitutions and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: there's much moreç today on the attacke$] and their weapons in the san bernardino shootings. but police and federal agents are still searching for what sparked the attack that killed 14 people, wounded 21 and culminated in a fatal confrontation. hari sreenivasan reports f

♪ ap dutch court rules oil giant shell can be sued for oil spills in nigeria. ♪ welcome to al jazeeram jane dutton in doha and also on the program iran foreign minister says there is still little agreement on key issues ahead of peace talks in syria. kurdish fighters in iraq appeal for more help in the fight against i.s.i.l. rwanda president casts his vote in a referendum that could see him serve three more terms in office. ♪ ap dutch court has ruled the oil company shell can be sued in the netherlands for the actions of its subsidiary in nigeria and four nigerian farmers and fishermen from river state first filed the lawsuit back in 2008. they want shell to cleanup its oil spills and pay compensation. appeals court finding opens a way for other possible legal action against shell. the company has previously faced accusations over all ledged arrest, forfeiture and wrongful death in nigeria. in 2009 shell paid more than 15 million dollars to the family of the environmentalists but the company denied any culpability in the death and the payment they say was a humanitarian gesture. in ja

if it does nigerias can face two years in prison and a $10,000 for what the government considers false statement about government officials and public institutions on social media. citizens would have to produce a court affidavit saying they're telling the truth. this woman is against the proposed law. she has been critical of the government's response to the kidnapping of 200 girls by boko haram last year, who still have not been rescued. >> it i is not a bill in the interest of the people. the citizens should be able to have their voices to be heard. >> th >> we want to say, fine, if you believe what you're doing, you have freedom of information, which entitles you to look for whatever facts you want from any government office. and if you have those facts we have nothing to allow you to continue on falsehood. >> there are lies in social media. >> this social media club called "fix my yea nigeria" started an online campaign #no to social media bill to fight the legislation. >> the law in itself has the potential to violate many human rights the institution protects that nigeria has si

more than half of the maritime abductions happen off nigeria. that country's navy enlisted the help of britain's royal navy to change that situation. cnn's kristen purefoy has the story. >> sometimes the glove doesn't quite fit and you need a little help. uk's royal navy stopped in the port to help train nigeria's knave toy put out fires. there are plenty of fires to put out off the coast of nigeria. >> it'ss major growing for illel fishing is a huge problem, unreported fishing. they struggle to police that. also smuggling of contraband, piracy and it all goes on. it folds up to a collective umbrella of maritime crime. >> the coast of west africa has one of the highest rates of piracy in the world. in 2014, there were 116 pirate attacks in the gulf of guinea according to control risks. the global risks consulting company. the group says 60% of the world's maritime kidnappings happened off nigeria alone. pirates use small twin-engine boats like this to go against the larger ships. the young men often steal mobile phones and money. sometimes they

and chad and nigeria to share information and also to work together i suppose and that is due to the. >> that has changed. >> it has changed very much so. >> there was always a concern that as one fought one in a particular area boko haram would move across to another area and so on and so on are they being squeezed to a certain extent they are finding it more difficult to find safe havens? >> quite so and i think that is one of the main reasons they resorted now to using more suicide bombers than we have in previous years. >> so we are talking here about hostages who were released, 900 of them and total numbers not confirmed and many being trained or forced to act as suicide bombers we believe. >> yes. >> i think if the numbers being banded by the cameroon and forces are actually true, it will have been the biggest rescue operation we've had so far since the insurgency began around 2009. >> is it possible to say how many members of boko haram there are now aligned against how many members of the security forces from chad and nigeria and cameroon, what is the balance here? >> it's no

the separatist movement that once led to a civil war in nigeria gains new momentum. red alert, china issues the highest possible warning for pollution in pay ginning for the first time-- beijing for the first time >>> a meeting between syria's opposition groups is due to get underway in the saudi arabia capital. they will discuss ways to over come their differences before potential talks with the syrian government. in support of the syrian regime, iran has criticised the meeting saying it will hurt the peace process under a plan agreed by last month, both sides of the syrian conflict should hold negotiations by 1 january. those talks should be followed by elections in 18 months, but the deal doesn't specify where syrian president bashar al-assad fits in. his future is one of the main issues dividing the opposition. >> reporter: they have fought together on the front lines when faced with an offensive from the syrian government and its allies, but apart from that the political and armed opposition lack a unified command and have different visions for the future of syr

nigeria's home market is overregulated. those who are supposed to save are also part ever the industry. relegated to the slums that encircle the city. ahmed idris, al jazeera. >>> sentenced migrant in nigeria to death. migrant's lawyers accuse thai police of mishandling the investigation, because of pressure to solve the police. >>> conservationists in hong kong, fight to save so-called pink dolphins. from hong kong divya gopalan has more. >> reporter: the first thing they tell you on the dolphin watch tour is not to have high expectations. but it's turned out to be a good day for these visitors. >> i was lucky to see two pink dolphins, so fantastic, so beautiful. >> i was so surprised whether i saw them jumping from the water. >> it's a surprise for everyone on the boat. even the tour guide. >> nowadays, dolphins appear to be quite scary. they get quite close to the boat here. it's very real. >> pink dolphin numbers have dropped more than 60% in the last decade. conservationists say it is mainly because of major building p

john hendren, al jazeera, seattle. >> nigeria's capital is a city under construction. hundreds of new homes are built each month but all too often they're priced beyond the reach of the average person. ahmed idris reports. >> it is five eclock in the morning that doug last says good-bye to his children. by the time he returns, his kids will be asleep. >> i pray to god that one day a solution toll situation. so reallyists not helpful for you to be -- to continue being without your children all the time. >> the civil servant is one of the hundreds of thousands who work in the city but have to live far away from their work. simply because they can't afford the rent. ftc every month, hundreds of new homes are built here but most of them are empty. the question you need to ask yourself is how many people can afford to buy a house of 100 million in nigeria? letless than 2% of the populati. explained that it's less than 2% of the population. >> reporter: which means that many people here wouldn't be able to afford these new homes. a house this this estate costs about $500,000

the world health organization declares nigeria free of ebola in october last year.as declared free of ebola in may and seven weeks later more cases were reported and sierra leone was declared ebola free last month. but the search to find a vaccine against ebola is far from over. nicholas hawk reports now from a lab in sinagal in dacca where doctors are conducting clinical trials. >> reporter: when they come to the lab for testing they wonder which one of them has been injected with the experimental ebola vaccine, one given a placebo and the other a trial vaccine and scientists looking for a cure against the highly contagious and fatal ebola virus. >> translator: at first our family was scared and didn't know what they were injecting me with and wasn't sure what reactions it would cause and doctors reassured me it's my way to contribute in the fight against the virus. >> reporter: volunteers are not injected with ebola but with a safe version of the cyrus and researchers give them two experimental vaccines one to stimulate the response and the other to boost it to en

it also aims to combat the rise of armed groups from mali and nigeria to libya, pakistan and afghanistan among others. 34 nations are part of this coalition. it includes established military heavy weights such as pakistan and egypt as well as economic ones, qatar and uae, notably. iraq and syria both at the heart of the i.s.i.l. conflict are also not part of this. so how strong is the alliance? >> you got turkey i think is also significant. they're a very, very significant military power. they're a member of nato and so yes, i do think it sends a very, very crucial signal that the muslim world particularly the sunni muslim world is now united against this sunni led group i.s.i.l. >> the saudi government is leading a separate military campaign in yemen. it's been engaged in a nine month operation against yemen. the latest coalition could very well be the first step. gerald tan, al jazeera. >>> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in russia, he's meeting for talks on the syrian conflict with the sophie ye soviet foreir sergey lavrov. you hear that russia is key to the diplomatic process.

. >>> hundreds of people protesting nigeria, accusing the government of trying to clamp down on social media. >>> we have coming up in sport. >> now sunday's general election in spain is predicted to be one of the tightest races in recent history. neither the ruling people's party nor it's traditional rival the socialist workers' party likely to win the majority. we go to barnaby phillips, spa spain, like greece, has reacted to those years of austerity by changing the political landscape in such a profound way. >> yes that's right. it appears it's on its last leg. it has been fractured. it's been broken. they have been hit the hardest by the terribly high unemployment rate looking for mu alternatives. indeed, those alternatives have emerged both on the right and on the left. that makes it exciting and very unpredictable election. my colleagues have been looking at the campaign. >> the force they think is with them. the latest recruit for the anti-austerity party are smashing records and they hope to do the same at the ballot box. yes we can is the message of its young left wing leader.

and has been operating beyond nigeria's borders carrying out several cross border attacks in cameroone past few months. it is unclear whether any of the women and girls freed this week were among the more than 200 seized from the dorm at a school more than a year ago. those freed in this latest operation will now be reunited with their families. emma hey wood, al jazeera. >>> here with us on al jazeera and do stay we have this coming up, we will hear from the palestinian teenagers who say they live under constant threat in the occupied territories. how traders are trying to drum up business in the besieged city of kundus in afghanistan, all that coming up. ♪ the church. >> why do you think you didn't get the medal of honor? >> i can't allow you not to go into that because that is your job. >> we gonna bring this city back one note at a time. >> proudest moment in my life. >> al jazeera america brings you independent reporting without spin. >> not everybody is asking the questions you're asking me today. >> we give you more perspectives >> the separatists took control a few days ago. >

. >> to nigeria where in the last 24 hours dozens of people have reportedly been killed in a wave of violence in the northeast. the town of madagali, two women suicide bombers blew themselves up in a busy fish and meat market. there have been a series of attacks in and around the city of maiduguri 150 cloments to thm north. witness he say several female suicide bombers and fighters armed with rocket fired grenades. 26 people are known to have been killed across borno state. >>> nigeria says it now has the upper hand over boko haram, government announcement came just days above deadline it had set itself to defeat the group. al jazeera was given exclusive access to film in once was the most fortified base. ahmed idris has the story. >> on patrol with the nigerian military in the boko haram former stronghold. the zambesa forest is mired in myth and not notoriety. it's a vast territory seized by boko haram. a new government in military leadership took over this year. it is now declared that the group is no longer dominant. >> it's daily becoming more peaceful. a better place than it use

nigeria real estate market is largely unregulated.hose who are supposed to oversee are investors in the industry. >> a lack of regulation means more workers like douglas will be priced out, relegated to the slums that encircle the city. al jazeera. nigeria. >> 19 refugees including six children have drowned after the boat they were traveling in capsized off of the turkish coast. the country's coast guard said they had managed to save 21 people in the waters near the town across from the island of le sp os. 20s other refugees died earlier this week trying to travel between turkey and greece. the italian navy said it rescued more than 100 review ease off of the coast i have libya. not clear where those on board started their journey. since the refugee crisis began, many europeans have tried to help new arrivals rebuild their lives. but one group of refugees is doing it for themselves. they are all musicians and they have been busy recording a cd to help others in their situation. al jazeera's lawrence lee reports now from brussels. ♪a f

this is a pointing point of nigeria's two largest rivers. this used to be a very busy hub for shipping, fishing and farming activities, but in recent years people earning a living from the rivers have seen their fortunes dry up. the appearance of small islands in the rivers have added to the fishermen's woes. fish breeding grounds are disappearing as the water becomes shallow. as a result many fishermen had to switch jobs to feed their families. you just cannot sustain yourself with fishing today. >> boats don't use these waterways as much as they used to. a government project to dredge the rivers has made the situation even worse. >> they have attempted to dredge the rivers most people dredge, everybody is glad, and the flow is improved, but we have not seen that. my understanding is that only certain channels have been dredged but it has not come to the level that it impact correctly on the economy of the state. >> for now fishermen can only watch and hope that some day soon the fish will return and restore their livelihoods. al jazeera, n

nigeria government accusing the leader of a separatist movement of terrorism and wants an independentn the southeast. the region experienced a bitter conflict in the 1960s which hundreds of thousands of people died and we report now from abuja. >> reporter: the last time people from eastern nigeria tried to break away and form an independent country led to a civil war between 1967 and 1970. today in arc buja a number of southeasterners are trying again. the leader has been in prison and charged with criminal conspiracy and intimidation and supporters say it's because he is fighting for independence. they believe under the new government led by president mohamed bahiri a muslim from the north things are getting worse for southeasterners. >> the south is mainly christians with many muslims and we are not together and do not share values, that is why we don't get along and marginalized and we don't have good roads and bad universities and you understand and graduation, no job. >> reporter: since october without trial has sparked resent protests and several demonstrations like this callin

over issues which took place within nigeria should be heard in nigeria. the question whether shell is actually liable for the oil spills has so far not better than answered on appeal. this will be the follow e-topic of continuing litigation pep. >> being able to sue the parent company, in home countries, will be effective, they accuse the government of being too slow in acting on such judgment. ordered shell to stop all gas flaring in the delta, ten years later the government has yet to fully enforce this ruling. the actual liability for the pollution remains unresolved. there will be more court cases in that in 2016. ahmed idris, al jazeera, nigeria. >> violent anti-mining protests in peru this year in which something are civilians have died. the are dust is settling on british coal mining, last teen mine closed following a long time for waiting. >> emerging from almost a kilometer underground, the final shift in britain's deep coal mine. now, the last 451 miners are saying good-bye to a man known simply as bik k. >> this is not deem, this is not deep. >

the two day military operation is said to have taken place on the border of cameroon and nigeria. there is no independent confirmation because reporters can't get to the region. >> nigeria's former national security adviser has been arrested and accused of stealing billions of dollars. it is suggested that there was embezzlement of funds meant to purchase weapons. >> a report said that he embezzled $2 billion in fraudulent deals while in office. he was responsible for giving out military contracts between 2012 and march of this year under the previous government. according to the committee, a total of $5.4 billion is missing. the money should have been spent on weapons to fight boko haram. >> money intended for the prop procurement of weapons to fight terror. >> they say corruption is still a problem even after the new government came to power on an anti-corruption platform. >> corruptions in the military today is 97%. because some of the--they'll literally use money for the visit. the remaining money goes into their pockets. >> these pictures show nigerian soldiers training out w

i come from borno state in nigeria. i was taken from my village and i was put in a prison. >> soon he and others will be on their way home. >> we received strict instructions from those above us to repatriate them to their countries. you see now humanitarian support. there is place now to give them rest and give them support including food. >> they have deported thousands of nigerian refugees. it says it is concerned about potential. boko haram fighters hiding among them. dozens of their citizens have been killed in attacks by the armed group. thousands of young men and women have been taken by boko haram over the last five years. many of them have been forced to join the armed group. there has been a growing sense of frustration that after 19 months there has been no news of the more than 200 school girls kidnapped in chibruk, an attack that has brought global attention to actions of boko haram in nigeria. >> island minister is related to 23 of the missing girls and campaigns for government action to rescue them. he sa

now at least 30 people have been killed in attacks in northeast nigeria.ency services say that two suicide bombers struck a market in the town in the state and neighboring borno state and opened fire and explosives in the city and no one has claimed responsibility. boko haram is suspected to have carried out the latest wave of attacks which come ahead of a government deadline. nigeria president gave military chiefs until december 31st to defeat the group and to maintain significant progress that it has made. al jazeera has been given access to film what was once boko haram's most fortified base and we report. >> reporter: when patrol of the nigerian military with the boko haram former stronghold, the forest has notoriety and fills many nigerians with dread. vast territory seized by boko haram. a new government and military leadership took over this area and it's now declared the group is no longer dominant. >> daily becoming more peaceful, a better place than it used to be and believe that for every second, for every minute, for everyday things will contin

and has been operating beyond nigeria's borders. carrying out several cross-border attacks in cameroon over the past few months. >> it's not quite possible at the moment to put an exact estimate on the amount of fighters on the boko haram side now. but one thing we know for certain is that they obviously are lacking in manpower at the moment. in comparison to the numbers on the side of the more international joint task force. >> it is unclear whether any of the women and girls freed this week were among the more than 200 seized from the tomorrow tridormitoriesin a school over . in chibok. emma hayward, al jazeera. >>> occupied west bank, one palestinian was killed after an alleged stabbing attack. another was killed after rammings a car into two israelis who were injured. army says a soldier is being treated for minor injuries. 112 palestinians and 17 israelis have been killed in violence since october. >>> and there's been more violence in the streets of bethlehem in the occupied west bank. protesters held rocks and responded with

nick schifrin, pbs "newshour", nigeria. >> ifill: tune in tomorrow for nick's next report on "nigeriain and promise." this one about the nation's status as the continent's biggest economy. stay with us, coming up on the newshour: finding religion in unexpected places. how one man is ministering to baltimore's children through boxing. but first, separating truth from fiction in the race for the white house. political director lisa desjardisn reports. >> reporter: a candidate's words count. or at least, they're supposed to. but as the presidential campaign grinds on, that rule is being severely tested. for example: what republican donald trump said about a month ago on president obama's plan to re-settle syrian refugees on u.s. soil: >> and now i hear we want to take in 200,000 syrians. >> reporter: in fact, the actual number is just 10,000. in another incident last week, trump appeared to mock "new york times" reporter serge kovaleski, and his physical disability, during a campaign rally. asked about it afterward, the candidate said: "i certainly do not remember him." in fact, kovalesk

this is a pointing point of nigeria's two biggest rivers.or generations this used to be a very busy hub for shipping, fishing and farming activities. but in recent years people earning a living from the rivers have seen their fortune dry up. the appearance of islands in the river has brought fishermen woes. the fish breeding ground has dried up. >> the fishing supply has depleted. we cannot sustain ourselves with fishing today. >> boats don't go through the waterways as much as they used to. the government plan to dredge the rivers has made the situation worse. >> the dredges by the government has attempted to dredge the rivers. only certain channels have been dredged, but that has not come to the level that changes the economy of the state. >> the fishermen with only hope that one day the fish will return and restore their livelihoods. al jazeera, nigeria. >> and in part four of the rivers of life series, find out how the authorities in the u.s. capital are trying to stem the flow of toxic material going into the water ways. >>> all right,

i'm pleased to introduce the minister of nigeria. what is your take on where we're at right now?t in a bad place. it's pretty tough. there are many, many issues that are pretty tough to try to unpick some of those notts that we have had over the last couple of days. i think we have moved, if the say the document in substance is there, but it's a signal we want to send on ambition, on finance, on how we report on all of this to make 2020 a reality. >> reporter: and nigeria of course an oil-producing country. what do you like in this text? >> i think the ambition of the temperature has to be below 1.5. we have made commitments in our indc that are unconditional, and they will only make sense if we can get the other ambitions realized in the rest of our partners arrange the world. that's one thing we are looking for. financing, they are asking for a commitment of 100 billion, but it's actually trillions that we need. so financial markets, business people, governments and multinationals coming together to make that possible on the outside of this. so i think for nigeria if we can jus

. >> translation: i come from nigeria. i was taken on my way to my village. i was put in a prison >> reporter: soon he and others will be on their way home. >> translation: we have received strict instructions from those above us to support them and to repatriate them to their countries. there is support and there is a place for them to rest and get food >> reporter: the government has already deported thousands of other nigerian refugees. it is concerned about boko haram fighters hiding amongst them. thousands of young men and women across the region have been taken by boko haram over the last five years. many of them have been forced to join the armed group. >> reporter: there has been a growing sense of frustration that after 19 months there has been no news about the girls kidnapping. for the girls and their families, their freedom could take longer. this man is related to 23 of the missing girls. he says they aren't giving up hope. >> i have not seen anything difficult in negotiating the release of these girls for the

fighters, chris tense have fled-- christians >>> nigeria's president says his government is ready to negotiate with boko haram for the release of nearly 200 school girls missing for over a year and a half. any talks will depend on identifying credible leadership within the armed group. the girls were taken from their dormitories in april last year. there is no evidence to suggest now whether they are alive. despite continued attacks blamed on boko haram, the snow yearian government says it is close to-- nigerian government says it is close to defeating the group. a report. >> reporter: cashing in on the relative peace, trucks with supplies to liberated areas of north-east nigeria. it is a busy hub. >> the improvement will last for months because we are now getting the peace gradually, seriously, and people are now coming to the market to buy goods. >> reporter: some of the goods he sells end up in the hands of retailers at the market. >> boko haram's attacks on this attack have decreased. the last one was four months ago. business confidence is slowly growing. customers from across t

al jazeera north-eastern nigeria >>> the u.s. secretary of state john kerry says that iran has started fulfilling its part of a nuclear deal with six world powers. that is after a ship carrying ukrai ukraini ukrainian-- ukrainian-- uranium is moved out >> they're no move it the existing core of the iraq reactor. we will, of course, verify all these steps and more and the agency is doing the extensive monitoring and verification of the entire nuclear program >>> more from washington dc. >> reporter: john kerry's announcement that the ukraine i do not know stores-- nuclear stores have been treated out. the iranians still have to remember phi that they have dismantled the infrastructure that could have permitted them to build nuclear weapons. the international atomic administration still has to implement its own inspections regime, one that would allow it unprecedented and unfettered access to iran's nuclear facilities. in the meantime, it is not clear yet when the iranians are going to receive their natural uranium stores which the

nigeria's government says it's now got the upper hand over the armed group. the announcement coming days before a head line. the government set to defeat them. al jazeera has been given access to film in what was once boko haram's fortified base. idomeni reports. >> -- our correspondent reports. >> reporter: a patrol in a former i.s.i.l. stronghold. a mention of this area feels nigerians with dread. it's a vast territory seized by boko haram. a new government and military leadership took over this year. it is now declared that the group is no longer dominant. >> more peace. ful -- peaceful. a better place than it used to be. we believe it for every second, every minute things would continue to improve. still, the military stepping up operation the, mopping up and securing areas that they have recaptured. no nigerian territory saw the bombing of the land behind me. the stronghold was pounded from the air for several months. we were told it was not safe to go in there because of the presence of ordnances. land mines. on the road to one of the most devastated to

. >> nigeria's emergencies agency says at least 30 were killed in maiduguri. ahmed idris sent us this update. >> over the last 30 days maiduguri was under virtually a lock down. simply because the services here want to ensure this is a crime free christmas. in fact for first time in three years in the northeast area of nigeria there was no case of bombing by boko haram in a church or any other worship place. so the curfew or rather the ban on movement or car movements in maiduguri and other partle of pe northeast of course were lifted yesterday and there were suicide bombers by bus loads, intercepted 50 military. the military are captured dozens of them. for the first niem months they s they detonated their vests in certain areas. in fact 26 people have been killed in the series of bomb attacks across the state. and more than 80 people have been injured as a result. but the fatalities could rise because of the severity of injuries sustained during the series of attacks in maiduguri and the outskirts of the city. >> japanese prime minister shinzo abe has apolog

. >> nigeria's capitol is a city under construction.all too often the price beyond the reach of the average person, and rents are among the highest in africa, reports. it is 5:00 o'clock in the morning when douglas says goodbye to his family, before heading off to work. by the time he comes back at night, his children will be asleep. >> i feel bad. but i pray to god that one day, we will overcome this situation. so really, it is not helpful for you to being with -- to continue being without your children all the time. >> this is one of the hundreds of thousands who work in the city, that have to leave far away from their work. simply because, they can't afford. >> hundreds of new homes are built here, but most of them are empty. the question is how many people can afford to buy a house. >> it is less than 2% of the population, and unfortunately,er developer. >> this means many people here would be able to afford these new homes. >> housing this estate costed about $500,000 to buy, renting one is as much as $25,000 a year. developers put

. >> shell can be sued in the netherlands for oil spills in nigeria. >> for the purpose ministers from around the world are in new york to try to revive the syrian peace pros. they hope to arrange a ceasefire and direct talks between the syrian government and the opposition. let's go live now to new york. our diplomatic editor james bays is with us from there. james, the meeting is underway. what's the latest? >> well, they've all arrived, the foreign ministers for this meeting, as you say, the aim is very ambitious. after many years of bloodshed, more than over 250,000 people dead in syria, they're trying in january to get a ceasefire in syria, and to get face-to-face talks between the syrian government and the syrian opposition. having said all that, there are great sticking points here, sticking points some of them that have been around when they loft tried to have talks two years ago, but also throughout the five years of the conflict. for example, the future of president assad in syria, would he have any role in the future of syria, would he have any role in transition and also ma

it's armed campaign in northern nigeria has left thousands dead during the last six years.er it allies it's a with isil and has been operating beyond nigeria's borders, caring aring out several attacks in cameroon over the past few months. it's unclear whether any of the women and girls freed this week were among the more than 200 seized from their dormitory more than a year ago. those freed will now be reunited with their families. >>> an armed group responsible for a recent attack on a totel in mali, in which more than 20 people died has said it is rejoining al-qaeda's north african branch. it's fighters will now conduct joint attacks in mali and elsewhere as victoria gatenby will tell us. >> reporter: the algerian based armed group said it carried out the attack on the radisson blu hotel in mali's capitol. they split from al-qaeda's north african branch two years ago. but the two groups have joined forces again. the leader of al-qaeda's north african branch made the announcement. >> translator: we tell our beloved nation that the lines of islam have joined al-qaeda. we w

. >>> 30 people were killed in attacks in the northeast of nigeria.ces say two saturday bombers struck a market in the town. in neighboring borno state, gunman opened fire and detonated explosives in a mosque. no one has claimed responsibility. >>> boko haram is suspected to have been carrying out the latest wave of attacks which come ahead of a government deadline. the nigeria president gave military chiefs until the end of this month to defeat the group and maintain significant progress it's made. al jazeera has been given access to film what was once boko haram's most fordifyed base. we have no report. >> on patrol with the nigerian military in the former stronghold of boko haram. this forest is mired in myth and notoriety. a mere mention of it fills many with dread. it's a vast territory seize the by boko haram. a new government in military leadership took over this area. it is now declared that the group is no longer dominant. >> it is becoming more peaceful, a better place than it used to be. we believe that for every second for every minute for

. >>> dozens of people are feared dead in a christmas eve exposition in southern nigeria.ing to collect cooking gas from a truck when it exploded. we have a report. >> reporter: this truck was discharging butane gas when it exploded starting a huge fireball that lasted for hours. some bodies were charred beyond recognition. >> translator: some people came to buy gas but a lot of people that were affected were people that were outside. many people escaped. >> i saw. i told the people that we should run, this is very dangerous, so we were running, i started falling down, that's [ inaudible ] >> reporter: the ferocity of the blast damaged nearby buildings as well. according to local media sources, the explosion was triggered which a truck began discharging cooking gas before waiting for it to cool down. the nigh year vinnie express expressed his sorrow over the industrial accident which happen ed in nigeria's predominantly christian south. many of the victims would have been collecting gases to prepare meals for christmas celebrations, a mother of child are among the dead. ni

nigeria's real estate market is largely unregulated.hose who are supposed to oversee it, are also investigators in the industry. a lack of proper regulation means low earners like douglas will continue to be priced out relegate today the slums that encircle the city. mohamed i idris, al jazeera. >>> hong kong say they are fighting a losing battle to save the rare pink dolphins. only 61 are thought to remain as development hits their natural environment, from hong kong we have more. >> reporter: the first thing they tell you on the dolphin watch tour is not to have high expectations. but it's turned out to be a good day for these visitors. >> is we were treatment i lucky to see two pink dolphins. it was so fantastic, so beautiful. >> i was so surprised when i saw them like jumping from the water. >> reporter: it's a surprise for everyone on the boat even the tour good. >> nowadays dolphins appear to be quite scared and they keep their distance. for no this morning's sighting they get quite close are to you. it's very weird. >> reporter:

we'll tell you why fisherman's fortunes are drying up on nigeria's a two biggest rivers. ♪ ♪ >>> ourry. spain has been left with no clear governing majority after the election produced a divided parliament. prime minister's people party lost half of eights support. delivering a blow to two-party system it. 123 sets in the 350 seat parliament. falling short of a majority. the opposition social assists came second with 90 seats, but two new players made a billing prescription with the voters. the anti-austerity party formed just last year claimed 69 seats while the pro-does citizens party won 40. the rest went to other parties. now, that result means spain is facing a new period of political uncertainty. as barnaby phillips now reports from madrid. >> reporter: it's the strangest victory celebration you'll ever see. at the headquarters of spain's popular party, they were trying to work out who it all means. they came first but with their lowest share of the vote since the 1980s. the subdued mood here reflects the atmosphere of political confusion. the prime minister has fallen well sho

the campaign in northern nigeria has left thousands dead during the last six years.earlier this year it allied itself with isil and has been operating beyond nigeria's borders carrying several across-board attacks in cameroon over the past few months. >> it's not quite possible at the moment to put an exact estimate on the amount of fighters on the boko haram side now. but one thing we know for certain is that they obviously lack in manpower at the moment. in comparison to the numbers on the side of the task force. >> it's unclear whether any of the women and girls freed this week were among the more 200 feed from their dormitories from their schools norma more than a year ago. now these girls will be released to their families. >> in the taliban seize the kunduz in september and held it for two weeks. even though the government is back in control, those who left their homes is too scared to return. jennifer glasse reports. >> in the center of kunduz city, this restaurant owner is struggling to make a living because this city was under taliban control for two weeks b

and successfully occupy parts of nigeria, but at the minute they have been significantly weakened to that i do not foresee them being able to carry out any kind of vision and occupy any part of nigeria. at the minute i believe they are very weak. >>> and despite continued attacks blamed on boko haram, the nigeria government says it is close to defeating the armed group. the army has been seizing territory from the fighters. our correspondent reports on how improved security in the region is slowly boosting trade. >> reporter: cashing in on the relative peace, trucks with essential supplies to liberated areas of northeast anything. >> there are serious improved in the last few months. people are now coming to the market to buy goods. >> reporter: some of the goods he sells ends up in the hands of retailers. boko haram's attacks on this market have decreased. the last one was four months ago. now business confidence is gradually returning. even customers from across the border in niger are slowly coming back. but there is a long way to go. >> it used to be the major trading post. it ha

joining us is walter carrington, former ambassador to senegal and nigeria. the ambassador has a good understanding of the conflicts going on on the ground in africa. you had a chance to see this film. what was your opinion of the truths portrayed there? and master carringto ambassador carrington: i thought it was a very good war film and it gave insight into the recruitment of boy soldiers, and although the country is not named, it is obviously based on sierra leone, and i thought it was a very good film and, actually, it had a great documentary quality, much more than fictional quality. in that way i thought it was a powerful film. karen: and the through the eyes of this young man who loses his parents early on in the film, and it kind of details how he becomes the t often think about the young kids, the boys, the girls, the conflict. that is, of course, the great tragedy. in this case you are seeing a young boy who becomes a soldier. on the other hand, now, with the nigeria with boko haram, and the kidnapping of the girls from the girls school, and using y

nigeria's real estate market is largely unregulated.many of those who are supposed to oversee it are also investors in the industry. a lack of proper regulation means low earners like douglas will continue to be priced out, relegated to the slums that encircle the city. ahmed idris, al jazeera, abuja, energize. >>> still oto come, breast cancer, authorities reveal a new machine that scans, saving time and money. >>> an-ata making in mexico. and in sport having served time in prison for his role in a corruption scandal, still facing challenges to bid to play for his country. country. >> we're following stories of people who have died in the desert. >> the borderland marathon. >> no one's prepared for this journey. >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed, original series from the beginning. >> experiencing it has changed me completely. >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking. >> i'm the enemy. >> i'm really pissed off. >> all of these people shouldn't