rob mcbride has more from hong kong. >> there was a big flare-up this evening in hong kong, beginnings a rally. student organizers told protesters to turn up and be prepared with their face masks and goggles. it seems that they had a plan in mind. they have been looking for something to do since, you remember, a few days ago, where they were cleared out of occupation sites. they are in the government headquarters in the admiralty part of hong kong island. it seemed they were going block the headquarters and seal off the entrances into the headquarters to stop people turning up for work in the morning, civil servants. it's gone beyond that, there has been serious clashes, upjuries and arrests. a -- injuries and arrests. this is one of the main battle grounds between the police and protesters. the police maintained and kept traffic running through here for the past couple of weeks or so. it has been, though, the scene of sporadic clashes. it was the scene of a big clash. as you can see, thousands of protesters have taken over control of this road. they are now waiting to see whether, in

rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: they have faced the anger of the south korean public.was the judgment of the court. the longest prison sentence, 36 years was handed to the captain, found guilty of negligence. he was filmed abandoning ship in his underwear while most of his passengers, many children, were below decks, having been told to stay there. only one of the crew, the chief engineer was found guilty of murder, while the other 13 crew members received sentence of between 5 and 20 years. for relatives emerging from court the sentences were too lenient. >> translator: i'm so sick of this country's legal system if this is all they can do. >> translator: our anger will continue and someone has to take responsibility for this. >> reporter: the bodies of nine passengers have still not been recovered from the wreck, but the authorities say the search has become too dangerous and has now been called off. more pain for the relatives of those still missing. also on trial has been the wider issue of safety regulations and the way they are enforced, but during the several dec

rob mcbride, al jazeera, macao. >> honing in on the bottom line. how the u.s. is working at cutting armed funds. and we look at community college. >> president obama has ordered a review of u.s. policies when citizens are takenostage. officials say they don't negotiate with terrorism. they don't want to contribute to the $45 million a year that isil earns from hostage ransoms. but there is a loophole. jamie mcintyre has the report. >> the u.s. says flatly it will never pay ransom to secure the release of those kidnapped by isil fighters. but it did trade soldiers for bowberg dal. you. >> before isil fighters beheaded james foley, he watched other hostages being released. >> the united states has set a heart-ending but necessary example by refusing to pay ransom for captured americans. all of the evidence shows that where and if a country has paid a ron some, there are many more people taken hostage. >> according to the security council, . >> hunter in a letter to outgoing defense secretary quoted sources as saying a payment was paid to an afghan intermediatary

in the buildup to the latest fight, rob mcbride has been to his power base in his home city, generaltos. >> taking aim with a keen eye on his future. in a competition, he is sponsoring, pacqiao proves he is a winner with a pool cue as well. >> it's important. i like billiards. i am not only supporting billiards but sports. >> branching out into professional basketball as a player and a coach, he is the ultimate sporting ambassador, supporting multiple causes in his home city known as ginsen. and where he is known as the pac man, from the convenience store named after him to his commercial endorsements, it is difficult to miss him. >> people love him, you know. he is approachable and he seems a lucky guy. he has a future in public service. >> a big supporter of local boxing. this weigh-in is attended by his life-long friend, boo boy fernandes. >> for me and the people of general santos. because that's it. >> columnist edwin who has followed his career from the start, now a congressman and tipped for the senate or a governorship, there is speculation he could go all the way to the top.

rob mcbride, al jazeera, south korea. >>> still ahead on this al jazeera news hour.sia pacific leaders pledge closer economic ties after a two-day summit in china. plus we need army veterans using their skills to help people struck by natural disasters. >>> i'm lee wellings in the heartland of formula one, as fans of the sport find themselves in the unusual position of being asked to find money to get a team on to the grid. ♪ >>> first world leaders are wrapping up the asia pacific summit in china. the meetingsened with a promise to improve relations between regional rivals. scott heidler reports from china. >> reporter: as the sun rose on the second day of the apac summit, the leaders traveled outside of beijing to this place. each of the 21 heads of government made a long walk down the red carpet to the brand new grand hall where they held closed-door discussions. the group took a break for a photo, followed by a tree-planting summary. the chinese and russian presidents appeared to have a friendly chat, while u.s. president barack obama is off to the side. later in

rob mcbride, in south korea. >> reporter: police launched former investigation to the $23 million spento his homestead but said he had no knowledge of the work which included the construction of a swimming pool, visitor center and am by theatre. we demand the release of journalists who have been detained in egypt for 317 days. greste and fahmy and mohamed are falsely accused of helping the out lawed muslim brotherhood and appealing against their prison sentences. philippine peace keepers leading the west africa liberia will be sent to an island on manilla to see if they have ebola and they will withdraw the troops because of the outbreak and liberia is the country that is worst hit by ebola with more than 2700 deaths and as our diplomatic editor reports the peace keepers are likely not to be replaced. >> reporter: keeping the peace in liberia but not much longer, the troops have been in the country as part of the u.n. mission for over a decade but now because of the threat from ebola they are pulling out, no other country is offering to take their place. liberia is the worst hit country

rob mcbride, al jazerra, hong kong. >>> the group band-aid has released a new version of its originalit's chris familiar. it was released 30 years and aimed at fighting familiar up in ethiopia. this one aimed at fighting ebola. but some of the newly i cans are proving quite controversial. >> here is the newest version of do they know it's chris mall, take a listen. ♪ raise a glass to everyone ♪ here is there them and all there is ♪ ♪ do they know it's christmastime at all ♪ ♪ do they know it's christmastime ♪ >> and this version of the song features singers like bono, rita aurora. >> , one di direction. >> some of the lyrics have been changed to include lines like where a kiss of love will kill you. these lyric changes have smashinged criticism from from some people like neil saying: >> despite the criticism, just hours after it was released. it shot up to number one in europe, here in the u.s. it's at number two on itunes they are already seeing a ton of support, david. >> thank you, mary. >>> near paris a collector just she would out a lot of money for a hat. but it's not just any h

. >> rob mcbride has the latest from the area in hong kong. >> the operation has taken most of the morning when hundreds of police officers, and more in reserve are clearing the whole length of the road, the thorough fair running through the district, and was the site of the occupation site and protest. the police tactics seem to be to advance a few meter, secure the road. removing obstacles. if they obstruct work, they were threatening to use minimal amounts of force. as they mo forward they push forward yellow towers carrying officers around with a pepper-type spray. last of the demonstrators, if they don't disperse they'll be used again. >> former chinese officials were suspected of core ups and fled. and have been given until 1st of september to surrender. it's part of a drive known as operation fox hunt. 18,000 fled, taking with them a total of 129 billion. since the operation began, 288 have been brought back to face the law. they've been involved in embezzlement. >> the managing director at control risks, helping companies operating in host ail environments, this operation is you no

rob mcbride reports from mong kok. >> for many protesters, a rude awakening declaring this is the dayy have to move out or face arrests. a confrontation with student leaders, who have complained of excessive police force. >> the policemen try to hurt people again and again. it just causes more supporters for the unit. >> joshua wong was under arrest again. one of the first since the police began to clear the demonstrators. >> the force of the police is too strong for us, and we have no weapons. >> the police tactic at the moment seems to advance a few meeters to secure the roads and remove whatever obstacles there are, arresting anybody who an instructs them. they're moving the demonstrators into a smaller and smaller area. >> the protest camp in mong kok has been the site of some of the worst confrontations, and many here applauded the police actions. >> are you happy? >> yes, very happy. >> even among the supporters of the campaign for democracy, there has been growing dissatisfaction after two months of occupying roads with no apparent success. >> is this the end of the movement? >

rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: the opening of the fair of a city that wants its name written largethe international art scene. the event brings together artists and their works from north africa, the middle east and asia. celebrating their common artistic bonds. working alongside contemporaries in asia is a chance to collaborate and to challenge. >> i personally use arabic calligraphy as my main el. it's interesting see how nonarabic speakers interact with this art form. >> reporter: singapore has always been able to claim title a as a hub for business and trade claiming also to be a cultural crossroads is a far bigger stretch. yet in recent years this city state has set out to do just that. the government is investing heavily in infrastructure to port the arts. >> to create infinite room for artists and their audiences that's what we try do but there are art spaces and then there are art spaces. away from the prestigious arts vents, smaller independent galleries have to struggle in a city of rising rents. >> independent art spaces i think the charge evening is often when you do a

people and most of them school children and prosecutors seeking death penalty for the captain and rob mcbride saying the court's decision will bring little comfort to the families of the victims. >> reporter: their numbers dwindled over the months but not the strength of feeling and groups come from all over south korea drawn by a tragedy that touched the national psyche. >> translator: as korean citizens we have to come to pay respects to families and victims and also to wish for justice. >> reporter: slipping out of the port these are some of the grieving family members that still make the daily trillion to the site of the wreck and for them justice will mean a guilty verdict for the captain of the vessel seen here leaving his cap sizing ship early. he could get the death penalty. his crew faces lesser sentences and mobile phone footage recovered from the wreck shows the passengers and most youngsters remaining below decks at the instance of the crew. the grief and pain here has ebbed as most of the bodies have been recovered and families have returned home. just a few relatives remain at t

children when it capsized of the southern coast, more than 300 people died most of them teenagers, rob mcbride in the city and court when that verdict was handed down. >> reporter: a sense of surprise at the judge. and dismay amongst the relatives at what they say as the leniency of the sentences. in particular, when if comes to the treatment of the skipper, who was observed leaving, being rescued from the ferry. one of the first to get off the ferry even as most of the passengers aboard were below decks. many being told to stay there and most of them, of course, being children. he was not found guilty of homicide, that for many of the relativeses is unbelievable he was found guilt only of negligence, given 36 years, the chief engineer was found guilty of murder for apparently abandoning some injured crew mates given 30 years. for the rest of the crew, who were on trial 30 members in all, given custodial sentences of between 5 and 20 years. which as far as the relatives are concerned was just too lenient. nobody was given the death penalty, which is only symbolic here, but would have been for

rob mcbride reports from his home city of general santos. >> reporter: taking aim with a keen eye onure. in a competition he is sponsoring pacquiao proves he's a winner with a pool cue as well. >> it's very important to organize this tournament, this sport, and i like billiards, but i am not only supporting billiards but also sporting sports. >> reporter: branching out in to professional basketball as a player and a coach. he is the ultimate sporting ambassador. supporting multiple causes in his only city, known as jensan and where he is known as the pac man, it's difficult to miss him. >> i think people love him for his generosity, for his, you know, approachable and easy, go lucky guy, so basically he has a future in public service. >> reporter: and, of course, a big supporter of local boxing. this weigh in is attended by his life-long friends. >> definitely a champion for the boxing. for me, and the people of general santos, this is a big part for the poor people. because he looks back where he has come before. >> reporter: also here, columnist edwin, who has followed his career f

rob mcbride was there. >> reporter: for many protesters a rude awakening by bailiffs declaring this was day they had to move out or face arrest, even ruder a confrontation with student leaders who have complained of successive police force. >> i believe it will just cause fore protests. >> reporter: a few minutes later, joshua was under arrest again. one of the first grabbed as police started clearing the demonstrators. >> the force of the police is too strong for us, and we have no weapons. >> reporter: the police tactic seems to be to advance a few meters, secure the roads, and removing any obstacles and arresting anyone who obstructs them. the protest camp here has been the site of some of the worst confrontations especially between protesters and local people. and many here applauded the police action. >> are you happy? >> yeah, very happy. >> reporter: even amove the supports there has been growing dissatisfaction after two months of occupying roads. is this the end? >> no absolutely not >> never be the end. it is only the beginning. >> reporter: demands for full democracy go unhee

rob mcbride, aljazeera, beijing. >> virgin galactic promised to move forward with its plan to take tourists to space despite a crash during a test flight. the company's spaceship came down in the california desert friday, killing one pilot, injuring another. richard branson, the founder said lessons will be learned from the tragedy. >> we've always known that commercial space travel is an incredibly hard project. we've been undertaking a comprehensive testing program for many years and safety has always been our number one priority. this is the biggest test program ever carried out in commercial aviation history, precisely to ensure that this never hams to the. >> there's an investigation underway being carried out by the u.s. national transportation safety board. >> this was a test flight and they are typically very well documented in terms of data and we may get some video feed. we may have lots of evidence that will help us with the investigative pros. we appreciate that. that will make our jobs simpler and make us able to find out not only what happened, but also more importantly why it

rob mcbride has more from hong kong. for many a rude awakening. declaring that this was the day they have to move out. r ujs da, our confrontation with student leaders who complain of excessive police force. i believe it will cause support for the students. >> a few minutes later he was under arrest again, one of the first to be grabbed when police cleared the barricade, pushing demonstrators back. >> because the force of the police is too strong for us. we have no weapons. >> reporter: the police tactic at the moment seems to be to advance a few meters, and remove whatever obstacles are there, and arresting everywhere who obstructs them. they are moving the demonstrators back to a smaller and smaller area. >> the protest camp has been the site of some of the worst confrontations, especially between protesters and local people. many applauded the actions. >> are you happy? >> yes. >> even among the supporters of the campaign for democracy, they have been growing satisfaction. after two months of occupying roads with no apparent success much >> rep

icons of culture rob mcbride is there. >> it's now the sixth year that this event has been staged becoming more elaborate with more lantern exhibits every year. it's a way for seoul to promote itself both here in korea and billionly. the organizers are expecting 2.5 million to 3 million visit, and this being the practice of selfie photo taking. the theme of this year's event is world cultural heritage both tangible and intangible. awaaway from new york all the way from new york's statue of liberty to making kim chi dish of korea. organizers are hoping that it will lead to a greater understanding of world culture and offer an insight into the rich culture of korea. >> watching thiwatchingwatching this lantern festival, people will learn much are key's intangible heritage. >> this is a celebration of the district of solely, this open public space that runs a 11 kilometer group of the downtown area of the city, which is it's about to mark its anniversary. the city took the radical decision to restore this public open space that people of seoul could enjoy. it was controversial and expensive,

rob mcbride went on to where a major clean up is underway. >> in beijing motorists are only allowed to use their cars on alternate days. workers and government offices are given a week-long holiday. out of town heavy trucks are banned from the highways. while in heavily-polluting provinces building sites and factories are shut. quarry owner got the phone call on the morning we visited him. telling him to stop work. one less source of dust. he views it as his national duty. >> yes, it caused us some loss of business, but we're happy to do it. we have to uphold the authorities in their effort. >> the whole community, it seems, has been mobilized for the cause. >> there hasn't been a clean-up effort like this since the 2008 beijing olympics. then, as now, china is determined to showcase to the world it's remarkable economic transformation. but one free from the clouds of pollution that have been created in getting there. the city has the unenviable reputation of being the most polluted in the whole of china. residents can be thankful for the breath of fresh air the apec delegations promis

as rob mcbride is going to tell us, there's a major clean-up under way to try to get it looking specific and span. >> in beijing, motorists are only allowed to use their cars on alternate days. workers in government offices are given a week-long holiday. out of town heavy trucks are banned from the highways. in heavily polluting provinces, building sites and factories are shut. a quarry owner got the phone call on the morning we visited him, telling him to stop work. one less source of dust. a loyal communist party members views it as a national duty. >> yes, it causes some loss of business. we are happy to do it. we have to support the authorities in their effort. >> the whole community, it seems, has been mobilized for the cues. >> there has not been a clean-up like this since the 2008 beijing olympics. china is determined to showcase to the world a remarkable transformation, one clear of the clouds of pollution. this city is one of the most polluted in the whole of china. residents can be thankful for the breath of fresh air that apec brings with it. >> translation: i don't think it w

rob mcbride supports. >> a rude awakening declaring this is the day they had to move out or face arrest. even ruder a confrontation with student leaders who have complained of excessive police force. >> while policemen try hurt people again and again, i believe it would cause more public support and the student umbrella movement. >> a few minutes later, joshua wong was under arrest again, as people cleared the barricades. pushing demonstrators back. >> because the force of the police is too strong for us and we have no weapons. >> the police tactic at the moment seems to be to advance a few feet, and arresting anybody who obstructs them. in doing so of course they are moving the demonstrators into a smaller and smaller areas. the protest camp in mong kok has been the site of the worst demonstrations, especially among protesters and local people. people here applauded the action. >> are you happy? >> yes, very happy. >> even among the supporters of the campaign for democracy, there has been growing dissatisfaction. after two months of occupying roads with no apparent success. >> is this

from hong kong rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: counting down to the launch with simultaneous ceremonies in hong kong and shanghai. it means billions of dollars of cross-border investments can be traded in both directions every day. moving south wards offshore investments from china's growing population of investors. >> as long as chinese citizens accumulating their wealth want to invest in offshore investments to increase their prosperity, the volume will be there. i have no concern at all. >> in the opposite direction funds from international investors largely denied access to china before, and which china needs to help restructure its economy. >> china will have an opportunity to raise more funding in the future in asian market. >> the event is seen as a victory for hong kong's embattled leaders. fighting a political crisis. while the occupied movement in the city streets is demanding greater political freedom the authorities and business communities in hong kong and china seem to be formerrer ever closer economic ties. >> the significant bodies of government need to work together. fo

rob mcbride reports from the power base in his home city in southern mindanao. >> reporter: taking aim with an eye on his future. in a competition that he is sponsoring, pacquiao profess he's a winner with the pool cue as well. >> it's important to organise the tournament, the sport, and i like it. i'm supporting it. >> branching out into professional basketball as a player and a coach. he is the ultimate supporting ambassador. supporting multiple causes in his home city, and where he is known as the pacman. from a store named after him. to his commercial endorsements, it is difficult to miss him. >> i think people love him. they'll be approachable. basically a future in the public service, and a supporter of local boxing. it is attended by a lifelong friend. >> it's not only a champion. for me and the people, they looks at where it's come before. columnists who came here from the start. now a congressman tipped for the senate. there's speculation he could go all the way to the top. >> he explodes with the people. maybe. pacquiao is renowned for his gambling, now his biggest gamble, ta

that's disputed by the protesters, who are on the receiving end of the batons and the like >>> rob mcbride reporting there >>> rallies in egypt have been peaceful today after at least four were killed protesting a judge's decision to drop murder and corruption charges against former president hosni mubarak. the same groups that opposed hosni mubarak's regime, are calling for demonstrations >>> cairo's tahrir square has become a symbol for the january 25th revolution bringing down the government of hosni mubarak three years ago. now, the protesters are back. demonstrating against a court verdict. hosni mubarak had been charged with conspiring to kill demonstrators during the revolution. now that case has been dismissed. >> translation: the verdict to acquit hosni mubarak and his aides was a shock to all those taking to the streets. >> reporter: in scenes reminiscent of the 2011 revolution and the coup against former president mohamed mursi there were running street battles, tear gas and water canons. >> all those who died. if hosni mubarak didn't kill them with adley and his helpers, who ki

rob mcbride, al jazeera, beijing. >> in spain, voters will take part in an independence refer endum.oters will decide their government and high court to vote on independence and possibly force a constitutional crisis. al jazeera reports most there live like they are in a separate nation. >> reporter: imagine a future in which cat lo catalonia becomes nation. these children certainly can. >> translator: we want catalonia to be a free country, and we want the right to vote for independence. >> the dream is shared by many. on sunday, catalones take part in a public consultation on index after the spanish government blocked an official refer enda on the same day calling it illegal. but the despite madrid's resistance some have long flown the index flag n 2012, febraga declared his town free catalon territory. since then, 600 towns stopped paying taxes to madrid and send them to catalonias government instead. >> translator: what the spanish government does not understand is that the more it tries to stop catalons from deciding their future, the more we will react and go to vote. >> while

. >> reporter: more from rob mcbride who was at the court when the verdict was handed down. >>> a sensesurprise at judgment and dismay among the relatives at what they see is the leniency of the sentences, in particular when it comes to the treatment of the skipper who was observed leaving and being rescued from the ferry and one of the first to get off the ferry as most of the passengers were below decks and many of them being told to stay there and most of them being children. he was not found guilty of homicide and for many of the relatives that is unbelievable and found guilty only of negligence and given 36 years and the chief engineer was found guilty of murder for apparently abandoning some injured crew mates given 30 years. for the rest of the crew who are on trial 30 members in all given custodial sentences of 5-20 years and as far as the relatives are concerned was just too lenient, nobody given the death penalty which is symbolic here but for the relatives it would have been an important symbol, one relative leaving the courthouse said that the legal system had failed the vic

rob mcbride takes us inside the fair >>> the opening of a fair in a city that wants its name written large on the international ard scene. the event brings together artists and their works from north africa, the middle east and asia, celebrating common bonds. for this woman from lebanon, working alongside contemporaries in asia, it's a chance to collaborate and challenge. >> i use this as my main element. it's easy to see how it's interacted. gp the east meets west, they are able to claim title. claiming to be a cultural crossroad, a far bigger stretch. this state has set out to do just that. from new art colleges, the government is investing heavily in infrastructure to support the arts. >> to create infinite room for artists and their practices and their audiences. that is what we try to do. >> there are art spaces and art spaces. smaller independent galleries have to struggle in a city of rising rents. >> it's not growing as much. i think the challenge is when you do a space for artists, it can be lonely. >> reporter: there is funding for small projects, but it is small compared t

rob mcbride has more from hong kong. >> hundreds of police officers, hundreds more in reserve are clearing now the whole length of the main thorough fair, which runs through the district and was the site of this occupation site and protest. the police tactics seem to be to advance a few liters to secure the road, arresting people, removing barricades, and also threatening to use what they call minimal force. they've put forward these yellow towers, carrying officers armed with a pepper type spray. it has been used before. the implied threat is if the last of these demonstrators don't disperse, it will be used again. >> after three hours, there was peace at the site of the clashers. >> demonstrators in mexico, relatives say their loved ones were beaten by police after detained. >> officials are developing new ways to find malaysia airlines flight 370. they receive weekly reports of debris on the australian coastline, but nothing has been identified as part of the missing aircraft. it disappeared with 379 people onboard. >> striking workers in sierra leone dumping victims outside the streets

rob mcbride, aljazeera, south korea. >> 295 bodies have been recovered so far, the last found only about two weeks ago. nine other passengers who were onboard the ferry are still listed as missing. >> there's no video out this morning, showing hooferrifying conditions were inside a arizona wildfire, killing 19 members of an elite fighting unit. >> we have the video and story. >> the 19 firefighters who died that day have come to be known as the yarnel13. they were known as the granite mountain hotshots. as this video shows, panic set in when other firefighters realized the granite crew was trapped. >> newly released cell phone videos show just how bad things were inside the yarnel fire. as crews retreat from the advancing fires, the realization hits that the granite mountain hot shots are nowhere to be found. the crew had left a safe area known as black and dssignedded into the canyon that ultimately trapped the team. other crews knew much trouble the crew was in. >> firefighters request an air attack to spray the team location, but confusion reigns as air commanders can't figure out exa