anti missile system, the system that could be deployed here on south korean territory. it is designed to knock out incoming high altitude - incoming missiles at a high altitude. it is something that south korea says might be necessary in order to increase its defensive capabilities against north korea as it continues to develop what south korea says is a missile program as evidenced by today's launch. it is something not just a warning to north korea but also ups the pressure on beijing because china has been very much against the idea of the u.s. deploying this missile system on south korean soil so close to its oun territory. obviously there is pressure on china to act more decisively and punitively against its ally in pyongyang >>> we will get the view from china in a moment, but what has been the reaction of ordinary south koreans some in do they feel threatened by this launch or are they used to this type of behaviour now from north korea? >> reporter: they're very used to it. this is the start of the lunar new year holiday. i think most people are more concerned ab

i guess we are used to it, but still angered >>> if the south koreans appear not to be worried about it, at least the public anyway based on those internet searches, what's the thinking about the north korean launchs, is it be security or prestige? >> i guess both. we hate to second-guess north korea because one thing that is predictable with north korea is they're very unpredictable. we have been already exposed to north korean threats through various means. it is not exactly - there are so many other things that are threatening us. in the minds of south korean people this is not huge addition in terms of our threat perception >>> how do you think this will play out in the long-term, then, in terms of the tensions on the peninsula and of south korea where you are? >> in terms of being threatened and tensions, i'm sure there will be political tensions, but in terms of the public mind is we're getting tired the overall lack of progress. we may get to see some rising of the domestic opinion here asking for something in the form of dialogue. there are also considerable size of south kore

people who run south korean firms there have been trucking out their equipment. the complex opened 12 years ago as a symbol of cooperation. this is the first time the south has halted operations. the industrial complex has enabled north korea to earn foreign currency. still officials in pyongyang say they'll shut it down altogether. the north koreans say they'll put the zone under military control. they called the south's shutdown of operations a declaration of war. they vowed to evict all south koreans from the complex and freeze south korean assets there. the officials also said they'd closed cross-border communication lines in the truce village. >>> u.s. leaders are also taking a tough stand against north korea. members of the senate voted unanimously to tighten sanctions. the legislation targets people who help north korea develop weapons of mass destruction, carry out human rights abuses, or conduct cyber attacks. it requires the u.s. government to freeze the assets of people or companies involved and ban their entry into the u.s. the legislation demands sanc

south korean and u.s. forces will begin their largest-ever joint military exercise early next month. pyongyang has condemned the annual drill, calling it a blatant proclamation of war. >>> travelers flying between the u.s. and japan will soon have more options to choose from. gene otani has the details and more business information. >>> aviation authorities say they will allow more flights. they are hoping to challenge the status of narita airport as the main gateway into japan. officials from both countries held talks in tokyo. currently, they allow just eight flights between haneda and the u.s. each day. all of them in the early morning or late evening. they plan to increase the total to 12, and they say they'll do that by reducing early and late flights and putting on ten new daytime nights instead. the agreement was welcomed. >> translator: flights to the u.s. are some of the most important routes for japan. so i'm very pleased with the result. >> he said the increase will help to meet growing demand f

. >>> how hard drinking is giving south korean health officials a south korean health officials a hangover. the conference call. the ultimate arena for business. hour after hour of diving deep, touching base, and putting ducks in rows. the only problem with conference calls: eventually they have to end. unless you have the comcast business voice mobile app. it lets you switch seamlessly from your desk phone to your mobile with no interruptions. i've never felt so alive. make your business phone mobile with voice mobility. comcast business. built for business. make your business phone mobile with voice mobility. >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. >>> 70 world leaders are gathering in london to raise $9 billion in aid for syrians. they're focusing on education and jobs for millions whose lives have been instructed by war. the u.s. promised nearly a billion dollars. italy is demanding investigation into the death of a student in cairo whose body wa

they criticized south korean president park geun-hye's government for its unilateral decision to halt all operations. >> translator: my company's damage is huge. because we invested to increase our production line last year. >> a resolution adopted at the meeting urges the government to fully compensate the firms for their losses and reopen the complex. later in the day unification minister held a news conference to announce an expansion of loans and tax breaks for the firms. >> translator: the north should refrain from damaging our citizens' precious assets. >> hong said the north would be held responsible if any south korean assets in kesong are damaged. >>> the foreign ministers from china and south korea discussed possible sanctions against pyongyang. the ministers met in munich on thursday and discussed the recent rocket launch and january's nuclear test. south korean officials say their foreign minister stressed the need for song u.n sanctns resolution. and urged china to play a responsible role as a permanent member of the security council. yung pointed out suspending the joint

the manufacturing zone south korean firms employ more than 50,000 workers from the north. but president park geun-hye's administration says pyongyang funneled $500 million from the hub to its missile program. the north's reaction to the closure? >> translator: the recent provocative measure is a declaration to the end of the last lifeline between the north and the south. and it's a dangerous declaration of war that could bring the peninsula to the brink of confrontation. >> reporter: pyongyang then expelled all of the nearly 300 south koreans from the complex, and it said it was seizing all of the assets left behind. >> translator: i couldn't bring my products with me. what will i do for a living from now on? >> reporter: in japan, the government decided to impose its own sanctions against pyongyang. again, a sharp reaction from north korea. this time breaking a pledge to investigate the whereabouts of japanese nationals abducted in the '70s and '80s. >> translator: the comprehensive investigation based on the stockholm accord will be halted entirely, and the special commi

south korean are some of the hardest drinkers on earth. no other people in the world consume more liquor and that is giving public health officials a headache. alcohol abuse among women is an increasing cause for concern. >> reporter: on drunk patrol with south korean police. these partners have been called to this shop. where someone is reported in urgent need of help. they find her heavily intoxicated and passed out in the bathroom. the officers carry her on the patrol car. they will take her to medics. up until now korean men have been the heavy drinkers, but increasingly women are joining their ranks. every night south koreans consume 7 million bottles of the local alcohol made from r ice. >> translation: the number of calls we're getting involving drunks is overall increasing, but women make up most of our calls now. they're destroying themselves with liquor. it is heart breaking. >> reporter: on any given evening on the streets of seoul young women can be seen stumbling about, drunk out of their minds. many people say the big part of

plus a report on how hard drinking is giving south korean health officials a hangover >>> top story this hour. the u.n. has suspended taushgs aimed at ending syria's five-year civil war. the syrian government and the opposition blaming each other over the collapse of those discussions after just two days. on the ground the war rages on and it appears that the regime is winning. they're claiming a major victory in aleppo province with the support of russian air powers. our correspondent on the turkish side of the syrian border. what are your sources say? >> reporter: there was no diplomatic break through in geneva but a break through for the syrian government on the ground. pictures broadcast from the pro-government towns, you can see people celebrating in the streets, the syrian army and their allies, militias from hezbollah and iraqi fighters. they are in the center of the town celebrating. undoubtedly this is a set-back for the opposition. the government has been able to achieve in three days what it has been trying to achieve for more than three years, but what we understand from our

assets and ejecting all south korean nationals. four hours after the deadline that north korea had imposed the staff members, 280 of them streamed south, finished products, raw materials, valuable equipment all had to be left behind. the catalyst for all this sunday's launch by north korea after its long range rocket coming a month after it carried out the attack and they had a cast of it on thursday after the nation's young leader and mounding reports he had other pressing matters on his mind, south korean government official quoted as saying that north korea army chief of staff was executed for corruption and abuse of power this month. can't be corroborated and such reports have proved false in the past but it would chime with a high level meeting in pyongyang with a crack down on corruption and the fact that he has been missing from post rocket launch festi festivities, harry faucet, al jazeera, seoul. >>> 100 years after einstein predicted the existence scientists say they have seen gravitational waves and it's exciting for phy

every night south koreans consume 7 million dollars of the local alcohol made from r ice. >> the number of calls we're getting over drunks is overall increasing, but women make up most of our calls now. they're destroying themselves with liquor. it's hard breaking. >> reporter: on any given even young women can be seen stumbling about drunk out of their minds. a problem is the availability of liquor. so it can be found 24/7 anywhere, and the cost only $1 a bottle. this man and 25 other alcoholics have launched a lawsuit against liquor companies. >> translation: people look at these and see people drinking liquor, famous people. it encourages consumers to drink more. it leads to over drinking and people getting knocked out. >> reporter: university students like this girl and her friends argue partying and binge drinking helps relieve stress. sympathy studies 18 hours a day and with youth suicide rates here the highest in the developed world, she says drinking is good for mental health. >> reporter: do you ever see a day when south koreans will drink less? >> absolutely not. >> translatio

assets and ejecting all south korean nationals.hours after the deadline that north korea had imposed those staff members, 280 of them, streamed south. finished products, raw materials, valuable equipment, all had to be left behind. the catalyst for all of this, sunday's launch by north korea of its long range rocket coming just a month after it carried out a nuclear test. pyongyang broad broadcast the first footage on monday. the whole process guided according to the commentary by the nation's young leadser. there are mounting reports, though, that kim jong u.n. had other pressing matters on his mind a south korean government official quoted as saying that north korea's army chief of staff was executed for corruption and abuse of power this month. it can't be corroborated and such reports have proved false in the past. but it would chime with a high-level meeting in pyongyang last week where kim jong un declared a crack down on crumbs and the fact that the man has been missing from post launch festivities. >>> a 94-year-old former

the south korean defense ministry reporting that a north korean patrol boat came south of the de facto maritime boarder, the northern limit line at about 6.55am local time. the defense ministry here in seoul said five warnings shots were fired by a vessel or vessels of the south korean navy and that boat retreated north of the line within 20 minutes the incident was over. the presidential office here saying a heightened alert status would be maintained. there is no schedule for the park geun-hye on this day across asia, a very big holiday here in south korea as well. south korea has said it will expand its loud speaker broadcasts across the demilitarized zone in response to sunday's rocket launch. a focus now here as in other countries is on the u.n. security council after that emergency meeting on sunday. a lot of pressure trying to be brought to bear on china to support much tougher new sanctions against north korea in response to both the january 6 nuclear test and sunday's rocket launch >>> the u.n. is urging haiti to quickly form a new government after the president stepped down.

north korean leaders have been needling the government in the south. on thursday they shut down an industrial complex the two ko a koreas had together. they suspended operations as part of sanctions. they believe the main mover behind the actions is a hard line military leader. they said this person took control of a government division called the united front defendant. the staff oversee relations with the south and engage in covert operations against japan. south korean firms that had operations in the joint industrial complex are demanding government compensation for the closure. a group of more than 100 small and medium sized firms held an emergency meeting on friday. representatives said their personal livelihoods and the future of their companies depend on the complex. they criticized the government for the unilateral decision to halt all operations. >> translator: damage is huge because we recently expanded our facility. the government is responsible for this situation. >> a resolution adopted at the meeting urges the government to fully compens

of the peninsula discovered objects before midday south korean time, and they were picked up by a south korean naval vessel. it may well be that they found the fairings that protected the satellite compartment on its way up through the atmosphere. nevertheless, as far as pyongyang is concerned, this is a day of celebration, a second consecutive rocket launch. >> reporter: north korea brought its week-long launch window forward by a day, and was not wasting time. two hours into the window, the rocket carrying the bright star satellite lifted off, overseen by the country's young leader, relaid by the news leader. >> the complete success made in the foreign lift-off is a look at the korean policy on the technology. it's an event combining technology and defense capability. >> reporter: it's the defense capability that worries others. a rock the carrying a satellite can hold a nuclear war head. >> this system doesn't have military applications. nevertheless, some of the applications, some of the technologies, some of the systems and subsystems, they could use for the military programs. >> s

south korea is willing to take. that's why she says the government took the position to close the joint industrial complex inside north korean territory as it did last wednesday. south korea has put hundreds of millions of dollars into that plant and she says that they know nok uses hard currency for its regime and nuclear and missile programs. the language was subtly different to what the minister said on sunday saying that they evidenced north korea had used that money in the programs because south korea doesn't want to be seen at the moment when it is calling for an international coalition which it wants to lead, it doesn't want to be seen to knowingly given money to the weapons program in north korea. she says that international coalition will show north korea and the regime that if it continues to carry on with the program it will collapse. we wait to see what will happen, whether such measures can bens forced >>> the advanced missile defense mission plan by the u.s. >> translation: we have serious concerns about the possible deployment of this advanced missile defense system. china has a clear position that is we firml

but south korean military officials say the provocation continues. they reported a north korean patrol boat crossing into their waters monday morning in the yellow sea. and they say they are stepping up vigilance. >>> earlier we talked with the korea student for defense analyses. he's an expert on north korea. >> how did the device launch this time compare to the one in 2012 in terms of rocket technology? was this a device that was more advanced? >> this missile test adopted similar bodies and upgraded technology. let me point out three significant improvements. first of all, the tip payload weight was doubled from the previous 100 kilograms to 200 kilograms, which is still less than required to mount nuclear devices. secondly, the first stage of a long-range missile fell off after two minutes of liftoff with more than 270 degrees, which implies that engineers impatiently inserted exploding mechanism. this technology was from the 2012 launch. at the time south korean military salvaged the first debris and analyzed the details of the rocket. lastly, no

>> reporter: the reaction here from the south koreans was to convene the president - the president of south korea convening a meeting calling for an immediate meeting emergency of the council in new york. also as you were saying, reports on the local news agency suggesting that potentially something might have gone wrong with this launch, talking about objects falling into the sea near the south korean island of jeju. they are in that reporting themselves so far. they had yet to ascertain the launch. japan and the u.s. are both suggesting that they tracked the launch for a much longer distance than the south korean reporting about that tracking ending near the island. one of the things that had been giving some weight to speculation that it hadn't gone well was the fact that north korea had yet to make any announce: when you were reading the headlines a few minutes ago, we saw the north korean present a flash up on kctv. a brief statements coming from the state media saying there would be a special announcement at noon local time pyongyang. that's about an hour and a half from now. th

the reports come from south korean officials. the man was allegedly killed for if these south korean reports are true the execution could be the latest in purges, dismissal dismissals. details about north korean government are notoriously difficult to get. south korean officials have a spotty record of tracking developments in north korea. >>> the anthem of the seas is back in court. you probably remember that's the royal caribbean cruise ship that ran into a big-time storm and was forced toto cut its voyage short. >> the ship was met at the dockck by the coast guard. as the more than 4,500 passengers disembarked. we talked to them. chucuie bedford has the story. >> reporter: shouts of joy as weary passengers set foot on land for the first time in four days. the massive anthem of the seas around 8:30 wednesday morning. >> amazing, amazing. we were first in line to get off like four hours ago. >> r rorter: passengers cheering from their balcony, an anthem to a dream cruise that turned into a nightmare. >> i don't scsce easy, that

necessary and last august had the opportunity to agree that the status quo was eritrea with a south korean allies to fire artillery across the border. in the danger of armed escalation. as well as high-ranking officials for my conversations became evident to grow exasperated with that north korean regime. with the ender standing -- understanding. the north korea's sanctions to think 17 colleagues in the senate for cosponsoring to be slightly modified version it mandates the president impose sanctions to the nuclear ballistic missile development but those mandatory sanctions against those perpetrators to engage in money-laundering were counterfeit goods to undermine cybersecurity. precious metals including aluminum and steel. these sanctions are tough. and a significant portion is portrayed with the precious metals and we know is through the relationship with china. and nobody face is the greater threat than even in china that kills its own people. with that determination is certainly from the united nations. and those are unique to the senate legislation and. in regarding cybersecurity it

seeing the a south korean ship in which 46 south koreans lost their lives, over 50 were injured. they -- it was split in half by a torpedo from a north korean submarine and they actually lifted the two halves out of the water. and inspecting that and looking at the letters that some of the -- the last letters that some of those young south korean sailors had sent home before they perished, it's just a reminder, it is a reminder of how brutal that regime can be on its

the reports come from south korean officials. the man was allegedly killed for corruption and other charges. if these south korean reports are true, the execution could be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals since kim jong un took power in late 2011. details about north korea's difficult to get. south korean officials have a developments in north korea. >>> the anthem of the seas is back in port this morning. this is the cruise ship that ran to a big-time storm, dangerous weather and was first to cut that voyage short. that ship was met at the dock by the coast guard as more than 4500 passengers got off that boat. that team of u.s. coast guard to the ship and recommend repairs before it sets sail again. royal caribbean admit tld were huge gaps in their planning allowing that ship to sail into that storm. the ship was destined to florida as one of its stops when on the high seas it got tossed around in that big storm, up to 30-foot waves at a couple points. royal caribbean decided to abort their several stops

the south koreans are not saying publicly whether they believe whether it is functioning as normally. they say it is rotating, but it is too early to tell whether it is actually performing as intended >>> what about the international efforts to up the sanctions package in place against north korea? how long until those added sanctions actually kick in? >> reporter: first they need to be agreed in the u.n. security council. that is something that is, obviously, still being negotiated at the moment, and the chief obstacles would be the reservations of the russian sides and more importantly of china, but those powers, japan, south korea and the u.s. have been talking at the highest levels on tuesday. president obama have discussions with president abe and park geun-hye and abe had a conversation of their own, all in a few minutes of each other and expressing the will at least to try and get the tougher sanction sz possible through the u.n. security council, also talking about possible other measures. the prime minister of japan saying that japan may up its own unilateral sanctions agains

why some south korean politician can't keep their eyes open. ir eyes open. >>> welcome back. the top stories on al jazeera. the aid operation to the people of syria is continuing as a shaky pause in the fighting largely holds. in a letter to the u.n. secretary opposition parties say breaches will make new talks unattainable. 70 people are confirmed dead after an attack in a marketplace in a mainly shia neighborhood on saturday. one of the vatican's highest ranking officials says the catholic church has made enormous mistakes in dealing with abuse cases. cardinal pell is telephone via video from rome. a man has been hanged in pakistan for shooting a stat governor who called for blasphemy laws to be changed. he was an outspoken critic of the laws used against christians and other religious beliefs. a budget aimed at boosting farm growth. double income has been promised for farmers and increase funds for rural areas by 200%. the government has been under pressure to come up with plans to growth as it faces a weakening world economy. iran's moderates have dealt another blow winni

that could include the south korean president. s was targeted for assassination at least twice by the north koreans. why is kim jong-un's regime planning such an attack right now? tensions between the two nations are at a very elevated level. you have the north koreans conducting their fourth nuclear bomb test last month and this month they tested a long-range ballistic missile under the guys of a satellite launch. south korea shut down the kasong industrial complex that makes a lot of money for north korea. that money -- that complex the two nations share operation of that. just yesterday also american f-22 stealth bombers flew low over south korea in a clear show of force so those tensions dating back to the summer where they had that land mine attack from the north koreans across the south korean border. >> it's there a response beyond the show of force from the united states? >> we have reached out all day to the white house and intelligence agencies. they are not commenting on this threat or what they would do in response to t

tension when the koreas escalated when they ordered south koreans to leave the jointly run industrialceased all the assets. it's called the south decisions to suspend operations there a quote declaration of war and harry faucet reports from seoul. >> reporter: on the southern side of the korean border the resent rocket launch. vehicles headed south from the complex and the joint venture they declared indefinitely closed as of wednesday. >> translator: i feel horrible. if it stops operating companies like ours have to close business. it's difficult. >> translator: we jokingly said kaesong may be shut down but surprised it's happening and feel sorry for the north koreans because they are more worried than we are. >> reporter: as the vehicles start to come through it is clear this is not going to be a quick process with 124 companies inside the kaesong industrial complex getting all their equipment and finished goods out is going to take a while. but a few hours later it became clear it wouldn't be happening at all. north korea said seoul action was dangerous declaration of war cutting t

the south korean government has been closely monitoring the satellite and it believes the north is tryingissile technology. al jazeera's harry faucet now from south. >> reporter: well south korea's defense ministry talking about what it has learned so far from the launch on sunday of its long range rocket and says the first and second stages all appeared to separate successfully as planned but the first stage which exploded over the sea to the west of the korean sea may have been deliverly exploded by the north korean side to prevent the south koreans learning to much from from the debris and defense ministry says they will be searching for the debris and recover it and find out as much as it can and they say there are indications there have been some improvements to that technology since december 2012 and the rocket engines may be somewhat stronger and the satellite with the rocket appeared to be double the weight from the last time around and the maximum range of this rocket may be 12000 kilometers as opposed to 10,000 kilometers last time around and as for the performance itself the so

south korean joint military exercises held next month on the largest scale ever. south korean unification ministry spokesman responded in a regular briefing that north korea should immediately stop the provocative acts. >>> a swedish teenager was rescued from isis militants in iraq and said life in the caliphate was really hard and she was duped into going there by her boyfriend. the 60 north spoke about her experience yesterday in her first interview since her the northern iraq. >> when i was there, i didn't have anything. no water, no electricity. we didn't have any money, either. it was a really hard life. when i had a phone, i started to contact my mom and i said to her that i want to go home. >> the teenager said she met her boyfriend mid-2014 after dropping out of school in sweden. the couple set off from sweden in late may 2015 and made their way across europe by bus and train until they reached the turkish border from where they crossed into syria. isis militants ferried them by bus and other men and women to the city of mosul in neighboring iraq and provi

to witness the proximity of the threat for screen allies, i -- south korean allies, i visited the demilitarized zone, the d.m.z. only days after i departed, north koreans fired artillery across the border, showing the danger south koreans live under every day and the danger of this escalation of this conflict. i also traveled to china and met with the foreign minister as well as other high-ranking officials to discuss north korea. from my conversations, it became evident that although they are growing exasperated with the north korean regime, beijing has done little with the intention of undertaking meaningful action to stop kim jong-un. so last october, i introduced senate bill 2144, the north korea sanctions and policy enhancement act, and i want to thank 17 of my colleagues in this senate for cosponsoring this legislation. the substitute before us today represents a slightly modified version of senate bill 2144. in particular, this legislation mandates, not simply authorizes, that the president impose sanctions against persons that materially contribute to north korea's nuclear and ballistic

south korea is willing to take. sympathy says the government took the decision to close the joint industrial complex inside north korean territory as it did last wednesday. south korea has ploughed hundreds of millions of dollars into that plant. they said they knew it used currency for its regime for missile and defense programs. south korea doesn't want to be seen with a real international coalition which it wants to lead, it doesn't want to be seen to have knowingly given money to the weapons program in north korea. she says that that international coalition will soon show north korea and the regime of the president if carries on with the program it will collapse. we will wait to see whether such measures can enforced >>> soon after the north korean test south korea and the u.s. announced they would consider deploying the advanced missile defense system known as thaad. on monday china said it opposes any such plan >> translation: we have serious concerns over the possible deployment of this advanced missile defense system. china has a clear position. we firmly oppose any country's attempt to the interests with the e

south koreans well they are among the biggest drinkers on earth. no other people many the world consume more hard liquor, and that's giving public health officials a headache. alcohol abuse is an increasing cause for concern. steve reports. >>> on patrol with south korean police, officer hazel chung and her partner have been called to this shop. >> they find her heavily intoxicated and passed out in the bathroom. >> the officers carry her to the patrol car, they will take her to medics. >> clares up until now, korean men have been the heavy drinkers, put increasingly women are joining the ranks. every night, south koreans consume 7 million bottles of a local alcohol made from rice. the number of calls we are getting involved drugs is overall increasing but women maybe up most of calls now, they are destroying themselves, it is heart breaking. oven any given evening young women can be seen stumbling about, drunk out of their minds. >> many people say a big part of the problem is the availability of lick dwor it coteses only $1 a bottle. >> kim and 2

a south korean defense ministry range missile." a fraternity president is behind bars this morning after being accused of sexual assault. wolfgang ballinger is facing multiple charges -- including attempted rape in the frist degree. the 21-year old is the president of psi upsilon chapter at cornell university. he is set to appear in court on tuesday. savor our sunday because it will be the warmest afternoon for the foreseeable future as a batch of arctic air gets ready to move in early next week. sunshine will be out in full force for most of the area this sunday afternoon with exception for some extra cloud cover across southside this afternoon as a system rides the atlantic coast. today: mostly sunny and mild with highs around 50. just a few minutes with more comes together nearly one week after police found 13-year old comes together nearly one week after police found 13-year old nicole lovell dead. how people hit the court for "battle of the burgs" to honor the teen's life and help each other heal. plus ... a girl is dead after

every night south koreans kon assume 7 million dollars of the local alcohol made from r ice. the number of calls we're getting is overall women. it is hard breaking. >> reporter: on any given evening on the streets here young women can be seen stumbling about, drunk out of their minds. many people are saying the problem is it can be found 24/7 anywhere. the cost is only $11 a bottle. -- $1 a bottle. this alcoholic has launched a legal suit agains the companies. >> people see people drink these because they're famous and it encourages drinkers to over drink. >> reporter: university students are partying and binge drinking, they say it helps relieve stress. she studies 18 hours a day and with youth suicide rate here the highest in the developed world, she says it is good for mental health. >> reporter: do you ever see a day when south koreans will drink less? >> absolutely not. >> translation: liquor is something that is naturally shared between friends and family. i think our drinking culture is very uplifting. so i don't think the day we have less ever come, nor should it. >>

the south korean presidential the guest of honor after president xi jinping's big military parade last september, but there is a sense of embarrassment here for the leadership that the south korean government is now openly embracing something that the chinese government is so hostile about >>> we've got more coming up here at al jazeera, including the australian hospital refusing to charge a one year old girl who is threatened with deportation. >>> fighting has intensified in syria days after world powers called for acisation of - drn a cessation of hostilities. dozens have died and 50 civils i can't answer including children were killed. saudi and russian energy ministers have just agreed to frees crude oil production at january levels. the agreement came at an unannounced meeting in doha on tuesday. riyadh has consistently said it won't cut production unless non-opec producers cooperate. it is the final day in euganda before elections. the opposition leader was held. the australian government has been criticized after a hospital in brisbane refused to discharge a migrant baby facing

the defense ministry here saying that five warning shots were fired by vessels of the south korean navy and that that north korean patrol boat retreated north of the line within about 20 minutes the incident was over. the presidential offer here saying that a heightened service will be maintained. it is a very big holiday here in south korea. south korea has said it will expand its loud speaker broadcasts, broadcasting propaganda across the demilitarized zone. a lot of focus here is on the u.n. security council after that emergency meeting on sunday. a lot of pressure trying to be brought to bear on china to support tougher sanctions against north korea in response to the 6 january nuclear test and sunday's rocket launch >>> the names of nominees for myanmar's next president and vice president will be revealed next month. aung san suu kyi's party the n.l.d. won knows elections last year with a landslide majority. however she is still barred from becoming the country's president. as wayne hay reports, last minute negotiations are on to remove that barrier. >> reporter: despite her party

there are increasing numbers of reports in the south korean media citing unnamed sources in the south korean military saying they do appear to have traced the rocket all the way through its flight path and that it does appear to have launched an object into orbit. that is contradicting what the agency was saying earlier about a possible failure of this launch. the japanese are also saying that they traced a number of separate objects going along the predetermined flight path. the united strategic command saying it traced a rocket launch into space. i think there is a growing body reporting now combined with this north korean claim that they have had a successful launch >>> we have more from our correspondent. north korea claims that this launch of theirs was, in fact, a turning point. do you think it was a turning point? >> i don't think it's so much a turning point as a continuation down the road that they've been on. this is not the first time north korea has managed to put a small satellite into orbit if, indeed, it turns out that they were successful in doing that. it's another te

as for the performance of the satellite itself, the south koreans are not saying. there were reports from the u.s. saying that they think that it's tumbling in orbit and saying it is not useful as a satellite. there are efforts in terms of getting sanctions through the u.n. security council. there were three separate tell conversationss on wednesday between obama, park geun-hye and abe as they try to make sure that north korea is punisheded for this latest action >>> japan's apartment has voted for punishing new measures against north korea. >> translation: we have decided to move towards imposing unilateral sanctions against north korea aiming to resolve the issues of abductions, nuclear weapons and missiles. we will enhance coordination with u.s., south korea and china and russia for a security resolution to be imposed as quickly as possible >>> it is the first official day of campaigning in the philippines presidential election. candidates have their leaflets printed, their adverts prepared and their itinerarys prepared. a really interesting we could say mix of

place where north koreans can put their money after macao was shut down to them a number of years ago. if china has finally taken action against north korea as the governments of south korea, united states and j.p japan have been urging it to. it will not be hurting ordinary north koreans, but those in the regime who have money salted away. they had no knowledge of this particular matter. >> what better way of celebrating 106 than sharing a distance with the president and the first lady at the white house. >> no you are not! >> that's virginia mclauren who after a length 80 social media campaign finally got her wish to meet the first african american president. the secret to a long and happy life she says is to keep moving. >> i would never be able to get it. >> you are here. >> you are here. >> i am so happy. >> we are happy to have you. >> thank you. >> look at him! >> she's great, isn't she? so the website is right here, aljazeera.com, where you'll find all the latest comment analysis and video on demand as well. aljazeera.com. >> i'm sylvia rowley in the south of england where support for small scale sustainable fishing is catching on. >> and i'm russell beard i

for "factionalism, misuse of authority and corruption," that's according to a south korean government official with knowledge of north korean affairs.. his execution is the latest in a string of high-profile officials that have been purged in a dramatic fashion. meanwhile.. tensions between north korea and u-s ally south korea are heating up. pyongyang's recent rocket launch prompted the closure of an industrial park run by both countries, which are technically still at war with one another. greg palkot has more. one of the last sources of cooperation between north and south korea now shut down. all south koreans working at a jointly run factory park in the north leaving the facility. seoul suspending operations there wednesday, a move pyongyang calls a "declaration of war." hong says: "..our government decided to completely suspend the complex to stop funds for the industrial complex from being used for development of north korea's missile and nuclear weapons program." kaesong shuttered following pyongyang's long-range rocket launch on sunday. the rocket carrying a satellite into orb

prime minister abe to barack obama and south korean president. south korean leaders taking a stand. they've shut down all activities at the kesson industrial park in north korea. >> translator: in order to stop more money from kason and protect our firms from being polices, our government has decided to suspend all operations. >> the ministries accused him of funneling money from the fund. they im ploy more than 50,000 workers from the south. they'll limit the number of citizen who could enter the zone. north korea state run tv has aired footage of a hero's welcome to scientists involved in the rocket launch. central television showed buses carrying the researchers in uniforms arriving in the capitol. they're being welcomed by citizens who lined the streets. the state run korean central agency reported on the arrival, calling the scientists conqu conquerers of the universe who have successfully launched a satellite. state run media have refrained from covering the shut down of the complex. >>> german media say tuesday's train accident in a southern state of baf aria was caused by hu

that's no longer the case. >> reporter: on patrol with the south korean police. hazel and her partner have been called to this coffee shop. patrons report someone in need of help. they find her heavily intoxicated and passed out in the bath roo.. >> they take her to medics. >> up until now korean men ln the heavy drugs, increasingly women are joining their ranks. every night south koreans corn assume 7 million bottles. >> number of calls we get involving drunks is increasing. women make up most of the calls. they are destroying themselves with liquor. it's heart-breaking. >> on any given evening young women can be seen stumbling about, drunk out of their mines. pret well, they can be found 24/7. the cost is $1 a bottle. this man and 25 alcoholics launched class action against liquor counties, accusing them of using celebrities to lure young women to drinking. >> because they are famous, it encourages consumers, linking to overdrinking and people getting knocked up. university students argue partying and drinking helps to relief stress. she studies 18 hours a day,

harry fawcett has more. >> this is incredibly rare in south korean politics.othing like this has happened since 1969. the reason it's happening now is twofold, this is an incredibly contentious legislation, something the opposition has been protesting against. but it's been languishing in committee and it's time to bring it to a vote. one, there is the threat of north korea after the recent rocket launch and before that the nuclear test. also, there's the issue of middlmiddle eastern groups, sucs el nusra and i.s.i.l. anyone suspected of terrorism activity to have their phones tapped and their bank records accessed by the government and so the opposition says it's simply going to talk this out until the end of the current session on march 10th, if the government, ruling party then wans to enforcwantsto enforce iw plenary session. >> it was over before it even began. >> three two one zero. okay we have launch abort. >> u.s. spacex has had to cancel just before liveoff, it was about to blast off when on board computers aborted the mission for third time in a wee

the south korean national security council met early on wednesday, the defense minister has come out and called this a grave escalation of tensions on the peninsula, but such words in the past haven't prevented north korea going through >>> australia's high court ruled that the government's offshore detention program is lawful. anyone who tries to reach australia by boat to claim asylum is held on the pacific island of nauru or png. it could see the way for the return of over 200 people to detention centers. in the past people in the camps have reported human rights issues. zambia is seen as one of africa's most stable democracies. some are worried free dpoms are being eroded. our correspondent explains from the capital. >> reporter: zambia's richest man now wants to become the most powerful. hh tells me he wants to become president to save his country and its democracy. he already contested the presidency last year when snap elections were called after the former president died, but he lost by the smallest of margins, less than 2% of the vote >> there's no doubt that the elections w

. >> less than 24 hours after north korea's rocket launch, the south korean defense ministry reporting that a patrol boat came south of the de facto maritime border, the disputed maritime border, the northern limit line at 6:55 a.m. local time. the defense ministry here in seoul saying five warning shots were fired by vessels off the south korean navy, and that's north korean patrol boat retreated north of the line. within 20 minutes the incident was over. it is lunar new year across asia, and a very big day here south korea as well. south korea said it will expand its broadcasting propaganda across the demilitarized zone in response to sunday's rocket launch. other countries concerned with this is on the u.n. security council after that emergency meeting on sunday. a lot of pressure trying to be brought to bear on china to support much tougher new sanctions against north korea in response to january 6th nuclear test and sunday's rocket launch. >> and still ahead on the program, how falling commodity prices is threatening south african mining jobs. find out when a leopard wanders into

the south korean defence ministry reporting that a north korean patrol boat south of the de facto more time border, the disputed border at 6:55 p.m. local time. defence ministry says five warning shots were fired by vessels of south korean navy, and that that small korean patrol boat retreated north of the line. the incident was over. the dehli office said a -- presidential alert status saying the line would be maintained. it is lunar new year, a big holiday in south korea, south korea says it will expand the loud speaker broadcasting proppa gander across the demilitarized zone in response to the rocket launch. one of the focuses is on the u.n. security council after the emergency meeting on sunday. a lot of pressure brought to bare, supporting tougher sanctions against north korea in response to the january 6th nuclear test and sunday's rocket launch. >> the united nations is urging haiti to form a new government after president martelly stepped down on sunday. the parliament has to choose a caretaker president. this is a political crisis that sparked months of unrest as natasha gan a

harry fawcett has more. >> this is incredibly rea rare n south korean politics. the reason it is happening now is twofold. this is an incredibly contentious piece of legislation, something entirely opposed to coming into legislation. >> this country and secondly the speaker of the national assembly has simply decided it's been languishing for too long, two years, and it's time bring it to a vote. the reason that the government and the national intelligence service say it's necessary is because one there is the threat that north korea after the recent rocket launch and before that the nuclear test, also there's the issue of middle eastern groups such as i.s.i.l, el nusra, al qaeda, sparse the opposition is dernd language in this law is simply too vague. it would allow anyone suspected of terrorism activity to have their phone records tapped, their phones tapped and their bank records accessed by the government. the opposition says it's simply going to talk this out until the end of the current session on march the 10th. if the groft, the ruling party wants to enfo

the south korean national security council met early on wednesday, the defense minister has come out and called this a grave escalation of tenses on the korean peninsula, but such words in the past haven't seen them not launching >>> the government has ruled australia's offshore detention is lawful. refugees are held on nauru and png. it could see 250 asylum seekers returned to the detention centers. joining me now live is nicholas reece, a public policy person at melbourne university. what do you make of this argument by one refugees advocacy group which says the government won this case on a point of technicality and the court didn't get into the substance of the issue. >> good to be with you. there have been successive challenges to the validity of australia's offshore detention system. this is just the latest. this time, however, unlike some of the previous challenges that human rights groups have not succeeded. their argument was that the indefinite detention of asylum seekers in another country was a breach of the australian constitution because it amounted to imprisonment by a

the manufacturing zone serves as a base for south korean firm. they employ more than 50,000 workers from the north. officials in seoul earlier said they would limit the number of their citizens who could enter the zone from 800 to 500. >>> washington's top intelligence official is raising concerns over north korea's nuclear weapons program. he said the country could begin extracting plutonium from a restarted reactor within a matter of weeks. james clapper says it's committed to developing a long-range missile capable of threatening the united states. james clapper revealed his annual threat assessment at a senate committee. he said intelligence officials judge that north korea has expanded its yongbyon nuclear complex, and said the reactor has been operating long enough to allow the recovery of plutonium from the spent fuel. north korea said in september that the complex had resumed normal operations. a six-party agreement in 2007 saw the country disable the reactor in exchange for aid. >>> researchers in japan have made a potentially high-value