a december siege in a sydney cafe showed how an individual can cause havoc. >> the prime minister said authorities have 400 high priority counter terrorism investigations running, double the number of a year ago. he also said 110 australians have traveled to iraq and syria to fight and could prove dangerous if they returned home. >> too often, abbott said, the system was giving people the benefit of the doubt. >> if there's a choice between latitude for suspects or more powers to police and security agencies, more often, we should choose to support our agencies. >> new proposals include a counter terrorism coordinator. and vevoking the citizenship of those with dual nationality if they are thought to be a threat. >> withdrawing citizenship under what circumstances and what sort of court test is there going to be on that? >> further proposals to ban groups if they make excuse for islamist fanatics concern many. >> this issue if you're with us or against us, very george bush like is unheful and will impact on short term security interests and also long term security interests. >> the dan

the latest victims the western sydney side, the mud crabs. >> i was surprised when the first ball camea pretty pace. they were good and they smashed them. they are good blokes as well. >> this matchnded in another victory for ocean 12 but the challenge will not be on the cricket pitch, but the immigration authorities who will decide whether the young me can stay in australia >>> well it's been a rough start to 2015 for world number 3, rafael nadal, who has been plagued by injury. he suffered one of his worst performances at the australian open reaching a final in the last three tournament itchments. as sarah coates reports, it got worse. >> reporter: it is clay dominating red courts around the world for well over a decade. rafael nadal's 12 year semifinal winning streak came to an end in rio. with the defending champion bundled out by fognini on saturday. the spaniard started well but faded after the first set. serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the third, a worn-out rafael nadal pushed to the limit. foggnini came to the net to scoop up a ball sending it across court to win the mat

, the man took 17 people hostage in a sydney cafe. the new measures could be stripping citizens of their passports. andrew thomas has more from sid in. >> in his speech tony abbott said the terrorist attack threat had never been greater. double the number of potential threats that there were just a year ago. he said there were 90 australians traveled to the middle east to fight along with the islamic. they could pose a threat if they were to come back. two terrorist attacks on australian soil since september of last year, one on attack on policemen in melbourne and then the cafe in sydney. too often in the past the benefit of the doubt given to individuals who might seek to do australians harm and the balance needed to shift away from personal freedom and to the community as a whole. with that in mind he's going to announce a raft of new measures, for example the stripping of australian citizenship to people who have dual anationality if they're posing harm to australians and encourage in his words attacks elsewhere, there is a group

sydney including strengthening the laws and revoking the citizenship of suspected fighters be andrewas this update from sydney. >> reporter: the threat to australia tony abbott said or of a terrorist attack had never been great. he said there are 400 high priority cases being looked in to right now and that is double the number of poe fen shall threats that this were a year ago. he said there are 90 australians who have traveled to the middle east to fight alongside islamic state fighters. those people could pose a threat where they could come back. and he also said there huh have been two focal attacks on australian soil one in melbourne on policeman and the siege in the cafe in the i hadal of sydney. he said too often the benefit of the doubt has been given to individual that might seek to do harm the balance needed to shift away from personal freedom and board the safety of the community as a whole. with that in mind he's going to announce a rash of new mesh us, for example the stripping of australian sit sin shep to team with dual nationality, two pass poured if they are thought

. >>> still to come police in sydney have arrested two men they say were planning an imminent terror attack. hear what evidence investigators found after the break. >>> plus, violence escalates in eastern ukraine ahead of a crucial meeting to try to achieve a peace deal. >>> and concern is growing that parents may be exposing their children to the measles on purpose. ♪ music ♪ ...the getaway vehicle! for all the confidence you need. td ameritrade. you got this. [ female announcer ] we help make secure financial tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ mom ] with life insurance, we're not just insuring our lives... we're helping protect his. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow. when it comes to your credit, in the know is the place to be. transunion.com makes it easy. we give you 24/7 access. you get instant credit alerts to keep you in sync. you can even lock and unlock your transunion credit report from your phone. and all that information feels pretty good. come to transunion.com and get in the know. >>> w

. >>> police in sydney arrest two men they say were planning an imminent terror attack.vestigators say they found. that's coming up. really... i guess i did take some risks. anncr: bode, bode miller!!! trained a little bit differently. a little too honest sometimes. the media is useless. you were out of control. but not always. sir, we're going to need you on the runway later. don't let a severe cold hold you back. get theraflu... ...with the power of three medicines to take on your worst pain and fever, cough and nasal congestion. it breaks you free from your toughest cold and flu symptoms. theraflu. serious power. >>> just after half past the hour. you're watching cnn. i'm john vause. >> and i'm zain asher. nbc has suspended brian williams for six months without any pay. the move comes after williams admitted exaggerating a storey about an iraq war mission he was on back in 2003. lester holt is going to be filling in for williams during the suspension. >>> jon stewart says he's leaving his hit show "the daily show," later this year. he's hosted that program for more th

let's head to paul allen in sydney.bout the pickup in consumer spending and explain the reason to cash cast rates to 2.25%. aey said there is also been decrease in chinese demand for commodities, which has a severe impact on australia. there is also uncertainty in timing and the extent of the expected increase in household consumption and investment and a lack of clarity on the chinese property markets. whye are among the reasons the reserve bank of australia decided to act and cut the cash rate at the start of the month. as for the currency, it is still too high. it has increased slightly since the release of these minutes. earlier this month, we have been hearing a lot from the rba recently. glenn stevens testimony to ,arliament about the currency he said he is less concerned about where it sits against the u.s. dollar and more so against major trading partners, which include china. he wants to see it weaken further. rate cuts do not provide the stimulus they once did. unemployment, overreacting was warned against. th

we have reports from sydney. >> walking back from the doctor with her younger sister, she found a man blocking their path. >> we moved to the side but he kept coming towards us. he just whacked me with his shoulder and called me a bloody terrorist. >> she said she's increasingly concerned about how muslims are perceived. >> when people look at me, they think that she's wearing a scarf, she must be a terrorist. it breaks you inside. >> on monday, as he announced new measures to counter the terrorist threat, australia's prime minister controversially suggested muslims could do more to help. >> i've often heard western leaders describe islam as a religion of peace. i wish more muslim leaders would say that more often and mean it. >> tony an abbott said that they have 400 high property counter terrorism investigation going on and he said australians have traveled to syria and iraq to fight, and could prove dangerous if they return home. >> he said that the system was giving people the benefit of the doubt. >> if it's a choice for more powers in police and security agencies more often we s

sydney jones joining us from jakarta. thank you for your time. >> the united states federal judge has temporarily blocked president obama's controversial immigration plan. the executive action would have spared a raping of undocumented immigrant from being deported. the delay now means an estimated 4 million people looking to apply for the programme will not be able to. >> moralize is a family man in a country he loves. he came to the u.s. 20 years ago. he works as a car pep ter trying to make a good life for his family. he was an undocumented immigrant, having to live in the shadows to avoid peeping deported. he looked forward taking advantage of app executive order signed by president obama in november and set to go into place this week. >> it will be better to work legally. i want to help my son and wife. >> it's not going to happen of a judge issued an injunction blocking a plan going forward. >> the decision does not question the constitutionally or marriage of president obama's plan, all it does is say the legality

it rejects the finding calling for a political such-up from sydney. >> he lis in sydney and is studying to be an accountant. australia government held him for a year in prison-like detention centers. he was 14 years old and alone. he came by boat. he coped in detention, but saw others that didn't. >> i saw kids who are cutting and it's not something i could forget. we are damaging. we are damaging. physically. >> the yusufi's experience is similar to many details. our findings are shocking. he found that all medical evidence confirmed that mental health disorders amongst children. >> more than a third of children detained have psychiatric report. there are allegations against children. in canberra, from the immigration department. they confirmed a 16-year-old girl in detention threw herself off a building last year. >> this is a shocking report. only australia, it says automatically locks up immigrant children. serious damage is being done to those it does. shocking too has been the government's reaction to the report. this it says is that travesty. more children were in detention under

which is the closest to sydney.s came from there. >> reporter: "america tonight" went to sedgwick, across the border in colorado. to see the dispensary for ourselves. sure enough, a car with nebraska plates pulled up to the store. >>> now, fast-forward - despite serious concerns, the cannabis club is growing, nebraska the third state to legalize pot, and growing and possessing weed could be legal by the end of the week. congress is keeping the district of columbia from setting rules about how it will be sold. >>> next, voices for justice. >> all the peel have lived their lives, they have been through hell and high water. each generation has to speak for itself. >>> america's young revolutionaries, women in the mott. how their fight was influenced by the death of young plaque men >>> and a voice celebrating justice with a touch question. >> have you found my generation is responsive to you, in getting what you need. >> yes and no. >> the legendry harry bellafonte deferred. wednesday on "america tonight". this jeer ma

. >> he now lives in sydney and is studying to be an accountant. but before he was given a visa, australian government held him in austere conditions. he coped in detention he says but saw other children who didn't. >> i saw kids who are hang, i saw kids who are cutting their hands. it is not something i could forget. we are damaging those kids. we are damageing mentally, and we are damaging physically. >> reporter: his experience is similar to many detailed in human rights report on immigrant children detained by australia's government. >> our findings are deeply shocking. we found that all the medical evidence confirmed that detention causes and compounds mental health disorders amongst children. >> more than a third of children detained require psychiatric support, there are allegations of sexual abuse against children many have self-harmed officials from australia's immigration department confirmed a 16-year-old girl in detention threw her severely off a building last week. only australia locks up immigrant children. serious damage has been don

and they found themselves here in sydney unable to work unable to study. the game of crick or playing the game of contribute is a valuable outlet in more ways than one. i feel better. it's giving peace of mind and communication. >> what is it like, meeting local players and teams. >> yes recollects they are very friendly. >> it helps their self-worth mental health and gives them reason for getting up in the in respecting. they are part of a -- morning. they are part of a team. the team is part of the competition, and they are mixing with other players from all walks of life and this has been a crucial part in their development to integrate them into the australian way of life. >> not some are they integrating but net beat their australian opposition. the latest victims, western sydney's mud grabs. >> i was surprised when the first ball came at me head. they are good cricketers. and they smashed them. they are good blokes too. >> the match ended in another victory for ocean 12. the biggest challenge will not be on the contribute pip -- cricket pitch, but wi

. >> in as i sydney, surgery to turn man into part machine. >> we begin with the latest on the double shooting in denmark that left three dead including the suspect. in a show of solidarity, the french in at her mother ministry spoke alongside the danish minister inside copenhagen. he said e.u. countries would work together to stop any further attacks. >> i am here today because we are confronted in the same -- to the same problems in europe, that is to say terrorism with certain number of people who are killing innocents in our countries. we want, of course, to overcome these problems by more cooperation in europe between our intelligence services and police. >> let's bring in nick spicer, following events from copenhagen. i believe you've got information on the raised that have been taking place over what's happened. >> well, police in the latest reports have raided an internet cafe close to the immigrant neighborhood, where the suspect was shot and killed this morning. we understand that two people have been apprehended for questions. they have been conducting raised in other parts

when i read for the sydneys, i read to get my 10 awards probably 600 or 700 magazine articles a week.lways think, why don't i do more of this? with newspapers i always forget but magazines linger in the brain. books are better than magazines and magazines are better than newspaper articles which are better than blogs which are better than tweets. but the mind runs downhill to tweets because it is so easy. you have to push yourself uphill. brian lamb: i have heard you say you cannot write 800, you need 3000. david brooks: my natural length is 3000 to 5000. my exact word count is 806. that is the space on the page. you are going down one length of column, so that is what you do you hit 806. you write longer and then you cut. brian lamb: i read in one of your sydney columns that you advise people to go to three places if they want more of what you are talking about and i will put it on the screen. "arts and letters daily," "the browser," and "book forum." what are those? david brooks: those are aggregator site. they link to longform pieces out there in the world. my favorite right now, "

the white city tennis club in sydney is almost a symbol of the decline of tennis. built in 1922 it hosted five davis cup finals and used to be the home of the sydney international until 2000. a lack of funding saw the iconic venue fall into disrepair. good news with the owners wanting to redevelop the site with a multisports facility and tennis will play a large part. if the sport can be accessible and affordable to all, maybe australia long wait for a singles champion at the australian open could come to an end. >>> and the world handball champions have been decided, france beating qatar. the european and olympic champions took a lead winning 25-22. the first team to win the world title five times. qatar are the first non-european nation to secure a world championship medal. richard parr was at the final. >> reporter: qatar's amazing run at the world championships came to an end. beating austria, and pollen and germany, they loft 25-22 to france. france are the greatest ever handball team completing the triple crown. the olympic champions, european champions - are

it was the whom of the sydney international until 2000. but a lack of funding in recent years, a scene, a venue falling into disrepair. >> the owners want to redevelop the site. tennis will play a large part in that facility and if the sport can remain accessible australia long wait for a single's champion could come to an end >>> they only got a spot in the african cup of nations due to being the host. but equatorial guinea are through to the finals in a controversial defeat of tunisia. they were awarded a contentious penalty sparked argument from tunisian side both involved in ugly confrontations. riot police had to be brought in. there was a score from the spot kick and curled in a free kick in equal time. >> we are one of the most honest people in the world. don't be angry because i tried to help them. at the end it was not acceptable. it's not about the players now, it is about what's happened in the game. the democratic republic of congo came from two goals down to beat congo 4-2 advancing to the first semifinal. 4-time champions gha

andrew thomas al jazeera, sydney. >>> brazil's biggestest illegal forrester has been caught.ccused of unlawfully selling plots of amazon rain forest to ranchers. it is claimed he is responsible for the destruction of 10s of thousands of square kilometers of land. >> i'm mei-ling mcnamara in canada here to discover how the great bear rainforest is being protected. >> i'm amanda burrell. i'm in london to find out how to make old houses green.

al jazeera, sydney. >> in lockdown, new cases of ebola emerge. the national center will be under quarantine for 21 days. six cases were discovered there last week. >> the damage to the forest is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. >> the fair trade movement has been hailed for lifting huge numbers of farmers out of poverty, but new e.u. rules to protect european farmers could put livelihoods of many producers in the developing word at risk. >> if you could take the idea of triumph over adversity and bottle it, thissed be it, olive oil produced by palestinian farmers under occupation in the west bank, who's trees are under constant threat of israeli settlement expansion. the organized which made this trade possible is organizing with the farmers who grew the trees. fair trade opened huge markets as well as being a mark of palestinian nationhood. >> the fact that our products are palestinian oil exported to 24 countries around the world is a sign that we exist as a land. >> it has doubled at least the market for palestinian prod

in sydney australia where i have been watching innovative surgery to attach robotic limbs turning man in to part machine. people of our time... talk to al jazeera part of our special black history month coverage on al jazeera america >> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america. arch. >>> a cease-fire between government forces and pro-russian separatists appear to be holding but there has been continues us shelling reported in the contested town of debaltseve. the u.s. security council set to demand iranian backed houthi militia withdraw from government institutions. opponents are calling for international action. the u.n. has warmed yemen is collapsing. >>> shi militia have made gains in the south and northwest from the islamic state of iraq in the levan. some have been accused killing sunni civilians. al jazeera has been given exclusive

he joins us live from sydney via skype. thank you for your time. first, from jihadi john to the four teenagers in canada we keep hear thing recurring headline of young men and women becoming radicalized. can you explain why you believe this continues to keep happening? >> well look i mean isis is very good at propagating their message, at using the internet and social media to make themselves attractive to people in the west. what you see is a lot of these people are sort of above average educational level. they are generally above average intelligence above average in terms of material wealth. as a result they're attracted to the romanticism. >> it was described that this is an opportunity to be important. do you see it that way for people who go to syria to join isis do they see an opportunity to have a voice in the group? >> yes, certainly they do. they sew an opportunity to be important, to do something heroic in their view and to make a name for themselves. >> please, go ahead. >> now that he has a name increases his utility to isis because he

>> the first years i called them the hookies but that did not work so i changed it to the sydney's. it is partly because of my admiration for the public intellectuals of that era. >> let's watch a little more of him, this was later on, back in 1987. >> we thought that socialism meant that the ideals of democracy would be extended to all areas of human life. and even today when someone asks me, you still regard yourself as a socialist? i say, if you permit me to define socialism, i would define them in terms as the believe in democracy as a way of life. >> deweyian terms, john dewey. he says he is a pragmatist. >> i have tried to read dewey many times, he is the worst writer imaginable. he was a early 20th century philosopher and writer on education. i am not the best person to talk because i have tried to lead him many times and failed. the thing about him calling himself a socialist, people deeply committed to ideas, they grew out of that movement area they might have turned right or turned left at the grew out of that because socialism was an ideal that would change the world. it

the measures which follow a report in to last year's attack on a cafe in sydney include strengtheningion laws and revoking the citizenship of suspected fighters. andrew thomas sent this update from sydney. >> reporter: in his speech, tony abbott says the threat to australia of a terrorist attack had never been greater. he said there are 400 high priority cases being looked in to right now and that that is double the number of potential threats that there were just a year ago. he said there are 90 australians who have traveled to the middle east to fight alongside islamic state fighters, those people could pose a threat were they to come back. and he also said that there have been two so-called terrorist attacks on australian soil since september last year. one an attack on policemen in melbourne and a sync in siege on a cafe in sid any. he said too many teams benefits of the doubt have been given to individuals that seek to do harm to australia. and the balance needs to shift away from personal feed immaterial towards the community as a whole with that in mind he is announcing a rash

andrew thomas reports from sydney. >> reporter: an innocent man after 14 years labeled a terrorist anduantanmo bay, david hicks has finally cleared his name. >> relieved, i suppose. also exhausted because it's been a long time. >> reporter: the australian was seized in afghanistan in 2001, shortly after al jazerra's 9/11 attacks, he had been getting military training with the taliban. flown for the u.s. government to guantanmo bay hicks spent five years at the notorious prison camp before in 2007 he did ideal to securities deportation. he pleaded get i to providing material support to terrorism and agreed never to appeal his conviction. but back in all a hicks said he was innocent and had only agreed to the deal to get out of guantanmo where he was being tortured. the u.s. government now accepts that what hicks was convicted of wasn't a crime in 2001 and new laws shouldn't have been applied retrospectively. the deal to stop hicks from appealing, too was invalid. his convictions vacated hicks is i understand vindicated. >> it's unfortunate that i was subject today five years of physical

after last year's reported attack on a cafe in sydney include revoking citizenship and strengtheningtion laws, andrew thomas september this update from sydney. >> reporter: in his speech tony abbott said the threat to australia of a terrorist attack had never been greater. he said that there are 400 high-priority cases being looked in to right knew and that that is double the number of poe then hal threats that were just a year ago. he said there are 90 australians that have traveled to fight with isil. they could pose a threat were they to come back. he said that there have been two so-called terrorist attacks in australia since september last year. one an attack on policemen in penn melbourne and the siege of the cafe. benefit of the doubt is being given to individuals who might seek to due australians harm and the balance needed to shift away from personal freedom perhaps and towards the safety of the community as a whole. with that in mind he will announce a raft of new members. the stripping of australian sit then ship to people who have dual citizenship if they are thought to p

we appreciate -- arts alliance in sydney. we appreciate your time. >> we'll have more later. >>> we want to turn to japan where people are still reeling from the decapitation of a japanese national by isis. the family of slain journalist kenji goto issued a statement thanking the public for the outpouring of prayers and support. japan's chief cabinet secretary had a statement, too. he vowed that the country will not yield to terrorism, and it will continue to provide humanitarian aid to areas affected by isis and may even expand its efforts to help refugees. wee more now on the reaction from there. so anna you're in hong kong of course. just give us an idea because japan is understandably shocked by the news of the murder of kenji got oh. what is prime minister shinzo abe saying about it? how is he responding? >> reporter: yeah. the country no doubt responding with angst and sorrow. you know, japan united in grief. as far the prime minister shinzo abe is concerned. he is vowing revenge. he talks about making the terrorists pa

al jazeera, sydney. >> there is more on our website. aljazeera.com/sport.t's it for me jane. >> thanks for that. there is more on this newshour as well. high tides in venice haven't damp ended spirits. claudia is there and has this report. >> reporter: high spirits and high water on the day carnival and sloven came together. the carnivale of venice with a traditional parade of costumes but they were caught by surprised by another venitian spectacle. >> there is one other event outside from carnivale typically ven etian. on sunday venus got both ven in this not a little bit of water that is stopping venitians from partying. sunday's show started with a pianist flying over the lagoon a grand piano for a grands opening. >> nothing can stop us water, air, from enjoying life. >> typical boats from gondolas to water taxis took part but main atracks were as always the great masc did and the lavish costumes. >> food is like carnivale. it's a celebration of life. >> the first can valuee in venus was held in the 13th century as a street party for the lower classes. h

we'll show you what they found when they search this house in a sydney suburb next. >>> the high-profilerial begins hours from now in the u.s. coming up how the blockbuster movie may complicate the case. >>> hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and across the world. glad you're still with us. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. we want to check the headlines this hour. u.s. president barack obama has vowed to bring the killers of american aid worker kayla mueller to justice. the family of the 26-year-old receive a private message from isis confirming she's dead. the islamist militants kidnapped mueller in 2013. >>> the u.s. tv network nbc has suspended nightly news anchor brian william for six months without pay. the move comes after williams admitted exaggerating a story about an iraq war mission he was on back in 2003. lester holt will fill in for williams during his suspension. >>> u.s. president sbroim urging russia's -- barack obama is urging russia's president to seize the opportunity for peace in ukraine. mr. obama phoned vladimir putin tuesday. the call c

the arrest of two men in sydney earlier this month who'd already recorded a pre-attack message is just one example of how quickly a threat can develop. and i should add without our foreign fighters legislation it's highly unlikely that these arrests could have been made. this new terrorist environment is uniquely shaped by the way that extremist ideology cans now spread online. every single day the islamist death cult and its supporters churn out up to 100,000 social media messages in a variety of languages, often they are slick and well-produced. that's the contagion that's infecting people and grooming them for terrorism. already at least 110 australians have traveled overseas to join the death cult in iraq and syria. at least 20 of them so far are dead. even if the flow of foreign fighters to syria and iraq stopped today, there's now an australian cohort of hardened jihadists who are intent on radicalizing and influencing others. the number of australians with hands on terrorist experience is now several times larger than it was with those who trained earlier in afghanistan and paki

. -- paul allen in sydney. this company is struggling to boost prices with iron ore prices dropping what planning -- but planning to raise production. shares are seemingly unchanged in sydney. m profit -- n to profit trickling, selfies ages biggest developer reported revenue of more than $1 billion u.s.. we are focusing on homes and offices and shopping -- they are focusing on homes and offices and shopping. stay with singapore because the economy grew more than anticipated, the strengthening u.s. recovery and the falling price of oil, all of that together, demand for iron export getting a boost. this was way ahead of analyst predictions. have a look at the taiwan semiconductor going head to head with samsung, battling it out to meet the booming demand for apple goods. record spending $12 billion. >> will billion dollars on plants and equipment, $1 billion more -- $12 billion on plans and equipment, $1 billion more than intel has ever spent. that is in response to samsung, analysts saying they are ahead in term

sydney the hague sarajevo. it had been a year of agony for the families of the men. australia peter greste's parents were in cairo hoping for his release by christmas. >> for me, giving him a hug was quite difficult at the end. just to say goodbye and to leave him at the end of the day knowing that it's not the best place to be. >> no one expect it to go on this long. >> it needs to be corrected. i'm hopeful and still fighting with muhammed. >> the arrests on december 29 2013 were initially assumed to be short-lived a mistake of the media accreditation. by the time it passed, it became clear that the government had other intentions. those who know greste, with little experience of egypt could make little sense of the charge that he was linked to what the government described as terrorists. the same can be said of his colleagues. the hash tag #freeajstaff went crime. the treatment of the employees was a threat to the entire journalistic community reporting from egypt. the trial failed to produce any credible evidence against the three. there was foot acknowledge found

interesting that it ended up in a paper in sydney australia. front page. website. >> a report in the japan times said that japanese officials warn in additionals in china of possible terror attack in public places as part of the lunar celebrations. a safety alert was sent to japanese citizens after media report about the attacks. the u.s. embassy mentioned this in a safety alert, but have not strengthened claims there was a terror attack but did not target foreigners >>> and a provocative piece by the president of the seoul times looks at kids learning english, the least popular month. students consider learning grammar a waste of time and prefer to be fought conversation. >> there's a lot of pressure to learn english. >> there's a lot of pressure in all subjects. >> it's fat tuesday, mardy agree and new orleans in full swing. >> welcome to new orleans, happy mardi gras. >> the celebration traces back to the 17th century when france claimed louisiana >>> an statement 2 million party goers living it up in brazil home of the famous kearney val -- kearney val

i was born in sydney, australia on the fifth of september, 1984. and i was born to a german mother and on australian father with great heritage. the greatest trial of my life came at just 16 months when i was diagnosed with a very rare and unusual childhood cancer. only one in 100000 children get this. there are only 600 cases a year in america and just 40 in australia. the thing with it is it is an enormously difficult cancer to diagnose. that means that overwhelmingly when it is diagnosed, the tumor will have spread. to other parts of the body. when i was diagnosed with no blastoma i was diagnosed with stage four near blastoma meaning the cancer spread throughout my body. my entire body was riddled with cancer. my mother and father were told that i just a 5% chance of surviving. after almost three years of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and an operation, through the healing hands of our master physician god, i decide the odds and i lived. in it would be a battle that whatever shape who i was and the way i have conducted my life. it explains why i agg

in sydney, the asx 200 -- a lot of stuff going on. the asx 200 is up about 4/10 of 1%.osing down to that rba decision tomorrow. kospi freshly up right now. it's singapore starts trading in just over 15 minutes. futures are pointing to a lower open their in singapore. president obama is going after earnings.foreign sources say he wants a 19% minimum tax on money made by u.s. companies overseas. he is set to announce the plan on tuesday along with a 14% levy on stockpiled offshore profits. it could raise more than half $1 trillion over 10 years and would fund infrastructure projects at home. u.s. oil refinery workers have launched the biggest industry strike in 35 years. the united fuel workers union represents employees at more than 200 refineries and chemical plants. workers at nine of them walked out after a labor contract expired sunday. a full wreck could hurt more than two thirds of all oil production in the u.s. canadian miner south gobi says it could be forced into bankruptcy unless a ruling in mongolia is reversed. south gobi and three former employees were convi

andrew thomas reports from sydney australia. >> in 1998, jed christy lost his legs after a building collapsed him. christy traveled from the u.k. to australia for pioneering surgery, which gives him an integrated artificial limb. >> off you go. >> part of christy's new robotic leg has been surgically implanted into his body. it works with residual nerves to give him feeling. >> if i tap as lightly as this jed can feel it. >> the procedure involves drilling in above where the surgery occurred. it was hollywood that inspired him. >> i watched terminator the movie. i was fascinated how a human being can be part machine part human. i've always had that dream and now this dream is becoming true. >> saddam hussein's regime ordered humans to have their ears removed. last june, paula gowland fell off her bad so badly she had to have an amputation. amaduras is giving her the surgery to be able to have a clip on leg. fewer than 400 patients have received the implants which allow them to receive artificial limbs. >> now gowland is having surgery, and most of it is covered by healed by health insurance.

. >>> and drew thomas reports from sydney. >> an innocent man held for 30 years, david hicks has finally killed his name. >> relieved. also it is exhausted because it's been a long time. >> shortly after al qaeda's 9/11 attacks. he had been getting military training, hicks spent five years at the notorious prison camp. before he did a deal to secure his deportation. he pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorism. he had only greed agreed that new laws shouldn't have been applied are the trow speck tifl. the deal convictions vacated hicks is innocent. >> i will now live with in always. >> hicks says he needs an apology for the australian government. >> he was up to no good on his own dplition. and look i'm not in the business of apologizing for the actions that australian governments take nox now not ever. >> the australian prime minister should be saying we on behalf of the awrcht government made an error. we loud australian systems to be taken, but he does want the australian government pay for treatments he had he said after five years in quoam guantanamo. >> 150 people m

eventually they found themselves in sydney. unable to work or study while applications are processed, so playing the game of cricket performs a valuable outlet in more ways than one >> i feel happy since i joined the cricket team. i feel better giving me peace of mind and communication with people. >> ma is it like meeting the -- what is it like meeting local players and the teams. >> they are very friendly, yes. >> it helps their self-worth mental health giving them reason for getting up in the morning. they are part of a team. they are an ipp teg ral part of the -- ipp teg ral part of the team. they are mixing with other players from all walks of life and this has been a crucial part in their development to integrate them into the australian way of life. >> not only are they integrating, but they beat their australian opposition. the latest victims, western sydney side, the mud crabs. >> the was surprised the ball came at me head at a good pace they are good cricketers, and they smashed them. they are good blokes as well. >>

. >> another ve link time making waves in sydney. asylum seekers formed a cricket team, while the government decides whether or not they can stay in australia. their performances have had a positive impact both on and off the pitch. >> it's a scene you'll find at cricket grounds all around australia. from the sublime to the ridiculous, one team means more than taking the odd wicket. meet ocean 12, a team of sri lanka asylum seekers playing cricket and taking attitudes. >> they crossed the ocean to come to australia in 2012. once landing here, they were moved from detention center to detention center all around the country and eventually found themselves in sydney, unable to work unable to study while applications are being processed. playing the game of cricket has perform add valuable outlet in more ways than one. >> i feel happy on the cricket team. i feel much better. >> i was in the center for one and a half year. >> meeting with the local teams. >> yeah, they are very friendly. >> it helps their self worth mental health tremendo

let's cross to andrew thomas live in sydney for us. hi there, andrew. tony abbott surviving the leadership spill vote. it was close, wasn't it? >> very close. very very close. 100 members of the parliamentary party, mps and senators in canberra. 100 voted and the result - 61 in favour of keeping tony abbott 39 against. 39% of parliamentary colleagues saying he's not fit for the job. this is a motion of confidence. 39% didn't have confidence. there wasn't an official challenger, that would have come at a later stage. prior to this tony abbott supporters expected 20 perhaps over 20%, 20 of his parliamentary colleagues to vote against him. the fact it was 40, 39 is a nasty wake up call for the prime minister, who has survived the vote. he went on information and said he wants to put this matter behind him, behind the government, behind the party, but it will be difficult to do that. when you have 40% of your own parliamentary colleagues saying you are not up to the job. it begs the question of whether it will go away or challenges will come hours, days or

andrew thomas is in sydney. >> in 2001, david hicks was in afghanistan. he accepts that he was training at a military camp associated with the taliban. he was seized by what was then the northern alliance flown to the americans. and in in guantanamo bay. he accepted that he was guilty for providing material support for terrorism freed from guantanamo bay on condition he never appealed his conviction. what is hamed in the last few hours the u.s., wasn't a crime in 2001 and that the law couldn't be applied retrospectively. they've also said that plea bargain that said he would never appeal was invalid as well. for david hicks it is a long trail. >> teen australian government has admitted that i committed no crime. it's unfortunate that because of politics i was subjected to five and a half years of physical and psychological torture that i will live with always. >> david fisher is officially an innocent man. he is asking for compensation from the united states government and the australian governments, an apology. he isn't an nent innocent man. this has pro

. >> he now lives in sydney and studying to be an account at. but before he was given a visa as a refugee australia's government held him for a year in a prison-like detention. he was alone when he came to australia by boat. and he coped in detention but there are other children who didn't. >> i saw kids who who are cutting their hands, it's not something that i could forget. we are damaging those kids. we are damaging mentally and we are damaging physically. >> his experience is similar to many detailed in a human rights report on immigrant children detained by australia's government. >> our findings are deeply shocking. we found that all of the medical evidence confirmed that dense causes and compounds mental health disorders amongst children. >> more than one-third of children deigned required critic support with allegations of sexual abuse against children. many are self harmed. on tuesday australia's immigration department confirmed a 16-year-old in detention threw herself off of a building last week. this is a shocking report, australia, i

australian prime minister tony abbott recent report into a siege this took place in a sydney cafe last year. bail and gun laws says no specific organization or person is to whraim blai for the glaim for the incident. the gunman was an iranian citizen who had sought asylum in australia. >>> immediate release of antonio ledezma. >> antonio ledezma has been indicted for conspiracy to commit violence. same place where another opposition leader, leopoldo lopez, has been held for the last year reportedly in solitary confinement. conspiracy the officials said included aassassination plot against the president. >> i will never give in to my enemy and i will fight however i can against traitors and the oligarchy. >> government is blaming the opposition and the u.s. for what it calls an economic war to detaibles the country. >> what am i saying here? that they are the ones that are imposing the rationing andics ares that are strangling our people. we must close ranks for the home land and the revolution. >> this is an ongoing effort, of the venezuelan government to try to distract attention from

will review immigration laws following recommendations in relation to a siege that took place in a sydney cafe. the report recommends tightening gun laws and says no specific agency is to blame. three, including a gunman from killed. the gunman was an iranian born australian citizen in australia. >>> a human rights group in india wants the government to stop domestic and foreign prisoners, there are 130 deaths. human rights says they come from 20 countries. there's no source as to which countries are affected. >> reporter: it's a prison island. it's located in central java. the government executes prisoners, and it's off limits. last month six convicts were executed. another 10 are due to be shot soon. a brazilian was arrested with 19 kilograms much heroin sentenced to death. he is mentally ill. the family says the documentation was never part of his defense, because he lacked proper representation. >> i am here because i know the law doesn't agree. releasing someone. what i don't understand is if they don't know he is sick. officially. human rights groups urge the government to cancel ex

two men have been arrested in sydney. >> when we did the search of the premises a number of items were located, including a machete hunting knife a homemade flag representing the terrorist organization i.s. and also a video depicting a man talking about carrying out an attack. we will allege that both men were preparing to do this act yesterday. we built up information. we received further information which indicated an attack was imminent and we acted. >> thick fog in south korea is blamed or r. for a massive motor way pileup. two were killed, more than 100 vehicles were involved in multiple collisions. driver's side thick fog limited visibility to around 10 meters at the time. let's go to the weather to find out if it's getting any better for them in the korean peninsula. >> i'm pleased to say it is improved. we had light winds here. with the clear skies, the fog developed. we have not got those winds picking up. take a look at the satellite picture, we can see clear skies over the korean peninsula moving on. you can see the winds driving clouds in from west to east. that is stirring

robert pathak sydney. >> liverpool in the race for qualification beat hampton to move two points offthe fourth and final, three minutes in and the second half sterling sealed the win. now 10 league games without defeat. spap and real madrid in action a little over an hour looking to extend the lead to four points, one of four games. the champions league ambitions, beaten 4, three. solsidad, via reeled real will attempt to capitalize. a win takes them to within a point of sevilla. fern an oalonzo has been taken to hospital. he hit a wall at more than 240 kilometers an hour at the circuit de cataluna. his team said he is conscious and speaking. it's been a rough start to 2015 for tennis world number 3 rafael that wouldal. he suffered disappointing loss at the australian open and sarah coates explains it just got worse. >> he is wideley known appears the king of play dominating red courts around the world for well over a decade. but rafael nadalts 12-year, semifinal winning stream has come to an interrupt end in rio. with the defending champion bundled out by world number 27, fabio fani

al jazeera sydney. >> some breaking news before we move on. france's foreign minister has just confirmed that a french woman has indeed been kidnapped in yemen. there were reports earlier today saying that a french woman and her driver had been kidnapped early on tuesday morning. we have the french foreign minister confirming that a french woman has indeed been kidnapped in yemen. we'll bring you more information when we have it. >> more on al jazeera's spy cable investigation. leaked documents reveal how the british spy agency mi6 tried to make in roads into the intelligence service. they wanted it at whatever cost. >> this modest west london house is north korea's embassy in britain. it's small because there's not much diplomacy going on between the two countries. >> a few miles away, at britain's mi6 there's plenty of espionage. the spy cables give insights. this secret document is from britain's mi6 and reveals a plan to recruit a north korean spy. the target was traveling presenting what they described as an unusual opportunity. >> our of