Indian Prime Minister pays an official visit to the occupied palestinian territory. After releasing the republican memo on the russia probe the u. S. President says no to the democratic rebuttal. And kim jong un uses the olympic bank drop to invite south koreas president to pyongyang in sports a lympics histories of be made in the womens hockey event for the first time players from north and south korea will combine in a unified see. As begin with a dramatic confrontation in syrias war an israeli war planes crashed off a rainy and drone was shot down near the border with syria Syrian State Television says explosions are occurring near the where the israeli attacks hit near damascus his. How the events played out israeli media says and israeli and rainy and rather drone was launched from a syrian base in the homesteads it shot down near its border shortly after that an israeli f. Sixteen crashed in northern israel the jets had been targeting the military base in homs the Israeli Army Says it encountered anti aircraft fire syria says it shot down the jets in response to an israeli act of aggression both pilots ejected and parachuted into northern israel one was severely injured in a few moments in a hold that will join us live from beirut but first lets cross over to west jerusalem thats where there isnt so emraan first of all this some conflicting signals so clear things up for us from the israeli perspective is this episode over or not. These ready army have confirmed to us within the last ten minutes of the operation is still ongoing that they are targeting iranians hogs within syria and syrian add defense units were also hearing the one of those targets will have been the command and control center for the iranian drawing that was shot down so this is an on going operation against those targets israel has long been concerned about the iranian presence in the north and has said since the summer that it wont tolerate any kind of presence on its border from iran so this operation is still ongoing it is against iranian and syrian targets but clearly a lot of talking points in the media and what weve been hearing is the language really ratcheted up against iran in fact one commentator was just talking on the media he said we dont get in between the syrian should not get in between us and iran clearly for inning syria that and you also have now people really looking towards what the russian role in all of this is so iran is being completely blamed body israelis and about syria anymore although its Syrian Air Defense allegedly hit the airplane this is all about the iranian role in the syrian conflict now let me bring you another line that just been coming as well iran here some comments from the israeli ambassador to moscow hes had something to say about the presence of iranian troops are we seeing new demands emerging from israel. Well israel and the russians have had a very difficult relationship when it comes to syria because clearly the russians are one of the big players within that conflict and they supporting iran know what the israelis are saying and theyve been speaking. Of the Russian Ambassador has said on saturday iranian backed hezbollah units and ship militia rebel should be immediately withdrawn from syrias deescalation zone so thats a real message to the russians get rid of iran from our borders the russians havent responded yet clearly they control the airspace over syrian territory so its a real message now to the russians look we dont want iran on the sides of the israelis we want iran away from our border we want dont want them to have a role in syria and so theyre appealing to the russians but where this will go is going to be very difficult for the russians clearly the iranians will you know have been very successful particular when they backed hezbollah in fighting the Syrian Rebels so theyre a key fighting force within the syrian conflict itself and the russians their priority is to keep. All right lets thank him rama lets continue the discussion is brings in the whole the into the picture now of course hezbollah is one of the main actors there in syria we understand their forces may have been part of the targets for the israeli raids today the potential zaina fold them and other parties in the middle east to be sucked into what appears to be a still ongoing situation. Yes its a very serious confrontation between israel and iran and syria its not the first time israel has carried out air strikes in syria theyve targeted convoys of weapons believed to be destined for hezbollah targeted weapons depots theyve targeted military bases and as of late theyve been targeting what theyre calling iranian targets making it very clear that they do not want an iranian presence in syria activists on the ground are telling us that there are new air strikes southwest of damascus in an area called. It was targeted earlier this year there is believed to be an iranian base being built there its still not operational but clearly a message from the israelis to the iranians that we will not allow you to set up permanent bases but this is the first time that Syrian Air Defenses have shot down and israeli planes so syria seeing this is defending itself giving giving the israelis the message that this time around we are going to respond their air defenses have been targeting those jets you know the past few targets over the past few hours but only one israeli plane was shot down all right thanks so much there in the holder. And as you heard there the Israeli Army Says irans responsible for a severe violation of his ruby sovereignty what exactly is irans role in the syrian conflict iran is a staunch financial supporter of syrian president Bashar Assads government its also been supplying military advisors and special forces on the ground its forces of armed and trained hezbollah fighters in lebanon who are fighting alongside Syrian Government forces in the west israels concerned about the iranian president s new Israeli OccupiedGolan Heights doesnt want any rain in expansion rather towards its own border. Joined by mark one couple on here in the studio is directory of policy analysis at the institute for graduate studies good to have you with us lets start with the line there that aljazeera is in one hand brought to us ten minutes ago he said spoke to the Israeli Military they say this operation is ongoing how concerned are you that this could escalate still its going is very possible in my opinion. This is one. Iran dont want to go. And it depends on the position of the americans and the russians because. I mean you cant actually expect such a confrontation to happen in syria without the consent of the two powers here because we are having the russians having heavy military presence in syria and we have the americans in fact also having a very heavy military presence on the east of the euphrates so the syria is somehow divided between these two superpowers and then i think they want to contain at this point i believe. Its very difficult to answer this question i believe that the head of the Russian Military intelligence was in washington a few days ago i dont know what was the topic actually because there was a criticism by the democrats actually for receiving him by my combi or the head of the cia but there was something important to talk about and i believe syria was was the topic here the americans and the russians they have an agreement in order to organize the iranian presence in syria and order to prevent such a confrontation between iran and is that even you remember in last summer in homburg. Putin met with but as then from and they signed an agreement in order to have the exclusion zone actually taken out from the accidental process and be placed under russian american amber alert and that agreement actually was very much concerned with the iranian presence in the south of syria. That the agreement was actually dealing. Despite the issue of what we all know that the americans the asked the russians to keep the iranians at least thirty to forty times are we put a motherboard there is between syria and israel a two by Golan Heights so i think that agreement has not been actually successful very successful in fact and this is the consequences of the failure of that agreement we are seeing now this confrontation between the israelis and their own years where there is going to escalate or or be content that is going to be an american russian decision not an easy one so perhaps israel trying to send a message does want to see Iranian Forces further back away or out from this is over this is what the embassador to moscow was trying actually to mention today when he asked that that agreement should be implemented by actually moving the iranians and hezbollah away from the borders they are talking about this on between between iran and israel in the south of syria interesting thanks so much more on couple. Of the leader of north korea kim jong un has extended a rare invitation to the south korean president moon jay and to visit pyongyang it happened at a historic high level meeting between the two sides at the president ial palace in seoul the north korean delegation includes kim sr its in south korea for the Winter Olympics. Chairman kim jong uns on voip kim yo junk delivered a letter expressing a willingness to improve relations she also delivered a message from kim jong un that he is willing to meet president moon in the near future and that he hopes president moon visits the north at a convenient time. For name joins us now from so what about the response from seoul to that invite. Well lets not forget sammy if this meeting actually transpires this will be the first time that the north Korean Leader kim jong un meets with the south korean president since taking power in twenty eleven the last time leaders from the north and south met was eleven years ago at a summit in pyongyang it was hosted by chief kim jong uns of father south korea of course is thrilled with this breakthrough moment president in in the run up to this week had been talking about re conciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula using the pyongyang Winter Olympics as a launching pad to reboot the relationship between the two koreas he says that hes ready to move the process forward in terms of traveling to pyongyang to meet with the north Korean Leader but with the calving he is saying that any kind of reconciliation between the two koreas must involve a dialogue with the United States and north korea its unclear sammy just how soon that might happen. On that point the message from the u. S. On the suggestions of a Vice President ial snub to the North Koreans. Yes of the rivera close quarters on friday during the v. I. P. Reception area at the Opening Ceremony u. S. Vice president mike pence was literally sitting within a few arms length of kim jong un sr and the ceremonial head of state pence was seen greeting of the head of state pences denying that there was any kind of a snub though he says he believes the lack of interaction between both north korea and the United States was definitely mutual but he says the following he says that if he wanted to avoid any north korean awkward as he would have sat with the u. S. Delegation to begin with but he sat in that v. I. P. Area next to the south korean president and the japanese president to send a very clear message that the alliance between those three countries is very strong he says his message to north korea if hed had the opportunity to speak with someone from the delegation would have been one very strong one but he says the olympic venue would not have been an appropriate place for that kind of discussion bear in mind that this week try pen said that a the toughest round of sanctions economic sanctions against north korea are coming and that the United States needs to exert maximum pressure on north korea to denuclearize the North Koreans for their part are saying theyve never had any desire in the past to engage in dialogue with the United States and they dont expect that to change in the future will be for now the question. Plenty more still ahead on the news hour including a german city divided the decision to no longer house refugees is people up in arms on both sides of the debate plus. And as soon fame gets ready to elect a new leader here in dublin ill be looking at the political journey of gerry adams whos headed the party for decades. And in sport why the worlds best mens hockey players are shooting for a live pick. Us President Donald Trump has blocked the release of a classified democratic memo on the investigation into alleged russian meddling in the two thousand and sixteen election its a rebuttal to a republican paper released last week which accused the f. B. I. And Justice Department of anti trumped bias trump says the documents should be made public because of National Security concerns for the white house says although the president is inclined to declassify the february fifth memorandum because the memorandum contains numerous properly classified in especially sensitive passages he is unable to do so at this time however given the Public Interest in transparency in these unprecedented circumstances the president has directed the Justice Department personnel be available to give Technical Assistance to the committee should the committee wish to revise the february fifth most random to mitigate the risks identified by the department kristen salumi has the latest now from washington d. C. The letter from the white house citing significant Law Enforcement and National Security concerns was supported by another document another letter from the Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein and the head of the f. B. I. Christopher ray which goes on to explain that theyre worried about revealing sources and ongoing investigations but it should be noted that the f. B. I. Had the same objections to releasing the republican memo and President Trump went ahead and released it anyway and then after it was released said that the report had quote totally vindicated him of course rip democrats saw things much differently they wanted to have a chance to respond they said the republican version of events left out significant facts and they wanted a chance to put that forward even trey gowdy republican on the House Intelligence Committee said that the memo had not in any way discredited the Mueller Investigation so democrats now are crying foul they say this is a double standard and for a president who was talking about transparency when he released the original memo this just didnt make sense the question asked by both the democratic leader of the house and the senate is what is the president hiding of course the white house says that the Justice Department would be happy to work with democrats to revise their memo so that it is able to be released without compromising security and democrats say they will take them up on that offer Claire Finkelstein is from the university of pennsylvanias law school she says the democrats wont go down without a fight. Its very unlikely that the democratic memo can hands intelligence that is sensitive over and above the intelligence that was in the republican memo so the marginal amount of intelligence thats released by releasing the democratic memo if they were to do so is probably has a minimal impact on National Security and therefore its very hard to believe that the president has refused to release the memo on grounds of protecting intelligence. The democrats have a number of different options here i doubt theyre going to take this lying down they know in that in all likelihood president from please just trying to shield himself from the effects of the muller investigation meanwhile a Second Trump Administration official has resigned over allegations of Domestic Abuse speechwriter David Sorenson stepped down on friday his former wife is accused him of being violent and emotionally abusive during their two and a half year marriage he denies the alec allegations President Trump has come to the defense of the other white house aides who squared him with Domestic Violence accusations reporter resigned earlier this week after two exwives made separate allegations of verbal and physical abuse. As you probably know he says hes innocent and i think you have to remember that he said very strongly yesterday that hes innocent. So youll have to talk to him about that but we absolutely wish him well did a very good job while he was at the white house. There under modi is making the First Official visit by an indian Prime Minister to the palestinian territory hes meeting palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas a trip to the west bank as part of the three nation tour to strengthen ties with the middle east earlier he laid a wreath on the tomb of former Palestinian LeaderYasser Arafats burnet smith has more from ramallah now also burning first of all whats on the schedule in the palestinian territories. Well this is the first time a new Prime Minister has visited the palestinian territories as you say some aides very short visit three hours he flew over took a helicopter from the jordanian side landed here in the occupied west bank and is leaving in about an hour or so time now from the Indian Perspective this is a visit aimed they said helping build up palestinian capacity in the Health Technology and education areas there investing in a Technology Park here in motors also opening a school that the indians have helped fund its a very different to the relationship from from the early relationship decades ago between the indians and the palestinians the unions were the first to record the first non arab state back in one nine hundred eighty eight to recognize the state of palestine and then they view their relationship through the sort of colonial prism the indians are being colonized by the british and they saw the palestinians as being colonized by zionists palestinian territory being colonized by zionists so then there was a lot more solidarity today the indian relationship is much more pragmatic israel is what really matters to india forty one percent of israels arms exports go to india so its that thats important but modi has decided to separately visit the west bank to show that they still believe there is a sort of special relationship if you like between the palestinians and the Indian Summer all right good stuff there from Bernard Smith in ramallah could be financial is an associate fellow at the Observer ResearchFoundation Joins us from new. Delhi good to have you with us so as weve been mentioning so far the first visit by an indian leader of the palestinian territory or Prime Minister what message do you see modi sending from this visit. I think with this music visit more these basically sort of regrouping and old indian policy before they got elected. His constituency specifically in india. Is very pro israel so i think this is a continuation a sort of a bond of support that modi is showing that hes not going to be changing in the historic stance on on on the palestine territory and that. India is going to continue and support. The palestine cause but this is also soft the hyphenation between how india approaches israel and how india approaches approaches palestine so india israel knows that is what india stands on palestine is and palestine knows what is the stance on israel is and they are both respective of this position by new delhi without actually dragging new delhi into the internal affairs of the of the conflict eventually of course he does come from a constituency which is pro israeli he comes from a party that of course has been accused of of being anti muslim or harboring figures that have been accused of being anti muslim involved or accused of being a volved in destruction of mosques except for etc indias position on new delhis position today is it still that passionate supporter of Palestinian Statehood for all those reasons. Thats a good question i think from a Foreign Policy standpoint it is but from a very Public Discourse perspective. Within india the cause of palestine does not resonate as strongly as it perhaps used to at a point of time. The Indian Muslim is very much more interested today in comic prosperity mystic security. Than be troubled by what is happening happening in palestine. Or leave it there for now thanks so much for your analysis on that could be a teenager. In a few moments well have all the weather with steph but still to come on aljazeera breaking barriers ensure a Record Number of Women Campaign to be elected plus. Where in brazil but not in rio for the countrys most traditional carnival and thanks. For the basketball legend turning up the hate on his return to the team where he made his name. From flowing island winds to an enchanting breeze. Hello there weve got some very happy people in cape town at the moment because last night we saw lots of rain we saw about eight millimeters of rain a decent amount of rain a properly wet night and thats about the entirety of februarys rainfall all in one hit now of course rain in cape town is very important because this is a city thats hurtling towards what theyre calling day zero the day that the taps are going to be turned off unfortunately i dont think eight millimeters is really going to do much to stop that happening but what it is doing its enabling people to enjoy the rain really appreciate the red weather and its also allowing some people to catch that rain for their own personal use so thats certainly good news now this is a little cold front that brought us that wet weather sort of fizzling out really as the edges its way towards the east and unfortunately for cape town were not looking at any new rain on the horizon nothing really decent but the temperatures well theyll be recovering steadily as well so well get back to pretty hot as we head through the next few days probably twenty eight on sunday but over thirty as we head into monday so theres cape town for you more sunshine more normal weather really for the east thats why weve got more in the way of sherry whether thats around the southeast coast and still dotted around as we head through monday the heavier rain those stretches three zimbabwe. There with sponsored by qatar race. In twenty twelve zero traveled to iraq people here are definitely scared to speak on camera theyre saying that if they talk to us they think theyll be arrested down the line to take the pulse of a country ravaged under Us Occupation some of these graves are completely destroyed its one of the most holy and sacred sites in all of iraq would turn into a battleground between the mighty army the americans six years on we want to return to iraq after the americans at this time. Discover a willful would winning programming from around the world. Come to know if you challenge your perception if you were to design a propaganda system you could not build a better than face. Documentary debate and discussion this country that was once that the wealthiest in the region what went wrong how did we get to this point al jazeera. Back youre watching aljazeera time to recap the headlines now and israeli fighter jet has crashed off in the arabian drone was shot down near the border with syria syria says it was responding to an israeli act of aggression Syrian State Television is reporting explosions from what it says are israeli attacks near damascus. All rounder modi is making the First Official visit by an indian Prime Minister to the palestinian territories the trip to the west bank as part of a three nation tour to strengthen ties with the middle east. North koreas leader kim jong un has extended a rare invitation to the south korean president moon j. N. To visit pyongyang. Moon has hosted kim sr for talks and solve the sidelines of the winter of them picks. The city of called bus is the latest in a growing number of areas refusing to house anymore refugees in germany the decision was criticized by activists and applauded by far right groups both which support both of which descended on the city to protest their views but as paul brennan reports people in culture say much of the criticism is unwarranted. With its bilingual german and sorbets street signs and so close to the polish border cutpurse has been a cultural melting pot for centuries so news that it would not accommodate any more syrian or iraqi refugees sparked angry demonstrations proving even some neo nazi elements and makeup busts a flashpoint between rival groups. After the demonstrators have dispersed though the reality here in corpus is somewhat more nuanced and complex a town which finds itself the rather reluctant focus of a much wider issue here in germany city hall insists the decision on new arrivals was forced by practical issues including a lack of kindergarten space but its put cut personally i have a storm of protest. The refugees of all the nazis that are coming to. Bite us both that the situation is bad for whole sides will have to be managed in case of a school its there are acts of violence which we condemn and where we hope the police and justice or thorough will respond of the appropriate punishment those include two separate knife incidents involving syrian youths and another where german youths attacked a group of afghans the Police Presence in coppers has been visibly raised but the perception of fear has affected attitudes because it has any skin off and as i really have nothing against immigrants they are welcome in germany but i am scared of. My friends who are foreigners but what if i end up with a knife in my pocket and some residents worry that the debate has become quite so polarized. After first in as i tried to understand that there are people who are there and i dont think it works to call them all. You have a problem here with right wing extremists no doubt we dont get for that and that there is no factual discussion. Architect ass red flag from homs and arrived in coppers three years ago the tensions he says are being manipulated to me its like a bit like propaganda its like the use the story the way it fits them thats the sort of thing because as you can see its like total quiet i mean there is. No such. Concerns about integration resourcing and security are certainly not limited to this city but distinguishing reality from perception is the key all bran and aljazeera cops. The polls close in just a few minutes in sri lanka where women more women than ever are hoping to get elected into government voters are choosing representatives in more than three hundred local elections changing the law now requires women to fill a quarter of all seats well fernandes reports from colombo. Entering the latest political race with a bang rosie sennight form of this is world diplomat and parliamentarian is aiming to become to be out of colombo shes the first woman to even try i strongly believe that you cannot have democracy if you do not interest the needs of the made the population the majority the population. Of you mean shes one of more than seventy thousand women contesting local Government Elections a Record Number of women are standing for positions in three hundred forty institutions a recent change of the law has made it mandatory to have twenty five percent of women in local government more than twelve times the number but now some only good of the marxist Peoples Liberation front says the changes will give more deserving women a chance in our country it was the ministers daughter or siblings or those from political families and politics. But we think honest women should come into politics where laws are made this election can do that. Its a view that this vote in colombo endorsed you this high time that this you learn comes the politicians at least there are so many women there should give a list of the women. Its the first time in decades that elections to all local bodies around the country are being held on a single day the stakes are high for all Political Parties going into this local Government Election where the president might hollisters a man Prime Minister become a singer whose parties are contesting separately its a battle to be the man they defeated three years ago which is the reason why local issues such as roads street lights and Garbage Disposal are taking on the intensity of a national fight the Coalition Government of the president and Prime Minister is struggling to maintain its popularity following a series of scandals and failure to deliver on its Campaign Promise to root out corruption both leaders have travelled around the country to support their candidates their main threat is former president rajapaksa despite being voted out of his bid for a third president ial term rajapaksa still commands the loyalty of a large voter base a base hes trying to mobilize for a new political front despite the fact that hes not a member of it and remains a member of his successors party the power or the way forward for the Upcoming National elections will be starting from this but the boy saw it is for the president for the Prime Minister was coming from the poor people and Political Parties and in the other hand the former president s campaign will have a. Whatever the larger political stakes local election voters will be hoping for competent candidates male and female to ensure the smooth running of their institutions fernandez aljazeera colombo. Senegals opposition parties are calling for free and Fair Elections ahead of the two thousand and nineteen president ial vote the trial of a high profile opposition figure on corruption allegations is to twenty next week solidly niagra of dakar is expected to challenge the president mikeys polls because huck is in fact. The rival Political Party gathering together in place one of the things i gather following the release date of their election ahead of the president ial election that will take place in two thousand and nine. Elections are a year and a half away so why is this happening right now well they say here its because their government is imprisoning their political leaders in the last few years weve seen the former president of iran for a while being in prison on corruption charges even sent into exile and then there is a legal scholar the mayor of the car with the also the sitting corruption charges he says this trial is politically motivated now we spoke to the spokesperson of the government and the representative of the ruling party in this is what he had to say to some of these. Companies the president macky sound is a real democrat hes result of intellectually simple candidates his ambition is not to be the only candidate democracies construct a successful and peaceful transitions currently we are heading to the polls with a party with a great record and a weak opposition in difficulty. This is the first time the government has allowed a protest since the parliamentary elections and theres been demonstrations for the past few weeks across various west african countries in chad in easier in togo even in tunisia some are protesting against the rising cost of living others are calling for political change and so this protest although senegal is. An economically. It has to be taken in the light of whats happening throughout the region Young Africans who are being ignored taking to the streets in order to get their voices heard. One of the most famous faces in Northern Ireland is retiring gerry adams was considered spokesman for the Irish Republican Army in its thirty year war to end british rule since then hes played a pivotal part in the Peace Process the shin fein leader for thirty four years is being replaced by Mary Lou Mcdonald who has no links to the conflict from dublin the barber of ports over the years gerry adams has been praised as a brave political leader and condemned as a secret terrorist commander the boy from belfast became active in Northern IrelandCivil Rights Movement in the one nine hundred sixty s. Following the arrival of british troops the province descended into decades of sectarian conflict the troubles. In the one nine hundred seventy s. As events like the bloody sunday shooting of catholic protesters by the british army hit the headlines adams was very sickly and turned and arrested he always denied being a member of the provisional ira the Irish Republican Army but many people on both sides of the border believe thats a nonsense in one thousand nine hundred three out of his became president of the iras political wing shin fein. That same year osting stacks father a chief prison officer was shot dead by the ira he later met adams trying to find out who ordered the killing all the evidence points to the fact that he had a leadership role i mean theres a new autobiography out on him and its quite obvious from that even that the way when he was in terror that the other prisoners there had a parade past him every day and saluted him and you dont do that to someone whos just in the political arm of the organizations of this week soon though gerry adams was arguing that shin fein had more to gain by contesting elections he want to seat in the u. K. Parliament in westminster but never took it up all the while the iras Bombing Campaign continued to kill people not just in Northern Ireland but on the mainland to those whose tools are bombs and bullets. Your way is not the right way in one thousand nine hundred eight protracted talks led to whats known as the good friday agreement setting up a power sharing executive at stormont as well as the decommissioning of weapons and the Early Release of paramilitary prisoners while shin feins Martin Mcguinness went on to become deputy first minister of Northern Ireland adams took a back seat briefly in twenty eleven he contested and won a seat in the republic of ireland part of a deliberate shift in the focus for shin fein strategy as they became becoming involved in Decision Making on both sides of the border in the north they quickly establish themselves as the dominant Political Party and have been the dominant nationalist party for a generation now but in the south they needed to build up from a very low base under gerry adams his leadership shin fein has become not only the Largest Nationalist Party in Northern Ireland but the Third Largest group here in the Irish Parliament and theyre hoping to be in government here in the not so distant future when Martin Mcguinness was buried gerry adams carried his coffin so too did Mary Lou Mcdonald who officially becomes shinn feigns new leader on saturday her challenge now is to broaden the partys appeal to a Younger Generation that never knew the troubles the barber aljazeera dublin to people have been killed and Dozens Injured after two bombs were detonated during friday prayers at a mosque in the libyan city of benghazi Officials Say both devices were planted in separate rooms inside two weeks ago around thirty five people were killed by twin bombs at a mosque in the same city. Egyptian state media says the countrys security readiness has been raised to its highest level after the military launched an operation against armed groups the Sinai Peninsula president of the fact that has sisi told the army to use brute force to restore security after an attack on a mosque in november which killed more than three hundred people shops and schools in north sinai are closed until further notice how does iraq continues to call for the release of its journalist whos been jailed in egypt for more than a year now motor same as imprisoned almost fourteen months ago accused of broadcasting false news to spread chaos both he and aljazeera deny the allegations last week a un human rights body said his imprisonment violates International Law hussein has repeatedly complained of mistreatment while in jail Mexican Marines have arrested a drug leader with a five Million Dollars bounty on his head. Is the leader of the laws that are scar tell which is accused of Trafficking Cocaine and meth are meant for means to the u. S. Mexicos government has deployed thousands of federal Police Officers to combat a huge surge in drug related violence more than twenty five thousand people were murdered last year. Aljazeera is manual that apollo is in cancun mexico with the details. Police and military forces are holding a routine checkpoint in cancun in response to a homicide rate that has risen three hundred percent in the last fourteen months this driver was detained after officers found a half dozen mobile phones and a handgun in his vehicle but even with the cooperation of military state and local police Law Enforcement agencies are struggling to fight crime. Related to organized crime committed by criminal groups competing for control over all other criminal groups all of it is related to the sale of drugs. We rode along with a division of federal Police Officers patrolling a popular beach mexicos peak tourism season is fast approaching and the government is dispatching some five thousand federal agents across the country for tourists looking for white sand in turquoise waters however the violence seems far away the soda i feel there is say i walked around late yesterday and it was very often notice a lot of bad things happening or anything. Can cool draws in billions of dollars from tourism every year once the sun sets bars and nightclubs are packed with party goers but just a short drive away there is another more dangerous side to the city. Were in a residential neighborhood near the center of town and police have blocked off this road behind me after the shooting took place only about one hour ago police tell us that two people were shot and the gunmen fled sadly this is a scene that plays out on a near daily basis here in cannes koon. The District Attorney says there are one to two murders on average every day Civil Society groups or you get the recent increase in police hasnt served everyone equally. For their government to protect. Hotel industry but what about the ones that work in that industry and then return to the areas where crime. And violence prevail. Walking along the Hotel District the two sides of the city become a nightly patrol by federal police makes porn to risk your safe but it also keeps the nearby violent out of sight and out of mind when reading up on the i just. Mexico. Several Police Officers in the u. S. City of baltimore have been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars selling drugs and guns and robbing homes and arresting innocent people its been described as the most startling Police Corruption scandal in a generation jurors are now considering a verdict after a three week trial. Four pts. A Baltimore Police officer planting drugs to implicate an innocent man its the sort of Police Corruption story weve become accustomed to along with those of racial profiling and unprovoked violence and when these stories emerge authorities are quick to blame a few bad apples and promise further training of individual officers but the testimony of four former detectives here at the Baltimore District court over the last few weeks has revealed not only the depths Police Corruption can reach but also the framework in which it flourishes at least one officer charged was promoted even as complaints about his conduct racked up and the city paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements for violent misconduct these men were part of baltimores Gun Trace Task force described as an elite Crime Fighting unit but in fact four of these men have testified that not only were they stealing and selling guns they didnt banked on a criminal rampage against the citys Africanamerican Community and it wasnt just guns they stole but drugs cash and valuables some they sold some they kept they would rob houses sometimes they would supply their militarized Police Equipment to members of the public so that they could rob houses while the officers kept watch they attempted to terrorize africanamerican men driving their cars at high speed towards people and then chasing and arresting anyone who ran they would have toyed guns handy in order to plant them on suspects if they were quote in a jam they shot an innocent person some three thousand of their arrests and now under review none of this has come as any surprise to those in black neighborhoods like sam town whove long complained about Police Corruption this was the home of freddy grey who died in Police Custody in twenty fifteen their answer is clear Law Enforcement has to be transformed and i just feel like you have to be Occupying Force in order to be a police officer. But this was the mayor of baltimore responds to a question about whether she was even following the trial no i have no. She and the Police Commissioner sticking to the few bad apples argument which is we can further after an instructor at the Baltimore Police academy said this about almost a third of the new batch of Police Officers who graduated last week were giving them a badge and the gum tomorrow the right to take someones liberty ultimately the right to take someones life if it calls for it and they have not demonstrated they can meet constitutional and legal standards meanwhile the baltimore officers who testified in court say there are many others throughout the criminal Justice System from internal affairs to the state Attorneys Office who help them cover up their alleged crimes she ever to see aljazeera baltimore. Its that time of the year again carnival is underway in brazil for most people that means the sabbath her rains of Rio De Janeiro the most traditional carnival of all is in the Northeastern State of boko latin america editor lucy newman is there. Im in a sea for the capital of penumbra states where carnival is a multicultural multi music affair that lasts for five days behind me on the ball nickels these are the giant dolls for which this state is famous they began in the early one nine hundred step pay homage to different personalities past and as you can see present more than eighty will be parading next week and the longtime coordinator of the event was kind enough to give us a sneak preview. Here and to see for the festivities got underway overnight. This is called monica to approve caution based music with strong african roots brought here to the seafront by slades eighteenth century. And there was also the foot able and Nineteenth Century rhythm that big number is famous for its a fusion of martial music a kind of brazilian tango and some african rhythms. Carnival is a time for celebration but also for excesses especially of alcohol which is increasingly leading to sex abuses out here on the streets for the second year in a row activist who are karaoke is taking part in a campaign for women to speak out and to monitor places where abuses are most likely to happen. During carnival theres a culture of permissiveness people think its normal to grope you to force you to kiss them to have sex with women specially. But even with that millions of brazilians and foreigners have come here to celebrate the preparations are underway for what will be the main event on saturday called the rooster of the dog and thats when this gigantic rooster will lead the Worlds Largest street parade more than a Million People taking part and it begins at the early hours of the morning when it ends no one knows. All still ahead on aljazeera installed fans lined up to see the first gold medal performances of the two thousand and eighteen Winter Olympics will be live in pyongyang chan. What makes this moment this era were living through so unique this is really an attack on itself is a lot of misunderstanding a distortion of what free speech is supposed to be about the context its hugely important level wise to publish if you have a cheat to be offensive or provokes its all about eyes people do setting the stage for a serious debate. Up front at this time on aljazeera. A unique poor trait of a small gulf nation living under siege but maybe this friend was their target says. Their pain to be forced to leave would just be our fault and their gains by the it has given us the desire to carry on with our lives and be creative maybe uncertain downs or just normal business. Has become more united. Beyond the blockade at this time on aljazeera. Now you may think the winter cold weather is right for staying at home and drinking that hot cocoa but not chang right and theyre not source not as cold as they were fearing there which is which is good news for sportsman fans and correspondents as well five gold medals up for grabs on day one of the twenty eight in Winter Olympics in swedens charlotte callus secured the first title of these plant shang games on the women ski athlone as a crosscountry event where skis switch techniques at the Halfway Point in a fifteen kilometer race merits bugan of no white the silver the thirty seven year old is now the most decorated female winter olympian of all time with eleven career medals. Now limping history we made in a couple of hours time when the unified korean womens hockey team take on switzerland the two sets of players competed together for the first time last sunday that was in a practice match against sweden north korean athletes will be taking part in skiing and figure skating events after months of Political Tension the north and south korean squads marched together under a unified flag at fridays Opening Ceremony. Was a very emotional moment. There after. Many years of hard work. Many negotiations that will taking place you are going to see vinyl you have really i think did not only give be used bombs but the whole public and they gave their entire world. The mens hockey event starts on wednesday and for the First Time Since one thousand nine hundred ninety four the worlds best players will not be taking part in the olympics no deal has been done to release and shelf players and the league as you can see here is carrying on as normal during the games and i shall bosses said the break in the season caused by the olympics had been having a negative commercial impact on the games top professional league in a statement the players responded by saying the n. H. L. Decision was short sighted. The north london darby between astral and tottenham is the starting point for saturdays games in the English Premier League tottenham four points ahead of arsenal in fifth place in the table spurs trail ladies man city by twenty points though city there at home to leicester in the late game are still beat spurs so you know at home earlier on in the season. This is pressure for everyone. But. Within us to. Play their own wimbley we start to feel really really good durned and of course the superstars are could be different for me always every single game the suspicion. It is a big game because re behind in the two brew and you have to make good some kind of chops or must say person you know i think its more important to magically fast to come back as quickly as possible when the emotion you charge because i know the importance of this game for over twenty years but for our opportunity to combine. Into a weight made a popular it sense in miami on friday in his first game since being traded back to the heat by the cleveland cavaliers. I. Think he is taking the court midway through the First Quarter hes miamis all time leader in points games assists and steals and was drafted in the first round by miami back in two thousand and three before leaving a franchise in twenty six d. His return so miami beating the Milwaukee Bucks a night he wants eighty five and that ended a five game losing streak. Again more from a year later and some of that is it for now thanks so much andy how the soviet union put the first satellite the first man and the first woman as well in space for this weeks astounding developments in the push for commercial Space Exploration have left many in russia worried rory chalons reports from moscow and how iran masks again maybe russias loss. The pictures and the achievement amazed millions of people around the world but space x. Is falcon heavy rocket launch with its gracefully landing boosters didnt seem to impress russias state space agency roscoes most they dismissed it as little more than a p. R. Stunt for either on masks test electric cars if you have noticed ross cosmo said on a russian Radio Station this launch went up not with some empty dummy or a load which he wouldnt regret losing in a failure but with one specific car. Theres some truth in what ross cosmo says ilan musk is among other things a master of promoting his various products but thrust christmas also seems to be covering its eyes to the main point space x. Is a Space Technology game changer and its a game some russians fear theyre likely to lose the. Reveal his success is in fact that he made the process less expensive hes workers are to be used multiple times therefore he doesnt have to build a new rocket every time and the price is low he can take a satellite into orbit cheaper and well lose it in this competition because our rockets can be used only once igor corage and go is one of a number of deeply concerned Russian Defense and space analysts hes concerned for russias share of the space market and concerned space x. Will benefit the u. S. Military the workhorses of russias state Space Program like this so you see i suddenly feel like aging remnants from a different era which they are really so used first launched in one thousand nine hundred sixty six a new cosmodrome called rostock germany and russias far east has brought some modernization but millions of dollars have gone missing from the accounts because my dreams corruption scandals highlight the countrys problem with self sabotage even on projects of National Priority with russias illustrious history of Space Exploration is still a few thoughts of National Prize but as the dawn breaks on a new era one of commercial space travel russia will have to match innovative nimble relatively cheap operators like space x. If its to stay competitive thats a huge political and technological challenge and one the country is only just waking up to rory chalons aljazeera moscow. That say it for this news out there and buy well in a moment. Marketing. Were here to Jerusalem Bureau covered Israeli Palestinian affairs we cover this story with a lot of intimate knowledge we covered it with that we dont dip in and out of this story we have presence here all the time apart from being a cameraman its also very important to be a journalist to know the story very well before going into the fields covering the United Nations and global diplomacy for aljazeera english is pretty incredible this is where talks happened and what happens here matters. Its like the wild west they can do anything and the really hard for them to get the all powerful internet is both a tool for democracy and a threat somebody who controls ten thousand people at home following hundred thousand voices and they distort the debate in the echo Chamber World of fake news in cyberspace the rules of the game have changed there are no precedents people and out investigates dissin from ation and democracy part two at this time on aljazeera no. No. No. No no. No no. The Syrian Military says it shot down an israeli fighter jet on a sponsor what it calls an act of aggression. This is al jazeera lawyer from doha also coming up north koreas leader uses the olympic draw