a crackdown on protesters demanding political change the death of a young man in libya highlights the hard conditions of migrants held in detention camps and in school one of tennis's fiercest rivalries is set to resume at the australian open on player nick bates in karen catching off to set up a full fair match with rafael nadal. china's president says his country is facing a grave situation over the outbreak of the corona virus 41 people are now confirmed dead and more than 1300 people infected in a meeting with the communist party leadership see jumping warn the spread of the virus is accelerating 450 military medics have been deployed to the epicenter to help travel restrictions are in place across the country the most severe in city where the outbreak began which has been in near lockdown for 3 days it's now banning all non-essential vehicles from monday by july and mosques across the country have been closed including parts of the great wall in beijing and disneyland in shanghai it's usually a busy season for visitors because of the lunar new year holiday scott hardly has more from beijing. like the past several days the people of china again woke up to news that the corona virus has claimed more lives and more people have become infected. living with his family in will han moved to china 25 years ago we spoke to him on skype are you worried even further down the line that this this quarantine could last a month 6 weeks so this is like your you and you were. so. oh . well we don't go out. on line and. there's already all these concern is shared by people here in beijing and they're worried about the disease i always wash hands before and after me and every time a girl out i wear a mask back inside this time we didn't realize all serious to situation was but we've learned and doing much more actively now and the government of responding quickly and we fully support them 17 years ago the chinese government was criticized for acting too slowly when the sars virus killed nearly 800 people well most of whom province the epicenter of the corona virus is now under lockdown there is concern about the people who traveled before restrictions were put into place this as there's growing evidence that people might be carrying the virus without showing symptoms unwillingly passing it on to others the detail in park here in central beijing would normally be teeming with people out celebrating the 1st day of lunar new year but like right across china the festivities here have been canceled over concern of spreading the virus nationwide measures are being put into place on airplanes trains and buses to detect infected people the people of all han are being told that starting sunday no cars will be allowed on the streets of the city center. hundreds of military medical personnel have been sent to han to help with the growing number of cases and this is in addition to the more than 1000 civilian medical staff who have already been sent in from around china to hospitals are overcrowded and some have been treating patients who have been infected so as the people of china have a muted celebration it's still far from clear what impact the coronavirus will have on the chinese new year ahead scott either al-jazeera beijing. now or in hong kong at least 5 cases of the virus have been confirmed in a news conference on saturday its leader kerry lab raised the threat level on the territory as a result of the upright. and yet the. response has reached imagine sea level i will personally have into department to meetings and we have a command center so we can get the views from the experts and come up with strategies and initiatives when we deal with this public health event i think you'll understand that we need to be quick in making decisions when we can make decisions for the society of hong kong i remember around as in hong kong he explains what these emergency measures will look like. carrie lam hong kong's chief executive has decided this health crisis is serious enough to raise it to the emergency category now that followed a meeting with her key advisors including some of hong kong's top medical experts that meeting was convened just after kerry arrived back from davos in switzerland where she'd been attending the world economic forum now in addition to the various measures announced today carol lam didn't decide to impose a temporary closure of the border between hong kong and china even if she had wanted to it's doubtful that her political masters in beijing would have allowed it instead she's decided to embark on other measures including requiring all visitors from the mainland to sign and fill in health declaration forms this will apply to people entering hong kong by rail train plane and boat she's also going to extend the school holidays for universities kindergartens and schools until the middle of february also flights and train services between blue hand and hong kong will remain suspended and of course all official lunar new year celebrations have been canceled the french consulate in who had says it's working to provide transportation for its citizens to leave the city and in france itself new cases have been reported tasha butler is there. the french health minister and u.s. prison has confirmed there are 3 cases of patients with current virus in the country now we've learned a little bit more about those cases there's one couple a man and a woman who came from china they are tourists we understand who came on holiday to paris when they fell ill they had flown in from. and in fact they've now been hospitalized we understand that their case isn't too serious because they are remaining under strict surveillance there's also a man of 48 year old who also had come from china he had visited will have recently he fell ill and he is in the southwestern city of bordeaux we believe he works in the wine industry now the mayor of bordeaux has said that he had about 10 to 12 people have come forward to say that they have been in contact with this man who works in the wine industry they also work in the wine industry and of course they will have their health checked by the relevant authorities the mayor of bordeaux has said in fact the chinese new year celebrations in the city in southwestern france have been canceled as this health scare continues now the french health minister says that these cases in front of the 1st in europe that doesn't mean that there aren't any elsewhere she expects other cases to be found but she believes that these 1st cases have been confirmed in france because french authorities have been very quick to test the patients and very quick to announce that they had this virus. just to queen's university belfast who joins us on skype from there one of the worst you 1st of all about your impression of what you see out of china we're seeing the number of cases grow we're seeing the number of fatalities grow you confident in the measures that the government there is putting in place. i think this is a very serious situation that they'd be taken very seriously is that. people that make the mail and importantly and spreading person to person really. great quickly i know we have we don't 'd have any vaccines we don't have drugs to cure this viral infection all we have is prevention the major part of that credentials just for him getting something good sections i mean i think and this is a measured response of the so-called response and only time will tell a successful 'd what about the spirit internationally moretti seeing that there are concerns about reported cases in places like africa for instance different countries have different abilities to be able to deal with it how about that level of international coordination and cooperation and capacity that's needed to be able to stop the spreading further so as i said this is a farce that can spread from person to person relatively easily and very early and you know break. information virus that actually alarms diagnostic abilities to be built. in the international community so there are a number of diagnosis that's in play it's. be these things might be very successful to pick them up in developed countries for example but it's only what kind of impact rate might say on the bill or other parts of the issue that might not. readily accept responses. of course there are many illnesses in the regular flu of course tykes many lives every year more than what we're seeing right now but you touched on this in your stance a it is the unknown isn't it it is the unknown what impact this could have and the inability right now to deal with it no vaccines for instance to be able to deal with it that's what really adds the sense of urgency doesn't it. that's completely correct and i think we're in. the learning every day we're learning every day our. but what has to be the last thing this virus would be and. 'd the other viruses we don't need another created by iris might even be worse than what we just don't meet other ones we need to extinguish it 'd. kind of bamford appreciate you joining us on the program thank you well security forces in lebanon have used water cannon and tear gas to stop protesters marching to government headquarters in the capital the demonstrators want an overhaul of the political system add an end to corruption a new government was formed on tuesday after months of demonstrations but they say it's just more of the same elite amnesty international has urged those usually does to reign in security forces following a haas crackdown on protesters resign the heart is live for us now in by route we've seen more haven't we zinah on the streets and not of what we've seen in recent days till sports what you saw there the save the numbers involved in the level of aggression or violence tonight compared to recent days. riot police managed to disperse a few 100 protesters quite quickly i may say they used water cannons and they used excessive amounts of tear gas as you can see this square behind me central beirut is now a clear hundreds of anti-riot police as well as the lebanese army they have been deployed to chase the protesters away from these from this area protesters were trying to break through the security cordon outside government palace on previous evenings what they did try to do was break through the security cordon outside parliament building the authorities have in recent days stepped up security measures in this area they have placed concrete. barbed wire really beefing up the security around around central beirut which really angered a lot of lebanese they said that you cannot protect yourself behind those walls we will continue to demand your downfall we do not consider the new government legitimate we reject the new government because it is a mirror of the previous one and we want the legislature we want the law makers to reside and we want early elections so that is what they are demanding they are continue to continue to make these demands and they say they have no other choice but to step up. these these this protest action in the 1st few in the 1st few months it was a peaceful protest but now it's turning into riots and really there is a fear that as long as this unrest continues it could really spiral out of control so i thank you zain the whole lot for us by room for more protesters have been killed in iraq security forces crackdown there on id government demonstrations. in the capital and syria police moved into the streets surrounding tahrir square for a large group left champs in an area of the capital but been occupying since october some of those leaving that you know yeah supporters of the pop. he withdrew his support for the protests corresponded in reports from baghdad. without warning the southern us packed up their tents and left square the focal point of iraq's anti-government protest movement the book led by influential shia muslim cleric knocked out al assad that is the largest in parliament and it had been here in solidarity with the protesters since it began in october for some left behind the departure is nothing less than a betrayal going to look at the job ahead of what. it seems our demonstration has been stolen from as they could attack us any moment we are careful but we will either die or keep the square i won't leave until my demands are met but no i am disappointed my father protected us with his followers. this other is how political power and they offered the protest movement political influence and physical protection that may now have gone. to so the rest say they are disappointed with the reaction of some of the protesters to a rally by tens of thousands of iraqis they organized in baghdad on friday demanding the withdrawal of u.s. troops from the country they say although they support the protests they can no longer be a part of them this other a supposed the presence of u.s. forces in iraq some of the protesters are worried that the southern wrist might hijack the movement to advance their own anti u.s. agenda it's a division the souther is fair could lead to conflict until no hint of the so the once the protests of just continue because we want. to come to the end that a new independent government will come in order to roll the county till the till we have a new elections with the new new decision. so but if a kind of clashes started inside the sequence it will hum too much so we don't like to be a part of this clash is the news that saddam has moved his supporters out of the square is concerning to many who remain inside is this the beginning of the end of the protest movement that's the question on the lips of many of the protesters now they are already very angry because they've had to temper their demands at the beginning of the protest movement in october they wanted a complete overhaul of the political system that actually now tempered that saying they want a new prime minister who can kohl elections and even that hasn't happened. in tucker a square it seems the future of the protest movement is now at stake imran khan al-jazeera. to libya now french newspaper le monde is reporting your claims of saudi and russian influence in the country's civil war in december officials from the un recognized government accuse moscow of deploying russian mercenaries to fight alongside will or to leave after according to the amount of these mercenaries work for a private russian security firm by the name of wagner group now they've been instrumental in after offensive on tripoli which started in april and according to the newspaper sources the firm has received funding from saudi arabia the man says wagner group employs anywhere between $302000.00 people that was created at the beginning of the year crimean conflict in 2014 and it's also reportedly sent mercenary fighters to syria sudan and central africa impact is a known resident fellow at the middle east institute he's also founder of libya analysis l.l.c. a consultancy and he joins us on skype from party in italy good to have you with us all in all a bit more about this group because it's all the 1st time they've been accused of being involved in libya and of course run by with close links to vladimir putin what's the extent of involvement here. well there's every reason to believe that the story in the monde is is accurate it follows in a chain of such stories and the russians are willing to use whatever leverage they have so they use some diplomatic lever's they give drones when that gives them influence they've used training to help us forces before and this use over the past 9 months of mercenaries is only a continuation of the reconnaissance and training that they had given previously i think the wrinkle in the amman story that's worth pointing out to your viewers is the question of saudi payment knowing as we've known about both 300 or a 1000 but the idea that there are multiple huffed are backers working together and even ones that don't traditionally coordinate like the saudis and immoralities coordinate about libya matters all the time but the idea that saudi and russia are coordinating in such a direct manner that's a very interesting wrinkle to look at how they're influencing the conflicts but it does say doesn't it that this conflict is in in every way a proxy conflict you're talking about saudi you're talking about the u.a.e. you're talking about turkey on the other side and of course russian involvement as well and being a proxy conflict what complications then does that bring to this. i mean i say it goes beyond a proxy conflict it was a proxy conflict for when the civil war started over tripoli in 2014 what it really is is an extra territorial drone war and as an extra territorial drone war turks fight emma roddy's without any reference to the libyans at all they don't support proxies the outside actors do the fighting themselves both with drones and mercenaries so that's quite different to what we've seen over the past weeks as this truly extraterritorial war happening on libyan territory without reference to the libyan coalition's what we've seen over the last few weeks is that that now has a new range of summits there was the summit in moscow between turkey and russia and now there was the multilateral berlin summit and just right now and yesterday a summit of other african leaders in algeria these summits also happen without reference to the libyan coalition so truly an extra territorial war different from syria or yemen which are proxy wars good to have you on the program just appreciate your analysis thank you my pleasure. will stay in libya and the death of a never trained teenager in a tripoli detention camp this week has highlighted the plight of more than 40000 africans living in makeshift centers most have been detained while attempting to flee violence and search for a new life in europe but. conditions in tripoli camps are appalling so anybody visited one detention center neither being kept. driven by poverty or pushed by fear and persecution either way most migrants escaping their homeland mostly in sub-saharan africa end up here on the coast of north africa libya can be the start of a bright new life for the beginning of a nightmare in the capital tripoli thousands wait each day for the chance of manual work the money they earn is used on a mediterranean crossing to europe sent back to their families or to buy food they come with a dream but the reality of life here is far from a dalit and there's there's i came here to make money and it's better than staying in your own country because here your mind is more free but now there isn't work like before you sometimes don't even have enough to eat they won't openly say they want to go to europe that would provoke arrest but most not all want to joshua made that crossing in spent 6 years in europe before being deported from austria last year his dream was to become a rap artist but he found only hardship and difficulty in europe i can make money if the people are living abroad so i decided to work my morning. and go back to my country and establish my talent because i'm a good musician. but you can tell from the drain faces that optimism among many african migrants is in short supply these africa workers do their jobs that they don't want to do they earn just a few dollars a day but it's still more than they can earn in their own countries they often live in basic deprived conditions but even so in some respects they are the lucky ones these migrants are some of the estimated 40000 detained in libya most were arrested trying to cross the mediterranean sea to europe at this center in zawiya west of tripoli there are almost 500 detainees some of whom have been held for 4 years many have applied for political asylum or settlement in europe it's a place of bad living conditions and broken dreams 16 year old adel de brett see on a skate political persecution in eritrea with a drea