controversy over a mexican militia. follow the death of a doctor reprimanded by police when he raised the alarm over coronavirus is adding to the challenges piling up for china's government there's been an outpouring of public anger over the case of lee when liang who warns about the new virus back in december and policemen who had accused him of disturbing social order to corruption vesta gaiters are being sent from beijing to look into issues raised by the people on the state health commission even mentioned him in their daily updates. on the you know the national health commission extends our sincere condolences and respect to the family and wife of dr the well we know that for medical workers in the front line they sacrificed their own family life to contribute to this by. against a fire as they try to protect our people's health the society needs to care more about our medical workers we need to unite as one to conquer these difficulties president xi jinping has spoken to donald trump by phone telling him that china's efforts to contain the virus are achieving results on the world health organization says it's too soon to know the virus has reached its peak but there are signs the number of new cases is dropping at least 638 people have died from the virus and more than 31000 are infected let's get an update from sara carr joining us from hong kong what are you hearing about from the mainland about the government's handling of the doctors' death in particular sara. there's been a huge outcry on social media post of this doctor's death he died on friday on china and he was a doctor who worked in the hospital which is at the a.p. center where the chrono began december he shared some of his early concerns about the risks and also identified this is a sounds. like virus and you also shared information about some of the earlier infections that he shared that with the group of doctors and that was on. when the police became aware of this team of sharing misinformation some of disturbance of social order and said he was conducting illegal activity now on january 10th that doctor who then became infected with a crime a virus and on friday a 57 he has died as a result now as a result of this but it's particular day people are starting to call him almost national public hero for sharing information early on but of course the government's been a badly handling the situation of number one stopping and sharing the concerns of the risks associated health risks in the end the warning in this particular crowd a virus outbreak and they demanding the government apologize they are also saying the government needs to admit they got it wrong and the state media initially criticize. this doctor now again as i mentioned the cooling in the national hero china has decided to send in the highest anti government corruption force into hand to number one investigate the circumstances surrounding the doctor's death they're also looking into we're going to investigate the situation of some of the missing the information that was shared with the criticisms on social media by those people who are accusing them the government of wrongdoing and negligence so this is clearly said it's a huge public outcry not just in china but globally a condemnation of the government's handling of this particular doctor and the sharing of information early on yeah and what about what's happening outside of china and the impact that the coronavirus is having on other countries and particularly hong kong where you are. look at the moment to be one of the unusual situations a city. that will if the cruise ships that appeared to be stranded we have a cruise ship in home kong and calderon saadat but of course the $3600.00 stuff and passages a quarantine as a result of 30 items such as the i passages previously on another voyage who have reported having to corona virus infection at all those people who board that ship and now in quarantine as a result and they complaining of having lack of supplies that the hygiene situation is deteriorating and they are now in quarantine for about 14 days we have another $41.00 you cases on another cruise ship in japan that have been reported to die friday that particular ship in yokohama it's also quarantined and there's another ship was heading from hong kong to okinawa and that's been denied access to a number of countries japan taiwan and the philippines has said we don't want you docking on nationals their ports now that it's cooling for assistance or risk you the u.s. navy ships the situation with your gas the cruise ships is know how to deal numbers appear to be stranded one particular passenger said it's not a luxury cruise it's not flushing like a fledging prison so there is concern rising being raised about running of supplies . these cruise ships of course the hong kong situation on saturday they will close with their borders to a certain extent that by sitting pointing any mainland travelers coming in to hong kong from now on we just spoke to 2 particular. young men from from china from mine and they say that they flipped china as a result because they're concerned about the virus and it spread so we we imagine a number will buy lunch of us will be trying to access hong kong to not before those borders to close the quarantine is imposed ok sarah clarke thank you very much and also in hong kong hundreds of medical workers are demanding a complete border closure with mainland china to contain the virus there staging a sit in outside the headquarters of the hospital off already which is in charge of government facilities it's the strikes 5th day from saturday everyone entering hong kong from the mainland faces a mandatory 2 we quarantine but the protesters say dots not enough. i can see you home from people who are suffering and we have to say today. you probably don't have enough capacity for improvement but you just mourn the government to promise us and we can have a safety and. i mean that the safety for. syrian government forces have captured the town of sokoban province it's a strategically important part of the offensive on the last rebel held areas of the country the fall of socket nearby highways could pave the way for a government offensive on the part of provinces capital and it's widely feared an assault on the city will worsen an already serious humanitarian crisis that's going to set in kosovo glue issues inside syria however that's not far from the turkish border and saying that there are turkish reinforcement positions in. the advance being made by the syrian government what is turkey saying it's going to do. well there in turkey sais turkey it took its military posts are going to remain there and turkey will keep reinforcing those military force in hands to strengthen the capacity of the tripos it currently after the syrian government managed to regain control over the territories down below the m 4 an m 5 highway and back up beginning from early this morning jointly 9 turkish military posts are now in the areas that are under control of the syrian government for now we are hearing that they are safe but just a couple of days ago at night. he was hit but was hit by the syrian government so the safety and security of the turkish military post are questionable but according to turkey's for instance add on who announced the need. strategy in there a couple of days ago at the turkish military post that were in mission of observer observing a possible violations of the this collation zone can can transform into combat forces so our don basically says that if we are attacked we will we are going to be retaliating and for the opposition for the syrian government and for the for turkey that is the current taking. is actually the psychological barrier when the syrian government advance towards the racket a turkish government turkish military took a step and took necessary measures that basically tried to say that if you pass the north and from m 4 and 5 highways if you pass this limit so back of may need it's going to be me turkish military that you are going to get in war with basically a fight with it's not the syrian opposition that's why it has been very tense and on the ground it is very tense and the most important thing to humanitarian situation is very bad inside right now as the displacements continue and there are there aren't enough space left for for disability is to reside here so you can i can say that it's both attend it's both a humanitarian tension and military tension on the ground russian delegation is coming to the turkish capital ankara tomorrow will be meeting with the turkish counterpart so it is it will be very important what they're going to decide but for now it is stance and turkey as want to retaliate in case of and attacks by the syrian government ok and i'm kosovo thank you very much. now the u.s. says it's killed the leader of al-qaeda and the arabian peninsula during a military operation in yemen last month president donald trump says customary me was trying to organize on the inspire attacks against americans there has been no confirmation of the killing from al-qaeda and the gallagher has more from washington. the confirmation of this al qaeda leader's death is just emerging but the strike itself took place last month at the cia and american intelligence officials have been very carefully after previous strikes proved that their targets actually survived them so they were careful to check whether this is actually happened but al really is a significant target for the u.s. authorities he's one of the few al qaeda leaders predates the attacks of september the 11th he trained at camps in afghanistan before going back home to yemen where he was in prison for 5 years for plotting to attack the u.s. ambassador there he actually broke out of jail in 2006 is thought to be behind the attack on the u.s. embassy and is a significant target for the u.s. authorities so we do now have confirmation that the 41 year old was killed in these attacks in this drone strike in fact it was a $10000000.00 reward out for him and the u.s. state department says that al qaeda has now been significantly weakened by this strike meaning that both americans and allies on now safe are upon is death. still ahead on al-jazeera we'll tell you about a splinter group of the afghan taliban that's running a rehabilitation center for drug addicts we'll also tell you about the biggest issue for irish voters in saturday's snap election. hello again and welcome back to your international weather forecast across north asia it is going to be the cold we're going to be dealing with over the next few days now snow is still in the forecast here across parts of a cairo sapporo minus 2 as your high overnight lows could drop down to about minus 10 it's going to be a colder day today though as we go towards sunday maybe minus 6 as the expected high there for tokyo it's going to be a little chilly as well about 8 degrees but better skies few as we go towards the end of the weekend now here across india we've been watching the heavy rain off and on over the last few days and it's back on here across odisha state and that's going to continue as we go through the rest of the weekend notice some of these cloud tops are quite intense we could be seeing some localized flooding as we go towards sunday that system makes its way a little further towards the south so there is no kolkata you'll begin to dry out but down here across much of the south we could still see that flood potential as well and then here across the middle east we are still dealing with a lot of heavy rain as well as snow for parts of turkey particularly the higher elevations but watch these temperatures here as we go from saturday to sunday we are seeing them drop in here across parts of damascus starting at about 10 degrees here by the time we get towards sunday a big drop down to about 5 and at 6 degrees for you. in india identity politics on the rise what we're seeing is the construction of budget issues and cuts and loads of what you want to put across the country and as a dockside in the 12 is you do see the grid from his off the majesty of the hindu fish into something more like the team i didn't see of the british football i meet with victims of violence and discover what life is like for minorities in the country join me on my journey in search of india's soul on al-jazeera. hello again the top stories on al-jazeera the death of a doctor who tried to raise the alarm over coronaviruses prompted an outpouring of public anger in china the u.n. liang who died from the illness was reprimanded by police when he warned about a new virus in december. syrian government forces have captured the strategic town of soccer as they try to seize the last rebel held areas in the province could pave the way for a government offensive on the provincial capital the u.s. says it's killed the leader of al qaeda and their arabian peninsula during a military operation in yemen last month it tells qassam every me was trying to organize and inspire attacks against americans. and drug addiction in afghanistan is an issue often overshadowed by years of conflict but it's a serious problem in the 2 decades following the u.s. invasion the number of addicts has risen and now some members of the taliban have stepped in to provide rehab services but that comes with its own costs the reports . iraq city western afghanistan. these men just a few of the millions of addicts in the country today the latest you would figure suggest women and children are as much at risk of ending up like this but dick did opium heroin morphine crystal meth. even with their high meadow where it could be. every night one or 2 were dying here they were very young and they did not have any family they want very useful citizens and would not like this before but now their life is in a severe condition and i worry about them if someone will not take care of them they will also die. this is what a lost generation of afghans looks like. a splinter group of the taliban says it has a moral duty to do something in heroics belt in caves they've been running a drug rehabilitation center for 4 years. addicts go through what passes for detox here several months of cold showers and long walks in freezing weather a taliban commander offers islam a teachings for inspiration and pain killers for withdrawal. once they're cleaned half of the addicts go home others stay for training weapons and to join the taliban. you know i mean that's the actual this is abdulla busser who helps us with our military operations he can go 100 kilometers into enemy territory he plants mines an enemy areas even inside their rooms he killed 15 to 20 people by planting mines former addicts do these things people inside these centers are encouraged to become a man like him. a new lease on life makes for loyal fighters going to come on as india i destroyed my life my family became hopeless because of me and i was left alone with the taliban not timely treated me but also i helped my family financially they seem to money to my family i had the commanders trust and i'm valuable now i want to stay in the street had you know to the last day of my life. the 2 decades since the u.s. invasion of afghanistan the number of drug users inside the country as well as neighboring countries has seen a sharp increase an addict so become a common sight in city streets across this country experts say addiction is a symptom of a problem that stretches beyond afghanistan its borders and open secret of the capital kabul is that all sides of the conflict make money dealing drugs criminal gangs armed groups including the taliban as well as the governments and militaries of neighboring countries. who are traffickers down into the terrorist networks and their needs and that exploiting the situation that is rocking the instability of afghanistan for their business and this. works for the ministry of counter-narcotics he says despite cases of corruption at the highest levels of government the label narco state is not afghanistan's alone to bear. our farmers are not receiving a lot of money from the poppy cultivation so what about the rest of the many if you call it clear when the laundry of. you can crease is through more than $400000000.00 so where this money is it's not in afghanistan. is it is it in pakistan is it in iraq is it in central asia is it really. it's a complex issue that has for years taken a back seat to the country's more immediate security concerns and more recent efforts to end the war. but how those in power now deal with gotta studds drug problem analysts agree will dramatically influence the future of the afghan people say a couple. things and prime minister narendra modi is in the northeastern state of asylum for the 1st time since protests broke out there in december modi gave a speech that failed to mention the demonstrations or the controversial citizenship law that triggered them the law is seen by many as anti muslim there is concern controversy in mexico about boys as young as 8 years old being trained to fire guns many communities have set up militias because police are failing to protect them from the drugs gangs war and other crime reports from mexico city. these young boys from the mexican state of get away don't are learning combat techniques there's no. doubt they are the newest and youngest recruits of the community run militia their ages range from $8.00 to $12.00 this is we can't even go outside because the school we used to go to is in another town controlled by criminal gangs and if we go there we could be kidnapped. many of the boys say violence in their communities has grown out of hand they're afraid to go back to school and have traded their textbooks for rifles. i joined the community police force to help my people in my family they've told me a lot about guns and about how to defend. last year there were nearly 1600 homicides registered and get little according to official sources. violence has become so common many residents see no other choice than to put firearms in the hands of anyone able to wield them nope we're going to lose the lottery now doing this because we like guns fall most viewers field over a wide for all families we had doing these out of necessity because the government has failed to keep our communities safe the man joe recent images of armed children dressed in fatigues and lined up like soldiers have circulated on mexican social media they've also sparked new concerns from children's rights groups to him the fact that gauss boys participate on degree has a series of implications when it comes to iraq the status that the risk to their lives also that development they're often forced to leave school there's also the impact on their mental and emotional health. over the past decade violence in mexico has grown exponentially experts estimate that in that time as many as 30000 mexican children and teenagers have been involved in some form of gun violence mexico's president has called the act of arming children quote shameful vowing to address the issue by creating more opportunities for chill. with few resources and limited access to education. a debate in mexico is now underway over how to best care for the safety and mental health of children in regions of conflict it's clear however that with these children really want is a normal childhood. mexico city and its hoary is hitmen for a drug cartel boss pablo escobar has died of stomach cancer in colombia john jairo velasquez was 57 popeye as he was nicknamed surrendered to police in 1902 and spent 23 years in jail he confessed to killing 300 people and coordinating the deaths of 3000 others his most notorious crimes included blowing up an airliner with 107 people on board and assassinating a presidential candidate it's leaders of indigenous people in brazil say they're outraged by what the president calls his dream plans to exploit the amazon rain forest president joe your ball scenario unveiled a proposed law to allow mining agriculture and energy projects on formerly protected lands critics say his nightmare plans could wipe out communities and speed up deforestation well scenario accuses opponents of injury developments. this is a big step forward it depends on congress but we will face pressure from environmentalist's those people from the environment right if i could one day i would confine them to the amazon or the like the environment so much that the u.s. president has attacked his political rivals during a speech celebrating his acquittal on impeachment charges an unrepentant donald trump described the proceedings corrupt and run by dirty cops as our white house correspondent kimberly how got reports the address could set the tone for his 2020 election campaign. one day after the u.s. senate voted not to remove the u.s. president from office donald trump was in the mood to celebrate i've done things wrong in my life i will admit not purposely but i've done things well. but this is what the end result is. trouble railed against opposition democrats who watched the impeachment effort against him at times using language that was derogatory and profane. it was all but. he tried to coerce a now into helping him cheat truck took a bit congressman adam schiff who led the inquiry into whether trump abused his presidential powers by withholding military aid to ukraine in an attempt to get them to investigate his political rival former vice president joe biden a corrupt politician named adam schiff made up my statement to the ukrainian president he brought it out of thin air just made it up they say he's a screenwriter a failed screenwriter donald j. trump earlier that day at a national prayer breakfast trump also went after mitt romney who was the only republican senator who voted to remove trump from office he also lashed out at house speaker nancy pelosi i don't like people who use their faith. as justification for doing what they know is wrong. pelosi blasted the president in response a paid hard for him because he's so off the track of our constitution but throughout trumps more than an hour long remarks he repeatedly maintained he committed no wrongdoing it was a sharp contrast to president bill clinton's more than a minute long statement in 1999 following his own impeachment acquittal i want to say again to the american people. how profoundly sorry i am. for what i said and did to trigger these events thank you. troubles only apology came not to americans but to his family who he says has been caught up in allegations and investigations since the start of his presidency i want to apologize to my family for having them have to go through. a phony rotten deal well the impeachment trial may be over the allegations are not both democrats and republicans are valid to take this case to american voters in november who ultimately decide if donald trump is a one or 2 term president can really help get al-jazeera the white house ireland's general election as less than 24 hours away and a prime minister in the cars governing pheno gale party is hoping to defy the opinion polls and retain power but the opposition party should fain is enjoying a surge and supports the government's call the snap election because of a crisis in the public health care system on the long wait to see a doctor paul brennan reports. around cork city political posters gazed down from the lampposts but it's island's health care crisis which the voters want the politicians to look at you know than a woman had to bring in pillows for the mother but. sort of out of the door because if you have probably this insurance it's it's it's appalling it's no problem for the ordinary man in the street it's not good to see people waiting on trolleys for hours and hours dr sarah fits given has worked in a deprived area of north korea for the past 15 years her dedication is self-evident and so are her frustrations so a child presenting today with mental health issues that i feel require specialist intervention if i put them on a waiting list they might be seen in 4 years time which is just that's not a service and 2014 nearly 359000 patients were on the public waiting list to see a consultant by 2017 the number had risen above half a 1000000 for the 1st time and in 2019 it had grown to more than 553000. to tackle those relentless increases in the waiting lists the irish government is throwing millions every year of public money into buying private health care in 2019 it was the equivalent of 82000000 dollars and this year it's going to be closer to $110000000.00 and still the waiting lists go up having private health insurance meant that when john wall was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2017 prompt treatment helped extend his life in the time he has left he's advocating urgent reform frontline staff to their absolute to do whatever they can given the resources that they have but that's the problem they don't have enough resources they don't have enough beds they don't have enough staff and the resources that are being allocated is basically telling good money after bad a universal health proposal called sloan has been suggested but the different political parties have very different ideas of what to prioritize and how to implement it so really what's important here is the population they're going to vote in the next on saturday are really looking for change and it's a change in culture to actually be citizen centered and to put the politics aside to ensure that everybody can have safe timely access to health care it was the threat of a no confidence vote in health minister simon harris which forced the irish tea should be over at good to call this election faced with a combination of public anger and the sense that no one was accepting responsibility on saturday in the polling booths the voters will hold the politicians to account paul brennan al-jazeera limerick. following in the headlines on al-jazeera at this hour. a doctor who tried to raise the alarm over coronaviruses prompted an outpouring of public anger in china. who died from the illness was reprimanded by police when he warned about a new virus in december. you know she the national health commission extends our sincere condolences and respect to the family and wife of dr the one we know that for medical workers in the front line they sacrificed their own family life to contribute to this battle against a virus they try to protect our people's health the society needs to care more about our medical workers we need to unite as one to conquer these difficulties syrian government forces have captured the town of hebron into the province it's for strategically important part of the offensive on the last rebel held areas of the country in the fall of the nearby highways could pave the way for a government offensive on the provinces capital it's widely feared an assault on the city will worsen an already serious humanitarian crisis the u.s. says it's killed the leader of al qaida and their arabian peninsula during a military operation in yemen last month it's asked me was trying to work fire attacks against americans but al qaida presence confirmed his death the indian prime minister narendra modi's in the northeastern state of for the 1st time since protests broke out there in december he gave a speech that failed to mention the demonstrations or the controversial citizenship wall that triggered them the law as seen by many as. an authority is hit men for drug cartel boss pablo escobar has died of stomach cancer in colombia john dyer of 57 he surrendered to police in 1902 and spend 23 years in jail he confessed to killing 300 people and coordinating the deaths of 3000 others is the most notorious crimes included blowing up an airliner with 107 people on board and assassinating a presidential candidate. leaders of indigenous people in brazil say they're outraged by what the president calls his dream plans to exploit the amazon rain forest j. or both so narrow unveiled a proposed law to allow mining agriculture and energy projects on formerly protected land critics say would wipe out communities and speed up deforestation those are the headlines on al-jazeera inside story is coming up next thanks for watching. the is here by acquitted of the charges in said articles. donald trump at the approval holly off to the beach trial along the strength of trump presidency for america and the rest of the world this is inside story. welcome to the show i'm sam he's a than victory on the impeachment hoax that was how donald trump reacted to the end of his senate trial the us president was charged with abusing power by pressuring ukraine to investigate the political rival then up strong.