to do it all over again. and ship breakers working at unsafe conditions in bangladesh when the right to sue british owners for deaths or injuries. welcome to the program we begin in northwest nigeria where gunmen have raided a college and taken a number of student hostages the armed group or targeted the forestry college and could do the state later on thursday officials say $180.00 students were rescued in the early hours of friday but 30 remain unaccounted for that school attacks in the north of nigeria are becoming more frequent. kidnapping is a tactic commonly used by armed groups in criminal gangs in nigeria and is it international says it's been escalating since january there were 2 massive directions of schoolchildren of february officials say they carried out by bandits loosely formed armed gangs that rob and kidnap for money nigeria denies paying any ransoms but many believe regional instability in north western states has allowed kidnapping to become a lucrative source of income so i believe that because her arms well publicized kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in the town of chibok in 2014 prompted more armed groups to turn to mass abductions of children to deliver is in a budget he has more the latest government statement of the kidnapping. the statement did not state. where we were rescue how do we rescue and those who were taking by the ad armed bandits ate where do you been able to meet it where the bandits to be students to so for now with the with the details what they say we investigate to make sure that we're able to rescue deals with people we dismiss the 1st time deaths and groups are targeting it at least a titian of higher learning specially gelsen have asked in the institution. almost every day there's been kidnapping across nigeria they've been kidnappings of people who are commercial buses people in the homes and towns and villages the government has been making efforts to contain this but in recent months since specially since december there's been an increase in it not even with the replacements of the military top chiefs in general. the president mohamed. place the subject of the army friends never. the navy and also of course what. we. tried to stop things and many people are worried situation is really getting out of her. but the world health organization says there's no reason to stop using the astra zeneca vaccine thailand and will carry all the latest countries to delay as roll out on thursday denmark and norway and iceland suspended use of the job after several reported cases of blood clotting including one death but the w.h.o. says it's not currently concerned about the reports and in fact thanks see them as a positive sign. astra zeneca it is an excellent arm a vaccine as are the other vaccines that are being used and as i said we've reviewed the data on deaths there has been no days to date privilege of being caused by vaccination so it's very important to understand that yes we should continue using the asters any given axiom. we're looking at is what we all know is not any safety signal must be investigated in fact it's very important that we hearing safety signals. italy is planning to impose another nation wide lockdown over easter weekend in april the government is trying to control a surge in crow the virus cases and hospital admissions people will be ordered to stay home from april the 3rd to the 5th from monday restaurants and bars will close in low risk areas the movement between towns will be severely limited but at the end of january last year italy became the 1st country in europe to take measures against covert 19 suspending flights to china and declaring a 6 month state of emergency on march the no that also became the 1st to declare a national quarantine as hospitals in lombardy reach breaking point restrictions were lifted in may as new cases started to go down but the virus was going strengthened by october 15th schools and universities were closed in companion or the 4th of november the country was separated into colored so the red orange yellow and with red marking the strictest level of lockdown a nationwide curfew was again imposed so on monday the number of covert related deaths passed 100000 rory chalons has more on how the italian prime minister delivered the news. regarding the impending new lockdown he basically said sounded apologetic he said that he was aware that this was going to be very hard for many people that it was going to have an effect on the education of children on the mental wellbeing of people around the country and on the economy itself but he said that this is really necessary his words are these measures are necessary to avoid that eerie aeration they would make even more stringent measures inevitable and he went on to say that last spring's events are still fresh in our minds and we'll do everything we can to prevent them happening again of course we know that italy was the 1st western country that was harder hard hit by coronavirus went on to take you know other european countries and the united states particularly badly as well but it's really was where it was felt 1st in europe particularly. researchers in the u.k. say they're developing a new covert 900 vaccine that could replace injections with the nasal spray and it could make it more available to populations in remote parts of the world because there is andrew symonds has been given access to the laboratories at bristol university where the vaccine is being developed what's going on here could bring a new dimension to the fight against it 19 research as a developing a new vaccine that will focus on saliva rather than the bloodstream and they're saying it will be cheap to produce unwelcome need to be kept at low temperature this is the label vaccine. thing for all in particular they hope to bring a solution to parts of the developing world remote countries and places with extreme temperatures there will be no need for refrigeration and it will be a vaccine that's easier to transport simple to use and cheaper to buy. what's going on here is very different for a start the vaccine comes in the form of a nasal spray it's aimed at inducing antibodies which will protect the person and also stop the virus from spreading all in one powerful blood the man behind it believes the immune responses will be much bigger than in the present vaccines it's an entirely new way of making a vaccine and we've already done work in animals in mice and we've shown that we can induce immune responses importantly we can induce these mucosal immune responses if we give the vaccine to these mice into the nose rather than as an injection the bristol project is one of many globally the world health organization puts the figure of more than $200.00 a 2nd generation of vaccines another u.k. project is hoping for a breakthrough with protection against a much broader range of covariance research as in nottingham university and develop a scanned cell say the vaccine doesn't just target the spike protein on the surface of the corona virus it also concentrates on another area known as the end protein the vaccine is being prepared for medical trials by manufacturers that killed universities staffordshire is one of the makers of the astra zeneca vaccine and it's now managing 6 different projects we seem to be working in a console team environment so it's not just ourselves we're a number of other organizations competitors as well we're all working in conjunction trying to solve the same problem effectively and that continues whether it's 1st generation 2nd generation or even 3rd generation probably have a strong product change would indicate a positive reaction back in bristol that project may be some way of preparing for medical trials but if and when it's proven to be safe it could take covert vaccines to another level andrew symonds out 0 bristol. nationwide krone virus curfew is being extended the government has been stepping up its efforts to curb the spread of the virus after seeing a sudden rise in infections catherine soy has more from the capital nairobi president uhuru kenyatta has extended the national cough you are 5 am to 10 pm balad to 60 days raising concerns about the number of confirmed cases that we are seeing on wednesday the health ministry announced the highest number of confirmed cases since january we're seeing more people being admitted to hospital in i.c.u. use on ventilators and so one the health ministry has said that the country is in the middle of its 3rd wave which appears to be more vicious this week that the health minister also started a back summation campaign. medic all officers health workers are receiving their fast dose of the astra zeneca vaccine from. this program is going to move onto elderly people those with underlying conditions before moving on to the general population but people are very worried about the pace of this vaccination the government says that it hopes that by the end of 223 to have vaccinated 30 percent of the population that's about 9000000 or 50000000 kenyans a number that is extremely low a lot of people are saying they're hoping that the government is going to ramp up this exercise acquire more vaccine more vaccines and you know vaccinate more people basically especially now when things seem to be getting worse. south korea announced in suspending defense exchanges and exports to me and while it's the latest country to done good times after the military coup on february the 1st security forces are accused of torture and persecution in their response to peaceful protests the un special rapporteur says the military's claims that using the utmost restraint. scott hunter is monitoring developments from bangkok and neighboring time and. it's a mostly symbolic move by south korea to sever the ties and to prevent export of anything that the military might need quite honestly it's more symbolic than anything because they're not big trading partners but what it does is it kind of adds to that growing chorus international chorus of condemnation of what's happening by the military on the streets of myanmar so that's that's where it might not be that much money that the joint is not going to be getting but it's definitely symbolic that another country has severed ties you know we've seen other countries do similar things in the region also you know the united states hasn't even has gone as far as to freeze some accounts personal banking accounts tied directly to the top leadership so the all these things kind of add up and obviously are building the international condemnation but the voices we really they the international community is really waiting for are those of china russia and india they're the big players they're the big traders with myanmar but they have not taken the step nor do we really expect that to happen take this step that we see like south korea and other nations but those are the nations that really need to be focused on because that's where the military gets most of their material from . scott hardly there while still ahead here on al-jazeera. free in open indo-pacific is essential to each of our future leaders of the quad grouping hold talks for the 1st time in what's seen as a bid to presenting a united front against china. trying to get their own protection order the campaign to end attacks on lawyers in the philippines those stories after the break. for. yet more very active weather is on its way through turkey significant snow is likely to the northern part of iran down the mountains for the west all part of a system which as the un winds tends to produce a strong wind out of iraq through kuwait and then towards qatar for example with this indication of the potential dust or sandstorm on the forward edge now ahead of it doha is very warm this is today's weather 37 degrees to off the record well above the average hot and dusty then the wind changed to a northerly we got the shamar for a couple days temperatures really drop these sand all the dust fans out into the empty quarter and you end up clear skies with the breeze strong wind and look at the change for example in terror on the sun's back at temperatures dropped in turkmenistan it's still snowing in nashville down to 4 degrees here but turkey is loving it and if you go a day beyond that it gets cooler in doha the wind still blowing but the dust is more or less settled now in southern africa we're seeing a change of season which for the time being been rather less in the way of rain there is a band of showers running up through northern parts of south africa and botswana but the real heavy stuff is further north not as well as it was about a gasket was still raining in northern mozambique. well what $300.00 media toilets going to museums and visit and such a small place where everyone always everyone it's great easy to corrupt the highest is don't. really care about. britain so. it's a film but helped to bring down the corrupt governments and led to the jailing of the former president. al-jazeera investigates stealing car dies. welcome back you're watching al-jazeera with me so rob a reminder of our top stories government have kidnapped students in northern nigeria from a forestry college the 1st time a higher education institute has been targeted officials say 180 students were rescued early on friday but 30 more are unaccounted for. the world health organization is rejecting concerns in europe and asia about the astra zeneca coronavirus vaccine saying it's safe thailand and bulgaria are the latest countries to delay its rollout after reports of cases of blood clotting and south korea is suspending defense exchanges at the banning arms exports to me and marks it's the latest country to scale down ties after last month's military coup the un special rapporteur says the military's claims that they're using the utmost restraint absurd. for the 1st time the leaders of the u.s. japan australia and india known as the quad have held talks and the timing has been significant china is in a trade war with the u.s. it's engaged in a diplomatic war with australia there's been tension with india over the attack border and there's ongoing south china sea disputes with several states within the region the quarter was initially formed in the aftermath of the 2004 indian ocean earthquake and tsunami but concerns from australia and india over how much to push china without impacting bilateral ties meant that it fell apart however in november all 4 nations held military drills china has accused the quad of undermining its legitimate rise as an asian powerhouse while u.s. president joe biden stressed the need for cooperation and stability in the region. free and open indo-pacific is essential to each of our futures countries the united states is committed to working with you our partners or i was in the region to achieve stability and this is a group of particularly important because it's dedicated to the practical solutions and concrete results no one's house correspondent can be how to tumble from washington d.c. now on the agenda in terms of what the quad will be talking about it really comes down to what has been referred to as the 3 cs china of course climate change but also cope with and with respect to cope and one of the big concerns is the fact that while wealthy nations around the world are vaccinated including the united states at record pace many developing nations have not even started so we know there is a discussion underway potentially to see about some ramping up of production of manufacturing in india so we're watching carefully for that the goal about a 1000000000 doses by 2022 with respect to climate change making sure that nations are living up to their commitments with respect to the paris climate accord and of course china is the big topic really what people are concerned about and clued in the united states as you've touched on a little bit already is the issue of how it is growing in influence not just militarily but also economically disrupting the global system in a way that the united states says isn't just a threat to the united states but to the globe well india's foreign secretary has celebrated the meeting saying it was an important transfer the leaders to build a stronger working relationship. that the 4 countries have obviated the court conversation to the apex level is by itself the most significant outcome for. the importance of international cooperation to address global challenges at the summit the leaders sought to strengthen the morning for peace stability and wellbeing among the people of the in don't disappear in the global community their discussions are too extended to oppose pandemic recovery is an interplay jeans and valid game security they are said both yemen is urging who the rebels to respond to a cease fire plan to melinda king says the rebels are prioritizing an offensive to take the city of miami and the u.s. envoy a war that yemen will spiral into greater conflict without a cease fire fighting is intensifying in the side about government's last stronghold in northern yemen bill corey is a former u.s. diplomat and former deputy chief of mission in yemen he says the u.n. security council should take a tougher stance on the rival sides the leadership. is insisting on lifting the siege. and stopping the aerial bombardment from saudi arabia 1st before they stop that seems that's unrealistic and it seems like they are just biding for time so that they can finish taking over matter in their own media channels they are talking about victory they feel victorious i think this is really on realistic and very unfortunate the u.n. security council should take it off worse then but that has been disappointing as well as this goes on regardless of which side wins it will only cause the war to continue and the suffering in yemen has already reached beyond any limits that we know of in this current international environment yemeni population is being starved and this needs to end and urgently. now russia says it's in favor of going to stand forming an interim government that includes members of the taliban moscow is that host a conference on afghanistan next week and says it will not rival previous negotiations and the u.s. has drafted a peace plan calling for an interim administration until a new constitution is agreed and elections are held turkey is also planning to host peace talks in april. lawyers for the russian opposition figure alexina valley's saying he's been moved from prison to an unload location but ali was preparing to travel to a penal colony to serve a 2 year prison sentence he was found guilty of parole violations linked to an embezzlement case last month the kremlin critics and lawyers say that they went to visit him only to find out that he'd been shifted to another person. the u.s. and 30 other western countries are calling for egypt to end the prosecution of activists journalists and political opponents the joint statement made at the u.n. calls for those held under counter-terrorism laws to be unconditionally released cairo's foreign ministry responded to the statement expressing great surprise and disapproval turkey's foreign minister says ankara and egypt have restarted diplomatic level contacts after years of disrupted ties the 2 countries have sparred over a range of issues including the war in libya where they backed rival sides ties deteriorated in 2013 after the then president mohammed morsi was overthrown in a military coup led by her and sisi morsi is government was supported by the world's ruling party. the british prime minister johnson is visiting northern ireland amid mounting political tensions over bricks at withdrawal arrangements on thursday the government announced further delays to customs checks the u.k. agreed to a customs border between northern ireland and the mainland in the u.k. withdrawal bill angering unionists but the u.k. has altered its implementation date prompting the e.u. to call for legal action and the u.k. court has also ruled that ship breakers in south asia can sue british ship owners over deaths or injuries suffered on the job now hundreds of vessels are demolished by ship breakers in bangladesh india and pakistan every year the landmark ruling says that the british shipping companies a legal duty of care. is a spokesman for the young people in social action which is a nonprofit organization for sustainable development he says ship owners have taken advantage of the situation for far too long. the shipping company who are selling their ships to dismantle their ships in such a countries like bangladesh and india or other countries i mean there should be irresponsible that they are seen seems are going to dismantle you know very safe and environmentally friendly manner and because it's densely because their ship it was their responsibility it's a polluter paid us i mean they have to take the responsibility. when the workers are dying it's that it means that the shipping company was dark when concern where was was was not giving any care that their ships are going to this battle in a very safe manner or not so they cannot avoid the others on civility so that's why we will come to. the court and this will bring some positive 'd change we hope it's going to rule in can make changes because. when the rules on principles are imposed of course it can make some changes and it's going to reduce or not only for should be cycling any any other big deal which is you know destroying human lives or environment and in some positive change around. human rights lawyers in the philippines say they are for their lives and are demanding protection from the government dozens of been killed since president roh to go to turkey took office a warning that viewers may find some of the images in general and they're going to report disturbing. angelo carluke in the end is a human rights lawyer who was stabbed in the head in pan island in illusion the province a week ago even in the philippines long accustomed to violence the images were a shock to many police say this may have been a case of attempted to grab a ring but billions colleagues say it was a deliberate attempt to kill a lawyer who has been representing 16 indigenous farmers including 9 who were killed in last year's raid by state forces the farmers were accused of having links with communist rebels and is recovering in hospital but not all lawyers who were attacked survived benjamin ramos a prominent human rights lawyer in negras province was shot dead in 2018 his death was a blow to marginalized communities including the farmers he represented for decades but 2 years on his killers remain at large. it was not elected since president or a very good authority took office in 2016 at least 54 lawyers have been killed and some of those who died were government prosecutors and judges others were likely in lawyers representing activists journalists and indigenous people from impoverished communities these lawyers have also been exposed to what's called red tagging the once accused by the government of being communists or you. know you may call it the interest of serving or are in danger or voice. what. in our society there are. very few well that's. what we. all but the justice department says investigations are proving difficult because most of the attacks were carefully planned and committed by professionals but many years see it is simply not enough and the fear that the killings will continue unabated government data shows that only 5 out of the $54.00 killings actually reached the courts this is why critics say the government should not be surprised if we believe in due process in the country is at an all time low this is expected they say specially when those who are mandated to administer justice are themselves killed jamelle in dog an al-jazeera manila. tributes are being paid to south africa's zulu king has died at the age of 72 this is the nation says a good will as well if any had been in hospital for weeks to treat diabetes when his health took a turn for the worst to me jamila has more from johannesburg. the king goebbels in a t.v. had been ill for more than a month admitted to hospital for treatment related to diabetes so south africans have known for some weeks that he has been ill but i think he's passing has been met with shock and mourning from many south africans the zulu nation specifically there are at least 11000000 zulus in south africa many of them in cause to natal and we also heard from the former deputy president in south africa who spoke about the point of pride that the king had in the hearts of many south africans and what he represented in terms of the unity created amongst many people specifically impossible to tell but also particularly within the a party to during the apartheid regime in there to united people against that kind of repression at the time we have heard 1 from. from the prime minister of the zulu nation that his body world will be held in state for a few days and that this is an opportunity for many to bid farewell to the king this is somebody whose role was largely ceremonial or symbolic but i don't think it can be ignored that he did have political influence in a couple of instances during the gauche ations to in the part 8 there were many tensions between people of different ethnic groups and at that time former president nelson mandela approached the king to try and quell tensions between zulu people largely aligned to the cart of carter freedom party of the political party and the a.n.c. at that time. the watching of 0 with me so robin a reminder of our top story gunman's and government have kidnapped students in northern nigeria is the 1st time a high institution of learning has been targeted officials say 180 students were rescued early on friday but 30 is still unaccounted for for the illicit number more from a butcher this new government has. investigated and crying out. to the.