pandemic also this hour zonal came good with south africa's most influential traditional ruler dies at the age of 72 and ship breakers working in unsafe conditions in bangladesh when the right to sue british owners in london for deaths or injuries. i'm joined again with the sport japan's officials say that team won't take chinese current virus vaccines at the lympics only one in the next hour. thank you very much for joining as we begin this news hour with breaking news out of nigeria where gunmen have kidnapped students from a college in kaduna state in the northwest school attacks are becoming more frequent the most recent to being a mass abduction of $279.00 pupils in zamfara state last month a kidnapping is attacked. commonly used by armed groups and criminal gangs in nigeria international says it's been escalating since january 2 mass abductions of schoolchildren took place within 10 days in february officials say they're carried out by bandits loosely formed can set rob and kidnap for money geria denies paying ransoms but many believe regional instability in north western states has allowed kidnapping to become a lucrative source of income some believe. the size kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in the town of chibok in 2014 prompted more turn to mass abductions of children and speak to a fidelity journalist joining us now from the 1st of all what more you're hearing about this latest kidnapping today. yeah like you said they would be kidnapping happened in the early hours of today when armed gunmen stormed a an institution of higher learning in. one of the villages included lest it which is just shit border capital city details of the kidnap the muscle boxing of the females to the n.c. still coming in the state government has confirmed the attack me police say they are investigating to find out the circumstances the alleged to be abduction of people students witnesses say that when the government had conned the school they only took with them female students and let the males today which is actually a worry signal turns the last nap of prince who just happened days ago and there would be a release now this is happening again and he says the better press claim that they have a station of learning we've been attacked and yes to be an. investment grade and not a we killed a spy as we have said now we had a case of kidnapping of school children in nigeria what is fueling this and what is the government doing to stop this. the insecurity has been a major challenge in nigeria in recent years especially in the last few months the government in january 8th changed the top military commander pointing new military chiefs and regulars had expected that things would get better but where they are trying to settle in the abduction zone cruising almost daily. people from commercial buses individuals are taking your homes children have been up to different locations and this is really disturbing for many nigerians who are part of the bay now government would have been able to sort out the issue of insecurity because as we speak the military has been involved in trying to. contend questions in more than 36 states of the country something that has not really happened over the years and rather president have assured that all measures have been taking place sure that basically he becomes a thing of the past but with both assurances mostly having been reported pieces pocket not been especially maybe not west and not regions of the country thank you very much for that fidelis bat joining us there from a butcher on this latest kidnapping and nigeria thank you. thank you the fight against corona virus is far from over that's the warning to americans from joe biden in his 1st primetime address since becoming u.s. president is urging people to get vaccinated to keep social distancing and to continue wearing masks alan fisher has more from washington. from the east room in the white house joe biden's 1st national presidential address good evening my fellow americans when you don't from the global pandemic being declared the president took time to consider the human cost the growing number of deaths the families torn apart the lives left to be rebuilt we all lost something a collective suffering a collective sacrifice a year fill with the loss of life the loss of living for all of us but in the loss we saw how much there was to gain an appreciation respect and gratitude biden was somber but also hard to provide hope coming he believes in the form of the american rescue plan the massive 1.9 trillion dollars act he signed into law just hours before the plan to give hope to people struggling to kick start an economy to expand a vaccination program so desperately needed i'm announcing that i will direct all states tribes and territories to make all adults people 18 and over. eligible to be vaccinated no later than may want we do this together by july the 4th there's a good chance you your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate independence day there is overwhelming support across the country for the relief plan even among republican voters but republican politicians think it's not targeted and it's too expensive this isn't a relief well it's pretty much a payoff for palosi is political allies and it will be the american people paying the bill we can't let our guard down by going appealed for unity for americans to work together we don't want to go back he said and the arch people to wear masks as the man who became the face of the u.s. covert response has lamented how much politics got in the way of doing the right thing we had such divisiveness in our country that even simple common sense public health measures took on a political connotation look forward to seeing the president will feel up here force one and start tuning parts of the country to take the benefits of his 1st major legislative success it is essentially a victory lap and he hopes the country will start looking more normal by july the 4th more like the america everyone notes and hasn't seen for a year alan fischer al jazeera washington. elizabeth anchor is associate professor of rock and studies and political science at george washington university she says joe biden speech is an effort to change the way americans see the government. there was a lot of information packed into that small speech you know not only did by acknowledge the mornings and the losses of this last year but he then and now nst many different policies both from says you know making sure that americans get the vaccine quite quickly to all the ways in which he's going to solve the economic and health care problems besetting americans and then on top of that he's calling for a sea change in the way that americans address government that government is not out to harm americans as it's sometimes a popular narrative we saw with trent and even with their earlier presidents but he's saying you're that we are government and that government is here to solve our problems and to make our lives better i think this was his way of trying to get americans who are often suspicious of the work of government to get them to understand all of the resources and the powers that government can have to to mobilize to try to solve an enormous crisis like the cove in crisis and i think he was suggesting by calling it a war footing that we need that kind of large scale mobilization across sectors of american politics public life and private life in order to do that work. thailand is the latest country to delay its rollout of the astra zeneca coronavirus vaccine on thursday denmark norway and iceland suspended use of the job after several reported cases of blood clotting including one death victoria gate and b. records. thailand's prime minister and members of the cabinet was supposed to receive the astra zeneca vaccine on friday but instead health officials announced a delay to the vaccine rollout after a number of reports of blood clotting in europe then. there was one patient in denmark who died and there were other patients with blood clots denmark's government announced a suspension because they were not sure this is not to say it's related to the vaccine but when such cases occur for safety we have to postpone that ministration of the injections to allow for the investigation to take place. on thursday the danish health ministry said it hadn't established any link between the clots and the vaccine but would stop using the astra zeneca job for 2 weeks so it could investigate austria said it wouldn't use shots from one batch of the vaccine after a woman died soon after being inoculated dystonia lithuania luxembourg and latvia say stock jabs from the same batch and italy withdrew another batch of the vaccine after 2 men died in sicily although nailing has been established between the vaccine and their deaths in terms of the different situation that is related there to their education. risk and so. on but at this stage there is no real evidence to suggest that the astra zeneca. any may decide but but oh it does make me doubt it. several countries have said they'll continue using the astra zeneca vaccine friends and canada say the benefits outweigh the risks and they see no reason to suspend injections mexico has expressed confidence and australia says it's monitoring reports of side effects but has seen no evidence to suggest the astra zeneca vaccine causes blood clots. that have been developed in. private. that signal that chinese vaccines have a track record not being pretty safe and i would say go get started chinese that think take it i want to go back to work and i want. the u.s. remains the epicenter of covert 19 with more than 29000000 cases and the world's largest vaccination program for former presidents have americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible this vaccine means for. protect you and those you love from this dangerous deadly disease many other countries a struggling with the virus italy is braced for a 3rd wave and brazil's healthcare system is close to collapse public health experts are warning the longer people wait to take the vaccines the more likely it is move ariens will emerge victorious al-jazeera. and still ahead on the news hour. this is a global boxy potentially about gene pool. spray instead of a shot to why we said just in the u.k. say in a soul cover $1000.00 vaccine will be a low cost tentative for the developing world machines of war innocent children the colombian government comes under fire after several miners are killed during a military operation and citing news for basketball fans as well bron james could be set to appear at the games in tokyo don't have the details in sports. south korea has announced its suspending defend 6 changes and banning for simiane more it's an age as country to cut ties after the military coup on february 1st security forces are accused of torture and persecution in their response to peaceful protests south korea says it's also reconsidering its aid payments scott hyder is monitoring developments from bangkok in neighboring thailand 'd. 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 that all these things kind of add up and obviously are you know 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 the 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. meanwhile a un special rapporteur says it's likely myanmar's military has committed crimes against humanity is calling for more sanctions against senior leaders and oil and gas industries the military has dismissed his claims and diplomatic editor john space has more from the united nations. given the pictures the world seen in recent weeks the statement to the human rights council from the generals in myanmar claiming they're using utmost restraint was far from convincing it was made in a recorded address by a veteran diplomat who sounded nervous and mumbling his words there was a standing opposite countries pressure of it which ran on trying to the principles of universality impartiality objectivity. and addressing the homeowner issue of the country concerned however as the permanent secretary at the foreign ministry chan i previously worked closely with. the state council at one of her jobs was foreign minister observers are now wondering whether someone who is a close aide of the now detained leader was speaking freely or perhaps was in fear of reprisals the statement was in very clear contrast to that of the un special rapporteur tom andrews who said at least 70 people have been killed by the military since the coup on february the 1st there is growing evidence that this is a merely a military led by shaming sheen or leadership is now engaging in crimes against humanity including the actual murder in forces appearance persecution tortured and imprisoned in violation of fundamental rules of international law the human rights council meeting highlights an ongoing battle over diplomatic recognition while the position of the generals is read out at the un in geneva here you know i said nations headquarters in new york jorm or turn who's denounced the military continues to hold the country's seat in the general assembly james al-jazeera at the united nations. turkey's foreign minister has said ankara is planning to host afghanistan peace talks in april it comes after the us secretary of state antony blinken made several proposals one of which involved and leading role for turkey washington plans to seek to a for troop withdrawal by may which had been announced by the previous administration russia will also hold afghan talks next week which moscow says will not rival previous negotiations. to colombia now way human rights organization says it's outraged by reports that up to 12 shoulder and might have been killed in an army bombing against rebels. and has parts further are aimed at the defense minister was called the miners' machines of war. he has a story from bogota. these are the few available pictures of the march 2nd bombing by the colombian army of a dissident faction of fark rebels in southwest colombia in which human rights groups say up to 12 miners could have been killed one teenager is known to have died in august and the government acknowledges there were young people there to rebel camp but not their children were among those killed defense minister. to public outrage saying that any young victim should be regarded as a machine of war while insisting the operation followed international protocols. it's clear under international law that recruited minors of victims but after being trained prepared to become young competence the attitude and disposition of affecting life in generating terror against the population we can't afford that many criminals who started this guerillas at 13 in committed all sorts of crimes. you know that's what opposition politicians say that if confirmed the killings are shameful and that the minister should resign they mean yes i mean yes throwing bombs over defenseless children. force recruitment who are sleeping in the camp is a clear violation of the principle of proportionality is not a military triumph it's a failure of the state. this is not the 1st time the government of president has been criticized for its use of force in its effort to twats dissident rebels in drug trafficking groups in 2019 then defense minister guillermo but data was forced to resign after several children were killed in a similar strike incidents like this one were often the norm during the worst years of civil conflict with that even a minor skin say that collateral damage but since the signing of a peace deal in 2006 thing colombians have become less prone to accept and a recent report shows that more than $200.00 miners were recruited last year alone political analysts said hugh guzman says public outreach is important but will not be enough to prevent this from happening again the structural problem is the lack of state presence in rural areas on top of the pandemic and the closure of public schools so it's important to recognise that the recruitment of these child miners is a crime against humanity but also the state has been has done a huge disservice to if confirmed these deaths promised to weeknight accusations of human rights abuses in a country still reeling from decades of war i listen to them and just. for the 1st time the leaders of the u.s. japan australia and india are known as the quad will hold talks state on friday and the timing is significant china is in a trade war with the u.s. it's a gaijin a diplomatic war with australia and there's been tension with india over the order there ongoing south china sea disputes as well with several states within the region or the quad 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 it fell apart however in november all 4 nations held military drills china has accused the quad of undermining its legitimate rises in asian powerhouse when australia's prime minister scott morrison says a group benefits all countries in the region this is about and i think if a peace and stability in the indictment if it's a license to be in that city it benefits all the sovereign nations and particular asean partners that with a close friend of hers for so long this is a very ensuring that we can try to move what worries me it's a bad ensuring that we can do that peacefully that there is freedom of movement within the season and and the other flight of the area to ensure there is the facilitation of trite and movement across our great region and before these 4 nations liberal democracies standing up rebellions coming together and ensuring that we are in a queue for peace and stability in the next. let's speak to a happy man jacob about this he's an associate professor at the center for international politics organization and disarmament at jaguar have narrow university and he joins us via skype from new delhi very good to have you with us 1st of its kind summit then between the leaders of the u.s. australia and india as well as japan why now what's the motivation here you think. you know i didn't got that has been a feeling certainly daily for some time now about that the warrens of its by the time the strategy and the reports of the dos of the guy in the water that has been some conservative isn't biased to either the new administration the united states where they've for all the policy followed by trump precisely china water and to the us i think i think the fact that you have. that there are some really important statements coming from washington d.c. on a quad and on in dos if the gender issue is that it is etc amount of enthusiasm in washin