Transcripts For ALJAZAM News 20140927

Democracy. Theres no such thing as a day off for the United Nations. As the Coalition Launches more air strikes against the Islamic State in the middle east, and Health Workers struggle to gain a ground on the Ebola Outbreak in west africa, World Leaders gathered at the u. N. Headquarters in new york city. I. S. I. L. And ebola the primary topics, russia, north korea and other nations addressing the general assembly. Al jazeeras diplomatic editor james bays joins us live from the United Nations. We heard strong words from russias foreign minister earlier, accusing the u. S. Of violating principles of the u. N. Charter. Can you pick it up from there . Absolutely. Sergey lavrov, in his second big speech of the week, a couple of days ago when president obama chaired the meeting, noncontroversial, this hardhitting, saying the coalition against i. S. I. L. Was like previous coalitions done outside the american framework, the bombing in libya, syria and the occupation of afghanistan. Saying it undermines whats been built at the United Nations. He went on in an important passage. Speech talking about terrorism and extremism saying russia warned the world some time ago. Lets listen to that bit of the speech. Translation from the beginning of the arab spring russia urged not to leave it to extremists, and to establish a united front to counter the terrorist threat. We warned against the temptation to make allies with anyone that proclaimed itself an enemy of Bashar Alassad. Be if al qaeda or others. Reporter an important part of the speech from Sergey Lavrov saying, i think, i told you so, to the americans and the others, that since the beginning of the war they warned about terrorism, suggesting that some of those that the u. S. Supported at least with words were now the problem. Lets go to ukraine. The ukranian conflict caused deeper divisions hitting the European Union and the u. S. Against russia. Did lavrov give any indication on how to resolve that . Yes, he did. Basically he wants to go on with what happened already, which is the process negotiated in belarus, the minsk process. This is how he laid out the way forward. Translation russia is prepared to continue to actively promote a political settlement under the minsk process and other format. However, it should be Crystal Clear that we are doing this for the sake of piece and trapping wilty of the you rain tranquility of the ukranian people. Things in ukraine are playing out the way russia could like, because observers believe president petro porashenko had to make concessions in the last week or so, and they have a buffer zone with the rebels basically ceded an area of territory. Theres talk of an autonomous region in that area. All of this i think president petro porashenko had to do because he came to washington asking for military aid. He was listened to and had a speech to a joint session of congress, but didnt get the military help he wanted. James bays live at the United Nations. Joining us via escape. Steven from the university of california at berkeley. Lets talk about Sergey Lavrovs comments. Hes dishing out a lot of critique. What should we make of his comments where he slammed the United States and what he called a popup alliance to fight i. S. I. L. . Its ironic to have foreign minister Sergey Lavrov talk about United States or other powers violating the norms. Russia has been violating one of the Biggest International norms of the polar world over the last year, which is that large powers, great powers do not invade the next territory of smaller neighbours because they can. Thats what russia has been up to. Shes trying to deflect attention from that issue, and trying to pose and make russia the leader of an ain western alliance in the world antiwestern alliance in the world, pushing back against western hodge enemy and hodge enemy. He said ukranian fell victim to the west arrogant policy, saying that the United States and European Union supported a coup that ousted president Viktor Yanukovych in february. Where is he going with this rhetoric, and what does that mean for the future of ukraine . Its nonsense. The coup against Viktor Yanukovych was a product of street protests and a massive uprising against him. President Viktor Yanukovych in ukraine was russias client. He was thrown out of power, and what russia is trying to do now is assert domination over ukraine and ukranian foreign policy. The new president , petro porashenko, is already had to make major concessions on giving eastern parts of ukraine autonomy, giving russia influence. Now russia is going further saying if the ukranian government cosies up to the European Union by signing and implementing an Association Agreement that, russia will hes basically warning restart the war in east ukraine, this kind of war dip loam hassy is what diplomacy is what russia is using. Whether it will work, we are not sure. They are playing a game in Eastern Ukraine. What role f any, does russia have to play in the International Coalition against i. S. I. L. . Potentially it has a role to play, the Russian Security forces are second to the matuni states and the british. If russia pooled their powers, it would be a more effective battle against terrorism. The problem is russia has its own clients and interests the United States and western countries have their own. What russia is trying to do now is back up its ally, which is its main ally, which is the Bashar Alassad regime in syria. United states, of course, does not have good relations with the Bashar Alassad regime, and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov of russia is trying to convince the world that the United States is acting illegally by not consulting with the Bashar Alassad before bombing i. S. I. S. Targets in syria. Arguing about the league ate probably doesnt make a lot of sense to many, but what hes trying to do is buck up russias ally in the region. To the extent that the Bashar Alassad regime is cut in on the task of containing terrorism, that gives russia a bit of a foothold. Theres competition between russia and other powers. At the same time theres room for cooperation because russia and the United States are on the same side when it comes to fighting groups like i. S. I. S. Professor fish from the university of california, berkeley. Its complicated, thank you for walking us through it. National security advisor susan rice had a meeting at the white house, supporting fighting against Bashar Alassad. She made it clear the air strikes are aimed at i. S. I. L. We are seeing ippages of whim images of women picking up arms. Our correspondent takes us to baghdad and introduces us to the latest face of women on the front line. Reporter a war cry to rally her fighters against Islamic State of iraq and levant. Two days later killed in combat. I. S. I. L. Attacked yal am on june 20th. 2,400 members of a tribe died attempting to repel the offensive. They failed. This womans brother, the leader of the tribe, is proud of his sister. She died defending her town, killed by a snipers bullet. The death brought us great honour. She learnt to use weapons as a teenagers and her brothers are sheikhs. Her status meant her family was a target. These tribes are needed to use the war. Her father died fighting al qaeda seven years ago, part of the awakening council, sunni tribes that fought with the u. S. During the occupation of iraq. Local units are needed to police the area. A National Guard incorporating tribal fighters. Many sunnis say they were sidelined after the americans left. Feeling betrayed, several tribes sided with i. S. I. L. When fighters arrived from syria in june. His sister may have defended her up to , but it doesnt mean her town is ready to join the national army. Translation the minutes the army forms the units, we will give orders. The government has to be serious about the guarantees this time. Reporter after her death, her family made a memorial video of her life. The bigger consequences of her death are being decided. For now shes a memory on her brothers cell phone. The u. S. Embassy in yemen came under fire. No one was hurt. It happened in the capital city of sanaa, the scene of heavy fighting. The state Department Said back to the conflict in ukraine. The u. S. Secretary of commerce says the conflict is hurting the economy, and ukraine. Secretary says in kiev, meeting with the president petro porashenko, she discussed a pledge to attract private investors. If kiev takes steps to prosecute corruption in ukraine. Angry protesters in the capital tossed another politician into the trash. Reporter the man that led egypt for three decades expected a verdict on saturday in the case. Yes, they are fed up with corruption and want to punish war makers that supported the epresident expresident. This trend is viral with the hashtag trackbucket politicians. They want the counter president petro porashenko to current president petro porashenko to sign a bill that any members of parliament under Viktor Yanukovych quit. Guilty or not. A verdict in the retrial of Hosni Mubarak has been put off. It was in relation to the murder of protesters in the uprising in 2010. Reporter the man that led egypt for three decades expected a verd ight on estate in a verdict on saturday in a case implementing him in the death of protesters. But its been postponed until next month. Translation the court decided to postpone the case to 29 november 2014. Reporter the court says its reviewing the evidence. A documentary prepared by a private tv network was shown in court, highlighting the 160 sthouz pages 160,000 pages the prosecution has to go through. Hosni mubarak, interior minister, six assistants and a businessman are accused of ordering the killing of the protesters. The case began in 2011 after Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down during the arab spring uprising. The trial has been divisive from the beginning. Supporters propose to bring to court the only leader many had known for years. Those that oppose Hosni Mubarak had little faith in the egyptian system. I dont trust the army, why did it take so long. In 2012 Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life. The chief prosecutor criticized Hosni Mubarak for tarnishing the military record and ensuring the succession of his son, putting that ahead of the nations. The sentence was overturned and a retrial ordered. A factfinding committee created by the president , mohamed mursi, found that police were responsible for the killing of the protesters, like this unarmed man shot in alexandria. The committee accused Hosni Mubarak of giving orders to kill, contrary to the defenses argument that he was not aware of the killings. Hosni mubarak was released in august 2013 from prison and put under house arrest. He was accused of stealing country funds. The court orders Hosni Mubarak be sent to prison for three years. Reporter his lawyers have faith in the legal system. But for many, like this man, who waved his dead sons blood stained clothes during the first day in court. Justice has a different meaning. Separatists in spain hope to succeed where their cohorts fail. The president of catalonia called for a referendum on independence. The decree sets november 9th for the succession vote. The Spanish Government announced plans to prevent it taking place. The deputy Prime Minister called the vote unconstitutional, saying it was against the will of the spanish people. Riot police put an end to a prodemocracy protest, the officers used pepper spray to disperse dozens of students who brock into a compound. We have a story from hong kong. In this divided city, they have been drawing up the physical dividing lines as well. Police and protesters are in a stand off as both sides are settling for a long siege. Protesters outside the government headquarters were shouting support for those that stormed inside the night before. Signalling the start of the action. The political groups backing the Civil Disobedience Campaign have been left to back up. A lot of people are slightly unprepared, but we are here to rally behind the students. The fatigue is showing, but most demonstrators say the only way theyll be moved is if they are under arrest. Im prepared to be arrested. Everybody here, mostly are prepared to be arrested, because it is our duty. The police and Hong Kong Government condemned the action, fearing its the open kind of disobedience that will harm the prosperity and anger beijing. After coming to life spontaneously. This occupation seems to have built up a momentum of their own as more people came along to support it. Under what circumstances will end is something that nobody can predict. In northern mexico, over 22,000 are not being told to avoid drinking the water, they are told not to touch it. The reason is a Chemical Spill at a copper mine in the north. As reported, that still could be making its way across the u. S. Border. There are more questions than answers surrounding the latest toxic still at the copper mine in the northern mexican state. The government in the area has started distributing compensation checks from a fund started by the Mining Company to some of the 22,000 affected by the stills. They have poured tens of thousands of cubic meters of minerals and heavy metals into the river. Families and Community Leaders say not all have received the checks meant to pay for immediate needs. They mistrusted the mexicans that open the mines. Several towns have been affected by polluted waters. Farmers had to discard their product. The Mining Company and the government have been distributing Drinking Water and emergency supplies to residents, the latest fear stoked fears that the situation is not under control. State officials estimate the Economic Impact of the spill can reach as high as 150 million, and concerns on the health i high. Officials across the border in the United States are concerned that the latest spill may have contaminated the river, flowing north into the state of arizona. Still ahead disaster in japan. Caught on videotape by a hiker on the side of a volcano. Also, the unique experiences of teenagers growing up in troubled american neighbourhoods. Those stories coming up on Al Jazeera America. Japanese rescue crews will wait until daybreak on sunday before trying to reach 40 injured climbers stranded on the side of a volcano. It erupted before noon, the 10,000 foot peak shooting a large plume of white smoke and ash into the sky. 7 people are missing. Look at this dramatic video. It was captured by a hiker trapped on the volcano. You can see the hikers engulfed by ash. 150 hikers were in that area at the time of the eruption. In iceland lava from the volcano is moving close to residential areas. The volcano has been active for a month. 60,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide is produced every day, more pollution than all of europe. A rare storm in california produced marblesized hail. When all was said and done, friday night hail piled up in parts of napa valley two inches deep. Good news for children who wanted to play in it. Not for the drivers, leaving behind icy roads. There was a muddy mess in west hollywood, a century old watermain burst much 9600 gallons of water per minute flooded the street. It was cut off last night. Last month a similar break flooded the campus of u. C. L. A. The Just Department is calling on the police of ferguson, missouri to regulate behaviour. In a letter it was said officers should stop wearing bracelets showing solidarity with david wilson, the officer who shot and killed michael brown. The letter went on to say the bracele bracelets reinforced the attitudes that ferguson was protesting against. Diane eastabrook reports. Reporter its 7am, the start of kaleels long day. On the drive to school he chats with his mum about the home coming and College Admission tests. He sa senior, and on the he is a senior and on the honour rool of his high school roll of his high school. An allblack school essentially, where a third of students dont graduate. Last year was a bad i cant remember. We lost students through gun violence. We had students murdered. Its crazy. Reporter things are crazier lately. The Fatal Shooting of an unarmed teen by a white Police Officer in ferguson triggered sometimes violent protests. He went to one demonstration. I was upset that a guy was killed. I believe i wouldnt have let myself get in that predicament. The teen says running on the Crosscountry Team helps to keep him out of trouble and focused. He runs for an hour. If im upset and have something to do, i throw out raids, Something Like that. Visiting his father reminds him how easily life can go on. Does it motivate you to not be in the same passion . Yes. Almost every time he says i never want to see you in a position. I dont want to see a day i see you here with me. Trouble can find black teens like him. He goes to a college preppa tory class. One night last spring he was involved in a fight whilst waiting for a bus. Police showed up with handcuffs. First he hits me in the face and knees me, slamming me on the ground. Reporter its been 12 hours since harvard started his day. Weary, he listens to a lecture about filling out College Applications and hopes all of his ests will eventually pay off. Efforts by eventually pay off. Ill be the first in my family to go to college. Reporter and maybe make a difference in his community. Al jazeeras series edge of 18 looks at problems facing american teens, you can watch the latest episode tonight. When we come back, a report from the frontline of the balle against i. S. I. L. Along the syrianturkish border. With so many affected by conflict, the United Nations is finding it hard to help everyone. Details of those stories next on Al Jazeera America. Welcome back to Al Jazeera America. Here is a look at the top stories. At the u. N. , russias foreign minister accused the United States of violating the principles of the u. N. Charter by American Military inference in the middle east. He said russia will work towards peace in the conflict in the Eastern Ukraine to end that. A judge has postponed ruling on the retrial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. The judge will decide whether to hold Hosni Mubarak responsible for the death of protesters during the uprising 2011. National security advisor susan rice assured leaders that america stands behind resident to overthrow Bashar Alassad. She made it clear that the air strikes are aimed at i. S. I. L. I. S. I. L. Fighters engaged in battles on the border of turkey and syria, causing concern in the region. Stefanie dekker reports from kobani. Reporter the sound of fighter jets in the sky above kobani. There are multiple air strikes in i. S. I. L. Positions around the town. This is an ongoing battle. It is not over. As we drive east we come across a crowd of Syrian Kurdish refugees, dependent on handouts, human desperation caused by the war. We have been huge ill yited. Theres no water or electricity. Theres food, but its not enough. We are so many. We are eight families living this a small house, and we cant go back, because they are fighting. 10km east of kobani, we experience the battle first hand. We are told that the kurdish fighters are in charge of that village, and right in front of them is the position where i. S. I. L. Is holding the other side. Its turned into something of a spectator sport with many people lining up to watch the action on one of the front lines. Nil has positions around kobani in the east, south and west. As we returned to the town, the earlier hope of the air strikes now gone, this is an i. S. I. L. Attack. They are not inside kobani, but it is an active front line. It made hundreds of kurds cross into turkey. We dont have enough workers to supply them. No one help us. Just the kalashnikov, how we destroy the attacks. We are dying here. Lots of people. They are dying. Kobani is the latest refugee crisis in a war that killed and displaced so many. 3. 5 years on, theres no sign that it will end soon. Of all the conflict around the world from syria to gaza to south sudan. The u. N. Is facing an Unprecedented Demand for its help. Officials say they dont have enough money to fund the relief efforts. Kristen saloomey reports from the United Nations. Reporter desperately needed food is air dropped in south r, the worlds south sudan, the worlds newest nation facing a crises. Conflict displaced 1. 3 million since december, leaving 1 hunds,000 children at risk 100,000 children at risk. U. N. I. C. E. F. Is doing what if can. It is not enough. We have it 5,000 children that are severe and acutely malnourished and reached 60 thoez of they say kids to date. Theres a need to scale up the response, but without Additional Resources well be hard pressed to scale that as fast as we need to. Reporter the Ebola Outbreak, affecting several west african countries is another crisis the u. N. Is responding to. This year dozens of emergencies are training the budget of the humanitarian agencies, rely on governments to meet their needs. U. N. I. C. E. F. In new york, saw its largest deployment of emergency supplies ever in the month of august. 1,000 metric tonnes of supplies for children, sent to some of the worlds trouble regions, thats enough to fill 19 cargo jets with supplies. In syria, where more than 3 million left the country and millions are internally displaced, the World Food Program is planning to cut back the destruction due to short falls. Its been three years. All the we are seeing a significant reduction in contribution to syria. That is not to say the world has not been generous. What we need is to continue said generosity. Snow with so many emergencies and funny to go apparent. A high level suffering is no guarantee of help. How much aid wealthy nations are willing to donate comes down to the geopolitical importance of the area in need. After months of political discord afghanistan is getting a new government. Monday it will inaugurate a new president , ashraf ghani, and chief executive abdullah abdullah. This is months after arguments as to elections being rigged. Dozens were killed yesterday by the taliban. Thousands of afghans have fled the violence. Refugees were told it was better for them to escape the violence. Poverty and politics are big challenges. We have this report. Reporter this woman and her family are hopeful theyll find a safe place to call home. In august they travelled around 1,000km from jalalabad to the border. Reporter we want to be resettled in the next one or two months, because we feel we are in danger. We believe the enemies can come to the country and threaten us. The family joined a small but anxious group of afghan refugees. They came here because they were worried about safety and poor Living Conditions in sprawling refugee camps in afghanistan. The afghans that go to pakistan face challenges like torture and bribery. The police imprisons them. Around 4,000 african refugees lirk in turk ebbingize stan. Many are desperate to be resettled. They cross the border with a valid visa, but life is far from easy. This woman and her family lived on the fridge ings of turgeic society. They are not allowed to get jobs, access the Education System or live in the capital. Reporter life is hard. My daughters work in the market and go to school. My older sons cant go to university here. Reporter the challenges that african refugees face are similar to those that force 1 million turge ebbings to leave the country. United nations says its aware of the additional pressures that deteriorating conditions in afghanistan could place on the small impoverished country. We do not participate largescale influxes of refugees. There could be an increase in flows. We need to be ready. Reporter for those here life is far from certain. Returning to afghanistan is not an option. Many are trapped in a place they never intended to call home. Refugees in the middle east and north africa have been a concern in europe. Nations like spain and italy are regular destinations for people seeking a better life. Now a programme is being expanded to protect refugees at sea. Reporter they call themselves the eyes of the mediterranean. This is the 41st brigade of the italian air force. Their sole task, the scan the vast expanse, looking for migrants making a dangerous boat trip from north africa. Very big is the number of migrants. Reporter they work alongside the navy, an Italian Initiative launched last year to stop the number of people dying at sea. This is a 24 hour operation. Its always on standby. These officers say that their best efforts are not enough, with a constant flow of migrants crossing the mediterranean. 130,000 people made the crossing since january. More than 3,000 died attempting the journey. We are doing the maximum. As part of europe we are awaiting the help of europe, the other nations because its not just the problem for italy. Reporter the help italy is waiting for may not be what it was hoping. Already the e. U. Border agency directs the states to carry out surveillance flights. In response to calls for help, the e. U. Said it would expand to create front x plus. Now it says it was a working title, and describes the offer as a limited scale operation, with no plans to take obvious. Separation will not replace marinostrol. Front ex is a border chrome agency, and will be an operation at the border. Boatloads of migrants make land full in italy almost every day. The group rescued by the navy came from across africa and the middle east, escaping war, persecution and poverty. Its these people this italian crew is determined to save and hopes europe hears its call for help. Your phone, laptop, could be fuelling conflict in poor parts of the world. Many are made from conflict minerals. Some are working to change the materials to make the gadgets many of us love. Reporter everywhere you go in europe life revolves around the mobile phone. In the netherlands, there are 14 million handsets in use. Few know where they are from or how they are made. You have your mobile phone there. Do you know where the material comes from . No. China . Huge numbers of phones and its are made with metals from places luke this. The mines like this, the mines of the bin dong. The met democratic republic of congo. The minerals here fuel one of the many conflicts. Without the mining of the gold and other metals, there would be fewer weapons and less to fight about. In the United States, theres a law that says manufacture ors have to prove where the materials are coming from. In the European Union, there is no such thing. They can abide by a voluntary code of conduct or not. The e. U. Is a big player. The fact that its lagging behind on an issue about reputation of companies, transparent supply chains, is disappointing. Reporter theres a most to change the situation. American computer maker intel is promising a conflictfree supply chain by 2016. In amsterdam, a company is working towards the first mobile phone. Fair phone started as a lobbying group, making people aware of where their gadgets are from. Now it makes phones. Its important. Its something we use every day. Everyone has a phone in their pocket, sometimes two or three. A lot of people dont know 30 different kind of minerals are used to produce the phone, it comes from all over the world, and from places where theres a high risk of conflict. Europe is now a target for a Worldwide Movement to stop the trade in conflict metals. The first part is letting the 500 Million Consumers know how much suffering has gone on to make their gadgets. Theres five weeks until the midterm elections. With control of congress at stake. Democrats and republicans are pulling out stops. The g. O. P. Gathered in washington for the anniversary of a great political victory. The contract with america. Its 20 years since 300 republican lawmakers pledged support. The party won majorities in the house. Six years ago sarah palin was the republicans Vice President ial nominee. Today she was in louisiana, stepping in for rob mann us, one of several republicans trying to stop Mary Landrieus bid for reelection. President obama used his weekly address to talk about leadership. The white house says president obama will unveil a programme to encourage education and training in minority neighbourhoods. Former congressman jim traviccan died. He served nine terms in the house before being expelled after a bribery cop viction in 2002. He was injured in a Traffic Accident at his fathers farm on tuesday, and died in a hospital at young up to. He was 73. For more political news and a look at the money poring into the midterm elections, join David Shuster at 5 30 for politics. Coming up 3,000 died of ebola, but the challenges facing countries that survived it can be overwhelming. You are watching jam are. You are watching Al Jazeera America. Al jazeera americas hard hitting. Ground breaking. Truth seeking. Breakthrough investigative documentary series access restricted only on Al Jazeera America World Health Organisation says nigeria managed to contain the spread of ebola, and is ebola free. At this point more than 3,000 people have been killed by ebola. Meanwhile, an American Organization is helping to supply medical workers in africa with protective equipment to help keep them safe. Project cure shipped seven containers of gloves, groups, mouth guards and shoe covers. It is unacceptable if because of lack of preparedness and planning, and global coordination, people are dying. When they dont have to. So we have to do better. The president says the u. S. Took the lead but cannot do it alone. Life after the ebola virus can be difficult. Many survivors are seeing the lives of family devastated. Reporter eric shows us the route he took last month to get to hospital. He was sick and could hardly walk. His friend tried to help him, but he refused, fearing he would ipp effect them with infect them with ebola. I said, dont touch me, i can walk to the hospital, because my family would be sick, i dont know if i have ebola, i said, please dont touch me. I walked to the hospital. Four hours. Eriksson managed to fight off the virus and recover. When he came to be discharged he asked what happened to his family who also had been admitted to hospital. He brought me the dead list, and told me all of your family passed away. So i discourage it. The virus killed 40 members of the family. The family promised him he would go to college. Now he is dead. Edith survived ebola. I have been living with the family. One parent is gone. I feel good. Most people lost many family. I only lost my dad. Reporter she stays at the house of a friend, an ebola survivor from the same village. People are afraid of him. He has a certificate confirming he is no longer contagious. What happens when they are discharged. Theres a lot of stigma, rumours, denial about the disease outbreak. He has the family motorbike and would like to get work as a driver. Soon hell have to park it as he doesnt have the money for petrol. The president of the world bank happens to be a specialist. Jim yong kim sat with ali velshi to discuss the impact of the ebola beyond west africa. Ebola now locks like a major risk and shock for three countries, it could spread. More offer, pandemic diseases. We are not as prepared as we need to be to protect the shocks. We released a study looking at the impact of ebola. We found it lac independent of a number of cases. Its the aversion behaviour. Its that kind of behaviour that has had the biggest check impact before s. A. R. S. , h1 n 1. That it was not the lives lost, it was the behaviour ta accompanied it, leading to the economic shock. You can see ali velshis interview with jim yong kim on talk to al jazeera coming up next at 5 00 pm eastern. The spread of technology and rapid population growth is posing a threat to cultural conditions and historic locations. Rob reynolds reports on a site trying to survive in a modern world reporter this is an ancient place full of life, art and spiritual significance. This is a sacred grove. For many of the 35 million peel in nigeria and around the world, this is one of the holiest places on earth. The 400yearold site is an undisturbed tropical forest, one of the few groves to survive colonialism, modern life and activity. Devotees believe the goddess flows in the river, flowing through the grove. The nigerias government is the curator for the site. The water is the water of life. People come here, with the belief that they will get solutions to their problems, facility or protection. Most of the art dates from the 1960s, and 70s, when the artist sought to fuse ancient african motifs with art. Many have christianity or islam, but the old ways live on in the house of the high priestess. The river goddess means much to us. She is a deity shielding us from our enemies. In the olden days she rescued us from subjukation. Reporter the sacred grove has its challenges. Its listed as an endangered Cultural Heritage site by the World Heritage fund. The grove is surrounded with buildings encroaching on all sides. The river is polluted. A poorly planned rod cuts through the center of the grove. The u. N. Agency provides money for upkeep. Enough Government Funds are lacking. We dont have much. We demand or request resources in terms of materials, in terms of phones. Despite the changes, they believe their sacred grove will endure. The worldship of our goddess will not be threatened by modern ways. We are handing obvious worship to our children. A connection from the past unbroken. Turning a prison. A protest. Well show you how one of the countrys notorious former prisons are used to make a statement about freedom. That is next on Al Jazeera America. Big day for one of hollywoods eligible bachelors. A wedding day for george clooney, spotted having breakfast in a restaurant. The 53yearold oscar winner married. The second marriage for clooney. Congratulations to them. A unique exhibit extolling freedom is opening in americas notorious prison the for the first time alcat rahs will host art from an artist that those about fighting for freedom. Melissa chan has more. Reporter they say no one successfully escapes alcatraz. For its inmates, freedom is a dream. It is po etic that an art show has opened on the island prun. Some installations viewable through pains of prison class. Some of them taking flight agains prison walls. The works are so beautifully made, so resplented and appealing and attractive. People from all walks of life will find something compelling about them. This is called at large, its been planned in absentia, his freedom curtailed by the chinese government. He cannot leave china, and cannot escape to alcatraz. Some of the installations were designed in china and assembled in the United States. Decorating a factory floor, a million lego blocks, portraits of prisoners and exiles. The artist sat in gaol for outspokenness, and knows what it feels like. He has given visitors the opportunity to speak truth to power themselves. In this installation, he prepared preaddressed postcards to the prisoners respected. It will serve as a remeaneder to governments of reminder of governments to human rights records. St government had to the u. S. Government had to grant permission to build the exhibit. It may not sit well with china. Le has always battled authorities. When we interviewed him, fighting for freedom was a major part of his art. You have to show your courage and express your cautiousness, and to communicate to others. Reporter he says his works are to be seen not just by art world elite, hell succeed on alcatraz. Over a million tourists visit the island every year. The typical visitor probably doesnt expect an exhibit like this. We want them to have a transformative experience that when they leave the island, they are a different person. Cell block a is the installation stay tuned, an invitation to sit behind bars and listen to poetry and music composed by political prisoners. Echos of a song of freedom inside an infamous prison. I am sure thats an experience. Im richelle carey. Taub talk to al jazeera is next. For updates go to aljazeera. Com. Thank you for your time. Do keep it here. Ebola right now looks like a major risk and shock for three countries. It could spread if we dont get on top of it. Dr jim yong kim warns that the economic fallout from the ebola virus could be catastrophic. In addition to heading up the world bank, kim is a doctor and expert in infectious diseases. If we dont get on top of it and it spreads to 15 countries, nd