>> u.s. says it will hold houthi s accountable after the rebels launched a deadly drone attack in the united arab emirates. >> hello, this is al jazeera live from zohar. -- from doha. seven more people die in protests in sudan, calling for a

return to civilian rule. a british woman becomes the first known victim of the volcano tsunami in tonga. and china's birth rate ds to a record low large parts of the world see declining populations. the saudi-led coalition has launched strikes on yemen's capital killing a dozen people in response to a deadly attack by houthi rebels in the united arab emirates. the houthis say they fired at oil facilities as well as the abu dhabi and dubai airports. the houthis are warning of more strikes in the uae. emirati's announced partial withdrawal in 2019 but maintain

a military presence in yemen. washington condemned the attack calling inactive terror and vowed to hold houthis accountable for the strike. more from yemen's capital. reporter: according to the statement of the houthi spokesperson, he says they carried out this attack against the united arab emirates in retaliation for what he described as participation in the saudi-led coalition in the war. he said this is the promise we have made and they have fulfilled such a promise. according to a statement, they used five missiles that have attacked, according to him, the oil refinery, the international airports, and the international

ports of abu dhabi and by -- airports of abu dhabi andhe ward being close to vital facilities. he said that if the united arab emirates decided to continue what he described as escalation against yemen, the situation as he mentioned his escalating so far, the houthis have -- will expand their targets. in the case that the united arab emirates decided to continue as per dissipation. >> the human is calling on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent further escalation. >> the secretary-general condemns today's attacks on abu dhabi's international airport

and the nearby industrial area which reportedly caused several civilian casualties and have been claimed by the houthis. attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians are prohibited by international humanitarian law. the secretary-general calls upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any escalation amidst heightened tensions in the region. there are no military solutions to the conflict in yemen. >> let's bring in a senior fellow at the center for american progress and former assistant u.s. secretary of defense. he joins us from delaware in the united states. how much of and escalation is this in terms of the conflict in the region? >> it is a very significant escalation because up to now, basically the houthis have only been attacking saudi arabia, and as you pointed out, until very recently, the uae has diminished

its role in the conflict in yemen. >> what do you make of the timing of these attacks? as you mentioned, the uae has dialed down its direct military involvement in yemen in recent years. just as recently as december it has picked up again. >> what happened is they got involved with what is called the giant brigades, and this group took it off a lot of territory from the houthis. the houthis were almost driven out of their main city. i think the houthis are trying to say, you better stop this, and if not, you're going to pay a price. the great irony is this will turn the united states probably back more toward supporting the uae and the saudi's. president biden refused to designate the houthis a

terrorist group, but after this attack, particularly on civilians, they may change their mind. >> the u.s. has condemned the attack. i want to pick your brain from your former assistant secretary of defense role. what does this show interims the power of drones of ballistic missiles -- in terms of the power of drones and ballistic missiles and their power to take out civilian infrastructure? >> it shows the concept of warfare is changing. the houthis are not even a country, they are a rebel group. the fact they have drones they can use, and ballistic missiles to cause damage without actually invading a country, and they are not that sophisticated technologically. the fact they can get that shows the nature of warfare is changing. >> we appreciate your insights.

thank you for taking the time to speak to us. >> thank you for having me. >> moving on to sudan, where seven protesters have been killed by security forces during demonstrations in the capital. tear gas and bullets were fired at thousands marching toward the residential palace in khartoum. it comes ahead of a key visit by u.s. diplomats, calling for talks to end the political crisis. protests against the military government have continued since the coup in october. >> i am against tyranny, dictatorships, and any regime which stands against people's freedom or justice. i am against inequality among the sudanese people. whether that is in freedom of speech or any other thing. >> i am here today to resist a military coup that happened on the 25th of october.

we hope our free revolution reaches the democratic civilian -- and hopefully the sudanese people achieve their goals. >> this report was filed from one of the protests in khartoum. >> trying to break a political deadlock that has been in place since the coup in october. protesters take to the streets. since the takeover they have been calling for the military to leave sudan's politics. the protest comes before a visit is expected by senior u.s. officials. the assistant secretary of state for african affairs and the u.s. special envoy for the horn of africa are expected to arrive in khartoum to give u.s. support to the u.n. initiative which is

hoped to break the political deadlock which has left to then without a government for more than two months now. sudan's sovereignty counsel led by the military says it accepts the human initiative to try to break the political deadlock, but protesters say they do not want to negotiate. many of the organizers of this protest will not sit down at a roundtable where the military is present. political parties on the other hand are divided. some say they are willing to negotiate to try to get the country out of deadlock, others say they also want the military gone before any negotiation takes place. the biggest challenge to the u.n. initiative that is currently underway is the issue of trust between the various parties. since the military takeover, the fragile trust that existed between the political parties and the military was broken. protesters have been met with tear gas, live ammunition, by security forces. the u.n. has condemned the use

of force by security forces at least 64 people have been killed. hundreds have been injured. they demand a complete civilian route. >> a british woman has been named the first known victim of the tsunami that struck the pacific nation of tonga. the brother of angela glover confirmed her death. he says she was swept away by a wave while her husband clung to a tree. australia and new zealand have seen military surveillance crews to assess the damage caused by an undersea volcano. >> the capital has been badly damaged. resorts and homes along the western beaches have been damaged. there have been reports of further volcanic activity. the u.n. office of humanitarian aid, they are citing what they believe are two distress beacons that have been reported on the islands, some of the low-lying

islands. 36 people live on 1, 69 on the other. the initial reports are mainly on infrastructure. the company that owns the single underwater cable that generates the internet, the network and communication, that has been badly damaged. new zealand has deployed and aircraft. that will look at the initial surveillance and the damage of the infrastructure around tonga. australia has also sent and aircraft which left from brisbane where we are. australia is looking to deploy a ship, the hms adelaide, one of the navy vessels. there are problems with trying to get aviation access because of the volcanic ash. the defense minister here has said that australia will do all it can. we know with regards to the humanitarian groups, the red cross has its network deployed in that region. oxfam is looking at local teams

on the ground. unicef is looking already at deploying some of these emergency supplies from fiji and its warehouses here in brisbane. that includes tents, sanitation kits, and water. that is looking to be deployed and mobilized from australia. it is a major effort to try to get this relief into tonga and the specific nations. the volcanic ash is spread throughout the region. >> katie greenwood is the head of the pacific delegation at the international federation of red cross and red crescent societies. she says getting information is difficult, but teams are prepared for this type of crisis. >> i wish we had been able to make contact with our teams on the ground, but unfortunately, those ongoing communication challenges which you have heard about have really hampered efforts to do that. the really -- normally we would

hope that even where other communication sources are down, we would be able to make contact by satellite phone, but even that has been hampered from the ash cloud that exists there. despite that, we know what our teams will be doing on the ground. they are very well trained. we have essential nonfood items of the type we just described, so shelter kits, hygiene kits, necessities for clean water, necessities for shoring up shelters that might have been damaged from tsunami waves, teams on the ground will be making assessments and distributions as we speak. even though we cannot speak with them, we know what they will be doing. the situation further afield is concerning for us because that window of opportunity to reach those people, while the volcano itself is still volatile and

whilst going on those trips to assess damage further afield is really quite difficult. it is those further afield communities where the window is shorter. >> still ahead, a family of 15 palestinians forcibly exiled from their home in occupied east jerusalem. and another portion of the u.s. for new laws to -- a new push in the u.s. for new laws to protect voting rights. ♪ >> look forward to brighter skies. the weather sponsored by qatar airways. >> meters of snow measured, having fallen in the last five days in japan. it is doing it again.

this breeze comes off the sea of japan. more snow. particularly in the middle of honshu. the cold spreads further west. not just on the high ground. the real cold air is sitting further north. hong kong up to 20 degrees. the seasonal rain which has started all around the world, north and south, is sitting here. it is focusing on sumatra. malaysia is much drier. except borneo. there is no big thunderstorm, if you down in sri lanka -- a few down in sri lanka. until we get to the end of tuesday and into wednesday, then we see something coming into

pakistan, afghanistan. snow on the mountains. stirring up the air, that is good. >> living in a war zone a risk not worth taking for most, but for a 10-year-old boy, there is nowhere else to go. in the absence of his parents, his grandmother dedicates himself -- herself to his upbringing, never knowing whether the next explosion will echo one step closer to the place they call home. the distant barking of dogs. a witness documentary on al jazeera.

>> you are watching al jazeera. the ■saudi-led coalition has launched airstrikes on yemen's capital, killing several people after houthi rebels carried out drone attacks in the united arab emirates targeting oil facility as well as the dubai and abu dhabi airports. the u.s. has condemned it as inactive terror. security forces in sudan have killed at least seven protesters. teargas and bullets were fired at demonstrators marching toward the presidential palace. the u.n. has condemned the violence calling for talks to end the violence -- and a british woman living in tonga is the first known fatality in the tsunami. martin luther king day in the

united states marked with a march in the capital to demand more protection for voting rights. president joe biden has found that has failed to pass a new protection law, he lacks support in the senate. democrats say new legislation is needed to protect the rights of ethnic minorities and low-income workers from republican efforts to disenfranchise them. >> last week the president said he is tired of being quiet about voting rights. well, we are tired. since january 6 20 21, when the insurrectionists attacked our capital, 19 legislatures have passed 34 laws clawing back voting rights for their citizens. states like my home state, where new laws -- i should say georgia, are designed to confuse voters so they don't know where to go. >> the annual martin luther king

jr. day parade was canceled in washington, d.c. because of the pandemic, but a smaller piece walk is taking place. participants keen to have their voices heard at a time when republican state houses across the country, legislation is being introduced specifically to undermine the turnout of african-american voters. the rights that martin luther king has said king bled for. -- martin luther king the third has said king bled for. >> the march this year is extremely important. people have died for such a right, and to continue the legacy of dr. king and the advocacy for voting rights is extremely important. without it, our democracy is

threatened every day. >> it is a sad day in america because biden received 80 million votes from -- votes. trump received 70 million votes. we sent people to washington to pass legislation that would be in the best interest of citizens. if they cannot get anything done beyond emergency packages such as covid, we have a serious problem. reporter: the problem is the democratic party does not seem to have the votes in congress to override the congressional rules and overcome republican opposition to pass this legislation. even joe biden seemed doubtful this would be passed under his watch after he, some say belatedly, with the full force of -- put the full force of the presidency behind voting rights. if biden does fail to get a major piece of legislation he promised on the campaign trail past, the democratic vote in the midterm elections may be

depressed anyway. >> ukraine's former president is in the t of to deny treason charges. he is accused of financing pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine. he says he is innocent and the charges are politically motivated. >> after nearly a month away, he has returned to a country seething with political turmoil. after a holdup with border guards at the airport, the former ukrainian presidents headed to a court in tf. -- in kiev tailed by supporters vowing to fight back against charges of treason. prosecutor has accused him of financing separatist forces in the eastern region, and explosive accusation at a time of russian threats. charges he says are trumped up by the government intent on shutting down political opposition.

>> they are accusing him of treating with separatists. however, the prosecutors did not have any evidence there is a link between president poroshenko and the separatists. reporter: he is one of the country's wealthiest businessmen, but his assets have been frozen since they launched investigation into whether he was involved in the sale of large amounts of coal that helped finance russian backed separatists in eastern ukraine in 2014 and 2015. president zelensky says he is clipping down on oligarchs and wants to reduce their influence in ukraine's political and economic life. against the backdrop of this political fray, the reality of ukraine's security situation is precarious.

while western governments continue to appeal to ukraine for political unity, russia has continued to build up its troops at the ukrainian border. currently there are 100,000 russian forces amassed at the eastern and northern frontiers, holding drills. high-level talks held between russian and western officials last week came to nothing. the possibility of reconciliation in ukraine is hanging by a thread. >> a family is and sheikh jarrah neighborhood is being forcibly expelled from their home. the family of 15 palestinians including children say they have nowhere else to go. the area became a flashpoint of tensions last year with hundreds of households facing eviction. reporter: israeli forces have started to demolish what is a flower shop owned by the family. it has been going on for a couple of hours now. you have israeli police here,

special forces, you also have fire engines here. we have seen the family, two homes further down from this area, threatening to blow up a gas canister if the demolition of their home goes ahead. the ownership of the land is more complicated, owned by another palestinian family, but certainly we see members here, representatives of the european union saying what is happening here is in violation of international law. also members of the israeli parliament condemning what is happening. >> these families are victims of the occupation and the israeli apartheid. the international community must wake up. there is no excuse for such crimes. reporter: the families have been told by the police commander here that there is no intention for now to demolish the actual homes. as i said earlier, what you are seeing is a flower shop. they remove the trees and plants

earlier on. but palestinians here will tell you this is seen as a wider policy by the israeli government of pushing them out of occupied east jerusalem. this of course is the area palestinians want as the capital. of any future state and also part of a wider policy here in sheikh jarrah, this has to do with the jerusalem municipality saying this is and area they want to use for building a school, but there is an active policy backed by the government of organizations that are using old laws to push palestinians out of these areas of their land. very sensitive issue. something like this palestinians will tell you is simple he part of a wider policy. >> in england, the self-isolation period after testing positive for covid-19 has been cut from 10 to five days. the government made the change to ease staffing shortages. everyone will be required to

show negative rapid tests on days five and six of their quarantine. organizers of the beijing winter olympics say only selected groups will be allowed to attend next month's games. invited spectators will have to stick close to protocols. no fans from outside china are being allowed at the event. the announcement comes days after the first local case of omicron was reported in the chinese capital. still in china and its birth rate has fallen to its lowest level in more than 60 years. 10.5 million chinese babies were born last year. the national bureau of statistics says that is 12% fewer than in 2020. it is not just a chinese phenomenon. birthrates in the united states are at their lowest level in more than a century. in germany, economists predict workforce could shrink by 5 million before the end of the decade. south korea has invested billions of dollars trying to persuade couples to have

children, but the population fell last year for the first time since records began. indians are also having fewer children. india's population is now expected to peak at 1.6 billion by 2050. that is 10 years earlier than expected. darrell brecker is the ceo of social research organization exhaust public affairs. he says birthrates are dropping due to the cost of raising children and lifestyle choices. >> people, particularly women, have decided they want to live a different kind of life in which the time and effort they would put into parenting and raising a family is going to be less of what their life experience is going to be. the developing world is going to same direction, just a bit more slowly. that has been interesting in this population change, decline of fertility. it started in the western developed world. it made its way to latin america. it is now moving more quickly in

asia. it is only a matter of time before we see a similar thing in developing countries, india being a very good example. just a few weeks ago they announced the first time in cqwqc÷gqgq?x>x!aa■ú ■ú