jane ferguson reports. >> reporter: it was an attack on the footsteps of where the country will debate the future of u.s. forces here. a suicide bomber rammed a car with explosives into a military vehicle just as afternoon rush hour was beginning. civilians were among those killed and injured. >> translator: i have a kabob stall here. suddenly there was a big bang, and everything went dark. i didn't understand what was happening. they took me to the hospital. there was a lot of people injured and a lot of smoke and dust. you can see it from my clothes. >> reporter: the blast destroyed many cars and hit a street lined with market stalls. >> translator: at around 3:00 there was a big explosion. there were huge flames and smoke. i know some of the shop keepers there. there were butchers, vegetable

jane ferguson is live in kabul. hamid karzai made a long speech, though. did he talk about other details to do with the deal? >> mainly what he talked about in the beginning, like you said. it was a long speech. he talked about the history of the conflict, going back to the 9/11 attacks in new york, and talked - everybody sitting in the halls through the events and the ups and downs of hamid karzai, and the afghan government's relationship with washington d.c. as you pointed out, he also went into great detail about the rang lings that he's had over the last two to three days with the u.s. administration. he literally explained what had been happening. on tuesday night he spoke with u.s. secretary of state john kerry saying that american troops could never enter an afghan house under no circumstances to which hamid karzai said it was a deal breaker, they couldn't sign a deal that -- kerry said it was a deal breaker, that they couldn't sign a deal if an american life was in threat. in response, what hamid karzai told the delegation was that he asked for a l

let's speak to jane ferguson who is in kabul. the first time the pakistani prime minister has been in kabul since he took his third term. what is he doing there today? >> we are likely today to see high-heavily talks between prime minister nawaz sharif and hamid karzai. nawaz sharif is likely to meet with the high-peace counsel, the body of elders gathered together since 2010 to try to push forward peace talks. they have been fraught with difficulty and stopped and started over the years. it will be crucial to his visit, speaking with the high suppose counsel. and we have spoken with a senior member this morning, who pushed the fact this they want the pakistani authorities to facilitate direct talks between the government and the afghan taliban here. that's what this visit is all about. there'll be discussions about further economic ties, further economic cooperation. the afghans are aware that pakistan's prime minister is essentially from a business community, from an industrialist family. they are hoping that not only will he s

let's hear from jane ferguson, who is joining us from kabul to tell us why this is a controversial issue, and what else will be covered by the proposed security deal? >> well, this has been a controversial issue for afghans, but especially for the president hamid karzai. he is criticised and said he wants on end to those night raids. he sees it as challenging afghan sovereignty as well as the dignity in the houses searched. this agreement is down to the wire when it comes to the negotiations. there are less than 48 hours left before a draft proposal is meant to be handed over here in the capital. now, sources in the palace tell al jazeera that most of the other issues have been well sorted out between both sides. there were other contentious issues such as immunity from afghan law. it seems to have been smoothed over. the forces will continue to be tried in american courts and subject to us law. another issue which seems to have been agreed on is a tax issue, whereby u.s. military and firms working for them will not be subject to afghan taxes. of course, at the end of the day all the iss

jane ferguson has more. scandal and argument continue to surround afghanistan's decision makers. >> a gathering of representatives in the capital is expected to decide on sunday if it will approve a security agreement with the u.s. of president hamid ca karzai is sticking to his position. he won't sign the agreement until after presidential elections next year. >> karzai doesn't have the right to say these words. i'm saying this is a big mistake owe iowe owee he is making whatd they want we have accepted. he still wants to delay the agreement. this is in the detriment of afghanistan. >> in the busy market people are concerned about what will happen if the agreement is not signed. >> pakistani is our enemy and now we make america our enemy too. how do we make our living here. we need a stable future. some believe karzai needs to leave a legacy. he doesn't want to be remembered as a person that was inti intimd by foreigners. but some say the country should come first. karzai should do a hi historic thing for h

jane ferguson, kabul, afghanistan. >> in tie lands, protesters rallied at the capitol. they are calling for the prime minister to be removed from. around 100,000 people are expected in a day-long peaceful protest. ukrainians took to the streets as well. they were protesting a government decision to scrap a at any rate treed e. some say they buckled under pressure from moscow. they wanto ukraine to join a customs union and has threatened to retaliate as it went ahead with the eu deal. >> voters in hon dueras elect a new president today. the wife of the president deposed in a coup in 2009, whoever wins takes charge of one of latin america's weakests economies and highest crime rates. adam rainey is in hon dueras with more on today's voting. >> we have seen a healthy turnout. some say it may be a record turnout. we have been at rallies for the last week or so where there is a lot of energy, a lot of people coming to the rallies saying they are excited. we are talking about people who sometimes are paid to go to rallies, too. it's always really tough to know if this is a po

jane ferguson has this report from afghanistan. >> reporter: it was an attack on the footsteps of where with the country will debate the future of u.s. forces here. a suicide-bomb car packed with explosives exploded just as rush hour in kabul was beginning. six from killed and several injured. >> i have a saw here. suddenly there was a big bang and everything went dark. i didn't understand what was happening. they took me to the hospital. when i came back to see my shop there were a lot of people injured. there was smoke and dust and you can see from my clothes. >> reporter: the blast destroyed many cars and hit a street lined with market stalls. >> at around 3:00 there was a big explosion. there were huge flames and smoke. i know some of the shop keepers there. there were butchers, vegetable sellers and a mechanic. they were all hurt. >> reporter: the police say it was a suicide car bombing here targeting afghan military presence which was present here trying to protect where the hall is just beyond that row of trees. it is meant to host over 2.5000 representatives from around afghanis

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >>> now to our nation's capital. white house officials scramble to fix problems with the healthcare.gov website, they're new criticisms. >> new challenges for the law, not only are republicans relentless in the cripple. >> so far his attempt to transform a headlight care is not has not been pretty. >> reporter: now the president is faced with the revolt from members of his own party. friday, 39 democrats jumped ship supporting a gop plan that would allow americans whose health plans have been canceled to keep their policies for an additional year. the bill also allows insurance companies to continue selling plans that do not meet the new guidelines for one more year. the white house says the legislation weakens its health care law. >> this went on the floor today really takes the cake because it is essentially pull the plug on the affordable care act. >> reporter: the president met with insurance company executives at the white house to make good on his pledge to fix the health care website by the end of this month.

as jane ferguson reports the discussion ben you'll parties have been tense. >> reporter: scandal and argument continue to surround afghanistan's decision makers. a gathering of representatives in the capitol is expected to decide on sunday if it will approve a security agreement with the u.s. president hamid karzai is sticking with his position. he won't sign the agreement until after presidential elections next year. >> karzai does not have the right to say these words. saying this is a big mistake he's making. whatever he wants from them. and whatever card he wants from them has been accepted but he still wants to delay the agreement. this is not for the benefit of afghanistan. this is to the detriment of afghanistan. >> reporter: people are also worried about their future if the agreement is not signed. >> if pakistanis, iranis are our enemies, and if the americans are our enemies, too, how can we make a living. >> some believe karzai is worried about his legacy. he doesn't want to be remembered as a president who is intimidated by foreigners. they, however, point out the country

live to jane ferguson who is in kabul. this was supposed to be the culminating day for of afghan security plans. but a lot of drama. it was the culminating day. overwhelming they came to the podium and said they supported the security pact and they were enthusiastic about it. a few of the committees that had been divided up suggested having one more u.s.-afghan base in the country. overwhelming support for the security pact. but the president himself car ki says he needed more time. he took to the podium and he said he wanted the americans to guarantee to show that they can bring security and peace here. the current push by afghanistan requesting the u.s. to put more pressure on pakistan. pakistan has been accused over the years of not doing enough to curb taliban activity in their country. he said he needed more time. he would not sign it yet even though th the jurga are urging m to do so. >> he wouldn't say by the end of the year or by the elections in april or after then. what he has said he wants to negotiate. in the c

jane ferguson has more from kabul. >> reporter: the 2.5 thousand representatives from around the world are splitting off in committees. they will debate the various issues in this private securities litigation reform act. but a lot of people we have been speaking to here say they feel as though some of their discussions have been over shadowed by the row that was sparked yesterday when karzai said he would not sign this agreement before the presidential elections next year. some of the delegates here saying what is the point in us even discussing whether or not to approve this draft pact if it's not going to be taken seriously by our president. so there are still a lot of questions to be asked beyond the minute detail, but more in the international context. >>> jane ferguson. let us go back to europe now. >>> david, thank you. the greek prime minister has said that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel of the country's economic woes. he made the statement after announcing that his embattled economy is on the road to recovery. this after six years in recession. he met with ger

al jazeera's jane ferguson plains why. >> this was meant to be a day of agreement. many left feeling more confused. the loya jirga, a gathering of afghan representatives was overwhelmingly in favour of the security pact with the u.s. and wanted to signed immediately. that was in reference to hamid karzai's announcement on thursday that he won't sign the deal until after elections in april. on sunday he stuck to his position that he needed more time to get a better deal from washington. that didn't stay the head of the jirga and the drama on stage played out live on tv. >> translation: i want to repeat again - americans cannot go into our houses after the bilateral documents. they cannot kill anyone in their house. the afghan people will be safe and peace will come. it will not be a case of americans sitting in their base and then we have a war in our country. i will not accept that. >> translation: whatever the president is saying is right. americans do not have any right to enter afghan houses. they have given that to us in writing and promise. a super power cannot

we across to jane ferguson in kabul. was the move expected from hamid karzai? >> it was not expected. as the delegates face a last full day of negotiating the pack, the row between hamid karzai and washington d.c. is overshadowing that. the delegates tomorrow are supposed to present opinions on the draft, whether or not they support it or want changes made. really, what people are asking is even if they do support it, will it be signed? the president is sticking to his guns, releasing a statement saying that last night he spoke to u.s. secretary of state john kerry and reiterated his position that he will not sign it until after the presidential elections in april. we have seen an estimate from the u.s. secretary of defense, chuck hagel rejecting that saying it needs to be signed by the end of the year, otherwise he would advise president obama to not make military plans for afghanistan after 2014. >> what happens in the dispute over the timing of the pact is not resolved? >> if it's not resolved there'll be no way of moving forward. the americans are saying th

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> the day's top stories straight ahead on al jazeera. that will do it on the news hour. thanks for watching. see you again, bye for now. (vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capitol. (vo) we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. (vo) and follow it no matter where it leads, all the way to you. al jazeera america. take a new look at news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. one week after tie ninan in the philippines they are still struggling to get aid where it is needed most. >>> and a mission to mars, a probe with plans to orbit mars in the next ten months. >> take a look at this, the bulls just keep running on wall street now reaching new heights. dow 16,000.

jane ferguson reports from kandahar. >> his family was murdered by an american soldier. this man lost his wife, brother, cousin and niece in kandahar province. killed by u.s. army staff sergeant robert bales. he now wants you will u.s. soldiers out of his country. >> translation: they will not get military bases. they killed our people. they came at 2 in the morning. the children were sleeping. my own family. . >> the majority of american forces are due to leave next year. first washington wants certain conditions met. under the proposed security agreement the u.s. government wants its soldier to remain immune from afghan law. the u.s. puts its own soldiers on trial in military courts. here in kandahar, which has seen some of the worst of the fighting - people say this is unacceptable. >> they should be put on trial in afghanistan because they will be living in afghanistan. if they commit a crime in afghanistan, then afghanistan should try them. no one can see what happens in their courts. there should be open trials in afghanistan. >> it's a point of contention that cou

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> another section of a supermarket collapsed today in latvia. you can see workers are inside when this happened. more than 50 people died in the original collapse that happened during peak shopping hours. the collapse happened in the capital of riga. the latvian president is call this disaster murder. >>> a pipeline explosion in china that sprung a leak yesterday and soon after exploded. three pipelines in the area have been shut off until they can pass safety checks. local environmental protections say oil is flowing out and contaminating the nearby area. >>> it's been two weeks since typhoon haiyan tore through the philippines and it has been a struggle oh getting people in need the things they need. >> there is barely a building left standing in this town about a quarter mile from the sea. inside town hall it is hot, dark, and dirty. water pours from above as the sick and injured stream in because this shell of a structure is the best they could do here for a hospital. >> one bright spot here is the town's vice mayor is also a pediatr

jane ferguson has this report from kabul. >> these boys used to spend all day picking rubbish off the street to sell for a few dollars. now they go to school, courtesy of a local charity, helping children who work on the streets catch up on studies and get back into the state education system. >> i was collecting the paper. the head of the school came to me and asked if i wanted to go to school. >> in afghanistan charities funded by donors are anxious. a dispute between the americans and afghan president hamid karzai threatens to jeopardise foreign donations to the country if he doesn't sign a security pact with the u.s. on monday heated discussions between hamid karzai and susan rice went nowhere. those running consumer products say donor fatigue is setting in. the organization behind the school used to run the shelter. they shut their doors in march as money from abroad ended. the small shelter used to house children who went to the school. >> those children, because of them will have to go back to work. >> for years this gave children somewhere safe to sleep. now it's empty. the ch

jane ferguson joins us from kabul. good morning to you. the afghan president hamid karzai finished his address. we hear there was a surprise. what can you tell us? >> that's right. he made a long speech, over an hour. towards the end, after having discussed in detail the negotiations between him and u.s. secretary of state john kerry, announcing what the agreement had been come to between the two of them in terms of the particulars of this deal, just as he was closing his speech - he made a remark that surprised and confused a few people where he said if the bilateral agreement packed between america and afghanistan - approved by the jirga, a large meeting the elders, that's great. if it's approved by parliament it's great too. and the next step, the final step where he would sign it into law, he said he wouldn't sign it until after the elections next april. that is likely to come as a huge surprise to the americans - have needed the deal to be signed earlier than now. 2014 is incredibly close. it was quite a political ploy, a big announce

let's hear from jane ferguson in kabul for us, why is this such a controversial issue and what else will be covered by this proposal deal? >> almost everything in this agreement has been controversial over the past year. it really has moved from one controversy to another and as you just mentioned immunity from u.s. soldiers from afghan law and to be continue to be subject to u.s. law is a talking points, how many bases there would be, how many u.s. soldiers would stay in the country, every single point there has been particularly controversial. and really last night and this morning the news broke that hamid karzai raised an issue about american soldiers entering villages and homes of afghans and there is a lot to be discussed here about whether or not when they do operations will they have permission from the afghan government and permission from elders, how will that work if they want to enter people's houses to search and hamid karzai is increasingly concerned about his legacy here in afghanistan. he has less than five months before the elections to elect a new replacement leader for

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> chilly forecasts and elections in hon dueras. a live report is coming up on that next. consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the government shutdown. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete? >> welcome back. voters in honduras go to the poles today, the wife of tsince coup, they have seen a rise in human rights violations. organized crime and murder. whoever wins takes charge of one of latin america's biggest economies and highest crime rates. live from the capitol, adam, how is this election process being carried out? >> it's being carried out as we e e elections. in the middle of the capital and polling station line this. rallies are packed with excited supporters. campaign jingles, this is

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >>> pope francis attacked capitolism. he writes power should move away from the vatican. the 84-page document says the church needs to focus more on poverty. calls on global leaders to address education and health care. and christians should embrace muslims with affection and respect. >>> dozens of people clinging to the hull of a capsized boat. >>> plus the housing recovery could be slowing. that story in our top business headlines when al jazeera comes right back. the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of every hour. >> here are the headlines at this hour. >> only on al jazeera america. >>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. the top military commander of the free syrian army telling al jazeera that its fighters won't part in any peace talks unless a number of their conditions are met first. the opposition plans to meet with officials trying to decide whether they

we go to jane ferguson. >> it was an attack on the place where future talks about u.s. forcers remaining will occur. a car slammed into a military vehicle, as the afternoon rush hour was beginning. civilians was among those killed and injured. >> translation: i have a kebab stall. there was a big bang. everything went dark. i didn't understand what was happening. they took me to the hospital. when i came back to my shop a lot of people were injured. there was a lot of mista smoke dust. >> the plast destroyed cars and had the -- blast destroyed many cars. >> translation: there was huge flames and spoke. i know the shopkeepers. there are butchers, vegetable sellers. they were all hurt. >> police say it was a suicide car bombing here, targetting the afghan military president, which was here, trying to protect where the loya jirga hall is, beyond the row of trees you can see. the loya jirga hall is meant to host 2,500 representatives from around afghanistan later next week, who will come to discuss the future of u.s. troops in the country. >> there has been a heavy security

ferguson. the u.s. said it's not practical or possible to delay signing the deal. clearly comments took everyone by surprise. >> they did. they have been described by journalists reporting the story as a bombshell for afghans as well as those in washington. it's likely those stateside woke up to unwelcome news, something they were not planning for. they hoped the jirga and the parliament would approve the task. and then it would be a complication, a small matter of having it signed by hamid karzai. now we have two administrations with two different view points. the u.s. are saying it needs to be signed by the end of the year and hamid karzai saying it won't be signed at all before april. that will overshadow these negotiations at the jirga, which was meant to be about the draft. not about when it would be signed, but the issues here, interg afghan homes and milt -- interg afghan homes and military bases. on the first day of discussions everyone is talking about the fallout from hamid karzai's s

. >> jane ferguson reporting from kabul. 30 people dead, and others interested after a pipeline exploded in china. one pipeline sprung a leak and exploded soon after. crud pipelines in the area shut off until they've passed safety checks. oil is flowing out and has contaminated the nearby sea. >>> protesters are calling for an end to the u.s. joa drone st. they have blocked one of the main roads leading into afghanistan. the turkish ambassador to egypt has been expelled by kay row. the morning minister said the turkish government has worked to undermine egypt's interim government. turkish's president responded to egypt with a quote, i hope our relation also get back on track. >>> president obama used his weekly address today to tout the ways the american economy is improving. >> obama: our business versus created 7.8 million new jobs in the past two months. the american auto industry has come roaring back with 250,000 new jobs selling high tech, fuel efficient cars that the world wants to buy, and they're leading the charge in a manufacturing sector that has added jobs for the first time

jane ferguson, kabul afghanistan. >> france is responding to calls for a larger force to help curb the violence in the central african republic. the defense minister says 1,000 french troops will join union you remember toes already on the ground. the move coming a day after the u.n. warned of mass atrocities and a possible civil war. they have been in turmoil since rebels ousted the president back in march. antigovernment protestors in thailand continue to occupy state buildings there as they took to the streets of bangkok, openly defying calls to stay put. they say they will continue to do so until the government steps down. more from bangkok. >> a new day begins with hundreds of protestors still inside government compounds. the anyone industry transportedded into a marketplace. by late morning with an arrow pointing the way, they set their sites on closing down more ministries. furthers their promise that they would spark the collapse of prime minister's government. they say it no longer represents them. >> look at the people around us. a lot of people have been silenced for so long

jane ferguson reports now from kabul >> reporter: amanula and his little brother, elham used to spend all day picking rubbish off of the street to sell for a few dollars. now, they go to school courtesy of a local charity, ashiana which helps children working on the streets catch up on studies and get back into the state educational system. >> i was collecting paper and the head of the school came to me. he asked me if i wanted to go to school, and i said, yes. >> chair at this funded by international donors are ang issue. a dispute between the americans and hamid karzai threat ends to jeopardize foreign donations if he doesn't sign a security packet with the u.s. soon. on monday, heated discussions between karzai and obama's national security advisor susan rice went nowhere. those running social projects hearsay donor fatigue is already beginning to set in. the organization behind amanula and his brother's school used to run this shelter for street children. it shut its doors in march as money from abroadened. the organization searched for a proper school. >> those who are who are su

jane ferguson reports from kabul on the afghan president's about-face. >> this was meant to be a day of agreement. many left feeling more confused than ever. the loya jirga, a gathering of afghan representatives was in favour of the security pact with the u.s., wanting it signed. that was in relation to president hamid karzai's announcement that he would not sign until april. sunday he stuck to his position that he needed more time to get a better deal from washington. that didn't satisfy the head of the jirga, the drama playing out on tv. >> translation: i want to repeat again - americans cannot go into our houses after the bilateral document. they cannot kill anyone in their house. the afghan people will be safe, peace will come. it will not be a case of americans sitting in their place and we'll have a war. i don't accept that. this decision is historical. >> translation: whatever the president is saying is right. americans do not have any right to enter afghan houses. they have given us that in writing and promised. a superpower cannot break their promise. if they do we are ready

. >> jane, thank very much for that. jane ferguson in kabul there. >> more to come after the break. including why this protest including young children is putting spotlight on them in frank. frank -- france. and the nba have left it until the very last second to chinc ch the cup. a group of rebels say they are ending a cease-fire agreement. the mla fighter fighters. >> an anti-government protest in thailand has entered a seventh day. they call on supporters to step up their campaign. supporters of the prime minister are rallying as well. a massive demonstration has been broken up in kiev. police used b battons to dispure the crowd. they are angry the ukrainian government pulled out of a a tre deal with the eu. >> this move by the riot police to clear independence square me highway 9highwayhighwabehind me. they predicted a crackdown by the president as soon as he returned from the summit in lithuania. the students hoe hav who have be backbone of the protest say they will continue with them despite the reaction at independence square during a predawn raid. the president has decided he

jane ferguson has that story from kandahar city. >> for many in kandahar life has been hard. they are squeeze the between a major foreign military base and a strong taliban presence. the loya jirga will take place in kabul to debate the future of such bases in the county. people like this shopkeeper in the city want them gone. >> translation: thanks to god we are muslims. the americans - everyone knows who they are. no islamic country wants to give a place for infidels - especially afghans and pash tunes don't want to give them bases. >> several representatives traving to the jirga should reject agreement. some have little faith in those going to the capital. >> translation: these elders have not consulted people. they didn't talk about the issues. ordinary people are not aware of it. >> most of the kandaharis we spoke to want foreign forces out of the afghanistan. they have seen some of the most brutal fighting here of past 12 years and much less restriction and development. in other parts of country opinions on the bilateral security agreement are diverse. in kunduz some ar

jane ferguson al jazeera kabul afghanistan. >> in part two we report from south korea where the population is aging faster than any other. is that is senior times in south korea on al jazeera on sunday j now it's time for sport and here is joe. >> they have extended their lead at the top of the spanish table by four points. it was a far from vintage mother performance. sanchez scoring for the third time in three matches. 1-nil was the result. >> to germany the coach has celebrated the signing of a new five-year contract with a 6-1 thrashing of stuttgart. they came from behind to lead 2-1 at half time. after the break it was 3-1 and after that it became the show as the striker grabbed a hat trick and set up pierre. they romped to a 6-1. the victory sees them go two points clear in the league. >> rivals could retake the top spot and equal the record for the longest run in history. all they have to do is avoid defeat on saturday. the record stands at 36 games which was set by hamburg by 1982 and 1983. >> so far i had three matches with the team. >> this record happened because they had unbeli

jane ferguson, aljazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> we're just receiving reports that susan rice, the national security advisor is in afghanistan meeting with the afghan president soon. >> facebook founder mark zuckerberg has sharp words for the u.s. government about n.s.a. spying. during an interview, he said government officials dropped the ball on conducting surveillance programs. >> i think the government really blew it on this one. i honestly think that they're continuing to blow it in some ways and i hope that they become more transparent in that part of it. >> earlier this month, facebook and four other tech companies asked congress to reign in the n.s.a. they want to counter false reports that they give intelligence agencies direct access to the servers. >> business headlines, wall street starting in record territory. investors want to know how long the bulls will kept running. stock futures are higher, dow jumps 61 points signaling a possible start in trading. the nasdaq is nearing the 4,000 mark. >> overseas, european markets are higher in early trading. in asia, markets closing mixe

jane ferguson reports from kabul. >> scandal and argument surrounds the decision makers in afghanistan. a gathering of representatives is expected to decide on sunday if it will approve a security agreement in the u.s. president hamid karzai is sticking to the condition. he won't sign the agreement until after presidential elections next year. >> translation: hamid karzai doesn't have the right to say these words. this is a big mistake. whether we want from them and hamid karzai wants from them, it has been accepted. he wants to delay the agreement. this is not for the benefit of afghanistan. this is to the dertryment of afghanistan. >> in the busy market of the capital people are worried about their future if the agreement is not signed. >> translation: if pakistanis are enemy, if iranies are enemy and we make america our enemy, how do we make a living. we need support to make a living and develop a stable future >> some believe hamid karzai is worried about his legacy. he doesn't want to be remembered as a president intimidated by foreigners. they point out the country should come fi

jane ferguson has the story. >> it was an attack on the footsteps where the country will debate u.s. forces. a suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into an afghan military vehicle as the after noon rush hour was beginning. civilians were killed and injured. >> translation: i have a kebab stall here. there was a bang, everything went dark. i didn't understand what happened. they took me to the hospital. when i came back to see my shop a lot of people were injured. there was smoke and dust - you can see from my clothes. >> the blast destroyed cars and hit a street lined with market stalls. >> at around 3 o'clock there was a big explosion. there were huge flames and smoke. i know some of the shop keepers there. there were butchers, vegetable sellers and a mechanic. they were all hurt. >> the police say it was a suicide car bombing here, targetting afghan military presence, which was present here, trying to protect where the hall is, just beyond that row of trees behind me that you can see. it is meant to host over 2,500 representatives from around afghanistan later next we

in the first part of our series on the world senior citizens, jane ferguson sent this report from kabul where many elderly afghans are forced to keep working well beyond retirement. for the elderly life here is the toughest in the world. that's according to a recent survey which says afghanistan is the worst country to grow old in. in kabul it's common to see elderly men working. their children don't have enough income to support them further. this is where the elderly come to find out how much they will get in their molly pension. if they worked for the state for a set number of years then they are entitled to cash, and they'll come here and look at their details on the list. some of them get as little as $10 a month. but few are lucky enough to get anything from the state. the culture in afghanistan leaves responsibility for the elderly to their children. but for many here that simply means a small amount of food. most are like this man. he is not sure how old he is. perhaps 65. for him age doesn't matter. he must keep working to survive. it's grueling labor chopping wood. he guess le

. >> jane ferguson explains why. >> this was meant to be a date of agreement. many left feeling more confused than ever. the loya jirga was overwhelmingly in favour with the security pact with the us, and wanted it signed immediately. >> that was in reference to hamid karzai's announcement that he won't sign the deal until after elections, on sunday he stuck to his position that he needed more time to get a better deal from washington. that didn't satisfy the head of the jirga, and the drama on stage played out live on tv. >> translation: i want to repeat again - americans cannot go into our houses after the bilateral documents, they cannot kill anyone in their house. the afghan people will be safe. it will not be a case of americans in their bases then we have a war in our country. i don't accept that. this decision will be historical. >> translation: whatever the president is saying is right. americans do not have any right to enter african houses, they have given that to us in writing. they promise a superpower cannot break their promise. if they do, we are

. >> i'm jane ferguson

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> soldiers in tripoli sparking clashes that killed four. this comes as thousands gathered in the capitol to morning those killed yesterday. we have reports from triply. >> reporter: this is how a militia group in tripoli responded to a protest demanding its fighters get out of the city. [ explosions ] >> reporter: the demonstrators were attacked as they marched through the headquarters of the brigade one of libya's many military groups. >> these are the conditions of war, not a peaceful protest. and this is the result, blood. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: fighting broke out among different armed groups. and by the end of the confrontation more than 30 people had been killed. >> i saw scenes of total chaos both in front of the hospital, with lots of military and lots of armed men trying to divert traffic. and the same thing was reflected inside the hospital where i also saw lots and lots of armed men running around totally overwhelmed. >> a week ago the government's called on people to take to the streets to pressure the military groups to disba

as jane ferguson reports the blast happened hours after the afghan president suggested u.s. troops would stay in the country longer that expected. >> it was an attack on the footsteps of where the country will debate the future of u.s. forces here. a suicide bomber rammed a car parked with explosives into an afghan military vehicle as the afternoon rush hour was beginning. civilians from killed and injured. >> translation: i have a kebab stall here. there was a big bang, everything went dark. i didn't understand what was happening. they took me to the hospital. when i came back to the shop there were a lot of people injured. there was a lot of smoke and dust. you can see from my clothes. >> the blast destroyed many cars and hit a street lined with market stalls. >> translation: at around 3 o'clock there was a big explosion. there were huge flames and smoke. i know some of the shopkeepers there, there are butchers, vegetable sellers and a mechanic - they were all hurt. >> police say it was a suicide car bombing here targetting afghan military presence, present here trying to

in a 3-part series, jane ferguson begins in kabul, where seniors struggle to survive. >> for the elderly life is the toughest in the world. that's according to a recent survey which tas afghanistan is the worst -- which says that afghanistan is the worst country to grow old in. in kabul it is common to see elderly men working. children don't have enough income to help. >> this is where elderly come to find out how much they'll get in their pension. if they worked to the state for a number of years, they are entitled to cash. they'll come and look at the details on the list. some getting as little as $10. few are lucky enough to get anything from the state. for many here, that simply means a small amount of food. most are like khoda dawd. he is not sure how old he is, perhaps 65. age doesn't matter for him. he must work to survive. it's gruelling labour, chopping wood. he gets less than $2 for chopping half a tonne of logs. >> this is the $0.70 i have made so far. that's today's work, god so great. maybe bit evening i'll make another $1.80 and i'll pay $0.35 to take the bus home. with the

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >> and in part two of our series, harry reports from south korea where the population is aging faster than any other. that's senior times in south korea right here on sunday. >>> there is plenty head on this news hour. we have a story of a popular egyptian satirist and his television show. >> reporter: i'm daniel in canada, and i'll be reporting on a new and growing threat to bee keeping and all bees in this part of the country. >> and there are thousand who is warm up for the new york marathon. the security tightens. that's ahead in sports. just stay with us. impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours. [[voiceover]] every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlo

al jazeera's jane ferguson explains. >> this was metropolitan to be a day of agreement but many left feeling more confused than ever. the jurga, which was a gathering of afghan whys, in reference to president karzai's announcement on thursday that he won't sign the deal until after elections next april. on sunday he stuck to his position that he needed more time to get a better deal from washington. that didn't satisfy the head of the jurga and the drama on stage played out live on tv. >> translator: i want to repeat again, americans can not go into our houses after the bilateral documents. they cannot kill anyone in their house. the afghan people will be safe and peace will come. i don't accept that this decision is historical. the. >> translator: whatever the president is saying is is right. that americans do not have any right to enter afghan houses they have given that in writing and they promised. a superpower cannot break their promise. if they do then we are ready to protest. >> sir, no protests, terminating the bilateral they have to promise they are not killing afghans in th

al jazeera's jane ferguson is live from kabul in afghanistan, jane, good morning to you. so what are some of the other contentious issues surrounding this agreement? >> good morning stephanie. this agreement has been contentious from day one, over a year of negotiations between washington and kabul have not yet come to a final signing of this agreement. now the news broke late last night, early this morning that afghan president hamid karzai as you said has come out and said that the american troops, if they stay, will not be allowed to tirade afghan villages or homes in themselves and should provide the intelligence to the afghan security forces and they would do the job. this is of course an issue of sovereignty and issue of cultural sensitivities and an issue that has always been sensitive to the afghan president himself, hamid karzai criticized some of the night raids that have gone on here over the past 12 years repeatedly and what is controversial in the agreement is the issue of legality surrounding the u.s. troops. they would effectively have to be immune from afg

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul afghanistan. >> i am joined here in the studio, a former commander of the u.s. central command. thank you for coming in. >> pleasure. >> what is the problem with waiting until aid for the by lateral security agreement to be signed. >> i think the biggest problem is the inability to plan to do the turnover in a methodical and thoughtful and appropriate manner. no enough time for logistics? >> more than logistics. there is quite a bit of support that the allies give to the afghan government. many capabilities that the afghans themselves do not have. and all of this needs to be sorted out. we have some experience, where it ended up a rather abrupt departure, and things have been struggling since. >> dui karzai is serious about not signing now, or is he just delaying long enough, so it doesn't look like it was him that wanted to legitimize a foreign power staying in afghanistan? >> well, i think first of all, it is difficult to say. i spent some time with president karzai when i was over in the country. i'm not sure exactly what is going through his mind to

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul afghanistan. >> following the troop numbers in afghanistan is not an easy task. >> you are right. it isn't a very easy task. but we can pinpoint a couple of numbers. international troops have been in afghanistan ever since the taliban was ousted and that was in december of 2001. in the need aftermath of 9/11. now it is not clear how many foreign forces including u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan. after the moment, there is just under 90,000 nato troops serving in afghanistan. and they come from 49 member countries. the international security and assistance force, or, i sat, that's the nato force, they tell us that. britain, italy, germany, they are all major contributors. but it will come as no surprise that u.s. sends the most number of troops there. 54,500 american troops. that according to the latest pick jury. now the highest number of troops was an awful lot more than that, so you can see how many have come home, as its height it was 101,000. that was just after president obama's spur of troops and that was in 2011. the extra 33,000 u.s. troo

jane ferguson, al jazeera, kandahar city, afghanistan. >> meteorologist: i'm meteorology dave warren. we look out to the northwest, snow will continue to move across into the rockies and then it will pull warm air from the south and cold air from the north bringing a mix of wintery weather. cold air is down into colorado and kansas. now look at what happens throughout the morning. warm air approaches from the south but cold air stays in place. that's a storm developing bringing warm air to the north, and then the cold air is trapped, so you start to see a mix form. rain over oklahoma and kansas. then as that rain moves through cold air there is a mix developing, with snow where it's cold enough there is a mix in between. you're seeing a mix of rain to ice to maybe even freezing rain to snow. but this area could get a coating of ice. or if it freezes before it hits the ground that sleet could be slippery on the roadways throughout the day tomorrow. this is wintery precipitation but we're talking about an arctic blast. we'll have more coming. player. >> coming in al jazeera america. a c

jane ferguson reports that the plast -- blast occurred ahead of debate on whether the forces should stay in pakistan. >> a carloaded with explosives crashed into a military vehicle. civilians were among those killed and injured. >> translation: i have a kebab store here. suddenly there was a big bang and everything went dark. i didn't understand what was happening. they took me to the hospital. when i came back to see my shop there were a lot of people injured. there was a lot of smoke and dust. you can see from my clothes. >> the blast destroyed many cars. and hit a street lined with market stalls. >> at around 3 o'clock there was a big explosion. there were huge flames and smoke. i know some of the shopkeepers there. there are butchers, vegetable sellers and a mechanic. they were hurt. >> the police say it was a scuffed carr bombing here, targetting afghan military presence, present here, trying to protect where the loya jirga holl is beyond the row of trees. it is meant to host 2,500 representatives from around afghanistan later next week who will come here to discuss the future of u.

. >> jane ferguson has the latest were kabul. >> top of the agenda on the discussions between pakistani nawaz sharif and afghan president hamid karzai will be peace talks between the afghan government and the afghan taliban. they said for some time now they want direct peace talks with the taliban. they believe that pakistan is the right partner to facilitate that. they've had a complicated relationship with pakistani neighbours for some years. the afghan government accused the pakistani military of harvesting the taliban, helping them to operate. what they hope from this is the civilian government in pakistan might be able to, through their new prime minister nawaz sharif, wrest a little more control on issues to do with the taliban and push peace talks direct with the taliban. as is indicative of that complicated relationship between afghanistan and the pakistani neighbours initials say over 15 more tar shells have been fired by the pakistani army in the last 24 hours. really, quite a complicated relationship here. both sides, whilst pushing forward, on something of a better relations

ferguson has more from kabul. >> reporter: despite late-night negotiations between national security advisor susan rice and karzai this pact between afghanistan and the u.s. is no closer to being signed. president karzai still will not sign this deal until he has certain guarantees from the u.s. and mentioned various points that he wants to be reassured on things like the u.s. forces will never enter afghan homes and he now would like to push the point that afghan detainees from gitmo be released and will not sign until he is happy with conditions he has. white house responded with very strong language and some of the strongest language we have heard since the start of these negotiations over the security pact and said if it's not signed by the end of the year that is unacceptable to them and they will have to make plans to pull out every last u.s. troop from afghanistan by the end of next year. now they have also upped the stakes by mentioning aid money. they have said that any failure to sign this agreement could jeopardize money that was pledged by nato country and allies earlier