>> a threat of war. north korea cuts military lines with the south and warns of an imminent conflict. hello there. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead, fears of a bank run in sibe us are. doors of banks prepare to reopen. somalia's president gives us his response to a report of security forces and refugees. prayers of passion. day two of the u.s. supreme court hearing on gay marriage.

north korea has again ratcheted south, ons with the a military official said there is no communications in a situation where "war may break out at any moment. tensions have risen following u.s. and south korea military drills and un sanctions over the north's military tests. >> the north korean television showed pictures of leader kim jong-un -- the military was doing what it could to turn up the tension. they informed south korea they were cutting off the hot line that connects the two militaries, saying that no words, only arms would work. another statement from the foreign minister was relayed by a newsreader. >> the korean peninsula is now in a touch and go situation due to the nuclear war provocation of the u.s. and south korea. they are entering the final stage of the all-out showdown with the states.

>> the foreign minister statement also said a final decision had been reached to take military action. it sounds like a clear threat, but the conditions for doing so have already been met. at the same time, pyongyang is sending a direct message to the un that could be seen as conciliatory. ertainly -- there are no consequences of the hotline cutoff. the line is usually used to coordinate the travel of south koreans every day. south korea said direct lines to the complex were working. south korea's government talks about more engagement, not less, including the possibility of restarting reunions of families separated by the war. >> the dialogues are available at any time, but if we have a dialogue we firmly hope it will be a since answer one for solving problems. as the separated family issues, i think talks will likely be made at the appropriate

time. >> but this can hardly be called an appropriate time. south korea was briefly on its highest alert for north korean provocation on wednesday after one of its soldiers threw a grenade at a suspicious object in the demilitaryized zone, later found to be an animal. it is the kind of situation having a functioning military hotline is designed to diffuse. >> a seen year research scholar at columbia university in new york said there is a slight chance for war. >> they are escalating tensions and am concerned about a number of things. what i'm mostly concerned about is that north koreans will follow through what they promise to do and that is not cut off military hotlines. a more provocative act is definitely coming, but it is going to be controlled and limited and calculated.

sank a g like when they south korean vessel in 2010 or she would a south korean island in 2010. why i'm not overly concerned is that because kim jong un is not suicidal. he knows if a general war breaks it, it would be the end of his regime in north korea. this is a problem that has been with us for decades. the problem with north korea is most north korea watchers say it is a land of lousy options. there are no good options when it comes to north korea. we cannot fully engage with north korea when it is behaving this way. a kinetic reaction is not a good response either. trying to get the international count in rally them and talk to the chinese to implement the

sanctions and try to squeeze them that way. >> some of thailand's separatist groups are due sit down for peace talks in kuala lumpur. the two largest groups will not be prevent. since 2004, more than 5,000 people have been killed. banks in cyprus are preparing to reopen after 12 days on ockdown. we look at what savers will have to deal with in a few hours' time. by nother demonstration angry and confused cypriots, this time at the gates of the presidential palace. ordinary people, not radicals, still trying to come to terms with what is happening to their country. with anxiety over jobs and future generations. t is obvious who they blame.

no one can take more than $3800 in cash out of cyprus in one visit. no checks can be cashed and a person's credit and debit card ransactions will be limited. the capital controls should mean there is no mass withdrawal of cash, but the truth is no one really knows how people are going to react. for ordinary cypriots, it is this ongoing sense of uncertainty that is the real nightmare. in a place built on russian tourism and the good day of banking, their high end fashion business is frozen. neighboring shops have already shot. the bank closure has meant no money for new stock and foreign

suppliers waiting for payment. they see five years of hard work under threat. >> we're very angry because we have worked very hard. we have done everything correct. we are paying for the decisions of naïve politicians and bankers. >> it is even worse for people like andrea, who works for the bank that is shutting down altogether. he has no idea what his future holds. >> in one day you have your work. then you see there is no uture. losing your job -- what is the alternative? >> cyprus's crisis has taken its place in the ongoing european struggle to save the euro. as with previous chapters, it is the people who have not done anything wrong were paying the highest price.

has war crimes tribunal convicted two officials for their roles. mico stanisic and stojan zupljanin were jailed for 22 years for war crimes and crimes against humanity. the report said they oversaw the persecution and murder of non-serbs during the war. somalia's president has responded to a report accusing security forces of abusing people in refugee camps. somali forces have been raping and stealing aid. >> this is home to around 3,000 somalis who have fled hunger and violence in other parts of the country. it is squalid and there is not much healthcare. it is in camps like this that so-called gatekeepers, men aligned with the government,

have been stealing crucial aid lies and there have been accusations of rape. "i resisted and tried to run from him and i screamed. i woke up and they shot me four times." >> another woman who is nine nths pregnant said she was gang raped. >> i was sleeping and someone shined a flashlight in my eyes. i woke up and they told me to eep silent then they left. >> no one currently has been health held to account for that. human rights raises some questions about somalia. decision lies in dealing

with some of somalia's otherwise systemic issues and he says that men with fake uniforms may be responsible for some of the rapes. >> there is no proof that those who are in uniform, all of them are government soldiers. >> last year's elections that brought in the president's government were hailed by western leaders as the dawn of a new era of peace and stability after two decades of war and famine. for many of somalia's refugees, those hopes are yet to be fulfilled. >> the leaders of five fast growing economies have agreed on a bank. they have been unable to agree on the terms. the plan is a direct challenge to the world's bank.

>> the leaders of the world's biggest emerging economies came together to talk investment, trade, and global peace and security. billions of dollars of deals signed across an array of industries, but the idea of a collective bank like the world bank got the most attention. although agreed to in principle it was not quite ready to cement a deal. >> we have decided to enter formal negotiations to establish a bric-led new development bank based on our own considerable infrastructure needs. >> the issues is still to be worked out include where would the bank be based, how much money would each country contribute, and would it make on consensus or on voting assigned to each country's contribution? that is really important because it is about equality. >> also a sign of the growing

influence the group could have on the world political stage. the syrian president looked to bric's to resolve the conflict. their final communique supported a national dialogue but they stopped short of direct involvement. >> we should ensure that countries irrespective of their size, strength, and wealth, are all equal members of the international community and that the internal affairs of a country are handled by its own people and international affairs by all countries through consensus. >> african leaders were invited as well. although growth in all the countries has slowed, the group is still expected to account for 45% of the world's gdp by 2013. >> this group will get bigger and not smaller. those who are counting on this dying soon will have to wait a

long time. >> with over 40% of the future population riding on this, what they say and do matters. but the group is only five years old and is still finding its feet on the world stage.

>> hello again. top stories here on al jazeera. north korea is again fueling tensions with the south. a north korean military official says with the possibility of war at any moment, there is no point in maintaining communications. banks in cyprus reopen thursday after almost two weeks. thousands of customers are expected to rush to withdraw money, but there will still strict limits in place. somalia's president has responded to a report accusing security forces of abusing refugees. the president said there is no

proof they were all government soldiers. the battle continuing in syria between opposition fighters and government forces. this video shows a free syrian army brigade shelling snipers. meanwhile turkish police have ired tear gas at refees. they started demonstrating after a young boy was killed by a fire caused by faulty electricity. reck fligs the arab league, acceptance from the united nations is next on its list. the ambassador in waiting has been telling us what it would mean to be able to take a seat at the security council. >> one day after the opposition took syria's seat at the arab league and now they are turning

their attention to the u.n.. this is the man who would be ambassador. but now he can only come into the building with the tourists through the visitors' entrance, but he has a plan to replace the consistently loyal voice of the damascus regime. >> the next step is to tell all of these countries to extend full recognition to the coalition and allow them to take over the syrian embassy. that is the second one. the third step is to contest it. >> what would it mean having the u.n.'s seat here? is it just symbolic? >> i think it would mean more. that is a war. 192 countries here. you're able to talk to all of them. you're able to make your point. definitely through the general assembly. >> it will be a long, slow process to try to become the

recognized government of syria. the earliest chance of taking the seat will be when world leaders gather as they do every year at the nun september. the opposition is setting up a diplomatic mission in a block overlooking the u.n. the flags lining the front of the building are taken down each evening. the doctor says he will work tirelessly until the flag is emoved for good. >> an egyptian court has ordered the reinstatement of the prosecutor general fired by morsi. the decision angered senior judges. >> according to egyptian law, the prosecutor general can only be dismissed by the judiciary and not by the president. when morsi issued his

controversial decree last year sacking the prosecutor general, there were thousand s of people who took to the streets accusing morsi of putting himself above the law and appointing a replacement in as close to brotherhood to implement their agenda rather than the law. now the court's decision effectively overturned this move by muhammad morsi last year. in this decision comes as a very critical time for egypt. because he is coming under fresh criticism, he just referred to interrogation. his position said that swift move only indicates he acted in defense of the brotherhood rather than the law. so far the presidency has not reacted to the court decision but it is expected to be

appealing it because this is not a final decision and there is still one more layer of appeal. >> part of egypt's post revolution economy continues to struggle. the government is planning on ending long-running subsidies on bread. that will make life difficult more many egyptians. >> public bread sells for less than one cent apiece but costs seven times that to make. with people living on $2 a day or less, cheap bread is a social subsidy the country still cannot function without. there are many who do live on bread alone these days. the huge demand for this public bread. it sells out every day. egypt's economy post revolution is in deep trouble. prices for all the basics are up. fuel, food, unemployment is

rising and so is poverty. nadia is a widow were nine hildren. >> we have begun to starve. we can not guilty afford to buy food. we come here to get bread. >> we poor people are eating each other now. we can't find anyone who defends our rights. >> it is only going to get worse. the jims egyptian government is run out of funds. they want to make cuts, including rationing public bread. that brought the bakers out into cairo's streets. they said they can't afford to make the bread anyway, let alone with the proposed changes. >> if i can't make it work, i will shut my bakery down. no matter what the government tries to do with me. >> trouble is egypt can't grow

enough wheat to feed its people and they can't afford to increase production. it needs to be paid for with dollars, precisely what egypt doesn't have right now >> the challenges facing the egyptian government are so new mexico us are. -- -- numerous. >> there is no easy or painless solution to the economic problems. in some ways the whole of egypt, not just its poor, is today on the bread line. >> the internet has reportedly slowed down after one of the biggest cyberattacks ever recorded. it is unprecedented. a run of possible further disrippingses. a european organization block spam content was targeted.

detainees on a hunger strike at ib have made new -- goib guantanamo bay. the men are protest g over their indefinite confinement and harsh treatment at the camp. a massive landslide in washington state in the u.s. has cut off more than 12 homes. residence in whidbey island reported hearing a boom just after four clock in the morning. it took out a road and cut off water and power. amazing that just one house was damaged and no injuries are being reported. the supreme court has heard final arguments on gay marriage. judges indicated they could strike down a law that denies benefits to legally married gay couples. >> day two of arguments for and

gainst gay marriage. many young people are behind the drive to reform gay marriage laws in the u.s. jorge, who is 17, says he is keen to get a government job and effect change from within. >> as people step in that are from our generation, if it is not changed now or sometime soon, i think it will be changed then. >> it is a law that denies benefits to gay couples whose marriages are legally recognized by the states they live in. anthony kennedy suggested it conflicts with state rights. >> you are -- at real risk of running in conflict with what has always been thought to be the essence of the state police power, which is to regulate marriage, divorce, custody. >> it is impossible to predict the outcome of the case, but

-- watchers,tches they felt they detected a mood on the bench to overturn the law. it was justice anthony kennedy who is the main swing justice. he is conservative but often votes with the liberals on the court. he asked certain questions that lead watchers to believe there is a mood among the nine to verturn the law. the case was brought by an 83-year-old woman. >> i just sued the united states of america. >> plenty of young people oppose it too. >> i think it would be a mistake to think this is entirely a generational conflict. there are many, many young people who still stand for the timeless configuration of marriage between a man and a woman. >> so ends two days of oral arguments. inside, decorum, deliberation,

outside, raw emotion among people who waited decades for this issue to come to this building and never thought it would. now they must wait a couple more months for this decision to come down. >> the chinese navy fleet has reached the southernmost part of the sea. the ships came within 80 kilometers of malaysia's coast. oil and gas are thought to lie beneath the sea. china's president continues his first major overseas trip. his wife has been stealing the spotlight back home. we take a look at her rising popularity. >> putting their best foot forward, chinese fashion brands, the international clothes show. the hot topic of conversation is an unlikely one. the chinese first lady as trend

certificate. since set thing off a plane at the start of their first big trip, she has often been making the headlines ahead of president kxinping. they are abuzz with talk of her grace and poise. thanks to home grown chinese fashion. >> the local brands are growing stronger. before we were just a workshop that would churn out other people's products. now we have the confidence to promote our own brands to the market. >> well, the growing army of chinese consumers, until now lavishly scooping up anything western and luxurious, it has given them pause for thought. the chinese companies have shown they can make quality products. if our first lady is wearing them, this man said everyone will surely follow. our first lady represents chinese elegance both in inner

and outer beauty. >> it is all good news for chinese fashion brands. for china's leaders, it is something of a dilemma. a popular, fashionable first lady is not something they have had to deal with since -- well, ever. > ever since the wife of the prume leader who led the rev -- it and the has been greeted with caution on internet chatter. >> the first lady had been very popular in china. she is well known already. it is just a matter of degree. will she play a independent role or somebody who is supporting the chairman? >> another challenge and another lurch into unchartered

territory. >> freezing temperatures continue to plague europe. in poland five people have died from hypothermia. in britain, thousands of homes have been left without power. farmers are also battling with conditions.