>> the u.s. says there has been no breakthrough in high-stakes talk with russia on the crisis in ukraine. ♪ >> you're watching al jazeera. also coming on, the russian president claims victory in another theater attention with the west. vladimir putin says moscow's intervention arted a revolt in kazakhstan. the u.s. acts -- hours before he takes office for a fourth term. a big leap in treating heart

elements. a man in the u.s. becomes the first in the world to get a transplant from a genetically modified big -- pig. ♪ >> hello. u.s. and russian diplomats have wrapped up the first meetings aimed at de-escalating the tension on ukraine's border. moscow has spent the last few months gathering forces, raising fears about invasion. moscow guarantees that nato -- moscow wants guarantees that nato will not accept new members and ukraine will not be able to drip -- join the new alliance. >> it is an achievement of sorts that talks between russia and the u.s. did not end in failure. while russia insisted it had no intention of invading ukraine, there remains little sign of an

immediate end to the crisis. >> it is not a situation>> where a dealbreaker, one way or another, is invasion. unfortunately we have great disparity in our principled approaches to this. u.s. and russia, in some ways, have opposite views on what needs to be done. >> u.s. negotiators promise there wouldn't be talk of ukraine security without ukraine present. this instead a chance to air respective concerns and get a measure of pressure' intent. with tensions at their highest since the cold war, points of dispute between russia and the u.s. are plentiful. ukraine is perhaps most urgent. russia has supported a separatist conflict there for eight years and to the presence of 100,000 russian troops on the border threatens a new war in europe.

russia wants legal guarantees that ukraine will never become a member of the nato alliance. a demand flatly rejected by western allies. monday, ukraine's deputy prime minister met the nato secretary-general. talks with russia will widen wednesday to include nato members in brussels, and then the osce in vienna thursday. >> what russia is doing is trying to impose its agenda instead of returning to the negotiating table. >> we have stated very clearly that we will never compromise on the right for every nation in europe to choose its own path, including security arrangements it wants to be part of. >> early -- earlier, russia suggested the u.s. had not taken seriously his country's demand that ukraine never be allowed to join nato. that is an ominous sign. i continuing to press what is a solidly western redline, russia may be showing its hand.

president putin may not intend this weekend of talks to succeed at all, but rather use them as a pretext for war. >> from washington, roslyn jordan has more on how american negotiators reacted. >> wendy sherman's assessment was that the meetings monday, about eight hours of talks with sergei probably cough -- they were straightforward, again, wendy sherman's language here but she said this was not a negotiation, this was really the attempt, she said, for the u.s. and russia to take the measure of each other's concerns. since the meeting last summer between presidents putin and biden. this is a situation where sherman says the u.s. is steadfast that it is opposed to an invasion of ukraine, although it was not specifically discussed at the meeting.

she did say the u.s. is trying to find a way to resurrect the intermediate missile treaty that the u.s. and others say the russians have broken by stationing medium-range missiles around its territory aimed at western europe. she also said that one thing is not going to change, the idea that nato is not going to open its membership to countries that want to be members. she said that would be infringing on those countries right to decide how to conduct their foreign policy. she said there is a lot of work to do, but this is just the beginning. whether the russians are trying to basically create a situation to justify an invasion of ukraine, she said we will have to see what they are actually doing. >> kimberly martin is professor of political science at bernard college. she says it is good that the sides are talking, but these meetings may not mean much to lowering tensions. >> it is on the -- it is unclear

whether these talks will have any impact on putin's decision-making. i think his decision on what to do and ukraine will have more to do with a cost-benefit analysis of what russia would gain or lose by intervening than it is by how these talks go. i think putin is trying anything he can to see what might work. we also have to remember that putin's background is as a kgb officer. he very much enjoys using deception against his opponents. anything that appears to be what he is doing on the surface may not be what his actual intentions are. i think it is significant that russia is meeting with nato once again because in october of 2021, russia temporarily withdrew from the nato-russia council in anger after i think it was eight russian diplomats had been expelled from the nato group as being undercover spies. it is very significant that the

talks are actually happening. that in itself is a sign of progress, but we should keep in mind that nato has 30 members who have very different interests from each other. we should not look at ts as being russia-nato negotiations as much as it is the opening of a conversation that could lead to some kind of arms-control arrangement going forward. >> russia's president is claiming victory in defending kazakhstan from what he calls a foreign backed uprising. more than 160 people were killed rain last week's antigovernment protest which turned into the country's worst unrest in recent history. >> further moscow led security block, is first real military intervention has been a success. the president of cause asked on -- president of kazakhstan told his counterparts the deployment

prevented what he called terrorist groups from taking control of the country. >> the constitutional order has been restored. dangerous threats to the country's security have been prevented. as part of the antiterrorist operation, work is underway to identify persons involved in crimes. >> nationwide, protests threatened to under -- to unseat the president. when they turned violent, he fired political rivals including the ex-president, and called into the sea sto. within 24 hours, troops under russian command were on the ground, bolstering his authority. vladimir putin has made clear the csto's longer-term objective. >> of course, we understand the events in kazakhstan are far from the last attempt at outside interference in the internal affairs of our states. the measures taken clearly

showed we will not allow such interference, so-called color revolution scenarios, to take place. >> kazakhstan authorities say there counterterrorism operation is almost complete. around 8000 have been detained so far. this celebrated musician, beaten into confessing he was a jobless thug for hire, casts doubt on the official narrative. after public outcry from kurdistan, he has been freed. there is a consensus among observers that this crisis has little to do with international terrorism. >> i am sure the -- which lost power is behind this. they wanted to regain power. >> life is returning to a semblance of normality. but the news on monday that three senior officers from the security services had died, two

from suicide, raises further questions about what really is happening inside kazakhstan. >> the u.s. and european union have imposed new sanctions on nicaraguan officials following an election being described as rigged. the coordinated action set as daniel ortega is set to be sworn in for a fourth term. he was reelected in november and a vote the u.s. and eu call a sham. several opposition candidates were arrested while campaigning, and independent election observers band. >> these are not the kind of sanctions that would paralyze any economy. they will, however, stating some members of the -- sting high-ranking members of the military, communications department and electoral council who will no longer have these is to go to the u.s. or access bank

accounts. i did speak to an opposition leader who is in exile in costa rica. she says that while it will not have a really strong political impact in terms of swaying president ortega, it well at least send a message to the nicaraguan people that the world is watching and that it cares. >> the united nations has begun meetings to find a way to end political deadlock that has paralyzed sudan since the military coup in october. some protest groups like the sudanese professionals association are rejecting the intervention. they are demanding the removal of the military from power as a precondition to engaging in talks. -- hopes these consultations would help find a compromise. >> the time has come to end violence and enter a conference

of process to solve the crisis. that is why we initiated an international mission and invited the political and social players, governmental and nongovernmental, including political parties, armed groups, civil society, women's groups, resisting groups to participate. the military did not oppose our initiatives and that is important. i am not talking about people, the military is present and they have their own opinions and interests, but did not reject the initiative. >> still ahead, calls for alarm over refugees of libya held in detention following a protest. uganda schools reopen after a covert shutdown lasting almost two years. it is feared many students will never return. ♪

>> look forward to brighter skies. the weather, sponsored by cutter airways. >> if you're planning to ski in japan, just wait. they will lay down another meters worse. this portion here is dragging cold air from siberia and it is going to enhance snow showers that fall in hokkaido. the cold is left sunshine in -- the sun is out elsewhere throughout china. hong kong on the cool side. all of the action is definitely in japan. south of the rain has followed the sun to some degree. not so much falling in malaysia as indonesia. they are still there in parts of borneo. there will be flooding. in india, a little bit of rain. more especially i think is going to be running towards odessa and further north.

in new delhi, slowly warming up. the snow has stopped falling in this part of india. the sun is out, which also means air quality will drop once again in new delhi. -- there is a southerly breeze, but a few showers around. >> the weather, sponsored by cutter airways. >> the silence has been disturbed. beneath this eden is one of scandinavia's largest iron ore deposi. it is driving a wedge between those seeking wealth and those defending their way of life. a witness documentary on al jazeera.

>> top stories on al jazeera this hour. u.s. and russian diplomats have wrapped up the first meetings in a week of diplomacy aimed at de-escalating tensions on the ukraine border. russia's deputy foreign minister called the discussions -- russia's president has claimed victory in defending kazakhstan from what he called a foreign backed uprising. more than 160 were killed last week. the u.s. and european union have imposed new sanctions on nicaraguan officials after elections that have been described as rigged. it comes on the same day president ortega is set to be sworn in for a fourth term.

the head of mali is ready to talk after sanctions were imposed. the block made the move in response to the -- pushing back elections until 2025. the junta has announced border closures. >> a war-torn country now isolated from its neighbors. there is a sense of panic and anger in mali's capital. people rush to banks and markets after the west african -- announced sanctions including the closing of air and land borders and the halting of financial transactions with west african countries. >> mali won't be able to withstand the sanctions. we do not have access to oceans and we need the ports in senegal to get goods in our country. for business owners, the sanctions are suicidal. >> in december, the transitional

government led by the junta leader said it would delay presidential elections scheduled in february two another five years, following national consultations. sunday, this made west african heads of state gather to impose further sanctions on mali, asking for a return to civilian rule. >> as much as we are aware of the complex situation, we think that all political, economic and social reforms looking to reshape mali can only be headed by democratic authorities. >> -- orchestrated two successful crews after detaining the president and prime minister, he named himself president could his transitional government was quick to denounce west african sanctions with this announcement made on national television. >> we condone these sanctions that are illegitimate. it is clearly sanctions come at

a time when the mali army is making spectacular progress in the fight against terrorism. >> almost 10 years since french forces repelled armed groups linked to al qaeda. despite their presence, the security situation has deteriorated dramatically. billions are displaced, unable to return home. groups linked to al qaeda are gaining ground. the government hired russian fighters to help tackle the security situation. much to the ire of france who announced a withdrawal of troops. for the country's leadership, bringing lasting peace to mali means a few sacrifices, and changing its relationship with both france and its neighbors. no matter the cost. >> libyan security forces have rated a refugee and migrant protest outside a u.n. community center in tripoli. rights groups say more than 600 people are involved, have been

detained. one person was shot. the protesters were calling for protection from libyan authorities. >> the norwegian refugee council and international rescue committee has said they are alarmed at the detention of hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers. they were put into a detention center and these detention centers are often packed, not very sanitary, and they are often put into very poor conditions. >> now that we have been attacked, people, vulnerable women, mentally disturbed individuals who were seeking protection have been attacked at night, out of nowhere. and they have no escape route. they are now packed in detention centers where inhuman treatments await them. rape, extortion, torture,

everything inhuman and unimaginable. my humble request of the international community is to intervene. >> to give you context, in early october, libyan authorities carried out a crackdown on migrants and refugees. they rounded up at least 5000 migrants and refugees in early october and they were put into detention centers like this facility. just a week after that, the facility saw the mass escape and in that event, at least six migrants were killed, dozens injured. that really led to a feeling of fear and panic among the population here in libya. many of them went and began camping out in front of u.n. refugee agency and we have tried to speak to the ministry of interior. they have not commented as of yet. really, what we are seeing and

hearing from people who were there, violence was used. others report that at least one person has a gunshot wound. the international committee and the norwegian refugee council have called on the immediate release of those detained, but we are still going to have to wait and see what kind of response the government has in the coming days. >> the conflicts in northern ethiopia was one of the topics discussed between the u.s. president and ethiopian prime minister. joe biden raised concerns about airstrikes. in the latest incident, 56 were killed on friday. the u.n. has called for a cease-fire. fighting between the government and local forces has killed thousands and displaced millions. an estimated 10,000 people have been driven from their homes after gunmen rated villages in northern nigeria.

at least 200 villagers were killed and their homes set on fire. the attacks followed government airstrikes on the hideouts of criminal gangs. the president condemned the killings as a act of desperation by mass murderers. he vouched to deploy more military resources to track them down. ♪ >> the tennis star novak djokovic says he is focused on playing the australian open after winning a court battle to stay in the country. he tweeted a picture of himself back on the tennis court, and said he was grateful the judge overturned his removal. earlier, crowds of supporters rallied outside his lawyer's office celebrating his release from detention. the immigration minister can still intervene, with a decision expected tuesday. djokovic was stopped at the border tuesday and told he didn't qualify for a medical

exemption to enter australia because he is unvaccinated. that is despite paperwork saying he recently recovered from covid. his family held a press conference in serbia and they say they are grateful for his release. >> we just have to thank all of the people who have gathered in front of the hotel where he stayed at for so many days, and today in front of the offices of his lawyers. for all of the support, the love and peace they are sending to him. that is one of the key points, the main reasons why we are actually sitting here today and why he actually won yesterday. >> this sweeping vaccine mandate for large businesses has come into effect in the u.s. despite the country's highest court still considering its legality. about 80 million workers are now required to be vaccinated against covid-19 or face weekly testing. two cases challenging that mandate were heard at the supreme court friday.

the justices are yet to rule. italy has tightened its restrictions for those who are not vaccinated, significantly limiting their access to a range of everyday activities. what is known as a super green pass will be required for taking public transport and entering most public places. the government has also introduced mandatory vaccinations for everyone over the age of 50. the european union is under pressure to relax a rule that forces airlines to use or lose their airport landing slots. the france a says it will have to fly 18,000 unnecessary flights to comply. before coronavirus, airlines are required to use 80% of their slots, or risk losing them to arrival. that has been reduced to 50%. opponents say the so-called ghost flights are a major generator of carbon emissions.

aliens of children are finally back in the classroom in uganda after a covid shutdown lasting almost two years. there is concern that as many as one third of peoples will not return because they started working, or became pregnant. victoria -- reports. >> on the outskirts of -- there is excitement in the air. parents are doing the school dropout for the first time in two years. many cannot hide the relief that the world's longest school shut down due to covid-19 has ended. >> having them in the first months, trying to struggle with teaching them. of course it is difficult for parent to be tutoring their own child. and then you go to work, then you leave them. it has been really hard. >> schools closed in march 2020 am a shortly after the first case of covid-19 was confirmed on the african continent. some classes reopened last year,

but shut down again four months later as the country faced a surge in infections. during that time, some people began working, others became pregnant. there are concerns as many as one third of students will not return. that is not the only worry. >> omicron has -- [indiscernible] >> the president credits uganda's high vaccination rate for the reopening but has also said some lockdown measures could be reinstated if cases rise steadily. teachers say the last two years have had a devastating effect on children and warned that closing schools again would be a mistake. >> the fact is my we can't live with the situation. i hope that this time there is

-- [indiscernible] >> children in uganda are once again experiencing one of the most important parts of their lives, education. but for how much longer remains to be seen. >> in a first for medical science, doctors in the u.s. have transplanted a pig's heart to a patient. the heart, which had undergone gene editing, was -- to reduce the risk of rejection. scientists say it could get around to the shortage of human body parts available for transplant. >> it is significant because we do not have a source of human organ replacement of sufficient numbers. not only demand, but a timely demand.

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